empty tank

Well frankly it's been a rather tiring couple of days, and once again i can't really recall a lot of what has happened, but allow me to try and recap some things that methinks are worth mentioning.

Am pretty tired now cos it was a long day - beginning more than eighteen hours ago when i woke up to be fetched to the airport to send my mother off back to S'pore and then head off to church with Brian and Lani, after which i'd head back to the room before heading off for another international student event, this time an ice cream social organized by a campus Christian ministry group (one of at least a dozen) here, then back to the room for a while to relax for a bit before a short meeting for all the guys on my floor, followed by more time in the room before heading out for Fall Fest '06. Yup so many things - and before classes proper have even started i'm like sapped of energy...

So after two-and-a-half weeks, my mother flew back this morning. I've been reflecting a lot upon how i've been really blessed to have my parents around here for a while, in spite of my whinings about wanting to travel alone. Yup, they've indeed been an invaluable help to me in helping me to settle in. Additionally, the Lord has placed so many connections in my path to help make things easier for me during my time here - such as family friends staying in convenient locations that facilitate easier travel and shopping while on the West Coast, and Brian, Lani and the Tans here in Chapel Hill too - i guess that my tendency is always to take all of these, in particular my parents for granted, but think that the realization that i won't be having them around for more than four times longer than the next longest period of time that i have not had them around really struck me - yup the love shown to me that ultimately comes from God is just so wonderful and humbling at the same time. Meanwhile, i'm crossing my fingers that United won't make it a hat trick and make another blunder with her baggage while they're being moved from plane to plane.

My third church service in the US in three weeks took place at New Hope Church, which is Brian and Lani's church. It was in its own way both similar yet different from the other two churches - for example, the songs were all familiar to me, but one of them happened to be familiar to me as a pop song - Drift Away - which was reworded into a Christian song, while another one was a pop song - Born to be Wild - so that was interesting to say the least... The message itself was good. I'd definitely say that all the three churches i've visited so far won't have anything too similar back in S'pore. Hope that in the very near future, as i prayerfully see how at least one or two other churches are like i'll be able to settle on a church to attend regularly for the next few months - i want to see what a few more are like first before coming to a decision...

The ice cream social was interesting too - reminded me a bit of IFG activities in its purpose - yup was a refreshing experience to be involved in a role reversal of sorts from last time during prc stuff. And what many people say is true - though it's still way in the beginning of my time here i understand a bit more where the general international student is coming from in terms of a certain blurness with what is going on and how any help offered to them is greatly appreciated =) (yes yes i know that the last statement will bring a smile to the faces of IFG members...)

Fall Fest basically serves the same purpose that matric fair does in nus, but the similarity ends there. Honestly, having been involved in matric fair planning before, nus could learn heaps and heaps and heaps from how they do things here. They closed down a whole street on campus for the fest, served up loads of yummy free food (now i regret not eating more...), had funky official hours of 9pm to 2am and had many interesting entertainment options like a marching band and a live band. The whole atmosphere was great - matric fair bites the dust in comparison - though because of my claustrocrowdophobia i didn't last too long there cos there seriously were too many people there for me so i headed back to my room after just more than an hour. But managed to get a better impression of what's going on here, particularly with the two areas of interest for me - singing groups (though i think that after six years my sight-singing seriously cannot make it, nor can time that i can commit) and of course campus ministries (of which as i mentioned there were just soooo many - including, to my surprise, a Christian fraternity and sorority - hmm).

I took quite a few not-so-good pictures, but as i seriously am tired here - do just look at them once i upload them there =======> at the "US PICS" link. Thanks.

Random thingy of the day: today i met two French speakers during my interactions with people - unfortunately i could not get up my confidence level in the language to say more than "je parle un petit peu le Français" - i only speak a bit of French.

Random thingy of the day #2: it was pretty funny just now during the ice cream social to see how one of the volunteers from the campus ministry (an English major, no less) was so intrigued by our (some of the Singaporeans) impromptu conversation in Singlish at her request - she could not understand what we were saying at all - haha...