The True Meaning of Christmas

What's Christmas? Why do people celebrate it? Who's Santa Claus? Is there really a factory in the North Pole producing toys for children all over the world? What about the reindeers?

I'm no theologian, but this is as much as I know. Christmas is not just about the presents, the gifts exchange, the carols, the beautiful decoration, the fireworks as it strikes midnight of Christmas, etc but it is the birth of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, the One who is to come! That's it! Christmas is Jesus' birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Santa Claus? He's a myth, a character from a story created by man who doesn't exist, and no, there's no such factory nor reindeers flying around on Christmas Eve to deliver presents. Sadly, the world today only sees Santa Claus as the Father of Christmas, when it is our Father in Heaven whom we should look to, to thank Him for the BEST GIFT the world could ever get, Jesus Christ. In John 3:16 of NIV, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

The past weekend has been a great time of reaching out. Together with CATS of EPCC, we, the Jinglers of EPCC, went to shopping malls such as Gurney Plaza and Prangi Mall and even hawker centres such as New World Park and Northam Beach Cafe to sing carols, to give away little gifts, and a leaflet, a message of the true meaning of Christmas. CATS did a great sketch on the same message. It's just wonderful!

The Jinglers of EPCC

God has been great to me, and this time, He's no different. The experience of going out to sing, in front of many, is just amazing! I never knew I could do such thing! If you know me for 5-10 years now, you would know that I'm one very shy person, one who can't stand on stage, to speak, and what more, to sing (when I really can't sing!), but yet, as we took the limelight the past weekend, the peace in my heart was just there. Who else but God who can provide such peaceful heart? God is just GREAT! :D

And to end this, a thanksgiving prayer to the One...

Thank you Father for your great love upon us, sinful man. It is your wonderous unfailing and unconditional love for each and every one of us that guides us through our days here on Earth. It is you, Father, whom we look to on Christmas, and it is our Lord Jesus, who died on the cross for us, who is the reason for Christmas and is the one worthy of all our praises! Thank you, in the name of Jesus, amen!

Merry Christmas and Have a Blessed New Year! :D

Chance? No way! Karma? Hmm...

In my previous entry, miss hello posted a comment,

"Though I wouldn't want to preach, I can't help noticing that whenever I feel down, there would always be someone or something that cheered me up the next day. It would be an inspiring forwarded mail from a friend, a chat with the janitor who made me realise that my problem was just a tip of the iceberg compared to hers, or a conversation with a close buddy. Are they chance occurences or did they come from a higher being or because of karma? Anyway, I appreciate them all!"

I'm no preacher too, but to reply to you, miss hello, I've got this to say... Everything happens for a reason, and God is behind it. Whether it is good, or bad, it is Him. During such times, it is Him who gives us choices, and it is up to us, to do it His way, or our way. These choices will lead us to different paths in life.

Chance? No way! Proverbs 16:33 of NLT says, "33 We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall." It is Him who determines how they fall! Think again, you used the words, "whenever" and "always"! Do you think chance will occur everytime? ...that "lucky"? It is definitely Him who sent you that inspiring forwarded mail and it is Him who has placed that someone (the janitor, you say) to cheer you up!

Karma? Hmm... Galatians 6:8 of NIV says, "8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." But still, I've got this to share.

Let's be honest, all of us have skeletons in our closet. For me, before I came to know Christ, my life was a mess, and I did many mean and nasty things. When it comes to Christianity, I've always tried to prove it wrong, and I was only interested in anything that's against it.

So, why do I believe in Christ now? Well, despite all that I did, I, too, can't help but notice that there's someone up there helping me in many ways and stopping me from carrying out my evil plans. If it's about karma, then I should be getting back those mean and nasty things, but in the end, it was God's Grace that saved me!

Scroll up and just under the title, there is Ephesians 2:8-9. It talks about salvation is only rewarded by His grace, and not by the good works that we do, so that we can't boast that it is us, for being good, that will allow us to go into Heaven to spend eternity with Him. John 14:6 of NIV says, "6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me". I don't deserve the salvation but yet, He gave and saved me! He's my Saviour, the One that turned my life around! And all this, despite all the evil things that I've done!

So you see, miss hello... whether you're a believer or not, He's always opening His arms to welcome you, to guide you through tough times. We all need His love, and it is His grace that'll pull us through our temporary lives here on Earth.

Smile as you go through each problem, because He's at the end of it, smiling back at you :)

God is Everywhere, Even for a...

Yes! God is everywhere!

Last night, I received an SMS from a friend. She shared with me her experience with God, and it so deserves an entry! That's cause, every miracle from God is no small matter, and we should share the Glory of God!

So, what happened was, she, being her forgetful self, forgot to turn off her headlights when she parked. When she returned, the battery went flat, and thank God for strangers who came to offer help. After more than half an hour of trying to jump start the car, it just didn't work. My friend was already gonna give up, until she suddenly thought of saying a little prayer, and right after that, it WORKED! How great is our God! :D Matthew 19:26 says,

"Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

AMEN!

And yes, I know I didn't finish the title of this entry. It should be, "God is Everywhere, Even for a NON-BELIEVER!" Yes! My friend's a non-believer! WOAH! What a testimony from a non-believer, eh!? :D Matthew 7:7-8 says,

"7Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

God is GREAT! He's always there for us and it's up to us whether we want Him or not!

Father, thank You for being there when my friend needed help! Continue to show Your greatness and pour forth Your love upon her, and those around her! May she be blessed in all ways, and may she come to know You, our Lord and Saviour! Amen!

Letting Him Lead...

Sometimes, I wonder if what I'm doing is what God wants me to do. Yes, it may sound like its God's plan to tell others about His love, etc but maybe that's not what He wants me to do now. I don't know... unless of course, I keep praying and spend more time with Him, listening to what He wants to say to me, which I'll be honest with you, I'm kinda impatient :(

Today, it became clear that I shouldn't be rushing things. When it all started, I had this "ultimate" plan, to bring the church to the workplace. But time and again, there were obstacles. One by one, it seemed like a sign to me that it won't work. From the so-called "ultimate" plan, it became a plan that I can only do so few things, and then to only one thing, and tonight, all is gone, and had I tell you the reason why even this last one is gone, you'll know it really is God's intention to stop me from proceeding :)

Well ya, disappointed, I am, but I'll just have to let Him lead, and not be leading Him :) This reminds me of a few verses...

Proverbs 19:2 of NLT:
"Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes"

...which is so right! I was so fired at the start, and did all of it with my own strength, which shouldn't have been the case, for it is from Him, I should be getting the strength!

Nehemiah 8:10 of NLT:
"...for the joy of the Lord is your strength"

Again! How spot on is that?! I should be spending more time with Him, to read His Word, and to listen to Him. That way, all that I do will be what He wants me to do! And another one,

Proverbs 3:5-6 of NLT:
"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take."

Ya! I think I depended on my own understanding too much, and not "consult" Him about the plan. Well, despite this lesson, I'm still fired to do what I have in mind, but this time, I'll take it slow, and to bring God into the picture, not just doing it all by myself. And to end this, a little prayer...

Lord, I commit all that I have to You, for You're the Almighty, the Beginning and the End, and with man, it may not be possible, but with You, all is possible! Amen!

Nepalis in Penang

Last Thursday was the launch of an English tuition class in my church. It is for several Nepalis, 17 of them to be exact. All of these Nepalis work in Intel (where I'm working) as janitors. A churchmate (also an Intel employee) has been in touch with them and managed to ask 'em out on a trip to Penang Hill.

A group photo with the Nepalis in Penang Hill

The trip was a few weeks back and it was a great one! And guess what, God had a hand in it! It was a rainy weekend, started on Fri night, and continued to pour on Saturday. On Sunday, it rained heavily during service. Despite the shower in the afternoon, we went ahead with the initial plan, and when we stepped foot at the entrance of Penang Hill, God answered our prayers! The rained stopped! Praise the LORD! :D Look at the pic above, we had our umbrellas, but we did not NEED them! We just needed Him :D

It was great weather up there, the cold breeze, the patches of clouds and the beautiful view of Penang! The Nepalis said it felt like Nepal, heh :) We walked about, snapped some photos, and fellowshipped with them. It was a great time and it proved to be the stepping stone to the tuition class.

So ya, I'm one of the English teachers now, and teaching English to someone who don't really understand ya is tough, and despite having 5 teachers in the first day of class, we can barely handle them. Coming Thurs, we are going to split the class to beginners and intermediates. Hopefully that way, we'll be able to focus and pay more attention to them.

As always, we commit the English tuition class to Him. May He bless each and every teacher with strength, wisdom and patience as we make available ourselves to show His love to these Nepalis. May God be with them!

Please pray for us, as we continue to do missions in our very own backyard!

A Friday to Remember...

I attend Cell Group (CG) on Fridays. It's a great time of fellowship with my churchmates, a time of sharing, and a time of learning the Word of God... oh, and the food sums it all, always a great night :)

The past Friday was slightly a different one... we sang the Birthday song, I blew the candle and cut the cake. It was a small but yet, a very memorable event :) It was just GREAT! Am really thankful I got so much out of the Nepal trip, it's just unbelievable! Pastor Sam once said to me, "It could be your launch pad for more", and it really is! I can't wait to do more for the Kingdom of God...

And more is what I did on that Friday. After CG, about 12am, 12 of us went to the heart of Penang in a van, with flowers, food and everyday necessities.

The first objective was to find transvestites. We broke into 2 groups, and walked about. The girls would be handing out flowers to these transvestites, and the guys would be walking behind 'em, just to be on the lookout, in case anything happens. All in all, my group met and gave flowers to about 5-6 of 'em. They would just looked surprised, and kept smiling, and thanking :)

After that, we went on to look for the homeless. Unknowingly to me, there were so many of 'em lying on the streets, sleeping. Apparently, there's actually more! ...but the Government has been "cleaning" up the streets due to Visit Malaysia 2007.

We walked up to them, placed a packet of bee hoon, and a bag with some food, toilet paper, a bottle of water, etc. A few would wake up and thank us. The amazing thing that happened that night was when Susan spoke to one of 'em, and shared our loving Jesus to him. He cried, and accepted Jesus just barely 15 minutes of conversation. PRAISE THE LORD!!!

A friend once said, "Why go all the way to Nepal when you can save the people here?" She's right, so right, and this man is proof that there's so much we can do right here in our Nation. Who said we can't be missionaries in our own country? Who said we can't share our experiences with the Mighty One to the people here? Every day, we meet people who has not known Him, and to not share with them, the love of Christ, is to not follow the Word of God for Matthew 28:19-20 says this, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Amen to that!

Been a long time...

Yes, I know it's been a long time... 3.5 months! And presenting to you, the excuses :P Busy with work, short trip to Singapore, lotsa teambuildings, went on a business trip to India, occupied with church activities, etc... just lots! Oh, in between all that, I needed the rest, the SLEEP! :D

A friend said to me when I told her I was too busy to update my blog, "Don't pretend to be busy!" Heh... I still wonder if she's really right bout me. I do have spare time, but during those times, I just wanna do something else than write here... Hmm, it ain't a good sign, to me, at least.

Anyhow, I still have so much to share! I'll wanna continue, but bear with me on the updates... :)

Prayer Works!

Yes, it does! I've had many prayers answered by God but this one is worth mentioning right now! On Monday mornings, for the past 2 months, I've been spending some time with a few friends praying.

Because last Monday was a holiday, we did our prayer on Wednesday. A friend, K, told us that her friend's friend, A, was diagnosed with Tuberculosis, or better known as TB. A is a new Christian, and was saved while he was in Penang. He then moved to Ipoh and got struck by this disease. We prayed for him...

...and just yesterday, on our usual prayer meeting, we got a GOOD NEWS! K told us that A was healed completely! At first, I was just, "Err, cool, good news..." Then it really sank in and I thought, "How can it be possible?!" Yes, I doubted what K said, but it had to be the Devil who put that doubt in me! Soon after, we were all smiles and was just very thankful for God's healing powers over our brother! It was just, "WOW!" How amazing it is, isn't it!? Just less than a week after we prayed, God answered our prayer!

It really encouraged me to continue praying even though I still feel very uncomfy praying aloud in a group... I was once told that prayer is the most important thing to a Christian, cause it's when we spend time with God and that's of highest priority to keep the relationship between ourselves and God!

Thank God for this experience! And thank God, again, for I've got many more of such testimonies to tell in the future... :D

Day 4 Part 2: Thank You, Lord for Using Me as Your Vessel!

We were headed for a new place, with a new mission. The place is Chitwan, where Nepal's first National Park resides, and it is globally recognise as one of the natural heritage by UNESCO. The mission is to visit churches, and the ultimate goal to all the visits is to adopt a church.

The journey was yet again a tiring one. It was a long drive through roads right next to the ravine, with buses and other vehicles honking their way to their destination. I had to napped in the van, and that actually disturbed the driver a little as my head bumped into his shoulder a couple of times. Yar, I was sitting in front, in between the driver and Anil. This time, the van is more packed with people.

The accomodation was much more than we've expected. It's actually more of a resort than anything else. Nice environment, room, beds, bathrooms, etc! I honestly didn't expect such comfortable place when joining this mission trip. I thought we'll be sleeping in our sleeping bags every night.

The Riverside Resort in Chitwan, Nepal

We had to go just after unpacking, that's how tight our schedule was. We took our first journey on the tuk-tuk, which was a bumpy and torturous one. Soon, I'll get used to it... the first church that we visited was one of the daughter churches of the main church that we were due to visit.

The tuk-tuk that we got so used to during the trip

I remember this clearly... as we walked into the building with a cross at the entrance, I thought it was a church, but it wasn't. It was actually a house, with only the small room on the left of the entrance being the place for church-purposes. We went into the room, and it was so tight and small. I took a spot in the place, and before I could put my backside on the floor, one of them told me that it's wet, and that I should sit somewhere else. Yes, I felt it was wet, and since I was the photographer cum videographer, I thought I would sit outside instead, getting a better view and being able to move around more freely. As we waited for the Pastor to get ready, people started to come in, filling up the place, and sitting each and every spot there is in the room. None of them cared about the wet carpet in the room! Yes, the Nepalis just want to listen to the Word of God, and so no matter the situation, they'll do it for their thirst for God is so great!

The church on the outside...

...and the church on the inside

We worshipped, and soon the group was broken into 2. The adults stayed in the house, and the children headed to another house, about 2 minutes walk away. We ministered to the children at the back of the house, which is an open space. Becky conducted the time, with an interpreter helping us. We sang, danced, and played with the kids, and they loved the fun so much :) Always all smiles...

The children of Nepal

While Becky was teaching the kids to sing an English song, a boy came up to me. He looked like he was 15 or so. "Can I talk to you for while?", he said in perfect English. I was impressed and I said, "Yes", of course... "Can we take a walk?" Err, okay, this time, I'm stunned... "Can't we do it here?", I asked, a little frightended. I've heard so much bout the Maoists, and killings taking place in Nepal, and now this? "No, I prefer to take a walk", he insisted. I thought, "Okay, God brought me here to serve Him, and surely He'll protect me against all forms of evil" I really had to take that leap of faith on this one. It really tested me... As we walked, he told me that he's 18, a Buddhist, and that he had this sudden urge to read the Bible. He's been reading 3 Bibles for the past 3-4 days! My eyes nearly popped out upon hearing that... I'm like, "WHAT?! How can you have this sudden urge?!" He said there's suddenly this power in him that made him want to read the Bible so badly, and the more he read about God, the more he wants to know this Jesus Christ that's being told in the Bible! I told him, "You have the Holy Spirit working inside you, that's why you're feeling such powers. I've been a Christian for over a year, and I've never had such great powers in me!" He went on to ask general questions like, "Can I still perform Buddhist rituals when I'm a Christian? It's because I don't want my family to know that I'm a Christian" I said no to him on that, cause in the Bible, it says that one cannot serve two masters. You'll have to serve God, and that's it. No two ways to it...

Suddenly, I realise that we walked a little too far. I stopped, and asked if he wants to receive Christ as his Lord and Saviour. He said no as he wanted to discuss with his brother in law first... Then I asked him if I can lay my hand on him and pray for him, and he again said no. We turned back, and headed for the little church where his brother in law was there listening to Pastor Sam. After a minute of discussion with his brother in law, Samir, the 18-yr-old, finally said yes, he'll accept Christ. We waited till the end of the service, and I spoke to Pastor Sam about Samir, and we prayed the Sinner's Prayer with him.

Myself, Samir and Pastor Sam. I only realised that I might never see this brother of mine again after I left the place. But, I'm sure we'll meet again in heaven when the time comes :)

Woah, 1 soul saved! Samir invited me to stay over at his place, to tell his family that he's a Christian, and that they should all learn to accept Christ! The Nepalis are just such a great bunch of people! You don't go around inviting strangers to your home, do you? I had to reject that very welcoming invitation cause I've got to be part of the team that EPCC sent. Really thank God for using me as His vessel to save Samir. It was a great experience! It's like the people in Nepal will just walk in to church and accept Christ. God is really doing a lot in Nepal, a time of harvest, as how Pastor Sam puts it.

The day ended with dinner at the resort, and a rare early rest for us...

Day 4 Part 1: Good Bye, Youth Camp!

It's our last day at the Youth Camp, and I can feel the heavy heart in me even at the start of the day. I'll miss the camp, the worship, and the people. They've been a great bunch, they were humble, they were happy despite the conditions that they were in, they were friendly, always all smiles when we walk past them, and they thirst for God so much! There's so much that I've learnt from them. I'm so thankful that I was given this opportunity to come to Nepal, to serve God, and in the process, to learn all about life outside my comfort zone, to appreciate all that I have, and to always, always remember that I should be thanking Him and not take things for granted.

The girls in the blue kurtas are in the worship team. They were in that blue kurta for all of the 3 days. Missing each and everyone of them already!

God answered my prayer as I woke up with no aches on my head or neck! It was to be a great day ahead for me! We were served beaten rice, peanuts and tea for breakfast. The worship in the morning wasn't as powerful as the one we had yesterday evening, but it was still awesome. You can see that the worship team has somehow transformed, probably thanks to Pastor Sam's sharing with them just before we went off for star gazing the night before. This time around, I managed to get close up pics of the guitarists, the drummer, and not just the backup singers ;)

The worship team from Dhouligauda, Nepal

Today's all about the community... what these youth can bring back to their respective churches, and how their churches in turn can hep the community. The Pastor preached a relevant message and the people were grouped into their respective churches. Some churches had 20+ people, while there were a few which had only 2-3 people. All in all, there were more than 10 churches present, and they were then led into a discussion by their church representative. When all is done, each of them took turns to tell the camp what they have in mind for their churches when they go back, and it was shocking to hear such ambitions and dreams that they have! They want to do so much for their community that even our Pastor was amazed :D

Just before we go off, we had one last worship session, and this time, surely God can hear the cries from the youth. We clapped, cheered, called for Him, and chanted "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus..." as loud as we can for almost 10 minutes. The atmosphere was just powerful. If you were there, you would feel as though you were in a stadium, with thousands of people cheering for their team in a soccer match. A couple of hundreds in a hall is more powerful than thousands in an open-air stadium, and not to mention, we had the presence of the Holy Spirit with us! This was yet one of the unforgettable moments of my Nepal trip!

Were there souls that were saved in the camp? YES! Thank God for 12 of 'em! I actually thought only Christians would go for such camps, but apparently not, and come to think of it, I wasn't a believer when I went for OCF (Oversea Christian Fellowship)'s Winter Camp in Melbourne, Australia and I wasn't saved till 3-4 months later...

It was then one final lunch for us in the camp and before we took off in the van, I snapped some pics of the place that we stayed in for the past couple of nights. Oh ya, we also exchanged email addresses with a few of 'em, but have yet to hear from any of 'em...

Our "home"

To be continued...

Euwing, It's Too Long!

Heh, that's what I've been hearing for the past few days. Yes, I know my blog entries have been really long, and ever since Day 1, I've been trying to shorten each entry. Sadly, I just can't seem to cut it shorter. It's because there's really so much to tell! Actually, it's a blessing that I'm getting this "complaint", cause it goes to show that God has really done so much!

I'm sure He wouldn't want me to keep all that He's done in Nepal for myself. So, I'll continue to share, but I'll cut my entries into parts, just so there's no need to digest all at one visit. How does that sound?

I sure hope each and everyone of you will read what has been told, and what's to be told here cause only then, you'll know how great our God is :D

I'll be posting Day 4 really soon... hang in there, and God bless ya!

Day 3: Singing, Acting, Sharing, Gaming and Star Gazing!

I woke up with a headache and a neckache because of yet another soft pillow and this one is actually worse. I had to use the top of my sleeping bag with it, else I'll be lying totally flat on the bed, but yet, it didn't help. Had to pray for the aches to go away, or it'll be one dreadful day...

In the Hall, the worship team was already starting the day off with a few Nepali songs. We fell in love with the songs, and prompted me to record it with my mobile phone. Although we have no idea what they were singing, we were sure "yesu" means Jesus, heh! Soon after, we were called onto stage and this time, we sang our English worship songs, a couple of 'em :D

It's our turn to perform!

Most of them don't understand English, so no doubt they don't understand the song. All the preaching and sharing were done with the help of a couple of interpreters, one of whom is Anil, who played a very important role in our trip, and I shall talk more about him as we go.

Anil, one of the best interpreters in Pokhara, and some say in Nepal!

Before Pastor Sam took over, we did a mime. That's acting with no speech. I teamed up with Becky to do Hearts. It goes like this; the boy hears God, and God asks for the boy's heart. Boy considers it for a while, and when he was about to give it to God, the girl comes into the picture, and asks for his heart. Boy reluctantly gives her, and when she has it, she plays with it, and purposely drops it, and stomps on it. Boy is sad, picks up the broken pieces of the heart, and God once again calls for the boy's heart, despite a broken one. Boy gives it to God, and he's transformed, to a new person! God then calls for girl's heart, and girl is persuaded by boy to give it to God. She is also transformed after giving her heart to God. Moral of the story, at least from my point of view... why give your heart to mere humans who might betray your trust, waste your time, and play with your heart like the girl in the story... when you can give it to your own Creator, the One who knows all of you, each and every thing about you, who does not care what you've done, who does not changes through time, who longs for you and who loves you so much unconditionally? We're transformed the moment we open our hearts to Him, and receives His ultimate love, which is everflowing, everlasting, and ever so wonderful. By the grace of God, I was blessed even before I knew Him. That actually made me want to know Him even more, which started my relationship with Him. I shall tell this story in future.

The girl persuading the boy to give the heart to her

Back to the Hall, today is all about BGR, that is Boy-Girl Relationship, which is a very common topic in a Youth Camp. Pastor Sam preached a little and we took turns to share... on my part, the main point is the differences between boys and girls when it comes to relationships. I shared on my recent relationship with this girl I met in college. Then, I had not known Christ, so I thought putting her on top of my list, giving her all of me, all my time, being nice and doing good would impress her easily, but I was wrong, cause I had to wait for a year before we were finally attached. Despite the 1yr+ of knowing her, I still didn't know all of her. I didn't know what she wanted, how she wanted it, etc. Mind you, despite being dumped after 2.5yrs and suffering a terrible 9 days after that, she's not a bad girl... in fact, she's a nice one. But I just didn't know the differences we had, and I always expected her to react like how I would want her to. I made a mistake in doing that.

Instead, I should've taken my time before diving in to go after her... I should've spent more time with her as friends, to learn more about her, and to just basically be a friend before making her a special someone. And so, I ended my sharing by telling the youth that they should put God first, and everything else will come from God's grace, for their faith will surely be seen by the Almighty One, who provides each and every need we'll require.

Lunch was served, and this time around, I've got pics to show you Nepali delicacies :D

That would be chicken, with rice (they call it bhat), and dhal. Or better known as dhalbhat with chicken

Green chilli and salt, to be eaten raw

Just before the session got started again, a few of us were asked to go onto the roof, to have photos taken with a bunch of youth who came from this big church. Check them out!

Nice backdrop with a great bunch of people

The 2nd half of the day started with yet another mime, and this one is entitled "Sin Chair". It's about this girl (could be a guy, but Becky was the actress then) who was flirting with sin and soon got hooked to it (Becky can't remove her hands as it is stuck to the chair). A muscle-man (Pragas) came to her rescue but despite the strength, it failed to unstuck her. I then came in with a cigarette on one hand and a bottle of alcohol on the other, and letting her have some of both didn't help either. The third person, Suba, came into the picture with lotsa money, and even money can't help remove Becky from sin. The last one is Susan, who played a person holding the Bible. Susan helped by asking Becky to go on her knees, and they both prayed together, and soon after, she was finally unstuck from the chair! Yes, that's how it works! It is God who set us free from sin, because He sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for us. When one sins, he is a slave to sin forever, and being a slave means having no permanent place in the family. Only a son can be in the family forever, and so if the Son sets one free from sin, he'll be free forever! Thank God for the cross!

That's Susan praying alongside Becky who's stuck to the "sin chair"

Then, the Pastor preached based on the mime we just acted out. The message was a good one, but maybe I'll write that another day, cause it can be quite lengthy. Tea was soon served, and we went around taking photos with the Nepali team. One of the amazing thing that happened was Pragas speaking in Malay. I was like, "Err, who is he speaking Malay to?!" There was this Nepali who actually worked in Penang before and he can speak very fluent Malay, even better than I do! Woahhh, he was working in one of the factories before, and he told us that there're lotsa Nepalis who work in Malaysia too. No wonder EPCC chose Nepal!

One of the greatest thing that happened in the camp was after tea. It was the worship! It was just amazing! A breakthrough, cause everyone in the Hall was so into it... both sides of the Hall, the guys, on the right and the girls, on the left just kept jumping, singing praises to Him and worshipping Him! In previous worships, the girls just stood there, clapping hands, but now, there were all fired up! We went to the front and worshipped like we've never done it before! It reminds me lots bout how EPCC does it every Saturday night on their SNL service! It was the greatest time of worship for me, really! Will definitely not forget that!

The best worship time!

*phew* All tired and literally drenched from our own sweat, we conducted the games, all of which had a story behind it that relates to Jesus, and His leadership. It was very fun, and seeing the crowd enjoy it so much really made me feel it's worth it all that I've spent; the time, the money, the lost of my own comfortable home... and again, it got me thinking, "Maybe I should do this more often" Hmm...

The Nepalis enjoying the heroes game

The night session saw one of the youth sharing his testimony, and how great God has been in his life. It relates so much to the message that Pastor Sam shared earlier, which I said that I'll share it some other day. Anil translated all of it to English for us.

We may think all this electricity around us is "free", always so abundantly available to us, but to the people in Nepal, it's a priviledge. Halfway through Pastor Sam's preaching, the lights went out, and I had to run to the front to supply light from my torch light. It was obviously pitch black then, since there aren't any streets for us to even have street lamps! It came back after a while, thank God for electricity!!! Every now and then, it seemed as though the lights would go off again... be thankful with all that you have, really!

Day ended with us climbing up to the roof, spent like 15 minutes up there star gazing while everyone else was fast asleep. Again, it was pitch black, only our torches shone the path. This event actually reminds me of 2 dreams I had long time ago. Both were alike, it was me, looking up into the skies, and seeing so many stars, so beautifully laid out, twinkling like it was calling for my attention. It was such a captivating sight, but none of our cameras were good enough to take photos of it. We just looked up in awe and thank God for His creation, for He made all these, and everything else for us to enjoy, for He loves us so much, He would give us anything... that, I'm very sure of :)

Heh, a pic with the help of the tripod

Day 2: The Journey Starts Today...

Pastor Palan was right, you can't possibly wake up late in Nepal! Yes! You'll be "forced" to wake up early and when I say early, I mean 5am! That would be 7am+ in Malaysia. Nepal is 2hrs and 15mins behind Malaysia. The neighbours are up by then, and the roosters crow really loudly! I was the last one up (among the guys, heh) and took a little more time than the others to wash up and pack up. The morning was chilly, and Sister Surya served us more masala tea! I loved it, and drinking it at the balcony of the house, facing a snow-covered mountain really makes it such a perfect morning! Imagine having able to see such a beautiful sight every morning when you wake up! You just can't wait to wake up! Photos captured weren't as good as the real thing, and had it been a better day, weather wise, I would've gotten some really good pics!

A beautiful morning...

Just as everyone was ready, we had our Daily Devotion, worshipping the Lord with Pastor Sam playing the guitar, and singing praises to the King. We did the usual ACTS material that Pastor Sam prepared for the church, and shared our views on the particular verse. When all is done, we prayed for the day, the ride that we'll be taking, and all that is to come... really had to submit all to God cause only He can guide us while we're on foreign land.

I didn't mention breakfast, cause there wasn't any! We got ready, ensured we have all our things packed, and we got off, without the luggage, on a taxi, to the Lakeside. We walked a little as soon as we reached the "town" area... honestly, I don't know which is a town, and which isn't... all looks so "dead" to me, but hey, it's good to be in such a quiet place, and slightly cool too!

Why are we heading to the Lakeside anyway? Pastor Palan thought it'll be good for us to take a look at the lake before beginning our journey for real. Yes, we haven't started ministry yet, but already I feel like I have already begun. I mean, to me, I find it a little uncomfy to be doing Daily Devotion, to be reading the Bible, and praying aloud... yes, I'll be honest with you on that one, I haven't been a good boy, but all these was about to change :)

Anyway, back to the walk to the Lakeside from the place the taxi stopped us... pictures describe better, eh? So here goes...

Pretty, eh? :D I mean the flowers, not the man in blue!

Yes, they have cyber cafes... ;)

Cows are sacred animals. The Hindus worship the cows, so you see them (and their dunk!) almost everywhere!

After a little walk, and a little window shopping, we've finally reached our destination! My, oh my, what a wonderful place! The entrance is so welcoming, all green and flowers can be seen everywhere. The garden is just perfect! The little huts with chairs and tables make it a perfect relaxing place for just about anyone! I've been searching for such a place ever since I got back from Melbourne. There's no such quiet place for reading in Penang :S

Pragas and Becky posing for a great shot of the garden!

I just can't resist this photo!

We ordered our usual masala tea and went right away to enjoy the wonderous view the Lord has given us! It was just awesome, the slight breeze hitting our faces as we stand quietly to enjoy Mother Nature. The sound of leaves swaying with the wind and the sun shone brightly... WOAH! It was just MAGNIFICENT!

The awesome Lakeside!

From afar, we could see a stupa located right at the top of one of the hills. It's one of the Buddhist structures that can be found in Nepal. Apparently, one can climb up the hill to enter the building, but time did not permit us to do that. We settled down, sipped on the hot masala tea, and enjoyed the swing. It was quiet, but there were a few tables of Caucasians...

That's the stupa at the top of the picture, can you see it? It's really small! And that's Becky hiding herself in my shadow from the sun...

Swinging up and down... :)

After all the relaxation, we took the taxi back to Pastor Palan's home, and had our breakfast... yes, finally! Heh, we were served by home-cooked naan with curry chicken! That's the kinda food they serve in Nepal, and that's the kind food I love the most! Got me thinking a little...

Yummy yummy naan and curry chicken!

Soon, the van came and we had to move our heavy luggage bags. As I've mentioned before, it's not just bout the bags that we brought, but also the bags that we brought for the churches. The van was practically packed at the back seat, and only one can fit, and that would be me, right next to the window on the left rear end of the van. There was no aircond, and the journey lasted 2 hours plus... that would be 2hrs+ from now on, alright? ;)

The journey was a tiring one for all of us... sitting in a small van with no space to move your legs for 2hrs+ is painful. You can't sleep too much as well, cause the roads are bumpy, and the honks just kept on coming! Left, and right, the van avoided motorcycles, bicycles, and other vehicles. Oh, by now, it's all hot outside... sweaty in a van ain't all that fun, ya know?

Despite ALL that, we have to thank God for paving the way for us. Just a couple of weeks before we left for Nepal from Penang, we heard from Susan that there'll be a strike around the time when we were scheduled to reach. And had the strike took place, there's either going to be a terrible traffic jam, or the vans will not operate at all, and we'll NOT be able to do anything, but wait... so, THANK GOD for He had cleared the way for us :D I can't imagine what would've happen had He not intervene to stop the Maoist from striking! I remember Pastor Mei said that while she was praying for us in the airport, she saw God giving her a vision, a vision of His great power clearing the path for us, to ensure that we'll have a safe journey there, and voi-la, He's just so great, isn't He? :D

When you can't do much but "enjoy" the bumpy ride, you snap as much as you can! :P

Just some of the structures we see... there's lots more!

Some of the vehicles we see... don't be surprised with the top right one. Apparently it's a common thing, and look carefully at the top right and bottom left, it says, "Horn please"!

*phew* Long journey it was, and thankfully, I did manage to nap a little... it was around 2pm when we arrived. I was still a bit drowsy from the nap, and did not realise that the building is actually located literally in the middle of nowhere! If I could take a photo from bird's eye view, you'll be able to see the building being surrounded by lotsa, LOTSA trees! There's only one path, that leads to the town area, which only had, 6-8 shops. Also around us were village houses... As soon as we got out of the van, we unpacked, scouted the place for a while...

What a grand entrance! :D

It's the place we spend most of our time for the next few days

And that's where we stayed for a few nights. It's just next door to the building in the previous photo.

Eh, I haven't mention the purpose of us being here at this place. It's actually a Youth Camp, where many churches send their youths, and there were about 200 of them, some even brought their kids, yes, you read right, they have kids despite being labelled "youth". It's common for 14-15 yr olds to be having kids, but that's obviously not intended!

We moved out luggage bags to our rooms, and took a walk to the shop to gather some supplies, mainly bottled water! The walk was painful, it was hot, and with my legs both almost failing, we had to even carry a dozen of bottled water back! The only thing satisfying during the walk were the photos taken...

The photos on the left are the village houses nearby. The one on the top right shows a neatly arranged dunk on a farm! And the last one shows this guy cooking "chow meen". Yes, they actually call it like how we call it in Cantonese! :D But note the flies! :S

Cool, eh? Coke in Nepal :D

As soon as we reach "home", which was approx 4pm, the worship team has already started singing. We went up to our rooms, unpacked and washed up a little. It was one tiring van ride and walk to the shop, and I just felt like taking a bath, sleeping in an aircond-ed room, listening to my favourite worship songs and just relax... BUT! I can't, cause there's NO electricity! And obviously we didn't have the luxury of time. We went straight down to the Hall and worshipped the Lord together.

The worship team... yes, there was electricity in the Hall, thanks to a generator, which consumes gasoline that Anil just bought. That's the kinda electricity the Nepalis enjoy most of the time.

While they were worshipping in front, we just stayed behind and enjoyed the songs that were sung in foreign language. I was thinking to myself, "Why, oh why, did I get myself into such situation?" I was very tired, very weak, and totally not in the mood to do anything... but then came this sudden burst of energy! Just when the worship team started to dance, the crowd follow suit! For some strange reason, I was suddenly re-energised, re-vitalised, or however you call it! I just got onto my feet and started dancing with them! Lifting my hands, clapping and moving around in circles among ourselves! WOW! Really a miracle, I would say... the Lord does great things in a very timely manner, aye? :D Suddenly, I feel so much to want to help these people here. They enjoyed themselves despite all that they do NOT have, but yet, they want the Lord, His Word and His presence so much! I'm all up and running again :D

The Nepalis enjoying the worship time with the Lord

We had an ice breaker session soon after, just a game among themselves, and they were divided into groups, and each person were given a file, with several pieces of paper. When I opened mine, my jaw almost dropped off... I was totally shocked! Guess what was in there :S

A piece of paper full of characters I've never before seen in my life!

The group split to two, one stayed back in the Hall and the other went to the Dining Hall. I stayed in the Hall, with Pragas sharing about worshipping. Pastor Sam went off to the Dining Hall to share on the Word.

As the sun set, the groups were dismissed, and they were allowed to take their baths, and some had to do their duty, that is to cook and serve the other groups for the night. Dinner was served right onto the table for us, which was really nice, I meant the gesture... as for the food, hmm, weird I didn't take any photos of our first dinner at the Youth Camp! I guess we were probably too hungry, and just ate anything at sight. I shall share on the food that we eat in the coming days...

After dinner, we took a break in our rooms, and then came Pastor Palan. He asked us for a favour, that is to wash the plates, utensils, etc for the group who apparently had forgotten about their duty! Woah, 200 people's plates, utensils, etc ain't a small amount ya... and it was drizzling too! I told myself, "by serving these people, I'm serving the Lord" and that's why I'm there! That's the whole purpose of this great journey! I shall not say no when there's such an opportunity cause it's a priviledge to serve the Lord! We enjoyed ourselves lots washing the plates in the drizzle :D

Well, someone had to be the photographer, which was why I'm not in the photo! :P

Heh, Pastor Palan's plan worked, cause the group which was supposed to wash up did feel guilty and ended up helping us... and he also spent 10 minutes talking about it to everyone in the Hall. Something bout, "we invited Malaysias from all the way to wash plates for you"... heh, that was funny, but it did hit them.

Pastor Sam went on to preach for an hour plus that night and there was an altar call after that, with many, and I really mean lotsa youth who came in front and knelt down, some were in tears, and a few were crying out to the Lord. It was a sad scene. I wouldn't know what they've been through in life but I could see it from their thirst for God. They so desperately want Him, so much more than I could ever imagine myself wanting Him. It only broke my heart that I have been too comfortable in my life, to be taking for granted all that I have, and not cherish and treasure the priviledges that God has given to me, to us actually...

One of the unforgettable moments...

The day ended around 12am with a debriefing in our rooms, with Pastor Palan reminding us the do's and don'ts when preaching, sharing, etc... thank God for the cold shower, I needed it so much! What a day... what a night... the journey has just begun, and who would've known that it would last for more than just the 9 days originally planned...

Day 1: Selamat Tinggal Malaysia, Sawadee Kap Thailand and Namaste Nepal!

It was 4am when I woke up on the 16th of April. I washed up, did some last minute packing, and ran through the checklist for the very last time. Must've been my 2031082th time! HEHE!

My phone beeped twice, first one from my "bestest best friend" who wished me journey mercy, which really encouraged me. She's one of the very few people who knows about my trip. Maybe some day I'll talk about her here :) The second came from a colleague whose wife just gave birth! Woahhh, and what a timing! Surely it'll be a great day, I knew :D

I drove to Suba's place, and then only realised that I ran out of credits on my phone. I can't call her to let her know that I've arrived! Already a few minutes late, I kinda panicked a little :S I went to the Guard House to ask for a phone. And they said they, too, did not have credits and instead, directed me to a nearby public phone. I'm like, "Err, public phones usually don't work!!!" I drove to the phone anyway, and I really had to pray for the public phone to work, cause I don't know how else to contact her! HAHA, that's my first, and thankfully, it worked! Loaded Suba's luggage into my car and off we went to Louise's.

It was around 5:45am when we arrived. I don't know what time Louise woke up, but I'm REALLY thankful for this friend. It's rare to find such a friend, who's ALWAYS offering to help! Waking up early, driving us to the airport, taking care of my car while I'm gone, and also keeping this little secret. THANK YOU!

We transferred the luggages from my car to hers and usually, car parks are full at this time, but there was one in the FENCED compound at Victoria Heights! WOW! Thank God for that! Had I not able to find a parking lot, I'll have to park outside, and Louise will have to shift my car, and that would really trouble her. Heh, she didn't dare to drive the old junk anyway :P

Reached the airport just a little over 6am and the other car reached just as we were shifting the luggages to the trolleys. The Pastor was already scanning his luggages when we walked to the Check-In counters. *phew* We weren't late!

Some of our luggage bags

My job started there itself in the airport, as I'm the photographer and also the videographer (now that sounds really cool!) of the team. Checking in was easy, and we weren't overloaded despite the extra baggage we carried for the churches over there. There were a few EPCC members who came to send us off too! Thanks people!

The Team (from left) - Suba, Pragas, Pastor Sam, myself, Becky

The flight from Penang to Bangkok on Thai Airways took 1.5hrs. The plane we boarded was an A300, which has a 2-4-2 seating layout. Though our seatings were kinda seperated, it didn't matter cause most of us took a nap and only wake up for the breakfast when they served.

View from the top - Is that N-Park on the right?

Shuttles and the beautiful Bangkok airport

A short flight it was, and when we reached Bangkok, we had to take a shuttle (not a train, unlike KLIA) to get to the terminal building. The Bangkok airport is a new one, opened only last year, and it is all too familiar for me as I was just there 2 months ago during my CNY break. It has this "incomplete", but yet, very stylish and elegant finishing. You can see it in the photos below.

Check out that vehicle! It's like those golf cars, to transport people around the airport. Coooool!

Having to wait for an hour is not that bad, but still we had not much to do. Kinda regretted not bringing a book with me! Bored, I snapped more photos.

The boarding pass and plane ticket

Waiting for the next flight...

The flight from Bangkok to Kathmandu took 3hrs. Ya, kinda long and I was sitting alone, by the window. Good that there was an empty seat on my left, more space is always nice in a plane! I was in awe of the great view. Thank you Lord for your creation! Took photos and videos too!

That's me with the camcorder *shh* I don't think I'm supposed to turn it on!

The most memorable thing in the flight was the FOOD! Yes! I never knew I would LOVE plane food this much! The Chicken Tandoori was just great! Loved it, LOVEDDD IT! They served it with a piece of nan, rice and also some dhal. I thought that would be the kinda dhal I'll be having in Nepal, but I was terribly wrong... you'll see what kinda dhal I had in days to come.

Who would've thought that this will be the one of the best meal for the coming 9 days!?

View from the top - That's Kathmandu. The buildings and road are very different from the ones found in Malaysia

The airport is made of red bricks. Looks old, and very unlike the Penang airport. On the inside, it's very woody and the brownish tiles made it a very "dark" airport. It didn't seem to have enough lights. And I thought that was an "oldie"... wait till I talk about the domestic terminal.

The queue

We had to stand in line to get our Visa which cost USD30. It was a long queue, and the wait lasted 30 minutes or so... tired, I knew the next task would take even more of me.

We moved on to the Baggage Claim section. It was one messy area, with bags on the floor, unattended trolleys here and there, boxes and plastic bags lie as though nobody wants them. And guess what, my bag was one of those on the floor! Good news was that we had all our bags accounted for! *phew*

Before getting to the domestic terminal to take the next flight to Pokhara, we stopped by the Money Changer. The rate was 1USD to 66.5 Nepali Rupee (NPR). That's approx RM1 to 20 NPR. They also charged a 200NPR commission.

The domestic terminal is not on the same building. We had to get out of the building, grab hold of a trolley, and walked to the other building, which is about 10 mins walk. Some of us had to carry our bags because there are people there who "reserved" trolleys, and if you want to use them, you've got to pay them!

The domestic airport is one very rundown building. It looks very much like my primary school hall. The walls are dirty, floor is dirty too, wires everywhere, and I found a bird nest with several birds enjoying their home.

The fan, the wires, the offices and the scale!

Look at the 2nd pic. They use fans instead of airconds. I don't know what are those wires for. Also, the windows are to the office. I don't think they have control towers, and they are probably directing airport traffic from these rooms!

A very rare analog scale

Ya, they use those analog scales, not electronic ones that we always see in the local airports! And to think that this airport is located in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal! Woah! It is really an eye opener!

After checking in our luggages, we had to go pass a security check. They did not have X-ray machines there so we had to open up our bags for them to check. Without metal detectors, they did a body search instead. It felt really weird being touched by a guy... there's this little "room" with a curtain for this body check. Two lanes seperate the male and the female. In the waiting lounge, there was a shop selling souvenirs and a cyber cafe, which charged RM14 an hour!

How ironic! We took the Buddha Air to Pokhara!

We were taken to the plane by a shuttle, and our checked in luggage were loaded into the same shuttle. The Buddha Air plane is a small propeller one. The plane can only house 2 pilots and a stewardess. With only a size of a mini bus (if you remember one), the 20 odd passengers all sit next to the window, with a very narrow walkway. As we climbed the stairs and entered the aircraft, we could actually see the cockpit, with the two pilots discussing and the control panel all lit up. With many buttons and different sized dials, it's one complicated vehicle!

My first flight in a propeller plane

When all passengers took their seats, the stewardess gave out cotton and sweets. Heh, a joke about the cotton: someone mistakenly took the cotton as cotton candy, and he ate it! Haha, honestly, I wouldn't know what's it for, had my friends not tell me :P It's actually for your ears cause it's noisy when you're up in the air! I had my earphones on, so I took only the sweets.

Sitting at the tail end of the plane

Just before we took off, it was cloudy and windy too! The plane went onto the runway and started blasting off. Very quickly, it was already off the ground, and you could feel the plane shake from the turbulence. There was no rain, YET. With so much clouds in the sky, it was all gloomy in the plane, but you could view Nepal from the window, from buildings to fields to hills and then mountains. Guess what, the stewardess actually served us drinks! Haha, it was such a small plane, I didn't expect anything... definitely no food cause the flight was only 30 mins or so.

Rain started to pour just after we touched down! Thank God it started to rain only after we landed. Without lights on the runway and had it been raining, it's very difficult to land such a small plane, apparently... *phew*

Managed to steal this shot as I was exiting the plane

We had to run into the building because of the rain. It wasn't far, just 100m from the plane, and as I entered, the building blacked out! There was no electricity in the airport! Okay, mind you, it wasn't really an airport. All I saw was a control building, and the building I entered was attached to it. It was probably as big as a typical shop lot? That's where we collected our luggage bags, and that was it. Thats all there is in that "airport"!

By now, it was raining very heavily outside. Oh, it wasn't just rain, it was hailing! Ya know, icy stones falling from the sky! :D Reminds me lots bout Melbourne! We were then greeted by Pastor Palan and his family, and our interpreter, Anil. Man, he was drenched! We took a van to Pastor Palan's home, rested a while, unpacked a little, and then went off for dinner.

By now, the rain had stopped, and it's chilly outside. Supposedly, it's still kinda cold at night, and we were actually told to bring our jackets, but I left all of mine in KL! :( Only had a long sleeve with me, but I didn't bring that during the walk anyway. Such weather makes me miss Australia much. Good that it wasn't windy, else it would be cold.

Well, we chose to walk because the restaurant is 20 mins away. I was then equipped with both my camera and my camcorder. The roads may be tarred but it's still muddy, cause it's very sandy everywhere else. Every now and then, you hear the honks of vehicles, whether it's from the cars, buses, motorbikes, etc... it's VERY common, and it feels weird if you actually don't hear any. It's a norm there to honk, you shall see in photos of the coming days why I'm saying this.

One of the houses we see on the way

One of the many shops, heh, check out the "muscle man"...

Nice building, eh? Cold and wet because of the rain...

Yet another...

The dinner was at this very cool, cozy, dim, and well, I would say romantic place... food served were naan, tandoori chicken, cheese balls, some kinda "popiah", also fried rice and we had our first masala tea. Tastes weird, but that's the tea we order for the following days to come... yes, weird, but tastes really good :D

It's a dim place... but wonderful environment :D

Some of the food we had in the restaurant

Having done with dinner, it was already dark outside. There aren't many street lights, and it's dim and dead all around... and it's only 8pm+! Apparently, the Pastor there sleeps around 9pm every night. I guess that's why it's already so dead by 8pm :S It was cold outside, so we hailed for taxis instead. Those taxies there are as big (or as small) as a Kancil. Doesn't cost much since we're quite near, and we had to past by the Red Light District before getting back to the Pastor's place. Hmm, didn't see anything sinful over there, so praise God :D

It's the first night in Nepal, and I was told that I'm gonna be having a cold shower on a cold night. That was bad news for me, cause hot water is all I use when I bathe, for many many years already! Argh, I didn't complain cause I know I shouldn't... it's a Missions Trip! Accept all that you're given... only in the days to come that I realise I should be thanking God for all that we had on this very first night. Going back to the shower, water was cold, and slow, so imagine the difficulty!

Before we went to bed, we had a short discussion on what's going to happen tomorrow, and how we should prepare for it. Honestly, I felt left out cause I don't seem to have a role when it comes to ministry. I told myself that I'll help in any way possible, cause surely God brought me there not to be a burden to the rest, but a blessing :)

The guys slept in one of the rooms and the girls, in another... our "Teacher" took the bed while Pragas and myself took the floor, with mattress... the pillow was so soft, it felt like as though I'm not sleeping on one. Some of you might've known... I can't sleep on soft pillows, I need a hard one, and what more this pillow, which is so very soft! I had to take out my stuff from my bag, and put under the pillow to sleep... Yes, it was a tough night, but thank God I managed to sleep! In the days to come, you'll know how God helped me in this area... :D

*zzzzzzz*

It's a long post for Day 1, cause there's just so much to tell! Hopefully I'll not be so long winded for the coming posts... Enjoy! :D