The Surpassing Greatness

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2009-06-17T18:01:00.001-07:00

FaithfulNews : Christian News Portal

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Redirecting..

2009-05-26T04:34:00.000-07:00

All blog posts will be now placed in my own site.

Please go to http://www.ericbae.com

Thank you!

Time's up!

2007-08-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

Yep! I have just spent the past 12 weeks of my life in this country called "India"... has been fascinating, amazing, eye-opening, learning, absorbing, knowing, realising, understanding time of my life. I've been packing things and cleaning things up for the last couple of hours, it's 3AM and I need to get some sleep and get all the final admin things tomorrow. Catch my flight to meet Sam Bae at Changi airport in Singapore, go crazy around South East Asia, then finally head home.. very very thankful, very very excited.Yep! so from tomorrow, it is butter chicken no more! I'll hit back when I set my feet on the Melbournian ground again. :) Pray for safety and crazy photos in SEA!

Count Down!!

2007-08-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

Out of 85 days I have in India, I now have spent 75 days and look forward to my last 10 days remaining in this fascinating, somewhat strange country. It has been a rather interesting experience. I've had some of the best times and also the worst. I've gone through spiritual droughts and highs. I've met some wonderful people, yet witnessed some very eccentric and frustrating human behaviours (including my own). Many people refer to India as, "the land of contrast" and I guess it's fitting for me to not only observe such a nation, but also live through these obvious contradictions and at the same time realising that I, myself, am also contradictory at times.

For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? - Romans 7:14-24

Simply, realising how sinful I am isn't a pleasant experience albeit necessary. And I also know it isn't me who works, but God working through me, oh thank God. I'll probably stuff up really bad if I ever tried.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. - Romans 8:1-4

It's comforting to know that God doesn't change.

INDEPENDENC DAYTomorrow, August 15th is India's Independence Day. It's cool how India shares this day with Korea's 광복절 on the same day! I've got my India merchandise ready to go! :)

FarewellsAt its peak, we had about 75 interns here. Now we are down to less than 20. It is getting emotional with so many "getting-to-know's" at one stage and then so many "farewells" at another.

BAES IN SEA

Last not least. Before heading back home, I'm way too excited to travel with Sam Bae (again) around South East Asia. We will be covering Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia in 12 days and I'll be stopping over at Khaodee church in Chiang Rai to spend a Sunday worship service with the kids! This is going to be one memorable event!

Infosys Instep Internship

2007-08-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

Hmm, this is somewhat embarrassing. Anyway, during my internship at Infosys, we filmed a new promotional video for Infosys Instep Internship program. I got to be a part of the video and well, it's out on YouTube now, so there's no hiding from it. So I'll just put it up here and let you be the verdict of it. Enjoy~! :)

Recovering...

2007-07-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

Ouch. Got sick for a few days this week. It's definitely not a pleasant experience to get sick while being away from home, but I'm finally on my way to recovery. Four weeks to go in Bangalore, India and then the greater excitement awaits! Until then, work will pick itself up, prepare myself to go back to the Aussie life once again, back to my fourth floor PhD cubicle and mum's home-cooked meals. Facebook is making all other social-networking, emailing, message-board type sites almost obsolete! NOOO!!

Keralalalalalalalala....

2007-07-20T02:18:00.000-07:00

So the all 70 interns working at Infosys decided to take an excursion to the city called Kochin (also known as God's own country because of its beauty) in Kerala. It was hectic organizing, but we had much fun and was a great chance to get to know others better.
Inside the overnight-Indian train. It's something you have to experience. The entire 12 hours....
Taj Malabar Hotel. The luxurious 'Infinity Pool' and messing around during the cooking lessons!
Cruise around with the Sunset Cruise...In front of Chinese fishing nets... (scoops the fish out of the sea!) Indian Chai time!!
The party train on the way back...

This weekend I'm heading off to Mumbai (Bombay) the craziest town of India! It's a city where the wealth and poverty meet, Bollywood movies are mainly produced, many Indian millionaires and billionairs live. YEE HAA!

The real wonder....

2007-07-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

So last week, Taj Mahal was officially voted as one of the seven wonders of the world. Read about other wonders here. So here are some more great photos of Taj Mahal (I didn't take them, I know I love my Canon, but I'm starting to think about chunky SLRs hmmm).

I'm now half way through my internship here at Infosys. It has already been six weeks! Can't exactly put my finger on it, but it's a period of much reflecting, thinking, struggling and learning. I can't ask for a better discipline. And check this out!

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

I love the "unveiled faces" part. The very fact that I no longer need to cover my faces with different veils to conform to the world. The knowledge of one's true identity in Christ is real freedom and an undeserving gift.

Lastly, I've also realised God is moving so many of my friends around the world. Janice and Natalie nuna came back from Mongolia, Hedge came back from China and NK. God is about to move Will to China and NK for awhile, and Sam and I are also adventuring towards South East Asia soon. To hear their stories of how God is working around the world assures me that He is in an absolute control. I'm also realising that God blesses His children by allowing them to witness that He is actively working and He even allows us to participate! God has a HUGE heart and His love towards us is impossible to fathom. He doesn't need us, yet He wants us.

Human Pixels..

2007-07-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

Go Koreans! :) What an amazing crazy coordination.

Taj Mahal

2007-07-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

Well, apparently there is a vote happening to select a new 7 wonders of the world. So here in India, people are trying to vote the infamous Taj Mahal as one of the wonders.

Anyway, I guess being in India, Taj Mahal was one of the "must-do's" on the list, so last weekend, my friend Brit and I took off to Delhi and Agra. After a nice flight over the monsoon clouds,
and arriving in Delhi which was breath-takingly humid...
and jumbling through the heavy traffic jam and rickshaws...
and taking a two-hour train ride to Agra...
and passing through many many gates and buildings...

Here lies the infamous Taj Mahal. All the marbles, the intricate designs and precious stones, and all this built for a lady. It's crazy to see what a guy will do for a girl. But! it wasn't built to 'pursue' a girl, instead the king built it after his wife's death! true love? :) it really is a magnificent building and a landmark architecture, simply beautiful!

Taking photos with random Indian kids and touring around local Agra town and markets, we thanked the driver and came back to Delhi to explore the capital city of India where we saw...the Indian Gate..and messed around in front of the government house...

and saw the guy who plays the flute and the cobra comes out hissing and swinging!!Does this building remind you of something? It's called "The Lotus Temple", but very much like the Opera House? hmm, who built which first?The last part of the Delhi trip was meeting up with my uni friend Kapil and seeing more of Delhi and also riding on its new metro! which was nice and clean and efficient.
The main objective, seeing the Taj, was accomplished and now that I've been there, I think it deserves to be one of the seven wonders. It was also greating seeing different people living their lives and realising the blessing of having friends of diverse cultures and backgrounds.
The weekend trips have been awesome, but it's taking its toll on me (too much playing?!?!?!), so tomorrow is the "Die Hard 4.0" night, take it easy otherwise and of course, the worship day on Sunday for resting in His presence.

June in India...

2007-07-02T05:36:00.000-07:00

I have started my fifth week in India. I cannot believe how quick June went by. I've arrived as a naive Korean Australian four weeks ago, but now (although still naive) feeling a little adjusted, I'll share some of my experiences and what I've learned about India.

IT India and its Economy

India has seen its economy grow dramatically in the last decade and largely this is due to its huge IT talent pool and cheap labour cost. This naturally leads to western countries "outsourcing" and "offshoring" their entire IT services to India. Companies like Infosys then receives dollars and pays its employees in Indian rupees which is much lower than the average pay in US and Europe (but still considerably higher than average wave in India).

I'm quite surprised how "IT-minded" Indian people are. I talked to colleagues here and it seems like it is due to their cultural upbringing (logically-minded??) and competitiveness in schools especially with subjects like science and maths.

People and the Head-bobbing

I've found Indian people extremely friendly so far. Not just within the campus, but outside too. (Went to Delhi last weekend, the Northern India and found Southern Indians a little bit more friendlier). One thing ALL interns picked up here is the friendly head-bobbing gesture. Here, whenever you converse with people and show you are in an agreement with them (i.e. saying yes or ok), you swing your head side to side (very subtly!). It's not a node or a shake, but a bob, side to side.

Initially, I really didn't understand why the heads were moving that way, but now, all interns are doing it! and I just think it's a very friendly gesture! :) (above picture is me and my project mentor, Bintu).

FoodIndian food is great! In fact, it's quite different to what they have in Australia. It's much more authentic here I suppose and contains much unique flavour. I've never heard some of the spices they use here! Nonetheless, it's great. And yes! for some dishes, I found eating with hands much easier, but at other times, everyone has to use cutleries. But Indian people are definitely much more skilled when it comes to eating with hands.

Lastly, 33% of the Indian people are vegetarians! So those who are not a vegetarian, we must call ourselves "non-veg". I think I'll post another entry purely dedicated to food. :) But check out the above photo! McDonalds deliver their burgers home!!!

Traffic
Hands down, Bangalore has the worst traffic I've seen. It's mainly because the city has grown too quick for a proper infrastructure to support the growth. So on the roads we ride with buses, trucks, cars, rickshaws, motorbikes, bikes, cows, dogs, horses and people. And here, cars honk as if they are conversing with each other. On the other hand, Delhi was much more quiet and organized. So I guess it's slightly different depending on where you go.

Tea-time!Many people know that India is famous for its tea and people here LOVE tea. But it's another sight to see at around 10:30am or 3:30pm, SO many people go outside for their tea time! And they interact with other employees and friends over tea. It's very cool!

I've fallen in love with what they call "Masala Tea". It's milk tea with spices in it. The BEST! :) But making it with a perfect proportion with milk and sugar is a fine art.

Cricket
Lastly, people here follow cricket religiously. Everyone plays cricket (and I mean EVERYONE) and they know all the players, matches, stats etc. They also love Australian cricket team! So if you know just a few names of Australian cricket players, then you can start an immediate conversation with an Indian person. :)

Well~ I really pray that I'll continue to learn and absorb what God has in store for me for the next 8 remaining weeks. But so far, it's been an incredible experience! :)

Hampi Hampi Hampi

2007-06-25T05:42:00.001-07:00

Another week goes! Last weekend, a group of us visited a town called Hampi. It was a temple-overload. I think they said there are 3200 temples altogether in just one town! Crazy...

No shoes allowed inside the temples!

A variety of animals!! monkeys, elephants, and yep.. a donkey...
Yeah yeah, no comment about the above photo. :) It was just standing in the middle of the road!!
This weekend, I am finally off to Delhi and Agra to see the infamous Taj Mahal!! It's going to be 38 and 39 degrees on Saturday and Sunday. You gotta pay the price to see the Taj...

...

2007-06-25T05:11:00.000-07:00

I really miss the church today. The church of fellow Christians and the fellowship and love shared from within to without. I also miss worship services in which I could lose myself in praising Christ. The Indian church I've been attending is an excellent one, but on a daily basis, I am realising the importance of the unseen support from the body of Christ. Could you pray for me please?

Go Goa..

2007-06-22T05:14:00.000-07:00

The great thing about carrying out the internship at Infosys is the opportunities to see various parts of India on the weekends with other interns. Last weekend, we headed off to a Portugese-influenced town called Goa, also widely known to tourists for its nice beaches.
Unfortunately, the monsoon is coming to India and it hit Goa a little early. It rained a LOT, but still we thoroughly enjoyed our time! The best part was hiring the motorbikes and cruising around the town! Here are the photos!!

Streets of Goa~ do you feel a little European??

So many churches are built in this town...Here's the Arabian sea.. windy, rainy, but we still went in. :)A live chicken being measured for its weight at the market...

The crazy Spanish guy Miguel with our motorbike helmets!!

This weekend, we are heading to a town called "Hampi". I have no idea what's there and I am not looking forward to the 10-hour bus ride, but they have monkeys!!! Have a great weekend!

One step at a time towards Bollywood...

2007-06-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

I really believe that one of many gifts God has given me when He decided to reach down and rescue me a few years ago was a gift of "thinking". I don't think I've ever thought this much in my life. Plus, being away from home and surrounded by new things, well my thinking just continues.
I've been reading "Hearing God's voice" by Henry Blackaby and the following story about a missionary named John Hyde convicted me of my weakness in prayer thesedays.

John Hyde's friend (Praying Hyde as he was often called) Pengwern Jones relates an experience that took place during a convention meeting when the pair shared a room. Hyde rose at dawn and began to pray. Jones left for breakfast and returned to find Hyde still praying. At lunchtime Hyde was still beside his bed, deep in prayer. Throughout the afternoon as Jones came and went, Hyde remained by his bed absorbed in divine communion. At 6:30 that evening, his face glowing, Hyde rose from his knees and began to tell Jones the insights the Spirit had revealed to him about the person and work of Christ. Jones recounts, "I shall never forget his words as they gave me a new vision of Christ.. I could not keep the tears back. At times I felt that it could not be true, that Christ had never suffered so much for me.. How I wish I could repeat it as Hyde brought me step by step to see Christ that evening" - from "Hearing God's voice" by Blackaby

An intersting article which Will Hong sent through about Newton's thoughts on the end-days prompts me further to pray harder and more.

On a different note, I told you about my Indian TV debut last week. Well!! Now you can watch it here!!! It's a pity they didn't interview me, hmmph!! but watch out Bollywood!! :)

Not quite Bollywood...

2007-06-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have made my Indian TV debut :) !! This Monday was the official 2007 Infosys Internship Induction day and since Infosys is quite an influential company in India, there was a number of journalists present at the site interested in this bunch of students from different places around the world. The best part was that we were on Indian TV news at nights!!! :) (believe it or not). A sad thing is that I can't find it on YouTube. So, hope you take my word for it. :) Here is the link to the news articles!!

The guy below is Mr Murthy - the CEO and founder of Infosys.
And here are the pictures of interns I am blessed to hang out with!!

Well, I'll use this as a stepping stone for Bollywood. Apparently if foreigners go to Bombay (the home of Bollywood), they can be picked up by directors for an extra role.. hmm.. :)

Say "Shravanabelagola"..

2007-06-13T04:22:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, a group of interns decided to take on the challenge of climbing up 614 stairs in a sweltering heat to see the world's largest monolithic stone statue (read more details here). The place is called "Shravanabelagola", try to say it really quickly!! :)It's a long way to the top.The view of the town on the way. I don't know what that large pool is for.. storing water? doesn't look very clean to me though.A temple on the way to the statue.And here it is! It's a bit rude, so look away quickly :) but to see the amount of time and effort people put in to build this ALL the way on the top of the mountain is quite astounding. The particular religion this is related to (among so many others in India) is called Jainism.We then visited more temples in towns called Belur and Halebidu which had so many intricate details of carved stones, once again, it must have taken them YEARS to complete the work.
On the way home, random sheep crossing the road...
The ever-recognizable autorickshaws...
And lastly, guess what this is!! :) It's a cafe... nice and cosy I say. The exciting part of staying here in India with other interns is that every weekend we plan a trip to some town or city in India to visit, this weekend, we will be visiting the popular beaches at Goa! more to come!

Lord's day and 삼겹살 (Sam-gyup-sal) in Bangalore.. :)

2007-06-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

It was once again, a fine day in Bangalore (quite cool today actually) and this time myself and two other Korean interns from InfoSys went to the Christian Fellowship Church. It was a blessing to see the jam-packed church with radical Indian Christians again, and I really enjoyed the following song.

So long I had searched for life's meaning,
Enslaved by the world and its greed.
Then the door of my prison was opened by love,
For the ransom was paid, I was freed.

I'm free from the guilt that I carried.
From the dull empty life I'm set free.
For when I met Jesus He made me complete,
He forgot the foolish man I use to be.

I'm free from the fear of tomorrow,
I'm free from the guilt of the past.
For I've traded my shackles for a glorious song,
I'm free! Praise the Lord, free at last!

Free!
Totally free!
Free from the curse of sin.
Free from the ravages of guilt.
Free, praise the Lord, free at last!

After the service, we went to the Bangalore downtown, the shopping street (there wasn't much there). I think I'll do some shopping a little later.

The highlight for me was going to this Korean restaurant (there are only two in Bangalore)Mind you, Muslims don't eat pork, and Hindus don't eat beef! so it's not too easy to find beef or pork dishes here. But what is a better way to experience the Korean restaurant in Bangalore than eating 삼겹살?A bit expensive and you can see the 아줌마 (the owner) looking out the window. :) They have a Korean church too, and I shall visit it in a week or two!

One week down in Bangalore

2007-06-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

I still wake up in the mornings thinking "where am I?" and it is still random to me that I am working in India, but at the same time, I'm fast adjusting to the life here. I am also still in a holiday mode because of the crazy weeks I had just before coming here, and InfoSys has provided just the right place to feel at ease, in fact it's like a resort here :) I'll describe my daily life at InfoSys more later.

This week's been just settling down at work and getting to know more of the interns. It is the most dynamic and diverse bunch of people from all around the world, all across different background, age group, culture and nationalities and it's been way too fun hanging out with them each day and hearing various life stories, goals and objectives. We had a big group dinner out to the Bangalore city on Friday to a restaurant called "Ebony" and it was... goooooood!!

The Bangalore city at night from the restaurant (high above 13th floor), yeah, it doesn't look too exciting, but it's a crazy city alright.

Worship Day

2007-06-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I was quite disappointed with the Bangalore city. It is overly crowded, loud honking everywhere, polluted, busy... well it isn't much different from cities like Hong Kong, Seoul, you get the picture.But! I did find a lovely church for today's worship - Christian Fellowship Church.Personally, it was such a blessing time for me. The worship service was great and these radical Indian Christians praise and pray HARD! For Indians, I think if they become a Christian, it's a real deal, otherwise there is no reason for them to become one. So I really felt these guys were on fire for Christ. I think Steve would've LOVED the service because it was HYMNS all the way! but I've never enjoyed singing hymns so much in my life before! :)Jackfruit! Finally. I wanted to try this in Bali, but here it is. It's quite tasty!
My work officially starts tomorrow. I'm so grateful how God has so far guided me. I was so worn down right up until I got to India, but last 3 or 4 days have been wonderful time to rest up in an unique environment!
Lastly, I think doing an IT is considered as cool in India! :) not like back at home. Here all the techies (yes computer nerds) work out and wear cool clothes and ride on their motorcycles.. well, just thought I'll add that at the end.. :)

InStep InfoSys

2007-06-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

Introducing InfoSys Bangalore... This is my room... too much for a single person, but oh well! it's about 1 minute walk from where I'll be working!
We also get these food vouchers. I really feel like playing monopoly with this. I think it's "InfoSys Currency". You can buy all sorts of food around this place and they give these out to all interns. Food is ridiculously cheap here, just like in Thailand, HongKong, Bali etc.. love it! $2 for meals! I don't think these vouchers will ever run out...
Oh I love this. There are company bikes EVERYWHERE and plus since it's such a big place, you just pick up a bike, ride it to wherever you need to go and then drop it wherever!
Pool tables, table tennis tables, gyms, swimming pools, basketball courts, volleyball courts, football fields, cricket grounds, soccer fields, band practices... yep.

AND if we feel really lazy, we can call one of these golf-carts to ride around the campus. Yes, it's just too much!! Me and Will from Chicago, US.
There are about 40 or so buildings... and I'm still trying to get used to what's where, but nonetheless, this is an amazing place. If I ever wonder what Googleplex is like, well, this might come close to it? I'm fascinated at how much the company invests for their employees and can feel their generosity towards the community and the Indian people.

BUT! I do feel somewhat 'protected' in this InfoSys campus and tonight bunch of interns will go out to the Bangalore city and explore the real India. More photos to come! :)

Touch Down Bangalore

2007-05-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

:) I've finally arrived in Bangalore India last night. I got picked up by a dude called "Money" (HAHA) and got driven to Infosys Campus. I have to admit, this place is the BIGGEST thing I've ever seen in my life. It's like a small city here, owned by just one company. They have gyms, swimming pool (YES), grocery store, hair salon, too many cafes and restaurants, hotels (where I'm at)... it's somewhere close to 80 acres of land and they call it "Infosys City".

My internship starts tomorrow, so I had a day off and explored around the campus a bit, I'm sure I'll get used to the geography soon. I'll post some photos too. I spent the rest of the day and night hanging out with other interns. There are about 20 or so students all around the world and it's been fun talking to them and seeing the different perspectives and angles of life.

Weather is pleasantly warm, food is surprisingly nice, people are overly polite (sirs, madams, masters!!) and facilities are perfect. It feels like all the employees are all nicely protected from the outside world. Soon enough, I'll venture out and experience the real Bangalore plus India!

a worthy life...

2007-05-29T03:22:00.000-07:00

12 more hours in Melbourne and I'm heading off to Bangalore. It has been a very interesting week and I'm excited to see what lies ahead of me in the next 12 weeks or so.

God's Word
Firstly, the following verse has been striking out at me this week and I plan to take this verse with me to India (and of course for the rest of my life).

"And we pray this in order that you may life a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way." Colossians 1:10

So now I can go as a person who is protected by His Word, and envisioned by His Divine Plan. Awesome! and if you could pray for me that I will live the next three months in India pleasing Christ in every way, I would very much appreciate it! :)

Partners
I am also going as a blessed person. I have been showered with gifts, emails and blessings from my loving friends and most importantly, I take their prayers with me. Thanks to all! Wait for your curry! :)

Relief
Everything I have been either consciously or subconsciously anxious about, God has taken care of them all. I now go as a relieved person focused on the task ahead of me, knowing that He will once again and always be faithful.

Plans
My core plan for the next three months is to immerse myself into the new environment. To be honest, I think many people (including myself) have some innocent prejudices towards India and its people and I want to explore all there is to find out about India and pray for the nation as my temporary home country. My second plan is to keep the record of all that is happening! so this blog will come in handy plus my faithful Canon digital camera. If anyone wants to find about anything India, let me know, I'll try my best to answer your question from a non-biased stance. :)

See you soon!
And finally, see you later all! I'll keep in touch! literally, there are too many things to keep in touch with! :) Christ reigns over all!!!!!

God's kindness and my way to the Bollywood!

2007-05-23T03:36:00.000-07:00

Our God is SO kind. And He has been so kind to me. I was driving home after uni today, and realised, there literally is nothing I can claim as my own doing, and if I ever do, it'll be my sheer selfish pride.

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Gal. 6:14
Well, anyway, for those who don't know, God has mysteriously guided my steps to visit India for three months! Things were up in the air for awhile, but today, I got my VISA and all my itinerary and accomodation have been settled, and next Wednesday, Bollywood awaits! :)
I will be working as a "research intern" at a company called "InfoSys". I'm looking forward to working again! it's been awhile! But more than that, I'm excited about what God has in store for me. I know that wherever I am, His love will guide me and what else can I ask for~!

Go fish!

2007-05-16T03:48:00.000-07:00

My grandma's here from Korea for a few months (she's the best!), so yesterday we went to a "Trout Farm". So what they let you do is, you take a fishing rod, and you catch the trout yourself, and then you pay for what you catch. I'm not patient enough for fishing, so this was great! because as soon as you put the rod in, they come and grab it crazy!!

a silly birthday present..

2007-05-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

Had a short ECF outing with a few new members on Friday~ awesome. Plus, we gave Sarah her birthday present - a HUGE box filled with newspaper and $2-keyring hidden inside. Sam and I thought it was pretty funny, but I don't think it worked too well. :) nonetheless, I was entertained.. now I just need to get my hands on Sarah's entertainment book.......

Randoms... :)

2007-05-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

Feel sorry for the guy....
William Hong from another planet.... doing the alien dance...
Holly, casually driving into the disability parking spot... something you haven't told us about? :)
A scary car...
Kenny's nasty bruise!! aaarrrggghhh!!

the magnificent seven

2007-05-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

I just had the worst tutorial ever! I wasn't well prepared, and thought I'll wing it. But pretending to know something is harder than I expected. Then today was "Quality of Teaching Survey" day where students have to evaluate me. AAHHRRGG!

well, then I thought about those SEVEN people who got saved at the Flinders Station on Saturday night outreach, and asked myself "What's more important?" :)

Battle of the surfaces!

2007-05-01T04:42:00.000-07:00

They made a tennis court, half grass and the other half clay, and letting the world no. 1 and 2 go against each other. How interesting! It's like when Donovan Bailey and Michael Johnson raced 150m a few years ago. My vote is on Fed~ Check out the website!, it's on tomorrow!

UPDATE : Nadal won. Apparently 7-6, 4-6, 7-6. Boo hoo..

reaching out for outreaching..

2007-04-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

The usual four boys from ECF (plus few girls) have been going to the Saturday night outreach at Flinders Station. All four of us have been on and off in this, but this is first time (I think) we decided together to go out and participate in street worship and cold-turkey evangelism.

The first week we went, God brought a series of surprising events, such as 13-year old boy crying and becoming a Christian right in front of us, and a lady having an epilepsy and the ECF doctor Janice helping out.

Personally, I think I'm gaining so much more energy by being surrounded by my close friends and it gives me extra courage to step out of comfort zone and share the Gospel with strangers. More so, seeing all four of us sharing their faith with different people, being ready to worship crazy (and Stevo is preparing his own tract!!!), it really brings special joy and thankfulness. GO HARD!!! :)

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. 1 Cor. 2:1-5

falling....

2007-04-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

How do you fall when you fall? Man I cracked up hard looking at these photos. Pick your favourite falling photo~ :)

No offense to the sport of diving. But no matter how much you practice, falling is a scary experience. :)

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it - 1 Cor. 10:13

An amazing adventure of gutter bowling..

2007-04-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

(I'm YouTubing HHAARRDD thesedays) Went bowling on Saturday. Sarah Goon aced the gutter. :) Although there was certain someone who she could still beat. Guess who! :)

is there more to life?

2007-04-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

No doubt. :) Saw this funny clip at Crossway Church, and alas~ found it on YouTube. Where else?

Funny Friday~

2007-04-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

Ahh, have a great weekend! :) and worship HARD on Sunday.

knowledge of Him..

2007-04-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

"what is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" - Phil. 3:8

2007-04-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

He's RISEN!!!!! YYEEAAHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

"for if the dead are not raised then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who ahve fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all man. But Christ has INDEED been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." 1 Cor. 15:16-20

HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY BROTHERS AND SISTERS!

World Championship~

2007-04-02T04:19:00.000-07:00

Have to admit. Swimming isn't the most exciting sport to spectate. But they really did a great job of making this event as fun and enjoyable as possible for the crowd, it was great atmosphere~ although the Korean dude wasn't there, Phelps was amazing, and Aussie relay team won the last event while everyone going crazy on their feet! Love what they did to the tennis court!

Swim HARD!

2007-03-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

I got my tickets ready for the Sunday's 1,500m freestyle final. My money's on the Korean dude, Park Tae Hwan. Ooh, this is going to be the race of the event!!!!!!!! Cheer HHAARRDD! :)

UPDATE : oh my goodness, the Korean dude failed to qualify for the final. After all that hype, this is ridiculous.. he came 9th!! one more place and he would've made it!!!! I want my money back FINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what the...

2007-03-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

This was definitely the 'what the' moment of last week. These guys, calling themselves as "Sparkels" are cleaning the Melbourne trams and providing commuters haircuts! and they clean up as well with their portable vacuum cleaner... has anybody else seen these guys? I have to admit, it was quite fascinating, let's see how long they'll last.

Crazy all nighter....

2007-03-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

Had this spontaneous camp at church with my high school worship team. Sometimes I feel way too guilty for taking care of them, because I think I muck around the most. But honestly, serving Christ with these crazy kids makes my Sunday a true sabbath. Surrounded by those I love and to focus on Christ alone is by far the biggest reward on the Lord's day.

And yes, I do make them do silly poses and take funny photos... oh boy. No shame!!!! What a crazy weekend! (떡볶이 at 1:00am is awesome!!)

Reunite! in Melbourne

2007-03-07T23:51:00.000-08:00

I find it a sheer privilege to meet up with old EM people in Melbourne! Wonza is here for a few weeks (possibly permanently) and Jenny Hong's here for AGES! Was a random but nice re-union. :) anyone else thinking of moving down here???

2007-03-05T22:27:00.000-08:00

Lord, it belongs not to my care,
Whether I die or live;
To love and serve Thee is my share,
And this Thy grace must give.

If life be long I will be glad,
That I may long obey;
If short--yet why should I be sad
To soar to endless day?

Christ leads me through no darker rooms
Than He went through before;
He that unto God's kingdom comes,
Must enter by this door.

Come, Lord, when grace has made me meet
Thy blessed face to see;
For if Thy work on earth be sweet,
What will Thy glory be!

Then shall I end my sad complaints,
And weary, sinful days;
And join with the triumphant saints,
To sing Jehovah's praise.

My knowledge of that life is small,
The eye of faith is dim;
But 'tis enough that Christ knows all,
And I shall be with him.

Trusting Christ in all..

2007-03-01T15:29:00.000-08:00

"we must also ask the question: what it would take to create a loving world void of evil? A world in which love is capable of meaningful expression and experience would also imply a world in which there is choice. If someone tells you that they love you, those words mean something because they are freely given. If you learned that someone had told you they loved you but that they had been forced to say it, their words would not mean very much. Thus, if we want to speak of a loving world, we must also speak of a world in which choices are exercised. And in such a world, there is also the possibility of choosing a course of action that is not loving, i.e. evil. "

"Maybe the reason we question God's moral character when bad things happen is that we live our lives largely independent from Him. In other words, we struggle to trust Him in times of trouble because we do not really trust Him when things are going well. Maybe we struggle with suffering so much in the West because we are so comfortable most of the time that we feel we don't need God. We do not rely on Him on a daily basis, and so we do not really know Him. When suffering comes along, therefore, it is not so much that it takes us away from God, but that it reveals to us that we have not really been close to Him in the first place."

Michael Ramsden

growing pains....

2007-03-01T01:49:00.000-08:00

Just uncovered another photo of look-alikes.. Stevo and Samo. I think we were all separated at our births...

This is 7:00am at Monash Uni oval. People are heating up these huge hot air baloons for a cool ride over the Melbourne city.... one day.

A Prayer Request - Would it be alright if you could lift up a quick and sincere prayer for me as you read this? my research is getting tougher than ever and I need some clarity, direction, but above all I need to put my faith in Christ and be confident that He is in control. Thank you in advance! God bless.

The adventure of look-alikes part III

2007-02-22T03:03:00.000-08:00

Hooray! the day has finally come. For those who know, in the past by sheer coincidence, I wore same (or very similar) clothes with Sam and Sung. Well, last Sunday it was Wilma's turn. So here it is. I am very proud. :) Stevo, get ready mate. I think I'll complete the 'full-circle' if you and I match clothes next. Now I just need to find a pair of red leather pants you often wear. :)

Been a tough week! getting my faith worked out thoroughly...

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going" - John 14:1-4

Happy New Year (in Chinese calendar that is..)

2007-02-18T00:43:00.000-08:00

Happy 'Chinese' New Years people! :) Went out to the city for the festival. Witnessed way too many firecrackers going off, a good Chinese meal, saw the lions and dragons going nuts, stayed for the fireworks which wasn't on... overall we had fun. :) It's the year of pigs......

words...

2007-02-15T16:23:00.000-08:00

I found this hilarious. So funny..... :)

all guns blazing....

2007-02-13T02:58:00.000-08:00

Birds went absolutely nuts on my mum's car. All this poor Camry did was just sit there. But I like how birds do it as an united team. This teaches me about teamwork. Now if this was the works of one individual bird, it's gotta be the 'Big Bird'... get it get it!! ahahahaha sorry. :)

who may I blame....

2007-02-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

Do we (Koreans) have a "blaming" habit? Found this random flowchart... half of me definitely agrees with this... :)

beginning of an end...

2007-02-05T18:57:00.000-08:00

I smell trouble from the beginning of the trip...Can you see the monkeys behind us??Seafood galore.... Riding through Bali villages...
Waterpark!!!

This wasn't a spelling mistake I hope.. isn't it "Bread Top"??
The volcano.....
this is a bit too romantic...
Turtles everywhere...

Bali was awesome. Everything worked out perfectly. Relaxing, lots of food, jam-packed four days, friendly people, we absolutely clocked this island. :)

taking off....

2007-01-29T02:27:00.000-08:00

Two "Baes" on an exotic island... oh what lies ahead of me... :) I'm approaching the tail-end of my break.. looking forward to the 100% humidity...

...

2007-01-22T16:49:00.000-08:00

miss you minj...

what gender is your site?

2007-01-17T18:21:00.000-08:00

I listened to this guy from Microsoft at Hong Kong conference talking about how good their research is etc etc. Well, in one of their research sites, they have this tool which guesses whether you're male or female by detecting the "tone" of your homepage.
I tested mine out.. phew~ it was awefully close, but thank God I'm not confused of who I am.. haha. It also guesses what age group you might be in. It says I'm under 18. WHAT! :)
Now I think about it.. that confidence is no confidence at all!!! I need to use more manly languages maybe???

family values...

2007-01-09T21:57:00.000-08:00

Home! at last. It has been a truly meaningful trip! Learned, felt, experienced, thought and did a little more than I originally anticipated. God truly is alive and sovereign! He also taught me how important family really is, and this trip was a clear reminder for it... introducing... me and my sister... 1983... found this photo at my grandma's place... :)
my 할머니... the best~!
at the airport.. before leaving...
oh and.. another good thing out of Korea is this banana-flavoured milk.. oh how kids love this pear-shaped drink!! :) it's weird going from -5 to 35.. but.. Melbourne needs rain man...

07~

2006-12-31T18:10:00.000-08:00

See ya 2006! To wrap it up nicely, I finished "reading-the-whole-Bible-in-one-year" thing yesterday! Hurray! :)

Anyway, happy new year to all!

"If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself" 2 Tim 2:13

Conference wrap up..

2006-12-24T16:28:00.000-08:00

Oh and Merry Christmas to all. :)Conference wrapped up nicely in HK. Met a number of people... listened to way too many presentations.. but I trust it would be valuable to my studies...With my debacle in HK airport with the return ticket, I got to stay one more extra day in HK. They put me in Novotel and then flew me in their business class on the way to Korea! YEAHH~ never been on the business class before... so.. it was definitely an experience to remember... :)Here is my favourite food in Korea. Dunkin' Donuts. :) Any 2003 Thailand mission team reading this message.. just want to let you know Eddie and I snuck out to go shopping and grabbed ourselves Dunkin' Donuts in Thailand during our mission trip.. Eddie, it's ok to tell now yeah? hahaha but they taste so good!!!

it's... Korean time!

2006-12-23T17:14:00.000-08:00

The last 72 hours have been emotionally and spiritually charged hours... something about being away from home makes everything a bit foreign and unfamiliar..

Before leaving HK for Korea, I had a major problem with my return ticket to Melbourne. My travel agent got the dates wrong so I could only stay here for a week! I gave up trying to change it because every Cathay Pacific agent told me it was impossible to change during the January time.. then God turned EVERYTHING around instantly! and now I'm sitting here at my grandma's home, smiling, laughing.. comfortable..

anyway, think it's going to be relaxing two weeks.. spending time with family.. enjoying a cold Christmas~ :) will update more... and probably more food photos... oh the food!!!!! :)

Hong Kong Day 3 & 4 - Adventure of A Lonely Traveller

2006-12-17T05:16:00.000-08:00

Day 3 - Knocked out all the major sight-seeing places in HK. Temples, man-made nature, more man-made stuff.. I think my arms are getting longer trying to take photo of myself... :)

A flower market. Don't ask me why I was there..... no.. actually... why did I go there??
!! are these the insect-eating plants?!?! couldn't see any insects inside their pockets though....
Then the bird market!! I've never seen so many birds in my entire life!
Day 4 : Went to HK Evangelical Community Church. Quite a big one and they don't have a building so they hold their services at different venues each week. Today was at Marriot hotel.. very nice~ :)

Decided to find the inner kid in me so I went to HK Ocean Park... you know, the rides, dolphins, seals and all.....A view from the top of the scenic ride...Weird little creatures...Definitely recommed going to an amusement park on your own. You sit next to random people on scary rides and you can't even scream properly!! what a highlight... and it's quite funny if you DO scream sitting next to a complete stranger... :)

Conference starts tomorrow! I think I had enough touring for the moment now. I'm hoping to meet people to hang out and finally go to restaurants and taste some authentic dishes!

Hong Kong Day 2 - Disneyland!!

2006-12-16T05:57:00.000-08:00

Day 2 : Didn't plan AT ALL! I bought a tourist-only-3-day-all-you-can-use-transport card and decided to abuse it. Below shows just about all the places I went around in a single day! Talk about leg muscles! :)First, I heard of this GIANT buddha statue - world's biggest? anyway, took this cool cable car over to another island to see the old temple..Can you see it below? It is located at the top of this hill... a major prayer-walk area...
THEN off to HK Disneyland! Never been to one of them, but a friend told me it wasn't too exciting~ so I didn't go inside. There's another theme park here in HK so I think I'll go to that one instead of this..
Yes, taking a picture by yourself IS weird..... but oh well, when am I gonna be in HK Disneyland again~~~
KFC in HK gives you "egg-tarts"! they are very nice and check out their potato chips!

Saw this HSBC building on National Geographic. Apparently it is a architectural landmark in HK and it is rumoured to be "de-assemblable" (if there's such a word) in case of a national emergency. Which means they can de-assemble all the parts and move the building somewhere... very likely that'll happen....At night, I took a tram to the peak of HK. The place is appropriately and originally called "The Peak". Here you can view the whole HK from above plus spend lots of money on non-practical and over-priced souvenirs and food.But!! they have "EA" shop. I've never seen one before, but they have so many game consoles with all the EA games! I wanted to check out the HK night scene and I had to wait a little till sunset, so I spent about an hour here playing Need For Speed. :)How much royalty do they have to pay Forest Gump to run this restaurant? Well, finally.. here's HK during the day (it was a cloudy day....)But here's that infamous night view of HK. Like my new camera? :)Traveling alone makes it not easy to go into a restaurant and order a meal and eat it by yourself... but ah well~ :) I'll update about my day 3 tomorrow, but it's a worship day tomorrow! and I'll be going to HK Evangelical Community Church. They have their service at Marriot Hotel!! Hope they give buffet lunch too.. hahaha :)

Hong Kong Day 1 - Macau

2006-12-15T05:15:00.000-08:00

This is my first time traveling overseas alone.. and there's something about it which I enjoy! :) It has been fantastic so far~ way too many things to see and do and.. lots and lots of leg-work involved - walking, walking and more walking. But it's all really really good. God's been protecting me well, showing me lots and guiding me safely... Oh His provisions!!

First day in Hong Kong, I decided to leave for another country - Macau. Apparently, it is also named "sin city" of Asia - drug trafficking, casino, night life, prostitutes.. well, fortunately, I didn't see none of that. I did see many many casinos though... lots of them!This is how I started my day - with Maccas "soup pasta". Wasn't nice at all. But I love how each country has their own "special McDonald's menu"... :) Went to Macau from Hong Kong catching this "TurboJet" ferry. Wasn't turbo at all. Plus, this guy asked me for a survey so I missed my ferry!!This was the best part of Macau - seeing St Paul's cathedral. I don't know the details of this building, but you can read more about it here. A large painting of Jesus inside the cathedral. Macau, Macau, and more Macau!
Finally, found this err... what do I call it... "marinated pork"?? I don't know. It's like 쥐포 in Korea, but only it's pork. They also had beef, lamb, OSTRICH!!, and all sorts. But man, they taste gooooood!

That'll do for today. Everything is awesome. I really love HK. It's a fantastic country! So easy and convenient for tourists!! Eating a lot~ so tomorrow I'm going for a jog. No swimming pool here....

chaos theory...

2006-12-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

if there is such a theory, I think it's Hong Kong. This place is like Korea! :) But it's good.

I arrived safely and I think someone prayed for me.. because God moved in major ways here and there so I don't get lost. This random Hong Kong 아저씨 guided me all around the city to find my hotel and I didn't even ask him! I think I would be still outside if I didn't meet him. Plus as soon as I got into my hotel, it started to rain outside!

Also decided to do all my necessary shopping.. like a camera. The rumour is true. They are pretty cheap. So I've done all my shopping in one hour! not bad huh! Hope I didn't get ripped off, but I bargained as hard as I could... now I can just enjoy this country.

Our lifestyle has gone so comfortable I realised. I can access the Internet right from my hotel and update... anyway I'll start taking photos tomorrow! :)

ECF wrap up for 2006

2006-12-12T03:11:00.000-08:00

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" - Shakespeare, The Life of King Henry V

Had our final ECF dinner of 2006 tonight. Will and myself going away overseas for awhile and everyone should be back together by February Valentines Day. (HAHAHA). I have to say this honestly, that this year God has made it SO distinctively clear the importance of the "happy few" - my band of brothers (and sisters at times) at ECF. No conversation elsewhere goes more profound and deep and meaningful than when I am with these guys~ and at the same time, no conversation elsewhere goes as shallow as ours! :) for that I am way too grateful. It is the biggest privilege to see each other grow in faith and growing together.

Way overdue for my packing for the trip. Boys will no doubt tease me for being too corny in this post .. :) well, yeah, whatever.

SEE YA BACK IN 2007!

R.I.P Canon IXUS

2006-12-11T02:51:00.000-08:00

It's a long story... a funny story... but my beloved 2-year old canon is now resting in (I mean rusting in) somewhere in Tasmanian river. AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGG

But nonetheless, I had great time with you buddy. Off to Hong Kong on Wednesday, I heard there is no tax there! ooohh, maybe I can find a rebound canon.. with higher megapixel perhaps.... :)

oh joy.......

2006-12-11T02:32:00.000-08:00

Back from Tasmania. A very interesting trip. Not many photos remaining. The reason will be explained shortly. Love to visit again! there are so many things to do there...
The conference was good. Met lots of people. Way too many Koreans. Above is Mr Yasso E~ a funny funny guy from Darwin.
Stayed near the University of Tasmania. They have a toilet with a whiteboard inside the cubicle so students can actually grafitti on the board instead of walls... what the......

oh and thanks to all for wishing my second half of my 20s to be well and happy. :) To be honest, I like growing up... God's been pretty awesome... :)
Thanks to my fellow Permanent Head Damange team for the cake.
A mexican red-devil chilli which was part of my birthday dinner with mum and dad.

Discover!!!

2006-11-28T15:31:00.000-08:00

Four ECF boys will be hunting down the infamous Tasmanian tigers this weekend. :) Should be a nice end of the year trip. We started 2006 with a Wilson's Prom trip and ending it with Tasmania. God's creation is awesome!! Can't wait! I'm having second thoughts about catching any Korean-managed airplanes..

photo update!

2006-11-23T16:46:00.000-08:00

Can't believe I didn't take my camera to Sydney!! 이란 누나 got married. For all Melbournians, it was a get-together which was long overdue~ great catching up everyone! :) What in the world are you doing hyung.... (what am I doing.... what are we doing!!) Another nuna leaving. Congrats nuna...
Here's a random photo of Sam performing public & environmental damage. tsk tsk tsk.
Another randomness. Here we are in front of Darwin's only hang-out place. Darwin Casino. We aren't very happy because the lights are off...
But now we are happy because the lights are on! (did you pee on your clothes Sam?)

just thinking.......

2006-11-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

Romans 8:35a "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"

Was studying, then He 'interrupted' me for 40 minutes reminding me what His Love means and made me listen to this song. But there's this line "The guilty pair, bowed down with care".. I don't get what the "guilty pair" is.... but nonetheless rejoice in His love! :)

nuts!!

2006-10-14T04:15:00.000-07:00

you are..

2006-10-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

The stationary, yet incomprehensible constant. You cannot change, yet You change everything. You are never new, yet never old. You make all things new, yet conquer the proud with old age before they know of its approach.

You are working, yet ever at rest. You are still gathering yet You lack nothing. You are still supporting, fillinf, and overspreading; still creating nourishing, and maturing; still seeking, although You have all things.

You love without yearning, are jealous without bitterness; share our regret without self-reproach; express anger without losing serenity.

When all others fail to finish what they propose, Your purpose remains unchanged. You receive what You found yet had never lost. You are never in need yet rejoice in what You gain. You never covet yet exact excessive payments, so that You may owe. Yet who has anything that is not already Yours? You pay debts when You owe nothing, but in remitting debts You lose nothing.

- from "the confession of St. Augustine.

i need this.... (maybe not)

2006-09-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love good ideas? Check this cutting-board with a scale combined, telling you exact weight of your diced vegetables etc.. my parents are away so I'm home alone and back to bachelor's life for a few days... just thought this would be a good tool to have.. (not like I'll use it often anyway..)

Let's fly jet * !!!

2006-09-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

Scored an amazing $24-return ticket from Melbourne to Bali about a month ago with Sam. Jetstar's promotional sale~ (excl. tax~ but still!). Should be a nice getaway next January.

ECF boys are on the move again in December. This time we are off to Tasmania and gonna fight the Tasmanian devils and look for the extinct Tasmanian tigers. Ohh Yeah~ :)

where are the "Baes"....

2006-08-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

Ok. Firstly, you need to watch the below clip. It's "Where is Matt" video.. this guy traveling around the world and doing a funny dance in front of famous sites....

So, when Sam and I decided to do an imitation of the dance in front of Kakadu National Park, this is what happened... :)

Then when Daniel Bae came down to Melbourne, we thought "oh what the heck, let's do it in front of St. Kilda Pier"...

Good on ya Baes... :)

boys are back in town (predominantly the baes)

2006-08-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

It's always a huge blessing to catch up with brothers in Christ. Mins and dBae have made a vist to Melbourne~ We had three "Baes" in one group! Had a relaxing Friday on St. Kilda beach~ More photos (and possibly clips) soon. :)

funny...

2006-08-07T16:51:00.000-07:00

never heard of this group, but what a great dancing idea.. :)

the fellowship of unashamed...

2006-08-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

I love this statement. :)

I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed.

I have the Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear.

I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear for "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.." (Romans 1:16)

By Dr. Bob Moorehead

over the hedge! and more photos...

2006-07-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

Photos are cool. :) no shame taking funny photos. :) Anyway~ the NK+China Mission Team 2005 had a reunion on Thursday night. Ate like pigs, became the last customers to leave the restaurant and then embarrassed ourselves crazy at Pancake Parlour taking ridiculous photos. Well~ good luck and God bless to our sister Hedge~ who's going to Korea soon! Go HARD Hedge, and no more of those scary photos please. :) God bless ya buddy!
Oh by the way, William Hong is 2-month pregnant. Ridiculous mate. Put that back in!!!

Darwin sunsets. These people get to see this EVERYDAY! mmaaaannnnn!!
The highlight of our trip! Kakadu Jim Jim Falls. BEST!
Sam and me... trying to provoke the crocodile... HAHAHAHA
The biggest ant-hill!!! and there are HUNDREDS of them!!
C'mon NT!

Oh! and hahaha Sung and I hit the jackpot this time... randomly wearing very similar clothes... :) Now this happened with Sam and Sung... Steve, William beware!

Just Kakadu it!

2006-07-24T04:33:00.000-07:00

There are good holidays, and then there are God-given holidays. This one was so perfect and God blessed it from the day one. Unbelievable! :) Unreal 4 days in top end of Australia! Here are some photos!On our way to Kakadu. Our mission - as many silly photos as possible. :)
Our humble 4WD Kia Sorrento. Four-wheel driving was one of the highlights! Definitely gotta do it again!then we got too excited and got bogged in the sand... lucky someone came with a truck and pulled us out with their rope! what an experience!Kakadu Jim Jim Falls. Unbelievable! Check out the waterfall man! And you can swim there too!Camping and cooking the dinner! thank God I lived on my own for two years... :)Samo getting hungry....In front of Aboriginal rock art... what the heck are we doing...NT Crocodile farm, I've never seen so many crocodiles in my life! Apparently it's $30/kilo, quite expensive eh? Weather... so consistent. 30-32 degrees everyday~ oh man. :)

you gotta go, and you gotta know!

2006-07-18T04:34:00.000-07:00

Kakadu. Here I come. 4WD Here we go! :) Absolute madness.

culture shock...

2006-07-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

Russell Street, Melbourne, the Asian street. Had a culture shock on Sunday after dinner. Didn't even know some of these stuff existed! :)Peanut Soup in a can?!?!?! Anyone tasted this sea-cucumber?
what a name "Dong Po" pork~ sounds Korean... could be someone's name!! DongPo mate! :)

Wilma Hong and myself doing the Asian squat right in the middle of the street. No shame being Asians. :)

resting in peace~~

2006-07-16T04:07:00.000-07:00

aaahhhhh, that's the sound of me resting in peace for awhile.. :) Finally got to caught up with some reading, movies, golf, eating... it's good to work! but it's also good to rest~ Here are some Friday night "Experiencing God" Bible study, this has got to be the BEST bible study material I've ever done so far!
William Hong, the ALWAYS sleepy dude..... how do you do it man!
Sarah Goon~ what's wrong with my hair!! what's wrong with yours!! :)Jenny Gostop, or Godori, or Famous Amos... never gives out cookies for free~ tight!
Luke Oh... you late turner-upper... 7:00pm next time mate.

Stevo.. the home wrecker.. hahaha how random.
hmm, still awake William...And last but not least... our Stevo is all grown up.. got his P's finally!!! Sam and myself have been taking him home for so long... and on Friday after the bible study, he casually looked at me and says "alright, I'll see you later!" obviously proud of his achievement in getting his license and making his maiden drive to ECF... good stuff Stevo!

Wednesday night! Daryl Sommers awaits! Northern Territory!!!!!!!!! go Kakadu!

YYYEEEAAAHHHH~~~~

2006-07-10T04:01:00.000-07:00

Oh how You are excruciatingly faithful. :) That's it. It's random photo time.I am in love with the white-board. Been using it all over in past 3 months... my permanent head damage!! but finally I can relax a little~~ :)Go early to Uni.. then you can see these people taking up their hot air balloons in the middle of the city! soooo cool!! :) I guess melbourne's cold weather isn't so bad after all~~Korea vs. Switz. Man, we woke up early for you, we cheered for you, we went nuts for you! but aarrrggg!!! Go Lee Chun Soo for being the #1 ugliest player in the World Cup... out of ALL that many players.... we get to have the honour of having such a player...Mr Wombat Jung... I call him Mr Sly, cuz he's so smooth. Hermann and I gotta lot to learn from you hyung~ but it was good seeing you in Melbourne... for... 20 minutes... hahaha

Dinner at 승은누나's house. Been awhile eh? :) now that you are reading this.. leave some traces behind would ya. Loved the food... thought we took lot more pictures... but I think you deleted them... is there a way to "block" the delete button?You never never know, if you never never go!, well this isn't really Kakadu... it's the Great Ocean Road, but come two weeks and I'm hitting the NT! wait for some silly pictures.... get ready Sam!!:)
And finally, here's my favourite pic. This is as good as my "Verace" and "Thomas Kim" brands... "MIKE", good on ya Will Seo~

Lots to do now~~ I'm speaking at High School Ministry this Sunday~ could you please pray for me?? AAAAARRRRRGGGGG!!

imagine the unimaginable...

2006-07-06T04:18:00.000-07:00

until that day, when eyes finally open, and no more imagination but real life begins...

such a beautiful song... :)

I can only imagine what it will be like
when I walk by your side
I can only imagine what my eyes will see
when your face Is before me I can only imagine

Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine

I can only imagine when that day comes
And I find myself Standing in the Son
I can only imagine when all I will do
Is forever forever worship You I can only imagine

zzzz.....

2006-07-03T00:37:00.000-07:00

One more week...! then God gives me rest! :)

randomness!

2006-06-25T02:28:00.000-07:00

I think being tired makes me say more random things... here are some random photos~ :)

Gloria nuna thoroughy enjoying her shopping time at M&Ms (or whatever it was called).. :) while visiting Melbourne with Hannah from Sydney...
and Hannah going nuts at Brunetti's....
Bob! the gentle Santa Claus, the model for KFC, the man of God who preaches HARD! love you SIR!
Double the Johnny Cash at ECF... and yep! I feel the same as this Koala at Philip Island. No one pays him attention because of all the penguins~ who cares about Koalas when there are penguins around!

.... grrrrrr

2006-06-14T04:34:00.000-07:00

Busy... tired... can't even watch the world cup! c'mon June~ go away!.......

in times like this I wish....

2006-06-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

... I had a SLR camera. Wake up early in the morning, you see some good sights of God's nature.. like this one. Can you see the star, the moon and the sun (coming up) in the middle? :) I call this... 'trio'. HAHAHA corny I know.

World Cup is on WAY too late! Got work to do..... why is it on now~~~~~

foggy days~~

2006-06-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

Melbourne's fogging HARD thesedays. Can't see nothing in the morning... anyone feel like this in life? I DO!, many times....

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11

double vision......

2006-06-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

If I ever had a twin brother, I know who it will be. It's Sam Bae. By a 'divine' coincidence, we wore a matching set of clothes today, same jacket, same jeans, still same surname, same work place, same uni, same credit card, same wallet, same suburb, same at tennis, table tennis, squash, FIFA....

Then on the way home, we had this uncontrollable laughter where both of us couldn't stop laughing. People around us must've thought we were... a bit weird. Isn't it wonderful God puts people in your life where you can just... laugh together? (and of course... wear similar clothes).. God must've thought it was pretty funny... because we did. I'm glad we serve a humourous God.. :)

It also reminded me today how people naturally want to be 'different' from others... even just wearing same clothes... well~ follow God then! because He has made us 'fearfully' and 'wonderfully', unique in His image!

studying....

2006-05-30T04:58:00.000-07:00

routine days ahead.... June is going to knock me down. C'mon Psalm 72. "God is the strength of my heart". Keep singing that song.........

Saturday early morning golf with mum has been EXCELLENT! so peaceful, quiet, fresh... although it's been so long since last time I played. Can't believe how good my parents are. They are nutty golf players... Check out the mad fog last Saturday!

What do ECF people do during High School teachers meeting when we are bored? we stack envelops up together and we try to outdo each other. I smacked ya HARD William Hongsam. :) But you don't know my secret! Go church meetings!

keep signing up! http://www.prayingpeople.net

Story of hectic teachers 2...

2006-05-28T03:22:00.000-07:00

Love Sundays. :) It is the day I look forward to and go nuts and scream with kids and shoot three-pointers on the basketball court. Lord truly allows good rests in His presence. Here are some pics of us - the Hectic teachers. :)

Someone sent a cake to us... for... err... being teachers? :) very nice indeed!Going hard...Check out BY and JI nunas eating their slices with kimchi in front. True blue Koreans man. Respect. :)Demolished.Jeremiah 29:13 - You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

go hard! or go harder!!

2006-05-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

Soccer fever in town! Went to the Federation Square to watch Australia vs. Greece. Not sure how many people turned up, but man it was hard finding Sam and Will in that crowd. Did the whole "put your hands in the air and wave" thing. In the end, it was all worth it! Sarah brought the munchies and although we stood for two hours in cold weather, people went nuts with chanting, screaming, flares going all over the place (one right next to us) and blocking cars and trams! How wild would it get when World Cup comes? No Guus, No Glory!

Sarah Goon is my new hero by the way. Told her to get up on my shoulders and go nuts and she took the challenge in front of so many people. Glad they didn't throw bottles at her. I would've. HAHAHA jk. Good one Sarah!!

keeps on coming...

2006-05-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

The world's best and the most wonderful camera (according to myself :) with host of others!) Canon IXUS has just been upgraded to IXUS 60! 6.0 megapixels. mmmmmm...... It's just going to get better and better.

But if you are truly after "pixels", check this project out called "Gigapixel Project" led by team of scientists. They have made it up to 4 GIGAPIXEL! that's right. You can check out the images, and you can zoom in literally... FOREVER and still contain the quality! unbelievable! They day that Canon IXUS 4000... (is that the right amount of zeros, do I need an extra zero?) comes out... oh man!

On a different note.. soccer fever has hit the town. Greeks are going nuts. Aussies are also going at it. MCG is fully packed. Melbourne city is going to be all green and gold and then blue and white. I'll be watching the game from Federation Square with Samba~ :) Get ready for some go-nuts photos of Greeks!

Arch Nemesis.....

2006-05-23T03:23:00.000-07:00

Sam 'Samba' Bae. He was my travel buddy today from uni to home.

This guy is my ultimate arch nemesis. Same surname, same uni now he even works at IAG. Unbelievable. Love this photo Samo. :) We should've buried him at Wilson's Prom, but then I would miss out on way too much fun, don't love me too much.

How about this from apostle Paul!!

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know his love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Eph. 3:16-19

So how wide, long, high and deep is the love of Christ? don't think we would never know because it says it 'surpasses knowledge'! It's like a bottomless pit and if you were to fall in it, you would be screaming and then take a breath in the middle and then scream again! and then take a breath again and then scream again and on and on and on (was that from the Simpsons?)! Incapable for us to know! oh yeah, He's good.

hectic teachers! :)

2006-05-22T06:16:00.000-07:00

Introducing Melbourne Korean Church High School Ministry Teachers aka "Hectic Sunday Group". The biggest highlight of Sunday is the teachers' meeting. There are about five different conversations going on at the same time, me & Sam sitting back looking at each other going "this is HECTIC!". But fun never stops here! :) lovely teachers all around.

On another note, bumped into this guy RANDOMLY on the way to uni today. Had a lazy start in the morning so wasn't so happy, then God provided me a travel buddy to uni.. good on ya Sunga. This guy goes around with three names under him - Tony, Peter, Sung.. what the. I call him Sunga. :) thanks for the company this morning Sung!

Back with changes!!! :)

2006-05-21T03:31:00.000-07:00

A typical Melbournian winter day! plus it's raining! what a great time to come back to blogging! and with changes!!!

http://www.ericbae.com

I'm glad there is no other Eric Bae who was keen enough to register his name :) Hopefully I can update my blog lot more often...

OH! and does anyone wants to pray? HHHAAARRRDDD?

http://www.prayingpeople.net

Check it out!! :) and let me know if you've signed up! then we can all pray... HHHAAARRRDDD!

Start again!!!

2006-05-20T05:34:00.000-07:00

February!?!!?! That's ridiculous!!!

I'll start posting again!! maybe with a few changes here and there.... :)

....

2006-02-27T03:48:00.000-08:00

Haha posted wrong thing in the wrong blog before - all clear now.

Here are some more photos from North Korea. You gotta love the signs around the country. First one is our beloved "public bath tub" in China where Will's dad prayed for all of us in sauna all butt-naked!! What a treatment each day! :)

a funny funny site!

2006-01-28T02:44:00.000-08:00

haha, this site is funny.

www.fakestuffs.blogspot.com

so this is North Korea...

2006-01-14T02:59:00.000-08:00

I'll put up some more photos!, the first one is the city we visited, a very nice city!, third one is at a local kindergarten, and last one is the brdige between China and North Korea across the Tumen river. Only way to enter NK! (offically :D)

2006!

2006-01-08T02:57:00.000-08:00

Back from missions! A new year started! exciting exciting!!!!