Of Rain and Memories

The last 3 days have seen Singapore through almost 3 whole days of rain. I'm sure a great deal of people feel snuffed by the rain, and probably had to endure a fair deal of moisture for any outdoor activities. As for me, it's been a pretty fun filled weekend fair to say the least.

Saturday saw a new batch of Sec 1's joining Secell for the first time. Well I must say, 1993 must have been a pretty unproductive year for some of our church people, cos we've only got 3 Sec 1's this year! We had some short games for Secell, one of which involved everyone making a "new friend" haha.

Josiah tapes up the umbilical cord of his new friend

"X" marks the spot. Is that where we're suppose to burst him?

Jere: "Is my balloon big enough?"

Josiah's new friend likes to laze around on his back more I think. Haha..

Trash bag man needs a little bit of patching up here and there to stand up

Team "WILSON!!" (adapted from movie, Cast Away)

Team "DANIEL" (adapted from Cheryl's cell leader, yours truly)

Team "WILLY" (adapted from movie, Cast Away 2 - Brother of Wilson)

Cod Liver Oil advertisement - "bi yi bi, shui bi shui gao?"

Cheryl, Joel and Josiah. Friends to our "new friends"

Funky pic of Joey. Nice? She on the way to putting the V-sign, but my camera faster. Haha

Sunday was no less gloomy than Saturday. In fact, it was worse cos it virtually rained from morning (before I woke up) til night (after I fell asleep) nonstop! A drenching and cold day.. bleh! Went to the new Marina Square Foodloft for lunch with church people. Had Black Pepper Chicken Baked Rice with Mushroom Soup for only $3.50. And surprisingly, the baked rice was pretty okie. The rice below the cheese was a bit dry though, but overall worth the moola! Went to walk around after having a fun talk with Josiah, Jere and Joy.. we went in search of Andersen's ice cream. Nice weather to eat ice cream! We lingered around the mall a bit more before I got a lift back home from uncle Jimmy.

Youth Zone 3 worrr.. Next time meeting place will be Marina Square. Pre-arranged liao

Monday! Skipped the industrial attachment talk in school from 10-11am cos decided travelling to school for 1.5hrs wasn't worth the 1hr talk. Anyway turned out the talk wasn't worth listening to either, wahahaha.. Philip, Agent Yellow and myself arranged for a Dim Sum lunch buffet at Excelsior Hotel. Not bad! Not bad at all!! A pity it was the eve of a holiday today, otherwise we would have been paying about $12 plus instead of the $16 plus we ended up paying today. Worth our buckers man, the food was not bad indeed. Oh ya, there was a "Pastor's Lunch conference" or something inside the restaurant too. I saw a few pastors with the white tape around the collars and saw Pastor Oh Beng Kee with them! Hahaha

Good stuffs!! Not too oily, not too dry. Quite tasty, go and try!

I never knew eating Chinese food could bring so much joy to an Indian
After the meal, I decided to pay my childhood memories a visit. Anyone remembers the old Excelsior Hotel room we used to hold our church services in? That was about 13-15 yrs ago, so some of you can forget trying to remember.. haha. But my word, has that place changed (duh). I just felt like a kid all over again as those memories just came back to me. Hmm.. just realized I've been in the church for quite awhile now. So old.. sigh.

The lift lobby. Most of my readers would be carried up in the arms of their parents through these lifts. Either that, or still "in production".. This place hasn't changed a bit at all from how I remembered it. Press "5" for church service level at 8.30am on Sundays!

Once you come out of the lift, you'll be greeted by a long spiral staircase. I remember the stairs were carpeted when I was younger though. Red colour if I recall correctly. Those good old days when we would run up and down tirelessly and making a din while the service was going on in the room. They spruced up the wall lights at the background, repainted or replaced the old ones. But the design was still the same.

A peer over the glass panel would offer a full view of where the spiral staircase leads to, the 4th storey. Where there'll always be an empty security guard desk and a signage saying "Church of Singapore (Balestier)". My childhoooooood..

Turning right from the spiral staircase would bring us into a "holding area" outside the room used for our serviced. The place has been refurnished, and some of the old artifacts had been replaced. The wall of mirrors behind still looks the same though. I remember there was a huge statue of something next to the wall, but I can't really remember what it was. Artist impression shows that it was an eagle perhaps. Haha.. Oh ya, there was another LARGER statue in the middle of the holding area, with a circular marble bench area around it. Can't show it in the pics though, sorry bout that.

Next to the entrance to the service would be a small room cordoned off with plastic walls (no more) with a glass window looking inwards towards the holding area. There would be a TV and a set of sofa couches in the elongated makeshift room. And what do the kids do on Sunday morning when the service was going on? WE WATCH SUNDAY CARTOOOOOONS!! YIPPEEEE!! Haha

The glass doors, leading to the pool outside, between the TV room and restrooms.

The doors leading to the Orchid Room, where the services were held every Sunday morning.

The room was exactly as we had left it. With the exception of a platform missing, and 2 speakers beside it. I quite distinctively remember that this was one of the few rooms we used with NO backdrop behind the stage. So the mirror behind was rather distracting. Haha

During those days when the kids used Beach Road's Chye Sing building. We would wait patiently for the bus to fetch us there just outside the lift lobby. Yes yes.. back then SOME of the girls were taller than us boys. But now.. no more!! Wahahahaha..

I remember how I used to be a super fatty bom bom, trying to fight for his identity among a group of more pleasant-looking children. How I tried so hard to fit in, but couldn't help but just felt so different. And somehow, somewhere God brought along a few friends who didn't mind me despite my ugly obese, uncompelling looks. Those memories are pretty faraway from me now even as I try to recall exactly how I felt then. But looking at where I am now, I can't help but give thanks for the entire process of how I was moulded to be the person I am today. As much as the 5th floor of the once familiar Excelsior Hotel has evolved, we too have changed aplenty over the course of time. Well, yes we're not perfect; in fact, more often than not, we feel quite the opposite don't we? The great hope I have is the God, who took me through the last 15 years and has done so much for me, will "carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil 1:6)! If that being so, then I'll be overjoyed to be able to say, "Dear Lord, in my life have Your way."