Dear Friends,
I will not be able to update this LiveJournal for a VERY LONG TIME as I have left to Australia for studies.

Take care!

God bless!

"It is not the length of time spent in prayer that benefits one; when the time is spent as well in good works, it is a great help in preparing the soul for the enkindling of love."
- St. Teresa of Avila (Book of Foundation)

O, Jesus, I pray for Your faithful and fervent priests; for Your unfaithful and tepid priests; for Your priests labouring at home and abroad in distant mission fields; for Your tempted priests; for Your lonely and desolate priests; for Your young priests; for Your dying priests.

Above all I recommend to You the priests dearest to me; the priest who baptised me; the priests who absolve me; the priests at whose Masses I assist and who give me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who have taught and instructed me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way. O Jesus, keep them all close to Your heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good,
for His love endures forever!"

Things seem to be going well. I got the necessary e-mail from the insurance company. Unfortunately, they got the name of the organisation wrong, and had to get them to rectify it - twice! Small problem.

Decided to give the embassy a call to see what next, and they told me I could print out those things and bring it over, and they'd grant me the visa. Rushed out of the house with the necessary documents, took a cab and went there.

Within a few minutes, the application was approved and my visa granted!!!

DEO GRATIAS!!!

Left the embassy feeling rather delighted and reliefed. Had some time to spare, so I spent some quiet moments in Church to contemplate.

Suddenly, it occurred to me that I just shot myself in the foot!

The lady who processed the application asked me when did I want my visa to last until, and looking at the insurance paper (which stated an estimated cover of one year) she asked if it was alright to put it until 30 June 2009.

As I was rather moody, excited, and blur, I didn't think much about the date and agreed.

Problem?

IT SHOULD BE 31 JULY 2009!!! I GAVE MYSELF ONE MONTH LESS!!! AHHHH!!! *bangs head against wall*

OH NO!!!!! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!

Called Australia to inform them of the outcome of the visa. Was told that it shouldn't be too much of a problem. The lessons should more or less have ended by then. Hmmm... I hope so. I'm rather worried.

I really don't want to go back to the embassy and tell them that I screwed up. The process would be really horrible, and I think they might be a bit fed up with me with having called them so many times.

Oh well...

At the very least... I'M GOING TO SYDNEY!!!

8 more days left on the sunny island of Singapore. 8 More days to clear up everything that I need to clear. I'm rather stressed out by it. There's so many things to do, not to forget packing!

At the moment, I'm also feeling a bit moody thinking about having to leave this wonderful country and my wonderful friends, in exchange for a total change of lifestyle.

All I need now is more time, more prayers, and more faith and courage to perservere.

8 more days!

DEO GRATIAS!

Dear Lord Jesus,
Please forgive me for all the times I have not submitted to you. Forgive me for all sinfulness and for agreeing with the enemy and his lies. I now submit to you as my Lord, dear Jesus. Now I break every agreement that I have made with the enemy.

Lord Jesus, please have your warring angels remove and bind to the abyss all demons and their devices that had access to me because I believed their lies. I now ask you to establish a hedge of protection around me, over me, and under me, and seal it with your blood, Lord Jesus Christ.

I now choose to put on the full armor of God and ask that you cleanse me and seal me, body, mind, soul and spirit, with your blood, Lord Jesus Christ. Please have your warring angels bind up and remove all demons, their devices, and all their power from within this protective hedge and have them sent to the abyss.

Please have your warriors destroy all demonic, occult, or witchcraft assignments directed against me including all backups and replacements. Please have your warriors remove all trafficking people and send them back to their own bodies and seal them there with your blood, Lord Jesus Christ. Please have your angels stand guard over me and protect me from all the attacks of the enemy. Amen.

(Much thanks to brotherskeeper1 for sharing this!)

"One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life."
- Psalm 26:4

Decided to go for a jog in the morning. Took a nice slow relaxing stroll back home.

There's this part where I have to go down a few steps and immediately, I'd be on the road. For some strange reason, there's no pedestrian path.

Somehow, as I was descending the steps, I paused for less than a second as I was on the last step leading to the road.

And then, suddenly out from nowhere, a huge lorry sped right in front of me!!! The side-view mirror just cruised past my face, with a spacing of about less than 10cm. It moved so fast that I didn't even have the chance to hear it to even know a lorry was there in the first place.

I was pretty much in a dazed when it all happened. Was sorta just in shock that a huge lorry zoomed right in front of me.

Had I not taken that less than a second pause, I would have been on the road, and I would have been hit by that lorry!!!

The lorry would be very dirty, and the road be in a huge mess if that happened.

I am just very grateful to God, Our Lady, my guardian angel, and all the angels of God, who have prevented me from taking that step of doom, and in just holding me back for a second.

The whole thing was just... WOAH!

DEO GRATIAS!

This morning, I took up a good amount of time to ensure that all my documents were in good order, with necessary copies, and labels. Having packed up, I left the house.

Made my way down to the Police Station to help my friend submit an application. They open earlier and it's quite near to the Australian Embassy.

Whilst on the train, I suddenly realised something...

I FORGOT MY PASSPORT!!!

AAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Immediately after submitting the application to the police, I rushed home just to grab the passport and made my way down to the Embassy. What a wasted trip. Prayed like crazy and finally they accepted the application.

I was in jubilation. It went so smoothly. Too smoothly in fact.

At about 3pm, I got a call from the Embassy telling me that my application has issues.

My health insurance is insufficient.

WAH KAO!!! Two insurance policies still can say it's insufficient?! WHAT?!

AHHH!!!!!

I've been instructed to buy a new insurance policy. I really hope that I can get one very very soon to resubmit to the Embassy.

This is very annoying. Really leh... Why apply for one stupid Visa must have so much problems? Somemore, they charge SGD$266!!! They should be paying me for making me run all over the country to get things done. URGH!

My Spiritual Director really wasn't kidding when he warned me that if I don't get the Visa immediately, I must keep fighting and do everything possible to get it. That's what I've been doing now. No giving up!

Two more weeks! I hope I can get it soon.

The other day, when teaching Mathematics to a group of students, we sidetracked and ended up talking about relationships.

Me: blah blah blah *talks about how people should only go dating when they want to be serious about marriage*
Students: Wah teacher! You very fossil leh!
Me: *didn't catch what they said* WHAT?!
Students: FOSSIL!!! You know? KONG LONG!!! DINOSAUR!!! FOSSIL!!!
Me: WHAT?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!!?!
Students: 'Cher!!! You very fossil leh!!! You come from which century one?
Me: ................................

AIYOH!!! So young already kena labelled as a fossil. >_<" Price to pay for being conservative. Bleah...

LOL!

How sad! Today's the last day of teaching in an all-girls school. It's been really fun. Teaching the girls have been really enjoyable. Overall, they're really nice! They're so different compared to the previous school that I taught in. They're so alive, and so charitable. It has been really great. I will definitely miss teaching them.

During lessons today, one of the students started drawing all sorts of things. In the end she drew me, and I decided to add on to her art work. The end result?



HAHAHA!!! It's hilarious! All the funny elements that have been part of the past two weeks have been incorporated into the artwork. It's definitely one cartoon that I'd keep and retain lots of good memories!

Today's the last day of teaching the girls in school.

After lessons, we just hung around in class to talk nonsense and draw cartoons. Sketched a picture of one student on the whiteboard:



She really looks like the drawing. Anyway... included a knife there since she likes knives!

Had intended to sketch the other student as well, but can't seem to draw a face that really resembles her. So it's just this student.

Drew this within two minutes in front of my students just for fun. Was a quick sketch, so the perspective for certain regions are a bit flawed.

"As memory of fire does not warm the body, so faith without love does not produce the light of knowledge in the soul. Whoever entertains in his heart any trace of hatred for anyone, regardless of what the offense may have been, is a complete stranger to the love of God."
- St. Maximus the Confessor

"To love God is greater than to know Him."
- St. Thomas Aquinas

The desire for Truth leads us to want to know more about God. But sometimes, we get too carried away by this search, that in the midst of reading up so much on Theology or other Faith-related issues, we sometimes, strangely enough, forget about Him.

To be always focused on loving God is greater than knowing Him, as one cannot get distracted away from God through love.

Of course, this does not mean that we should give up our pursuit in knowing Him. But rather, let centre our lives towards loving Him first and above all things, and then from our constant focus on Him, carry out the pursuit of knowing Him as the effect of our love.

You know you are terribly exhausted when you want to rinse your spectacles, but you end up brushing your teeth, only to realise much later, whilst brushing, that you're doing the wrong thing!

I'm so exhausted!!! AHHH!!! *dies*

In memory of Fr. Barthalot...

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine.
Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Requiescat in pace.
Amen.

"Nullus est dolor quem tempus non minuet."
- The Late Fr. Barthalot

Sorrow shall be no more when time is diminished.

If we are doing works for the Lord, there will always be times of pain, suffering, and much sorrow. But what are these as compared to the joys that we would receive in Heaven?

Should we be giving up on doing something that is right and good only because we are tired of suffering? Should we be discouraged? Never!

As time goes by, our sorrow, our pain, and our sufferings shall diminish. If we constantly make the effort to do what we have to do with an utmost love for God, such pains would be nothing to us but refreshing joy!

Besides, such pain and sorrow are but only temporal. It does indeed diminish.

Isn't it foolish to give up digging for a chest full of treasure because your hands are blistered and body weary, when you are already on the spot which contains the chest full of gold? If we do agree that it is foolish indeed, why then should we give up doing good works or serving God or even lose focus on what God so wants us to do with all our being when faced with trials and tribulations? For love of God, we should perservere!

We grow and we become better people through such trials and tribulations. Should we not consider such to be blessings from a good God, who desires only the best for us? That in order that we may be saved from eternal damnation, and to grow ever closer to Him, we are presented with a challenge to overcome with all our being. A divine training indeed it is.

We should consider such pains and sorrow to be an honour - a privilege even - to be granted a share in the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to be like Simon of Cyrene, to follow Christ in His Passion and Death. How many people actually obtain such an honour to do so?

We must remember that suffering is but part of life. It is foolish to escape from doing God's Will for fear of suffering, for such a choice would lead us to more suffering. The difference between that suffering will be that such a suffering would be meaningless as you would not be enduring such sufferings for the sake of Our Lord, who loved us, and died for us.

For love of God, let us be steadfast, and lift high the Cross!

Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat!

Every once a month, a group of us will assist at Mass. This Mass is special because it is the Ordinary Form done in the most traditional way possible. This is, unfortunately, rather alien to most people in my diocese.

Before Mass began, most of us were already assembled, with the exception of the Thurifer and Master of Ceremonies who were making their way down. Most of us were not yet ready to go.

There was a set of sanctus bells placed nearby so that we could ring it to signal to the congregation that Mass is to begin. Unfortunately, some people don't know what this set of bells are for.

One Warden saw the bells and kept pointing to it at a distance. An Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion went up to it and held it up looking VERY confused as to what to do with it. His facial expression seemed to say, "What am I to do with this?"

Afraid that he would ring it before everyone was ready, I signalled to him to put it down, saying very softly that we would ring it later.

I think he got the wrong message, and he was probably very curious about what the bells were for.

So he started ringing it. Everybody stood up, the choir started chanting, and I was at the back of the Church, looking at him in shock and horror going, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

OH MY GOODNESS!!!

So funny lah! The Extraordinary Minister's face was just shocked. His facial expression was so funny! From his confused yet curious look, it immediately changed to a look of horror, when he realised what he had done (and when he finally learnt what those bells were for)! OH MY GOODNESS!!! IT WAS SO FUNNY!!!

"Train yourself to say the truth and you will find hidden within yourself, the righteousness of life."
- St. John Saba