I don’t intend to boast, but there are certainly more uses that I could be put to with my time here in Tokyo, but it is for my own benefit and well-being that I am reminded that, sometimes in life, it’s okay and, actually, quite beneficially to take on those, what one might consider, smaller and lesser roles.

There is a parable that Jesus tells in Matthew (Mt. 25:14-30) about the faithfulness of a group of servants with the investments of their master. With the assessment of the faithful servants the master says, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” That’s who I want to be when I’m assessed at the throne of my God on the last day.

It was just a small pot with some cooking oil in it, I just wanted some spring rolls! Then, the phone rang, I had to go out to my room outside (separate from the house).

By the time I returned…the stove was ablaze, the rangehood was ablaze, the ceiling was starting to catch fire also. <Insert major freak-out here…> Called 000 (911 if you’re in the US), screamed for my sister to call my mum (her room is separate from the house also), and ran to the neighbour to ask if he had a fire extinguisher. No. Ran back to the house, neighbour ran over and suggested putting out the fire with the garden hose (by the way, generally not a good idea if a fire is oil based, but the oil had already burnt away and I’d managed to turn off the gas line). Put the fire out with garden hose and the fire brigade turned up and took control of the situation.

The entire house was filled with smoke, to be precise, about 30cm (1 ft) from-the-ceiling-down-thick smoke. The kitchen plastic light cover was melted. A couple of hotspots were found inside the roof and contained by the firemen. All the cobwebs in the house were revealed. Need I go on. Anyway, insurance company is now on the case and hopefully all will be well.

Make sure your smoke alarm is well-fitted and batteries fresh. Never leave a flame alone in a room. Turn off the fire if you need to leave the room. What more could be said? Don’t ever think, "I’ll just be a second…" it doesn’t take much.

[Edit: forgot to mention, I was due for a flight to Japan 4 hours after this happened.]

Well, for starters, she’s 97 years old. What made it all the more extraordinary was the fact that she is still serving and ministering faithfully and humbling in the service of God. 97 years old! Heck, most people would be retired three times over (if that were possible)!! This lady has been in the ministry for over 70 years! Alongside her husband, they were some of the most influential people in PNG over almost 3 generations of people. To hear her share about her most recent trip and her heart’s desire to continue to strengthen, encourage, challenge, and minister to people is absolutely awesome. This is one person to look up to.

After that amazing morning, headed off to the library to get some work done. Getting close to dinner time, I didn’t want to head home (still haven’t at the time of writing this) because I won’t get any work done, and decided to head down to the shops next door to get some food for my growling stomach. Just as I walked out of the library I hear this loud *smash* but couldn’t see anything in view. So, kept walking to my chosen destination. Just as I come around the corner to the shop, I see a mangle of two cars in the middle of the intersection outside the shopping centre.

My eye quickly picked up that one of the cars also had a red ‘P’ plate (for internationals, the red ‘P’ plate indicates new drivers in their first year of driving). As I continued walking, I noticed a young girl sitting on the grass almost in a fetal position. Poor girl! Now, I’m not saying it’s her fault, I didn’t see the accident; but that sucks in anyone’s books. I really feel for the girl, it’s going to be hard getting back on the road anytime soon.

So, my exams are finished, but I still have one more essay to finish. It’s great but disadvantageous at the same time, because that essay belongs to my mission subject of which the lecturer belongs to my mission agency. I was hoping that he wasn’t going to be in the office this morning but…he was. His wife even scolded me (well, kind of). It was funny because he didn’t know I was there and I was talking to someone else when he called me. Anyway, he was pleasantly surprised when I told him to turn around.

To cut a not-so-long-story short, he graciously gave me some gentle words of “hurry up and get it done soon” (though that’s more my interpretation than anything else). Well, that explains why I’m at the library procrastinating writing on my blog. Anyway, I’ve got a Bible study and a sermon to prepare this week. Fun times!

Item #1: MacBook. I must say, the latest MacBook has been a rather impressive feat. The base specifications are more than sufficient for my requirements, though it is slightly disappointing that Apple decided to downgrade the CPU. However, it still comes in at 2.0kg.

Item #2: MacBook Air. By far, this is the most expensive of the lot. The downside to the MacBook Air is the cost, however, the cost reflects the technology and development that has gone into the MacBook Air easily with the claim that it is the thinnest laptop around, weighing approximately 1.3kg.

Item #3: Asus EeePC 1000H. This little baby comes with a 10″ screen compared with the 13″ screens of the MacBook and the Air. This is also the cheapest option with over $1000 difference with the MacBook. It also has the longest battery life, claimed to be last 7 hours against the 3~4 hours of the MacBooks. The only real downside is that it runs Windows XP.

After the comparison of the three, it would seem that there’s a bias towards the EeePC, honestly, which is based solely on its screen size and battery life. Anyway, this was more a procrastination exercise more than anything else. Cheers!

The last couple of weeks have been an endurance test to see how much my body can take: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. None of it has been intentional, believe me. I am pushing my limits though, while I’m not going to burn out, the weeks after my exams are going to be extremely quiet and a time of recovery.

Anyway, drop a line and make sure I’m studying or doing what I need to do. Ciao!

I will admit, I’m tired and drained from all the commitments I have. The preaching, the planning, the studies and all the rest…though, that is not to say that I don’t enjoy it all; rather, I love what I do and wouldn’t trade it for anything. The last month has been somewhat ridiculous (even by my standards).

While my days are not demanding physically, they do take a decent chunk of my energy and, recently, naps have been part of the order of the day. They are more demanding mentally, more than anything else, particularly, my studies. Often, I find the two are inexplicitly related with minor headaches after periods of intense study.

There has been quite a bit that I have been processing regarding various matters (an essay’s worth) and while emotionally active, it has not been tiring. Rather, it has served to be a point of rest and regeneration, allowing me to take the time out to get things into perspective.

In regards to faith, I’m constantly challenged to step up, rediscover and share the relationship that I am privileged to have with the Creator of this world. Just the other night, I was listening to a reputable preacher and I was amazed, not by his ability, but by the lack of it. The thing that gave him any credibility was his humility and willingness to surrender himself to the service of the Almighty God. I’m reminded that I don’t need to be a skilled presenter to grab the attention of an audience, I don’t need a voice like thunder to be heard…rather, a humble and willing heart to be used in whatever context I find myself.

We’ll see what else life brings my way, but until then, take care!

Life has been good to me, while it has had its low moments also, with blessings too many to count. I have gone through much in life and, I know, that they have molded me into what I am now.

I can’t thank, enough, the people in my life. To name them would take another year of life to do so (if not more). Though there are some that are worthy of mention. Firstly, my grandmother. A woman who, essentially, brought me up during my years in primary school. Without her gentle nature, without her love and care, I don’t know where I would be today.

Secondly, the teachers of my primary years. It takes a lot of wisdom to deal with a rat (it’s my zodiac as well…hehe) and develop them into a mature person. The discipline and correction that I received from them, unquestionably, has placed particular values into my life that I will take with me wherever I go.

Thirdly, my parents. You’d think that I’d put them first, well, no. All respect to my parents, however, their influence, largely, didn’t begin until my later years in life. My parents played a minor role in my primary years and wasn’t until grandma passed away that they began to play a more active role.  However, that aside, they have driven me to challenge what I do (not always well received), who I am and all that life means to me. They have instilled in me principles of hospitality, discernment and responsibility (though they are all still in the works).

The list could go on, but like I said, it’d just take too long. To each one of you who has played a part, thank you.

Just for novelty’s sake, some highlights that I can (immediately) think of in my 24th year of life (in no particular order):

• HOPE conference in Thailand
• donating blood throughout the year (I love it, you should come…)
• my work and ministry with BCPC
• ending my regular physio. appointments
• receiving home-baked cookies from a dear friend in the USA (10 days old and still awesome!)
• meeting and working with numerous extraordinary people

This is just through a 5-minute scan of my diary and thoughts, so if there’s something I’ve missed…don’t feel bad. With that said, today marks the beginning of the 25th year of life with many more to come. Cheers!

Just an awesome time of making music…just awesome.

However, this meeting has been a significant milestone in my journey and it is one that I will (honestly) probably forget, but the questions and ideas that were spawned from it will continue to drive me long into my life ahead. es, I’m being vague, I tend to be. If you really want to know more, because I lack the self-confidence to believe anyone actually cares, then ask.

After all, I believe in an omnipotent and omniscient (all-powerful and all-knowing) God and to think that for a moment that an accident occurs in life without His hand behind it would be doubting the God I serve. [Okay, so it raises questions about why disasters happen, but that'll take me too long.]

My life, your life, the life of the person you just saw walk by…is no accident. Each one of us has a purpose and a reason for being here. While we ask the question “WHY?” all the time, I’ve found that it is a lot better just not to know. Better to flow with the tide and see where it takes us. After all, my God is in control and He knows best whether we think so or not.