Feel the power and emotion behind JUMP! 2008 (Jesus U Must Praise!) held at Fort Canning Green on 22 August 2008 in this gallery which features the musicians and singers who made the event such a success. Witness the raw energy in their expressions and gestures as they gave it their all in this intense 2 hours of praise and worship.
Click on this link for the full gallery.
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As promised, here are the days best photos. Enjoy!
Jump!
Cast: Pris
Photographer: INK
Say a prayer
Cast: Pris
Photographer: INK
Beijing, here I come!
Cast: Chris
Photographer: INK
Netball with a football
Cast: Priscilla An, Adeline Frances & Priscilla Tan
Photographer: Merv
What’s a small Nikon to do next to that Canon?
Cast: Junming & Vanez
Photographer: Merv
Here come the jazz dancers
Cast: Elaine & Tamar
Photographer: Merv
The juggler
Cast: Junming
Photographer: Merv
Kung Fu Hustle!
Cast: Johnnie & Davyd
Photographer: INK
Ong Bak
Cast: Davyd & Johnnie
Photographer: INK
Angels are falling from the sky!
Cast: Ruth & Vanez
Photographer: INK
I wanna be free………
Cast: Vanez
Photographer: INK
The END!!!
Cast: Ruth, Davyd, Junming, Chang Shiung, Johnnie & Vanez
Photographer: INK
Note: If I got any of the names or credits wrong, please let me know!
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Since my last Hope Premier League update, our team (TAG United) had won a couple of games consecutively to miraculously end the season in 4th place! This meant a semifinal date with the no. 1 and unbeaten team in the league, Esmond’s FC2024. This was the same team that thrashed us 8-3 7-2 in a pre-season friendly (thanks Tiger for the correction… so it wasn’t as bad as I remembered it!) and 4-1 in the season opener.
But first, a quick recap of the results:
The semifinals involves match-ups between the 1st-4th placed teams and 2nd-3rd placed teams.
Our match with FC2024 today took place at Beatty Seconday School at Braddell. As always, we started the match with a word of prayer to the Lord for protection over us and our opponents as well as for the match to be an enjoyable one.
A word of prayer. (Click on the image for the original version)
Click on the image for the original version
The first half was a tense affair and against all odds, we managed to hold the game at 0-0 with both sides having scarce opportunities at goal. We were definitely playing at a higher standard this time round and I think the FC2024 players genuinely had a hard time in midfield.
The second half was just as tight, but the hallmark of champions are that they put away opportunities when they come along, evident by a lethal volley from a cross across our goal that effectively ended our hopes of making the finals. The match ended 1-0 in FC2024’s favour and many of our players were crestfallen, though proud to have put on a really good fight. My participation in the match? An action packed 10 minutes in the 2nd half before I ran out of steam. 
Here’s to all the players and supporters that have stuck through us during the past challenging and rewarding 7 months!
All together now - TAG UNITED!!! (Click on the image for the original version)
Apart from the match, I also took this opportunity to test my Elinchrom Ranger RX Speed Battery Pack and A-Head for outdoor shoots. Many thanks to all the great IslandHopies who posed for photos as well as wifey and Ashley for supporting me during the match!
My biggest fans!
Ashley had lots of fun kicking the colourful football today.
Zhiyi was asking me after the game why she is promoting Carlsberg. I had to tell her that it was a Liverpool jersey.
The genius attempts to kill some brain cells.
Samba-man shows that he can spin a ball as well as his hips.
Aloy showing that you don’t need to be a soccer player to know how to juggle a ball.
You’ve been a baaaad ball…
Not used to standing at the corner… flag. Ha!
Look at how much I won!!! (And I wonder why we lost… hmmm… J/K!)
Sarah - always a picture or poise and grace.
And Merv, the total opposite.
Can’t we all just take turns?
That’s all folks! I’ll be setting up a booth at the carnival that is taking place alongside the finals to take similar pictures for players and supporters with the proceeds going to charity. Come and support me and see you at the finals!
Date: Sunday, 17 August 2008
Time: 3 - 9 pm
Venue: Yio Chu Kang Stadium
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Nothing to do with a locally produced movie of almost the same name, this is actually the number on my soccer jersey for the Hope Premier League. I chose the number 88 because read in Chinese it sounds like pa-pa which is what Ashley always calls me. Neat eh? 
Anyway, our current team - TAG United (The Adults Group United) - is currently 3rd from bottom of the 11 team league with a record of 2 defeats and 1 draw. A bit unfortunate coz we’ve played all the strong and young, I repeat YOUNG, teams so far. Not a bad achievement for oldies like me to last a 90 minute match but we’re getting there.
[Update 30 Mar 2008] Our 1st win! We beat Venture 14 FC (another group of adults from the 2nd Sunday service) 3-2. Did what Arsenal did in a match the night before by coming from 2 goals down to score the winning goal minutes from the end.
[Update 13 Apr 2008] Our 2nd win! A more comfortable victory against Northeast with a final scoreline of 5-1. Still waiting to score my second league goal… but at least we’re up to 6th position now.
[Update 20 Apr 2008] Lost to Anonymous FC with a score of 2-3. Remember how we did an Arsenal few weeks ago? This time we were on the receiving end as we conceded 2 goals 5 minutes from time. Sigh!
[Update 05 May 2008] Blew it again! Drew with NYP Benchwarmers 1-1, conceeding a goal from a free kick in virtually the last minute of the game. Siiiigh!
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It was a fun-filled IslandHope party to celebrate New Year’s Eve and say good-bye to 2007 in the company of close friends. As usual, there was lots of food to go around (pancakes, ice cream, chips - all staple food of the modern generation), followed by watching a powerful drama depicting the triumph of the human spirit that really puts one in a reflective mood (Balls of Fury), then partying on the Wii (how come that Mario is in every game I have!?) and finally watching fireworks from the top floor of the next block (the grass is always greener…).
When I look back at 2007, I feel really blessed and happy to have become such good friends with all the IslandHopies. This is what doing life is all about!
Happy New Year everyone and welcome to 2008! May God shower his blessings upon you this year and bring you joy and fruitfulness in all areas of your life - health, family, job, relationships, ministry, etc.
P.S. Anyone who can guess the manga that inspired the latest IslandHope Diaries “comic” gets a free lunch/dinner from me!
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A big CONGRATULATIONS to MC and Sarah for being the second couple in IslandHope (ok, half couple since Sarah is from another CG) to tie the knot after WL and Yixi last year. The wedding was held at True Way Presbyterian Church which is right next to Queenstown MRT. And yet, my taxi driver still got lost but that’s another story…
I love church weddings. Every one I attend somehow or another brings back memories of my own. The flurry of activities taking place in the morning (decorating the church, folding church bulletins, rehearsals, sound checks, catering, etc), the nervous groom frantically memorising his vows, the restless immediate families who arrived much earlier (or sould I say on time!) compared to 90% of the guests. Ah, nothing like the surge of stress induced adrenaline and heightened sense of anticipation built up over many months of preparation to make one look forward to that brief but special moment where the couple exchange rings and seal their union with a kiss!
For this wedding, I was asked to help out as an emcee, an honour I gladly accepted. I mean, can’t expect MC to do it right? (Ok, bad pun! *hyuks*) My sidekick who did the Mandarin translation was Angie from WAM group and it was a privilege being able to work alongside this veteran emcee of a dozen or so weddings!
Emcees For Hire! Good, cheap (i.e. free) and full of style.
Photo courtesy of Jo
The rest of the Hope Islanders were also out in full force with Pris and Ming doing P&W and Gab leading the team of ushers including Changky and Miriam. Merv, Reina and Jo were armed to the teeth with their DSLRs and made quick work of all photo ops and Kodak moments that arose. In addition, there was also a hilarious multimedia presentation put together by Merv and Reina that entertained the crowd.
Pris: Woo, my one is coming up. Better chope some ideas from this hilarious presentation…
Photo courtesy of Jo
All in all, it was a really memorable wedding and I’m truly happy to see another dear brother and sister in church tie the knot. I have faith that God will really bless this union as both MC and Sarah have never ceased to be a blessing to those around them. Now that they’ve also got a place of their own and with MC recently taking over the reins of IslandHope, I’m sure they will bless His kingdom even more!
One for the IslandHope memories! (Click on the image for a larger original)
Here’s a picture of Ashley and me unwinding after the ceremony. I was quite surprised but this girl has rythm, being able to beat the drums to a very consistent beat and all!
Photo courtesy of Reina
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My arm… hurts.
Yesterday, Zhiyi and I had a blast of a time playing with Ming’s new Nintendo Wii set. Together with other visitors like Livi, Geena, Merv and Sherry, we competed with each other in various Wii Sports games like tennis, bowling, boxing and fishing. Just like my first Nintendo set (NES Famicom from the late 80s if anyone remembers), Nintendo has yet again revolutionised the console gaming market with their hallmark motion sensing controls that use an ingenious blend of technology and interactivity. Simply put, being able to swing your arms around and see that translate to your Mii’s (Nintendo-speak for in-game character) movements truly puts the fun in fun.
How not to play with a Wii - letting immersive gaming go to far!
You can hold a Wii controller like a tennis racket - single or double handed. Need to tell the nutcase on the left that Karate Kid hasn’t been released for the Wii.
At the end of the whole gaming session, I heard the unthinkable - Wifey remarking if we should get one too! Whoa, need to blog this down (thinking of Christmas).
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Last Saturday, Steve was kind enough to invite the CG over to his new place at Castle Green near Yio Chu Kang for a much belated birthday celebration. Unfortunately (or fortunately!), he couldn’t join us the other time round at Se Ra Bel when we celebrated Pris’ and Changky’s birthdays. Though he would vehemently deny it, I’m sure the real reason he couldn’t make it was because he is still traumatized by last year’s sabo.
Ashley, Zhiyi, Mylene and I were the first to arrive at Steve’s new place all armed with our swimming gear. The last time Ashley went for a swim was probably months ago, and she had been dying to go ever since. Steve wasn’t kidding when he said his place had a HUGE pool.
Ashley: Why are we waiting, why are we waiting…
The crowd started to trickle into Steve’s place around 7+ and while the food - pasta, pizza, veggies, etc - was ready, we sat around chit chatting and waiting for Changky to arrive with Merv’s guitar in order to start praise and worship. Reina was very nervous as we kept hinting many times that if Merv’s guitar didn’t arrive in time, she would have to play solo (her first time!). Thankfully, Changky arrived just as we were about to go ahead and Merv and Reina led us with 2 lighthearted praise songs. Finally, we gave thanks for the food and tucked in!
Chris working up an appetite singing some love worship songs.
Apart from eating, we also had a good time catching up with one another, singing karaoke and playing boardgames. Pity everyone was so engrossed with the karaoke and boardgames that nobody took photos! Steve had this really interesting karaoke microphone that stores songs directly inside. No more clunky LDs or CDs to juggle! What was even more amazing was seeing all IslandHope Idol Wannabes scoring 90 points and above for each song (points awarded by the machine). I always knew the CG had a lot of hidden talent. Well, too bad, it is hidden no more!
Joseph also took the chance to practice using his new Canon DSLR. I must say his photos are getting better and better! Here are some of his photos that I’m helping to share out. You can click on the photos for a larger version.
Gab below a spotlight smiling away as usual. What can I say, he deserves to be in the spotlight!
Merv looking very attentive after a few whites.
MC and Changky having a good conversation with Aloysius at the dinner table.
Finally, here are the group photos! Sorry, Chris, Merv and Pris, you guys are not inside coz you all left early. I’d try to Photoshop you in but it’ll not do justice to the great photos. Translation: I’m too lazy! Hyuks!
Version 1
Version 2
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As another one of our care group’s traditions, we try to visit each others houses every year. This year, Joseph’s (him being one of the newest HopeIslanders) and Andrew’s (going to move out soon because of EN-BLOC *kaching*!) houses were chosen. One in the east and one in the west.
The day started out well enough and the whole Kwok family was in high spirits. Ashley looked gorgeous in her purple cheongsam and pink rubber strap-on shoes. She also had a furry piggy sling bag which she decided soon enough upon leaving the house that it got in the way of her balancing properly. The bag was promptly passed on to her mum to carry.
Before today, one of my ang moh colleagues actually asked me why we give two oranges to people we visit only to take two oranges back when we leave. Firstly, he really calls himself ang moh so I take it that he is not offended by that piece of colloquialism. And secondly, that’s quite a logical question and it had me stumped for a few days. To him, giving two oranges only to take the same number back was in effect doing something with no net effect, i.e. it’s as good as not bringing anything in the first place. Alas, being a banana (yellow on the outside, white on the inside) that is out of touch with my Chinese roots, I’m equally intrigued as to the symbolism or superstition behind this simple gesture. If anyone reading this post knows the meaning behind why we exchange oranges, do leave a comment. My ang moh colleague thanks you in advance for your explanation.
Babies don’t concern themselves with such trivial matters. They just want to look cute and collect ang pows.
This year’s CNY also proved to be a very wet one. Merv was so drenched after sharing his umbrella with Juergen that he had to go home just to change his clothes. I can still remember laughing inside at his explanation about how his foldable umbrella was not designed to offer protection to more than one big stout German.
Rain rain go away, come again another day…
For half the CG, we eventually made it to Joseph’s place and got to enjoy some very delicious porridge with chicken and fish fillets. The food was pretty good and it’s a pity my stomach was already quite full from lunch before that. Christian eventually had the honour of bringing home the packed leftovers which I’m sure he will enjoy very much as it is not something that easy found in Stuttgart.
There’s nothing like bonding over good food and Coke.
(click on the photo above for the full sized original photo)
Another group photo at Joseph’s house before setting out.
(click on the photo above for the full sized original photo)
No peanuts are safe with a curious baby around!
The first batch of us arrived at Andrew’s place and we were promptly joined by half of the remaining HopeIslanders including special guests Kaidy and Dave from Sydney. Chris also joined us prompting Reina to ask loudly in jest on whether this was a unit outing. First time I’ve seen that kind of sense of humour from Reina!
Andrew’s place was very nice and cozy and had a total of 4 floors, each staggered halfway into the other. There was also an indoor pond cum fountain placed on one side of the living room and a piano opposite it. Halfway through, we heard classical piano music coming from upstairs, causing a few of us to discuss whether that was from a CD player or from someone playing the piano.
(click on the photo above for the full sized original photo)
Our final destination of the day was not to visit another house but to visit Ming in the hospital. Ming was very unfortunate to have his abdominal pains misdiagnosed by the first doctor he visited, causing him to bear with it since Friday, before finally checking into Alexandria Hospital on Sunday to discover that his appendix had ruptured. When I was young, I used to hear horror stories of how people with ruptured appendices would die when toxins enter the bloodstream. So, I must say Ming is also very blessed to have been operated on in time to clean up the toxins. It was also down to quick thinking from his mum that prevented his condition from deteriorating any further. Knowing how tough Ming is, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had tried to put up with the pain for even longer.
The sign says “No Food & Drink”. Wonder what Ming is going to do with the gargantuan apple given by Kaidy.
(click on the photo above for the full sized original photo)
For those who don’t know Ming well, he is also an avid blogger and photographer. So despite feeling weak and in pain, he could still muster up enough strength to smile and pose for the camera. Get well soon bro!
Hospital Drama King and Queen
Finally, after the exhaustion of travelling to so many places, a few of us made our way down to Holland V to have dinner. Zhiyi, me, Ashley, Mylene, Gab, Juergen, Joseph, Andrew and Merv ended the day with some nice conversation about cars over burgers and, yes, Coke.
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Ever wondered how different babies look when they can finally sit up or stand compared to when they were still so small and fragile? I had a chance to do a comparison when both Edna and Vincent dropped by for another visit.
Here’s a photo taken at the end of April 2006 (See original post).
Look at how they’ve grown!
One thing’s for certain, all 3 babies have more hair now (with Ashley in particular managing to shed her punk do). Edna seems to have gotten a slight tan and she really looks more and more like her dad each day. That stare and confidence are unmistakably Poppy’s.
Edna independently helping herself to the various soft toys strewn around the house.
Vincent has also grown a lot and he looks even more handsome now with his thick crop of hair. He has definitely inherited his mum’s doe eyes and shy disposition, judging by the way it took awhile for him to warm up to the new surroundings. But once comfortable, he had lots of fun with Ashley banging away at her musical table.
Sniff, time for a nappy change…
I bet another nine months down the road, I’d no longer be comparing hairstyles but who can run the fastest, scream the loudest or down a bottle of milk the quickest. Ahh, now that’s something to look forward to!
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