Save the date - 1 May 2009

2008 is surely an eventful year for all.

To me, it's even more memorable as I got engaged with James early this year !

We are now excitingly planning our wedding, which will be held in Hong Kong on 1 May 2009. We sincerely hope that you will be joining us to share our joy and celebrate our wedding day.

Here are a few snapshots and funful pre-wedding pictures to share :

For more pictures, updates and thanksgiving items for me in 2008, please click on this album.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kzukXm2nrqxBN00WZ5nSbQ?authkey=f9_Xrg_z0r8&feat=directlink

As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, may the Lord bless you with His serence peace and eternal joy this Christmas and a blessed New Year to come !

good stuff to share for summer

A friend shared something really nice with me today to brighten up the rainy summer days....A calendar made by herself !!

When the sun comes out...

Everything is so blue ...

Everything is so bright and clear ...

Everyone got a smile on their faces ...

Even the dogs come out...

All because the sun is here ...

Thanks God for such a beautiful sunny day after nearly a whole month of rain...! SUMMER is finally here !!!

神說：天上要有光體，可以分晝夜，作記號，定節令、日子、年歲，
並要發光在天空，普照在地上。事就這樣成了。 (創世記 1:14-15)

Interested to see more :

1 July 2008 Reunification Holiday

Wishing you Merry Christmas and Amazing 2008 to come!

Merry Christmas to my dear friends, wherever you are...

Sorry for not updating my blog for a long long time because I have been working hard and playing very hard this year. To me, 2007 is another grateful year packed with not just activities but also enjoyment and challenges. Here it goes :

The year kicked off really well with the best holiday I've had by far in New Zealand with my best friends over the Chinese New Year. You may recall my post in Feb with those nice pictures of splendid snow-capped mountains, lakes, woods, pengiuns, dolphins, deer etc. Wished I can revisit this beautiful country again soon....

In March, I co-hosting our firm's seminar / cocktail reception in Beijing and Shanghai. My first time to give a formal business presentation on offshore law regarding private equity transactions and in Mandarin.

This summer went extraordinarily busy this year with the rise of the economy and increasing business activities. Did a couple of listings, one privatisation and a number of mega transactions throughout the summer months. While partners and colleagues were taking turns for family summer holidays, I was working hard and no summer break for me. But I had a really fun junk trip with my fellowship - what a day out in Sai Kung !

In late September, I had a nearly 3 weeks vacation to US / Canada to visit my new born nephew Ethan (4 months old then) in Kansas and seeing my good friends of Tsim Fook church in Vancouver! I picked up alot of baby talk and skills needed for "infant-sitting" during my first week, then I passed the challenge of babysitting the 4 months old at home for 5 hours with flying colors on the last day when my brother took his wife out for their 3rd wedding anniversary ! Feel free to click below to see more pictures of Ethan :

http://family.webshots.com/photo/2716416830101079067vjQqox?vhost=family

Photos of Vancouver:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1QcOGrRm4Yuug&emid=sharview&linkid=link2

In October, my church offered a special worship band training, so I signed up and picked up my drum-sticks again!! With the 3 months crash course on every Tuesday night after (tiring) work, I'm so happy that YES, we were able to "jam" praise hymns in studio, and present our final "performance" with our different instruments. I'm especially thankful that music lifted me up from stress at work, and opened my horizon in listening to CDs now ( I grew interest in hearing the drums !).

Then quickly came my birthday month. It was the busiest month packed with 4 different concerts, 1 business trip to Taipei and 1 get-away-weekend trip to Huahin with my hallmate buddies. (more pictures on "Facebook" ~ Add me !) So, together with my regular weekly bible studies / ministries and birthday celebrations (very happy to have my birthday cake with a sparkling candle specially prepared by James!)...it was indeed a memorable November !

One thing I'm very grateful is that my secretary came to Christ this fall. PTL!! By her testimony, I'm amazed at God's work in people's hearts and His superb timing in His salvation plan for all of us.

December is another amazing month filled with surprises. Nope, I didn't win the grand prize at my firm's Christmas party like last year, but this year is even more rewarding !

At the request of my firm's HR, our firm's cell group was invited to sing Christmas carols at the firm's Christmas party for the very first time in my firm's history! Despite the limited resources, God provided us with a keyboard to practice during lunch hours 3 weeks prior the party, and a super nice piano at the party venue where we could all stand around the piano with our Santa hats on singing hymns (the firm was really generous to rent the piano for 5 hours for our only-15 minutes carols singing!). I'm also touched that it drew not only Christians to our cell group, but also "seekers" to the singing group of 12! And as we invited the floor to sing, many joined ! Priases to God !! May God leads this cell group ahead.

Only by God's grace that we can enjoy each day on earth so abundantly. He came to give us an abundant life !

Wishing you richness from ABOVE and harmony with your beloved ones in the coming new year ~2008 !!

A year of thanks

Coming to this time of the year, like always, I'd take out my journal and write down the thanksgiving items for the 12 months past. Yet, the year 2006 is like no other years in the past, as I'm writing my thanksgiving list on my blog !

I'm thankful for :

- starting a new job at Conyers Dill and Pearman in January. I'm back to private practice doing corporate finance legal work again but in a different seat (offshore work on BVI, Cayman Islands and Bermuda law)

- having Andrew and Felicia visited us for nearly 4 weeks in June. They stayed with me at my "Park Island hotel" and had alot of fun time in HK like eating, shopping, watching World Cup and having fun at Ocean Park. On top of it, the whole family had a very nice trip together to Soeul, Korea (and we also watched the World Cup there, cheering for the Korean team!). I also took another trip with Andrew and Felicia to KK, Malaysia, visited the in-laws and saw the beautiful beaches and marvelous sunset I've never seen.

- after much prayers, I initiated with a few Christians in my firm to start a "cell group" in July (there are about 9 of us). We met once a month and it was such a blessing to have a committed group of Christians in the office. We will begin to study the book of Ecclesiastes in 2007.

- taking 2 different theology evening classes at China Graduate School of Theology, one in the Summer months about 'Looking at Emotions from the Christian perspective', the other one in the Fall season on a difficult topic of 'The Biblical views of Suffering'. Though it was never easy to get to classes on time in a weekday evening, both classes shed many new lights to my biblical understanding in these two increasingly important areas in our lives.

- joining the Tsim Fook Church formally in June. Very thankful that God brought me to settle at Tsim Fook after searching for a spiritual home for some years.

- starting this blog with my prayer partners since July, as an encouragement to each other on our devotion and meaningful thoughts.

- went on an very 'ad hoc' 5-days trip to Tokyo, Japan with 5 sisters in my fellowship in August, had so much fun shopping and eating together.

- for the first time ever in my life to win a prize in a lucky draw. At my firm's Christmas party, I won the grand prize - a digital video camera!

- after knowing someone as just ordinary friends at my highschool's best friend's wedding for a couple of years, something took us further this year. After several months of waiting and prayers, finally in September, a new stage in this friendship commenced joyfully. God's timing is always so unexpected and fill us with pleasant surprises.

The list can go on and on... There is no better ways to express my gratefulness to our King but to count each day my blessing and continue to live my days pleasing in His sight.

Immanuel.

Dec 19 - The Nativity

I know of a group of brothers and sisters from another church has planned a Christmas caroling visit to the "homeless" tonight. I have never visited such a place before, but I can imagine how the place would be like from the "things to note" these friends of mine have to observed tonight. Just to name a few :

- do not dress up, but dress down. if you're an OL, please get changed into casual wear after work
- if you want to buy Christmas gifts, please buy practical stuff, like food, drinks or daily used items
- please be forewarn that there might be smell or noise, and expect no appaulse or cheers from the audience (as they don't actually expect visitors to come / intrude their place at night)
- dinner boxes have been prepared after caroling, but the dinner boxes are for the homeless, not you. So, please arrange your own dinner before coming
- please meet at YMT MTR station by 8:45pm, the group will then walk to the venue nearby. program is expected to begin after 9pm (why so late ? as these people are not supposed to be there in the day time, and they probably won't return from the streets at late hours) etc. etc.

The list goes on. While I tried to imagine the actual environment of such a place for the homeless where my friends will be singing joyful Christmas carols to them, the picture of our King lying in a lowly manger came to me. The manger must be much more worse than where the homeless live, the manger is built for animals, not even human beings! Yet Christ took the manger.

To quote from a very meaningful booklet given to me at Advent - THE LIFE - by Michael Card and William L Lane : "... The child was wrapped in rags and laid in a trough. The Son of God was born in deep povery, in a barn, not a palace. He was attended to, not by royal staff, but by the bleating of sheep and the soft voice of a peasant girl. It was a scandalous entrance for the MESSIAH of GOD into the world, more a reason to mock than to revere. Jesus was born in abject poverty. ...".

What a life ! What a lowly life ! And yet, what a wonderful life it becomes! What a fruitful life it bears!

Now I'm really curious to the latest movie - The Nativity.