I thought I was very prepared for this competition, but it turned out to be very badly done after the two and a half hours were up. Aimed for a Silver Medal, but now I think that the best that I can attain after my mediocre and ignominious performance is just a Honourable Mention, or Bronze, but the bronze is a bit far-fetched.

Well, my maths leaves much to be desired, I guess. So far, I’m only sure that I have 5 correct out of the 11 attempted. (25 questions in total) Who knows, that might even only qualify me for a COP (Certificate of Participation).

But I know one thing: I did my best there, and taxed my brains to my best ability. What matters is that I gave my best. =)

First of all it was the Singapore International Science Challenge. My team, comprising of myself, Sasha and YiSong put in a tremendous amount of effort in the Science Challenge component only to be denied a prize (be it Distinction or Champion) by a winning team from VJC who did not even present any scientific substantiation in their presentation. In their presentation during the closing ceremony, I was so angry since our content was so similar to theirs, and yet we did not win anything. Presentation wise, I felt that we did a very good job too! SISC has very biased judging it seems. A big shock and setback, but one with a lesson on how to cope with failure, especially when I have put in my best effort already.

Secondly today it was the National Economics and Mutual Funds Quiz. My teacher, Mr Derek Lee, once told me that I did very well in the selection quiz and with that, I was hoping to be able to be one of the chosen ones to represent the school in the final stage of the quiz. But today they informed all those who were selected, and you guessed it right, I was not one of them… I prepared relatively hard for this quiz, to the extent that I bought a S$40 Investment book from Borders just to study for this quiz. Once again I have learnt the lesson that when one party wins, there is another party at the other end who loses and feels dejected (in this case, that party was me) Not that it matters so much in the future. I will prove that even though I did not participate in this quiz, I will learn more about investment on my own and apply it in real life and perhaps be the next Warren Buffet! *chuckles* Well, gotta look at life in a positive way!

Romans 8:28 says, “… all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord, to those who are called according to His purpose.” I believe that something good will come out of all these miniature setbacks, and I am victorious in the Spirit of the Lord, now and forever. I know that the Lord has greater and better things in mind for me in the near future, and in the long run.

It has been a very long time since I last blogged, and I just want to remind myself how powerful and merciful my God has been to me in all my life. He has blessed me tremendously in every area of my life, and I just live each day in my best ability to please Him and live according to His ways.

The year 2007 has seen so many ups and downs in my life, especially that related to school and also, yes, church. I began involving myself in Ushering Ministry this year and I must say that being in the ministry can be time-consuming. Going to weekly cell groups and bible studies can be draining on my time, especially for a JC student in Singapore. But God was always there to help me in my life, should I stumble, He caused me to stand up and walk again. “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:30-31, KJV) I have at times in Singapore felt so useless, tired, drowned in fatigue, burdened by stress and almost given up if not for the strength from the Lord my God.

Being in City Harvest Church also poses another challenge: people seem to like to persecute this church and this is never lack of bad comments from others when it comes to this church. This comes even from friends and relatives. I strongly believe in the ways of the church because I have seen for myself how these ways are justified and according to the Word. Pastor Kong Hee is someone whom I truly respect and I do not doubt the credibility of the church or himself in any way. In fact, I am not truly stronger in my Christian life thanks to my encounter with God in City Harvest Church. God did not raise up a church of 22,000 for useless reasons; we are doing something great in the market place and indeed, we are living in exciting times where we can witness great things happen in the near future.

Some of the miracles of God this year that I must thank for: Gold Award in the Singapore Science and Engineering Fair, a real boost to my CV. I thank God for that, as I would not have dreamed for a moment that I would be capable of winning such a prize. So many other things to thank for: favour among friends in National Junior College as well as a good Council term, plus a myriad of achievements in school which I can’t thank God enough for. I really hope to continue to shine for Him and to be a salt and light in the marketplace for all that I am doing.

It took me some time to realise this: God promises that we can do all things through God who strengthens us, but before that we must reach out and step out to attain that promise, because we would also directly benefit from the transformation of reaching out for that promise. In other words, God rewards those who initiate the effort themselves. And the familiar phrase: God helps those who help themselves. Being a Christian gives me limitless opportunities, I will never know how much God has in store for me, and I am excited about what lies ahead.