SEASON 4 EPISODE 2: This is your Captain speaking...

I write this episode with a joyful heart, praising the LORD for what He has done.

At 11pm last night, I was informed that my results for the LPC electives have been released. So, I went to check and braced myself for the moment of truth. When I saw the results, I was thrilled to find that I had scored Distinctions in my Corporate Finance and Private Acquisitions and a Commendation in Entertainment & Media! With the addition of 3 Commendations for my Core subjects in February, I am pleased to announce that I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE LPC AT FIRST ATTEMPT with a total of 4 Commendations and 2 Distinctions and a clean sweep of the Skills and Pervasives! I believe this will act as a positive counter to the 2:2 LLB I obtained on the London External.

There was a moment of shock and disbelief that I had scored Distinctions in the 2 modules which I did not have much confidence in doing well for!! However, my heart sank a bit when I found out I obtained a Commendation for the module that made me choose Westminster - Entertainment and Media. Well, now having known these grades, I would like to know why I have been given those grades and I have requested for the feedback sheets to be mailed to me.

What are my thoughts on this? Well, I look at these results as a signpost in the direction of corporate law and acquisitions. In that sense, it is a confirmation of what the LORD impressed upon my heart to choose these electives last November. All thanks and praise to the LORD of my salvation!

The release of the results also marks the moment for me to "activate" the next step - which is to touch base with the contacts whom I know here in Singapore and in London. As always, the LORD, the ever faithful captain of the ship of life will steer it to the next destination. So, as the LORD says over the PA: "This is Your captain speaking...", may my ears and heart be attentive to listen out for Him.

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

SEASON 4 EPISODE 1: Back home

Greetings to all readers from my home country in Singapore!

It has been just over a week since I returned from London and have been spending this week adjusting to the climate, the environment and all! The other thing is to enjoy the comforts of having my entire family in the house. This is because my brother has returned from Perth for his 2-week mid-term break and will be leaving in a week's time.

As I now enter this new week, I brace myself for the release of my elective examination results on Thursday. These results will determine my overall performance on the LPC, so these are important!

The common question I have been asked by many this week is how long I will be in Singapore for and the answer I give is that I do not know. It can be as short as it can be or as long as it can be. I am sure something will crystallise once my results are released on Thursday. A job opportunity over there in London? That's something I am praying for and when that comes around, I will respond and head back.

In the meantime, I am now, amongst other things catching up on the reading of books that I bought before leaving for London. I am also penning down reflections as I mull over cetain personal issues and setting things right. The penning down of reflections is something I grew into while in London...

Do miss London and all the people whom I have gotten to know. There are lots of things I can do while in London and if I had a choice of whether to stay or go, I would choose the latter. Living overseas either shapes or breaks you and for me, I believe it is the former.

The one thing that I lack is a companion to share these experiences with, someone who commits herself to following me around, which includes travelling to England and staying there for a couple of years. In that sense, my ideal companion is a Rebekah as in Genesis 24. I trust that the LORD knows who is best and will provide at the appointed moment.

Thanks be to GOD!

SEASON 3 EPISODE 24: EPILOGUE

This epilogue is written on the final full day in London. I will be booking out of my hall tomorrow morning at about 7am to head for the LCF Summer Term Prayer Breakfast en route to Heathrow Terminal 4.

I have been spending the past few days packing, preparing to get my cartons taken away and meeting up with a couple of people. I have also been asked to lead worship at Sanctuary later tonight and have been preparing for that. It is a privilege and honour to be able to lead God's people into His presence.

Before all this, I have a lunch appointment to go to, to check-in online for my flight tomorrow and buying a gift for a friend. Indeed, it has all come down to this final day wherein I will bid farewell to this place I called home for the past 10 months and 12.5 hours later, I will be back in my home country to be greeted and welcomed by my family.

So, as mentioned in Episode 24, I will write a reflective entry to round up Season 3 and these will be my reflections:

I came to London in September 2007 without the faintest idea of what I will be expecting apart from doing the LPC. I knew I had to also look at training contract applications and spent the entire duration of the course doing that too.

To top it all, I was also involved in Christian service at All Souls Church during my SWOT days and a musician. I also got to know the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship to which I have made some good Christian friends. Lastly, there was Sanctuary at Methodist Central Hall where I served as a musician/singer. All these exposure and experiences have helped me shape my character, moulded my own perspective on being a Chrisitian lawyer and most importantly, created a growing desire for a deeper knowledge of the Christian faith. I believe my ministry is not confined to just music, but also that of preaching.

Indeed, this is THE one thing I want to thank the LORD for - even though I may not have secured any training contract. I would not have gotten all these experiences if I elected to stay in Singapore.

The LORD has also provided a one-time opportunity to gain some work experience in a London law firm for 3 weeks and to earn some extra money - that literally being, my first fruits! I set aside 10% of this amount to be given in gratitude to God for this provisions.

Indeed, this is a day of thanksgiving for all He has done in my entire time here in London. I will definitely miss this wonderful place and the people who have crossed my path. As I head back to Singapore tomorrow afternoon, I go back to be with my family and friends and wait upon the LORD.

The journey hence continues and I pray that I will be in tune with the LORD to discern the next mission. This could range from settling the affairs of the heart to providing a job opportunity back here. When He calls, I will obey and respond- even if it does not follow what my heart humanly desires.

So, just like a James Bond movie where the opening scenes usually show 007 completing a previsou mission before heading back to MI6 to receive his next mission from M.

The same goes for me. Season 3 concludes and I return to Singapore to receive my next mission.

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

SEASON 3 EPISODE 23: WRAPPING UP AND BOWING OUT

It is finally over! The course that I began 9 months ago wrapped up for me at 5pm last Friday when we were told to "put our pens down and stop writing".

So, now to bow out of London and head home to Singapore. This means packing, arranging with the shipping company to take my things away and enjoying the rest of my time here before I fly out at or around 12.15pm on Friday, 4th July.

I have a couple of lunch appointments on Tuesday and Thursday this coming week, attending my final cell group on Wednesday evening and the final Sanctuary meeting on Thursday evening. I also have some shopping to do for my family and friends.

On Friday, I will be checking out of my hall at around 7am so that I can attend a Summer Term Prayer Breakfast organised by the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship at Middle Temple at 8am. Once that finishes at 9am, I will then make my way to Heathrow by Tube. I aim to get to Heathrow by 10am or so in order that I can check in and get ready to fly out.

It's a long journey back - about 12.5 hours in the air and when I land, I not only have to forward my body clock by 7 hours, but also brace myself for the tropical Singapore weather (especially since I will be arriving in the morning!).

I definitely have fond memories of this place and I will surely miss all my friends here. I have no idea what the plan is right now - but I do pray that I can return in the near future to advance my career and qualify as an English solicitor.

However, I also return to begin the next phase of my life - which is currently (subject to change) a mixture of personal and professional agendas. So, I have mixed feelings of leaving a place I called home for the last 9 months. The image of heading home excites me because I will be back with my friends and family. But, the image of leaving this country saddens me.

This episode will be the penultimate episode of Season 3. The final episode (Episode 24) will be a reflective episode of my entire time here in London before I board the plane for Singapore. Thereafter, Season 4, location: Singapore

SEASON 3 EPISODE 22 (PART II): THE PEACE

As I named this episode "The Peace", I am reminded of an old worship song that I used to sing in Sunday School many many years ago:

He is my peace, who has broken down every wall

He is my peace, He is my peace!

He is my peace, who has broken down every wall
He is my peace, He is my peace!

Why do I say that? Well, as I prepared for The Move in Part I (see below), I received an email from the large City firm I applied to for a training contract. I was informed that I was not shortlisted for an interview, resulting in the end of the road.

I have been hoping and praying very hard about this application. So, when I got this, one could imagine how devastated I was. I was even reduced to tears for a while.

As I sobbed in my room, I really wished I had a physical shoulder to cry on and a companion with me to comfort me. Apart from the LORD, the only persons I could go back to were my parents. I managed to talk to them over SKYPE and I was very surprised and comforted that my mum was clearly not disappointed with the outcome. She said that as she read my email, it was impressed upon her that the way is very clear (ie to return to the firm I had the God-given opportunity to undergo 3 weeks of work experience back in April).

I took great comfort in that, but I was not entirely convinced that was the way and was advised me to see whether there is a message from the LORD at church on Sunday. More of that later.

But, it is what happened in the course of this week that is of more importance. One of the steps I took, after consulting my parents was to inform one of my lecturers about it who knew about my application and see what would happen.

I approached my lecturer on Tuesday and to my surprise, he did something which I did not think would happen - to call the firm's HR Department on my behalf! From there, he was able to get the firm to send me written feedback on why I was not shortlisted!!

The feedback illustrated not only what went wrong with my application, but also the standard that I had to rise up to in order to get into their firm (or perhaps, any City firm). The negative comments made my heart very heavy and I carried that heavy heart throughout that day. In fact, I also realised that I would not be able to meet that standard because to do so will be going against my own character!

Wednesday morning was perhaps the positive climax of all that had happened. I thought I did not receive a word from the LORD on Sunday that was specific to my situation. But, on my father's advice (who later told me that he believed there was a word for me there), I revisited the notes I took from the sermon on "Food sacrificed to idols" (1 Corinthians 8:1-13). The focus of that sermon was 1 Corinthians 8:1b which read: "Knowledge puffs up, but loves builds up".

I then recalled that as I listened to the sermon, I thought about my profession as a lawyer. We lawyers have special knowledge that the lay man would not have (ie the knowledge of the law). Now, we would like to think that we will be one level higher than the lay man - which often leads to being proud about it. But, as a Christian lawyer, what is our Code of Conduct? We perform our legal duties as a form of service to the community, which is driven by love. My Quiet Time in the Daily Bread that day was my life verse Micah 6:8. Philip Yancey was the writer of the QT and he used this verse to remind us of our obedience to God and our "assigned tasks". To me, I believe my assigned tasks are to complete the LPC exams and to be a lawyer. This is my obedience to the LORD. Once again, the words in Micah 6:8 of "walk humbly with your God" struck me.

Now, what does all this have to do with the City firm? Well, I have been reminded time and time again that my Achilles' heel is this tendency to be arrogant. I believe that will be harder to control if I was working in a prestigious firm and receiving a big pay packet in the City. Instead, I believe the LORD has shown me - through this experience - that I am more suited for a non-flashy environment where I can contribute more, learn more and most importantly, develop the character of being humble. The humility part is also linked to my name and confirms my late grandfather's wisdom when he picked my Chinese name.

I have now gone on to call the firm I worked with for 3 weeks in April to ask whether there is any opening for a paralegal. This is my part of the deal and I submit this to the LORD to do His part as I now return to my preparations for exams in peace. I will head off to Sanctuary at Methodist Central Hall with that spirit of thanksgiving because of Jesus, who is my Peace!

Thanks be to God! Amen!

SEASON 3 EPISODE 22 (PART I): THE MOVE

I write this blog entry from my new room across the street from where I was since September 2007.

Yes, my tenancy agreement at Room C02-8 ends tomorrow and I will be in Room B07-6 until 4th July 2008. Well, first up, my new room is not as big as the previous one. See pictures below.

Taken from the door. You can see that I am not exactly very tidy.. :p

Taken from the bed.

The cardboard box contains books and the files on the top shelf are my notes.

As you will probably see, I do have a lot of things to move over (not to mention I bought and brought lots of books on various genres. This is something I accumulated over 9 months but I don't regret it). I am hence grateful to God for providing the opportunity to move out ahead of schedule and it was a smooth one.

I was to move out tomorrow at midday, but a note was shoved through my door at about midday today informing me that my new room is ready and I could start moving my belongings. I spent almost the entire morning packing and the entire afternoon moving them over. There are no lifts, just staircases and it was an entire OMO (one man operation). I thank God it went smoothly and I look forward to having a good rest tonight and ready to shift gear to "revision mode" as I enter the 1-week revision before the exams begin the following week.

This episode is just the first part of what happened to me this week. There will be a Part II. Stay tuned!

SEASON 3 EPISODE 21: ONE MONTH FROM TODAY!

As I look forward to this day, one month later (ie Friday, 4th July 2008), I see myself boarding a plane from Heathrow which heads for Singapore. Yes, 4th July is the day I plan to return home to reunite with family and friends. It has been a quick 9 months since I arrived on 10th September 2007 save for the 2-week Christmas break. Time sure flies.

But, it is my prayer (and for those who know the situation I am in) that when I board the plane, I will board it, fully briefed on what my next "mission" is to be. It is akin to James Bond when M tells him of his next mission. Although, I don't think M will tell James of the dangers that come with the mission. He will be guided by his contacts in the mission field, along with the resources he obtains from Q.

Who and what is the "M" and "Q" in my life? The LORD is like "M" to me and the Bible, the written Word is my "Q". The LORD only knows the full details of the mission and He will reveal the necessary details for me to move. However, unlike James Bond who only uses his "Q Gadgets" to get him out of danger, the written Word is my everything. It is used to get me out of danger, it is used to comfort me when I am down and it is also used to teach me the ways of my "M", my LORD!

I now cast my thoughts to the present time and ask the same question of my "mission field". Well, the mission has been the same all along (ie to get through the LPC) and as I received the result of my last assessment (a Probate assessment) before the exams, I thank the LORD for the"1st attempt clearance" stamp on my LPC passport (an analogy I used in one of my previous episodes) to prepare for and sit the exams.

So, this is the final leg of - what has been - a hectic 9-month journey. I think all of us on the LPC will agree that we all need a good summer break. For me, that break is to pack up my bags and head home. But, I pray that as I pack, I might have a glimpse of what my next mission is to be.

Hear these prayers of your child, O LORD! I believe in You, but help my unbelief. Amen.