These days some couples take their wedding photographs overseas in Malaysia, Bali, Korea, Taiwan or even in Europe. They believe the quality is better, or the setting unique, or they get more value for their money. Other couples totally dispense with the pre-wedding photograph session because it is troublesome. They opt for simplicity. It was interesting to see this couple have their photos taken at the Jurong Lake promenade on a Monday evening. Why, I wonder? Is it scenic? Are they foreigners who find the promenade unique? Is that place special to the couple?
The Jurong Country Club will be the site for the terminus of the high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. This 67 hectare plot of land has been acquired by the government. This was announced recently on Monday, 11 May 2015.
The high-speed rail project has been in the works since September 2010. Official agreement from both countries came in 2013. It made sense as it would increase options of travel modes between the two cities. At a speed of 300 km/hr it would take an hour and a half for the trip. Currently travelling by road takes 5 hours; by railway it takes 7 hours; by plane it takes about 4 hours (including travel to airport and check in and other procedures). Most people welcome the option of a high-speed rail. But what will it mean to have the terminus at the intended location for people who live in Jurong East?
Jurong Country Club and Science Centre and the golf course beyond the foreground of a school.
The Jurong East and Lake area has been earmarked as the second business district of Singapore. Altogether it is the size of the Marina Bay business district. Already there are five shopping malls, one large hospital, one hotel, two condominiums (still being built), and the older International Business District. Some government ministry will be occupying the office towers above one of the newer malls. Roads are also being built and widened in anticipation of increased traffic congestion. It will be very congested when all the plans are realized and the people occupy the offices and hospitals and hotels, and when the high-speed rail starts operation in seven years. What will it be like with the high speed rail terminus situated at the Jurong Country Club?
For one thing it will be sad for the members of the country club as they have to leave by November 2016 and after investing heavily in redoing the greens recently. I hope they get compensated well, but it is always difficult to satisfactorily compensate fond memories and intangibles like prestige and status. But then golf courses are enjoyed by the privileged not the majority. And though I enjoy the luxurious slice of green from my apartment window, and the peace and quiet and low density of their land usage, I must agree that for Jurong East to be a second CBD, the golf course looks like underutilized space. It was only logical that the terminus be located there and its surrounding land be developed into valuable mixed recreational, hotel, residential and office space. The development of Singapore is marked by the tears of many landowners.
A few friends told me that this would raise the values of residential property around the development, including mine. However this is nothing to yam seng about because it is mere paper gain for those of us who will be living in our apartments over the long term. Even if you sell it to realize a profit, where do you go to live, since living in a continually dynamic and progressive environment can be quite heady.
Panoramic view of Jurong Country Club golf course from the Jurong Lake park connector
From my cycling of Jurong Lake park connector, I now get to enjoy a serene piece of green – the golf course. Sadly this will be replaced by buildings and other infrastructural development for the high-speed rail. I have to start savouring this green stretch across the lake and say my goodbyes before the golf course is taken over. In addition, the view from my apartment will change too as new buildings tower over where the country club now stands in stately dignity. Well, that’s life in Singapore. Unblocked views are never guaranteed.
Pastor Richard Wong posing with his Brompton and with Chinese Garden in the background
It began with a dream. Pastor Richard Wong of Singapore Canaan Christian Church messaged me that he had a dream that both of us cycled together on 11 May when his wife was away on vacation. My reply to his interesting dream was, Why not? 11 May would be a Monday and I had my day off every Monday. We arranged to meet at 7am at the Chinese Garden MRT taxi stand.
From his home in Potong Pasir, he took a cab with his Brompton foldable bicycle in the boot. For him it was a journey to the west. He arrived too early at 6.30am and had to wait. On the other hand my home was a 5 minutes ride away. Once we met we were on our way to a whole day of riding under the sun, and fellowship in the Lord.
At jetty of Jurong Lake PCN
Since Richard came all the way at some cost, I felt I must show him all the lovely park connectors (PCN) linked with Jurong East. The first PCN I took him on was the Jurong Lake PCN, a return trip of about 10 kilometres. There were many scenic spots for nice photographs and we took time to pose and shoot. He was quite impressed.
Next in my plan was breakfast, and I led him to Teban Gardens, to a coffeeshop next to the hawker centre. This coffee shop served good coffee and had a Malay stall that sold fragrant nasi lemak and a popular 50 cents curry puff. The coffee shop also had an Indian stall popular for their roti prata and their nasi beriyani. We had a leisurely breakfast and chatted about things I now cannot recall. Thumbs up to the breakfast and we moved off to link up to the next park connector.
Enjoying breakfast at Teban gardens coffee shop
We rode up a beautiful and well designed bicycle overpass that connected the Teban Garden estate PCN to the Ulu Pandan PCN. The bitumen overpass was built with beautiful steel railings and with a comfortable gradual gradient without any bumps. No expense was spared to make it aesthetically impressive and functionally efficient. Richard remarked that the authorities built a lovely bicycle overpass. I agreed wholeheartedly.
Ulu Pandan PCN
The Ulu Pandan PCN was a straightforward bicycle and joggers trail and by the mid-morning time that we used it, we were under the hot sun. We rode hard and we rode fast most of the time until we reached the Ghim Moh temporary hawker centre. What relief it was to be out of the sun and to have a cold soya bean drink. Had a leisurely chat. Soon we were riding hard and fast to the Bukit Batok PCN with the objective of seeing Little Guilin.
This time we switched bikes. I rode his Brompton, the “BMW” of foldable bikes, and he rode my Cronus Earl 3.0. Bikes have their distinct voice as the wheels turned. The rider may not be able to hear it clearly, but is able to hear other riders’ bike humming by. My bike that he rode does not have a nice voice. It sounded cranky, like it had some loose nuts and bolts that needed tightening. Earlier when he rode the Brompton, I could hear the click click click of his wheels: the sound of British engineering.
At Little Guilin in Bukit GombakWaiting for the MRT at Gombak station
By the time we reached Little Guilin the sun was overhead and the sunlight was too harsh for photography but we managed to redeem our photos with editing tools.
Inside the first coach of MRT train with foldable
We were punctured by then and we decided to take the MRT from Gombak, which was next to Little Guilin, to the Jurong East MRT. Neither of us have used the MRT with our folding bikes. There are a few conditions for riding the MRT with a “foldie”. First, it must be outside peak hours, from 9.30am to 4.30am. Next, your foldie must be within the stipulated size. Next, you have to use the elevator and enter the first or last coach. This would be a first for us, and I entered in first, as my bike looked bulkier. If I was turned away, we could cycle back together. As it turned out it was no bother and we located the lift and used the first coach. What a liberating experience.
We ended in Jurong East MRT for lunch. Lunch was Redhill fishball noodles at the Isetan supermarket food porch. After that he visited my home for coffee. It was a satisfying day. We made Pastor Richard’s dream come true.
The sermon is preferred differently by people of different temperaments. The sanguine (the “I” in the DISC) will like messages with moving stories embellished with dialogue, and content with relational elements. The phlegmatic (S) needs sermons that reassure, comfort and encourage them constantly. The melancholy(C) prefers to dive deep into analysis, interpretative details and arguments about the Biblical text. The choleric (D) will want to be challenged by a sermon calling them to do things that produces results and make a difference, and have sure-fire practical steps of action.
This alone presents a challenge to the preacher. Can he add elements to target each of these unique temperament preferences in most sermons if not every sermon? Such a sermon would then have to have a moving story or relational element added if the text is not a narrative. It would have to be positive, comforting and encouraging. Based on a text that is not ignored, the sermon has to arise and be systematically built up from a careful interpretation of scriptures that include nuances and alternative interpretations. It would also have to point to a lack, gap or need in the hearers so big they would be motivated to want to do something about it. It would have some practical steps of plugging the gap at the end. This is a tall order and when you consider the many other roles and responsibilities of a small church pastor it appears almost impossible to do this consistently over a long period of time.
Feeding the church is like feeding a family. Every child has different preferred, or favourite and despised dishes. It can be so opposite and impossible. One prefers rice, another rather eat noodles most of the time. One hates fish because of the bones inside, others love whole fish and find the Dory too bland. Most love curry but one has the runs when she eats spicy. So like any smart mother, the pastor has to plan a balanced menu of sermons of different kinds: topical series that are easily digestible by most; sermons for special occasions like Easter or missions Sundays or anniversaries; deep book studies of Old and New Testament; and standalone sermons that addresses some challenge that the church or society is facing. And major on what the apostle Paul majored, “We preach Christ and Him crucified” – the finished work. Furthermore, church members, like family, have to learn to understand and embrace this variety of approaches out of love and respect for other family members. Church is family and this is what family does.
Hagia Sofia: church turned mosque turned museumGymnasium at ancient Sardis (city of one of seven churches in Revelations)Beautiful chapel that celebrates Lydia's conversion in Philippi (Greece)
Packed itinerary
We landed at dawn and began with a one day tour of Istanbul. It was a wet, windy and cold day. However we toured the main tourist sites and still managed to squeeze in an hour of shopping at the grand bazaar in the late evening. We visited the ancient ruins of the cities where the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation once existed. They are all in modern day Turkey. Then we crossed over to Greece by bus and visited holy sites, ancient ruins and museums in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth. From Athens, we flew and transited at Istanbul, and flew back home.
We stayed at eight hotels in ten days. That should say something. It meant living off our suitcase. It meant early morning calls that mercifully became sane morning calls in Greece. It also meant being on the road on average about 2 hours between sites. We all expected it as this was a familiarization tour and they were trying to give us a sampling of as many different religious sites as possible within the limited time-frame. This survey would then help us to choose from a wide range what we think is suitable for ourselves if we want to lead a tour from our church in future.
The group picture taken at ancient Laodicea
Personal highlights of the tour
The fellowship was wonderful. There were 39 participants in all – mostly pastors from different denominations and background. There were Methodists, Baptists, Assemblies of God, Independents, Brethren, Presbyterians, Anglicans, and Vietnamese Alliance. As there were about 25 meals we had together I got to hear many inspiring stories of pastors, and how they were called and what their churches were about. A few of these pastors had successful careers. But they heard the call and became pastors in mid-career changes.
Fellowship over mealsBaked fishSaladsSoupsLamb cuts and other meatsSweet dessertsOld friend Pastor Richard & Nancy Loh of Queenstown Baptist ChurchRenewed fellowship with pastors' prayer group leader Rev Sng Chong Hui and wife IreneThe ladies enjoyed the fellowshipPastor Ezekiel giving the devotion at site of Lydia's conversion at Philippi
Naturally the pastors were deployed to give devotions at the major sites. It was edifying to hear God’s messages to the seven churches in Revelation come alive with probing relevance and power across the centuries. I was blessed. For me it was like a personal invitation from the Spirit to look more deeply at the book of Revelations and consider preaching it through in the church. The book lit up like a burning bush.
Sela, boss of tour company leading us in the WI-FI equipped busExcellent informative guide telling us about ancient Ephesus toilets that St Paul probably used!
This subsidized tour was well organized and packed. The tour guides that were handpicked for us were very good in terms of their expertise, people skills and humor. The Bible Society of Singapore and the Omega Tours and Travel did a thoughtful job of planning all these and selecting the local tour companies to partner with. We had our meals at restaurants and most breakfasts and dinners were in above average hotels. Not sure about the cuisine, but I preferred the Turkish meals to the ones in Greece for the greater variety. There were salads in every meal and I never ate so much vegetable in any ten days of my life till now.
Short cut on the ferry to and from the European and Asian parts of TurkeyAt Parthenon, ancient temple dedicated to goddess Athena, in Athens acropolisAdmiring ladies hairstyles in the Acropolis Museum, Athens
If I were to plan a pilgrimage/study tour for the church I would concentrate on Turkey. I would do the Istanbul bit, fly to Tarsus, get lost in the Cappadocia caves, do the seven churches circuit, and have a day cruise to the island of Patmos (part of Greece). Such a pilgrimage/study tour would focus on the book of Revelations and the relevance of its message to us. I feel the Revelations tour can be impactful. And add some restful elements like staying to linger an extra day in a city, and having some fun shopping or hot air ballooning. Adding Greece in would be too much. Have a separate pilgrimage for Greece, probably with a missional slant.
My favourite sites: the ancient Ephesus site, and Parmukkale“cotton castle” in Turkey; and the Meteora in Greece.
Taking a selfie at Ephesus ancient library ruinsEphesus amphitheaterParmukkale "cotton castle": a World Heritage siteSoaking our feet in the mineral water supplied by hot springsParmukkale: natural hot-springs and beautiful terraces of carbonate mineralsMeteora - Greek Orthodox monasteries built on top of rock formations - coolMonks and nuns in those monasteries which permit visitors and touristsHow heavy loads were carried up in the old days
