A Trip of a Lifetime

My church planned a mission trip to Kenya. This was part of the description: Beginning next summer (2007) we will develop our partnerships in Kenya with Kenya Baptist Theological College and in the region of Mukaa. This missionary journey to Kenya will be challenging and breathtaking. By challenging, we mean accommodations, cost, flight schedules, and ministry in Central Africa. By breathtaking, we mean an excursion of the end of the trip to Masai Mara National Reserve Park.

I knew I had to go! Matter of fact, I have just returned. And let me say God met us there!!! I wrote 18 pages in my journal. Needless to say, I can't write it all here. But alas, I took over 1000 photos. I'll be sharing them at left.

All for now,
Lisa

London (again)

I was fortunate enough to be able to head to London for a business meeting. I was able to see a show and I took some miscellaneous photos... they are at left.

All for now,
Lisa

Do You Remember?

In a post back in November, I remarked that most of Houston's great landmarks are being replaced by strip malls and chain stores. I asked you to remember the great landmarks.

Well, I just came across a great list. I may be showing my age, but I remember most of these great places. Do you?

- Guido's (remember the shrimp and crab sculptures in front of the S. Main restaurant?)
- Sonny Look's
- Sakowitz on Main Street
- Jim Jamail and Sons (world's most famous grocery store that's now a car wash)
- The field that used to be Astroworld
- The Amtrak station

On a good note, there are still some great places around:

- the Astrodome (they haven't demolished it yet!)
- the Battleship Texas and San Jacinto Monument
- Courtlandt Place (grand homes)
- Space Center Houston
- Saint Arnold's Brewery
- the Downtown Tunnels
- Galveston - Sea wall and strand
- Hermann Park and Miller Theater
- Warren's Inn downtown
- La Carafe (oldest commercial building in Houston)
- the Petroleum Club
- the Magnolia Room

All for now,
Lisa

P.S. I'd like to add Kemah to the list, but not sure which list to add it to... as the old Kemah restaurant area was so much cooler than the new "boardwalk".

You Just Never Know Who You'll Run Into

Well, so I'm on a trip to Bangkok, which takes 3 flights to get there. My first is a flight from Houston to Los Angeles. So, I'm sitting in the airport, waiting for my flight to board, talking on the phone and you would never believe who walks right up and starts talking to the person sitting across from me? CHRIS TOMLIN! How cool is that? He and I both do double takes. I imagine he first thinks I'm some sort of stalker (but he walked up to me, right?). Eventually, I say, "Hi, I'm Lisa". He says, "Hi, Lisa" and walks away (politely) with his other friends.

I get on the plane and guess who sits right in front of me? Yup, person mentioned above. We talked a little. He says he's on his way to Sydney, Australia for the Hillsongs Conference (how cool is that?). He asks me where I'm going. I then had to show him my ipod, which has every CD he's ever released (including his first, which he calls, "blackmail material"). I got the chance to tell him that his songs are powerful to me.

I had to get a photo as the opportunity presented itself. He was kind enough to ablidge. Holly, my colleague I'm traveling with, said as he departed, "He's cool". Yeah, he's cool.

All for now,
Lisa

P.S. Photos at left

2007 New Orleans Jazz Fest

A group of 10 of us traveled to New Orleans this weekend for Jazz Fest. Below are just some of the memories:

Friday
Are we there yet?
Backseat porn (in the car next to us)
Shell or Chevron?
You gonna be that way all weekend, Bret?
Can we eat at Chilis?
Remoulade!
Want to see my compost pile?
Sweet Caroline!
Does anyone know what this is?

Saturday
It's Showtime!
David bringing sexy back
Slap ya mama!
How do you get an elephant out of a safeway bag?
Crawfish bread and orange mandarin tea
Rebirth
Smoking is SO last year
Helen and Lisa's flip flop
David, what did you do for those beads?
Hey baby, wanna party? We're going to the seminary!
Funky Butt
I am sixteen going on seventeen

Sunday
I got me a photography degree!
HOOOO
CHEE
The Rocks of Harmony
I wish you well
Slap ya mama (again)
Who around here voted for Bush?
For you guys, I'll do it for $15
B-E-A-utiful sunset

photos at left

All for now,
Lisa

Biking it to Austin!

This past weekend, I rode my bicycle over 150 miles to Austin. Well, I wasn't alone. 12,999 cyclists went with me! I did the MS150 bike tour.

It took 2 days and was my fourth time to ride my bike to Austin. I had an incredible time. Especially, the last day, after lunch, when I and 9 others steamed into Austin in a draft line.

But there is so much to the bike ride than actually riding your bike. As a matter of fact, I wrote the following in an email to some fellow riders, who had not ridden it before, where one was talking about the more hard-core cyclists:

Yes, some people do the whole bike ride in one day (and are in Austin by
3:00). It's amazing. I'm not in that category... but then again, the
journey is fun, but you have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it as you
ride (and not get caught up in finishing fast). There are amazing views,
and amazing people along the path. Truly, in the 3 times I've done it,
that's what I remember most (not what time I get to where).

I re-read that now that I've finished the ride and couldn't agree more. In fact, before we got on our bikes the first day, we specifically prayed for safety, fun, strength, and divine appointments. And God met us there! I thank Him for providing all of that and more. And I can tell you specifically about all four:

Safety
Personally, I had one or two close calls - where my breath was taken away when I got too close to a wheel in front of me - but I am so thankful for arriving safely to Austin. I'm sure there were more, but I know of just one person (so sorry Marie) who was injured on the ride. The good news is that I do believe Marie was able to finish the ride.

Fun
Yes! The fun started when we got to our off-site starting location at 6:00. The fog had rolled in pretty heavily that morning so we were delayed a bit. But it surely was nice to start away from the crowds and to have a bathroom at the ready! Thanks Scott!! (And speaking of being thankful, I am also so thankful to Tarek for the EARLY MORNING drop off, Stacy for the showers in Austin, and Melissa for the roundtrip pickup in Austin!)

There were a lot of fun things along the way. I saw a bicycle built for 3!!! A unicyclist (whom I think made it all the way to Austin). I saw plenty of fun things attached to bicycle helmets and innovative bicycles. The funniest "flick flub" I saw was the huge MS150 welcome banner in Fayetteville. It said "MS150 welcomes you to Fayettville". If I had been faster with the camera, I would have gotten it on film!

Now, the bicyclist's banter was a lot of fun too. Mostly inside jokes, but lots going around. It made the miles go by very quickly. For instance, if I said bananas and sunblock to you, you probably might raise an eyebrow in question. But it would cause some of my fellow riders to snicker!

Strength
As some of you know, I have a fairly bad knee resulting from knee surgery 20 years ago. Basically, the maniscus was removed and my knee is now "bone on bone" and, resulting, I have a large bone spur. So, long story short, it's painful. However, the Lord was so merciful. I am so thankful that I was able to "ride the park" - which is the most challenging portion of the bike ride. But I have a more touching memory of strength. And it involves a bit of a confession. Although we were not allowed to listen to ipods while on our bikes, I confess, I did listen, but only the last 5 miles coming into La Grange. But it was worth it! I had downloaded Lincoln Brewster's version of "Everlasting God" right before leaving for the trip and synched it to my ipod without listening to it. So, the first time I heard the song was the last few miles coming into La Grange. The song is great; I love it. But it was this version that got me. At the very end, there was a small child reciting scripture. Man, it brings tears to my eyes just as I type this. The child was reciting Isaiah 40:31:

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

I wasn't expecting that! But it surely came at the right time. Praise Him!

Divine Appointments
This is a wonderful story that happened to one of my fellow riders. It was his first MS ride and, initially, he was mostly doing it for the goal of riding to Austin. However, God had another idea. It was the last lunch of the last day that he happened to meet a woman who had MS. Her story was amazing and he was able to put a face to this tragic disease. As he told me the story of meeting this woman, tears welled up in his eyes and I just knew the Lord had met them there also. He was even able to pray with her. Praise Him ever more!!


Well, that's a quick story of the MS. So much more than a simple bike ride.

photos left.

All for now,
Lisa

The Adventure Continues

Perhaps this blog entry should aptly be renamed, The Adventure (Racing) Begins, because I competed in my first Adventure Race at Inks Lake this past weekend!

For those of you who have never heard of an adventure race, it's kinda like competing in a triathlon in a state park. You compete in multiple events, each timed (even the transition is timed). The events I competed in (with my race partner, Jon) included a mystery event, paddling, mountain biking, and trail running (all while orienteering and navigating to hidden check points).

Our race was a "sprint" race, which meant that it would only be one day (we started at 9:00 and the course would be closed at 6:00). There are some races which will continue over multiple days (can you believe??)

So, here's our story:

Four of us drove up to Inks Lake Friday night (through some pretty fierce thunderstorms). However, praise God, the rain stopped just in time for us to set up our tents (we were to camp the whole weekend at Inks Lake). The race folks were amazed that two teams fit into one car to make the drive up to Inks Lake. Actually, we were pretty amazed it all fit into one car also! One kayak, 4 bikes, 4 people and their stuff (race stuff, camp stuff, personal stuff) all crammed into my 11 year old Toyota 4-Runner (which was dubbed "Myrtle" for the trip).

Saturday morning came early as we had been advised to put "slime" inner tubes in our tires due to the abundant cactus in the park (more about the cactus later). So, having a quick power breakfast, changing our inner tubes, then setting up our transition area became our order of events before the real "pre-race" events began.

At 8:30, the race directors gave us the "coordinate points" for leg 2 of the race. Leg 2, that's right. They gave us 30 minutes to plot the points then come back to the start to receive leg 1 coordinates (since leg 2 was the paddle event, they had to give us something to break up the masses. They didn't want everyone dashing for their boats at the same time). The first leg was a mystery event of sorts... had to figure out the clues to run to different points in the park. Once finished, we went straight for our canoe.

This is where the interesting leg began as the wind on Saturday was as strong as I've seen it! So strong, in fact, there were white caps on the water (it looked more like an ocean than a small lake). What was more challenging was the fact that the wind whipped around a couple of times while we were out on the lake! It seemed as if we were ALWAYS canoeing against the wind. We finally finished our canoe check points and headed back to dock our canoe. Once docked, we received our biking coordinates. While Jon plotted them, I changed clothes as I was soaked from being in the front of the canoe (whew!).

Off to the biking portion! Well, the half biking / half trekking with your bike portion! The trails were actually hiking trails, not biking trails, so some of the course was too rocky (way too rocky) to navigate on a bike. The trails were beautiful though!!! I don't think I've seen as vibrant of bluebonnets as are what is at Inks Lake. But don't take your eyes off the course! The cactus are right there among the bluebonnets. And I know very intimately how prickly cactus can be. I actually fell into cactus (well, right by it... where are the spines had fallen). Yes, I got a backside full of cactus spines. OUYEEEE!!! That's all I could yell as I sat smack dab on my backside. Jon turned around and came back to check on me. After I got up and got most of the ones I could see off me, I realized my backside must have looked like a pin cushion. After we got as many off as we could, we headed back to camp (we had gotten all our check points by the time). I managed to sit "just right" on my bike to avoid the sharp pain. When we got back to camp, I had hoped to find either some tweezers or some duck tape (neither of which I could find). The EMT, Mary, ended up getting an up-close and personal view of my backside and she plucked with her fingers one-by-one the cactus spines from my backside. I'm forever indebted to her!! Thank you Mary!! Well, with still quite a few spines in my backside (and yet another clothes change), and after Jon did his wonderful job with mapping the trekking check points, we were off to the trails!

The trekking portion had six checkpoints and let me tell you Jon honed in on them like a magnet! It was amazing. My favorite checkpoint was "top of the world" and we stopped to get some photos while we were up there. We made it back to the transition area around 5:15.

The bottom line is that I had a great time on this race, challenged myself, saw some beautiful country, had a great time with my race partner, Jon, and thoroughly enjoyed meeting a lot of new and interesting folks.

More adventures to come. Next week is the MS150!

All for now,
Lisa

P.S. Photos at left

Seeing the Cross

Outside the campus of my company's worldquarters in San Ramon, CA, there is a wonderful view of a simple cross on a mountain. I had not noticed it until a coworker pointed it out last time I was there. He told me a story of how a friend of his knew the people who built it. A few weeks later, he sent me (and his friend) some photos he took with his camera phone (one of them is at left). Well, his friend (and now my friend!) sent me some WONDERFUL shots of the cross. Here they are:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/131/412247606_d11566fc62_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/371356584_1cd8ff3aa0_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/321593363_fa3ed1886f_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/110/277921763_2d4f58e51f_o.jpg

He also told me the rest of the story of the cross on that mountainside. Here are his words:

My wife used to attend a Bible study with the lady who lives up
there. She and her husband run a farm (ranch?) with cattle and such.
Her husband wanted to do something to show his faith and decided on putting up a
cross on the ridge. They tried several things using large pipes and such
but nothing was very visible. A neighbor asked them to help him dispose of
a large dumpster that was falling apart. They took the dumpster, cut it
apart and welded it into the cross. They had to drag it up the hill with a
large tractor as the cross weighs about 3000 lbs. Then came the inevitable
legal challenges. Nothing too serious but they did end up having to get a
“use permit” from the county.

And now you know the rest of the story!
John Wright
http://bikejohnsdailyphoto.blogspot.com

I urge you to see the cross clearly as we enter this Easter season. I pray for you a reflective day as we observe Good Friday today... to discover the real meaning of Easter - Jesus Christ loves you.

All for now,

Lisa

Austin Adventure

Two words... LOVED IT!!!

This past weekend, a few friends went to Austin for an adventure. We all had a great time. The weather could not have been better (were were slackjawed in amazement). It was absolutely gorgeous.

Friday night began our fun with an outing to Threadgills (we were hoping for some live music). Dinner was great though.

Saturday moning, we drove to Boomer's Rocky Hill Ranch for some trail riding. The bluebonnets at the top were fantastic... and even though there was heavy rain Friday night, we made it up to the top on our own (we didn't need no stinkin' ride!) But because of the rain, there were probably a few more water hazards than usual... which only made for a more interesting trip.

We made it back to base around 2:30... just in time to clean up our bikes, get back to Austin, and head to Town Lake for some kayaking! After munching down on some good fajitas, we kayaked to the Congress Avenue bridge just in time for sunset (and the big bat release!!!)

Migas at Trudy's began our Sunday morning... only to be topped off by worship at Austin Stone Community Church.

Our leisurely drive back was dotted by beautiful vistas of bluebonnets... and a great burger in Bastrop.

Photos at left.

All for now,
Lisa

First Flippin' Blog of 2007

Yes, the rumor of my demise has been greatly exaggerated! I'm alive and well and have been having a great time - spending most of my time outside enjoying our B-E-A-utiful weather.

I have been cycling quite a bit, readying myself for the MS 150 (April 21-22, 2007). Seeing the bluebonnets in bloom from the saddle of my bicycle is quite a treat.

Further, a few friends went camping at Huntsville State Park the first weekend in March. It was a glorious time of trail biking, canoeing, resting, as well as cooking quite the extravagant meals. Who says you have to rough it when you're camping?

And would you believe I bought a kayak! I took it out on Buffalo Bayou last Saturday afternoon... well, there's a whole nuther story there... I actually flipped over in Buffalo Bayou while trying to get into my kayak!! Yup! flipped right over... can't you believe?!?!?! Well, I was trying to get in to the kayak from the boat dock at the Sabine St. bridge (first time in my kayak) and went right over. I think I was more proud of myself that I was able to flip the boat back over (first try) and get in from the water (first try). You know... I have to make the best of it!! ;-)

So, hence the title of this blog. I guess there will be more adventures to come!

All for now,
Lisa

Thank You for Playing... the Gentrification of Houston is Now Complete

gen·tri·fi·ca·tion (jĕn'tre fĭ-kā'shen) n.
The restoration and upgrading of deteriorated urban property by middle-class or affluent people, often resulting in displacement of lower-income people.

My friend, SWM, just informed me that the Pig Stand restaurants as well as Deitrich's would no longer grace Houston. I knew about the Pig Stand restaurants (bankruptcy - which I kinda feel like is their own fault), but Deitrich's was sold out by their landlord. Apparently, the landowners want to expand their spa... and that's what Houston needs... another spa! Worst of all, SWM informed me that Deitrich's would be selling all their stores to Starbucks! Say it ain't so! I mean, I have nothing against Starbucks. I love a good grande nonfat latte. But let us have choices, people!

I suppose I'm in such a foul mood about this because I just drove by that great old building on Allen Parkway and Studemont just to see that they're demolishing it... along with most of the metal buldings along that drive.

And I've recently heard of threats to demolish the River Oaks theatre... in favor of condominiums. Whatever.

I've lived in Houston pretty much all of my life. As I reflect back, I'm mindful of all the fun places that no longer grace Houston.

Landmarks
Shamrock Hotel with its GIANT pool
Jefferson Davis Hospital on Allen Parkway

Music Venues
Old Music Hall
Club Hay Hay on Washington
Fabulous Satellite Lounge

What do you remember?

What's still in Houston that makes it truly unique? The orange show, the beer can house... what else?

I can hear Bob Dylan in my head, "the times they are a-changin'". But is it for the better?

All for now,
Lisa

The End is the Beginning

This is my tribute to Erin B. I just read today on her blog that she's decided to quit blogging. With all the upcoming activities in her life, I can definitely respect her for making this decision. And so like her to not let something idly stand by, but make an active decision. I appreciate that. I know I'm not alone when I say I hope her blogging decision is more of a long hiatus than a permanent decision. But I think that decision can come later.

I looked back and the first comment on my blog was from Erin! So like her.

hmmm...the unshackeling of mysteries. i'm sure many of the mysteries that have
become known to me are secondary to various experiences, even allusive ones.
traveling has always done this for me - getting out, away, alone. solitude, true
solitude as Henri Nouwen speaks of in The Way of the Heart, does this as well.
it's scary, but it's awesome. art and journaling definitely. being brave enough
to share myself with myself. sounds weird, but sometimes i think i hide things
from even my mind's view. digging things up, letting them spill

Most of you may not know this, but she was the reason I started blogging in the first place. I didn't even know her. Just was referred to her blog as I was surfing one day. Read her entries, then her bio and I knew I just had to meet her. Then, at the next First Things First in the city (and First Prebyterian), I asked someone to introduce us (I was hoping she wouldn't think I was a complete weirdo... "hey, I read your blog... huh huh huh huh"). Well, that wasn't the case at all, we decided to meet for lunch at the Daily Grind one day and our frienship was immediate.

I have learned a lot from my friend. Not by anything specific or deliberate, but more of how she has daily lived out her faith, and the perspective she takes. Very much as her comments states above... being brave enough to share herself. I find that unusual, unique, and unbelievably cool!

Here's to you, my friend! I read somewhere that in true art, the end is merely the beginning.

All for now,
Lisa

Night showering vs. Morning showering

Do you shower before going to sleep at night or when you wake up? I have tended to be a morning showerer and depending on what I have done during the day, I will sometimes take one before bed. So, which is better? This has been a topic of conversation recently, so I present to you this:

benefits of showering at night
you go to bed clean (especially nice if you have just put clean sheets on the bed)
a warm shower relaxes you before bed
you have less work to do in the morning

benefits of showering in the morning
a hot shower refreshes you for the day
even though you may shower the night before you still feel dirty in the morning (especially on a warm night in Houston)


I suppose all of this still applies if you prefer a bath over a shower.

All for now,
Lisa

An Editorial About Election Day

So, I walked down to my voting location this morning (I love being able to walk to the location and the fact that it's a 1930's school building just adds to the appeal). Incidentally, I ran into Daniel Williams in the voting line, which was a nice surprise. But I digress.

Today was not much different from most voting days. I've lived in my house for almost 15 years so I have a bit of a perspective on the situation. As a matter of fact, the voting precinct “judge”, or whatever her title is, has been the same lady since I’ve been voting there. As I was waiting in line, I pondered that and the fact that each year has brought new changes and rules. I empathized with her as she struggled to make sure all her bases were covered.

So, my editorial comment is this: why is there so much frustration experienced with voting? I think I experienced the most frustration with the new voting machines. Now, you have to go through two lines. The first was to be qualified to vote (this is where you sign and get a ticket). Then you turn in the ticket to get a code. Then, the second, much longer line was to wait for the voting machines. Unless you vote a straight party vote, it takes time. But what took longer was the fact that the voting machines weren’t working properly, as well as there being so few machines to begin with. UGH! It makes me want to go back to the paper ballots, hanging chads and all.

All for now,
Lisa

P.S. Cartoon courtesy of the Houston Chronicle

Tell tale signs of Jesus!

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I was mindful of how little Christianity I saw around Hong Kong. Well, lo and behold I saw this van on my final day in Hong Kong.

It was parked at the Ferry dock and I took a double-take when I saw it.

I wanted so desperately to find someone who knew about how and why it was parked at the dock, but there was no one around.

Thought it was cool anyway.

All for now,
Lisa

It's All About Perspective!

I mentioned earlier that I was going to talk about the Big Buddha that I visited in Hong Kong, so here's my musings!

The Tian Tan Buddha, (aka "Big Buddha") is on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It's the "world's tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha". The statue is located near the Po Lin Monastery and is supposed to symbolize the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion. It seems to be a major center of Buddhism in Hong Kong, and is also a popular tourist attraction.

I was amazed at the commercialism around this little monastery. As I walked around, I was amazed at how easily the monks walk amongst the tourists.

As I climbed the steps to the Buddha, I was mindful of what all of this meant to a Buddhist. And being in Beth's class right now on the Study of the Psalms of the Ascents, I was very mindful of Psalm 121 as I climbed the stairs. As a matter of fact, I had the song, "I Lift My Eyes Up", going through my head as I climbed each of the 268 steps to the top.

I Lift My Eyes Up

I lift my eyes up Up to the mountains
Where does my help come from
My help comes from You
Maker of Heaven
Creator of the earth

O how I need You Lord
You are my only hope
You are my only prayer
So I will wait for You
To come and rescue me
To come and give me life

My final thought as I toured this place was that I was happy that my God could not be contained in bronze or anything else.

All for now,
Lisa

Confucius Say, Chances of Finding a Nativity Set Slim

OK, so I have been all over Hong Kong in the last 24 hours. It's truly amazing how crowded EVERYTHING is. I've been to Lantau Island to see the Big Buddha (more on him later). I've been to Stanley, which is on the far south side of Hong Kong Island, which is where the flea market shopping is. And I've been to Kowloon, to walk up and down the store-lined streets.

Hong Kong is a shopper's paradise, believe me. But what I've yet to find is a Nativity Set. If you know me, you know I collect Nativity Sets from around the world. It's just one of those things, along with cheesy magnets, that I collect. They don't have to be big or expensive. Just interesting.

Well, nothing. Nada. Zip. Not a one in sight. Oh, I can buy a Buddha in every shape, size, material. But a little Jesus... not a chance.

All for now,
Lisa

Holiday on a Hong Kong Holiday

Much to my surprise, when I arrived at my Hong Kong hotel, I was told by the hotel staff that it's Guóqìngjié! I had no idea what Guóqìngjié was so I had to look it up.

Guóqìngjié, or Chinese National Day, is one of three major holidays in China. The name comes from guó (country) + qìng (celebration) + jié (festival). It marks the founding of the People's Republic of China by Mao Tse-Tung on October 1, 1949.

Hong Kong is going to glow tonight! There will be a fireworks display in Victoria Harbor tonight to celebrate.

I was also told by the hotel staff that there should be large crowds of spectators around the harbor (like there aren't enough people around already!). So, I decided to spend a little extra on my room and get a harbor view (my hotel just happens to be right on the harbor). I'm up on the 32nd floor and I have an excellent view of the harbor! I can wait to see the fireworks display!

What I was also told is don't expect to do any business in China this week. China is closed. He He, I hope the shops are open!!

I feel so fortunate to be here on Hong Kong on one of their major holidays. I am smiling and thanking God now!

All for now,
Lisa

Adventures in Dining, Singapore Style!

I've been quite adventurous while I've been here in Singapore. Here's what I've tried so far:

• grilled octopus (I've had calamari before, but this was a little different)
• grilled squid (was ok)
• shark fin soup (flavor was kinda good)
• bamboo clams (I really liked the flavor of this)
• durian pudding (whew!)
• chicken katsu curry (not that exotic, but really tasted good!)
• Indian-style tapas... go figure!

Looking forward to trying more and more new things!

All for now,
Lisa

Random Musings about Singapore

General Observations

• Everywhere you go there are MASSES of people! And I thought New York was crowded.
• The weather is pretty much the SAME everyday, sunrises and sunsets are the same each day also (because of the proximity to the equator).
• The two best things to do in Singapore is SHOP and EAT!
• There are HUGE shopping malls everywhere. Not huge in American terms though. Think multi-story (4-5 story), COMPACT malls, with very narrow walkways. Every store you can imagine -- and again, masses of people.
  

Personal Experiences

• I worked out at California Fitness yesterday, which is owned by 24 Hour Fitness (and would you believe they even honored my card... what a global village we truly have!).
• Just like the malls, the gym was multi-story with so many machines it felt like a maze to navigate. And again, masses of people.
• Last night, I had my first experience with a unisex bathroom... 4 stalls, 2 sinks, 0 urinals (thank goodness!)
• It's taken a while for my body to adapt to the severe change of time... so far. As of now, I'm fully awake in the middle of the night and falling asleep in the middle of the day.
  

On a Spiritual Note

• The conference has brought representatives from many different countries - I've counted 15 countries from Asia, the middle east, and southern Africa. That also means that there are many different religions represented. I'm intrigued by the melting pot right here in our little conference room (about 150 people).
• Right now, it's Ramadan, so my Muslim colleagues are fasting and praying during the day. It's been very interesting to observe both the Muslims and the non-Muslim colleagues, especially the way they appreciate the diversity.
• I have yet to see a strong Christian presence here, but I've seen the following things in a variety of ways already: Love, Grace, Mercy, Redemption, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Self Control. Interestingly, I've seen these in the people of this region.... most notably, non-Christians. It makes me wonder about the state of my own heart. Do I exhibit these? Are they as visible in me to others as they have been in others to me?
• I remember the end of a "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional, "The undiminished radiance, which is the result of abundant joy, is not built on anything passing, but on the love of God that nothing can change. And the experiences of life, whether they are everyday events or terrifying ones, are powerless to "separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39). Lord, let them see the undiminished radiance, and know the reason!