kennyvoon's Xanga

The big fuss-of-a-decision

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:18:59 GMT

Soprano Sax or Alto Clarinet?

There have been two instruments I've always wanted since I was fifteen. The only things stopping me then was age, money, credit cards (for PayPal access) and Malaysia (of which eBay sellers do not usually post to). Now the barriers are no more! Before leaving Australia, I intend to buy one of the following instruments:

Soprano Saxophone ($399)
It is the same instrument Kenny G plays (although he plays all the sax's, the soprano's the one you hear him play most of the time) and fully made of brass despite being a woodwind instrument. It is a hundred bucks cheaper than the alto clarinet. This is how it sounds like - Soprano Saxophone.

Alto Clarinet ($499)
A nice sleek variation from the regular Bb Clarinet's, it features a metallic bell and joint much like an alto saxophone. As far as I know, NO ONE in Malaysia has one (unless you go to the MPO or something), which makes owning one uber cool. The alto clarinet sounds like this - Alto Clarinet. Note, that it does sound similar to a Bb Clarinet but the punch-notes which define this instrument are at the end of the clip.

If I own a bank, I'd like to have both of them, and I probably would someday.. eventually. But my parents will probably nag me down for getting even just one of them, two for murder. Hence for now, I'd like to buy one and take advantage of the tax reclaims when I leave Australia (you can claim back GST at the airport if you spend $300 or more on a single receipt). The prices above are much cheaper than any listed price one can find back in Malaysia. But my love for both instruments makes it so difficult to decide! I'd appreciate any insight people can give =)

By the way, this is me NOT hinting for a birthday present.

Shocked at the disagreements on servant leadership

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:13:52 GMT

I came home today slightly disturbed by what some of my classmates shared in class today in a discussion of servant leadership. That is, leaders who puts others needs and aspiration above their own. They do not have a conscious choice in being leaders and act out of service for the well-being of others.

Some of my classmates violently disagreed towards such forms of leadership.

Their comments include:
"I will not to do something for someone if I know I will not get something in return."

"It just won't work - how can a CEO expect to get anything done if he/she is bogged down in the grassroots"
(When comparing authoritative styles of leadership with that of servant leadership)

"You can never be the CEO of a large organisation if you're a servant leader. You need to be aggressive."

"When I work, I don't have time to think for others. I need to put myself first".

"You don't hear someone who is a servant leader receiving a Nobel Prize. Only CEO's and highly successful leaders".

"I wouldn't have done it." (When referring to the works of Tim Costello's selfless community service record and also that of a pharmaceutical company having developed a drug that will cure a form of blindness, it's CEO deciding it would be more ethical to give the drugs to the those in poverty who really need it, rather than conform to the company's shareholders who didn't want to develop the drug if no profits were involved.

What bothered me a lot is that these comments were unanimous, even the lecturer sung in the same tune.

I don't know about everyone else, but I sure do not want to live in a world where no one is watching our backs, not willing to share the world we live in collectively without expecting something in return. That's just not the way we are meant to live.

Anyway, something the ones who commented did not realise is that this discussion was based on a journal, which academic references were based on the Bible and Jesus Christ. Perhaps they failed to realize that:

- Jesus is the CEO of the largest and one of the most effective organizations in the world (2 billion followers). He was the ULTIMATE servant leader, going to the extent of dying for us.
- Mother Teresa did win a Noble Prize.
- If weren't for someone in the past and present who were selfless enough to give up their lives (in some way), we wouldn't have been where they are now financially.

Somehow, there was a great absence in humanity today, and what was more disturbing was that these were all Masters students. Perhaps it's just the comments of a few outspoken students plus one lecturer.. there were some who kept quiet. I hope they, like me, disagree with their views.

My Assignment Approcach

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:03:59 GMT

In case you're not able to see the words, on the desktop it reads:
Time: 12.09am
Date: 25th August 2009

At the bottom, the unit outline reads:
Due date: 25th August 2009
Weighting: 20%

At that point I just begun, with just a few sentences. (LOL!)

I really don't know why I lack for the motivation for these things. Countless times have I blogged about it. Well, this particular assignment has extra "refusal to do early" points because it's financial management - a subject I simply find contradicting human nature. There simply isn't any fear in terms of the due date, although I may bitch about it being near (or exceeded). Perhaps this calm comes from the Holy Spirit. Perhaps, it's just me not being a cent. Anyway, I ended up handing in this assignment about 28 hours after it's due via email.

This is just one of the countless stories I have throughout my stay in Monash, which began mainly during my final year of my bachelors degree. People around me know quite well of my "hand-up" late ethics to a point they more surprised if I do hand up early.

But the result is always the same.

Does this justify my actions?

The Temporary Resident

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:03:49 GMT

Rachel Kam and her family are off for a road trip and the Bettina's are left to take care of a little someone called Sash.

Here she is on my bed sometime after midnight. We weren't able to get her to sleep in the living room. Oh well, might as well spoil her while she's around.

Clayton's Leaders Training Camp

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:20:59 GMT

Done with a week of assignments, a crazy presentation and sailing into a weekend for once after a long while without the thought of what's next on my reading list and without anything due in the next two weeks. The coming week is also quite promising being my last week on my casual job with Monash Meeting Point. What a luxury of time I will have for myself! Even as I'm blogging right now, I forgotten how much I treasure free time and just having a clear and focused mind for other things which matter in life.

Last weekend OCF Clayton held a leaders training camp and retreat at Snake Valley, about 20 minutes after Ballarat. These training camps are mainly for us to getaway from the distractions of home and to have fellowship with one another. Overnight stays like this do have a profound effect in helping each other to bond. A change in environment is also preferred rather than going back to the same old places.

As for me, I'm just glad I'm somewhere far away with friends.

I was half hoping for a roadtrip. Initially, I was told the retreat was somewhere near Geelong.. which means an opportunity to go fishing. But as I found out - the sea was about 2 hours away. As for a roadtrip, we did stop over in Ballarat town for lunch at the Beechworth Bakery which featured a range of sweetening delicacies. This bakery was probably the 10th "Best Bakery" I've visited. I'm starting to wonder which one is true.

Some of us in the Ballarat's shopping district (Bottom)
Kaitlin about to dig into a whole load of sugar (top left). The words read -" Treat your body like a temple, have another cake" (top right)

In terms of knowledge, it has certainly been a good reminder of why and how we do things in OCF. This year we were privileged to have Aunty Merrilyn speaking for us during LTC. She's been with OCF during the crucial years laying many foundations towards how OCF Australia operates today. Aunty Merilyn is also OCF Australia's Board of Advisor, which commits in giving OCFers spiritual, administrative and miscellaneous guidance. I was inspired by her sharing of her life story, becoming a missionary at a very young age (I think 21) into the jungles of Papua New Guinea and staying there for years. Even now, she regularly goes for missions in Tibet and China. Her heart for young people and international students is also equally inspiring.

This is my third time meeting her, but it's the first time I had good discussions with her. Among our topics, we talked about the history of OCF Victoria, particularly on Geelong and some of the other older centers. It's obvious she has a heart for those centers to revive themselves someday, something I'm working on. She also gave some pointers on the State Rep issue, not liking the tone of a "committee". I'd be getting more insights from her in the days to come as she will be with us in Victoria for a whole month.

I'm very excited for OCF Clayton next year. We have a bigger pool of leaders to work with, especially after this year where a big bunch of returnees graduated and left a huge gap to fill. But I'm glad for leaders like Ivie, Clayton's chairperson, who did whatever she could to keep the center going. Also really glad for advisors like Chee Kai who is constantly looking after us despite having a family, his own training center and whose time is usually of premium. Naturally, the grassroot members make the center a great place to be - every single person, be it for great leadership, ones with funny or weird ethics, everyone plays a part in the making of a great center. Of course, I thank God for His faithfulness.

Chee Kai leading the second day's session on the needs of the present generation

OCF Clayton LTC 2009

On the second day of camp, I woke up at 7.30am thanks to my alarm clock while the others slept in till 9. It was freezing cold and I just couldn't get back to sleep, so I took a nice hot shower and decided to spend some time doing devotion at the lake. Finally, I'm waking up early for the sunrise - something I've always wanted to do in my 2 and a half years here in Australia.

Something changed me in this camp. Somehow, the events in the past few weeks are causing me to realign myself towards something more worthy of what God wants. I haven't been as close to Him as I was a year ago due to the busyness of life. Now I just want to get things straight again and make this last remaining weeks count. To leave another footprint here in Australia.

Proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Not my favor, but the favor of His Kingdom.

It's a very Voon thing

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:22:55 GMT

I've been doing some thinking of myself late - why am I the way I am, while contemplating my attitude towards studying. Dwelling into some thoughts, I find that most of the male ancestors exhibit similar traits.

My uncle skips class to go fishing.
My dad, while studying in one of the top schools in KL sleeps in class.
My grandfather loves getting his hands dirty with craft and recreational activities.
My cousin brother lives as though he's never had a near death experience (he almost died when a car rammed into him, really really hard, while cycling).

Looks like I'm a mix of everything above. I skip class, I am mentally asleep in class (sadly, gone were the days I actually dare to sleep in class), I love doing anything but studying and I defy death (not worried about handing up work late).

After exhibiting all these traits, I really thank God for bringing me where I am now.. with the undeserving grades I get.

Perhaps it is a very Voon thing - to be in God's favour =)

*ps: This entry is not meant to bang all the male members of my family. Instead - treat it as a compliment!

NPMM Night 09

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:06:42 GMT

National Prayer and Missions Month is a period where all OCF centers will encourage its members to pray daily for an assigned country and center. In conjunction with this event, OCF Victoria has an annual gathering somewhere in the middle of the second semester to emphasis a state focus on the importance of missions and prayer. OCF after all is a missions based organisation, where we "reach out" to fellow students, making our universities a mission field. NPMM Night was also aimed at improving state unity, otherwise, the centers only come together once a year during Easter Camp, which is wayyy too little!

I was partly involved with organising NPMM as one of my "assignments" being part of Viccomm. I find that my organisational skills have badly degraded since the first time I left Malaysia. Too many loop holes and risk. But I'm glad the actual event turned out fine in the end (that's assuming I don't get shot down during the next coming review of the event).

Being part of OCF has been quite a journey. One that makes a whole lot of sense with regards to where I'm headed next. God has taken me from strength to strength in this ministry which I will undoubtedly need back in BB.

Much has happened lately. Quit my job due to the studying load and also to enjoy the last few months I have in Australia. In less than 4 months I will back home for good. Life is suddenly becoming more exciting again.

Pastor Ken Teo speaking at NPMM 2009, Casey Plaza RMIT

A Bunch of Hippies at the Grampians

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:10:11 GMT

Hippie Ephies. That's the cell group I'm in this semester. Ephies after the Book of Ephesians. Hippie after our hippie-ish CG leader, who on part got the idea from me, which I ironically objected to.

It's a custom to go on road trips as a cell to foster relations and bonding. We picked the Grampians as our get away spot for the weekend due to its proximity, as well as the fact that most of our cell members haven't been there before. It is my third trip to that region. Somehow, it never gets dull. Last year, I hoped God will bring me back to the Grampians after one of the best camps I ever had. I never imagined He will grant that wish. Twice.

In a sense, it was a different trip due to different company. Quite relaxing and enjoyable due to the different routes, more daring excursions and cam-whoring moments. Wildlife and scenery is still one of the best Victoria has to offer. My only regret is not having the coffee and pie at Stawell.

.
Left: Heh. I step step step you! Right: Surprisingly enjoyed playing with the parrots in this trip.

I remember this time last year, the cell bonded so well.. we dreaded separating and moving apart. Come the beginning of the year, the become "sien" needing to repeat the whole bonding process again. I think it's important to know that eventually, we WILL bond and form long lasting relationships. People may come and go, but we need to remember God always places people into our lives. This all plays a part in His great plan.

I'm still quite excited for what's in store for this bunch of Hippies. Can't wait for the next thing!

Hippie Ephies of OCF Clayton 2009
Lynette Goh (leader), Faith Luo, Bernard Tee, Melissa Khong, Elisa Mak (my former CG lead btw), Sabrina Tan (my housemate =.="), Tan Ming Han, Tan Eilene, Wai Shan, Richard Chow, Matthew Khaw and few others

My Drive Up to Sydney and Back

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 07:14:59 GMT

Yet another road trip! Just when I should be getting sick and tired of them. This semester has been rough in terms of academia. Very often I found myself taking time off from reading journals or typing out of essays to plan this trip to Sydney. For some reason, I enjoy planning road trips and its a pleasure whenever my friends and passengers are happy (if they are happy) with the itenary they experience.

We started of with a full car from Clayton made out of Yasmeen, Kang Wei, Chien Aun, Sheen Li and myself on the early morning of July 10th, 2009. Our final destination was Sydney the next evening.

Our first stop was at the Monash Gippsland campus. It was a pleasant surprise, I honestly loved the place! It was clean, very new looking, fairly big and most importantly - pretty. Too bad Berwick lacks the size while Caulfield lacks the charm.

We went onward to Lakes Entrance, our scheduled stop for lunch. At that point we were 2-3 hours into our trip with an estimated 3 hours to go before reaching our stop at Merimbula, New South Wales. We spent a fair deal at Lakes to eat and to walk around. Unfortunately most things close 5, including the boat rentals which we intended to go for. After buying dinner at Safeways (Suimin cup noddles) we continuedon our journey. The first day was nothing much. The only pleasant surprise were the stars at night. We pulled over at the VIC-NSW's border to for a group shot and to star gaze. Away from any towns in middle of no where, the stars seem to more radient. We could even see gas clouds!

The beautiful stars along the dark Princes Highway road to Sydney

We stayed the night at Merimbula Beach Holiday Park, located rought 45 minutes after the NSW-VIC border, arriving after 10pm. Upon arrival, we were surprised by the amount of wild rabbits running around. Too bad we weren't able to catch any. The accomadation itself was cheap for what we got - only $25 per person. The town was only visible the next morning, but first, we headed to the beach for a nice stroll. Merimbula town is a humble fishing village, with some emphasis to tourism. There was an airfield near by for those unlike us who are rich and wish not to endure hours in a car. After a big breakfast meal, we continued northwards to Sydney.

Our next stop was a town called Tathra. It was an unscheduled stop. My idea was just to visit any tourist attractions a town would have. In Tathra was this historical wharf. Good thing for me, I brought my fishing rods! The bad the was we were using the wrong bait (typical). Pipi's were too soft and fragile for what we were after.. fish with small mouths, and our rods were setup too loose. He had a few convincing nimbles though. But how embarassing it was for us to end up with nothing while other anglers around us had something like 4-5 fishes each.

We moved on after an hour and a half following the tourist drive instead of the Princes Highway. The difference between the two was very little, perhaps a narrower highway, but both had speed limites of 100-110kmph anyway. The views along tourist routes were definitely more interesting to drive on. One of those interesting moments was Wallaga Lake (first two picturs below) where we stopped to stretch our legs.

The next 3-4 hours saw us sticking to on to our journey with just another stop at Wollongong. It was straight on to the Sydney. Initially, I had planned to arrive around 11pm. However, we arrived at about 8.30pm. My motive - I wanted to avoid the narrow, congested and extremely confusing roads of Sydney, not to mention The insane parking cost (cheapest place I found was $29 a day, while the meters charge $5.50 an hour!). I managed to find a way to dodge the meters - park further out. There are free parking lots at least two stations away from Central Station. So that's what I did, though I did worry for my car's security and the possibility of summons.

We started our full day in Sydney on a high - breakfast at Sydney Fish Market. Man! I will miss the sashimi, cheese baked oysters, scallops and the fresh fried fish! As for the rest of the day, I do not really remember everything I did, but basically we went back to the same places as well as trying other's I've not been to before.

One of those on the checklist was the Lowenrau restaurant, a place I've heard time and again of it's fantastic German sausages. And wow - I was super satisfied with what I had. We ordered pork knuckles as well as a sausage platter. Other destinations covered included Manly Beach, McElhone Place, a tropical fish shop (the best I've seen in Australia) and a few paper shops which Yasmeen wanted to visit.

There were really only two full days in Sydney. In a short time we found ourselves packing our bags and moving on the last last phase of our road trip back to Melbourne. We headed onward to Canberra, making passing through a few towns which beared little interest. We left Sydney with two cars, and though both cars travelled out of the city together, we somehow got seperated (or more like I zoomed away, Ruo's car was way too slow). Apparently the other car stumbled upon a reputable bakery at Bowrai and talked about it throughout the trip to a point it qualified as annoying. We on the other hand we took the routeto Berrima, which gave a feel similiar to Mount Dandenong with all it's cafes and antique shops. However, we decided to by pass the town and straight into another town called Goulburn. We visited a war memorial tower overlook the entire town as well as having our own award winning pies at a well known bakery. After a brief hour, we moved on towards Canberra.

It was a fantastic scenic drive, with open plains which reminded me of the Plains of Palenor in Lord of the Rings, windmills and mountain terrains which ran for miles. After about an hour, we reached Canberra with only and hour and a half to spare. We visited all we could - Bunker Hill, the War Memorial.. in time to catch them playing the Last Post. We it last minutes of daylight we ascended Mount Ainslie for a scenic lookout which was utterly breathtaking. On the way down we almost ran over a kangaroo. From there it was a straight drive to Wagga Wagga where we stayed the night.

The next day proved to be an "interesting" drive towards Wangaratta, passing through major towns such as The Rowck, Culcairn and Albury, where we meet up with the OCFers from Melbourne University. After that, we experience countless U-turns for hours while trying to look for a bar which we did not even dine in. We ended daylight again at a scenic lookout point in Wadonga, where the pictures below were taken. The place was also close to 1 degrees celcius, taking it a bloody cold place to be.

Time passed by relatively quick and we found ourselves at Wangaratta for dinner and for the night. The next day we were off trying out wineries in the famour Milawa region. One particular winery of interest was the Brown Brothers winery which had a fantastic selection of wine. I bought a bottle of dolcetto and syrah for myself. Annother noted stop is the Milawa Cheese factory and a mustard factory - which I'd say was pretty interesting having a range of mustards to taste from mild to spicy. I even bought some mustard from them.

After a couple more stops in Milawa we headed straight to Mansfield, near Mount Buller for lunch. From there both cars seperated as the other car wanted to head up to Buller while mine just wanted to go home. Our final stop was yet another lookout point in Eildon National Park where I found a new destination to camp.

After dinner at Rich Mahal, 7 days into the trip, we finally reached Clayton at 9pm, in time to collect our results. I would like to thank my carmates as well as other OCFers from the trip for making it a memorable ride. Also, a big thanks to my car which has remarkably out done itself, bringing me interstate for the THIRD time.

Quite a blessed trip. Can't wait for the next!

Winter Camp 09

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:00:54 GMT

OCF Clayton held a winter camp at the same place they did last year at Mt. Morton Lodge, in Belgrave from the 3-5th July 2009.The theme this year was "Be ready cause we believe" taken out from 1 Peter 3:15 which calls us to be ready to stand up for our faith whenever we are asked of who Jesus is - which would of course require knowingly Him intimately.. otherwise how to stand up for someone we know little about??
The format of this years camp was slightly different. Normally, we will only invite a single speaker for a camp. This time we had three different speakers.. even with additional personnel for workshops.

Surprisingly, there were a few new experiences in this camp.. such as catching a parrot with my bare hands.. and burning coins at the campfire, hoping to see them melt but didn't cause the branch broke.
The camp committee did a great job! I'm sure many were blessed by camp, not to mention the two salvations we have. Praise God! Well done Jeremy Lee (Chairperson), Suyi (Vice-chair), Sheen Li (Treasurer), Eileen (Secretary & Worship Coord), Glenda (Publicity), Eugene Tong (Programs) and Ru O (Chief Chef).

My Winter Camp Cell Group - one of them,"GM", who was also my bunk mate who slept right below me went straight back to Singapore the next day and tested positive for swine flu. I'm sure some of us have it too as many show symptoms.. none serious.

Campers from OCF Clayton, Caulfield and Melbourne Uni!