Long Update For Christmas~

MERRY BELATED CHRISTMAS EVERYONE~!!!

Since Christine (and many others as well) has been asking for an update, I have decided to load up all the nice photos of the Party and Christmas Day itself. After choosing, editing, and cropping the photos, here are the best 38 photos of the best festival in the year~!!

DR @ The Emmy's

The biggest dinner event in the history of Dunamis Rock fell on 24th December 2007~!!! Close to 50 people turned up for the event, and only a lucky 40 had seats. It was a night where memories were created, stomachs filled with gastronomical cuisine, and great performances were put up.

It was great seeing everyone enjoying themselves for such a night. Yes, a night dedicated from the youths for the youths. The people who made this possible definitely put in a great deal of effort to make this event a huge success. Sponsors for the prizes and awards will also not be forgotten, for without them there would be none of these.

Will we do it again? Not in the next few months, definitely. Lolx.

I didn't have time to take a lot of photos as I was at the back with my capable team preparing the food for everyone who expected a great meal. It was the biggest challenge of my career to prepare food that looked and tasted fantastic for the 40. I'm glad it worked out real fine.

Isaac took charge of the service side of the event. Without him, I doubt the crowd would have had fine service for such a beautiful event. Two thumbs up for Isaac who did a great job! I would also want to thank Jerryl (service), Tao and Jia Hao (kitchen) for their 110% for this night. Truly such giving hearts are appreciated by everyone who were blessed that evening.

So! I shall present you some photos taken during the night. I don't have many, so I'm hoping those who got those great photos would send them over to me. *smiles* Thank you EQ, Yuxuan, and Sarah for helping me take some good photos for the event~!

jerome and shen

Look at the fine young men dressed up for the event. Shen definitely deserved the 'Best Dressed' award. I felt really happy that everyone came dressed in their finest for such an event.

john

The good looks of this guy probably played the hearts of the beautiful ladies that evening. Someone who's always been encouraging me even though he may not feel so. He's going to grow up to be a successful gentleman, I'm sure.

glitz & glamour

Lovely, isn't it? Looking at the table setting, and cutlery placed, I am thankful for Isaac for this hard work throughout the whole event.

christine and david exchanging gifts

2 pretty ladies posing for the camera~

Other than the gifts exchange, we had a lucky draw with up to $350 worth of prizes that were won~! From the team, and everyone present that evening, I want to thank these special people for chipping in!

the only photo of the main course

Thank you Sarah (or so I think) for taking this photo for keeps~! I didn't even have time in the kitchen to take the photos of the 3-coursed meal I did up for everybody. The best part of the evening was how everyone raved about the Cranberry Sauce as seen in the photo. *wide grin*

The night ended with smiles and warmed hearts. I am sure everyone was blessed by such a wonderful evening. Even though I couldn't enjoy the night, I am sure the Lord is looking from above and proud I gave my best for the people I love.

thank you Father for loving me, for giving me the talent of cooking up such a wonderful meal for my brothers and sister. thank you for blessing me for what came after this dinner. thank you for the people who blessed me with their encouraging words and presents this christmas~

Aji by Hanabi - Christmas Lunch

Thank God I woke up for service on Christmas Day. Even though I only slept 4 hours a night on average the week before this day, I am glad I woke up and dragged myself out for a great day ahead.

Pastor's voice improved tremendously since the dinner the night before (it's the food I tell you, it was gastronomical) and he preached a short sermon on not missing Christmas. Charlene lead worship and did it real well. The last song, which was You Raise Me Up, touched me so much that I wept even before the first note was sung. The Lord assured me that He was happy with my effort the night before, and said the 3 most needed words to me - I Love You.

After service, EQ, Edward and I were invited to have lunch with Pastor and Aunty Anna. They asked if I was fine with Japanese, and I was more than willing. I was thinking Sakae, but they brought us somewhere mind-blowing. Aji by Hanabi~!!

we stood in stupefaction

the painting that greeted us

EQ and I looked at each other and were thinking of changing the venue for lunch but Aunty Anna decided on this. I shall not reveal how much they blessed us with for this lunch, but it was definitely not a small amount. With grateful hearts, we entered the beautiful restaurant.

lovely chairs and a pretty table setting

the wonderful couple who blessed us

Before I continue, I really feel I should thank them for such a delicious lunch. Being tired and worn out from the week and night before, this was something really sweet from them. To me, it felt the world that I could sit and enjoy a meal with the people I love.

the tired but blessed chef

DO YOU SEE MY EYEBAGS?!?! *faints* It's super obvious man. I need to get rid of them ASAP~! Haha, that's what the next few days are for~! We're going to the Zoo tomorrow~! Imagine how much fun we're going to have! The weather will be perfect (I hope). I can't wait to..

=.=''' I actually digressed.

Back to the lunch we were blessed with. EQ and Edward had a great time too~!!

edward and mr. charming

Yep, that boy on the right won Mr. Charming the night before. I think he deserved it because he's such a great blessing in everyone's life. He's blessed and encouraged me so much this coming year. Nothing I can say or do can express how much I'm thankful for this brother in my life.

pastor orders in chinese~!!

Yep, Pastor ordered the dishes in simple Mandarin. Pretty impressive for someone who's never learnt the language his whole life. I know he does well in Hokkien, but in recent times he's been doing quite a bit of Mandarin too. Good job Pastor~!

the 3 blessed brothers

I'm fat.

Here are but some photos I took of the lunch we had~!!

potato salad

grilled mushrooms

sashimi

potato croquettes

I think it was pretty shocking to EQ and Edward to see Pastor and I exchanging the conversations we had. Over the last few months, it's been pretty cool to talk to Pastor (with all due respect) in the way I talk to him now. And no, Pastor, that's not the reason why Aunty Anna gave me the Tommy Hilfiger True Star Men.

stewed tender beef

salmon on mesclun mix

I know you all think I'm using descriptions very much French but that's how I usually write up on food. Lolx. Unless I get the Japanese names of what I got, I think this is the best for now. Haha.

yummy temaki~!!!

The Temaki were fantastic I tell you~~!!! The seaweed is so good, the rice and filling fresh. Probably one of the best Temaki I've had in years. Simply to die for. I ate like 6 a few and they were truly delectable.

After lunch, the 3 of us walked around a bit in Vivo. We spotted Esther shopping for perfume. Edward brought us to the place where people fish, but apparently no one has caught anything. =.=''' And it was scorching hot. Lolx.

We met the other youths after that at the usual to do play LAN. We had a good game, and I rushed home after that to get changed for Christmas Dinner with my family. The train was packed like nothing I've seen before. The extra wait at every station just ate into the time which was precious to me.

One-Ninety @ the Four Seasons Hotel

I got to the apartment on time, but I could have been earlier. We didn't have enough time to open up my present so we went for dinner first. It was a formal dinner for the 4 of us at the Four Seasons. Being dressed up for the dinner really set the mood for the whole evening. We were dressed to wow the people who greeted us at the entrance of the hotel.

sarah dressed for the occasion

best looking chef in the world

We were greeted by their warm service at both the entrance of the hotel and restaurant. One-Ninety is a fantastic restaurant, with really fine decor. I could not keep my eyes of the intricate little details of the restaurant, from the seats we sat on to the smiles that were carried on the managers walking around.

gordon and mom

blessed with the best parents

We had a 6-coursed dinner that blew us away. The menu for Christmas Day Dinner was just wonderful. Coincidentally, the last 2 courses were very much similar to what I served the night before. Heh.

seared foie gras on whipped sweet potatoes,
with cinnamon spiced blueberry coulis

The foie gras was seared to perfection. Crispy on the outside, melting in your mouth on the inside. Truly a mark of what a great chef can achieve.

scallop and prawn napoleon,
with avocado and herbed pesto dressing

What a pretty dish to even touch! The avocado and herbed pesto dressing was marvellous. I love pesto, and my mom seconds the compliment I gave for this dressing. The physallis at the side was an interesting touch. The scallops and prawns had a great texture and bite.

wild mushroom soup,
with mascarpone and white truffle cream

The richness of this dish was what made it stand out from the 2 courses we had before. The intricate flavours that burst when you take your first sip is the reason why you go for the next. Smooth and profound, this dish was definitely a joy to finish to the last drop.

champagne jelly,
with pink grapefruit granite

Refreshing! This dish cleansed our palate for the next course. It was nice to taste how the champagne jelly complimented the grapefruit.

roasted butterball turkey, green beans, crushed potatoes,
cornbread stuffing, herbed gravy and cranberry sauce

This sure sounds familiar doesn't it? Since I missed it for the world the night before, Christmas certainly ended beautifully because I had turkey, and cranberry sauce. *smiles*

I love turkey because of it's texture. However, in the hands of an unskilled chef, it wouldn't have turned out perfect. The turkey was tender, with the cornbread stuffing complimenting it flawlessly. The crushed potatoes melts in your mouth, together with the herb gravy. Finishing off the dish with a most special cranberry sauce was heaven.

garlic and rosemary leg of lamb over sweet potato puree,
with brussels sprouts and red wine reduction

Gordon and Sarah chose this over the turkey that Mom and I had. Interestingly, the leg of lamb wasn't tough at all! The sweet potato went well as a side, together with the acquired taste of the brussels sprouts. The taste of the whole dish shot the roof with the red wine reduction that came along with it.

warm old fashion christmas pudding,
served with berries and brandy sauce

Finishing off this special dinner was another familiar dish from the night before. The christmas pudding was smooth and rich. The berries and brandy sauce did not overpower the taste of the pudding. Serving this dish with the ice cream just brought this dinner to a lovely end.

Walking off the meal back to the apartment sure seemed like a good idea. I knew that Orchard Road was closed to vehicles, but I didn't really know why. Walking through the crowd, I realised that there were floats lining the road and a concert that was close to ending by the time we got there.

a lovely christmas tree

It was amazing to hear the speakers (Huang ShuFang and another guy) speak about the true meaning of Christmas. One day, I believe Moriah will reach out to people just like this. *nods*

We got back to the apartment, and I got to open my last few presents from the Gordon and Mom. Gordon took a lot of effort in wrapping these presents, and I was careful not to tear the wrapping up too badly. Heh.

4 presents from 2 great people

Yes, isn't it just great to receive so many presents from just 2 people? Well, I believe that's how much they love both me and Sarah. Thank you Gordon and Mom for these wonderful gifts~!!!

You see the card on the extreme left? It isn't just an ordinary card with blessings. It came along with the pact that they would give Sarah and I SGD*** every Christmas. We could either use half of it (the pact is 1 for 1) to spend, or use the full amount for savings. Ultimately when we are old enough, the money would belong totally to us. It was amazing to see how from ZERO savings, I have gone to SGD**** in a year. Thank you Gordon for instilling in us the importance of savings.

I didn't expect any of these at all. Upon opening the wrapping of the first box, I shouted for joy at what I saw.

oh my goodnesss
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*shouts for joy*

All along I've been using my sister's camera, and I feel guilty robbing her of her time with it. The 2mb that has been with me for 5 years just can't function the way I need it to anymore.

And now~~!!!

*catches breath*

Thank you Gordon and Mama~!! It's what I really needed~!! Now that I've gotten it, I will treasure it and keep it in good condition! I will go around and take fabulous photos of things, food, and the people around me!

I thought I was going to miss Christmas this year. With the amount of work I had, with the amount of obligations that came along with the commitment I promised, I just couldn't prepare for Christmas presents. I believe though, that my time and effort touched the lives of many. This is my Christmas gift to the world in 2007.

One last photo before I end this long post.

a really happy boy

I will be handing this camera back to my Sis so that she can explore here creativity through photos as well.

The next time you see a photo in this space, you will know it's from the new cam I got from Christmas~!!