Sayonara Singapore

When I was mid flight from Singapore to Kota Kinabalu last night I felt a new surge of energy and renewed purpose. The magnitude of what I did in the past 10 hours was just beginning to sink in. I told no one what I was about to do, not even my closest friends. By noon I had burned my bridges with Singapore except the ties of friendship. Only one friend knew I was stopping over and to find a honest friend is a rare treasure. By noon today I was speeding past Mount Kinabalu towards Ranau. I could have delayed my return to College on the excuse of needing rest from my 8-day travels in three countries.
From the bright lights of Singapore I ventured into the remotest parts of the earth. Singapore is a great city - peaceful, clean, orderly and everyone gets on with his business without fuss. All government servants I encountered were professional, polite and efficient. And most of them were Malays who spoke English. Perhaps we can take a page from Singapore story and learn a thing or two. No racial discrimination and all races get along pretty well and English has much to do with that kind of nationhood. In Indonesia every people and every race speaks Indonesian and national unity is upheld in its 13,000 islands across the vast Indonesia Republic from Papua to Sumatra over 3 time zones.

In human calculation it was folly to give up my right to remain in Singapore. There is universal healthcare and one can even opt to receive monthly gratuity from one's savings during one's working life. And the currency is going strong. I had a glance at the exchange rate at 3.13 MYR to 1SGD. But we become fools for Christ following the example of Christ who in the form of God did not think equality with God something to be grasped but emptied himself and took on a human body and humbled himself unto death on the cross. I read God's promise to Abraham in Genesis how he would be a blessing to many nations only if he obeyed God's call to leave his homeland and go forth in faith to an unknown land. In his wanderings and travels Abraham would meet many people some friendly others hostile, thus God promised to bless those who bless Abraham and curse the one who despises him. I have seen the truth of this promise in my life with God my protector and strong refuge.