Today is a happy occasion for my family as my brother Roger finally decided to get baptised at his church Shelter Baptist Church this morning.  

According to the Christian faith, being baptised is an act of obedience that is symbolic of one turning away from one's sins and living a life of faith in God. It identifies the believer with Christ in His burial, death and resurrection, provides a public testimony of one's relationship with God, and signifies the act of death to one's sins, resurrection and cleansing.

This Biblical passage below probably describes it well:

“We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.” Romans 6:4-5

Witnessed by my mum, my auntie Yuan Yuan and uncle Yew Kong, and my family (Ethan, Tina and I), the service coincided with Shelter Baptist Church's 25th anniversary and Mother's Day celebration.  We were taught the virtues of praising the Lord in all circumstances based on the scriptural passage from Psalm 150, and encouraged to lift His name in prayer.

As part of the service, we were treated to performances by the children. My niece and nephew Ariel and Isaac did a cheerful dance with the words "CHRISTIAN" as you can see below:

Thereafter, we were led to worship and praise singing familiar favourites like "Amazing Grace" by worship led by various pastors and worship leaders including Thomas and Hoong Yip.

This was followed by a sermon by Reverend Joseph Seah which was charmingly translated by the lady next to him (sorry forgot her name).

For the section on the baptism, Roger was invited on stage to give his testimony, which I recorded with my camera (somewhat shakily). Somehow, his voice sounded different on air.

Thereafter, we all adjourned to the back of the room where the baptism pool was located.

Roger was the second baptism candidate today. He was baptised by Reverend David Teo who had to also "get wet" as part of the job as you can see in the photos below.

My son Ethan managed to capture "the dunking" on video too!

After the baptism, there was lots of cake cutting and photo taking as the church celebrated its 25th anniversary. You can see that everybody was having fun amidst the chaos and the coordination needed!

I am glad that Roger decided to take this leap of faith today and pray that his journey with God will continue to grow in the road ahead.

Here are more photographic highlights of the service at Shelter Baptist Church that was held this morning:

Courtesy of Greenr

I've read recently that the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) is proposing that supermarkets should charge for plastic bags as a way of reducing the amount consumed in Singapore. Kudos to SEC for proposing this move. 

While I agree that this could help to reduce the amount of non-recyclable and non biodegradable plastics used in our packaging, about 2/3rds of Singaporeans polled by Yahoo! objected to this. Their opposition probably stemmed from fears that like everything else, adding the cost of plastic bags to any form of shopping would add fuel to the high inflation rates that are worrying everybody here.

What are the true costs of plastic bags?

First, we need to understand what harm it does. In this very comprehensive and well researched article in Science 2.0, we learn that plastic bags:

1) have a slow rate of decomposition (I believe they can last for thousands of years), and are very dangerous for sea life;

2) are a sources of "microplastic" particles (or "plastic plankton"), which is vastly present in many marine areas around the world;

3) are able to absorb high concentrations of the toxic substances in water, which can in turn be absorbed by living organisms;

4) are now one of the most easily reproduced plastic materials (using biodegradable biopolymers);

5) is the product for which the market can best withstand a relatively high increase in the cost of raw materials, due to their low unit price.

According to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), there are "up to 6 pounds of marine litter to every pound of plankton”, and that there are "over 46,000 pieces of plastic litter are floating on every square mile of ocean today".

The danger of plastic bags for marine organisms is well documented. They can suffocate sea turtles, whales, large fishes, and other fishes and animals. They result in pollution, accumulation of toxins, and destruction of marine habitats and ecosystems.

Most soberingly, the prevalence of plastic bags in our oceans could result in a poisoning of our own seafood supply.

In Singapore, about 1.2 kg of crude oil (yes, that diminishing, non renewable resource) goes into every kg of bag manufactured according to A*STAR. In 2011, we used about 3 billion plastic bags in Singapore. This translates to 37 million kg of crude oil and 12 million kg of natural gas.

As a consumption oriented society where shopping is a national pastime, many Singaporeans are inundated with plastic bags, plastic packaging, and shrink wraps in almost everything that we buy. In the name of hygiene, aesthetics, and convenience, we are generating a huge amount of waste that will become our legacy for future generations.

I urge all Singaporeans to do what we can to reduce our need for plastic bags. Let us bring our own bags for shopping and support businesses that are good for the environment (like our friendly neighbourhood karang guni man).

I am trying to do my bit to support the reduction of plastic bags by using recyclable bags (see below) so that my descendants don't have to live in a global garbage dump. Will you do so too?

After a hectic week of work and study in preparation for the Ethan's upcoming mid-year exams, we decided to have a relaxing evening out in the park. I proposed visiting the Tanjong Rhu area having cycled from Marina South, through the Marina Barrage area, to the Gardens by the Bay East. This is an interim garden by the waterfront while the main Gardens by the Bay is being developed at the Marina South area.

While the weather was somewhat warm and humid, we did enjoy a slight breeze at the quiet new park. It was great to have the park mostly to ourselves, save for an occasional cyclist, inline skater, and stroller. We brought along Ethan's inline skates so that he could roll about for a bit, get some fresh air, and help his blood to circulate. It will also help to get him into the right mood by stimulating those endorphins and serotonins before his Chinese oral exams tomorrow morning.

We had a rather interesting surprise as we walked/bladed in the park and saw a kite being flown in the air by...errr... nobody. After looking around the garden and determining that nobody was coming to claim it, we flew the kite as we walked along and rolled back to our car. Ethan sure had fun with it, as you can see in the photos below.

Visiting Singapore's gorgeous gardens and parks is a good way to spend Earth Day. I'd recommend this park for anybody keen on a little peace, quiet and serenity while relishing the gorgeous views of the Marina Bay area as its backdrop. Its certainly a pleasant way to spend a relaxing Sunday evening and to refresh our tired minds and bodies before the onset of another hectic week ahead.

Here's the rest of the photos for your viewing pleasure!