I can honestly say that form 5 is one of my worst year. I feel like everything is just getting out of hand. When in form 4, i can still stay on top of things if i work a bit harder. but now.. its like, no matter how hard i work, i still feel like im sinking. Am i taking on too many things? I dnt think so.. Its about the same as last year but just a few things more.. a bit more in band, in class.. thats about it. But why is everything piling up? Why am i even wasting my time so much?

well.. here's something for you to read as my blog die off..

A pleasant morning I bid to Ms Anusha and my lovely classmates. My speech today is about a person I look up to. Well, mine is Philip Mantofa, a pastor from Surabaya, Indonesia. He is truly someone whom I look up to and I find his stands relevant to my own.

Here is a little something about him. Pastor Philip was born on the 27^th September 1974 to Hardi and Suzanna Mantofa. He is the second of three sons with brothers, Maxi and John. As a young boy, Philip often had seizures and was sent to Taiwan for treatment. At the age of 16, he went to Canada to further his studies and returned to Indonesia some time after to serve in churches there.

There are many aspects to him that I like; his randomness, his boldness and his love for God and people. However, of all the aspects that I like about him I would like to talk about his love life. This is one topic that I find very interesting.

First off, he married his wife, Irene Sapphira, in August 1999. A big part of their courting relationship is carried our long-distance with Philip in Canada and Irene in Indonesia. They first met each other at the age of 14 and it was love at first sight, though nothing happened till much later. They both knew the risk of long-distance relationships and Philip only goes back to Indonesia two to three times annually. Imagine, only being able to see your loved one a few periods in a year. However, their relationship is blessed by God and they are now happily married with three kids after dating for four years.

Secondly, although he is a pastor of many churches, he is still a humble person. One would think that a man with as much publicity as him would be proud and stuck up but he is exactly the opposite and he is quite romantic too. This is part of a song that he wrote for his Irene:

How can I tell you

How much I love want to be your best friend forever will be

How can I show you how precious you are to me

So precious forever will be

Will you give your love to me?

Will you give your heart to me?

Irene, forever will be..

Thirdly, I like the exclusivity of his love of Irene. All his life, he has only loved one woman. In fact, he said this to her (translated from Bahasa Indonesia); “Actually, I didn’t plan to get married. In fact, it is only when I met you that it has changed my perspective. If you don’t choose me in the end, it’s okay. I would just go on with my earlier plans to concentrate on serving God. But I would still wait for you.” I love how he only waited for the best girl for him and not just choose any Jane or Daisy found along the way.

I have decided long ago to only have one person in my life. Philip and Irene’s story, along with many others, has kept me single –in a good way. Their stories have reminded me that waiting and holding back, at my age, is not pointless.

Heng Sze Kay

5T