Filipinos from City Harvest Church (CHC) commemorate the 111th Philippine Independence Day with celebrities Barbie Almalbis, Danica Sotto and the Manoeuvres.

It was 12 June 1898 when Filipino revolutionary forces proclaimed the sovereignty and independence of the Philippine Islands from the 333-year colonial rule of Spain. Year after year, various groups in the Philippines and around the globe are observing this triumphal day with numerous forms of merry-making and events that showcase Philippine culture and ingenuity.

What can one expect of celebrations by Filipinos? It would certainly be spirited, joyous and filled with a family atmosphere. From fashion shows, beauty pageants, and dance competitions to sports tournaments, food festivals, parades, music and film productions by well-known artists. Such activities aim to demonstrate camaraderie and brotherhood among fellowmen.

This year on 14 June 2009, the Filipino Ministry of CHC invited Christian Filipino celebrities such as Barbie Almalbis, Danica Sotto and three members of the dynamic dance troupe Manoeuvres to perform at The Riverwalk in Clarke Quay. Over 260 Filipinos witnessed their impressive show of talents and heard their life-changing testimonies. Crowds cheered and sang along, undoubtedly feeling closer to home.

Prior to that, the Philippine flag was raised and every Filipino heartily sang the national anthem, “Lupang Hinirang” (Chosen Land). A special number was delivered by the members of the Filipino cell groups in the form of a folk dance called Jota Macadena, also known as Maria Clara, which portrays traditional courtship during Spanish colonial period.

PHOTOS: Cristopher Teh

Adding on to the program that afternoon was an inspiring message given by senior pastor of CHC, Kong Hee, who shared his ministry experiences as a young pastor on a mission trip to the Philippines. It was in the northern region in 1986 where he first led a crusade in which hundreds of Filipinos received Jesus into their hearts, were delivered and healed of sicknesses. Noticing the backdrop behind him was written, “Ang Bayan Kong Pilipinas” (My Nation, Philippines), he asked, “What is my name doing there?” He commented that it simply goes to show that he will always have special ties with this lovely nation. The afternoon ended with decisions made by different ones to live out their destiny in God, followed by a hearty meal coupled with warm fellowship and strengthened ties among Filipino brethren.

City Harvest Church had a taste of Japanese superstardom during the Saturday church service on 27 June at Singapore Expo Hall 8, as award-winning game music composer, producer and saxophonist Norihiko Hibino delivered a remixed composition of ‘Elevate’ on the saxophone.The Tokyo-born Hibino, whose video game music scores are critically acclaimed for complex arrangements that fuse classical, jazz, rock and electronica, was in town as one of the star performers at the Video Game Live. His career portfolio includes the Metal Gear Solid game franchise as well as titles in the Yu-Gi-Oh, Boktai, Ninja Blade and Zone of the Enders series. Hibino was also awarded a GANG (Gaming Audio Network Guild) award in 2004 for his work on the MGS 3 single ‘Snake Eater’.

PHOTOS: Cristopher Teh, Daniel Poh

With a degree in human science from Osaka University as well as a degree in jazz composition from the prestigious Berklee College of Music, the affable and polite Hibino says he never thought that game music composing was what he would do as a career. In fact, fan boys might even be dismayed to discover that Hibino is not much of a gamer. His favourite? An old Sega game that uses music and dancing to help the player complete missions.

Hibino first landed a job at a video game company in 1999 through his programming and composing skills. “Video game companies were the only ones who could afford the expensive sound production equipment back then, so that was the only choice for me to start my career.”

Hibino also runs his own audio, animation and film production studio, GEM Impact. And he is the Program Director of an engineering sound production course for Life College in Japan.
Fans of Hibino are privy to his softer side with his latest album Gentle Love, in which the saxophonist covers popular hits like ‘龙的传人‘ to Wang Lee Hom’s ‘Forever Love’.

As the interview concludes, Hibino has one last request.

“I had a lot of fun with ‘Elevate’. I would like to come back to CHC to play again, and maybe compose an original remix of one of the church song. What would the church like to hear?” he asks sincerely.

You can send him your requests via www.norihikohibino.com.

Hundreds of youth had an encounter of a lifetime during the June 2009 school holidays. Over three days from 8 to 10 June, they forged new friendships, tasted the rugged and boisterous fun of camping out with their friends, laughed vivaciously as they cheered each other on, and experienced an exhilarating sense of challenge, victory and fun in this Inspire Youth Camp.

“Faith!” was the theme of this annual WYZ Zone’s camp with the purpose of inspiring the youth, instilling boldness in their hearts and encouraging them to live their dreams. One of the highlights of the camp was the Project Runway event held on the second night. Aspiring models were given the opportunity to strut down the runway and in the midst of all the glitter and glamour, they discovered their confidence and self-identity.

PHOTOS: Gay Sen Min

During the camp, the youth awoke early in the morning to have prayer meetings and daily devotion to start off their day, inculcating the value of dependency on God and a love for His presence. It was truly a fulfilling and electrifying camp, with spirits strengthened, souls empowered and stronger characters built.

When you walk down an aisle, or past a shop, what catches your eye first isn’t the product, or its contents inside. It’s the fancy store display with its pretty colours or slick packaging that makes you stop and take notice.

What many of us don’t realize is that there’s someone behind the presentation of these products. The pretty boxes holding your favourite pair of shoes, or your collectible Hello Kitty toy, have been specially designed by someone.

Kairos Displays are the brains behind many such display stands and packing boxes.

Co-founded by two individuals, Kairos Displays designs packaging, brochures, display stands and even trophies for various companies.

Their area of expertise covers exhibitions, events, and retail and office interiors. They cater to a wide variety of companies including McDonalds, Hello Kitty, Osim, Takashimaya Singapore, CK Tangs and the prestigious watch retailer, The Hour Glass.

The company was started in 2004 by KC Chua Mosses and Alvin Yeo, who share a passion for design and art.

They started out small, working first with acrylic, but have since expanded to work with other materials to create stands for display, decorative boxes and awards.

For Kairos Displays, it isn’t enough to simply create a product, but it’s essential to ensure that every product’s unique personality is suitably captured.

To their clients and partners, Kairos Displays promises to produce world-class products and designs, to be a honest and fair partner.

Julia Roberts has been choosing her roles carefully. After all, Hollywood’s most bankable actress has hardly been in the spotlight, her most recent movie being 2007′s Charlie Wilson’s War with Tom Hanks.

Fans liked her better in 2004′s Closer, in which she played a deeply unhappy photographer alongside Clive Owen. Now, five years later, Roberts and Owen reunite in Duplicity, a fun caper that is a love story meets industrial espionage thriller.

Claire Stenwick (Roberts) and Ray Koval (Owen) are former agents armed with deadly cunning, street smarts and a profound affection for each other. Together, they infiltrate two health and beauty corporations and manipulate the business rivalry for monetary gain as everyone races to get their hands on a ground-breaking top secret innovation.

The movie cruises along on an enjoyable pace, relying on flashbacks to explain the love-hate relationship between Claire and Ray. But what makes this movie sparkle is the palpable chemistry between Roberts and Owen as they outwit and outsmart each other. The truth is, once you strip Duplicity of its corporate spy plot, what you are left with is astute observations of the dynamic between two people who love but do not trust each other, and the security measures they take to protect themselves.

The script is a joy to witness as it unfolds on screen and is fleshed out so perfectly by its cast. Paul Giamatti who plays the CEO of one of the two rival companies, deserves a special mention for his performance. Julia Roberts and Clive Owen are in tip top shape here but perhaps, credit should ultimately be given to director Tony Gilroy. Fresh off the well-received Michael Clayton, Gilroy proves himself as a talent to keep an eye out for. This is the same Tony who wrote the highly successful Bourne movies as well as the recent State of Play.

Duplicity is worth a watch, especially if you enjoy a good romance that favours witty repartee over the usual senseless and sappy lines. Julia Roberts has certainly picked the right role to mark her return and remind us why she is our favourite leading lady.

Rating:

Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell, better known as Air Supply, brought the house down on 19 June 2009 at the Max Pavilion, as they delivered an outstanding performance during their ‘From The Heart Tour 2009’. Singapore was their last stop in the Asian leg of the tour. 34 years into their career, lead singer Russell showed that he could still captivate the crowd with his trademark tenor voice. The audience warmed up to the crowd favourite “Goodbye” with cheers and whistles, but it was when the duo sung the crowd-pleasing “The One That You Love” that the crowd really went wild.

The atmosphere was electrifying, as both artists stepped off stage and paced through the excited audience to greet their legion of screaming fans. Graham then invited a few fans to ditch their seats and get up close and personal with the duo on stage as they performed “Lost In Love”. The line-up of evergreen hits also included “All Out of Love”, “Sweet Dreams” and “Every Woman In The World”.

In between numbers, both Russell and Graham were personal and intimate with the audience, sharing about their humble beginnings as unknown artistes when they got together shortly after meeting on the set of “Jesus Christ Superstar” in Sydney, Australia in 1975. They also talked about having to perform at pizza parlours, coffee bars and night clubs with “just one guitar and two voices”. In self-deprecating humility, they quipped, “Our manager couldn’t fire us ‘cos we weren’t getting paid anyway.”

As the night drew to a close, the chants of encore grew louder and louder. The truth is, 34 years on, with 25 albums under their belt, Air Supply more than proved to fans that they still had what it takes to keep the audience pining for more.

PHOTOS: Daniel Poh

Contributed by Koh Yang Lin

On 7 June, 49 members and 28 new friends from Derek Dunn’s zone participated in a farm visit, nature tour and outing, organized by its leaders. The itinerary included a a walk through Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, and visits to Kranji farm and Marina Barrage.

On the idea of a farm visit, one of the organizers Lisa Chong, explained, “We wanted to have an outreach that will include things that Singaporeans do not normally do on a weekend. The farm visit not only suits our purpose, it is also suitable for families.”

After hopping off the chartered bus that afternoon, the members and friends quickly settled down for lunch at Sungei Buloh’s Bliss Café. Their adventure at the wetland reserve began with a game. Teams were formed and a puzzle was given to each team, with points awarded for the right steps taken. This was a clever way to facilitate the visitors’ learning journey to discover Mother Nature. Team members quickly bonded as groups competed against each other amidst much laughter and excitement.

For Emilio Mark, 21, this was his first ever visit to Sungei Buloh. “It is an eye-opener for me. This is the most green I’ve seen in a day, and the air is very fresh and refreshing.”

That was not all, the teams also visited Kranji Farm Resort, an agri-tainment farm, and enjoyed an educational tour which included sampling locally-grown produce and products.

The last destination of the day was Marina Barrage, where family and newfound friends could enjoy the companionship of one another against the panoramic view at the tip of the Singapore River.

This day out succeeded in its goal to be an out-of-the-box outreach session. “It was a break from our busy lifestyle, a time of bonding with our family and friends — I really enjoyed myself” said Celine Tien, 18.

Organizers were so pleased with the results, it has been agreed this won’t be the last of such outreach trips.

PHOTOS: Lim Xin Ying

It was a warm evening on 8 June 2009 on the basket ball courts of Mountbatten Community Club. The Filipino Fellowship of City Harvest Church (CHC) sneak-started their celebration of the Philippines Independence Day (12 June) with two basketball matches.

The first game of the evening pitted the hosts against a mixed team consisting of new friends and church members from Jesus Christ Deliverer Church.

Among the guests of honor were Ray Quiñones from the Vice Counsel and Socorro Castro from the Welfare office, who officially opened the evening’s event.

The first match started in a blistering pace, having the first pointer scored by the guest team after only 7 seconds. The teams were evenly matched, but in the end, the guest team revealed their deadlier form with the final score being 82-61 to the guest team.

The Filipino Fellowship provided half-time entertainment in the form of a dance performance and handing a plaque of appreciation to the guest team. The second half of the evening was the highlight with the CHC pastoral team entering the court.

The pastoral team donned a more cautious but powerful approach, relying on their strength and height; the home team adopted a more fast-paced and counter-attacking approach in a bid to wear the opponent out.

The first pointer was scored after one minute, by the pastoral team captained by Derek Dunn, Executive Pastor of CHC. The home team promptly returned, winning a foul and scoring the first penalty of the game. With excitement building, the pastoral team dominated in the penalty box with taller and more powerful players, building their game up slowly but safely, and won the match through their superior dribbling skills and swift counter-attacks. The final score was 50-41.

Both team captains responded very positively to the evening’s match.

PHOTOS: Lee Boon Bee

“I think both teams did really well with good sportsmanship. Everyone just came together to play and have fun, which is what the sport is all about. The organizers did an excellent job in putting this whole event together,” said Dunn.

“Everybody did great; the sportsmanship of the teams added to the atmosphere of camaraderie of the entire night,” noted Jordan Mirandilla, 42, swimming coach and home team captain.

The main organizer of the evening’s event, Rick Arao, was very pleased and happy that everybody could fellowship and enjoy one another’s company.

Contributed by Ashley Trinity Ng

The Business Breakthrough Group (BBG) held its sixth camp since its inception in 2003. This time it took place at Bintan Lagoon Resort on 31 May to 3 June 2009.

From the moment it was announced in February this year, BBG members and their families were already excitedly anticipating their four-day spiritual escapade.

The camp was worth the wait. It was well-planned with a program that balanced teaching and games. Special guest Pastor Welyar from GBi, Indonesia was present to lead praise and worship. Tan Ye Peng and Choong Tsih Ming, pastors at City Harvest Church, took the campgoers through a series of teachings that covered God-given visions and biblical aspects of church growth, giving the people a strong purpose for the future of BBG. Sessions ended with the pastors ministering to the campgoers.

The rest of the days were packed with outdoor games. The “big game” was a “telematch” that pitched BBG groups against each other, three hours of wild and wacky games planned by Wendy Choong. Campgoers had to do near-impossible things like holding raw egg yolks in their palms while using their mouths to look for melon seeds in a pile of flour. But everyone played their hearts out, knowing that the top prize was a full set of CDs of the Song of Solomon bible study series for each member of the winning team.

The main event of the camp was “BBG’s Got Talent”, an inter-group talent quest, which took place on the final night of the camp. Each cell group (some combined groups) came prepared with a performance: a skit, or a song or dance item.

The creativity of BBG was revealed with side-splitting Bollywood dances, a hilarious and super-tacky getai item starring the Candy Floss sisters, a shoe-eating movie in the skit “I Not Shoe-pid” and a rousing rock performance, among other riproaring performances.

The winning team of that night was BBG5, which performed a spoof of Walt Disney Pictures’ animated movie The Incredibles. The team wowed the crowd with tailored Incredibles’ costumes and signature tunes from the movie and real drama in action. The script was one that writer and BBG5 member Tan Chin Ling, 31, had worked on with City Harvest’s drama team years ago. Esther Teo, 32, played “Violet” (and turned her character into “Violent”). She walked away with the Best Actress award.

PHOTOS: Albert Soh

The BBG talent contest ended on a high note. With gifts and songs, the members honored all their leaders who have taken BBG from a group of 20 to the 350-plus members through years of hard work, sacrifice and prayer.

The camp ended with many new friendships forged and spiritual lives strengthened. Many were first-timers to a church camp like that. “It was better than I expected,” said Amelia Lim, an executive PA. “I was very encouraged by the Word and all the testimonies given. And of course, I enjoyed the telematch, the fellowship, the teamwork and unity.”Tan added, “It was a good balance between the Word and ministry time, as well as fellowship. It’s a good opportunity for a group to become more close-knit.”

John Lam, 41, chief financial officer of a bank, commented, “We returned to Singapore with a renewed mind, inspired to be patient to go after our dreams and not give up.”

By Debbie Ong

City Harvest Church’s (CHC) School of Theology (SOT) presented its first talent show, International Idol, on 7 June 2009, at CHC’s Jurong West premises.

With the goal of reaching out to the community, SOT brought together eight groups of finalists from different nationalities, religious groups and professions. The display of talents, which included hip-hop dances, power vocals and band performances, dazzled the audience and impressed the judges, who were Dean of Students, Bobby Chaw, Singer-Songwriter, Allan Moo, Indonesian Singer, Sendy Bolang and former Miss Singapore International 2006, Genecia Luo.

Living up to its expectations, the crowd’s favorite, Flower Lover, was crowned champion, inching ahead of very close competition. The group of seven comprised Japanese, Taiwanese, Malaysian and mainland Chinese who spent close to two months preparing for their performance. Bolang commented that the strong support Flower Lover received from the audience swayed the judges’ decision as audience-rapport is crucial for the entertainer.

At his closing speech, Chaw cited Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s exhortation towards greater integration between new immigrants and Singaporeans. Chaw also encouraged everyone to embrace the different cultures and nationalities in Singapore. International Idol was indeed an event that transcended boundaries of race and nationalities. As student Jonathon Ne Win, 21 observes, “International Idol was not just about spectacular performances but it was to showcase the best of the diverse cultures we enjoy in Singapore”.