Went to Discover Mills today after our conference. This is one of the many mega shopping malls in Atlanta. Here's some pictures taken in a fishing equipment store.
(yes, no mistake, fishing lure store, not zoo)
... and some gum machines
Bought the following gifts for Veron and Rachel:
Haven't found a gift for Deborah yet. Looks like will have to get it from the airport :)
3 days of conference gone, and one more to go *pumps fist into the air*
Anyway, I was feeling unwell last night and it looked bad this morning - cold and a very sore throat, not to mention accumulated weariness for 3 to 4 hours of sleep each night since arriving here. But praise be to God for His healing. Without seeing a doctor (it's hard to find one here anyway), I can sense His healing flowing through me. I thank God for being with me everyday that I am here. It's been a very difficult experience for me. I'll explain why.
My hearing aid is no longer powerful enough for me. In other words, I don't hear well even with the hearing aid. I can manage well in Singapore with those I interact with regularly because I am familiar with their accent and communication style. Over here, meeting & hearing some 30 odd delegates for the very first time, many of which are Caucasians from various parts of the world, it was nothing short of a nightmare for me. It also seemed to me that the hearing aid operates inconsistently in this freezing condition.
Picture this.
Last morning, a guy joined me for breakfast. I asked him where he's from. I heard "...ily". I asked him to repeat and again I heard "...ily". So, to work around, I asked him where is that. His already big eyes grew even bigger, and he said "somewhere in Europe". I nodded. Later, in the conference centre, I heard someone say that he's from Germany, and the card on his seat says "Germany". What? Germany? How can I ask him where is that? He must be thinking "is this Singaporean guy ignorant, arrogant, or what?" You can see how bad it is.
Everyday, I speak and interact very little. Mostly with Asian folks but that didn't quite help either because there are only 2 Asian folks - a guy from The Philippines whose accent is tough for me, and a guy from Hong Kong whose accent & style is the best so far - clear, slow and steady. Every session seemed like eternity to me. I am thankful to my company for sending me here (just to let you know it costs a bomb), and yes, I learnt a lot about what my peers are doing in the other regions, but I feel extremely bad that I have contributed so little, which as a result, painted a very negative impression of the IT Dept in the region that I work in. I mean, this is a roundtable of sorts for all the IT heads, and here is one from Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar, looking like he's just here to receive and not contribute, when I in fact do have a lot to share.
Sigh... Anyway, I leave it to God to help me. He will, I am sure. I don't care about impressing anyone in any conference, but at the very least, I know God will help me deliver results, even though I am challenged in a way that none of my peers can understand.
God bless,
Thomas
Tonight is the last night I am spending in Atlanta. Finally, I can look forward to the warm weather in Singapore and go running whenever I feel like doing so. 
