1. Berms to bring over for the summer.
2. Smart casual/formal shoes to go out in.
3. Jeans to prevent the current ones from being over washed.
4. Bright coloured tops to stand out from the crowd.
5. If you really cannot think / choose not to think, then a card that would remind me of your love and concern so that whenever I read it in Australia, I'll definitely think of you.
6. If you want to give me something other than the above, then anything practical will do.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
It's Not Fair.
It's not fair when we waste gallons of water while others elsewhere dont even have clean water to drink or bathe or do laundry.
It's not fair when we have a dilemma of choosing what to eat while others elsewhere have to beg/steal/fight for food to feed themselves and their families.
It's not fair when we have wardrobes and wardrobes of clothes and still think of buying new clothes for Christmas while others elsewhere have worn the same pieces of cloth for the past few months/years.
It's not fair when we throw away appliances we barely use while others elsewhere have to settle for our second-hand leftovers.
It's not fair when we dont do well in school while others elsewhere long to have proper classrooms and teaching material.
It's not fair when we complain about GST hikes, ERP hikes, Petrol hikes while others elsewhere experience inflation at a ridiculously large scale.
It's not fair when we complain about going overseas to help neighbouring countries to send food resources to them while others elsewhere simply cannot send their people over due to their internal conflict in their own country.
It's not fair when we are allowed religious freedom while others elsewhere have to resort to extreme measures to avoid being jailed.
It's just not fair when we are taking things for granted while others elsewhere live in years of poverty.
Social entrepreneurship needs to go global. period. Singapore boasts a bank kitty of trillions of dollars, so what? To be very honest, governments across borders need to wake up their idea. The success of a country is measured by its GDP no doubt, but they need to break out of their selfish ways of ruling the country and be a blessing to others. I cant stand living the good life while others dont know if they'll live through the next day.
Unmet needs + trying circumstances = desperate, irrational and sometimes corrupted solutions.
Look at child prostitution.
Look at child slavery.
At such a young age, they have been sold out by their parents who have sold them into something that would radically wreck their future. They live a life of eternal bondage until somebody pays the price to save them. Technically there is, but they dont know until the message gets to them. We shouldnt just sit back and solve our nation's own problems. We need a nation to stop with their own daily lives and help these poor, enslaved people realise their potential. We need to let them know that for all the thoughts we think of them, are thoughts of love, to give them a future and a hope.
As much as Sun is doing right now with all that humanitarian work, she cannot be in this all alone. Lets be the light of Singapore so that Singapore can be the light of Asia, and Asia can be the light to the world. Let other nations envy us and say "It's not fair Singapore is the only country that is helping."
its just not fair.
It's not fair when we have a dilemma of choosing what to eat while others elsewhere have to beg/steal/fight for food to feed themselves and their families.
It's not fair when we have wardrobes and wardrobes of clothes and still think of buying new clothes for Christmas while others elsewhere have worn the same pieces of cloth for the past few months/years.
It's not fair when we throw away appliances we barely use while others elsewhere have to settle for our second-hand leftovers.
It's not fair when we dont do well in school while others elsewhere long to have proper classrooms and teaching material.
It's not fair when we complain about GST hikes, ERP hikes, Petrol hikes while others elsewhere experience inflation at a ridiculously large scale.
It's not fair when we complain about going overseas to help neighbouring countries to send food resources to them while others elsewhere simply cannot send their people over due to their internal conflict in their own country.
It's not fair when we are allowed religious freedom while others elsewhere have to resort to extreme measures to avoid being jailed.
It's just not fair when we are taking things for granted while others elsewhere live in years of poverty.
Social entrepreneurship needs to go global. period. Singapore boasts a bank kitty of trillions of dollars, so what? To be very honest, governments across borders need to wake up their idea. The success of a country is measured by its GDP no doubt, but they need to break out of their selfish ways of ruling the country and be a blessing to others. I cant stand living the good life while others dont know if they'll live through the next day.
Unmet needs + trying circumstances = desperate, irrational and sometimes corrupted solutions.
Look at child prostitution.
Look at child slavery.
At such a young age, they have been sold out by their parents who have sold them into something that would radically wreck their future. They live a life of eternal bondage until somebody pays the price to save them. Technically there is, but they dont know until the message gets to them. We shouldnt just sit back and solve our nation's own problems. We need a nation to stop with their own daily lives and help these poor, enslaved people realise their potential. We need to let them know that for all the thoughts we think of them, are thoughts of love, to give them a future and a hope.
As much as Sun is doing right now with all that humanitarian work, she cannot be in this all alone. Lets be the light of Singapore so that Singapore can be the light of Asia, and Asia can be the light to the world. Let other nations envy us and say "It's not fair Singapore is the only country that is helping."
its just not fair.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Online Covers
Hi people, I know I should have done this long ago, but I've uploaded guitar videos on youtube for cell group guitarist's references if they want to bring up something new, yet dont know how. I'd probably do more praise songs cos looking at the recent ones, they aint easy to decipher. Worship songs should be piece of cake for you guitarists serving out there, but in case you want to know how I do praise/worship songs for cell group, do put in requests on the tagboard/msn.
My username on youtube is eden07, pardon the poor sound quality in general, and sometimes the video isnt synchronised with the vocals so do close one eye. I do tweak the key of a song a lil' if the key is too high for me. Nevertheless, the strumming and whatever should be the same if I play it in the actual key. So yeah, that should be about it, enjoy and hope you are able to figure out and decipher and pick up whatever nonsense I am playing (I realise I cant really see the fingering on the strings). If you do manage to do so, well done!
First 2 videos on the list are:
1. Elevate Your Name
2. Above all Else
I personally loved the cover of Elevate Your Name not because I did it, but because it encompasses quite abit of technical skill and rythem-sense. And the bridge part is something I've wanted to include in songs for a LONG while, just that its quite impossible for most.
I'll probably get Heaven, All Things New and Awaken my Soul up next if there are no other heart-burning requests. So yup. Be blessed!
My username on youtube is eden07, pardon the poor sound quality in general, and sometimes the video isnt synchronised with the vocals so do close one eye. I do tweak the key of a song a lil' if the key is too high for me. Nevertheless, the strumming and whatever should be the same if I play it in the actual key. So yeah, that should be about it, enjoy and hope you are able to figure out and decipher and pick up whatever nonsense I am playing (I realise I cant really see the fingering on the strings). If you do manage to do so, well done!
First 2 videos on the list are:
1. Elevate Your Name
2. Above all Else
I personally loved the cover of Elevate Your Name not because I did it, but because it encompasses quite abit of technical skill and rythem-sense. And the bridge part is something I've wanted to include in songs for a LONG while, just that its quite impossible for most.
I'll probably get Heaven, All Things New and Awaken my Soul up next if there are no other heart-burning requests. So yup. Be blessed!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Dr Bernard and Shrek. and Obama.
Of all the foreign preachers, Dr Bernard is always the victor whenever it comes to preaching about the marketplace. Everytime I step into his meeting, I come out feeling more intellectual. My mind seems to be stimulated with every word that comes out from that man of God. This Asia Conference, I'm sure we're very familiar with the term 'insulation' and 'providence'. Not only that, I'm sure he left us jaw-dropped when he related that to the US presidential elections. Now how on earth does a green ogre come into the picture?!
For some weird reason, I dont know why I bothered to watch all 3 of the Shrek trilogy, but amazingly I did, be it in the cinema or streamed online. For those who have NOT watched, courtesy of Wikipedia, I'll paste the plots for all 3 movies.
Shrek 1:
Shrek, an ogre that seeks to live peacefully in his swamp, finds his solitude disrupted when numerous fairy tale beings, including the talkative Donkey, are forced to the swamp by order of Lord Farquaad. Shrek decides to travel the country to see Farquaad to try to regain his privacy but Donkey tags along. The two make it to Farquaad's palace in Dulac and come across a knight tournament to decide who will rescue Princess Fiona from a castle surrounded by lava and protected by a fire-breathing dragon, so that Farquaad may marry her. Shrek manages to best the other knights, and Farquaad agrees to nullify his order if Shrek goes on to rescue Fiona, a deal that Shrek agrees to.
Shrek and Donkey travel to the castle and split up to find Fiona. Donkey manages to encounter the Dragon, sweet-talking the beast to save himself when he finds out the dragon is female, and she talks a liking to Donkey, taking him back to her chambers. When Shrek finds Fiona, she is appalled that her rescuer is an orge, making Shrek drag her off by force. As they are leaving, Shrek manages to save Donkey, caught in the dragon's tender love, and causing the dragon to become irate, chasing Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey out of the castle but unable to follow. The three make their return journey to Farquaad's palace, with Shrek and Fiona finding they have more in common with each other along the way, and falling into love. However, at night, Fiona refuses to camp with them, taking shelter in a nearby cave until morning. The next night, Fiona takes shelter in a nearby windmill, angering Shrek who walks off, believing she cannot accept his appearance. When Donkey hears strange noises coming from the windmill, he finds that Fiona has turned into an ogre. Fiona explains that she was cursed as a child and turns into an ogre every night, which is why she was locked away in the castle, and that only a kiss from her true love will return her to her proper form. Fiona promises Donkey to not tell Shrek, vowing to do it herself, but when the next morning comes, Lord Farquaad has arrived, led by Shrek, and he returns with her to the castle, while Shrek and returns to the now-vacated swamp.
Shrek finds that despite his privacy he is miserable, and misses Fiona. Donkey shows up to tell him that Fiona will be getting married shortly, urging Shrek into action to gain Fiona's true love. They are able to travel to the fortress quickly thanks to Dragon, who escaped her confines and followed Donkey. They interrupt the wedding before Farquaad can kiss Fiona, but not before the sun sets, causing Fiona to turn into an ogre in front of everyone. Farquaad, furious over the change, orders Shrek and Fiona killed, but Dragon gobbles up Farquaad whole, causing the other knights to flee. Shrek and Fiona admit their love for each other and share a kiss; Fiona is bathed in light as her curse is broken, but leaving her as an ogre, a form she was unexpecting but that Shrek finds beautiful. The two get married and depart on their honeymoon, while Donkey and Dragon continue their relationship.
Shrek 2:
Shrek (Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) return from their honeymoon to find they have been invited by Fiona's parents to a royal ball to celebrate their marriage, an event Shrek is reluctant to participate in. Fiona talks him into it, and along with Donkey (Eddie Murphy), they travel to Far Far Away. They meet Fiona's parents, King Harold and Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews and John Cleese), the former of which is repulsed by Shrek being an ogre. At a shared meal, Shrek and King Harold get into a heated argument over how Shrek and Fiona will raise their family, and Fiona, disgusted at Shrek's behavior, locks herself away in her room that evening. Shrek worries that he has lost his true love, particularly after seeing her diary that showed she was infatuated with Prince Charming (Rupert Everett).
As everyone goes their separate ways, the King is accosted by the Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) and her son, Prince Charming, remanding the King for breaking his promise that Charming would be able to marry Fiona, and demanding he find a way to get rid of Shrek. King Harold arranges for Shrek and Donkey to join him on a fictitious hunting trip, which really is a trap to lure the two into the hands of an assassin, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). However, Puss is unable to defeat Shrek, and when he reveals he was paid by the King to kill them, asks to come along as a way to repay them. The three come across the Fairy Godmother's potion factory, and Shrek finds a Happily Ever After potion that he believes will restore Fiona's love for him. The three steal it, and both Shrek and Donkey drink the potion, quickly succumbing to its effects; Fiona is also affected by the potion's magic and falls asleep. The next day, Shrek and Fiona, separately, find they have become attractive humans, while Donkey has become a white stallion; according to the potion's instructions, if Shrek can kiss Fiona before the day's end while transformed, he will win her love and they will both stay human forever. Shrek, Donkey, and Puss quickly make for the castle. The Fairy Godmother discovers the potion's theft and puts a new plan in place, by having Prince Charming pose as the now human Shrek to Fiona to win her heart instead, insuring that her love will be won by having King Harold dose her with a love potion. She also convinces King Harold to order the arrest of Shrek to insure her plan succeeds.
As the wedding reception ball starts, Shrek, Donkey, and Puss are saved by Shrek's friends, the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, the Three Blind Mice, Pinocchio, and the Gingerbread Man, and the group makes their way to the castle. They discover the drawbridge is up and have no way across, but they bake a giant Gingerbread Man who sacrifices himself to make sure Shrek, Donkey, and Puss can get inside. Puss lures the guards away allowing Shrek to reach the ball, just as Charming is about to kiss Fiona. However, the kiss fails to make Fiona love Charming, the King revealing he would not use the love potion on Fiona. The Fairy Godmother attempts to destroy Shrek with a spell, but King Harold steps in front of spell, taking it full force, while some of it is reflected back to the Fairy Godmother, causing her to disappear. As everyone regroups, they find that King Harold is actually the Frog Prince and had used the Happily Ever After potion many years earlier to be with the Queen. Queen Lillian admits her love to Harold regardless of his form while Shrek and Fiona meet and apologize for their behavior. They both decide to want to return to their original form, and wait until the potion's effects have worn off, reverting them back to normal, before sharing a kiss. King Harold apologizes to Shrek as well, and blesses the couple's marriage as the reception returns to full swing.
Shrek 3:
Harold (John Cleese) has fallen ill and his ogre son-in-law Shrek (Mike Myers) and daughter Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) are next in line to be King and Queen. Shrek declines, insisting that an ogre as king is a bad idea and that there has to be someone else for the job. With his final few breaths, the king tells Shrek that there is one other heir who can become the new King of Far Far Away: his nephew, Arthur Pendragon (Justin Timberlake). After a mournful (yet somewhat humorous) funeral, Shrek sets out on a quest to bring back the new king, along with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). However, as they're sailing off, Fiona runs to the dock and announces to Shrek that he's going to be a father. Shocked, Shrek begins to have nightmares about his future children on the journey to find Arthur.
The trio's journey leads them to Worcestershire Academy, an elite boarding school, where they discover that Arthur, or "Artie", as he prefers to be called, is a gangly loser hated by virtually everyone, from the cool kids down to the retainer wearing Dungeons and Dragons geeks. Far removed from the courageous legend his name evokes, Artie stands literally at the bottom of the high school food chain. He is constantly showered with insults, used as a punching bag by the school Jousting Team, led by the obnoxious Lancelot du Lac (Arthur’s supposed right hand man in the Arthurian legend), and lastly cruelly scorned by Guinevere (Arthur’s queen in other adaptations), the girl he had always loved, who are both at the height of the school’s popularity.
Upon learning at the school pep rally by Shrek that he is going to be the new king of Far Far Away, Artie is only too excited to be on his way to the throne, until Donkey and Puss inadvertently scare him by talking about responsibilities of being king. Panicked, Artie tries to take control of the ship and ends up crashing it on an island where they meet Artie's retired wizard teacher, Merlin (Eric Idle).
Meanwhile, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) has gone to the Poison Apple Bar, where he encounters a slew of fairy tale villains including Captain Hook (Ian McShane), the Wicked Queen (Susanne Blakeslee), a Cyclops (Mark Valley), Rumpelstiltskin (Conrad Vernon), Little Red Riding Hood, Mabel the Ugly Stepsister (Regis Philbin), the Headless Horseman (Conrad Vernon), Stromboli the Puppet Master (Chris Miller), and an assortment of black knights, pirates, ents, and witches. Although they initially despise Charming, he persuades them to join him in a fight for their "happily ever after". The villains feel their side of the story has never been told and now is the time to do it.\
Charming and the other villains invade the kingdom and pillage for a time before attacking the castle, disrupting Fiona's baby shower. They capture all of Shrek's fairy tale friends (Gingerbread Man (Conrad Vernon), Pinocchio (Cody Cameron), The Big Bad Wolf (a cross between the Three little pigs and Little Red Riding Hood's wolf) (Aron Warner), The Three Blind Mice (Christopher Knight) and The Three Little Pigs (also Cameron), Dragon, and Donkey and Dragon's children. Fiona and Lilian (Julie Andrews) try to escape through an underground passage, along with Doris the Ugly Stepsister (Larry King), Cinderella (Amy Sedaris), Snow White (Amy Poehler), Sleeping Beauty (Cheri Oteri) and Rapunzel (Maya Rudolph); the ladies are captured, however, when Rapunzel betrays them and leads them into a trap. They learn that she is in love with Charming, who plans to make her his queen once he claims the throne.
Captain Hook and some of his pirates track Shrek and company to Merlin's island, where they attempt to capture Shrek and kill the others. Shrek and Artie tag-team them effectively, however, and send the villains running, but not before Hook mentions "King Charming" and the takeover of Far Far Away. Concerned for his wife and their child, Shrek urges Artie to return to the safety of Worcestershire; Artie, however, has other ideas. He cons Merlin into coming out of retirement long enough to use his magic and send them all back to Far Far Away; the spell works, but accidentally causes Puss and Donkey to switch bodies because they were touching each other. They find that Charming is bent on revenge against Shrek for 'stealing' his "happily ever after," and plans to kill Shrek in a play later that night. Charming's men arrive shortly, but another clever ruse by Artie tricks the knights into not taking them into custody. They then break into the castle, where play rehearsal and set design are in full swing, but Charming is not good at rehearsing. He is also not good at mock battles, killing two faux Shrek in a row. In Charming's dressing room, Shrek menaces Charming but Charming is able to summon his men, who burst in and take the four captive.
Charming prepares to decapitate Artie. In an effort to save him, Shrek tells Charming that Artie was just a patsy to take his place as King of Far Far Away. Charming believes Shrek and decides not to kill the boy. Artie, who had just been growing to trust Shrek, is crushed by this and runs away. Donkey and Puss are thrown into the tower with Fiona and the other ladies, where Fiona is growing frustrated with the other princesses and their lack of initiative. Queen Lilian grows fed up when Snow White calls her an old lady, and successfully smashes the stone wall of the prison by head butting the walls. While the women launch a rescue mission for Shrek, who is being held captive elsewhere, Donkey and Puss work to free Gingy, Pinocchio, the wolf and pigs, Dragon, and the Dronkey. As they prepare to enter the castle and join the ladies, they encounter Artie, and Puss and Donkey explain to him that Shrek lied so Charming wouldn't kill him. Artie seems hesitant to believe them.
As the kingdom watches, Charming stages a theatrical performance in which he heroically rides to the rescue of Rapunzel in her (fake) tower and sings, somewhat badly. To Charming's profound annoyance, the chained Shrek wins the audience's support by ridiculing his singing and acting. Just as Charming is about to kill Shrek, Fiona and her friends, along with Puss, Donkey and the Fairy Tale characters, leap onto the stage to confront the villains. It goes awry, however, as the villains largely outnumber the heroes and take them prisoner again. In the nick of time, Artie arrives and convinces the villains to stop and turn over a new leaf, proving himself to possess effective leadership skills. He says a word of wisdom-"Just because some people treat you like a loser, it doesn't mean you are one. The thing that matters most is what you think of yourself. If there is something you really want or someone you really want to be then it's only you yourself standing in your way." The villains drop their weapons and release their captives. Charming, furious at having been thwarted by this boy, lunges for him with his sword. Shrek blocks the blow and appears to take it in his own chest, leading Charming to exult; the attack missed, however, and the sword is lodged harmlessly under Shrek's arm. Shrek informs Charming that he needs to keep looking for his own happily ever after, "because I'm not giving up mine." Dragon slyly knocks over Rapunzel's tower, which lands on Charming (killing him instantly) and the crowd cheers. Charming's crown is sent rolling across the stage by the impact and is caught by Artie. Shrek tells him that the throne is his if he wants it, but it is his decision to make. Artie lifts the crown toward the audience, who cheer him loudly, then sets it on his own head. While the kingdom celebrates their new monarch, Merlin appears and restores Puss and Donkey to their proper bodies, though their tails remain switched.
As Far Far Away is left in the capable hands of young King Arthur, Shrek retires with Fiona to their swamp, having three ogre babies.
__________________________________________________________________
Over the 3 movies, we see how Shrek has evolved from an angsty, selfish, sharp-tongued ogre to a funny, loving father of 3 kids. I mean who would ever expect an ogre to fall in love with a pretty princess, have kids, and nearly becoming King? I wouldnt expect that. But lets just say in the movie God existed and there is a meaning in the trilogy. And lets just say that the scriptwriter supposingly attended Dr Bernard's church and heard his message of insulation and providence. Then, I would say Arthur and Shrek definitely had the God-given providence Dr Bernard was talking about.
As an ogre, you wouldnt have much of a self esteem. As an ogre, you probably wouldnt have any friends. As an ogre, you wouldnt be very rich. Probably poor in every area of life. Perhaps as an ogre, you'd probably think of dying because there was simply nothing to do except look for food. and survive. An ogre would probably be considered the lowest lifeform in the show, BUT the movie showed that a nobody can become a somebody. In numero uno, Shrek fought for his rights and his privacy. In number 2, Shrek fought for his family. In number 3, Shrek fought for the peace of the kingdom.
To aptly put it, God brought about a transformation in someone who had a me-myself-and-i attitude to a not-for-me-but-for-loved-ones attitude, and finally to a not-I-but Christ attitude. With the transformation in Shrek, Shrek literally turned the kingdom of Far Far Away upside down! In spite of all that, Shrek could have become king. But he knew that he knew there was another person who would be a worthy heir to the throne instead of Charming, and Shrek made sure the rightful heir succeeded the throne Truly, like how God's hand was upon the government of Far Far Away, His hand was upon the government of the US.
I am more sure than ever that God loves radical change for the positive. I am sure that the disciples were ordinary people before they became disciples of Christ and turned the world upside down with signs and wonders. Obama did not win just because he was a believer or he was somebody big and successful. He won because such a huge crisis positioned the US for a change so big and radical that it would shake the world. People were sick and tired of hearing and doing the same thing over and over again. Likewise my friends in ministry, if you feel your ministry is down and out, do something big about it!
I shall end this entry with 2 quotes:
"Just because some people treat you like a loser, it doesn't mean you are one. The thing that matters most is what you think of yourself. If there is something you really want or someone you really want to be then it's only you yourself standing in your way." -quote Arthur.
"Change. the. World? YES. WE. CAN!" - Barack Obama.
For some weird reason, I dont know why I bothered to watch all 3 of the Shrek trilogy, but amazingly I did, be it in the cinema or streamed online. For those who have NOT watched, courtesy of Wikipedia, I'll paste the plots for all 3 movies.
Shrek 1:
Shrek, an ogre that seeks to live peacefully in his swamp, finds his solitude disrupted when numerous fairy tale beings, including the talkative Donkey, are forced to the swamp by order of Lord Farquaad. Shrek decides to travel the country to see Farquaad to try to regain his privacy but Donkey tags along. The two make it to Farquaad's palace in Dulac and come across a knight tournament to decide who will rescue Princess Fiona from a castle surrounded by lava and protected by a fire-breathing dragon, so that Farquaad may marry her. Shrek manages to best the other knights, and Farquaad agrees to nullify his order if Shrek goes on to rescue Fiona, a deal that Shrek agrees to.
Shrek and Donkey travel to the castle and split up to find Fiona. Donkey manages to encounter the Dragon, sweet-talking the beast to save himself when he finds out the dragon is female, and she talks a liking to Donkey, taking him back to her chambers. When Shrek finds Fiona, she is appalled that her rescuer is an orge, making Shrek drag her off by force. As they are leaving, Shrek manages to save Donkey, caught in the dragon's tender love, and causing the dragon to become irate, chasing Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey out of the castle but unable to follow. The three make their return journey to Farquaad's palace, with Shrek and Fiona finding they have more in common with each other along the way, and falling into love. However, at night, Fiona refuses to camp with them, taking shelter in a nearby cave until morning. The next night, Fiona takes shelter in a nearby windmill, angering Shrek who walks off, believing she cannot accept his appearance. When Donkey hears strange noises coming from the windmill, he finds that Fiona has turned into an ogre. Fiona explains that she was cursed as a child and turns into an ogre every night, which is why she was locked away in the castle, and that only a kiss from her true love will return her to her proper form. Fiona promises Donkey to not tell Shrek, vowing to do it herself, but when the next morning comes, Lord Farquaad has arrived, led by Shrek, and he returns with her to the castle, while Shrek and returns to the now-vacated swamp.
Shrek finds that despite his privacy he is miserable, and misses Fiona. Donkey shows up to tell him that Fiona will be getting married shortly, urging Shrek into action to gain Fiona's true love. They are able to travel to the fortress quickly thanks to Dragon, who escaped her confines and followed Donkey. They interrupt the wedding before Farquaad can kiss Fiona, but not before the sun sets, causing Fiona to turn into an ogre in front of everyone. Farquaad, furious over the change, orders Shrek and Fiona killed, but Dragon gobbles up Farquaad whole, causing the other knights to flee. Shrek and Fiona admit their love for each other and share a kiss; Fiona is bathed in light as her curse is broken, but leaving her as an ogre, a form she was unexpecting but that Shrek finds beautiful. The two get married and depart on their honeymoon, while Donkey and Dragon continue their relationship.
Shrek 2:
Shrek (Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) return from their honeymoon to find they have been invited by Fiona's parents to a royal ball to celebrate their marriage, an event Shrek is reluctant to participate in. Fiona talks him into it, and along with Donkey (Eddie Murphy), they travel to Far Far Away. They meet Fiona's parents, King Harold and Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews and John Cleese), the former of which is repulsed by Shrek being an ogre. At a shared meal, Shrek and King Harold get into a heated argument over how Shrek and Fiona will raise their family, and Fiona, disgusted at Shrek's behavior, locks herself away in her room that evening. Shrek worries that he has lost his true love, particularly after seeing her diary that showed she was infatuated with Prince Charming (Rupert Everett).
As everyone goes their separate ways, the King is accosted by the Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) and her son, Prince Charming, remanding the King for breaking his promise that Charming would be able to marry Fiona, and demanding he find a way to get rid of Shrek. King Harold arranges for Shrek and Donkey to join him on a fictitious hunting trip, which really is a trap to lure the two into the hands of an assassin, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). However, Puss is unable to defeat Shrek, and when he reveals he was paid by the King to kill them, asks to come along as a way to repay them. The three come across the Fairy Godmother's potion factory, and Shrek finds a Happily Ever After potion that he believes will restore Fiona's love for him. The three steal it, and both Shrek and Donkey drink the potion, quickly succumbing to its effects; Fiona is also affected by the potion's magic and falls asleep. The next day, Shrek and Fiona, separately, find they have become attractive humans, while Donkey has become a white stallion; according to the potion's instructions, if Shrek can kiss Fiona before the day's end while transformed, he will win her love and they will both stay human forever. Shrek, Donkey, and Puss quickly make for the castle. The Fairy Godmother discovers the potion's theft and puts a new plan in place, by having Prince Charming pose as the now human Shrek to Fiona to win her heart instead, insuring that her love will be won by having King Harold dose her with a love potion. She also convinces King Harold to order the arrest of Shrek to insure her plan succeeds.
As the wedding reception ball starts, Shrek, Donkey, and Puss are saved by Shrek's friends, the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, the Three Blind Mice, Pinocchio, and the Gingerbread Man, and the group makes their way to the castle. They discover the drawbridge is up and have no way across, but they bake a giant Gingerbread Man who sacrifices himself to make sure Shrek, Donkey, and Puss can get inside. Puss lures the guards away allowing Shrek to reach the ball, just as Charming is about to kiss Fiona. However, the kiss fails to make Fiona love Charming, the King revealing he would not use the love potion on Fiona. The Fairy Godmother attempts to destroy Shrek with a spell, but King Harold steps in front of spell, taking it full force, while some of it is reflected back to the Fairy Godmother, causing her to disappear. As everyone regroups, they find that King Harold is actually the Frog Prince and had used the Happily Ever After potion many years earlier to be with the Queen. Queen Lillian admits her love to Harold regardless of his form while Shrek and Fiona meet and apologize for their behavior. They both decide to want to return to their original form, and wait until the potion's effects have worn off, reverting them back to normal, before sharing a kiss. King Harold apologizes to Shrek as well, and blesses the couple's marriage as the reception returns to full swing.
Shrek 3:
Harold (John Cleese) has fallen ill and his ogre son-in-law Shrek (Mike Myers) and daughter Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) are next in line to be King and Queen. Shrek declines, insisting that an ogre as king is a bad idea and that there has to be someone else for the job. With his final few breaths, the king tells Shrek that there is one other heir who can become the new King of Far Far Away: his nephew, Arthur Pendragon (Justin Timberlake). After a mournful (yet somewhat humorous) funeral, Shrek sets out on a quest to bring back the new king, along with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). However, as they're sailing off, Fiona runs to the dock and announces to Shrek that he's going to be a father. Shocked, Shrek begins to have nightmares about his future children on the journey to find Arthur.
The trio's journey leads them to Worcestershire Academy, an elite boarding school, where they discover that Arthur, or "Artie", as he prefers to be called, is a gangly loser hated by virtually everyone, from the cool kids down to the retainer wearing Dungeons and Dragons geeks. Far removed from the courageous legend his name evokes, Artie stands literally at the bottom of the high school food chain. He is constantly showered with insults, used as a punching bag by the school Jousting Team, led by the obnoxious Lancelot du Lac (Arthur’s supposed right hand man in the Arthurian legend), and lastly cruelly scorned by Guinevere (Arthur’s queen in other adaptations), the girl he had always loved, who are both at the height of the school’s popularity.
Upon learning at the school pep rally by Shrek that he is going to be the new king of Far Far Away, Artie is only too excited to be on his way to the throne, until Donkey and Puss inadvertently scare him by talking about responsibilities of being king. Panicked, Artie tries to take control of the ship and ends up crashing it on an island where they meet Artie's retired wizard teacher, Merlin (Eric Idle).
Meanwhile, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) has gone to the Poison Apple Bar, where he encounters a slew of fairy tale villains including Captain Hook (Ian McShane), the Wicked Queen (Susanne Blakeslee), a Cyclops (Mark Valley), Rumpelstiltskin (Conrad Vernon), Little Red Riding Hood, Mabel the Ugly Stepsister (Regis Philbin), the Headless Horseman (Conrad Vernon), Stromboli the Puppet Master (Chris Miller), and an assortment of black knights, pirates, ents, and witches. Although they initially despise Charming, he persuades them to join him in a fight for their "happily ever after". The villains feel their side of the story has never been told and now is the time to do it.\
Charming and the other villains invade the kingdom and pillage for a time before attacking the castle, disrupting Fiona's baby shower. They capture all of Shrek's fairy tale friends (Gingerbread Man (Conrad Vernon), Pinocchio (Cody Cameron), The Big Bad Wolf (a cross between the Three little pigs and Little Red Riding Hood's wolf) (Aron Warner), The Three Blind Mice (Christopher Knight) and The Three Little Pigs (also Cameron), Dragon, and Donkey and Dragon's children. Fiona and Lilian (Julie Andrews) try to escape through an underground passage, along with Doris the Ugly Stepsister (Larry King), Cinderella (Amy Sedaris), Snow White (Amy Poehler), Sleeping Beauty (Cheri Oteri) and Rapunzel (Maya Rudolph); the ladies are captured, however, when Rapunzel betrays them and leads them into a trap. They learn that she is in love with Charming, who plans to make her his queen once he claims the throne.
Captain Hook and some of his pirates track Shrek and company to Merlin's island, where they attempt to capture Shrek and kill the others. Shrek and Artie tag-team them effectively, however, and send the villains running, but not before Hook mentions "King Charming" and the takeover of Far Far Away. Concerned for his wife and their child, Shrek urges Artie to return to the safety of Worcestershire; Artie, however, has other ideas. He cons Merlin into coming out of retirement long enough to use his magic and send them all back to Far Far Away; the spell works, but accidentally causes Puss and Donkey to switch bodies because they were touching each other. They find that Charming is bent on revenge against Shrek for 'stealing' his "happily ever after," and plans to kill Shrek in a play later that night. Charming's men arrive shortly, but another clever ruse by Artie tricks the knights into not taking them into custody. They then break into the castle, where play rehearsal and set design are in full swing, but Charming is not good at rehearsing. He is also not good at mock battles, killing two faux Shrek in a row. In Charming's dressing room, Shrek menaces Charming but Charming is able to summon his men, who burst in and take the four captive.
Charming prepares to decapitate Artie. In an effort to save him, Shrek tells Charming that Artie was just a patsy to take his place as King of Far Far Away. Charming believes Shrek and decides not to kill the boy. Artie, who had just been growing to trust Shrek, is crushed by this and runs away. Donkey and Puss are thrown into the tower with Fiona and the other ladies, where Fiona is growing frustrated with the other princesses and their lack of initiative. Queen Lilian grows fed up when Snow White calls her an old lady, and successfully smashes the stone wall of the prison by head butting the walls. While the women launch a rescue mission for Shrek, who is being held captive elsewhere, Donkey and Puss work to free Gingy, Pinocchio, the wolf and pigs, Dragon, and the Dronkey. As they prepare to enter the castle and join the ladies, they encounter Artie, and Puss and Donkey explain to him that Shrek lied so Charming wouldn't kill him. Artie seems hesitant to believe them.
As the kingdom watches, Charming stages a theatrical performance in which he heroically rides to the rescue of Rapunzel in her (fake) tower and sings, somewhat badly. To Charming's profound annoyance, the chained Shrek wins the audience's support by ridiculing his singing and acting. Just as Charming is about to kill Shrek, Fiona and her friends, along with Puss, Donkey and the Fairy Tale characters, leap onto the stage to confront the villains. It goes awry, however, as the villains largely outnumber the heroes and take them prisoner again. In the nick of time, Artie arrives and convinces the villains to stop and turn over a new leaf, proving himself to possess effective leadership skills. He says a word of wisdom-"Just because some people treat you like a loser, it doesn't mean you are one. The thing that matters most is what you think of yourself. If there is something you really want or someone you really want to be then it's only you yourself standing in your way." The villains drop their weapons and release their captives. Charming, furious at having been thwarted by this boy, lunges for him with his sword. Shrek blocks the blow and appears to take it in his own chest, leading Charming to exult; the attack missed, however, and the sword is lodged harmlessly under Shrek's arm. Shrek informs Charming that he needs to keep looking for his own happily ever after, "because I'm not giving up mine." Dragon slyly knocks over Rapunzel's tower, which lands on Charming (killing him instantly) and the crowd cheers. Charming's crown is sent rolling across the stage by the impact and is caught by Artie. Shrek tells him that the throne is his if he wants it, but it is his decision to make. Artie lifts the crown toward the audience, who cheer him loudly, then sets it on his own head. While the kingdom celebrates their new monarch, Merlin appears and restores Puss and Donkey to their proper bodies, though their tails remain switched.
As Far Far Away is left in the capable hands of young King Arthur, Shrek retires with Fiona to their swamp, having three ogre babies.
__________________________________________________________________
Over the 3 movies, we see how Shrek has evolved from an angsty, selfish, sharp-tongued ogre to a funny, loving father of 3 kids. I mean who would ever expect an ogre to fall in love with a pretty princess, have kids, and nearly becoming King? I wouldnt expect that. But lets just say in the movie God existed and there is a meaning in the trilogy. And lets just say that the scriptwriter supposingly attended Dr Bernard's church and heard his message of insulation and providence. Then, I would say Arthur and Shrek definitely had the God-given providence Dr Bernard was talking about.
As an ogre, you wouldnt have much of a self esteem. As an ogre, you probably wouldnt have any friends. As an ogre, you wouldnt be very rich. Probably poor in every area of life. Perhaps as an ogre, you'd probably think of dying because there was simply nothing to do except look for food. and survive. An ogre would probably be considered the lowest lifeform in the show, BUT the movie showed that a nobody can become a somebody. In numero uno, Shrek fought for his rights and his privacy. In number 2, Shrek fought for his family. In number 3, Shrek fought for the peace of the kingdom.
To aptly put it, God brought about a transformation in someone who had a me-myself-and-i attitude to a not-for-me-but-for-loved-ones attitude, and finally to a not-I-but Christ attitude. With the transformation in Shrek, Shrek literally turned the kingdom of Far Far Away upside down! In spite of all that, Shrek could have become king. But he knew that he knew there was another person who would be a worthy heir to the throne instead of Charming, and Shrek made sure the rightful heir succeeded the throne Truly, like how God's hand was upon the government of Far Far Away, His hand was upon the government of the US.
I am more sure than ever that God loves radical change for the positive. I am sure that the disciples were ordinary people before they became disciples of Christ and turned the world upside down with signs and wonders. Obama did not win just because he was a believer or he was somebody big and successful. He won because such a huge crisis positioned the US for a change so big and radical that it would shake the world. People were sick and tired of hearing and doing the same thing over and over again. Likewise my friends in ministry, if you feel your ministry is down and out, do something big about it!
I shall end this entry with 2 quotes:
"Just because some people treat you like a loser, it doesn't mean you are one. The thing that matters most is what you think of yourself. If there is something you really want or someone you really want to be then it's only you yourself standing in your way." -quote Arthur.
"Change. the. World? YES. WE. CAN!" - Barack Obama.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Heaven is open (as a local delegate)
not just tonight,
not just for the past 5 days,
not just for the past few thousands of years,
but for all of eternity.
Upon touching down Singapore, I wondered if I could flow with the church as one as I did before I left, and would it seem like I am an international delegate. After what happened over the past 3 and a half days, it dawned upon me that I am both. Being part of City Harvest church for 5 years had the input of CHC DNA within my life, and now that I am overseas, I play a role as an overseas delegate. The minute I stepped into Expo Hall 8, I felt in my heart someone telling me, "Finally, you are home." I must admit, the 6 life-changing sessions was mind-blowing and life-transforming and for that, I am proud to be a part of this great and mighty church.
To hold a conference of such a magnitude, I can imagine all that work that has to be done. Logistics would definitely be a headache, as well as the manpower required. To pull such an event off at such a level of excellence is simply amazing. Although the queue could have been managed better, like using Hall 10 as a queueing venue, I felt proud to call this church home. I recall praying for N309 2 weeks ago that it will be a cutting edge cell group for the marketplace, and after this conference, I felt even more so. Indeed we have a wide range of talents in our cell group. Business we have Jac, Elliot and Chevonne, Education we have Pauline and Anna, Medicine and Dentistry we have Celeste, Chris, Dorothy, ChernYih, etc, Engineering we have myself and Rachel, Creative Arts we have myself Chris Jacqueline and Jieyun. Anyone wants to do Law?
Honestly, I feel now is the time for the church to shine. The local government is pumping in SGD$600 million (if im not wrong) to retrain workers. If the church can step in and train people with the values we learn, and input our DNA into them, whoa.. we could possibly see a large scale transformation in the marketplace. Asia Conference has come at a timely moment. Just when economic times are bad, the light of the city comes in. Awesome. Believe it or not, we are living in exciting times. People study hard. Work hard. Be the best at what you do. Coupled with providence, you position yourselves for a greater role.
There is so much to say, but at this point, I think I have thought enough for the day.
not just for the past 5 days,
not just for the past few thousands of years,
but for all of eternity.
Upon touching down Singapore, I wondered if I could flow with the church as one as I did before I left, and would it seem like I am an international delegate. After what happened over the past 3 and a half days, it dawned upon me that I am both. Being part of City Harvest church for 5 years had the input of CHC DNA within my life, and now that I am overseas, I play a role as an overseas delegate. The minute I stepped into Expo Hall 8, I felt in my heart someone telling me, "Finally, you are home." I must admit, the 6 life-changing sessions was mind-blowing and life-transforming and for that, I am proud to be a part of this great and mighty church.
To hold a conference of such a magnitude, I can imagine all that work that has to be done. Logistics would definitely be a headache, as well as the manpower required. To pull such an event off at such a level of excellence is simply amazing. Although the queue could have been managed better, like using Hall 10 as a queueing venue, I felt proud to call this church home. I recall praying for N309 2 weeks ago that it will be a cutting edge cell group for the marketplace, and after this conference, I felt even more so. Indeed we have a wide range of talents in our cell group. Business we have Jac, Elliot and Chevonne, Education we have Pauline and Anna, Medicine and Dentistry we have Celeste, Chris, Dorothy, ChernYih, etc, Engineering we have myself and Rachel, Creative Arts we have myself Chris Jacqueline and Jieyun. Anyone wants to do Law?
Honestly, I feel now is the time for the church to shine. The local government is pumping in SGD$600 million (if im not wrong) to retrain workers. If the church can step in and train people with the values we learn, and input our DNA into them, whoa.. we could possibly see a large scale transformation in the marketplace. Asia Conference has come at a timely moment. Just when economic times are bad, the light of the city comes in. Awesome. Believe it or not, we are living in exciting times. People study hard. Work hard. Be the best at what you do. Coupled with providence, you position yourselves for a greater role.
There is so much to say, but at this point, I think I have thought enough for the day.
Heaven is open (as an overseas delegate)
not just tonight,
not just for the past 5 days,
not just for the past few thousands of years,
but for all of eternity.
The last session pretty much summed up the entire conference. The church receives annointing -> Take that annointing into culture -> Change a life -> Change society. The world craves for money, power and fame in a perverted manner and it is up to us to restore it to its orginal purpose: Money - to bless others in need, Power - to help others in need, Fame - to encourage and influence others in need. Indeed, as I have said before in previous entries, that heaven and earth will pass away, but His Word will not pass away. From the 4 gospels that depicted Jesus' life on earth, Jesus was not bothered with either of the 3. In fact, His life revolved around His family and ministry to the disciples and the people that brought about countless signs and wonders. Indeed, one man can make a difference. Jesus essentially turned the world upside down, and during that phase, discipled followers who turned the world upside down in greater magnitude after He rose to be seated at the right hand of the Father.
Like many many overseas delegates who came, I told them that I knew exactly what they were going through. Over the past 4 months, I have been in a place where everything is relaxed and slow. I have been in a place where people seldom speak in tongues or pray. I have been in a place where the elders help to make decisions. I have been in a place where people are restricted in their dreams and what they want to do. With that I felt I could comprehend the situation some of their churches are going through, prehaps the only thing I wouldnt know how it feels: is to be in an underground church.
Like many many overseas delegates who came, I understood why they were so frustrated when they could not get into the main hall (although I managed to get into Hall 8 for all sessions). I understood why they were so thankful to our church for organising this amazing conference. I understood why they told me with sincerity in their eyes to appreciate what we have. To be very honest, I feel most delegates would definitely be more hungry that most members in City Harvest Church. It is a disturbing fact when you place yourselves in their shoes, and it IS encouraging when you see that inspite of all that is going on within and beyond the 4 walls of the church, they still remain passionate, on fire, and faithful to His cause.
As an international delegate, I feel that before He can give me the breakthrough, I have to put away the past. I cannot take on the role as a full-time member of City Harvest Church anymore.
Yes, I can receive updates about church and n309, retrieve sermon outlines from Sarah's inbox, watch countless services online, BUT my impact on the people in Singapore will never be maxmised unless I am physically there. This is why I consider myself an international delegate. I need to take this DNA back home. The people need to hear that church is not only about themselves and character building. The people need to hear that a church is meant to be a church without walls. The people need to hear that relevancy to culture whilst putting on insulation is the way for transformation.
Like the people from Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, India, all of Asia, I have received so much from this conference. But the ending marks a beginning. Asia, let's go!
not just for the past 5 days,
not just for the past few thousands of years,
but for all of eternity.
The last session pretty much summed up the entire conference. The church receives annointing -> Take that annointing into culture -> Change a life -> Change society. The world craves for money, power and fame in a perverted manner and it is up to us to restore it to its orginal purpose: Money - to bless others in need, Power - to help others in need, Fame - to encourage and influence others in need. Indeed, as I have said before in previous entries, that heaven and earth will pass away, but His Word will not pass away. From the 4 gospels that depicted Jesus' life on earth, Jesus was not bothered with either of the 3. In fact, His life revolved around His family and ministry to the disciples and the people that brought about countless signs and wonders. Indeed, one man can make a difference. Jesus essentially turned the world upside down, and during that phase, discipled followers who turned the world upside down in greater magnitude after He rose to be seated at the right hand of the Father.
Like many many overseas delegates who came, I told them that I knew exactly what they were going through. Over the past 4 months, I have been in a place where everything is relaxed and slow. I have been in a place where people seldom speak in tongues or pray. I have been in a place where the elders help to make decisions. I have been in a place where people are restricted in their dreams and what they want to do. With that I felt I could comprehend the situation some of their churches are going through, prehaps the only thing I wouldnt know how it feels: is to be in an underground church.
Like many many overseas delegates who came, I understood why they were so frustrated when they could not get into the main hall (although I managed to get into Hall 8 for all sessions). I understood why they were so thankful to our church for organising this amazing conference. I understood why they told me with sincerity in their eyes to appreciate what we have. To be very honest, I feel most delegates would definitely be more hungry that most members in City Harvest Church. It is a disturbing fact when you place yourselves in their shoes, and it IS encouraging when you see that inspite of all that is going on within and beyond the 4 walls of the church, they still remain passionate, on fire, and faithful to His cause.
As an international delegate, I feel that before He can give me the breakthrough, I have to put away the past. I cannot take on the role as a full-time member of City Harvest Church anymore.
Yes, I can receive updates about church and n309, retrieve sermon outlines from Sarah's inbox, watch countless services online, BUT my impact on the people in Singapore will never be maxmised unless I am physically there. This is why I consider myself an international delegate. I need to take this DNA back home. The people need to hear that church is not only about themselves and character building. The people need to hear that a church is meant to be a church without walls. The people need to hear that relevancy to culture whilst putting on insulation is the way for transformation.
Like the people from Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, India, all of Asia, I have received so much from this conference. But the ending marks a beginning. Asia, let's go!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
I'M BACK.
For those who didnt know, yes I am back.
For those who have been wondering where are the updates, its not that I dont have things to blog. its just that I dont want to blog about things that wont do the event justice. I'll just let the whole event sink in. and wait for the best.
Note to God: I know it has been awesome, but I want more than it already is.
For those who have been wondering where are the updates, its not that I dont have things to blog. its just that I dont want to blog about things that wont do the event justice. I'll just let the whole event sink in. and wait for the best.
Note to God: I know it has been awesome, but I want more than it already is.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Once upon a time
Dear Santa
Why do I always write to you and you never seem to reply. Last year, I wished for a car for Christmas and I didnt even get a toy car. The year before, I wished for a laptop but it only came last year. Dont tell me you got stuck in the chimney for a whole year because in Singapore we dont have chimneys. Dont tell me your sleigh ran out of gas because it runs on reindeer power. Dont tell me your elves dont have enough time to prepare, make and pack the gifts because you have more than enough elf-power for that. I am not going to write to you anymore. Hope you get so scared that all the kids dont write to you anymore that you piss in your suit. HMFPH!
Signed,
Disgruntled little kid.
*In case you intend to repent, you can redeem yourself by giving me a red hot Ferrari/Lamborhgini/Merc C-Class.*
____________________________________________________________________
20 years later,
Dear God,
I know I havent been good all year and dont deserve anything, I turn away from all my bad habits, my violent behaviour and look to you for peace and love. I know as a kid, I used to demand alot from people that brought out a very vocal and bossy side of me. But now, as I set aside all those childish desires and material needs, I ask of you to bring peace and love to my family. I ask that you transform me from the inside out so that I can be a blessing to others. I pray for the current economic situation to turn around because I know I cannot do this alone. Even as times are bad, I would want to help others the way you helped me. More importantly, let your plan be manifested in my life, for me to be a fruitful and faithful servant for you, and through me, let many others around me be filled with the same joy and confidence you have placed within. Above all, you are Lord of all and I thank you for all that you have done, and will do in my life.
In Jesus' precious name,
Amen.
___________________________________________________________________
The above is purely fiction and does not represent actual incident that happened in the author's life. But the author who fabricated these 2 letters (rather 1 letter and 1 prayer), wants to drive home this message: As kids, we long to be concerned with me myself and I, rather than the people around us. We always cry when we need attention, do silly things that make our parents angry. Demand this, demand that at the toy store or supermarket. But 20 years later, there was a paradigm shift in mindset. There was this great experience that made you who you are today. And it wasnt on Christmas, neither was it Easter, but it was this one great gift exchange event on a Sunday morning in church, that you exchanged for something so much better than you ever expected. Better than winning lucky draw.
There on the throne was a "Santa" whose face was so bright that no one could see. The train of his robes were endless, and there was a funny man seated on His right. He was funny because He had two holes in each of his hands, and 2 holes in each of his feet. He was manning the counter, taking peoples gifts and giving them a new gift. It was a LONG queue but nevertheless you still thought you could "zhuan dao" (earn) from this gift exchange by bringing the lousiest gift, and hope to get the best gift out of the lot. One by one, people infront of you who walked out of the queue looked so happy, and you become discouraged when you saw that their gifts were really good, and theres nothing left for you.
When it was finally your turn, you put your lousiest gift in the world on the table and there was a brief pause. Awkward silence, and while you wanted to defend yourself and say "Why? Cannot ah?" The man at the counter laughed and said " I know whats the best gift for you." , leaving you stunned and speechless. Then He brought out a bright red heart and switched it with your very own. For a moment you thought He was a ghost out of Casper the friendly ghost, but nooooo. You felt real. You felt whole again and all that bitterness, disappointments disappeared.
Finally, in conclusion, the author wants you to catch is this: That this Christmas season, there may be tens, or hundreds, or thousands of people out there who have wrecked lives, who regret doing things that they did, and have never ever gotten out of it because they dont know how. They need to know that 'HEY! There's a QUEUE for FREEBIES' and they'll start queueing. People can queue ages for gift wrap at Takashimaya just to make their present look nice and presentable. But, His presents need no wrapping because He IS the perfect free gift for an imperfect life. What this world needs, is not a superhero who can make all things right. What this world needs, is for ordinary people like you and I to start moving and start sowing.
The heavenly superhero is omnipresent, others cant see him. Only you and I hold the key that will unlock and unveil.
And FINALLY, there will be "happily ever after"/\.
Why do I always write to you and you never seem to reply. Last year, I wished for a car for Christmas and I didnt even get a toy car. The year before, I wished for a laptop but it only came last year. Dont tell me you got stuck in the chimney for a whole year because in Singapore we dont have chimneys. Dont tell me your sleigh ran out of gas because it runs on reindeer power. Dont tell me your elves dont have enough time to prepare, make and pack the gifts because you have more than enough elf-power for that. I am not going to write to you anymore. Hope you get so scared that all the kids dont write to you anymore that you piss in your suit. HMFPH!
Signed,
Disgruntled little kid.
*In case you intend to repent, you can redeem yourself by giving me a red hot Ferrari/Lamborhgini/Merc C-Class.*
____________________________________________________________________
20 years later,
Dear God,
I know I havent been good all year and dont deserve anything, I turn away from all my bad habits, my violent behaviour and look to you for peace and love. I know as a kid, I used to demand alot from people that brought out a very vocal and bossy side of me. But now, as I set aside all those childish desires and material needs, I ask of you to bring peace and love to my family. I ask that you transform me from the inside out so that I can be a blessing to others. I pray for the current economic situation to turn around because I know I cannot do this alone. Even as times are bad, I would want to help others the way you helped me. More importantly, let your plan be manifested in my life, for me to be a fruitful and faithful servant for you, and through me, let many others around me be filled with the same joy and confidence you have placed within. Above all, you are Lord of all and I thank you for all that you have done, and will do in my life.
In Jesus' precious name,
Amen.
___________________________________________________________________
The above is purely fiction and does not represent actual incident that happened in the author's life. But the author who fabricated these 2 letters (rather 1 letter and 1 prayer), wants to drive home this message: As kids, we long to be concerned with me myself and I, rather than the people around us. We always cry when we need attention, do silly things that make our parents angry. Demand this, demand that at the toy store or supermarket. But 20 years later, there was a paradigm shift in mindset. There was this great experience that made you who you are today. And it wasnt on Christmas, neither was it Easter, but it was this one great gift exchange event on a Sunday morning in church, that you exchanged for something so much better than you ever expected. Better than winning lucky draw.
There on the throne was a "Santa" whose face was so bright that no one could see. The train of his robes were endless, and there was a funny man seated on His right. He was funny because He had two holes in each of his hands, and 2 holes in each of his feet. He was manning the counter, taking peoples gifts and giving them a new gift. It was a LONG queue but nevertheless you still thought you could "zhuan dao" (earn) from this gift exchange by bringing the lousiest gift, and hope to get the best gift out of the lot. One by one, people infront of you who walked out of the queue looked so happy, and you become discouraged when you saw that their gifts were really good, and theres nothing left for you.
When it was finally your turn, you put your lousiest gift in the world on the table and there was a brief pause. Awkward silence, and while you wanted to defend yourself and say "Why? Cannot ah?" The man at the counter laughed and said " I know whats the best gift for you." , leaving you stunned and speechless. Then He brought out a bright red heart and switched it with your very own. For a moment you thought He was a ghost out of Casper the friendly ghost, but nooooo. You felt real. You felt whole again and all that bitterness, disappointments disappeared.
Finally, in conclusion, the author wants you to catch is this: That this Christmas season, there may be tens, or hundreds, or thousands of people out there who have wrecked lives, who regret doing things that they did, and have never ever gotten out of it because they dont know how. They need to know that 'HEY! There's a QUEUE for FREEBIES' and they'll start queueing. People can queue ages for gift wrap at Takashimaya just to make their present look nice and presentable. But, His presents need no wrapping because He IS the perfect free gift for an imperfect life. What this world needs, is not a superhero who can make all things right. What this world needs, is for ordinary people like you and I to start moving and start sowing.
The heavenly superhero is omnipresent, others cant see him. Only you and I hold the key that will unlock and unveil.
And FINALLY, there will be "happily ever after"/\.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Post-Exam Standard Operating Procedure.
1. After Exam, shout "PANG KANG LO!" at Winthrop Hall. Make sure every person in the hall knows you have finished your paper. Even the ducks outside in the duck pond. No guarantee those who havent finished may throw you in. Then you can be real good friends with the ducks.
2. Return to hall and do laundry.
3. Turn on the laptop.
4. Blast some music on BOSE speakers.
5, Pack up.
6. Collect wet laundry and put in dryer. Return to room.
7. Area Cleaning.
8. Bathe
9. Collect laundry from dryer. Return to room and keep the laundry.
10. Remove Eyebags and sleep.
11. Dream of the million and one things I want to do when I get back.
2. Return to hall and do laundry.
3. Turn on the laptop.
4. Blast some music on BOSE speakers.
5, Pack up.
6. Collect wet laundry and put in dryer. Return to room.
7. Area Cleaning.
8. Bathe
9. Collect laundry from dryer. Return to room and keep the laundry.
10. Remove Eyebags and sleep.
11. Dream of the million and one things I want to do when I get back.
Friday, November 14, 2008
If Joseph Stalin had a 5 year plan for Russia
Then I must have a 5 year plan for myself. For Joseph Stalin, his 5 year plan radically changed Russia, and although it wasnt the best (infact the most "anal" of methods), he executed it with perfection and remains as one of the greatest (or should I say notorious) leaders in the country. Although I made a 5 year plan quite some time back, I'm deciding to review it to assess how far I've gone. How apt eh? Good time for new year resolutions. And the first service in January ALWAYS starts with goal setting, although this year we didnt. But no, resolutions are short term. ie. for the year.
In essence, I feel the next 5 years as the crucial years that will truly define my entire life. Although there's always a possibility God may intervene, but really, it IS crucial in my opinion. At 22 years of age, theres not much of youth left in me and by the time I graduate I'll be 24 or 25. So probably, everything has to be fast and sharp. Need to monitor the market to see how's it like when I come in, will I go in at a time where everyone's hiring or everyone's firing, etc. My cousin was sharing that when she graduated, a high percentage of her cohort in NUS were jobless for months. If that happens to me, then whats plan B? Failure to plan is a plan for failure! Like Mcdonalds, they used to have Ronald Macdonalds, Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie and the Green thing which i forgot his name. But look where are the rest now? All his khakis all disappeared! Are you able to weather the storm?
My dad just suggested to me to do a double degree upon seeing my tests and assignments update. But I told him, Nooooo they are only a small percentage! the final exam is like 60 70%! Seriously I wouldnt be crazy enough to take up business units. Anyway I'm still feasting on the book Jocelin recommended, the 10 Day MBA. Hopefully next semester I'll see what units my friends in commerce are doing, then I'll crash. Looking at investment and trading. I feel its a better use of time instead of actually studying it. Oh well. Boring you guys with my inner-me conversations.
Yeah, i suppose, but its a sign of greater things yet to come with the 5 year plan.. and perhaps some romantic bliss too. HAHA. nope. wedding chances very slim. children? virtually zero chance. Lead me to your path, because with you I am nothing. Till next time, God bless.
In essence, I feel the next 5 years as the crucial years that will truly define my entire life. Although there's always a possibility God may intervene, but really, it IS crucial in my opinion. At 22 years of age, theres not much of youth left in me and by the time I graduate I'll be 24 or 25. So probably, everything has to be fast and sharp. Need to monitor the market to see how's it like when I come in, will I go in at a time where everyone's hiring or everyone's firing, etc. My cousin was sharing that when she graduated, a high percentage of her cohort in NUS were jobless for months. If that happens to me, then whats plan B? Failure to plan is a plan for failure! Like Mcdonalds, they used to have Ronald Macdonalds, Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie and the Green thing which i forgot his name. But look where are the rest now? All his khakis all disappeared! Are you able to weather the storm?
My dad just suggested to me to do a double degree upon seeing my tests and assignments update. But I told him, Nooooo they are only a small percentage! the final exam is like 60 70%! Seriously I wouldnt be crazy enough to take up business units. Anyway I'm still feasting on the book Jocelin recommended, the 10 Day MBA. Hopefully next semester I'll see what units my friends in commerce are doing, then I'll crash. Looking at investment and trading. I feel its a better use of time instead of actually studying it. Oh well. Boring you guys with my inner-me conversations.
Yeah, i suppose, but its a sign of greater things yet to come with the 5 year plan.. and perhaps some romantic bliss too. HAHA. nope. wedding chances very slim. children? virtually zero chance. Lead me to your path, because with you I am nothing. Till next time, God bless.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
In 12 hours time..
I will be in the exam hall in the clock tower doing my first exam in UWA. Tremendous atmosphere you might say.. Yeah, its true to be doing in an exam hall which has so much history, and graduates from the past, present and future all graduate there. But I would have to disagree on this one. One by one as my friends take their leave from the dining table for their respective exams, I myself experienced the tension and nervousness that each and everyone had. My heart palpitated like a bullet train would, faster than Lebron James dribbling the ball, and raced as fast as a ping pong ball would in the Olympics. If that would happen before I even took my first paper, I'd rather have fits or die of a heart attack. (seriously I heard someone had fits before the exam could start. like when she was all ready and the timer was going to go off.)
I thank God that UWA does not hold examinations at 12noon. Imagine the trauma students would go through if the clock rang 12 times.( DOOONG DOOONG DOOONGG ) x 4. Yes lazy. do the multiplication yourselves please? haha. okay. back to work. and wish me luck. =) and at 1700 hours tomorrow, I can FINALLY say, 1 down, 3 to go.
Singapore I really miss you. Australia makes me fat. =(
I thank God that UWA does not hold examinations at 12noon. Imagine the trauma students would go through if the clock rang 12 times.( DOOONG DOOONG DOOONGG ) x 4. Yes lazy. do the multiplication yourselves please? haha. okay. back to work. and wish me luck. =) and at 1700 hours tomorrow, I can FINALLY say, 1 down, 3 to go.
Singapore I really miss you. Australia makes me fat. =(
Saturday, November 8, 2008
The only reason..
.. that I am blogging at this unearthly hour, (probably 530am in Singapore) is because:
1. I am overly stressed over work.
2. My neighbour (someone on the same floor) is snoring so loudly that I couldnt sleep within half an hour.
3. I am still overly stressed over work.
4. I am scared of the exams. =(
5. I have prayed alongs the lines of "faith casts out all fear" and yet I am still afraid.
6. I need to release faith someway, somehow, somewhat.
7. I need a miracle not to prove to the world that I am somebody, but to tell you that I am a nobody without you.
I guess nobody can fathom how I'm feeling right now, given a mixture of both extreme sides of emotion. In one corner of the wrestling ring is Mr Exams, puffing up his muscles and buldging 8 pack, looking verrryy intimidating, and the other corner is Mr Cant-wait-to-step-back-into-Singapore. With both issues trying to get on top of one another in my brain, it is no wonder nothing I study seems to go in. Funny how blogging allows you to sort things out nicely in your mind. Getting high over something that is so distant does not nullify the impact of current circumstance. It is EXACTLY like ORD. I am sure every single NSF longs for ORD, but yet, all the xiong training dosent get cancelled. And yet they always say, "Think of ORD when you train, it will make you feel better." Im very sure we were all muttering under our breaths, "yeahh right. We have 1 year plus more to go."
In the meantime, I guess the feeling of reaching Singapore cannot be explained in words. After being away for a couple of months, I dont think the full bloom homesick phenomena would kick in yet. After all, like Pauline said before "its only a few months." But then again, looking at the 2009 Academic Year, I'll only have 1 month of break before the second semester in '09 starts. In other words I'll be away for a good 8 to 9 months, with 3-4 weeks break in between. I dont know if I'll be back yet, might be going for Hillsong Conference, which would definitely take up half of the 3-4 week holiday.(plus some sightseeing) So yeah, thats probably I'll experience full blown homesickness.
I'm still quite positive about the coming 2009 year, my sister should be joining me in the second semester and I HOPE she dosent bother me too much esp since its winter. COLD. So I guess I'll have to see how things go then. At the moment I'm scheduled to come back for the 3-4 weeks, so you guys will get to see how much i've grown sideways, but thats the plan for now. Having said so much, I think the best way to put it is, " How should I spend my long holiday so that I wouldnt feel homesick." I'll have my 2009 resolutions up soon I guess, probably after the exams. I wouldnt go into specific events like what happened and stuff, but just to let you guys know that its a stressful time over here, so I'll need all the interceding I can get. =)
Really looking forward to seeing every single one of you again, you'll definitely have more of me (in terms of mass) to love. hahaha. drop me encouraging comments yeah, its good to always hear from you =)
I misss... *takes deep breath* momDADsisLENGKYwayneDIXdomPAULINEjieyunCHRISjacANNAronaldTHEODOREelliotSONGJIEsarahISABELLEjeanetteJOANNEmichelleAILEENsheilaSALLYangelKRYSTLEsophieJOCELINyanghongMYRNAliangweiKWANHANdwayneJINGXUAN.
that was hard. I actually tried, but I didnt make it past isabelle. It dosent mean you're not missed though!
1. I am overly stressed over work.
2. My neighbour (someone on the same floor) is snoring so loudly that I couldnt sleep within half an hour.
3. I am still overly stressed over work.
4. I am scared of the exams. =(
5. I have prayed alongs the lines of "faith casts out all fear" and yet I am still afraid.
6. I need to release faith someway, somehow, somewhat.
7. I need a miracle not to prove to the world that I am somebody, but to tell you that I am a nobody without you.
I guess nobody can fathom how I'm feeling right now, given a mixture of both extreme sides of emotion. In one corner of the wrestling ring is Mr Exams, puffing up his muscles and buldging 8 pack, looking verrryy intimidating, and the other corner is Mr Cant-wait-to-step-back-into-Singapore. With both issues trying to get on top of one another in my brain, it is no wonder nothing I study seems to go in. Funny how blogging allows you to sort things out nicely in your mind. Getting high over something that is so distant does not nullify the impact of current circumstance. It is EXACTLY like ORD. I am sure every single NSF longs for ORD, but yet, all the xiong training dosent get cancelled. And yet they always say, "Think of ORD when you train, it will make you feel better." Im very sure we were all muttering under our breaths, "yeahh right. We have 1 year plus more to go."
In the meantime, I guess the feeling of reaching Singapore cannot be explained in words. After being away for a couple of months, I dont think the full bloom homesick phenomena would kick in yet. After all, like Pauline said before "its only a few months." But then again, looking at the 2009 Academic Year, I'll only have 1 month of break before the second semester in '09 starts. In other words I'll be away for a good 8 to 9 months, with 3-4 weeks break in between. I dont know if I'll be back yet, might be going for Hillsong Conference, which would definitely take up half of the 3-4 week holiday.(plus some sightseeing) So yeah, thats probably I'll experience full blown homesickness.
I'm still quite positive about the coming 2009 year, my sister should be joining me in the second semester and I HOPE she dosent bother me too much esp since its winter. COLD. So I guess I'll have to see how things go then. At the moment I'm scheduled to come back for the 3-4 weeks, so you guys will get to see how much i've grown sideways, but thats the plan for now. Having said so much, I think the best way to put it is, " How should I spend my long holiday so that I wouldnt feel homesick." I'll have my 2009 resolutions up soon I guess, probably after the exams. I wouldnt go into specific events like what happened and stuff, but just to let you guys know that its a stressful time over here, so I'll need all the interceding I can get. =)
Really looking forward to seeing every single one of you again, you'll definitely have more of me (in terms of mass) to love. hahaha. drop me encouraging comments yeah, its good to always hear from you =)
I misss... *takes deep breath* momDADsisLENGKYwayneDIXdomPAULINEjieyunCHRISjacANNAronaldTHEODOREelliotSONGJIEsarahISABELLEjeanetteJOANNEmichelleAILEENsheilaSALLYangelKRYSTLEsophieJOCELINyanghongMYRNAliangweiKWANHANdwayneJINGXUAN.
that was hard. I actually tried, but I didnt make it past isabelle. It dosent mean you're not missed though!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Pre-Exam Blues..
5 more days till the basketball game of the season starts, 4 quarters of battle.
1st quarter: Calculus and Linear Algebra
2nd quarter: Modelling and Computer Analysis for Engineers
3rd quarter: Control and Mechatronics
4th quarter: Heat and Mass Transfer
Dont think the short jumper or the 35-foot 3 pointer would work now, but I'll just drive down the lane for a lay-up or a dunk. Its either make or break, 4 quarters to the NBA Championship. Like Allen Iverson said when he joined the 2006 NBA Champions Detroit Pistons, "I have a big-time resume, but I have a big hole in that, and that's a championship, so obviously that's something I want to accomplish. I have money, I have all the individual accolades, I've done all the All-Stars, the scoring championships, the MVPs, stuff like that."But I haven't had a chance to feel the feeling of winning a championship, and that's the most important thing for me right now."
For those who do not know who Allen Iverson is, he was the top pick in the 1996 draft, and easily one of the top shooting guards in the NBA. Season after season, he would top the season top scoring charts and chalk up his personal awards cabinet. Allen Iverson ranks 20th among all-time scorers in NBA history, earning league MVP and nine-time All-Star status, but yet, he has not won the elusive Championship. And that my friend, drives this 33 year old to work even harder. Now that's heart ma man.
When the final buzzer resounds throughout the court, its either tears of regret or tears of joy. 5 days, 90 hours, and only I, can make my destiny.
1st quarter: Calculus and Linear Algebra
2nd quarter: Modelling and Computer Analysis for Engineers
3rd quarter: Control and Mechatronics
4th quarter: Heat and Mass Transfer
Dont think the short jumper or the 35-foot 3 pointer would work now, but I'll just drive down the lane for a lay-up or a dunk. Its either make or break, 4 quarters to the NBA Championship. Like Allen Iverson said when he joined the 2006 NBA Champions Detroit Pistons, "I have a big-time resume, but I have a big hole in that, and that's a championship, so obviously that's something I want to accomplish. I have money, I have all the individual accolades, I've done all the All-Stars, the scoring championships, the MVPs, stuff like that."But I haven't had a chance to feel the feeling of winning a championship, and that's the most important thing for me right now."
For those who do not know who Allen Iverson is, he was the top pick in the 1996 draft, and easily one of the top shooting guards in the NBA. Season after season, he would top the season top scoring charts and chalk up his personal awards cabinet. Allen Iverson ranks 20th among all-time scorers in NBA history, earning league MVP and nine-time All-Star status, but yet, he has not won the elusive Championship. And that my friend, drives this 33 year old to work even harder. Now that's heart ma man.
When the final buzzer resounds throughout the court, its either tears of regret or tears of joy. 5 days, 90 hours, and only I, can make my destiny.
SIgns that I am really really stressed.
Jac, after reading this i doubt you would want to treat chris already..
Chris : :-O
Chris : i'm so sad
Chris : i run away
Kenneth : ...........
Kenneth : dont be like jac
Chris : ahahahaha
Kenneth : but then again, shouldnt be too difficult to catch her.
Chris : Lol
Chris : ahahaha
Chris : LOL
Chris : HAAHHAAHA
Chris : she can run like speedy gonzales ok
Kenneth : you are so bad
Kenneth : you laugh at jac
Kenneth : you die
Jac, we love you from the bottom of our hearts! (honest!) =D
Chris : :-O
Chris : i'm so sad
Chris : i run away
Kenneth : ...........
Kenneth : dont be like jac
Chris : ahahahaha
Kenneth : but then again, shouldnt be too difficult to catch her.
Chris : Lol
Chris : ahahaha
Chris : LOL
Chris : HAAHHAAHA
Chris : she can run like speedy gonzales ok
Kenneth : you are so bad
Kenneth : you laugh at jac
Kenneth : you die
Jac, we love you from the bottom of our hearts! (honest!) =D
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Dear Isabelle and Jac,
I'm sad to hear of really bad news.. words of Chris(t) in red. HAHAHA.
Chris says:
i have to compose this thing for jac
Chris says:
its so tedious
Kenneth says:
compose
Kenneth says:
huh
Kenneth says:
shes in business
Chris says:
she's doing a music project
Chris says:
as an elective
Kenneth says:
oh yah
Kenneth says:
chew was telling me the other day
Kenneth says:
then how
Chris says:
yeah
Chris says:
probably make them fail
Chris says:
hahaahahahaaha
Kenneth says:
LOL
Kenneth says:
HAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHA
Chris says:
i'll just terminate the production now
Chris says:
and
Chris says:
let them die
Kenneth says:
THIS IS SO GOING UP ON MY BLOG
Kenneth says:
AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA
Chris says:
lol
Chris says:
you're mad
Chris says:
i have to compose this thing for jac
Chris says:
its so tedious
Kenneth says:
compose
Kenneth says:
huh
Kenneth says:
shes in business
Chris says:
she's doing a music project
Chris says:
as an elective
Kenneth says:
oh yah
Kenneth says:
chew was telling me the other day
Kenneth says:
then how
Chris says:
yeah
Chris says:
probably make them fail
Chris says:
hahaahahahaaha
Kenneth says:
LOL
Kenneth says:
HAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHA
Chris says:
i'll just terminate the production now
Chris says:
and
Chris says:
let them die
Kenneth says:
THIS IS SO GOING UP ON MY BLOG
Kenneth says:
AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA
Chris says:
lol
Chris says:
you're mad
Sunday, November 2, 2008
I Don't Know
I think looking back at the previous entry, for people other than myself, it would've brought a response "why so stupid, why this why that, you could've done this you could've done that" Theres no point pointing fingers, or telling me what to do, but its more of a personal lesson learnt. Thanks for those who are concerned and showed it in one way or another, but yeah I didnt need a solution, I just needed to get back on my feet and carry on. Just to make a final statement to mark the closure of the previous entry, it would be: "I've gotten over it already, and so should you."
To mark the beginning of this new entry, what the spirit impressed on my heart was: the next generation.
Our grandparents are fruit borne from our great-grandparents. Our parents, fruit from our grandparents, you and I from our parents, and in the next 10-20 years, we will be parents of our own kids. The strength of any organisation does not lie in the mainstayers or people in upper management. It lies in the future generation. You can build a multi-million dollar enterprise with years of hard work, and yet, crumble in the hands of future generations.
One of the world's greatest football managers, Arsene Wenger, manager of Arsenal Football Club in England, exhibits such foresighted-ness. His talent scouts search the world for young and promising teenagers to play at the club. The average age of his squad can be easily 23 or 24 years of age, the youngest 16 or 17. People have commented, including myself, that its a young team, how can they ever win the league? and they say "Arsenal's a team for the future, they'll never win it." They'll get whipped by the big guns likes Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea! But if you look at past season's statistics, Arsenal have proven themselves to be nowhere near the bottom, but a top 4 finish. This proves that Arsenal, although young, can prove consistency in their results and in fact spark off a closely-contested title race for the championship.
University students, we are about to embark into the marketplace as fresh grads, our time in campus ministry is almost up. When asking around "what are you gonna do when you graduate?" there is almost a unanimous response "I dont know", and I dont deny that I am one of those clueless students. Well, I wouldnt say I would be in this state permanently, just that "I dont know" is just a casual brush-off simply because my plans are subject to the Lord's intervention. But yeah, aside from our own pursuits, it is crucial to prepare the next generation to recieve the baton. Like the olympic torch being passed all over the world, whichever country drops the torch, "sure kenna malu left right centre(embarassed to the max)". And like how parents would scold another person's kid, surely you would have heard this phrase," Parents never teach you ah?" Immediatly, the previous generation gets the blame for not teaching their kids.
I think one of the things I would want to do is to prepare a new youth band when I'm periodically back. Was talking to Lengkian the other day about the current band, and I felt that we shouldnt be the ones playing forever. As much as we are the pioneer batch of band members, we need to dig into the potential of the youths of today. We started out when we were 16 or 17, and got our first ever praise and worship session the very year we started out. I wouldn't say we sounded particularly good (in fact, I thought we sounded quite horrible when I listened to our early recordings), but we were passionate and radical. Lk, Don and myself sowed our finances into this ground and I must say our plant has grown quite big and strong. I bought my first guitar (an electric one) even though I barely knew how to play even a normal guitar. Though members changed as the years went by, we went on from glory to glory.
Eden (which was what we were known as when we first started out) was not born out of professional musicians, but out of a group of passionate, radical youths who were readily willing to serve God with the little that they had. So if you are looking for a long-term commodity that will reap long term rewards, there you have it laid on the table. I've always felt that a "teacher"'s job is always undervalued, underpaid and under-rated. In fact they are doing so much more to mould the youths of tomorrow!
And in all that moulding and teaching, is the essence of being a worldshaker and historymaker. By shaping the worldshakers and historymakers of tomorrow, you are a worldshaker and historymaker of today.
To mark the beginning of this new entry, what the spirit impressed on my heart was: the next generation.
Our grandparents are fruit borne from our great-grandparents. Our parents, fruit from our grandparents, you and I from our parents, and in the next 10-20 years, we will be parents of our own kids. The strength of any organisation does not lie in the mainstayers or people in upper management. It lies in the future generation. You can build a multi-million dollar enterprise with years of hard work, and yet, crumble in the hands of future generations.
One of the world's greatest football managers, Arsene Wenger, manager of Arsenal Football Club in England, exhibits such foresighted-ness. His talent scouts search the world for young and promising teenagers to play at the club. The average age of his squad can be easily 23 or 24 years of age, the youngest 16 or 17. People have commented, including myself, that its a young team, how can they ever win the league? and they say "Arsenal's a team for the future, they'll never win it." They'll get whipped by the big guns likes Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea! But if you look at past season's statistics, Arsenal have proven themselves to be nowhere near the bottom, but a top 4 finish. This proves that Arsenal, although young, can prove consistency in their results and in fact spark off a closely-contested title race for the championship.
University students, we are about to embark into the marketplace as fresh grads, our time in campus ministry is almost up. When asking around "what are you gonna do when you graduate?" there is almost a unanimous response "I dont know", and I dont deny that I am one of those clueless students. Well, I wouldnt say I would be in this state permanently, just that "I dont know" is just a casual brush-off simply because my plans are subject to the Lord's intervention. But yeah, aside from our own pursuits, it is crucial to prepare the next generation to recieve the baton. Like the olympic torch being passed all over the world, whichever country drops the torch, "sure kenna malu left right centre(embarassed to the max)". And like how parents would scold another person's kid, surely you would have heard this phrase," Parents never teach you ah?" Immediatly, the previous generation gets the blame for not teaching their kids.
I think one of the things I would want to do is to prepare a new youth band when I'm periodically back. Was talking to Lengkian the other day about the current band, and I felt that we shouldnt be the ones playing forever. As much as we are the pioneer batch of band members, we need to dig into the potential of the youths of today. We started out when we were 16 or 17, and got our first ever praise and worship session the very year we started out. I wouldn't say we sounded particularly good (in fact, I thought we sounded quite horrible when I listened to our early recordings), but we were passionate and radical. Lk, Don and myself sowed our finances into this ground and I must say our plant has grown quite big and strong. I bought my first guitar (an electric one) even though I barely knew how to play even a normal guitar. Though members changed as the years went by, we went on from glory to glory.
Eden (which was what we were known as when we first started out) was not born out of professional musicians, but out of a group of passionate, radical youths who were readily willing to serve God with the little that they had. So if you are looking for a long-term commodity that will reap long term rewards, there you have it laid on the table. I've always felt that a "teacher"'s job is always undervalued, underpaid and under-rated. In fact they are doing so much more to mould the youths of tomorrow!
And in all that moulding and teaching, is the essence of being a worldshaker and historymaker. By shaping the worldshakers and historymakers of tomorrow, you are a worldshaker and historymaker of today.
Friday, October 31, 2008
It's a dog-eat-dog world
I didnt expect the first major setback to come so quickly, but somehow I knew I asked for it. I know I've no idea that it would come this early. Couple of months ago, we were handed a group project to be due at the end of the semester. Initially I thought of doing with another friend, then decided to do with K and J because they would've needed one more without me. And I felt a tingling sense of insecurity and felt uncomfortable. Eventually, they booted me out of the group because according to them, I "couldnt be found" and they assumed " I couldnt care too less ".
Thing is, I made a fool out of myself by assuming too much. I thought they knew that after the last class, I would head back to hall for my meals. I thought they knew I had the program to do the animation, and so would allow me the freedom to head back and do it. However I was wrong. Not once I received a phone call. Not once. I would guarantee you a 100% I would be there if you took the initiative, but no. not even a simple sms "we're doing the project now". As a result, I did the whole project myself. Yes, I was surprised when the prof called in our group into his room. Yes, I was surprised when he asked both sides of the story. I guess, it was inevitable that this had to happen and I dont blame K and J for that. Neither did I blame God for not placing a greater sense of discomfort within me. Initially I did blame myself for choosing them as group mates. But bad things do happen to good people.
Naturally, I was really angry, I dont deny that. For 2 whole days while doing the project over the weekend, I was feeling really really lousy. ( Thanks to a certain someone sitting on a bubble paradigm encouraging me, i felt better..) You could say there was a mixture of anger, regret, sadness. I guess I have to be more discerning next time when choosing group mates. Above all, I dont regret doing the whole project on my own. I'm sure Jesus must have felt worse when He knew of His betrayal. He struggled and wrestled, but eventually stepped into His destiny to become Saviour to the world.
Somehow theres a part of me that wished he took commerce because he knows more people in commerce. But theres another part that insists he takes engineering, because he was called there.
the road is long, the valley's deep, the ocean's wide in front of me
BUT GOD saved the day. - indeed God, you're my hero.
Silver lining: At least you know, theres 2 lesser people to choose to work with.
Thing is, I made a fool out of myself by assuming too much. I thought they knew that after the last class, I would head back to hall for my meals. I thought they knew I had the program to do the animation, and so would allow me the freedom to head back and do it. However I was wrong. Not once I received a phone call. Not once. I would guarantee you a 100% I would be there if you took the initiative, but no. not even a simple sms "we're doing the project now". As a result, I did the whole project myself. Yes, I was surprised when the prof called in our group into his room. Yes, I was surprised when he asked both sides of the story. I guess, it was inevitable that this had to happen and I dont blame K and J for that. Neither did I blame God for not placing a greater sense of discomfort within me. Initially I did blame myself for choosing them as group mates. But bad things do happen to good people.
Naturally, I was really angry, I dont deny that. For 2 whole days while doing the project over the weekend, I was feeling really really lousy. ( Thanks to a certain someone sitting on a bubble paradigm encouraging me, i felt better..) You could say there was a mixture of anger, regret, sadness. I guess I have to be more discerning next time when choosing group mates. Above all, I dont regret doing the whole project on my own. I'm sure Jesus must have felt worse when He knew of His betrayal. He struggled and wrestled, but eventually stepped into His destiny to become Saviour to the world.
Somehow theres a part of me that wished he took commerce because he knows more people in commerce. But theres another part that insists he takes engineering, because he was called there.
the road is long, the valley's deep, the ocean's wide in front of me
BUT GOD saved the day. - indeed God, you're my hero.
Silver lining: At least you know, theres 2 lesser people to choose to work with.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
God is good, all the time.
And We are good, not all the time.
Got back a couple of assignments and tests, and I must say its really a breakthrough compared to my poly days.. Im rather pleased with myself and amazed at the way He is moving in my academics, yet I need to have more consistency (this indicates that there are "outstanding" results not released. HAHA)! Here's a brief overview:
MCTX3421 Control and Mechatronics:
Lab 1 : 7/10
Assignment 1: 48/50
MATH1010 Calculus and Linear Algebra:
LA Test 3 : 14/20 ( it was like among the top comparing with the other people in the list )
LA Assignment 2 : 17/20
Calculus Assignment 2: 17/20
CHPR2432 Heat and Mass Transfer (my personal favourite!)
Lab 1 : 10/10
Lab 2 : 7/10 (thanks to a silly mistake)
Assignment 1 : 50/50
Assignment 2 : 25/25 ( i checked the answers online already! )
-this means for the exam i'll get a credit if I pass, distinction if I get 60 plus!-
Ohhhh how owning. This is such a morale booster admist prep for the exams, which I havent really settled on doing though. Yeah the usual: spirit willing, flesh weak. Cant rest on my laurels now eh? Was thinking if I were this hardworking during poly days, I wouldnt've needed to come over. But yeahhh now that Im doing quite well, I'm thankful for grace and mercy upon my life. As week 13 comes to a close tomorrow, I'm sure its gonna be back to the drawing board to how I can effectively manage my time so that I can fit in more sleepless nights, trips down to town (I NEED CLOTHES FOR SUMMER), as well as another road trip during the semester break... I cant wait to be back in Perth!! hahahaha. both countries has its pros and cons I guess, by my 4th or 5th semester I'll be missing home real bad i think.
Recent updates:
-daylight saving has probably got to be to most dumb policy ever to maximise daylight. Conning us university students of 1 hour of study for the exams does not help either! To those who have absolutely no idea: Daylight saving is this policy where every soul shifts their clock an hour back simply because the sun rises earlier. And its just an experiment. not a law. I wonder why angmohs like to do such bo liao things.
-has had the most salivating avocado milkshake in northbridge..mmmmmm
- and.... thats about it.
I cannot wait for the 29thhhhh. PRATAAAA. I dont want to eat beef/lamb/potato/chicken anymoree. =(
Got back a couple of assignments and tests, and I must say its really a breakthrough compared to my poly days.. Im rather pleased with myself and amazed at the way He is moving in my academics, yet I need to have more consistency (this indicates that there are "outstanding" results not released. HAHA)! Here's a brief overview:
MCTX3421 Control and Mechatronics:
Lab 1 : 7/10
Assignment 1: 48/50
MATH1010 Calculus and Linear Algebra:
LA Test 3 : 14/20 ( it was like among the top comparing with the other people in the list )
LA Assignment 2 : 17/20
Calculus Assignment 2: 17/20
CHPR2432 Heat and Mass Transfer (my personal favourite!)
Lab 1 : 10/10
Lab 2 : 7/10 (thanks to a silly mistake)
Assignment 1 : 50/50
Assignment 2 : 25/25 ( i checked the answers online already! )
-this means for the exam i'll get a credit if I pass, distinction if I get 60 plus!-
Ohhhh how owning. This is such a morale booster admist prep for the exams, which I havent really settled on doing though. Yeah the usual: spirit willing, flesh weak. Cant rest on my laurels now eh? Was thinking if I were this hardworking during poly days, I wouldnt've needed to come over. But yeahhh now that Im doing quite well, I'm thankful for grace and mercy upon my life. As week 13 comes to a close tomorrow, I'm sure its gonna be back to the drawing board to how I can effectively manage my time so that I can fit in more sleepless nights, trips down to town (I NEED CLOTHES FOR SUMMER), as well as another road trip during the semester break... I cant wait to be back in Perth!! hahahaha. both countries has its pros and cons I guess, by my 4th or 5th semester I'll be missing home real bad i think.
Recent updates:
-daylight saving has probably got to be to most dumb policy ever to maximise daylight. Conning us university students of 1 hour of study for the exams does not help either! To those who have absolutely no idea: Daylight saving is this policy where every soul shifts their clock an hour back simply because the sun rises earlier. And its just an experiment. not a law. I wonder why angmohs like to do such bo liao things.
-has had the most salivating avocado milkshake in northbridge..mmmmmm
- and.... thats about it.
I cannot wait for the 29thhhhh. PRATAAAA. I dont want to eat beef/lamb/potato/chicken anymoree. =(
Thursday, October 23, 2008
The wonders of science.
Batteries and magnets have one thing in common. If you would have recalled from primary school science, you would have remembered your teacher telling you when he/she was teaching magnetism. "North pole and south pole attracts. South and South poles repel. North and North repel." When studying electricity, we are always told during practical lesson where we construct circuits, "Make sure the positive and the negative ends face each other, if not your light bulb will not light up."
Bottomline is: Negative attracts Positive. Positive does not attract positive. Negative does not attract negative.
A negative person does not need another negative person to be with him/her because they'll just wallow in self pity together. A negative person needs another positive person to build him/her up once again! Now if I distinctively recall, in secondary school we were taught in physics induced electromagnetism. What this means is actually passing through a current through the magnet by connecting batteries and coiling the magnet with the copper wire. Eventually, the magnet becomes a stronger magnet than before. For example, in a simple experiment, a normal magnet and probably pick up afew paper clips at one go. But after induced electromagnetism, the magnet picks up many many more paper clips than before!
Just think. We are just like that magnet. No matter which form you are, horseshoe, bar, ring, whatever, you are STILL a magnet. Yes, true you still can attract people to you, but you are not as effective as you are right now by your own strength. Only when the voltage is passed through you from the Source (the battery source), you get charged up and able to attract with greater "power". The amount of power also determines on the number of coils made around the magnet. The higher the number of coils made, the stronger the magnet becomes. So if we allow ourselves to be encapsulated in His presence and His power, it is only natural that the force of attraction will only grow stronger!
When handling magnets, we're always told to be careful, lest we drop it. A magnet loses its power to attract when dropped, or when it meets with a sudden large impact. Either way, big impact or small, some power is lost. Likewise, when dealing with people, we need to be careful. It does not mean we should abstain from people to "keep our power". In fact, it is only natural that we attract people to us, not by our own strength, but by divine appointment. So lets be opportunists today! In the midst of crisis, we need to dare to step out and rise up to the challenge.
Whenever theres fighting in Iraq and Pakistan, people always say "Aiyo, fighting again." An opportunist would be able to see the need for rebuilding and restoration of the town or city.
During an economic recession, people always say "Sell lah sell lah. Cut my losses." An opportunist would start to pick which stocks should he stock up on.
During a freak wildfire, people would just evacuate the land and move elsewhere. An opportunist would see the land as fertile ground to grow crops.
Guys, it is not at all difficult to see the good amidst the bad circumstances. We have to embrace change because in life, change is the only constant. You may stop moving, but the Earth does not stop revolving for you. Lets not sit back and relax in comfort when others are crying out for help in the middle of the night in their sleep. The end times is not for us to be on the defensive, but on the offensive. So lets impact the community in a massive way!
What an electrifying entry.. pun intended.
Bottomline is: Negative attracts Positive. Positive does not attract positive. Negative does not attract negative.
A negative person does not need another negative person to be with him/her because they'll just wallow in self pity together. A negative person needs another positive person to build him/her up once again! Now if I distinctively recall, in secondary school we were taught in physics induced electromagnetism. What this means is actually passing through a current through the magnet by connecting batteries and coiling the magnet with the copper wire. Eventually, the magnet becomes a stronger magnet than before. For example, in a simple experiment, a normal magnet and probably pick up afew paper clips at one go. But after induced electromagnetism, the magnet picks up many many more paper clips than before!
Just think. We are just like that magnet. No matter which form you are, horseshoe, bar, ring, whatever, you are STILL a magnet. Yes, true you still can attract people to you, but you are not as effective as you are right now by your own strength. Only when the voltage is passed through you from the Source (the battery source), you get charged up and able to attract with greater "power". The amount of power also determines on the number of coils made around the magnet. The higher the number of coils made, the stronger the magnet becomes. So if we allow ourselves to be encapsulated in His presence and His power, it is only natural that the force of attraction will only grow stronger!
When handling magnets, we're always told to be careful, lest we drop it. A magnet loses its power to attract when dropped, or when it meets with a sudden large impact. Either way, big impact or small, some power is lost. Likewise, when dealing with people, we need to be careful. It does not mean we should abstain from people to "keep our power". In fact, it is only natural that we attract people to us, not by our own strength, but by divine appointment. So lets be opportunists today! In the midst of crisis, we need to dare to step out and rise up to the challenge.
Whenever theres fighting in Iraq and Pakistan, people always say "Aiyo, fighting again." An opportunist would be able to see the need for rebuilding and restoration of the town or city.
During an economic recession, people always say "Sell lah sell lah. Cut my losses." An opportunist would start to pick which stocks should he stock up on.
During a freak wildfire, people would just evacuate the land and move elsewhere. An opportunist would see the land as fertile ground to grow crops.
Guys, it is not at all difficult to see the good amidst the bad circumstances. We have to embrace change because in life, change is the only constant. You may stop moving, but the Earth does not stop revolving for you. Lets not sit back and relax in comfort when others are crying out for help in the middle of the night in their sleep. The end times is not for us to be on the defensive, but on the offensive. So lets impact the community in a massive way!
What an electrifying entry.. pun intended.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Self-psyche-up time!
As I stare out of the window into the wilderness, I saw something rather disgusting.. literally hundreds of flies, bugs, whatever insect that flies were clamouring onto the outside of my window. My guess is they were attracted to the light in my room. Some of the flies tried flying elsewhere, but thank God, there were no loop holes or else I'll be kept busy for the next 30minutes of my life spraying insecticide and sanctifying my room.
Then a thought came into my mind that, isnt it exactly what society is like today?
The people crave for fame, wealth, they long to be seen under light. We long to make our mark, be recognised by the big guns or people in general. So much for Singapore being a meritocratic society. I remember saying in an entry before and I'll say it again, that the spirit of excellence is a force to be reckoned with. Believe it or not, it can make or break a person. We've seen so much of it in dramas and movies where people get so smitten with success, that eventually they fall due to greed. Greed became their God/idol/whatever-they-worshipped. In fact there is a fine line between a genuine pursuit of excellence and having a serious obsession for fame/fortune. We need to be disciplined in our thinking. Our attitude determines our altitude! It IS important for us to be clear-cut about issues in our personal lives so that we know when enough is enough.
Excellence has to be embraced in such a way that you do not get sucked into sin.
As I listened to Adult Adolesence by Pst Kong, he mentioned that by the time every boy every girl turns 13, he or she has a basic foundation laid. And by the time every boy every girl hits 25, he or she would tend to pursue higher learning. I have no qualms about that. But beware of the danger.
As disciples of Christ, we need to have foresight to see where things are going. For that to happen, we need to see things through God's eyes. In the storms of the circumstances today, we may be like Simon-Peter and the others sitting in the boat. Lets have a look at the chain of events:
- Simon-Peter and disciples in the boat.
- Suddenly there was a storm.
- Simon-Peter and disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea towards them.
- Thought He was a ghost and were terrified.
- Simon-Peter checks the identity of Jesus by stepping out of the boat.
- Initially walked, but started to sink due to the winds.
- Jesus asks him why did he doubt.
- And there was peace when Jesus got into the boat.
I think whenever we first receive a vision of God's plan, be it short term or long term, sometimes we may not embrace it fully initially. Perhaps our lack of faith, coupled with our own inadequacies may cause us to hesitate and deliberate whether is it God's plan for us or not. We all know that if in an event if that happens, the most politically correct thing to do (or standard operating procedure) is to have faith and go and do. It is one thing to have faith, it is another to blindly do it. Then what is the point? The Word says, as a child, we talk like child, walk like a child, think like a child, but as we grow up, we put aside all these childish things. Kids ALWAYS want the world to revolve around them. In the midst of a family discussion they can always come up and say "mommy daddy! I want to go home and watch power rangers!" And of course, if the child is obedient, he/she will do what is being told. As mature believers in Christ, we need to note that, gone are the days of baby Christianity. Being mature, we need to know the purpose of what we are doing! How many of you realise that as you grow out of your kiddy years, you begin to reason and ask why do you have to do certain things? Thats precisely what I'm talking about.
Then comes part 2. They always say pride comes before fall. If I were Peter, I'd probably think 'WAH like that also can. I can do this man!', when I take my first few steps. In every ministry, relationship, business, academic year, morale is always very high. Just like when you receive your vision, you're pumped. you start making plans, arrangements. And of course, everything goes well. initially. Then the bigger storms of life hits and you start to sink. Aside from the issues on earth, we have to keep our eyes fixated on Jesus. Peter was probably dealt with a blow so great that he thought he was going to drown! He probably wondered if this was even God's call for his life! I believe many of us have been placed in such a situation before, and being human, we're bound to falter. Yet Jesus encourages Peter 'Be of good cheer! It is I, do not be afraid.' Sometimes circumstances can prove to be so overwhelmingly disappointing when we expect to do well because of the excellence put into it. So much so, that we fail to see a very basic fact that every believer should know.
With God, all things are possible.
Coming back to the flies, even if the window stays shut. Do they still linger? Yes, they do. They keep pressing on, waiting until the window of opportunity opens. And how would they know when the window opens? Just like us Christians reply when asked how do you know when God is moving, they know that they know that they know. So, do not be discouraged if nothing seems to be going for you.
IF EVEN FLIES CAN PRESS ON UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS.. What more us humans?
IF FLIES CAN HAVE A MENTALITY TO GIVE THEIR BEST SHOT IN ALL THAT THEY DO, What more us humans?
And we are supposed to have dominion over every creature, insect, bird, animal on this earth! Dont worry, you are definitely not dumber than a mere fly. I have full confidence in you. (Flies get swatted dead by me quite often, and they dont move even when I'm this close to killing them.) So guys, the take-home message for this entry: endurance goes hand in hand with excellence.
Back to the world now, I STILL do NOT intend to open my windows and let them come in. HAHA. Oh the irony!
Then a thought came into my mind that, isnt it exactly what society is like today?
The people crave for fame, wealth, they long to be seen under light. We long to make our mark, be recognised by the big guns or people in general. So much for Singapore being a meritocratic society. I remember saying in an entry before and I'll say it again, that the spirit of excellence is a force to be reckoned with. Believe it or not, it can make or break a person. We've seen so much of it in dramas and movies where people get so smitten with success, that eventually they fall due to greed. Greed became their God/idol/whatever-they-worshipped. In fact there is a fine line between a genuine pursuit of excellence and having a serious obsession for fame/fortune. We need to be disciplined in our thinking. Our attitude determines our altitude! It IS important for us to be clear-cut about issues in our personal lives so that we know when enough is enough.
Excellence has to be embraced in such a way that you do not get sucked into sin.
As I listened to Adult Adolesence by Pst Kong, he mentioned that by the time every boy every girl turns 13, he or she has a basic foundation laid. And by the time every boy every girl hits 25, he or she would tend to pursue higher learning. I have no qualms about that. But beware of the danger.
As disciples of Christ, we need to have foresight to see where things are going. For that to happen, we need to see things through God's eyes. In the storms of the circumstances today, we may be like Simon-Peter and the others sitting in the boat. Lets have a look at the chain of events:
- Simon-Peter and disciples in the boat.
- Suddenly there was a storm.
- Simon-Peter and disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea towards them.
- Thought He was a ghost and were terrified.
- Simon-Peter checks the identity of Jesus by stepping out of the boat.
- Initially walked, but started to sink due to the winds.
- Jesus asks him why did he doubt.
- And there was peace when Jesus got into the boat.
I think whenever we first receive a vision of God's plan, be it short term or long term, sometimes we may not embrace it fully initially. Perhaps our lack of faith, coupled with our own inadequacies may cause us to hesitate and deliberate whether is it God's plan for us or not. We all know that if in an event if that happens, the most politically correct thing to do (or standard operating procedure) is to have faith and go and do. It is one thing to have faith, it is another to blindly do it. Then what is the point? The Word says, as a child, we talk like child, walk like a child, think like a child, but as we grow up, we put aside all these childish things. Kids ALWAYS want the world to revolve around them. In the midst of a family discussion they can always come up and say "mommy daddy! I want to go home and watch power rangers!" And of course, if the child is obedient, he/she will do what is being told. As mature believers in Christ, we need to note that, gone are the days of baby Christianity. Being mature, we need to know the purpose of what we are doing! How many of you realise that as you grow out of your kiddy years, you begin to reason and ask why do you have to do certain things? Thats precisely what I'm talking about.
Then comes part 2. They always say pride comes before fall. If I were Peter, I'd probably think 'WAH like that also can. I can do this man!', when I take my first few steps. In every ministry, relationship, business, academic year, morale is always very high. Just like when you receive your vision, you're pumped. you start making plans, arrangements. And of course, everything goes well. initially. Then the bigger storms of life hits and you start to sink. Aside from the issues on earth, we have to keep our eyes fixated on Jesus. Peter was probably dealt with a blow so great that he thought he was going to drown! He probably wondered if this was even God's call for his life! I believe many of us have been placed in such a situation before, and being human, we're bound to falter. Yet Jesus encourages Peter 'Be of good cheer! It is I, do not be afraid.' Sometimes circumstances can prove to be so overwhelmingly disappointing when we expect to do well because of the excellence put into it. So much so, that we fail to see a very basic fact that every believer should know.
With God, all things are possible.
Coming back to the flies, even if the window stays shut. Do they still linger? Yes, they do. They keep pressing on, waiting until the window of opportunity opens. And how would they know when the window opens? Just like us Christians reply when asked how do you know when God is moving, they know that they know that they know. So, do not be discouraged if nothing seems to be going for you.
IF EVEN FLIES CAN PRESS ON UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS.. What more us humans?
IF FLIES CAN HAVE A MENTALITY TO GIVE THEIR BEST SHOT IN ALL THAT THEY DO, What more us humans?
And we are supposed to have dominion over every creature, insect, bird, animal on this earth! Dont worry, you are definitely not dumber than a mere fly. I have full confidence in you. (Flies get swatted dead by me quite often, and they dont move even when I'm this close to killing them.) So guys, the take-home message for this entry: endurance goes hand in hand with excellence.
Back to the world now, I STILL do NOT intend to open my windows and let them come in. HAHA. Oh the irony!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Unity in Currie Hall.
Today is the first time I've seen people so united. 1 heart, 1 vision, 1 mind. Today as I walked along the corridors, every one was so "excited" talking about it, trying to help each other out. Its not as if theres a national epidemic in Perth, a tsunami or an earthquake for that matter. Every tribe, every nation, every people, every tongue. AMAZING. Wonder what caused such an amazing sight to happen?
INTERNET WAS DOWN.
HA HA HA.
"No wonder Kenneth isnt online today"
I can predict the reactions.
But seriously, i've never seen such unity in the residents here. Net down, everyone runs helter skelter, wanting to know when the server will be back up again. Then again I wonder how did it crash in the first place. Must be some angmoh with too many downloads going on on his comp. RAHHHH. There goes my research for the night. Well anyway, how'd I know when the net will be up again?
when the waves come.
Why?
cos' everyone will be surfing the net.
and thus, concluding this random post for the week. I WILL CONQUER CALCULUS AND LINEAR ALGEBRA. AND HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER. AND CONTROL AND MECHATRONICS. AND MODELLING AND COMP. ANALYSIS FOR ENGINEERS.
and then I can finally go home in peace. omg I almost typed peaces (pieces).
For chilli crab.
For assam fish head.
For sambal stingray.
For oyester omelette.
For kushinbo.
For kangkong.
For prataaaa.
For briyani.
For nasi padang.
For LIU LIAN.
For carrot cake.
For chwee kueh.
For san lao he fen.
For crab mi fen.
For sliced fish mi fen.
For hokkien mee.
For chicken rice.
For duck rice.
For longtong.
For pulut hitam.
DOSENT MATTER IF IM GONNA SERVE BACK MY 7 WEEKS.
For family.
For church.
For cell group.
For lengky kiany.
For tan "old man" wayne.
For CT chan.
For domdom.
For michelin.
For "lamchikok" belle.
For merner.
For sally sally lom chiam pas.
For lamlam.
For cavewoman soh weina.
For supper gang.
For MY GUITAR. my honey forever. sing the songs that I sing because you have no choice. LOL.
For sat morning soccer.
For weekly runs.
For Christmas.
For Thanksgiving.
For New Year.
For Dear Pauline's wedding.
For Chinese New Year. (are we eligible to receive from you after the previous event?)
For Krystle's birthday.
For Pauline's birthday.
And then.. I'll be back to conquer another 4 units. This time. I'll be ready. VERY READY.
But till then. You're still my motivation. Thank God for you for speaking the right words at the right time, although you wouldnt expect it, but.. haha. I guess its just divine timing.
gambatte!
INTERNET WAS DOWN.
HA HA HA.
"No wonder Kenneth isnt online today"
I can predict the reactions.
But seriously, i've never seen such unity in the residents here. Net down, everyone runs helter skelter, wanting to know when the server will be back up again. Then again I wonder how did it crash in the first place. Must be some angmoh with too many downloads going on on his comp. RAHHHH. There goes my research for the night. Well anyway, how'd I know when the net will be up again?
when the waves come.
Why?
cos' everyone will be surfing the net.
and thus, concluding this random post for the week. I WILL CONQUER CALCULUS AND LINEAR ALGEBRA. AND HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER. AND CONTROL AND MECHATRONICS. AND MODELLING AND COMP. ANALYSIS FOR ENGINEERS.
and then I can finally go home in peace. omg I almost typed peaces (pieces).
For chilli crab.
For assam fish head.
For sambal stingray.
For oyester omelette.
For kushinbo.
For kangkong.
For prataaaa.
For briyani.
For nasi padang.
For LIU LIAN.
For carrot cake.
For chwee kueh.
For san lao he fen.
For crab mi fen.
For sliced fish mi fen.
For hokkien mee.
For chicken rice.
For duck rice.
For longtong.
For pulut hitam.
DOSENT MATTER IF IM GONNA SERVE BACK MY 7 WEEKS.
For family.
For church.
For cell group.
For lengky kiany.
For tan "old man" wayne.
For CT chan.
For domdom.
For michelin.
For "lamchikok" belle.
For merner.
For sally sally lom chiam pas.
For lamlam.
For cavewoman soh weina.
For supper gang.
For MY GUITAR. my honey forever. sing the songs that I sing because you have no choice. LOL.
For sat morning soccer.
For weekly runs.
For Christmas.
For Thanksgiving.
For New Year.
For Dear Pauline's wedding.
For Chinese New Year. (are we eligible to receive from you after the previous event?)
For Krystle's birthday.
For Pauline's birthday.
And then.. I'll be back to conquer another 4 units. This time. I'll be ready. VERY READY.
But till then. You're still my motivation. Thank God for you for speaking the right words at the right time, although you wouldnt expect it, but.. haha. I guess its just divine timing.
gambatte!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
sleepless in perth
long gone are the days where he slept at ten
dosent matter if his clock rings like big ben
the morning sun, the evening light
cant even tell which is right.
Curtains drawn,
hiding the inevitable first yawn.
Herein lies a poor soul, hidden, consumed by work
Stacked higher than an auditor clerk.
Accustomed to the sounds of jay chou,
in the midst of trying to find out how
Out of song bursts out passion
he works like he's a man on a mission
Oh how happy if there was an intermission
but sadly, no. Due to work submission.
Sigh. the life of an engineer. exam in a month.
dosent matter if his clock rings like big ben
the morning sun, the evening light
cant even tell which is right.
Curtains drawn,
hiding the inevitable first yawn.
Herein lies a poor soul, hidden, consumed by work
Stacked higher than an auditor clerk.
Accustomed to the sounds of jay chou,
in the midst of trying to find out how
Out of song bursts out passion
he works like he's a man on a mission
Oh how happy if there was an intermission
but sadly, no. Due to work submission.
Sigh. the life of an engineer. exam in a month.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Freedom
Where the spirit is, there is liberty.
Sometimes we do not realise how much freedom we have.
Why do I say that? As I sat in church today, the emcee was reading out how the church funds are being used for world missions in Cambodia, Macau, China and Indonesia. Following that, a short presentation which is supposed to encourage people to give into missions. After which, I felt the spirit impress a word in my mind "Freedom". What does it mean for us, people in general for us to be free? In the Christian context, what can we define as the freedom we know? When I say know, its not the head knowledge know, but the experiential (if theres such a word) know.
In Singapore, we enjoy racial and religious freedom. People are free to choose whichever they want to believe in. I meant religion, not RACE. Hahaha. Yet sometimes we fail to see the bliss in religious freedom. Let me tell you that this freedom of ours cannot be taken for granted. If we think when our friends make fun of Christians, or badmouth churches and treat it as persecution, oh dear. You have seen nothing yet. The things Christians experience all over the world cannot be compared to what we experience in Singapore.
In India, in the remote villages, there are mobs that riad the villager's houses. They burn the houses down, robbing them of almost all their livelihood. Churches have also been raided and destroyed. Pastors and their families have been murdered. Believers burnt to death. The mobs cannot be stopped because they are too large in number. EVEN the POLICE are too scared to confront them. Literally thousands of Christians live in refugee quarters, while we sleep on our King Koil Queen-sized beds. With AIRCON. Shiok right. Yeah, but they? They sleep on the hard ground with no shelter, flies coming in swarms because they havent bathed for months. They use whatever they can find for clothes, utensils. and THE river. Capital t-h-e because EVERYTHING IS DONE THERE. Bathe, laundry, and.. big and small businesses which I do not want to discuss. Oh. and the drinking water is from there too. They live in fear for their lives, literally day by day, taking one day at a time.
YET. I repeat YET, in spite of all that is going on, Christians there remain faithful to God Almighty. IF we were in their shoes (actually i should not say shoes because some of them go barefooted, some with flattened water bottles at the base of their feet), would we really remain faithful? Or would we give in to overwhelming pressure from the opposing forces. Like they say "if you cant beat 'em, join 'em." This definitely cannot compare to the taunts we have in Singapore.
Lets look at China. it IS a LAW not to have churches other than those approved by the government. Christians there have to have what they call underground churches. Anyone caught will be dealt with severely. Believers have to be careful with what they blog, say over MSN, over the phone, across all forms of communication for fear that they are caught. They have codewords for anything and ALMOST EVERYTHING. Would that stop God from doing a work in China then? Would the believers just forsake the Lord for comfort? NO. They cry out to God every single day for the freedom to worship Him. They reach out to people like never before. In spite of law-binding circumstances, they DARE to step OUT of comfort INTO another's life.
Now what is freedom to you now? Strolling into Expo hall 8 for a power-packed service? Skipping cell group/church/bible study for some lame reason when you know you should be there? All these "noob" reasons placed alongside worldwide circumstances seem so-so small, yet they grow even more than we do. Do we really need to be placed under such circumstances in order to maximise our potential? We need to be decisive about the decisions we need to make, espeically men. And after making the decision, it is our bond to see it through.
Jesus was man enough to leave his parents and be in the temple to be about his Father's business.
Jesus was man enough to speak to thousands about the Word.
Jesus was man enough to heal the sick, cast out demons, and perform signs and wonders.
Jesus was man enough to challenge the religious leaders and Pharisees.
Jesus was man enough to serve his disciples.
Jesus was man enough to obey the call of God.
Jesus was man enough to step into his destiny.
Yes, he struggled, but eventually, he did what no other man on earth could do. IF Jesus did not embrace his destiny. IF Jesus did not keep his word. IF Jesus was not man enough. We would not have the grace that we have today.
Manhood and Christlikeness are synonymous. Period.
Sometimes we do not realise how much freedom we have.
Why do I say that? As I sat in church today, the emcee was reading out how the church funds are being used for world missions in Cambodia, Macau, China and Indonesia. Following that, a short presentation which is supposed to encourage people to give into missions. After which, I felt the spirit impress a word in my mind "Freedom". What does it mean for us, people in general for us to be free? In the Christian context, what can we define as the freedom we know? When I say know, its not the head knowledge know, but the experiential (if theres such a word) know.
In Singapore, we enjoy racial and religious freedom. People are free to choose whichever they want to believe in. I meant religion, not RACE. Hahaha. Yet sometimes we fail to see the bliss in religious freedom. Let me tell you that this freedom of ours cannot be taken for granted. If we think when our friends make fun of Christians, or badmouth churches and treat it as persecution, oh dear. You have seen nothing yet. The things Christians experience all over the world cannot be compared to what we experience in Singapore.
In India, in the remote villages, there are mobs that riad the villager's houses. They burn the houses down, robbing them of almost all their livelihood. Churches have also been raided and destroyed. Pastors and their families have been murdered. Believers burnt to death. The mobs cannot be stopped because they are too large in number. EVEN the POLICE are too scared to confront them. Literally thousands of Christians live in refugee quarters, while we sleep on our King Koil Queen-sized beds. With AIRCON. Shiok right. Yeah, but they? They sleep on the hard ground with no shelter, flies coming in swarms because they havent bathed for months. They use whatever they can find for clothes, utensils. and THE river. Capital t-h-e because EVERYTHING IS DONE THERE. Bathe, laundry, and.. big and small businesses which I do not want to discuss. Oh. and the drinking water is from there too. They live in fear for their lives, literally day by day, taking one day at a time.
YET. I repeat YET, in spite of all that is going on, Christians there remain faithful to God Almighty. IF we were in their shoes (actually i should not say shoes because some of them go barefooted, some with flattened water bottles at the base of their feet), would we really remain faithful? Or would we give in to overwhelming pressure from the opposing forces. Like they say "if you cant beat 'em, join 'em." This definitely cannot compare to the taunts we have in Singapore.
Lets look at China. it IS a LAW not to have churches other than those approved by the government. Christians there have to have what they call underground churches. Anyone caught will be dealt with severely. Believers have to be careful with what they blog, say over MSN, over the phone, across all forms of communication for fear that they are caught. They have codewords for anything and ALMOST EVERYTHING. Would that stop God from doing a work in China then? Would the believers just forsake the Lord for comfort? NO. They cry out to God every single day for the freedom to worship Him. They reach out to people like never before. In spite of law-binding circumstances, they DARE to step OUT of comfort INTO another's life.
Now what is freedom to you now? Strolling into Expo hall 8 for a power-packed service? Skipping cell group/church/bible study for some lame reason when you know you should be there? All these "noob" reasons placed alongside worldwide circumstances seem so-so small, yet they grow even more than we do. Do we really need to be placed under such circumstances in order to maximise our potential? We need to be decisive about the decisions we need to make, espeically men. And after making the decision, it is our bond to see it through.
Jesus was man enough to leave his parents and be in the temple to be about his Father's business.
Jesus was man enough to speak to thousands about the Word.
Jesus was man enough to heal the sick, cast out demons, and perform signs and wonders.
Jesus was man enough to challenge the religious leaders and Pharisees.
Jesus was man enough to serve his disciples.
Jesus was man enough to obey the call of God.
Jesus was man enough to step into his destiny.
Yes, he struggled, but eventually, he did what no other man on earth could do. IF Jesus did not embrace his destiny. IF Jesus did not keep his word. IF Jesus was not man enough. We would not have the grace that we have today.
Manhood and Christlikeness are synonymous. Period.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Enough is enough.
I think somethings which may seem trivial to people today should come to an end. A couple of weeks ago, I made fun of somebody with a casual comment, and from then on, she bombarded me with all seriousness, and with quotes from the Word, that she would not allow anyone to put her down and be so critical of her. Initially, I wrote an apology in the form of an email, thinking that it would likely be the solution to this "trivial" outburst. At that point in time, I thought it was perfectly fine and she had to accept who I was. However, as I brooded over the issue, something felt missing and I didnt know what it was until today when the Lord spoke through a similar situation, in this case sadly, I was the victim.
I think many of you who read my blog would be familiar that many people tease me about being fat. If you thought I was fine with that, you were "right" in a sense that I would "laugh" along with you. However you were wrong too. Yes I know I am fat. Yes I know I am losing hair. I DO NOT NEED UNNECESSARY REMINDERS! I realised that negativity slowly builds up within, and if one is not careful and does not deal with the issue promptly, it could have a snowball effect and by the time you deal with it, its too late. What makes suan-ing too much to handle? What makes suan-ing still manageable within your emotional capacity? Suaning may seem natural to us, and without proper control over your speech, your relationship with people will spiral out of control.
Take my own case for example. Today, we went out in a group for dinner. S starts making fat jokes for no rhyme or reason. Everybody laughs and you are the butt for all humour. Even when you ask S to stop, she dosent and rants and rants and rants. This is a perfect example of someone with low EQ and loose with her words. (Note that this is what I noticed about myself too.) Then we all went back with S still suaning and suanning(nearly wanted to scream at S at the bus terminal but thank God I didnt), and I confronted S online and yet, she still sticks to her stand and still suans. And so you see earlier that when the defensive stance fails, people tend to go on the offensive, which was kindof what I did, but in a nicer way. Then I realised what I was becoming and stopped. You see, people need to manage their words and emotions properly.
For someone who has been laughed at with fatty jokes with endless years of experience, nothing new. But somebody will take it deeper another level. Through this "trivial" encounter, I began to see a new side of myself unfolding. It is evermore important that we must be tactful with whatever we say. The Bible also tells us that the words that proceed out of our mouths can either edify, or pierce like arrows. As I was meditating on Maximised Manhood (excellent book by the way) for the past 2 weeks or so, besides the core message that manhood and Christlikeness are synonymous, Dr Edwin Louis Cole emphasizes the importance of manhood being the head of everything else, and our WORD being our BOND. Words bond. They frame another's mind/world!
In the book, Dr Cole uses an example of marriage whereby the husband was so critical of the wife of her every move, her cooking, dressing, etc. How can a marriage relationship be fruitful like that? From the story, the husband was a pastor in a local church and his church never grew simply because of this failed relationship with his wife. Now, I understand why the person was so angry with me afew weeks ago. Now, I understand how important it is to be tactful with words. Words are a means of communicating. A collection of words = a sentence. You either add value to another's life or subtract value with the words that come out of your mouth.Being loose with words simply show that you do not think/consider before you act.
I have a made a decision for change. Not because to please Man, but to be one who is responsible for others around him, to be an edifying connect group leader to his members, to be disciplined child of God. And lift all this in Your name.
I think many of you who read my blog would be familiar that many people tease me about being fat. If you thought I was fine with that, you were "right" in a sense that I would "laugh" along with you. However you were wrong too. Yes I know I am fat. Yes I know I am losing hair. I DO NOT NEED UNNECESSARY REMINDERS! I realised that negativity slowly builds up within, and if one is not careful and does not deal with the issue promptly, it could have a snowball effect and by the time you deal with it, its too late. What makes suan-ing too much to handle? What makes suan-ing still manageable within your emotional capacity? Suaning may seem natural to us, and without proper control over your speech, your relationship with people will spiral out of control.
Take my own case for example. Today, we went out in a group for dinner. S starts making fat jokes for no rhyme or reason. Everybody laughs and you are the butt for all humour. Even when you ask S to stop, she dosent and rants and rants and rants. This is a perfect example of someone with low EQ and loose with her words. (Note that this is what I noticed about myself too.) Then we all went back with S still suaning and suanning(nearly wanted to scream at S at the bus terminal but thank God I didnt), and I confronted S online and yet, she still sticks to her stand and still suans. And so you see earlier that when the defensive stance fails, people tend to go on the offensive, which was kindof what I did, but in a nicer way. Then I realised what I was becoming and stopped. You see, people need to manage their words and emotions properly.
For someone who has been laughed at with fatty jokes with endless years of experience, nothing new. But somebody will take it deeper another level. Through this "trivial" encounter, I began to see a new side of myself unfolding. It is evermore important that we must be tactful with whatever we say. The Bible also tells us that the words that proceed out of our mouths can either edify, or pierce like arrows. As I was meditating on Maximised Manhood (excellent book by the way) for the past 2 weeks or so, besides the core message that manhood and Christlikeness are synonymous, Dr Edwin Louis Cole emphasizes the importance of manhood being the head of everything else, and our WORD being our BOND. Words bond. They frame another's mind/world!
In the book, Dr Cole uses an example of marriage whereby the husband was so critical of the wife of her every move, her cooking, dressing, etc. How can a marriage relationship be fruitful like that? From the story, the husband was a pastor in a local church and his church never grew simply because of this failed relationship with his wife. Now, I understand why the person was so angry with me afew weeks ago. Now, I understand how important it is to be tactful with words. Words are a means of communicating. A collection of words = a sentence. You either add value to another's life or subtract value with the words that come out of your mouth.Being loose with words simply show that you do not think/consider before you act.
I have a made a decision for change. Not because to please Man, but to be one who is responsible for others around him, to be an edifying connect group leader to his members, to be disciplined child of God. And lift all this in Your name.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Kenna Tagged. THANKSSSS AP.
1) The person who tagged:Darrell Tan
2) Your relationship with him/her is: Army Buddies
3) Your five impressions on him/her:
-GARANG.
-Crazy because he keeps wanting to kiss me.
-FIT because he get IPPT GOLD.
-Daring to do what normal people wont do.
-Entertaining.
4) The most memorable thing that he/she had done for you: All the encouraging words during the training phases.
5) The most memorable thing that he/she had said to you: WE TAN. IT HAS BECOME MY NAME EVERSINCE YOU SAID THAT.
6) If he/she becomes your lover, you will: that will never happen.
7) If he/she becomes your lover, thing he/she has to improve on will be: that will ALSO never happen.
8) If he/she becomes your enemy, you will: Run and hide.
9) If he/she becomes your enemy, the reason will be: over his 6 packs.
10) The most desired thing you want to do for him/her now is: appreciate him for what he has done for me during army.
11) Your overall impression of him/her is: 6packs
12) How you think people around you will feel about you? Funny, make people laugh easily.
13) The characteristic you love of yourself are: seeing the positive in various circumstances. and being crazily funny.
14) On the contrary, the characteristic you hate of yourself are: being fat.
15) The most ideal person you want to be is: myself.
16) For people who cares and likes you, say something to them: Loves from Australia, though I cant be physically there for you, but want to let you know that you're always on my mind, somewhere, somehow and I care!
17) Pass this quiz to 10 persons that you wish to know how they feel about you?
1. Lengky Kiany
2. Jacqueline
3. Isabelle/Chew
4. Jeanette
5. Sarah Teo
6. Dixon
7. Aileen
8. Sophie
9. Myrna
10. Quanhan
18) Who is no.6 having relationship with? HAHAHA. I WISH I KNEW.
19) Is no. 9 a male or female? lion got male and female ah. 100% female.
20) If no.7 and 10 are together, will it be a good thing? Oh dear. CANNOT. my dear friend wayne will be so sad.
22) What is no.2 studying about? Business in SMU, world domination. how to hijack.
23) When is the last time you had a chat with no.3: the last good chat would be 2 days ago.
24) What kind of music band does no.8 like: a variety, jazz, pop, alternative. she's got style baybeh.
25) Does no.1 have any siblings:Yes , one brother and one sister.
26) Will you woo no.3: Yeah I would. Ni yuan yi jie shou wo ma?(this wasnt planned, honest + cross my heart.)
27) How about no.7: CANNOT LAH. BEST FRIEND'S GIRLFRIEND. I'll be cursed.
28) Is no.4 single:Yes , until 35 when she marries TLK.
29) What is the surname of no.5: uh. michelin no surname. teo lahh.
30) What's the hobby for no.4: Hunting, drawing on walls, making fire. (she's so conservative that I nickname her cavewoman.)
31) Does no.5 and 9 get along well? quite well i think.
32) Where is no.2 studying at? SMU.
33) Talk something casual about no.1: muggasaurus mehhh
34) Have you tried developing feelings for no.8? Whoa. okay. but I doubt Im her type.
35) Where does no.9 live at? Near Lakeside Mrt.
36) What colour does no.3 likes? Purple.
37) Are no.5 and 1 best friends? Eh..quite good friends.
38) Does no. 1 have any pets? 1 rabbit 1 dog. and one dinosaur.
39) Is no.7 the sexiest person in the world? In Wayne's eyes, she is lah.
40) What is no. 10 doing now?Studying in NUS. and arranging for some triple date with him myself and no.1.
2) Your relationship with him/her is: Army Buddies
3) Your five impressions on him/her:
-GARANG.
-Crazy because he keeps wanting to kiss me.
-FIT because he get IPPT GOLD.
-Daring to do what normal people wont do.
-Entertaining.
4) The most memorable thing that he/she had done for you: All the encouraging words during the training phases.
5) The most memorable thing that he/she had said to you: WE TAN. IT HAS BECOME MY NAME EVERSINCE YOU SAID THAT.
6) If he/she becomes your lover, you will: that will never happen.
7) If he/she becomes your lover, thing he/she has to improve on will be: that will ALSO never happen.
8) If he/she becomes your enemy, you will: Run and hide.
9) If he/she becomes your enemy, the reason will be: over his 6 packs.
10) The most desired thing you want to do for him/her now is: appreciate him for what he has done for me during army.
11) Your overall impression of him/her is: 6packs
12) How you think people around you will feel about you? Funny, make people laugh easily.
13) The characteristic you love of yourself are: seeing the positive in various circumstances. and being crazily funny.
14) On the contrary, the characteristic you hate of yourself are: being fat.
15) The most ideal person you want to be is: myself.
16) For people who cares and likes you, say something to them: Loves from Australia, though I cant be physically there for you, but want to let you know that you're always on my mind, somewhere, somehow and I care!
17) Pass this quiz to 10 persons that you wish to know how they feel about you?
1. Lengky Kiany
2. Jacqueline
3. Isabelle/Chew
4. Jeanette
5. Sarah Teo
6. Dixon
7. Aileen
8. Sophie
9. Myrna
10. Quanhan
18) Who is no.6 having relationship with? HAHAHA. I WISH I KNEW.
19) Is no. 9 a male or female? lion got male and female ah. 100% female.
20) If no.7 and 10 are together, will it be a good thing? Oh dear. CANNOT. my dear friend wayne will be so sad.
22) What is no.2 studying about? Business in SMU, world domination. how to hijack.
23) When is the last time you had a chat with no.3: the last good chat would be 2 days ago.
24) What kind of music band does no.8 like: a variety, jazz, pop, alternative. she's got style baybeh.
25) Does no.1 have any siblings:Yes , one brother and one sister.
26) Will you woo no.3: Yeah I would. Ni yuan yi jie shou wo ma?(this wasnt planned, honest + cross my heart.)
27) How about no.7: CANNOT LAH. BEST FRIEND'S GIRLFRIEND. I'll be cursed.
28) Is no.4 single:Yes , until 35 when she marries TLK.
29) What is the surname of no.5: uh. michelin no surname. teo lahh.
30) What's the hobby for no.4: Hunting, drawing on walls, making fire. (she's so conservative that I nickname her cavewoman.)
31) Does no.5 and 9 get along well? quite well i think.
32) Where is no.2 studying at? SMU.
33) Talk something casual about no.1: muggasaurus mehhh
34) Have you tried developing feelings for no.8? Whoa. okay. but I doubt Im her type.
35) Where does no.9 live at? Near Lakeside Mrt.
36) What colour does no.3 likes? Purple.
37) Are no.5 and 1 best friends? Eh..quite good friends.
38) Does no. 1 have any pets? 1 rabbit 1 dog. and one dinosaur.
39) Is no.7 the sexiest person in the world? In Wayne's eyes, she is lah.
40) What is no. 10 doing now?Studying in NUS. and arranging for some triple date with him myself and no.1.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Love knows no bounds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvCjyWp3rEk&feature=related
Christian the lion was bought by the 2 men, and reared from young. They reared him in the church backyard until he was too big to keep, and then they decided to release him into the wilderness of Africa. Many years later, the 2 men went to visit him. Though discouraged, they went anyway and the above video is actual documentation of the actual meet up.
Dont you wish you had a lion too?
- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam says:
i oso want lion
- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam says:
cool mann
- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam says:
then can eat pple i dun like
- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam says:
haha
Christian the lion was bought by the 2 men, and reared from young. They reared him in the church backyard until he was too big to keep, and then they decided to release him into the wilderness of Africa. Many years later, the 2 men went to visit him. Though discouraged, they went anyway and the above video is actual documentation of the actual meet up.
Dont you wish you had a lion too?
- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam says:
i oso want lion
- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam says:
cool mann
- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam says:
then can eat pple i dun like
- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam says:
haha
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Wall Street sagaa
I know its a little late, but i was caught up with so many things that couldnt find time to cough out this entry that warrants half the amount of my brain cells to work. Hahaha. Well, it was on the Australian Post (Finance section) that Wall Street crashed. For ignorants, its not like Sesame Street, neither isit a street full of walls being destroyed by a group of punks using explosives. This is a perfect example how politics, and money, and possibly psychology works in a local/global realm. I guess being a president IS that difficult after all. Having to practice what you preach in the campaigns you once ran for, it HAS to be in your blood even after you get elected. USA is really known for its democratic approach, but for them to be a LITTLE communist, its like teaching a stubborn mule.
Wall Street crashed because the US did not approve the bailout plan. Just because of all the dilly dallying, TRILLIONS of dollars went up in smoke. Quoting Joshua (from my hall), "THATS A FREAKING BLINKING HELL LOT OF MONEY!" And then, now their back to the drawing board. How'd they actually decide whether anot to give the green light to the bailout? Via their most democratic style. Voting. I'm not sure who voted, but if the people of America voted (like normal citizens), then I'd doubt the decision was made right. Even though I feel people should have a chance to give their take, decision cannot lie solely among the people. No prizes for guessing, the people voted against the bailout because they cannot raise 200million. WHOA WHOA WHOA, wait a minute. what do they mean they cannot raise 200million?! Thats a joke. They have richest (or once richest) man Bill Gates there wondering what to do with his money because Microsoft is still generating millions of dollars per increase in 1 cent in the stock market, and YET they claim they cannot do it? Can you hear something? my toes are laughing and my tummy is roaring!
What now? Within weeks, I've heard of companies being bought over, companies closing down.. etc. I bet those employees who ONCE had a 6k-per-month or maybe 10k, would be wondering what should they do now. Thats sad. But yet again, being a president may not be the easy as it seems. Being the SR Nathan you see in every CC, every school hall, some companies, may not be as easy even though you think he might be sleeping everyday in the Istana with MM Lee doing all the hard work. US president might've staged an uproar in his country if the decision went the other way. I guess being people at the top, you HAVE to make critical decisions like that. Its not all about signing this contract, hiring/firing this person that makes you the CEO or the key person that runs the company. Its about THE critical decision you have to make when tough nuts come your way. ESPECIALLY WITH TRADE OFFS. (ie. tradeoffs in layman terms mean do this, something bad happens. dont do this, something bad STILL happens, but in another sector.)
In all due respect, I still think the US president made the "right" decision. The most politically correct one. By not pumping in the money, it keeps every thing high. Including one thing we want to keep low most, OIL. Perhaps petrol prices may have fallen abit.. but I think it wont stay there for long. Then again, oil being slightly cheaper dosent mean everyone of us go to the nearest BP/Shell/SPC/Esso SPECIALLY just to stock up on petrol. I know you kiasu Singaporeans. Dont kill the earth. Dont kill the engineers who spend so much time effort digging for oil, only for us kiasu Singaporeans/ Asians/ Angmohs to suck the oil tank dry every time its being refilled. Actually I think oil is quite a bad example, but I cant think of any more at the moment, but you somehow get the point.
And then the opposite decision, to pump in the money for the poor to tide on by. But I doubt this has any effect in Singapore. Recession come only, increase price. Recession go only, the price stays and never goes back down. Singapore mentality: If business can still be good with the increased price, then why should we lower the price to what it is before? Smart bakchormee uncles and clever carrotcake aunties. It'll be their loss not to remain at the higher price! What to do... sad.
Gone are the days of 25 cent Macdonalds icecream.
Gone are the days of 1 dollar Nasi lemak with chicken wing.
Gone are the days of 30 cent syrup drink.
Gone are the days of 5 dollar macdonald value meals.
Gone are the days of 45/35 cent bus rides.
Gone are the days of not worrying about ERP.
We'll tide through this. =)
Wall Street crashed because the US did not approve the bailout plan. Just because of all the dilly dallying, TRILLIONS of dollars went up in smoke. Quoting Joshua (from my hall), "THATS A FREAKING BLINKING HELL LOT OF MONEY!" And then, now their back to the drawing board. How'd they actually decide whether anot to give the green light to the bailout? Via their most democratic style. Voting. I'm not sure who voted, but if the people of America voted (like normal citizens), then I'd doubt the decision was made right. Even though I feel people should have a chance to give their take, decision cannot lie solely among the people. No prizes for guessing, the people voted against the bailout because they cannot raise 200million. WHOA WHOA WHOA, wait a minute. what do they mean they cannot raise 200million?! Thats a joke. They have richest (or once richest) man Bill Gates there wondering what to do with his money because Microsoft is still generating millions of dollars per increase in 1 cent in the stock market, and YET they claim they cannot do it? Can you hear something? my toes are laughing and my tummy is roaring!
What now? Within weeks, I've heard of companies being bought over, companies closing down.. etc. I bet those employees who ONCE had a 6k-per-month or maybe 10k, would be wondering what should they do now. Thats sad. But yet again, being a president may not be the easy as it seems. Being the SR Nathan you see in every CC, every school hall, some companies, may not be as easy even though you think he might be sleeping everyday in the Istana with MM Lee doing all the hard work. US president might've staged an uproar in his country if the decision went the other way. I guess being people at the top, you HAVE to make critical decisions like that. Its not all about signing this contract, hiring/firing this person that makes you the CEO or the key person that runs the company. Its about THE critical decision you have to make when tough nuts come your way. ESPECIALLY WITH TRADE OFFS. (ie. tradeoffs in layman terms mean do this, something bad happens. dont do this, something bad STILL happens, but in another sector.)
In all due respect, I still think the US president made the "right" decision. The most politically correct one. By not pumping in the money, it keeps every thing high. Including one thing we want to keep low most, OIL. Perhaps petrol prices may have fallen abit.. but I think it wont stay there for long. Then again, oil being slightly cheaper dosent mean everyone of us go to the nearest BP/Shell/SPC/Esso SPECIALLY just to stock up on petrol. I know you kiasu Singaporeans. Dont kill the earth. Dont kill the engineers who spend so much time effort digging for oil, only for us kiasu Singaporeans/ Asians/ Angmohs to suck the oil tank dry every time its being refilled. Actually I think oil is quite a bad example, but I cant think of any more at the moment, but you somehow get the point.
And then the opposite decision, to pump in the money for the poor to tide on by. But I doubt this has any effect in Singapore. Recession come only, increase price. Recession go only, the price stays and never goes back down. Singapore mentality: If business can still be good with the increased price, then why should we lower the price to what it is before? Smart bakchormee uncles and clever carrotcake aunties. It'll be their loss not to remain at the higher price! What to do... sad.
Gone are the days of 25 cent Macdonalds icecream.
Gone are the days of 1 dollar Nasi lemak with chicken wing.
Gone are the days of 30 cent syrup drink.
Gone are the days of 5 dollar macdonald value meals.
Gone are the days of 45/35 cent bus rides.
Gone are the days of not worrying about ERP.
We'll tide through this. =)
Friday, October 3, 2008
This is why Wayne is old and senile...
Wayne =) says:
WHY U BORED AH!?
Wayne =) says:
need me ntertain u?
Kenneth =) says:
yes
Kenneth =) says:
you got honey i donthave
Wayne =) says:
hahahaha
Wayne =) says:
i buy 1 for u
Wayne =) says:
u want what kind?
Wayne =) says:
big pot one?
Wayne =) says:
=)
Kenneth =) says:
........
Kenneth =) says:
WAH LAO
Kenneth =) says:
i not winnie the pooh leh
Wayne =) says:
hahahaha
Wayne =) says:
CUTE EH WINNE THE POOH
Wayne =) says:
eh winnie the pooh is guy or gal!?
Kenneth =) says:
WAH LAO
Kenneth =) says:
HOW I KNOW
Kenneth =) says:
YOU GO AND SEE THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGAN LA
Wayne =) says:
LOL
Wayne =) says:
u find for me la
Wayne =) says:
i busy now ma
Wayne =) says:
u very free i ask u these kinda question
Kenneth =) says:
no thanks
Kenneth =) says:
WAH LAO
Kenneth =) says:
ONLINE ONLY YOU GO AND TALK
Wayne =) says:
hahaha
Wayne =) says:
i ask u ma
Wayne =) says:
then u post here for WHAT?!
Wayne =) says:
i only ask u
Kenneth =) says:
only you can ask this kind of qn
Kenneth =) says:
you this lamao
Wayne =) says:
plS lo!
Kenneth =) says:
dont bluff
Wayne =) says:
bluff what?!
Kenneth =) says:
only you can ask if winnie the pooh guy or gal
Kenneth =) says:
LOL
Wayne =) says:
LOL
Wayne =) says:
I asks
Wayne =) says:
not say
Kenneth =) says:
YAH WHAT
Kenneth =) says:
you this LMAO
Kenneth =) says:
where got people ask this kind of qn ONE
*pardon my exasperation (in CAPS) and excessive use of WAH-LAO'S.. Only people like him can make me burst out laughing and go crazy. HAHAHHAHA.
WHY U BORED AH!?
Wayne =) says:
need me ntertain u?
Kenneth =) says:
yes
Kenneth =) says:
you got honey i donthave
Wayne =) says:
hahahaha
Wayne =) says:
i buy 1 for u
Wayne =) says:
u want what kind?
Wayne =) says:
big pot one?
Wayne =) says:
=)
Kenneth =) says:
........
Kenneth =) says:
WAH LAO
Kenneth =) says:
i not winnie the pooh leh
Wayne =) says:
hahahaha
Wayne =) says:
CUTE EH WINNE THE POOH
Wayne =) says:
eh winnie the pooh is guy or gal!?
Kenneth =) says:
WAH LAO
Kenneth =) says:
HOW I KNOW
Kenneth =) says:
YOU GO AND SEE THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGAN LA
Wayne =) says:
LOL
Wayne =) says:
u find for me la
Wayne =) says:
i busy now ma
Wayne =) says:
u very free i ask u these kinda question
Kenneth =) says:
no thanks
Kenneth =) says:
WAH LAO
Kenneth =) says:
ONLINE ONLY YOU GO AND TALK
Wayne =) says:
hahaha
Wayne =) says:
i ask u ma
Wayne =) says:
then u post here for WHAT?!
Wayne =) says:
i only ask u
Kenneth =) says:
only you can ask this kind of qn
Kenneth =) says:
you this lamao
Wayne =) says:
plS lo!
Kenneth =) says:
dont bluff
Wayne =) says:
bluff what?!
Kenneth =) says:
only you can ask if winnie the pooh guy or gal
Kenneth =) says:
LOL
Wayne =) says:
LOL
Wayne =) says:
I asks
Wayne =) says:
not say
Kenneth =) says:
YAH WHAT
Kenneth =) says:
you this LMAO
Kenneth =) says:
where got people ask this kind of qn ONE
*pardon my exasperation (in CAPS) and excessive use of WAH-LAO'S.. Only people like him can make me burst out laughing and go crazy. HAHAHHAHA.
oh what a wonderful world..
If there was anything i learnt during a math lesson, it was how wonderfully created we are. More often than not we talk about dimensions and refer to them as objects. Whatever things that exist are of a certain dimension, including us. We used to learn from pre-school to university how to plot points on a graph, draw lines in art and craft, design things in Design and Technology and how things move. Thats creation for you.
In the beginning, God had an idea to make Man in His image. To rule the earth. If God were to sketch a plan, I am very sure He created Man from a dot. Yes. That dot you see at the end of every sentence. Whether be it white, yellow, black, brown, beige, we are created from a dot. We may not see the point of what a small dot means, but isnt that always the case? We normally dont see God's plan until much later when He tells us/ we see it through His eyes. Its so little, but we'll see what emerges from that dot. A dot is 1 dimensionional. -DOT
From the dot, God draws a line, curve, whatever.. scribbling, shading, erasing, drawing again, shading.. crushes some paper, He smiles as He draws what is in His mind. And tadah, we see its a full size picture of you! Just the frontal view, no more, no less. Every single detail. Perfect? Not so. God has a greater plan for each and every one of us! We may seem dull, like on the sheet of paper, but desire to go deeper! The mountain will get steeper, the road may get longer, but God will guide us to completion. Simply because, God is a creative God and He comes up with NEW things, so He leaves that drawing aside and decides to do something else. A line, curve, picture, flat plane is 2 dimensional. - AREA
Then God decides to take some sand from the grounds of the earth and create a sculpture. In scuplting, you make cylinders, spheres, cubes, and other kinds of weird shapes up to your own preference. An object. A body. Something of physical touch. He defines the contours, from top to toe. Every single detail, hair, eyebrows, feet, toes, fingers, hands, finger prints, hand lines.. nostrils is covered. Skin, eyeballs, ears, veins, heart, reproductive organs.. are done to perfection. All in God's mind. Now, God has something to TOUCH. For those who think, Christianity is a religion. Think again. If God created something He could not touch or have a relationship with, then why would He create us? An object/body is 3 dimensional. - VOLUME
If you STILL think thats the end full stop. Sadly you limit God's creativity. In art, there is always a finishing touch. A final coat of varnish for a painting, or a coat of lacquer for wood. And to top the object all off, He coats the body with His spirit/soul. Suddenly, there is LIFE. Our 5 senses come into effect. Sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste, voice. The heart starts pumping, the blood starts flowing, the brain starts functioning, the body is breathing, the arms and legs are moving and finally, the eyes OPEN. God MOVES. The final touch is a move of God. Sometimes we may be so dead, so emotionally shut down, anything we do is deemed void/ of no impact. We NEED the movement of God's spirit in our hearts. This is something we cannot compromise on. To stir up our spirits once again, to move in the 5 senses God has placed in us. WE ARE MADE IN THE 4TH DIMENSION - MOVEMENT.
1. To see every circumstance through God's eyes.
2. To smell the sweet aroma of God's blessing upon your life.
3. To hear a rhema Word from God.
4. To allow God to touch people through you.
5. To taste the sweet victory of the Devil.
We can see from this simple analogy, how we were wonderfully, yet complexly made. To such precision we were sculpted from the very mind of God! On top of that, blessed with 5 senses that we can use so effectively to reach out to Him and to others! But then again, what about those without limbs, without sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste or voice? or a combination of each? It's definitely not a mistake that God made in the blueprint, but the fallen nature of Man. Sad to say so, but yet God says that EVERY SINGLE ONE, no matter how imperfect you are, you can lose all 4 limbs or all 5 senses, and YET God still LOVES.
like this entry?
I love it very very much.
as well as the one behind it heehee.
In the beginning, God had an idea to make Man in His image. To rule the earth. If God were to sketch a plan, I am very sure He created Man from a dot. Yes. That dot you see at the end of every sentence. Whether be it white, yellow, black, brown, beige, we are created from a dot. We may not see the point of what a small dot means, but isnt that always the case? We normally dont see God's plan until much later when He tells us/ we see it through His eyes. Its so little, but we'll see what emerges from that dot. A dot is 1 dimensionional. -DOT
From the dot, God draws a line, curve, whatever.. scribbling, shading, erasing, drawing again, shading.. crushes some paper, He smiles as He draws what is in His mind. And tadah, we see its a full size picture of you! Just the frontal view, no more, no less. Every single detail. Perfect? Not so. God has a greater plan for each and every one of us! We may seem dull, like on the sheet of paper, but desire to go deeper! The mountain will get steeper, the road may get longer, but God will guide us to completion. Simply because, God is a creative God and He comes up with NEW things, so He leaves that drawing aside and decides to do something else. A line, curve, picture, flat plane is 2 dimensional. - AREA
Then God decides to take some sand from the grounds of the earth and create a sculpture. In scuplting, you make cylinders, spheres, cubes, and other kinds of weird shapes up to your own preference. An object. A body. Something of physical touch. He defines the contours, from top to toe. Every single detail, hair, eyebrows, feet, toes, fingers, hands, finger prints, hand lines.. nostrils is covered. Skin, eyeballs, ears, veins, heart, reproductive organs.. are done to perfection. All in God's mind. Now, God has something to TOUCH. For those who think, Christianity is a religion. Think again. If God created something He could not touch or have a relationship with, then why would He create us? An object/body is 3 dimensional. - VOLUME
If you STILL think thats the end full stop. Sadly you limit God's creativity. In art, there is always a finishing touch. A final coat of varnish for a painting, or a coat of lacquer for wood. And to top the object all off, He coats the body with His spirit/soul. Suddenly, there is LIFE. Our 5 senses come into effect. Sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste, voice. The heart starts pumping, the blood starts flowing, the brain starts functioning, the body is breathing, the arms and legs are moving and finally, the eyes OPEN. God MOVES. The final touch is a move of God. Sometimes we may be so dead, so emotionally shut down, anything we do is deemed void/ of no impact. We NEED the movement of God's spirit in our hearts. This is something we cannot compromise on. To stir up our spirits once again, to move in the 5 senses God has placed in us. WE ARE MADE IN THE 4TH DIMENSION - MOVEMENT.
1. To see every circumstance through God's eyes.
2. To smell the sweet aroma of God's blessing upon your life.
3. To hear a rhema Word from God.
4. To allow God to touch people through you.
5. To taste the sweet victory of the Devil.
We can see from this simple analogy, how we were wonderfully, yet complexly made. To such precision we were sculpted from the very mind of God! On top of that, blessed with 5 senses that we can use so effectively to reach out to Him and to others! But then again, what about those without limbs, without sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste or voice? or a combination of each? It's definitely not a mistake that God made in the blueprint, but the fallen nature of Man. Sad to say so, but yet God says that EVERY SINGLE ONE, no matter how imperfect you are, you can lose all 4 limbs or all 5 senses, and YET God still LOVES.
like this entry?
I love it very very much.
as well as the one behind it heehee.
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