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.

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.

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!

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.

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"/\.

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.

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 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. =(

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!

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.

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

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

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.