the funny little things we say to make it right

who knew?

2011-10-19T23:18:00.001+08:00

who knew that attempting to confess to someone that you like would be so difficult? i'm such a coward :/

truth about temptation?

2011-09-23T07:33:00.001+08:00

A friend said this to me yesterday (paraphrased): temptation only comes into play when you entertain the thought of (actually) doing it.

True or not? Food for thought at least..

choices

2011-09-19T06:47:00.001+08:00

"I pray . . . that you may approve the things that are excellent." Philippians 1:9-10

As a kid, one of my favorite pastimes was skipping stones across the surface of a smooth lake. Inevitably, ripples would flow from the impact of the stone.
It’s like that with choices. Every choice we make creates a ripple effect on our lives as well as on the lives of others. The choices we have made throughout life determine where we are and what we are becoming.
Choices are also telling. What we really want, love, and think show up in the choices we make.
It’s no wonder then that Paul urged us to make “excellent” choices—choices that emanate from a heart fully committed to Jesus. He stated that when our love abounds in knowledge and discernment, we are able to understand what is best, so that we may “approve the things that are excellent” (Phil. 1:9-10). Excellent choices are the proof of a life that is deeply committed to Jesus and His ways, and they have the ripple effect of filling our lives “with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Phil. 1:11).
As a friend of mine wisely told me, our lives are not made by the dreams we dream but by the choices we make.

Let’s make excellent ones!
Do a deed of simple kindness,
Though its end you may not see;
It may reach, like widening ripples,
Down a long eternity. —Norris

Make an excellent choice and watch the ripple effect of blessing.

picture = thousand words

2011-09-16T21:02:00.001+08:00

'cept replace 'man' with 'woman'..

limitless technology

2011-09-16T20:59:00.001+08:00

Blogging again (finally!) on my iphone. Wanna take a final stab at reviving my blog before i decide if i should shut it down for good. Not that ive got regular readers to consider - just am not sure if i wanna delete certain recorded happenings in my life. I tend to be quite forgetful. Not too good with retention.

a picture paints a thousand words..

2011-06-15T16:49:00.002+08:00

songs i grew to love:)

2011-06-13T21:21:00.002+08:00

Lady Antebellum - Need You Now

Picture perfect memories
Scattered all around the floor
Reaching for the phone 'cause
I can't fight it anymore

And I wonder if I
Ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time

It's a quarter after one
I'm all alone
And I need you now
Said I wouldn't call
But I've lost all control
And I need you now

And I don't know how
I can do without
I just need you now

Another shot of whiskey
Can't stop looking at the door
Wishing you'd come sweeping
In the way you did before

And I wonder if I
Ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time

It's a quarter after one
I'm a little drunk
And I need you now
Said I wouldn't call
But I've lost all control
And I need you now

And I don't know how
I can do without
I just need you now

Whoa, whoa
Guess I'd rather hurt
Than feel nothing at all

It's a quarter after one
I'm all alone
And I need you now
And I said I wouldn't call
But I'm a little drunk
And I need you now

And I don't know how
I can do without
I just need you now
I just need you now

Oh baby, I need you now

Chris Medina - What Are Words

A New Year, A Fresh Perspective:)

2011-01-02T15:14:00.005+08:00

let's start the year proper, with a fresh perspective and with our hearts & minds tuned into what really is important. perhaps this song will help you do that.

BLESSED NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! :)

The Consecration of Spiritual Power

2010-11-27T11:49:00.001+08:00

Saturday, 27 November 2010

. . . by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world —Galatians 6:14

If I dwell on the Cross of Christ, I do not simply become inwardly devout and solely interested in my own holiness— I become strongly focused on Jesus Christ’s interests. Our Lord was not a recluse nor a fanatical holy man practicing self-denial. He did not physically cut Himself off from society, but He was inwardly disconnected all the time. He was not aloof, but He lived in another world. In fact, He was so much in the common everyday world that the religious people of His day accused Him of being a glutton and a drunkard. Yet our Lord never allowed anything to interfere with His consecration of spiritual power.

It is not genuine consecration to think that we can refuse to be used of God now in order to store up our spiritual power for later use. That is a hopeless mistake. The Spirit of God has set a great many people free from their sin, yet they are experiencing no fullness in their lives— no true sense of freedom. The kind of religious life we see around the world today is entirely different from the vigorous holiness of the life of Jesus Christ. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). We are to be in the world but not of it— to be separated internally, not externally (seeJohn 17:16).

We must never allow anything to interfere with the consecration of our spiritual power. Consecration (being dedicated to God’s service) is our part; sanctification (being set apart from sin and being made holy) is God’s part. We must make a deliberate determination to be interested only in what God is interested. The way to make that determination, when faced with a perplexing problem, is to ask yourself, “Is this the kind of thing in which Jesus Christ is interested, or is it something in which the spirit that is diametrically opposed to Jesus is interested?”

— Oswald Chambers

an illustrated guide to bluffing

2010-11-22T08:16:00.002+08:00

more like how to spot people in the act of bluffing:)

click here for the full illustrated guide.

who comes up with things like these?

how popular is the iPhone?

2010-11-15T14:41:00.001+08:00

find out the answer here.

good to know:)

2010-11-03T08:22:00.004+08:00

go ahead; click here. you know you want to:)

Christian Kane - Thinking of You

2010-10-30T23:59:00.006+08:00

not a HUGE fan of country music and its sappy lyrics.

but i LOVE his voice - this man got pipes (in a country-music way).

it doesn't hurt that he's HAWT! hehe. anyways, check him out at www.christiankane.com

ENJOY - i certainly did! *grin*

just how massive is google anyway?

2010-09-28T08:08:00.002+08:00

http://computerschool.org/computers/google/

go see for yourself :)

蕭敬騰 - 阿飛的小蝴蝶 MV (完整版)

2010-08-02T15:29:00.001+08:00

love his voice!

random happening #4

2010-06-28T19:41:00.002+08:00

went out for a breather today and ended up shopping:) was trying out some blouses when i heard someone close by call 'miss, miss, there's a spider on the jacket!' in chinese. so i turned my head and saw the lady looking straight at me. puzzled, i didnt respond, as i didnt expect her to talk to me directly. after some moments, she went on to ask if she could try on the jacket.

i just stared at her and said, in chinese, 'i am not the stall assistant' and walked off. sigh. my act of kindness (hanging the blouse back after i am done with it) has gotten me mistaken for a sales assistant. what else can i say?

run the race

2010-06-18T11:37:00.003+08:00

ODJ, 18June2010

One of my favorite television programs is The Amazing Race. This reality show takes up to a dozen couples (people in pre-existing relationships) and places them in a foreign country where they race—via trains, buses, cabs, bikes, and feet—from one point to the next, gaining instructions for the next challenge. The goal is to get to the designated finishing point before everyone else. The last couple to make it to each finishing point is eliminated. And the couple who wins the race receives one million dollars.

Paul said that he was in a race too. He presented this word picture in Philippians 3. The apostle admitted that he had not fully developed as a Christian and that there was room for improvement in his walk with Jesus (Philippians 3:12). He was in a race, making progress, racing toward the finish line of being conformed to the image of Jesus and having perfect fellowship with Him forever. As he ran the race, Paul didn’t allow his past failures and successes to prevent him from making progress. He didn’t let his past failures make him feel guilty or his present successes make him complacent. He didn’t look back, but he moved forward despite his failures because he knew that Jesus had forgiven him (Philippians 3:13).

As believers in Jesus, we’re also running a race. We’re in process, striving to make progress in our spiritual life. If we want to make it to the finish line, we must be in a constant state of growth in Christ. We must also forget the past and focus on the future. We can move forward despite our failures, knowing that we have been forgiven. We’re racing, not for a million dollars, but for the ultimate prize of being more like Jesus. Let’s “press on to reach the end of the race” (v.14)

random happening #3

2010-06-13T15:35:00.002+08:00

went to get dinner for my siblings yesterday evening.
the stall auntie went, 'auntie, here's your change', when she gave me back change for the food.

auntie. me. was called auntie. great. i gotta start dressing up now (realised it for a while now. kinda just hit me with great magnitude).

guess who's coming for dinner?

2010-06-06T17:58:00.004+08:00

Luke 14:16-24

"Five to ten times a year, I receive invitations to attend breakfasts, luncheons, and dinners, and to partner with various organizations. Some of these invitations spark no interest in me, while others are so compelling and close to my heart that I respond with an enthusiastic, “Yes!”

Jesus once used an illustration to talk about a dinner invitation that deserves a hearty “yes” from everyone. In Luke 14, a wealthy man sent out invitations to a dinner party he was hosting. To get a personal invitation during this age signified distinct honor. When the dinner was ready, he sent his servant out to notify all the guests (v.17). That’s when the unthinkable happened.

His guests showed no respect for His invitation by making excuses as to why they could not attend the dinner (vv.18-20). You would think the host would cancel the dinner, but he didn’t. He sent out more invitations (v.21). This time, he sent his servant to the streets and alleys of where the outcasts of Israelite society were found, and to the country lanes and behind the hedges where the Gentiles lived. In short, the servant was sent to persuasively invite the unwanted, the unfit, and the unworthy of society to the feast, until the tables were full of guests (v.23).

This brief but important story reveals a wonderful truth about God: He values all of humanity—particularly the less fortunate in our world. Moreover, this story reveals a truth about the gospel. The message of salvation is fundamentally an invitation to everyone, but it is especially good news to the less fortunate in our world.

How can we live this out? Our response should be to passionately, unconditionally, and extravagantly love everyone—especially the marginalized in our world. Let’s invite them all to the wonderful feast of God’s love".

source

i know i have posted this before, BUT...

2010-05-22T12:35:00.002+08:00

Thinking of Taiwan, with the food & the sights. Sigh.

Thinking, thinking.

random happenings

2010-05-16T15:40:00.002+08:00

maybe i should rename 'small, insignificant happenings' to 'random happenings'. sounds more purposeful, doesn't it?

anyway, random happening #2:
was drinking ice-blended soya milk with pearls, in the elevator. was stared by a little girl of 7-ish, 8 years of age, for a good 1 min+. abit weird-ed out, if you ask me. the best part was that her parents were oblivious, trying to decide if gymnastics or swimming looks more graceful for the girls. wth, right? :)

finally, she looked away, after i smiled at her. cute girl though:)

small, insignificant happenings (1)

2010-05-15T11:26:00.003+08:00

decided to post small, insignificant happenings that, well, happened in my days.
no reason; just want to. :)

small, insignificant happening #1:
saw a newspaper ad on my colleague's table. turned out to be an ad for a wedding fair (he's engaged & thus, planning for his wedding). so i took a closer look. my colleague, who saw me looking at the ad, then said this to me: 'Patience, Eunice, patience', with a cheeky smile at the end. took me a while to get it but when i did, i smacked his right ear and walked off.

idiot. :)

WARNING: RANT AHEAD!

2010-04-26T22:35:00.002+08:00

I DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT IS WITH ME NOWADAYS, BEING AFFECTED BY OTHERS SO EASILY. I USED TO BE THOSE WHO DONT GIVE A DAMN (MUCH) ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK ABOUT ISSUES THAT I'M WORKING ON &/OR CARE ABOUT.

BUT NOW, I FLY OFF THE STUPID HANDLE, WHEN SOMEONE SENDS/GIVES ME A REPLY THAT I'M NOT EXPECTING. I AM NOT ANGRY AT THE PERSON AND HIS/HER REPLY; I'M MORE FRUSTRATED AT MYSELF FOR FEELING THAT WAY.

WHAT? AM I MORE INVESTED EMOTIONALLY NOWADAYS, TOWARDS THE TASKS/ISSUES THAT I'M ENTRUSTED WITH? OR AM I JUST NOT USED TO BE QUESTIONED? AND NO, IT'S NOT PMS. I DONT USE AN EXCUSE THAT CONVENIENT.

IF I WERE TO GIVE AN ANSWER TO IT, I WOULD SAY THAT THE QUESTIONING AND THE UNEXPECTED REPLIES MAKE ME FEEL INEPT AT WHAT I DO. I TOOK PRIDE AND CARE IN THE THINGS THAT I DO. THEREFORE, WHEN I AM BEING QUESTIONED/CHALLENGED ABOUT THEM, I FEEL LIKE I HAVE NOT DONE MY BEST. BECAUSE IF I HAD DONE MY BEST, THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY QUESTIONS/CHALLENGES. AM I RIGHT TO SAY THAT OR HAVE I ROUNDED THE BEND TOWARDS ANAL-VILLE?

I KNOW THAT I SHOULD FACTOR IN INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES, DIFFERENCES IN OPINION, FREEDOM OF SPEECH & EXPRESSION AND ALL THAT CRAP. KNOWING IS ONE THING; FEELING IT IS DIFFERENT. IN THIS CASE, MY THOUGHTS DO NOT RULE MY EMOTIONS. IT'S THE FREAKING OTHER WAY AROUND.

I'M SICK & TIRED OF FEELING THAT WAY. JUST WANNA MAKE IT STOP. JUST WANNA STOP FEELING LIKE AN IMBECILE. JUST NEEDED TO GET THIS OFF MY CHEST. MAYBE I'LL FEEL BETTER SOON.

i'm back!

2010-04-21T08:19:00.002+08:00

back from the land of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh. havent been there before; was actually looking forward to the trip. it was fun, with great company. :)

how to sum up the trip? formed several deep impressions of the trip. one, it was extremely HOT, with temperatures averaging 35 degree Celsius, not factoring in the humidity. a short walk is cause for copious amounts of perspiration & extreme stickiness, running down my face, neck, back, chest, EVERYWHERE. according to the locals, it's the hot&dry season. it runs from Dec to April. sigh.

two, local food ROCKS. forget about the restaurants man - they are (more) expensive but not necessarily good. local food from the roadside stalls and markets is THE place to go. if you can get past the (lack of) hygiene and sit in a super-humid environment, it will be well worth your discomfort. had pho (DUH!), baguettes (with liver pate, fried egg and an assortment of vegetables), coffee that is beyond fragrant, vietnamese version of kebab and an assortment of snacks. SHIOK ah, i tell you! :)

three, traffic in HCM is CRAZY. 4 million motorcycles in a population of 7mil. GEEZ. everywhere you go/turn/walk, there's a bike. im not kidding you. got honked at so many times, i'm actually getting used to it (not that it's not irritating).

four, had a history lesson on the Vietnam War. went to the Cu Chi Tunnels (link). saw the ingenuity of the Vietnamese, when war was forced on them and they had to fight for their survival. enlightening, to see it from the other perspective.

other than that, Vietnam/HCM seems like a great place to visit. note to self: go again in the cool&wet season. :)

let us all be master swordsmen!

2010-04-14T08:04:00.002+08:00

taken from ODJ Online.

Various vacations have taught me that jet skis and boulders don’t go together. Neither do 3-wheelers and thin ice.

My motorized mishaps began when, as a kid, my family spent the afternoon visiting friends. Willing to accommodate my need for speed, their son let me use his go-cart. He showed me the gas pedal but assumed I would find the brake. So when my friend and I realized we were headed for the highway at full throttle, we jumped off to avoid crashing into any cars. Ouch! It’s so important to be properly trained in how to use expensive recreation vehicles!

Much more important than just a means of entertainment, the Word of God is both a weapon and a tool. Just as a soldier is trained to use his weapons in battle and a builder learns how to use his tools, believers in Jesus must be trained in how to handle the Word.

In recounting the temptation of Jesus, Matthew demonstrates how even Satan used Scripture (4:1-11). Manipulative, the enemy was interested in his own selfish purposes and not in truth. Because God is serious about His Word, we need to understand:

Keeping our hearts pure before the Lord enables us to receive instruction from the Holy Spirit (Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 5:8).
Wielding the sword includes accepting our inability to know everything, while being willing to learn (1 Timothy 4:12-16).
Learning how to handle the Word develops us as people who are unashamed and ready to share it (2 Timothy 2:15, 4:2-4).

Scripture tells us that in the end days, deception will grow stronger (Mark 13:22). God wants us to be master swordsmen, trained and ready to communicate His truth. Let’s do what it takes to learn.

---

isn't it true? when i first read this devotional, it struck a chord in me.

very often, we tend to go through our daily lives, without much instructions and direction, neglecting the ONE Book that can guide us through our lives, allowing us to live it to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ and our Abba Father.

this is my prayer then:

"Dear Lord, i'm sorry for not paying much attention to Your Word and the promptings that the Holy Spirit stirred in my heart. sorry for neglecting Your guidance and giving more credence to my own limited humane wisdom. Thank You, Father, for the timely reminder and slap. :) i pray that i would have the strength to become a master swordsman for You. In Your Son's most precious name, Amen"

Give God Time

2010-03-31T08:22:00.003+08:00

Important Prayer Principles:

If you have a problem today, a great need in your life, maybe your problem is that you had done all the talking, but hadn't done any listening to God! Stop talking and listen for a while! Listen to God's Word! Be still and let Him speak to you.

When you get quiet and wait on Him, there will come a prompting from Him in a still small voice." Someone has also called it "A Divine Oughtness," that is, an impression that you ought to do a certain thing. .

Some people think that effective praying means to keep on seeking and keep on knocking, to keep on talking and talking and asking God with a multitude of words, and an insistence in talking it out with Him!

This kind of prayer doesn’t show your trust & faith that He’ll answer, on the contrary, it shows your unbelief & lack of faith that He has heard you & the answer is on its way.

When you pray you don’t need to keep on asking, with so much talking and insistence on expressing yourself in words, but you need to keep on believing and keep on expecting and waiting! Waiting for God to answer!

Oh, the answer's there, God will answer! You know, prayer in its highest meaning is not pleading with God or demanding things, but it is communion with God, throwing your whole being open heavenward, God-ward, and waiting for the divine response.

A little word by Martha Snell-Nicholson:
Sometimes I do not even pray in words.
I take my heart in my two hands,
And hold it up before the Lord.
I'm so glad He understands.
Sometimes I do not even pray in words.
My spirit bows before His feet,
And with His hand upon my head,
We just hold communion, silent, sweet.
Sometimes I do not pray in words,
For I am tired and long for rest.
And my heart finds all it needs,
Just resting on the Savior's gentle breast.
--
If you have prayed and had no answer yet, no answer's come and it seems as if when you pray, the Heavens are brass and He's been deaf to your pleading cries, remember this:
No earnest sincere prayer to the heavenly Father has ever gone unanswered or been unnoticed. But it is also true that God has His time for all things in working out His purposes! God has strange ways of disciplining His intercessors and prayer warriors, and that takes time.

Source: www.tommyswindow.com

MIGHTY IS THE POWER OF THE CROSS

2010-03-29T07:55:00.002+08:00

By Chris Tomlin

What can take a dying man and 
Raise him up to life again?
What can heal a wounded soul?
What can make us white as snow?
What can fill the emptiness?
What can mend our brokeness?
Brokeness

Mighty, Awesome, Wonderful
Is the Holy Cross
Where the Lamb laid down his life
To lift us from the fall
Mighty is the power of the cross

What restores our faith in God?
What reveals the Father's love?
What can lead the wayward home?
What can melt a heart of stone?
What can free the guilty ones?
What can save and overcome
Overcome

It's a miracle to me, (It's a miracle to me)
It's still a mystery, (It's still a mystery)
It's a miracle to me
The Power of God 
For those who believe

'nuff said

2010-03-15T23:19:00.002+08:00

hero

2010-02-25T21:05:00.001+08:00

by Abandon :)

He walked the dirty streets.

Famous for nothing.
He said come follow me and they came.
A face like all the rest.
But something was different.
The Son of God would lead the way.
And soon they all would say.

There He goes - a hero.

A savior to the world.
Here He stands with scars in His hands.
With love He gave His life so we could be free.
The Savior of the world.

He spoke with clarity.

Walked across the sea.
A single word would calm the storm.
His touch could heal the sick, but He was called a hypocrite.
Laid behind the stone.

His death was shortly mourned. He left the curtain torn.

There He goes - a hero.

A savior to the world.
Here He stands with scars in His hands.
With love he gave His life so we could be free.
The Savior of the world.

He chose to take the cross.

Shed tears for the lost, the broken, and the needy.
Forgiving those who were and will be.
The angel made it clear. He told them have no fear.
Hes not here. Hes not here!

There He goes - The Hero.

The Savior to the world.
Here He stands with scars in His hands.
With love He gave his life so we could be free.
The Savior of the world.

The Savior of the world.

But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israe

2010-02-23T08:09:00.002+08:00

Genesis 49:24 (NIV)

That strength which God gives to his Josephs is real strength; it is not a boasted valour, a fiction, a thing of which men talk, but which ends in smoke; it is true—divine strength. Why does Joseph stand against temptation? Because God gives him aid. There is nought that we can do without the power of God. All true strength comes from “the mighty God of Jacob.” Notice in what a blessedly familiar way God gives this strength to Joseph—“The arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob.” Thus God is represented as putting his hands on Joseph’s hands, placing his arms on Joseph’s arms. Like as a father teaches his children, so the Lord teaches them that fear him. He puts his arms upon them. Marvellous condescension! God Almighty, Eternal, Omnipotent, stoops from his throne and lays his hand upon the child’s hand, stretching his arm upon the arm of Joseph, that he may be made strong! This strength was also covenant strength, for it is ascribed to “the mighty God of Jacob.” Now, wherever you read of the God of Jacob in the Bible, you should remember the covenant with Jacob. Christians love to think of God’s covenant. All the power, all the grace, all the blessings, all the mercies, all the comforts, all the things we have, flow to us from the well-head, through the covenant. If there were no covenant, then we should fail indeed; for all grace proceeds from it, as light and heat from the sun. No angels ascend or descend, save upon that ladder which Jacob saw, at the top of which stood a covenant God. Christian, it may be that the archers have sorely grieved you, and shot at you, and wounded you, but still your bow abides in strength; be sure, then, to ascribe all the glory to Jacob’s God.

Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening: Daily Readings

if everybody cared

2010-01-14T14:07:00.002+08:00

Nickelback

From underneath the trees, we watch the sky
Confusing stars for satellites
I never dreamed that you'd be mine
But here we are, we're here tonight

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive

[Chorus:]
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died

And I'm singing Amen

Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive
Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive

And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
(I'm alive)

[Chorus x2]

And as we lie beneath the stars
We realize how small we are
If they could love like you and me
Imagine what the world could be

If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died
When nobody died...

[Chorus]

We'd see the day, we'd see the day
When nobody died
We'd see the day, we'd see the day
When nobody died
We'd see the day when nobody died

a new year

2010-01-01T11:35:00.002+08:00

2009 ended without much fanfare and without much fuss. just counting it down with old friends from church. it occurred to me, during lunch yesterday, that i have not attended ANY new year/countdown party, held outside of church before. as far as i could remember, it has always been in church, attending the watchnite service. :) how much more boring can i get? hah.

anyways, 2009 has been a challenging year for me, with plenty of things thrown at me.

i thank God that He has fortified me, to be strong enough, to take whatever's been thrown in my face and run with it.

i thank God that He was there, for His set of footprints in the sand.

i thank God that He has revealed Himself to be a true and faithful God, in 2009.

i thank God for what He has done, through me and the leaders, in my youths, in 2009.

i thank God for the trials, for it has taught to trust in Him more, to trust Him to be my Jehovah Jireh.

it is my prayer that i would be able to say that again, at the first post of 2011, thanking God for that He has provided. that i would be able to say it, when i am going through the ups and downs, the good and bad, the joys and the sadness.

thank you, Father, for 2009. :)

hey

2009-12-15T07:59:00.006+08:00

i am back, from the land of Sex and the City and Gossip Girl. Beautiful place, beautiful people, beautiful company - it was a great trip. so glad i did it, even though my pockets are significantly lighter now. :)

greatest highlights for me during the trip are getting to view tim burton's exhibition@Museum of Modern Art, discovering Central Park, Starbucks Venti Shaken Iced Black Tea (USD$2.30each!!), getting to spend time with joy&jed, tong and of course, joani, and the best part - getting to explo

re New York.

now that i am back, i am back to dealing with the demands of my life in singapore - work and ministry in church. cannot help but feel rather overwhelmed. that is normal; i know. but it still takes a little getting used to, since my daily routine the whole time i am in NY was wake up, decide where to go and set off. joani and i decided that our lives are too routine in singapore. hence, since we are on VACATION, we refused to make any plans. not for the lack of trying before the trip though.

rested and ready to go? rested, yes. ready to go, well, engine is still warming up. will get there. eventually. :)

2009-11-26T22:08:00.002+08:00

NEW YORK CITY, HERE I COME!

so exciting!!! will update as often as possible, seeing how there's WiFi where im staying and Joani brought her laptop.

just a little concerned over my diarrhea (from Cambodia) but i seemed to be heading towards the road to recovery. so pray for me pls.

gg to catch some shuteye now...bloody flight's 6am in the morning.

TTFN!

2009-11-11T07:23:00.003+08:00

COLOURFUL

the original song is by Verve Pipe. but Mark Wahlberg did a good rendition of it. LOVE THE SONG!

The show is over

Close the story book

There will be no encore

And all the random hands that I have shook

Well they're reaching for the door

I watch their backs as they leave single file

But you stood stubborn, cheering all the while

I know I can be colorful

I know I can be gray

But I know this loser's living fortunate

Cause I know you will love me either way

Most were being good for goodness sake

But you wouldn't pantomime

You are more beautiful when you awake

Than most are in a lifetime

Through the haze that is my memory well

You stayed for drama though you paid for a comedy

I know I can be colorful

I know I can be gray

But I know this loser's living fortunate

Cause I know you will love me either way

Look ahead as far as you can see

We'll live in drama but we'll die in a comedy

I know I can be colorful...

something to last

2009-10-30T08:05:00.003+08:00

this was yesterday's devotion (from ODJ).

Something to Last

6I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.
1 Corinthians 3:6 (NLT)

For years, Greg Mann worked hard to share the good news of Jesus with people in the remote rainforest region of Guyana. He had overseen the building of several churches in areas accessible only by canoe. But Greg began to sense that his churches were stagnant.

Then he started encountering health problems that seriously curtailed his ability to work. So he prayed. And the churches grew. That’s when Greg realized an important aspect of serving the Lord. It wasn’t his work; it was God’s. Greg’s dedication to serving God was admirable, but the Guyanese didn’t need Greg. They needed Jesus. God would continue His work—with or without Greg Mann.

As we look at the heroes of the Bible, we see some astoundingly human flaws in them. Moses actually asked God, “What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people?” as if God were abandoning both him and the nation (Numbers 11:11). Sulking, he told God, “Just go ahead and kill me” (v.15). God, however, had much more for Moses to do. The Bible tells us that Moses had been sent by God to be a ruler and a deliverer for Israel (Acts 7:35). But it also reveals that Israel’s exodus from Egypt wasn’t on Moses’ shoulders—it was on God’s.

No one accomplishes anything of value without Him. The apostle Paul understood this when he took to task the church at Corinth for putting faith in human leaders. He humbly rightsized the roles of God’s servants, including his own, when he said, “It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow” (1 Corinthians 3:7).

It’s vital for us to assume the roles God has for us. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that Jesus must be the foundation for anything we do (v.11).

---

the last line hit me hard yesterday. God's word always has that impact. :) been feeling like i am treading water and the water is threatening to swallow me whole. im trying my best to stay afloat, to stay above water. if i go down, i wouldnt be effective anywhere, would I?

the reason why this devotion slapped me hard because i realised (for the umpteenth time) that i have been doing alot of things through my own strength. i have a high tendency to do that, with my 'just-do-it' personality. one of my fave line to use: 'No need to think so much lah; JUST DO IT. Come, let's go!' I say this to myself too; hence, ending up doing quite a bit of things, juggling numerous balls and various roles in the air. work has been demanding, much more than usual, directly contributing to the trying-to-stay-afloat syndrome.

however, by doing so, i am negating the manifestation of God's strength in my life. i now realise the reason why He has closed every other door, except the current door now (my current job). that only came after some time of asking and seeking His answer to my 'WHY AM I DOING WHAT I AM DOING?' Therefore, He must have a reason - His will for me will not lead you to a place, where His grace will not cover me. Yet knowing that, it was difficult for me to appropriate that in my life. For that, Lord, I seek forgiveness. Sorry, Lord for the times where I have chosen my own strength over Yours.

Hence, to remind me, i have come up with this, placed somewhere that i spent a bit of time staring at: the desktop of my comp at work. :)

my daily reminder:

it is also on my hp. :) I am a very visual person. so, visual reminders.

Thank You, Lord, for the timely reminder. Amen.

FYI...

2009-08-30T19:57:00.003+08:00

like the counter on my frontpage says:

I AM GOING TO NEW YORK CITY! YAY!

havent been so excited about something so a long while. im so excited that i have a countdown counter to help me remember the number of days i have left to take-off.

am making sure that i am going to enjoy myself there.

any suggestions as to what/where i should go? :)

just let me know!

NEW YORK, HERE I COME! :)

thoughts

2009-08-25T08:08:00.001+08:00

began today like any other day - checked my email when i am in the office.

read an email from one of my youths in church.
technically, she's not directly under me, but she is still part of the youth ministry in which I am a youth leader. hence, she is mine :)

anyhow, the email really struck a chord in me.

it goes to show the extent of your words and actions on someone's life.
you will never know what would help them most, or what would impact them most.
God would choose to use you in times and ways nobody can fathom.

there are times where i failed in this aspect - the aspect of letting God use me in making a difference in others' lives.
there are times, however, when God has used me to speak into the lives of many young people.
am i cherishing the opportunities or am i whining about the amount of work that i have to do? [FYI - I am involved in lifeskills education for young people].

the power of perspective and the right attitude towards the stuff that is flung our way - so important, yet overlooked.
do i have the right perspective and attitude?
would i lose the perspective, once i get it?
it still remains to be seen. :)

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint"
- Isaiah 40:29-31

PSALM 73

2009-08-20T09:18:00.001+08:00

A psalm of Asaph.

1Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.

3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong. [a]

5 They are free from the burdens common to man;
they are not plagued by human ills.

6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.

7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity [b] ;
the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.

8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
in their arrogance they threaten oppression.

9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.

10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance. [c]

11 They say, "How can God know?
Does the Most High have knowledge?"

12 This is what the wicked are like—
always carefree, they increase in wealth.

13 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.

14 All day long I have been plagued;
I have been punished every morning.

15 If I had said, "I will speak thus,"
I would have betrayed your children.

16 When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me

17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.

18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.

19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!

20 As a dream when one awakes,
so when you arise, O Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.

21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,

22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.

23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.

24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.

The Quarter-Life Crisis

2009-08-10T21:16:00.003+08:00

i cannot believe it. i am OLD ENOUGH to be having a quarter-life crisis. sigh...

The Quarter-Life Crisis
by unknown

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are a lot of things about yourself that you didn't know and may or may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you do not realize is that they are realizing that too and are not really cold or catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job. It is not even close to what you thought you would be doing or maybe you are looking for one and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and are scared.

You miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then you realize that maybe they weren't so great after all.

You are beginning to understand yourself and what you want and do not want. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging a bit more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and add things to your list of what is acceptable and what is not. You are insecure and then secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you or you lay in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough to get to know better. You love someone but maybe love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you are not a bad person.

One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap and getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic [this part is not true]. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision.

You worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for yourself and while wining the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

SIGH.

source

LE KUA SI MI (What Do You See)

2009-08-10T12:57:00.005+08:00

i know it's rather mean to put this up, since the original song is not so catchy...but it's all in the name of fun and humour (so i keep telling myself...).

enjoy, peeps! :)

author's note: perhaps the reason why the original song is not as catchy as the rest, is because it sounds too 'ah-tas' for many people...

tights are not pants

2009-08-09T13:25:00.001+08:00

'nuff said.

Go check it out here.

a new journey

2009-08-06T12:22:00.000+08:00

will be embarking on something new today, this evening at 7pm, to be exact.
butterflies in the stomach, anticipation and nerves - a gamut of feelings.
hope that everything will turn out fine.

Our Deepest Fear

2009-08-05T11:56:00.002+08:00

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Willamson

Pages

2009-08-05T09:01:00.001+08:00

by 3 Doors Down

What happens to a man when
He spills his heart on a page and
He watches words flow away then
His feelings lie on the page alone
There waiting
For someone who cares to read them
To open their eyes to see them
To see if they can make his thoughts their own
To find out that maybe your life's not perfect
Maybe it's not worth what he gives away

You can see that this broken soul is bleeding
So you can see your feelings inside yourself
And wander through my heart
Letting you see through me
Now only consumes me
Forget your pain, watch me fall apart

What happens to a soul when
It's trapped inside his emotions
And all of these words he's spoken
They bind him to the life he's left behind
And every new step he takes
He knows that he might not make it
To all of these dreams that he has yet to find

Maybe your life's not perfect
But maybe it's not worth what he gives away
You can see that this broken soul is bleeding
So you can see your feelings inside yourself
And wander through my heart
Letting you see through me
Now only consumes me
Forget your pain and watch me fall apart

You can see that this broken soul is bleeding
So you can see your feelings inside yourself
And wander through my heart
Letting you see through me
Now only consumes me
Forget your pain and watch me fall apart
As i fall apart.

This song is property of 3 Doors Down.
Go to http://www.youtube.com/3doorsdown for the official channel of 3 doors down.
Go to http://www.3doorsdown.com for their official website.

THIS IS SO CUTE!

2009-08-01T12:12:00.003+08:00

Please do not take this video seriously. It did make me wanna have sushi for lunch though... :) ENJOY!

海闊天空

2009-07-30T17:06:00.003+08:00

Beyond
*DISCLAIMER: This song is sang in Cantonese. :)

今天我　寒夜裡看雪飄過
懷著冷卻了的心窩飄遠方
風雨裡追趕
霧裡分不清影蹤
天空海闊你與我
可會變（誰沒在變）

多少次　迎著冷眼與嘲笑
從沒有放棄過心中的理想
一剎那恍惚
若有所失的感覺
不知不覺已變淡
心裡愛（誰明白我）

原諒我這一生不羈放縱愛自由
也會怕有一天會跌倒
放棄了理想　誰人都可以
那會怕有一天只你共我

仍然自由自我
永遠高唱我歌
走遍千里

living in pleasure :)

2009-07-27T08:16:00.000+08:00

Live while you live, the Epicure would say,

And seize the pleasures of the present day;

Live while you live, the sacred preacher cries,

And give to God each moment as it flies;

Lord, in my view let both united be;

I live in pleasure when I live to thee.

Philip Doddridge (1702-1751)

all i need is You

2009-07-24T08:17:00.002+08:00

by Hillsong United, 2005

Left my fear by the side of the road
Hear You speak
Won't let go
Fall to my knees as I lift my hands to pray

Got every reason to be here again
Father's love that draws me in
And all my eyes wanna see is a glimpse of You

All I need is You
All I need is You Lord
Is you Lord

One more day and it's not the same
Your spirit calls my heart to sing
Drawn to the voice of my Saviour once again
Where would my soul be without Your Son
Gave His life to save the earth
Rest in the thought that You're watching over me

All I need is You
All I need is You Lord
Is You Lord

You hold the universe
You hold everyone on earth
You hold the universe
You hold
You hold

All I need is You
All I need is You Lord
Is You Lord

funky feeling

2009-07-18T20:59:00.002+08:00

been feeling funky nowadays, slipping into emo-ness rather easily these days. cant pinpoint the reason but there it was.

so much so that i really did not feel like going to church today for mission conference. felt that it was a drag. wanted to burrow at home, and have a pity party.

somehow, by God's grace, i was able to drag my body out of the house and drove down to church and reached there on time.

during worship, i had a revelation. it was not like earth-shattering but it was like a nudge, lifting my blues. what was the sudden revelation? it was God reminding me of who my first love is and what i love to do. i was reminded of how much God wanted to reach out to all people and how much i like going out, to places that are not privileged enough.

i was reminded that God works through my weaknesses and my vulnerabilities. i was reminded that i am to love God and love Man and missions is an extension of that love.

so now, i am able to sit in front of the computer and pen down my experience today, hoping that it would minister to you and hopefully, it could serve as a reminder to you as well. :)

⁷To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

so sweet!

2009-06-15T16:06:00.000+08:00

Lyrics | Plain White T's lyrics - 1, 2, 3, 4. lyrics

ONE-WORD ANSWERS

2009-06-11T08:54:00.003+08:00

1. Where is your cell phone?

Desk

2. Your significant other?

Non-existent

3. Your hair?

Black

4. Your favorite thing?

Books

5. Your dream last night?

None

6. Your favorite drink?

Tea

7. Your dream/goal?

Dunno

8. What room you are in?

Office

9. Your hobby?

Reading

10. Your fear?

Failure

11. Where do you want to be in 6 years?

Old

12. Where were you last night?

Home

13. Muffins?

YES!

14. Wish list item?

Happiness

15. Where you grew up?

Singapore

16. Last thing you did?

Facebook-ing :)

17. What are you wearing?

Clothes

18. Your TV?

Outside

19. Your pets?

None

20. Friends?

Loved (by me)

21. Your life?

Busy

22. Your mood?

Beautiful

23. Missing someone?

Yes

24. Car?

Yes

25. Something you're not wearing?

Skirt

26. Your favorite store?

Dorothy Perkins

27. Your favorite color?

Purple

28. When is the last time you laughed?

Today

29. Last time you cried?

dunno

30. Who will resend this?

dunno

31. One place that I go to over and over?

Work..hmm

32. One person who emails me regularly?

Bell :)

33. Favorite place to eat?

Many

God is doing something

2009-05-29T16:43:00.002+08:00

Read Habakkuk 1.

A silent heaven,” it has been said, “is the greatest mystery of our existence.”

Have you ever prayed and felt as if heaven were silent? Have you seen injustice and wondered, Where is God? Have you ever asked the question, Does it pay to live a righteous life? If so, you’re not alone.

When Habakkuk looked at his broken and unjust world, he was forced to ask God some questions: How long will it be before You respond to me? Why is evil winning? When will You stop the violence? (see 1:1-4). Habakkuk’s questions arise from a perplexed faith, not a weak one. Yet, God understood that his concerns stemmed from a limited perspective of God’s larger purpose. God answered: “I am doing something . . .” (v.5). God was going to discipline wicked Judah through an even more wicked, violent, and notorious nation: Babylon. God was opening Habakkuk’s eyes so he could see that God was always working. Even when He seemed distant, He was sustaining order in the universe and positioning people to be used for His glory.

God also wanted Habakkuk to know that He does not work in typical fashion. He chose to discipline His people through an unlikely and dubious source—the wicked Babylonians. And He wanted Habakkuk to know that He was going to do His work in ways that he never would have chosen. “I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it,” He said (v.5).

When you ponder perplexing questions, remember that God is still working—navigating circumstances, positioning people, and impacting events to fulfill His divine purposes in the world. May He direct our eyes to see where He’s working today!

the prayer of the forgotten

2009-04-28T16:45:00.002+08:00

...“How long will You look the other way?” the psalmist pleads, pressing a devastating accusation. He is pleading for God’s help—and God looks away (v.1). Four times in this short prayer, the writer forces the question, “How long?” (vv.1-2). His raw query echoes: God, are You remotely interested in my despair? This long nightmare is killing me. How long?

Prayer is not a tame, safe, meek affair. Prayer is the courageous act of honestly giving our full self, our full emotions (whatever we have within us, noble or not) to God. Somehow, the prayerful act itself offers a balm. With little indication of change in circumstances, the psalmist concludes: God “is good to me” (v.6).

The God-encounter experienced in honest prayer reorients us to the truth that our God has never forgotten us, not for a single moment.

source

why...

2009-04-20T21:02:00.000+08:00

is the door closed?

A Cross in My Pocket

2009-02-23T17:34:00.000+08:00

I carry a cross in my pocket
A simple reminder to me
Of the fact that I am a Christian
No matter where I may be.

This little cross is not magic
Nor is it a good luck charm
It isn't meant to protect me
From every physical harm.

It's not for identification
For all the world to see
It's simply an understanding
Between my Savior and me.

When I put my hand in my pocket
To bring out a coin or key
The cross is there to remind me
Of the price He paid for me.

It reminds me, too, to be thankful
For my blessings day by day
And to strive to serve Him better
In all that I do and say.

It's also a daily reminder
Of the peace and comfort I share
With all who know my master
And give themselves to His care.

So, I carry a cross in my pocket
Reminding no one but me
That Jesus Christ is Lord of my life
If only I'll let Him be.

http://failblog.org/

2009-01-28T17:14:00.001+08:00

SUPER FUNNY!

超級偶像：美夢成真MV

2009-01-20T09:52:00.002+08:00

WHY?

2008-12-22T16:28:00.001+08:00

...is change often SO hard?

so cute & so funny!

2008-11-25T17:47:00.001+08:00

no truer words

2008-11-21T11:20:00.002+08:00

To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive - to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before.

Rollo May

信樂團-海闊天空

2008-11-20T10:39:00.001+08:00

(hai3 kuo4 tian1 kong1)

我曾懷疑我　走在沙漠中　從不結果　無論種什麼夢
才張開翅膀　風卻變沉默　習慣傷痛能不能算收穫

慶幸的是我　一直沒回頭　終於發現　真的是有綠洲
每把汗流了　生命變的厚重　走出沮喪才看見新宇宙

海闊天空　在勇敢以後　要拿執著　將命運的鎖打破
冷漠的人　謝謝你們曾經看輕我　讓我不低頭　更精采的活

凌晨的窗口　失眠整夜以後　看著黎明　從雲裡抬起了頭
日落是沉潛　日出是成熟　只要是光一定會燦爛的

海闊天空　在勇敢以後　要拿執著　將命運的鎖打破
冷漠的人　謝謝你們曾經看輕我　讓我不低頭　更精采的活

海闊天空　狂風暴雨以後　轉過頭　對舊心酸一笑而過
最懂我的人　謝謝一路默默的陪我　讓我擁有好故事可以說

beautiful, ain't it?

2008-11-10T17:04:00.003+08:00

劉力揚 - 眼淚笑了

2008-11-03T13:48:00.001+08:00

i like. :)

2008-10-30T14:52:00.003+08:00

come to think of it, it is actually quite interesting how things seem to fall into place for you, when you talk to the right person. it is always refreshing to have someone affirm what you are thinking but dare not voice it out, lest it be wrong. thanks for the listening ear & the advice. thank God for His constant providence and careful watching over me. :)

changes

2008-10-27T13:16:00.003+08:00

ok. made some changes to my blog layout.

kinda like the pink-ness of it.

i'll try to update it as often as possible. :)

promise, but no guarantee. HAH. later.

2008-10-09T11:54:00.002+08:00

i have a sudden urge to go out, make my own life.

to live my life on MY terms, not on others' expectations of me and my contributions.

run free in the fields, jump on a plane for the best blueberry pie in the world, meet someone in a bar and talk till dawn on the hood of a car, have a madly passionate relationship with a outrageously gorgeous man.

exciting, isn't it?

but what would it get me, at the end of the day?

2008-10-08T16:51:00.008+08:00

im into chinese songs now. can you tell? some of my favourites:

Y2J神木與瞳 - 草戒指 MV

神木與瞳 - 為你而活 MV

Y2J 神木與瞳 - 武裝的薔薇 MV

蕭敬騰 - 活著 MV

蕭敬騰 - Blues MV (吸血鬼完整版)

李玖哲－不, 完美 MV

曹格 - 世界唯一的你 MV

[just so I make myself clear. I do not approve of the message that he's sending out via the MV. BUT the song is meaningful, when you have someone significant enough to sing to. just thought I clarify :)]

i need to sing karaoke...:)

2008-08-21T09:57:00.002+08:00

WARNING: Rants ahead

I just came off watching a documentary by this British reporter, Louis Theroux and the Most Hated Family in America. Read more at this link.

I was watching the documentary with a very heavy and burdened heart. And angry. I am very sick and tired of people, twisting religion into something so PERVERTED, to justify their sick, twisted & perverted ways of thinking. im sick and tired of twisted people, dragging young, innocent children into this entire circus and they get hurt, emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually. the best part is, THEY DO NOT EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT IN THE WORLD THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT. Young adults in the family are SO confused that they do not know half the things they are talking about. their beliefs are so conflicted. they have been brainwashed into something that is, at best, illogical.

if i ever get a chance to meet the patriarch of the family (who started this whole shindig), i'll say this:

dont hide behind the name of God. i believe in God and all He represents and i can tell you, for sure, that God does not promote hate. in contrary, God IS love. and mercy. and grace and forgiveness. He loves the world so much, that He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins. THAT'S the message that we Christians should spread, not this sick, twisted, self-righteous, perverted shit. it ain't right AT ALL. stop sinning and turn away from this hate that you have. convert the hate to love and use that love & mercy that God showed YOU. show the same love and mercy that God showed to you and your family, and convert the very people that you claimed to hate. teach your children the right beliefs. they have been given to you; you now have the responsibility to teach them the right beliefs and the truth about God. the world does not need more hate now; they need more love. let us, those who call ourselves the children of God, be that beacon of love, that beacon of hope, that beacon of light for the lost&hopeless.

let us ALL do that.

ok, rant over. :)

2008-07-09T17:00:00.001+08:00

Why You So Like That?

:)

2008-07-04T10:22:00.002+08:00

i got stopped by a stranger this morning, on my way into the office.

i was wearing my All Blacks t-shirt; it's casual Friday in the office man.

walking along clarke quay and suddenly, my sleep-deprived brain registered an ang-moh staring at my shirt. looking up, he touched a general area on his chest, and went "All Blacks!"

i replied, "Hell, YEAH!" and both of us had a good laugh. :) what a way to start my day.

that was how i got stopped by a stranger. WHAT are you thinking about?

2008-06-06T08:02:00.001+08:00

WORK OUT WHAT GOD WORKS IN
"Work out your own salvation." Philippians 2:12-13

Your will agrees with God, but in your flesh there is a disposition which renders you powerless to do what you know you ought to do. When the Lord is presented to the conscience, the first thing conscience does is to rouse the will, and the will always agrees with God. You say - "But I do not know whether my will is in agreement with God." Look to Jesus and you will find that your will and your conscience are in agreement with Him every time. The thing in you which makes you say "I shan't" is something less profound than your will; it is perversity, or obstinacy, and they are never in agreement with God. The profound thing in man is his will, not sin. Will is the essential element in God's creation of man: sin is a perverse disposition which entered into man. In a regenerated man the source of will is almighty. "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." You have to work out with concentration and care what God works in; not work your own salvation, but work it out, while you base resolutely in unshaken faith on the complete and perfect Redemption of the Lord. As you do this, you do not bring an opposed will to God's will, God's will is your will, and your natural choices are along the line of God's will, and the life is as natural as breathing. God is the source of your will, therefore you are able to work out His will. Obstinacy is an unintelligent 'wadge' that refuses to be enlightened; the only thing is for it to be blown up with dynamite, and the dynamite is obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Do I believe that Almighty God is the source of my will? God not only expects me to do His will, but He is in me to do it.

2008-06-03T15:57:00.001+08:00

Human-made Nokia Snake game

rmb those? now watch this:

2008-05-18T18:20:00.000+08:00

when will it ever end?

2008-04-24T09:28:00.003+08:00

guess what? i did something that i have NOT done in a LONG WHILE. i remember the last time i did it was in secondary school. HAH.

what is it that i have done? well, I CALLED INTO A RADIO STATION AND PLAYED A GAME WITH THEM! hah. yes, i did that. the last time i did, i was sec 3or4, studying&listening into power98. this time round, i was driving&listening to 91.3 and i decided to call in and play the game. the prize was just a 913 funpack, like a goodie bag. but it was purely to play the game. quite fun though.

well, that was the highlight of my day yesterday.

for today, my highlight (so far) was being the FIRST customer@Starbucks Liang Court. see, they re-opened today, and being the early bird that i am, im the FIRST to walk in this morning. i got a free drink out of it. HAH.

ive been getting kicks out of inconsequential things recently. it's the small things in life that makes the big&ugly things in life seem bearable. two cents' worth of wisdom here.

2008-04-18T08:53:00.003+08:00

this song is SO fitting to my last post. take a listen here. (roll your cursor over the word 'here')

here are the lyrics:

I WILL GO - Hillsong London

I have found myself in You
The purpose for my life
I discover who I am
As Your Spirit touches mine

Every step I take
Every move I make
You are by my side
And I will be strong
My strength is in you

I will go where You want me to go
I will do what You want me to do
Yes! I will go where You want me to go
I will be who You want me to be
Anything for You

When You ask me I will go
You show the way before me
In Your word I find the truth
You lead me on this journey

Every step I take
Every move I make
You are by my side
And I will be strong
My strength is in you

I will go where You want me to go
I will do what You want me to do
Yes I will go where You want me to go
I will be who You want me to be

Those who trust in you, ever praising You
Will find their strength renewed
I'm gonna make it, make it happen

I will go where You want me to go
I will do what You want me to do
Yes I will go where You want me to go
I will be who You want me to be

2008-04-18T08:46:00.002+08:00

READINESS
Oswald Chambers, 'My Utmost for His Highest'

"God called unto him and he said, Here am I" - Exodus 3:4

When God speaks, many of us are like men in a fog, we give no answer. Moses' reply revealed that he was somewhere. Readiness means a right relationship to God and a knowledge of where we are at present. We are so busy telling God where we would like to go. The man or woman who is ready for God and His work is the one who carries off the prize when the summons comes. We wait with the idea of some great opportunity, something sensational, and when it comes we are quick to cry - "Here am I." Whenever Jesus Christ is in the ascendant, we are there, but we are not ready for an obscure duty.

Readiness for God means that we are ready to do the tiniest little thing or the great big thing, it makes no difference. We have no choice in what we want to do, whatever God's programme may be we are there, ready. When any duty presents itself we hear God's voice as Our Lord heard His Father's voice, and we are ready for it with all the alertness of our love for Him. Jesus Christ expects to do with us as His Father did with Him. He can put us where He likes, in pleasant duties or in mean duties, because the union is that of the Father and Himself. "That they may be one, even as We are one."

Be ready for the sudden surprise visits of God. A ready person never needs to get ready. Think of the time we waste trying to get ready when God has called! The burning bush is a symbol of everything that surrounds the ready soul, it is ablaze with the presence of God.

2008-04-18T08:43:00.002+08:00

i know, i know. i dont call, i dont write. and suddenly, i popped back to this face of the earth.

sorry. been CRAZY busy lately. for a good...4 months now. HAH. welcome to my life. :)

i promise that i'll TRY my best to update, as much as possible.

2008-01-18T11:54:00.000+08:00

whenever i hear the song now, the sharp pang of longing has evolved into a mellow, bittersweet feeling.

time, the universal medicine. :)

2008-01-13T17:43:00.000+08:00

just finished watching coffee prince. silly, romantic comedy that charmed even the likes of me.

go, watch if you're so very inclined. :)

would very much like to have someone wake me up with a song, like the one Han Kyul sang to Eun Chan.

listen to the song (move your cursor over the word 'song'). do note that you'll need to log into imeen to listen to it. :)

2007-11-27T08:11:00.000+08:00

the old vs. the new covenant

Hebrews 8:6-9 (The Message)
(roll over the above. there's a link)

today's devotion talks about the old vs the new covenant. it talks about the 10 Commandments, which the Israelites tried to keep in their own strength, failed, compromised and gave up in the end. that was not God's purpose in doing so. He wanted the Israelites to see that they needed divine help, a Saviour's help. despite the many times that God reminded them, they still did not listen.

a conversation i had with some friends of mine sometime back, kept replaying itself through my head. it was on how we should not cast the first stone, lest we ourselves be judged. let me get the context (of the situation) straight: my friends subscribe to the alternative lifestyle. i was rather uncomfortable with the narrow-minded interpretation of the verse. sure, i agree that no one is in the position to judge anyone. NO ONE. however, this is NO reason for us to continue on our sinning. God gave us the FREE WILL, to choose whatever happens to us AND what we do with our lives. He has bought your freedom, through His death on the cross. your life is what you choose to do. He sets down rules, so that we could live out the lives He has set for us. His Word is something that has been left behind to help us along the way, NOT HINDER us in any way, shape and form.

are we going to be like the Israelites - try, compromise and give up? or are we going to fight for what was intended for us to do, right from the beginning of time? the choice, as always, is ours to make.

2007-11-20T08:35:00.000+08:00

November 19, 2007

"When He Has Come"
'When He has come, He will convict the world of sin . . .' —John 16:8
Oswald Chambers
My Utmost For His Highest

Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin. We know the experience of being disturbed because we have done wrong things. But conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit blots out every relationship on earth and makes us aware of only one— "Against You, You only, have I sinned . . ." (Psalm 51:4). When a person is convicted of sin in this way, he knows with every bit of his conscience that God would not dare to forgive him. If God did forgive him, then this person would have a stronger sense of justice than God. God does forgive, but it cost the breaking of His heart with grief in the death of Christ to enable Him to do so. The great miracle of the grace of God is that He forgives sin, and it is the death of Jesus Christ alone that enables the divine nature to forgive and to remain true to itself in doing so. It is shallow nonsense to say that God forgives us because He is love. Once we have been convicted of sin, we will never say this again. The love of God means Calvary— nothing less! The love of God is spelled out on the Cross and nowhere else. The only basis for which God can forgive me is the Cross of Christ. It is there that His conscience is satisfied.

Forgiveness doesn’t merely mean that I am saved from hell and have been made ready for heaven (no one would accept forgiveness on that level). Forgiveness means that I am forgiven into a newly created relationship which identifies me with God in Christ. The miracle of redemption is that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of Himself, the Holy One. He does this by putting into me a new nature, the nature of Jesus Christ.

2007-10-07T17:15:00.000+08:00

read this article (point ur cursor to the word 'article') and tell me that it is not true, for ALL of us.

2007-10-02T08:44:00.000+08:00

Little Wonders
Rob Thomas

2007-09-28T13:25:00.000+08:00

so cute! :)

she's reciting Psalm 23. see if you can follow her rendition.

2007-09-26T15:39:00.000+08:00

STRONG TOWER
Kutless

When I wander through the desert
And I'm longing for my home
All my dreams have gone astray
When I'm stranded in the valley
And I'm tired and all alone
It seems like I've lost my way

I go running to Your moutain
Where your mercy sets me free

You are my strong tower
Shelter over me
Beautiful and mighty
Everlasting King
You are my strong tower
Fortress when I'm weak
Your name is true and holy
And Your face is all I seek

In the middle of my darkness
In the nidst of all my fear
You're my refuge and my hope
When the storm of life is raging
And the thunder's all I hear
You speak softly to my soul

2007-09-24T14:01:00.000+08:00

THIS IS YOUR LIFE
Switchfoot

Yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead
Yesterday is a promise that you’ve broken
Don’t close your eyes
Don’t close your eyes

This is your life and today is all you’ve got now
And today is all you’ll ever have
Don’t close your eyes
Don’t close your eyes

This is your life
Are you who you want to be?
This is your life
Are you who you want to be?
This is your life
Is it everything you dreamed that it would be
When the world was younger
And you had everything to lose?

Yesterday is a kid in the corner
Yesterday is dead and over

This is your life
Are you who you want to be?
This is your life
Are you who you want to be?
This is your life
Is it everything you dreamed that it would be
When the world was younger, and you had everything to lose?

Don't close your eyes
Don't close your eyes
Don't close your eyes
Don't close your eyes

This is your life are you who you want to be?
This is your life are you who you want to be?

This is your life are you who you want to be?
This is your life are you who you want to be?
This is your life is it everything you dreamed that it would be,
When the world was younger and you had everything to lose, Everything to lose.

2007-09-14T08:42:00.000+08:00

share a little saying/poem-thingy with all of you. wanted to put it on the ywav blog, but i cant get in. so, im putting it here. :)

Love ever gives, forgives, outlives,
And ever stands with open hands,
And while it lives, it gives,
For this is love's prerogative:
To give and give and give.

thought it kinda goes with last week's James' bible study lesson. :)

2007-09-13T12:20:00.000+08:00

this is the song that julia stiles danced to for her audition for Julliard. enjoy. :)

2007-09-08T10:53:00.000+08:00

sorta forgot about the snapple random fact. so, here you go. 2 entries in a day. gotta to be a record for me. :)

snapple (random) real fact #331:
Grapes are the most popular fruit in the world (what, because of all the wine?)

snapple (random) real fact #225:
For every human being in the world there is approximately one chicken (well, for every 1 Singaporean, there's one cow in New Zealand).

2007-09-08T10:50:00.000+08:00

the new iPod Nano. beautifully small. i want! :) i'm a shameless consumer.

2007-09-03T07:52:00.000+08:00

today's devotion passage is on Deuteronomy 28:1-14.

the author, Selwyn Hughes, mentioned that a bed-ridden woman, who has converted many by sharing her testimony, lived by these 3 words: attention, meekness & power.

in summary, the 3 words mean:
- attention: whatever gets your attention, gets you. if you give Christ the due attention that He deserves, then everything will be centered and arranged around Him (& His work)
- meekness: = total surrender of self to God, into the mighty hands of God
- power: is the inevitable result of the 1st 2 words & in order to achieve the 1st 2 words in our lives, DISCIPLINE is key.

discipline has NEVER been a popular word in my dictionary. it conjures up images of catholic nuns, whipping themselves up for penance everyday and ramrod-straight-with-noses-in-the-air maitre-ds. definitely not a pleasant image to have. however, God has been challenging me for the past 2 weeks, every morning to be exact, to be the disciplined disciple of His, one that He will take much delight in. He has, by the way, put up very convincing arguments that went straight for my weaknesses. trust God to do that.

although this will be a hard & long journey for me (i'm more free-spirited), to become disciplined, i'm convinced that with God's strength and help, i'll be able to get there. :)

2007-08-26T20:55:00.000+08:00

a poem that i was given in my early years in the youth ministry, as a youth. :) lost the cross that came attached to it, but the message stuck. a constant reminder.

A Cross in My Pocket
By Mrs. Verna Mae Thomas

I carry a cross in my pocket
A simple reminder to me
Of the fact that I am a Christian
No matter where I may be.

This little cross is not magic,
Nor is it a good luck charm
It isn't meant to protect me
From every physical harm.

It's not for identification
For all the world to see
It's simply an understanding
Between my Savior and me.

When I put my hand in my pocket
To bring out a coin or a key
The cross is there to remind me
Of the price He paid for me.

It reminds me, too, to be thankful
For my blessings day by day
And to strive to serve Him better
In all that I do and say.

It's also a daily reminder
Of the peace and comfort I share
With all who know my Master
And give themselves to His care.

So, I carry a cross in my pocket
Reminding no one but me
That Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life
If only I'll let Him be.

2007-08-17T16:21:00.000+08:00

HILARIOUS!! :)

2007-08-11T21:12:00.000+08:00

it's the umpteenth time and the things that was said never failed to make like the scum of the earth.

what is it with guilt trips? everything's my fault.

SHIT.

2007-08-06T22:08:00.000+08:00

snapple random fact #114:

The world's biggest pyramid is not in Egypt, but in Mexico.

2007-07-23T08:41:00.000+08:00

check this out. here's the authentic version. you might wanna see/hear for yourselves, after my mangled attempt at singing it on saturday. :)

AMAZING GRACE (my chains are gone) -
Chris Tomlin (and a whole bunch that i cant remember)

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine

You are forever mine

2007-07-22T17:42:00.000+08:00

i dunno whether it's stupid or plain HILARIOUS. i cant decide. :p

2007-07-18T09:07:00.000+08:00

A Beautiful Lie
30 Seconds to Mars

Lie awake in bed at night
And think about your life
Do you want to be different?
Try to let go of the truth
The battles of your youth
Cuz this is just a game

It's a beautiful lie
It's the perfect denial
Such a beautiful lie to believe in
So beautiful, beautiful it makes me

It's time to forget about the past
To wash away what happened last
Hide behind an empty face
Don't ask too much, just say
That this is just a game

Everyone's looking at me
I'm running around in circles, baby
A quiet desperation's building higher
I've got to remember this is just a game

So beautiful, beautiful...

2007-07-05T22:20:00.000+08:00

my basket broke.