Monday, November 26, 2007
Quote for radiance: "Use SKII. Seek the King twice as much."
In the midst of using my skincare products to indulge my complexion, I have stumbled upon a new technique! Facial yoga! Ha.. It claims that making different funny faces takes years off yr face instead of adding wrinkles and laugh lines! Interesting. I wonder if it works... We should all start making funny faces at each other. 'Facercise' can be the new exercise...
Facial Yoga
What makes us Moral
The fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil?
What makes us Moral?
Saturday, November 24, 2007
I love my handphone.......
Thurs, Mum told me to stick a note in the toilet telling ppl to call my office number if they found it. Even though I didn't leave my name, the office secretary knew it was my number and she offered to help me email the whole department my name and hp model, telling them to return it if they were holding on to it. I picked up every phone call within a ring, hoping that that it would be the kind soul who wanted to return me my phone! but noooooooooo........ nothing for the whole day. SIGH. I just kept praying and praying.. That the Lord would lemmehaveitback..... Ha. Mum prayed even more than me i think. She even prayed that the person would be so guilty till he/she couldn't sleep at night and would have no choice but to return it just to relief her guilt. What honesty. I didn't even dare pray that.
Fri, we were hoping that i'll see it on my table first thing in the morning! My expectations were raised so high! But it was dashed when i saw that my table was as empty as i left it last evening... Boohoo. I started to make plans to go to bugis after work to get a 2nd hand 8210, if it is still possible to get it... So so sad. Started whining to God in the morning. About how careless i was, about how i'm sure he's able to do all things (including getting that person to return my hp), about how if i had delighted in him, then surely he would grant me the desires of my heart? Haha.. Dunno if it's outta context. BUT GUESS WHAT? When i returned from lunch, i saw my handphone on my table! I wasn't even expecting to see it anymore. It was gleaming, even shining on the bare table. I was stunned for a while.. till i could gather my thoughts again and approached the table slowly, not believing what i saw. I picked it up, tilted it to the bottom right.. and there it was glaring at me. A dent. MY PHONE!!!!!!
YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY... I was jumping and screaming to my colleagues, who were totally amazed at what happened! The only thing i could say was THANK GOD!
Yupps. Amazing testimony i have here.. Thank GOD! :)
[the only thing that was lost was the folded bus ticket heart i left inside the battery compartment. oh well. it's nothing compared to my hp! kinda weird why that person wanted it. maybe he/she dropped it somewhere. ha. doesn't matter anymore. YAY!]
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
It is only the beginning...
Awww.. It was awesome. Praise God!!! All glory to him. :)
Special thanks also go out to...
DOYLE of cos! For organising! Putting in lots of effort in planning and executing... We cannot help but agree we make a good team. Ha.
Pamela! For organising the street evangelism.
Jia En, Mingmin and Russell, our publicity team! For designing such powerful postcards and helping with the video and prayer cards.
Hospitality and Helps team! For doing such a great job with the board, drawing station, registration, picture taking, setting up everything so early and making people feel so welcome.
Leaders and core group members! Who came early to pray and create excitement to welcome ppl.
Emcees! LZR + LZR make a formidable team don't you think? Not only were you two entertaining, you all really brought up some points which really brought up the theme too..
Worship team! Great job in leading the people to worship. And for forking out time to rehearse too!
Testimony-sharers Ee Foo and Felicia. Cheers to the courage to stand in front of a crowd and share so openly! God was glorified and lives were touched...
Glenn our speaker! NICE. Very inspiring message that spoke to believers and non-believers alike. Really am thankful that he managed to prepare this in spite of his super busy schedule. He just came back from Turkey after receiving an award and even had the whole saturday packed with stuff la.
Melissa and Kaiyang! Gosh. Didn't your hearts melt when you heard them sing?
Samson Lam and Jane! PA + Powerpoint super important woa.. THANKS.
Joshua Ho! For helping us do the floor lights even though it was sooo last minute. ha.
Everyone who invited friends! Haha.. To be honest, i was planning the outreach just for non-believers. Not for YPMers. Haha.. Outreach ma. But you all played very important roles in asking ppl to come! I believe God worked so strongly that his glory was shown to all, even those already Christians.
It is only the beginning ya? Hope that everyone is even more encouraged and passionate to keep sharing! Paul wasn't ashamed of the gospel, and we shouldn't be too! May zeal for the Lord consume you... :)
Friday, November 9, 2007
Red wine!
And i feel sick. Tried to learn how to drink red wine with Abel. Haha. The guy at Wine Connection helped us choose a light bodied Spanish wine with a vanilla finish. I drank less than a cup over a few hours. And i felt quite all right till we were walking home. Haha. Was kinda giddy and a headache was coming down on me. Then i went home to puke. Twice. Eugh. I don't really like it, but still want to learn to be able to appreciate it. Interesting how it dehydrates your brain, makes you light headed, gives you a flushed face, makes you talk funny and is still supposed to be healthy in small amounts. Haha.. Interesting. At least I didn't become drunk. Thank God. I know I shouldn't go over half a cup next time. Or maybe I'll just stay away from alcohol totally. Ha.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Just a feeling
when you are drenched and you are wearing wet squishy socks underneath your shoes
when you accidentally stepped on a flattened frog in the middle of the road
when you are starving and large plate of food you ordered tastes most inedible
when you try so hard, but you don't understand the book of Romans
when you have a piece of kangkong stuck in your bracers and you can't get it out with your tongue all day long
when you spot the nicest pair of shoes but realise that they will give you blisters
when you are constipated and stuck in the toilet for an hour
when you have diahorrea and you can't find a toilet
when you have a pimple when you are convinced you kept to your strictest skincare routine
when no matter how you control your diet, you still feel fat
when you don't have an appetite even though there's loads of good food in front of you
when you want to play soccer but your injury forces you to rest and recover
when you want to play tennis but the sunny weather suddenly changes into a thunderstorm
when it is raining outside and you have to wake up to go to school/work
when you are so expectant for a glamourous haircut, but the hairstylist made you look 10 times worse
when you didn't get enough sleep and you have to sit through a boring 2 hour lecture
when you see half a cockroach in your food
when you lose your internet connection for a month, or your handphone
when you think that no matter how hard you study, you'll still fail anyway
when your friend doesn't understand how good chocolate is for his soul
I'm not sure what else. I have very limited descriptive vocabulary. Maybe i'll add more later. Anyone wanna contribute? How would you describe this feeling, if you can guess the feeling i'm trying to portray?
<--From da babe for this feeling. I think the picture somewhat comforts me. Many laughs! Many thanks for all who are with me, not against me. It really matters...
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Eternal life
He will be found
"For i know the plans i have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and i will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord Jeremiah 29:11-14
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Why God?
Enjoy.. And YOU are invited to our Young People's Ministry (YPM) event on the
17th Nov (Sat), 5:00-7:30pm Church of Singapore (COS), Marine Parade.
Monday, October 22, 2007
My time!
Official chip time: 01:18:44.44
Very slow... but still... GRINS.
(p.s. Fastest time is 00:33:44.44, clocked by Leah Malot of Kenya.)
Sunday, October 21, 2007
10KM!
YEAH. Great Eastern 10km run! I met my goal for the race. 10km without stopping! The website says my timing will be out within 48 hours! :)
I think i only managed to do it cos i was running with Serene. On my own, i would have given up before the halfway mark. I just can't run alone... Not enough willpower. Serene! Thanks alot! I had fun running with you even though we don't talk much during the run. haha. It's more like the moral support we give each other ya? Hope your ankle is not too badly hurt... No sports for you for like 1 month hor! No netball, or tennis, or jogging. Only swimming is allowed. And pls go see a doc. Get your x-ray done...
I was so pleased that the race was brilliantly organised. We could collect our race packs before the big day itself. So there wasn't a mad rush after the race to collect the goodies, especially when slower runners like us would usually end up with the leftover L and XL sized shirts. Alot of good advertising for adiadas, women's mags, skincare, cervical cancer awareness, etc. Humourous MCs, music that pumped us up before the race, well marked out race route, efficient baggage deposit and collection, and ICE COLD GATORADE after the race!!! Really good stuff.
For all you sports maniacs out there... (yes. you know who you are. those of you whose got some part of your body spoilt) pls take care of yourself. Push yourself yes. But if you're getting worn out, or injured, go see a doc or do necessary treatment before it's too late, if not you gotta recuperate for a much longer time and miss playing your sport for an even longer time! You're shortchanging yourself!!! I remember getting shin splint when i was still training for canoeing last time. Horrible experience. My stamina dropped like mad, and i could only watch my teammates train. Totally not worth it.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Nothing...
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Happpppy
A great chat with J made me wanna eat all the food i can still get here in s'pore, very cheaply and abundantly, before i leave. (See what an influential person you are) So, I ate char kway teow for lunch and queued for Aston's for dinner!!! :) Haha. The kway teow was super oily la. My stomach couldn't really handle it. But when you take your mind off the oil, it actually tastes quite good! I like it sweet and just abit wet. With some gravy. MmmMMmm. Ha. Still wanna eat your version of it though. I think home cooked will always have a different feel. :)
Hey _____! ______ __________! Thank you for such wonderful company at dinner tonight! It is good to eat with someone who eats at the same speed as me. Not many ppl can appreciate and enjoy that! And.. erm. too bad that it had to end with a blinding flash on the way home. haha. *shhh* they won't find out!
Anyway, Deepavali's Coming! HOLIDAY HOLIDAY HOLIDAY... I AM SOOOOO HAPPY. no work. haha... :) i have no more leave left to take. i need more hols to tofu...
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Courage
It seems like the shortest. But it took alot of courage. And i'm sincere...
Looking forward to something... hoping... anything...
"Courage is not the absence of fear. It is taking action in the face of fear."
ARGH
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Inner/outer beauty
Anyway, sleepiness is not good when you gotta rush to work. I accidentally flung my phone onto concrete floor when i was walking to the mrt! ARGH! There's a HUGE DENT! SNIFF. Shared my sorrows to some ppl. Two replies to my sms caught my attention. Wai Cheng cried with me. And Jabez told me that inner beauty is more impt than outer beauty. Haha. So touched by my cell grp mates. :) I gotta learn from them. Simple but meaningful words... I don't think i really know how to cry with others yet though i try my very best to be understanding. And as for Jabez... wow. I'm impressed. Haha. You make sense SOMEtimes!!!
Hmm.. Inner beauty.. It's more than just the clothes! And my eye circles which are now haunting me and can only be concealed under my spectacles.. (Latest wish list: ZA Eye Mask) Yesterday Yeening was telling me about the Dove "Campaign for real beauty" talk that she attended in school. Seems really interesting. So true right? HA. Man looks at the outward appearance (but God looks at the heart!) And i felt.. ya. gotta keep building up my inner self! (Must keep reading. must keep reading.) I have concluded this morning.. that being such a "feeling" and not "thinking" person might not be so bad after all. (I'm sure many remember that i scored a zero for thinking in my MBTI personality test the 1st time i took it. I was a total feeling sorta person) Sometimes, when you think too much, it might be really logical but it still might not be the right thing to do right? Not everything is logical lehh. That's just what i feel la. haha. Wanna be proud of how i am, and put my personality to great things! :) (although i FEEL very thankful for da bro who does the thinking part for me.. Ha. and many times get so frustrated when i'm trying to tell him how i feel, when he's trying to interpret what i think, esp when it's illogical, and also when i sometimes take forever to understand his thinking cos i feel otherwise..)
Anyway, according to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI),
*I'm an ESFJ. Extraversion, Sensing, Feeling, Judging (preference for living a planned and organized life)
Order of preference: Feeling, Sensing, Intuition, Thinking (feeling first, thinking last! haA)
ESFJs are helpful, tactful, compassionate, and orderly. They pay close attention to each person's needs, desiring to please. And prefer practical material with known applications for learning style. (OH! haha. this is why i asked you the qn about sch being applicable leney! interesting...)
However, they may need to identify other interpretations and meanings and to logically and dispassionately analyze them for optimal results. HAHA. They say i should think more.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
A good day
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" Prov 19:21
After work, Yee Ning "picked me up" to go visit Enos today. Ha. She came to meet me @ Singpost to go to the hosp together. Wah. What a popular guy. A whole bunch of ppl came to visit him. The room for 6 patients was overcrowded with CM ppl! We gave up trying to keep our volume down, and just went into the day room instead to hang out. Thank God you're feeling much better. Speedy recovery dude~ Everyone wishes you well. :)
Random thoughts:
*Gambate Yunz. We'll have our date another day. hah.
*Leney! Does NTU teach you practical stuff about accounting? Like how the knowledge is used in the real world? Today my mum was explaining to me about fixed assets and depreciation (remember what we learned in econs?). I finally see how the working world uses these information. Haha. In JC, it was just all theory to me.
*Next chapter in the book: I found out that i have a wandering mind. I need to focus... And as i tried doing this during work, it's weird how the word porridge flashed through my thoughs a few times. HAHA. I went to eat yummy duck porridge for lunch then. Try harder tmr!
*It's interesting to look back and see how tiny shawn has grown so much more mature and taller! I still remember when i first met you. Haha. It's nice seeing you around and chatting. I think you're really friendly and open. Nice. :)
*How does Wayne stay so fair? I'm jealous. I need sunblock to be able to do that.
*I have decided to study for the whole of January. Anyone care to join me? :)
*I wanna eat jap food. Haha. When, Aaron? When?
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
HAHAHAHAHAHA
http://www.glumbert.com/media/japtetris
Be positive
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Creation Conference!
The conference was really an eye-opener. Listened to really interesting stuff about geog, physics, biology, and reasoning to show that God really created the world. Can check out their website to read thousands of articles too. From scientists who see that God is more undeniable the more they research.
http://www.creationontheweb.com/
So much stuff covered.. but maybe i just share a few stuff that was really interesting? Ha. I'm sure bro, pammie, yunz, eefoo, daphne have loads to share too..
(About the big bang) A chemistry teaching a class about gases. "Now students, hydrogen is a gas, that when left long enough on its own, will turn into people!"
Dr Mary Schweitzer discovered fresh dinosaur tissue! Showing that dinosaurs are not as far back in history than they actually are!
http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/4504/
Most of us eat lotsa of different food. Chinese esp, almost everything. But most of us agree that cannibalism is wrong. Even though there's no rule that says so. Why? Cos we are made in the image of God!
No matter what state of science and technology we're at, "We’re in the stone age compared to nature." says Dr Aizenberg. Because compared to our wonderful and all knowing creator who made the whole earth and the complexity of nature, we only can comprehend so little. And realise, that at best, one person can specialise in one or two fields?
http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/538/
Haha.. Of cos there's loads that i didn't understand cos they were just too cheem. Esp the physics parts. I couldn't absorb a thing. Ask the bro lo.
Battle in the mind
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Ha. These are some of the verses that i read in the Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. BE POSITIVE! And i so wanted to put them into practice! Budden... i went to work on tues and it was just crazy. Ha... Don't even know how to describe. "Terrible terrible..." OT till 10, and the next day 9+ and had to miss blading... SO SAD. Keep letting down WeeYong. SO SORRY. Depressed.
Psalm 42 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for i will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore i will remember you.
Haha. As they started to take over the world on friday, i had quite a fun time teaching this guy, though it was tiring. He asked alot of basic questions, like why should we do this or that. Which showed that he was really bothered about how things worked, not just going with the routines. It was quite interesting to interact with them. They're very gentle and polite people. And it's cute how they try to nod their head when they agree. But when they don't notice, they still shake their head in a figure of eight sometimes as they listen and understand. Oh well. I finished like 8 transactions that day instead of the 100 that i can do on good days. So maybe.. i'm depressed also cos i felt very unaccomplished in my work. But i guess the different kind of satisfaction you get from teaching someone and knowing that he's learnt something should offset that right?
Anyway. Here's some pictures that i would like to share... These made me very happy...
Haha. The one on the left with 5 dishes was $2.30 and the one on the right, with a big fish was $2.00 :)
Sniff. Thank you............. Don't even know how to thank you enough.
The 3 loving brothers. The oldest who kissed his youngest brother, squished his face, complained that he has swimming pool breath, and told his second brother about it. SO CUTE.
And this last picture. Can anyone guess what it is? My colleague gave us all one each. Something that cheered up my day at work a little!
Anyway, just wanna thank both of you for dragging me down to eat dinner even though i was so nua and wanted to anti-social at home... Ha... Dunno what's come into me... I enjoyed it the short time even though my quite sian and blur face looked like i was just lost in my own world. Haha.. Thanks...
Monday, October 1, 2007
Happy mel's day! :)
YAYYYYYYYYYY! Ha. I'm so happy. It's been a fantastic weekend. Even though i was really stressed about some stuff... till i had to bug some ppl.. haha. Thanks for listening to me on the phone and email.. Anyway, i'm always like that la. easily stressed. Cos some things matter alot. haha.
Planned + prayed for outreach on sat, even though it was just 2 of us. Everyone's invited to the ypm office from 11am to 12pm k? :) We wanna petition!
Danielites and others sang THE song for me! And we dug in into a coffee cheesecake. Coool. Thanks for the pressies. Cute shirt and (i love skincare) bodyshop shower foam and coooookie mooonster. And most of all the prayers. haah. Interesting one eh siewho? haha.
On sunday Mingen, SiewHo, Guang, Pam and i ran!!! + Serene on the bike. Ha. I'm glad i put sunblock on my face. Phew.. Can imagine Running at 3pm in the scorching sun all the way to bedok jetty and back zapped the life out of me, fried my face and gave me a headache. With lousy stamina and not much determination, the only things that kept me going was.. mingen's crazy pace, nice guang and siewho waiting for me alot, and me wanting to get out of the sun and into the shade at Mac's. haha. YesH! So.. i must gambate! Cannot be demoralized and must try to run at least 10km without stopping the next time. haha. Great Eastern run is coming!!! DongGua! Have you trained???
Then at night, ha. I WAS HIGH. Cos we ate at this POWERFUL heng hwa restaurant near my place. Awwww... I tell you. It was so good, that i gave my compliments to the chef. (rare for a chinese restaurant huh~) The herbal bambooo prawns were so fresh and juicy and succulent. The sweet and sour pork with lychee blew my mind away. (My standards for sweet and sour pork very high one lo.) The kailan with beancurd was so sincere. Surprisingly, they cut this carrot into the shape of an M!!! HAHA. They knew i was coming to celebrate my birthday. (how do you actually make beancurd this good??? And.. the veggies were great. I learnt this from his maid. Must skin the stalks so that the veggies would be soft!) The mee sua was just the right texture and generous amount of ingredients. The fish was so big and fresh! And the dessert is simply refreshing. White fungus! One of my favs. Nice. Plus a giant fish tank just across to admire and relax. I think ppl like leney, rina, J, siew ho, doyle, aaron and he lu (haha. all have one thing in common) will go crazy over this kinda meal. Bro and i and everyone else must go together one day. HAHA. We went at 9pm+ though. Before that you prob gotta queue like forever.
MY DAY! Ha. Mum and i took leave. We just slacked. Didn't even shop lor. (frugal furgal frugal remember? from the millionaire next door book!) Not bad eh?
We read abit at TCC, drank this interesting rose juliet coffee. Very light and fragrant latte with rose syrup and a few rose petals! Lovely. Then we went for a massage. haah. All 3 of us including my dad. Took turns of cos. But wah, full body massage is just glorious. I found out that my neck is as stiff as a rock though. i must relax more! haha. Where got tense tofu one? (oh? alliteration! haha...) Then we ate at the Ice Monster! Mum chose the fresh durian and mangoes and mango sorbet dessert with ice shavings... Nice!
Then went home... to celebrate and cut mooncake! Giant ones baked by mum. haha. cos the mini cake we bought didn't have the need to cut. Yeah... (you ask why i didn't bake my own birthday cake? haha. lazy la. today is slack day...)
I am just gonna put on a face mask and go to sleep soon. Ha. Back to work tmr...
My privilege for today: I wish.... that relationships are restored and reconciliated. For everyone! Because it matters.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Happy Mooncake Festival!
I'm glad to declare that i finished reading a book called, "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko!!! Even though it analyses American millionaires, the stuff they teach is really foundational and practical! His auntie lent it to me. And it seems that most of their family has read it. And they find it common sense! Ha.. So it is tried, tested and successful. :)
So now... I'm on a budget. Because they found out that millionaires are actually very frugal, even though they have loads of money. Well, this is how they get their money. Bit by bit. It is my defensive move to accumulate wealth! Since i'm not getting a millionaire's income. Haha. This includes trying to drag my colleagues to eat this really cheap caifan stall neat my workplace that allows us to take our own dishes! Any amount you want. Little bits of everything, or lots of just a few. AND it's super cheap!! We usually take like 4 dishes, and it's like just $2.30?!? Shiok.
Ok. So far i'm not very successful. Have been spending lots on food, just watched a play @ esplanade on sunday, and bought lotsa mooncake ingredients when i went for my mooncake class. Haha.
I love the mooncakes my mum and i made together!!! (We both agreed that we should have started making mooncakes from since 2 years ago when she first learnt) YAY. Haha.. We started at like 11pm on friday.. and did till like 3am? Shucks. Shouldn't have gone shopping before that. LOL. I was soooooo tired. But it was FUN! Made 50+ small pandan flavoured snowskin mooncakes at one shot. Some with white lotus paste with melon seeds, and the rest with this delightful chocolate lotus paste with melon seeds. It's only our first time making it, but it is... HAHA. The best (and not to mention cheapest) there is! Heh. We gave out almost all of them... Simply couldn't finish so much. Ahhh.. Expecting the full moon tmr!!! I think i shall stay out and stare at it for some time...
Happy mooncake festival everyone! Enjoy the chinese celebrations in your own way...
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Roller Blading @ ECP! Join the gang... :)
Matt appears outa-nowhere, runs toward us and booms, "ArggggggGHHHH!!!"
Scaring all the emotions away
Replacing them with ridiculous laughter
Blue's the colour of my soul
Orange for the other?
Doesn't matter
We must be happy ever after
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The 1st day
I did just one day in the finance department and i got so giddy, i felt like puking. I stared at one stack of invoices and reimbursements and another 3 stacks of data to somewhat match against. Aghhhh... It was horrible. I didn't really understand the difference and i was very blur at what i had to do as well... Numbers, figures, and more numbers. Help.
It was so bad i kinda lost my appetite for lunch. Only managed to eat some of the healthy yong tau hoo. Then mid afternoon i felt so hungry i became giddy again. I was too cowardly to ask my super busy colleagues if i could go down to buy some food, so i went to the vending machine to buy some milo. Only to find out that i only had 25cents worth of coins and the milo was 30cents!!! ARGH. So i went back to my desk to keep working. But feeling really terrible. Sigh. Thank God like 10 secs later, 1 colleague came around offering home made sweet tapioca cakes!!! She saved my life...
Well... as more work came in at the later part of the day... i really fought hard to continue... Managed to escape at 7pm, starving and about to faint. At least i get OT. Sigh.
It is evening, and it will be morning. The 1st day. :(
And i'm supposed to use pain as material for endurance. Gambate!!! :x
Monday, August 27, 2007
Nothing is irredeemable
In all my prayers, whether I get any answers I want or not, I can count on this one fact: God can make use of whatever happens. Nothing is irredeemable.
'Teach me, O God, so to use all the circumstances of my life today that they may bring forth in me the fruits of holiness rather than the fruits of sin,' prayerd the author John Baillie:
Let me use disappointment as material for patience.
Let me use success as material for thankfulness.
Let me use trouble as material for perseverance.
Let me use danger as material for courage.
Let me use reproach as material for long suffering.
Let me use praise as material for humility.
Let me use pleasures as material for temperance.
Let me use pain as material for endurance.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
I'm lovin' it
I am recently inspired by... "the groovy beat that makes you wanna move", Eugene-who can play the 'feel' of a song so quickly yet so effectively even though he's a guitarist, and just how the drums can make such a difference into leading ppl into worship!!!
I got the lowest for confidence during drums session though. I must JIAYOU!
Someone teach me how to like Chicken Essence!!! It is most disgusting... But i wanna learn to like it.
Haha. And dunno why, with the recent topic of relationships and with da Bro introducing me to this really funny comic, here's a few laughs! It's plain nonsense la. Don't learn hor.. haha.
Friday, August 24, 2007
2nd broken slipper :(
The sole came out, and so the vertical strap gave way along with it.. Argh! Luckily i alighted at the 48 bus stop nearest to bugis and not the one nearer to home... I literally had to drag my foot along with the leftovers to search bugis junction for footwear. After a while, i was smart enough to take a rubber band and at least put it over my foot and the leftover slipper parts so that it lasted a while longer while i shopped! (Shucks. But still not very smart la. I should've went straight to parkway to buy since i found out my slipper was going to fall apart) sighs. But because i'm really fussy, none of the shoe shops had anything nice...! :(
sighs. I was pondering if i should just continue dragging all the way home, or walk barefoot, or drag myself to perhaps bugis village or further to keep finding something. But, i couldn't stand walking like a half lame zombie anymore. So i figured that maybe I might have missed out some nice footwear along the way. So i prayed & searched level 1 & 2 again.
THANK GOD i found cute pumps in one of the clothes shops! Even though i would've preferred pretty slippers, and the pumps are not superbly glamorous, but they're so cute and Super Comfy! I love'em!!! Haha. I survived another pair of broken slippers! Yet again! (Oh well, no one to help me this time...)
My bag like also gonna spoil le.. hahaa.. It's peeling.
Ok! I wanna go shopping.. Anyone? Haha..
Thursday, August 23, 2007
And...
And.. congrats to gideon who actually almost bladed all the way to the lagoon! 1st time blading and you persevered so far!!! :)
And.. was really encouraged by pamela, (can i call you pammy?) who shared her most ingenious way of sharing the gospel to whoever she meets. a pocket full of gospel tracts always ready to be given away! :)
And.. impressed by yunz who is so hyper about teaching. Your students are blessed to have you! Jiayouuu! :)
And.. grateful to doyle who helped me seek permission to crash tung ling bible sch today. Ppl at School of Ministry are really nice. Those i talked to were passionate and humourous. The rest I didn't know just smiled very widely if we had eye contact! It's a blessing to listen to Pastor Benny Ho's sharing about Answering our call to our Destiny. Very comforted to know i'm somewhere on the right track and spurred to pray for more direction from God!
Here's the cycle that he used to define living:
Live life -> Events accumulate (Keep reflecting and waiting upon the Lord) -> Listening point -> Detour if you disobey and go back to 'events accumulate' step/ Answer the call if you obey -> Soul awakened -> God's pleasure -> Live life and so on...
"The more yielded we are, the faster we get to our destiny"
And.. looking forward to see how life in NTU is like! Thanks leney and patrick for that cute conference call! I'm coming with home-made cookies... heh :)
And.. hopefully i get the job i just interviewed for. I'm becoming a tofu, nua-ing too much. It's fun. But my IQ is dropping... (yes. I actually check!)
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Quotes!
For Serene: Friendship is a treasured gift, and every time I talk with you I feel as if I'm getting richer and richer.
For Matthew: Be a good cheer. Do not think of today’s failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost. - Helen Keller
For you who called to share your rough time: Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well through all the darkest valleys you must traverse. Stars may be seen from the bottom of a deep well, when they cannot be discerned from the mountaintop. So will you learn things in adversity that you would never have discovered without trouble. There is always a seed of good. Find it and prosper. - Og Mandino
For Leney: Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. Christopher Robin to Pooh
For Patrick: Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil. - James Allen
For Donggua: I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution. - Albert Einstein
For the Brother: Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius. - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
For J: Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget. - G. Randolf
For Emo-elmo: I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances. -Martha Washington
For Pinky: How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it! - George Elliston
For my Ex-classmates: Good friends are like stars.... You don't always see them, but you know they are always there
For Yangxiang: Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. - Addison
For Doyle: The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. - Eleanor Roosevelt
For Cooper: Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall. - Confucius
For you whom I still remember: This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth. Love to complete your life. - Clayton Adams
And for myself: The art of love... is largely the art of persistence. - Albert Ellis
Thursday, August 16, 2007
It is good to slack
Went out with C and V on tues to eat Waraku Pasta at Marina Square. It's a new place that sells Japanese Pasta. Haha. Quite interesting eh? The only japanese part about my experience was the waiters who kept shouting jap phrases and we ate our pasta with chopsticks. Haa. Even though it was a lil' pricey, the meat sauce pasta that all 3 of us ordered was... oooooh. SO TASTY! I think it was pork, cos beef would have been abit tough after simmering for a long time. I wonder how it was healthy though. Haha.. I could see lotsa oil remains on my plate from the sauce. Maybe it was the free salad they gave us for appetizer. It has a nice zesty spice dressing which i was quite impressed. :)
Then, we carried out our evil plan. So V claims it to be. Haha. Went to a cafe, gave V a book and forced made V read chapter 1! Then both of us started to read also. Haha. Sounds really like a trap eh? But i thought it was good ambience, with a good book (Drawing Near by John Bevere) and good friends to read with. We were there for a few hours, and YEA! V finally finished the 9 pages of chapter 1. Haha.. At least we did alot of catch up while he was distracted most of the time. Quite interesting la. Hope it wasn't that torturous la huh? YOU must read finish horr.. not in 10 years la! Make it like.. a month. You're so bored now jobless anyway. :)
I remember my favourite GP teacher from HCI, Ms Heng, once advised me on what i should get as a present for a friend. She asked if my friend reads. And i replied no. She then recommended me to buy a good book to inspire him/her because that person would never take the initiative to buy one him/herself. Ahh.. I miss her intelligence. Like what Glenn said, when you meet intelligent people, you'll just be inspired when they talk. It's hard to deny their wisdom. Haha.. I remember how i used to write down quotes of the day everytime i had GP lessons with her. She's our very own local poet! *applause* Really grateful to her for being so inspiring. I started reading the newspapers cos of her. HAhaa..
Some of her poems! http://www.othervoicespoetry.org/vol16/tian/index.html
We should all read... There's is so much knowlege to be gained.
As i was talking to more ppl, a question that Serene once posed to me a long time ago came up into my head again. "Why do people like to talk about relationships so much?" Haha.. We didn't really come up with an answer that time. But have you ever realised that we all get excited if we see a possibility of the ppl around us maybe liking someone else or maybe being wooed by someone else? Then we start to talk about it and speculate the chances and prob how wonderful it would be if they ended up together? Have right?? Haha. I'm also guilty of it. Well, what do you think it's like that?
J introduced me to Ravi Zacharias, this Christian apologist who is, i think, a genius. (He shall be another way I try to learn more.) So just yesterday, I heard 2 of his online sermons. "I, Isaac, take thee Rebekah" and "The top 5 questions that students ask". And it came to me that maybe it's because we all want to feel loved. This was part of Zacharias answer to the question "What is the meaning of life - What gives us meaning to life?" And it only makes sense because this is the way that we were created. Emotional beings who desire love because we were planned to be in a relationship! With God and man. :)
I extract from his sermon:
4 components that a person must have in order to say “my life is meaningful”:
In our infancy, it’s the sense of wonder. In our youth, it’s the understanding of truth. In our middle years, it’s the experience of love, acceptance and belongingness. In our old age, it’s the confidence of security.
- The meaning of life
- The existence of God
- The problem of evil. How God would allow evil to occur if he is all good and all powerful
- The historicity of the resurrection of Christ. How do we know that the resurrection is a historical fact?
- The exclusive claims of the Christian gospel. That if only those who place their faith in Jesus will attain salvation, then how about the good people who believe in other religions? What is God’s justice to this?
He Giveth More Grace | Annie J. Flint
He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
You can listen to those sermons here: http://www.rzim.org/radio/archives.php?p=LMPT&o=200&i=50
The "I, Isaac, Take Thee Rebekah" is about bgr. And as i have never stopped pondering about certain stuff.. i think this sermon taught me alot. So for those who applies, or will one day apply, check it out too.
Anyways, with all learning, i think that's why i looked so happy to go roller blading Matt! Haha.. When you feel you've learnt something impt, you'll be happy too right? Yea.. Blading every wed seems like the best look-forward-and-keeps-you-going thing to do. For those who are studying and working.. mid week sometimes seem the worst right? Haha.. Then join us!! I think blading is good stuff cos when you're blading, you can talk loads to your fellow bladers. Provided you're not too stressed on how to not fall down la. haha. Fun sport to do with friends... :) Even if you have exams coming up soon, and you need to take a break, you can make use of it too. Hor cooper? Haha. Was fun singing with yunhui, learning from becky and her friend Jasmine, laughing and being stunned at matt who can do so many stunts but never fall down, inspired by Cooper's tenacity and interesting talking to Huan Kai and Brian. I also liked the blade shop beside Burger King!! They played nice Chinese Orchestra sorta music and even slow jazz, which i danced lindy with Yun, in my blades! Hahaa.. Lucky i didnt blade over her toes. She's a graceful lead. *claps!*
Yeah.. Looking forward to saturday's event! Very hopeful!!! :)
Monday, August 13, 2007
Top 10 Trivia Tips
This is just plain nonsense that i found through Charis's blog. HAHAHA.
Ten Top Trivia Tips about Melissa!
- Owls cannot move their eyes, because their eyeballs are shaped like melissa.
- About 100 people choke to death on melissa each year!
- Pacman was originally called melissaman!
- Melissa is the world's smallest mammal.
- Ancient Chinese artists would never paint pictures of melissa.
- Melissa was invented in China in the eleventh century, but was only used for fireworks, never for weapons.
- In 1982 Time Magazine named melissa its 'Man of the Year'!
- Only one person in two billion will live to be melissa!
- Melissa was originally called Cheerioats!
- Devoid of her cells and proteins, melissa has the same chemical makeup as sea water.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Why blog?
Well.. this is the first reason why i created this blog in the first place.. haha. Get ready to stay connected when i go over. Easy access to blogs of ppl i know, and hopefully ppl will keep chatting with me on my gigantic, chat-and-user-friendly tagbox, other than on msn.
Secondly, i realised one of my weakness! I don't really share much about myself to ppl. Must learn to be more open and vulnerable. That's when we can really be concerned for others right? I always wanna know what's happening to others, but hide myself away from them. Not fair for true friends. I think i'm an introvert. Haha. I think maybe some disagree. But we all have our 'emo elmo' times la. I want to come out from behind my 'mask' (hahaa.. chapter 2!) and get real. Along with that is that I somehow believe that I am special. Hahaa.. God's masterpiece! Altho i'm just some other normal plain person, I somehow wanna be more sure of my own talents. No matter how little or small they are. So this place will be my own affirmation for myself. All that things that rouse my emotions make me the mel that I am! The people that influence me, the many things that make me laugh, or cry, or excited, the memories... Hopefully, after sharing about the many events that happen in my blog, i'll be more willing to start going deeper and past the superficial me. :)
Thirdly, i think i can do much better than my old blog la. Haha. One or two entries a year really CMI. I also never managed to keep a diary for longer than a few months. So maybe a blog with more interaction would work better. One day when i'm old and bored, i can read this all over. haha.
Anyway, even though pinky told me i should not update so quickly cos she feels like she's lagging behind in her own posts, i shall talk abit about leaders' retreat! Haha. Just abit la k? Can't help it. One of the icebreakers we played was 'talk about the last time someone encouraged you'! Haha.. Shucks. I realised i haven't been very encouraging... I know how such little words, once spoken, becomes a significant driving force for an individual even though the one who said it doesn't really feel that way... So, I shall start to encourage more! Have you been encouraging lately? :)
Proverbs 15:4 The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
I love food...
You Are a Hot Fudge Sundae |
Classic, simple, and divine. Why mess with perfection? |
First there was the lovely bbq at Calvin's place with mostly above 19 YPMers and tons of much higher standard than the normal bbq food. Lovingly prepared by SERENE! YAY! There was like mashed potato with tuna and corn, various breads with balsalmic vinegar, olive oil and mixed seeds, sambal sotong, (even the plainly grilled one was so sweet too!) heineken drunken prawns, exotic beef with lots of garlic, mango salsa fish, porky pork, mushrooms, sweet potato, brinjal and mohito (is this how you spell it? the great concoction of ice cream soda, freshly squeezed lime juice and aromatic mint leaves)!!! And of cos, not to forget MANGO PUDDING! haha.. Gosh. Serene works wonders... My next goal will be to learn to prepare such good food.
Other than the great food and company, the atmosphere was so romantic too! Full moon, at the poolside and with music in the background... Aww. Can melt right? I likes. Here's one stylish picture courtesy of isaac low! So professionally done, he should be our photographer for every event that ypm has.. haha. The rest are in his blog! (linked at the right column)
Hehs. So anyway, i think it worked up such an appetite that i'm still eating alot. Starting with lotsa mango and mango pudding! Of cos i have extras at home even after everyone has eaten... :) The Taiwan mango is gigantic and cheap! Like 3 for $10! The sweetness is just right too. Usually we would use Thai honey mangoes. But it's more expensive even thought its sweetness is to die for. We tried using the King of Mangoes once. Indian Alfonso mangoes. Haha.. $$$! I think no need so posh la. And that one has abit too much fibre for a pudding. My favourite kind is sweet pudding with slightly sour mango cube toppings. SHIOK.
[Food fact! Mangoes are rich in caroteniods esp beta-carotein which is a powerful anti-oxidant. Has vitamins A, B, C and E. Great source of dietary fibre. Has enzymes that stimulate metabolism and purifies the intestinal tract. Has high iron content which is good for ladies and anaemics. Also a good source of potassium and magnesium! Plus, IT TASTES GOOD. :) ]
After the mango attack, I went on to eating the stuff I bought during my last few days at MOE. 'Strong Man' brand spicy tapioca chips and dark chocolate with almond nuts inside, PLUS all the Meiji chocolate that we bought at the Meiji Factory!!! Hahaa.. Super cheap! Go check it out ya? Every friday from 12pm to 3pm. Ok. I'm not so guilty la. Haha.. I eat for so long still haven't finish yet. *giggles*
Then just on friday, helu brought eeling, stell, amandia, aaron, samson, my bro and i to the dimsum buffet at mirama hotel! Oooh.. Interesting dimsum. I think i liked the fried chicken wings the best. Haha! Which is actually not dimsum. Their food was quite unique cos it's all done slightly differently from the norm. For example, the charsiew sou is not the usual long rectangular kind, but looks more like a big fried wanton (1st pict). The har gow has more soup than the xiaolongbao. Haha.. They have this big fried prawn thing (2nd pict) which looks like those dustballs that roll around in the desert. But that was really good. haha. So crispy and fresh! Yay! Eeling took lotsa pictures for us! So have you practised how to fling your wet tissue at ppl already? Haha..
Anyway, after we were all super stuffed, we went to the ktv at katong shopping mall to sing abit. Haha.. I found out that i'm really bad at it compared to like stell and amandia who had angelic voices... Then we bought the chocolate tarts at the basement! Simple and simply marvellous! Even though it's 70cents for such a tiny bite sized dessert, it was worth it! One day.. i'll bake something like that. Haha.
Then there were the doughnuts that lenee bought, and soon i will drink up the Swiss Premium chocolate drink that Amandia gave me! It looks even better than the Meiji Hot Cocoa. Then go for another bbq and bake more stuff! haha.. so.. i think i better go run again le.