socialising

So much for
my little social life.....(in these 4 weeks)
Anticlockwise from top:

• Carolling around the neighbouring blocks with a cell group from my church
• Shenny (or Peter Shecaniah Sim) and Rachel's birthday
• Ken's birthday (the collared shirt shaven head guy)
  

taste poo to know chicken rice is good?

Woww....an amazing but short weekend....

I was laughing so much at a sermon on saturday.....then again, i always laugh.
hahaha. oh well...."you don't need to taste poo to know chicken rice is good." indeed. so blest to have pals who come back from overseas in the holidays.....so blest to have cousins getting married (but in 1-2 years time)....blest to have a holiday overseas after christmas.....blest to well......have critics too......(u know how girls can get)....blest to have brothers and sisters in Christ who are part of the cord of three strands. totally unshakeable.

never take revenge

An English pastor once reminded my church (rather, the church i attend) in a sermon,

"Never take revenge. If you leave it to God, he can do a far better job." was his exact words.

But weighing what he said, i was thinking..........so if i don't do anything about the offence BECAUSE i have the motive of laying the offence in God's hands, SO he can do a "far better job" wouldn't that be an entirely wrong attitude/motive already? Why would God be pleased with that? Let alone help?

However if i simply forgive, and let the trespass and the person go....knowing I'm not a perfect person and i sin too, SINCERELY......now THAT.....not only would God have the clearest picture on what is happening on BOTH sides...(offended and offendee) He would reward as well....the party that hath forgiveneth.

"But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years." (Malachi 3:2-4 )

marriage days

TWO weddings in a day

just today...
the morning had Michelle and Victor

then came the evening one
Jean (my ex roommie) and Kelvin Zhu.
Then suddenly seeing GB., GC, EM, RX and the other uni mates....
every chapter of my hostel stay came back to me so vividly.
My dear first and last roommate (i only lived in hostel for one semester),
who was also my laundry buddy,
my silent but industrious,
keep-things-to-herself-except-to-her-bf,
my tutorial solutions provider...
MArrieD!

serious world poverty

REACH out

I just saw a picture of a horribly MALNOURISHED african kids today.
their body was smaller than their heads. An article's headline was "27 000 die
of poverty every day".

UNICEF’s 2000 Progress of Nations report tried to put these numbers into some perspective:

The continuation of this suffering and loss of life contravenes the natural human instinct to help in times of disaster. Imagine the horror of the world if a major earthquake were to occur and people stood by and watched without assisting the survivors! Yet every day, the equivalent of a major earthquake killing over 30,000 young children occurs to a disturbingly muted response. They die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.

— A spotty scorecard, UNICEF, Progress of Nations 2000

The journalist impressed on the need to break through the mundaneness of such a news to actually HAVE an effect on people to start giving. Or even being aware of it. This news has become way too common. People actually get used to seeing it.

.ouch.

I saw girls around me wince in heartbreak at the sight.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

.finally. a quiet day without so much talking (other than professionally but i'm not that professional)

..first of all i've been so blest by this book on Jim Stier's life, a missionary he was, may still be one.... Its just amazing how one book is able to inspire me. The book chronicled every step of he and hiw wife's journey to reach out to the lost souls in Brazil. They were basically almost penniless all the way. But God provided each and every time. well reading that every morning on the mrt actually starts my day good. And of course it makes me think more about like God's calling....

Whoa.

Hong Kong and Taiwan ruleZ!!! mom and dad are like, there!! woooo.....
Ok but the freedom does not last....aw.....
Still it makes me impose on myself my own boundaries.
Well if kids at the age of 9-12 were able to set their own rules in Kid Nation, i'm 24?!?!

movie: Game plan

Watching this movie yesterday...

The movie was so impactful and yet simple.....the plots were expected and funny and lame....more funny than lame though. The underlining lesson was just to be less selfish i would guess. Joe Kingston in the show was whoa-man....as in he was soooo full of himself in the show....every picture revolved around himself and every topic and all that. But eventually well, hahaha....God had to make him learn to be big hearted. Watch "Game Plan".
The most ironic thing was actually talking to someone before the movie (one of the people i went out with yesterday) about being selfish in one's deeds. Like we were discussing about how there's this new thing called no-commitments kinda friendships with guys and gals that people practice....in this modern day and age.
I feel, that is like kind of selfish because someone would get hurt in this kinda "friendship". cohabiting is another word for it. but this is a bit less extreme than living with the other person...I mean, definitely there would be a person in such a friendship seeking only to seek to please himself only. This is my opinion on it.

real existing people? or fake profile?

i would love to...........do a lot of things
.
.
.
so....gee, on the other hand i'm not so perfect either.

Yea i can't believe that baptism candidate was a real existing person..........all this while i thought it was another one of those er, phony profiles.......serious i would rather believe that a profile is phony rather than real. its safer. so NEway, i've got nice plans but on what to do about next year but plans are plans!!! its all fun, happy, cool yet scary, a whole lot of effort, and research and definitely, money....i would think.

basically two main plans are in mind..........two places. Not sayin anything till confirmed, or rather, if i do get approval from first of all, the Great one, the mighty provider, the all-sufficient, infinite resourcer, the divine sovereign. 'nuff said.

5 love languages

There's 5 types of Love languages
there are also 5 types of Apolegizing languages according to Chapman,
In his latest book, 5 ways of saying sorry
The problem with communication is people have different ways of saying sorry...argh
S0 the interesting part is, you realise u might not be getting someone's way of

1) "I'll make it up to you"
2) "I'll not do it again, i promise"
3) "Please forgive me"
4) "How can i help you feel less bad?"
5) ..........for the last method of saying sorry to someone, do pick up your own copy of the book.
(because i cant remember what it is lol.)

daily posts

.....This is one lame post.

Sunday was Job fair visitation. went wif Y (gal) and Z (guy). Hm, nice people. Nice booths and jobs. Some were not for me. I even considered going back to engineering again.....but nah. for the first time i seriously prayed for Y. And her job situation.

Mondae was Karen Pan's farewell for (1.5 years or less). That hot babe's headed for......New Mexico.....Not!! More like.....Hong kong with her newly wedded hubby. So, here i am bumping into an ex-colleague just Monday. Miss Gladys at of all places, International plaza. At the exact timing summore. And i was just groggily (seriously sleepily) going downstairs at about....3pm to get my usual cuppa tea. This gal came towards me, and i was like, familiar! ahh!! Mon night was talking n thinking and researching websites online on whether its worth it pursuing a GMAT. its US$250!! forget it?? yea.....probably, knowing myself. Was worth the thinking thru though dumb.

Tuesday: Movie day...what a horrendous show. But good company.....i repeat the show was badd. Do read movie reviews or at least synopses to at least know some gist of the content.

Wed: *roll eyes* What a "nice" way to get people to invest hard earned $$$ in photo portfolios. :P

Thurs : Great workout.....Yes!

is this what You want me to do?

The Question remains
Not as
"Is it a fact?"
"This is what i feel, what I think..."
"This is what they say, what i heard"
BUT RATHER
"Is this what you WANT ME TO DO?"

the world is coming to ......

From global warming to homosexuals to the wars,
.....Whats this world coming to?
The end. I mean the end, as in literally that's the answer to my seemingly rhetorical question.
So what are we to do next?

Current Events, being the main source of news of the world today for me, hahaha, is ever relevant in posing lotsa questions about this ending planet. They even tried exploring Mars as an alternative habitat for us earthlings.

Nonono, we don't need those other planets.
We need,
the book of Revelations!!! That book is goood...it just scares you enough to want to know more about the whole Jesus-story. Well maybe it won't scare you, it didn't scare me actually. But some of my female buddies in NTU last time.....boy, they only read it in the day man.

Bottom line: Would you rather not believe in God and die to find out He was real, or believe in God and die to find out he didn't exist? Which is the best bet?

nice pic?

I haven't got much to blog about.
more like too much to blog also........
what an oxymoron.

Life.....!!!

Gotta write that one my gal pals did a great show called the DazzLinG show on Sat night. It was kinda like a stand-up one-man (or rather woman) show. Singlish at its best......"Lamcing queen"?

Friday was a bit......stressful though....but quite good. Brainstormed some ideas wif sunday sch mate......about what's next after working some years -- further education? hmm. maybe.

(This beach exists in Maryland. Got it in one of those pass-it-on emails. From angels, I'm sure.)

prophetic gifts

Life is good......

When you believe......Tons of work work work. Lesser online time but more focus that way....
Which is also good. Oh well, i can't believe one of my old friends just got married!! And i didn't even know it, she's my age.....Oh yeppers recapping last week this day at fellowship, there was some nice words prayed for me by one of the leaders there. the first one being "You will be praying for people". i was like eh, ok.
...second one being "You dont have to care too much about (one of my weak points)." I was like "Ok...wow, cool. that's so zhun4 for me. talk about practising one's prophetic gifts. for the good of people.

the dust has NOT settled.

I will NoT cease in praying.
Its Not "back to the old grill"....
and i'm NoT sooo envious of the team going to another land this week.

why?
Because there's plenty enough to do here right where i am.
Am i stuck here!?!?
No. This state of life, is not called "Stuck".
Its called, you have something to do. Ask Him. He will tell u.

The-Boss has WonDerFuL plans. (check out the galaxy if u think his plans are boring)
for you. for me. And HE's waiting for us to receive BIG plans. And work on them, heart or mind or both. Ode to the Big Man with Big plans.

CM2007

i need help Lord!!

Nothing dangerous....just....i duno what to do about this internet probz.....!! everyone has a thorn in the flesh....like Paul in the bible. My faith has been challenged and its again a season of stretching my faith. and God i need your help!! and we learnt today that God has to uses uncomfortable situations to grow us. i wanna visit more of the map still.... Amazin' time of prayer we had wif 6-7 of us gals. For a battery recharge....use Jesus-is-EVEREADY,
YeSu-EnerGiZer or dura-CELL or etc etc.
Haha, here's one of our singapore team's remake of the nice song "En Hae RoDa" (Amazing grace in korean)


1) The informal D.I.Y version

2) The original live song at CM07

cm2007!!!

Dear God,

Thank you for making this trip so memorable. wow, there were sad and happy events but first of all its you i want to thank. Kamsa hamneeda! You make everything good in your time. thank you for showing me the passion of these people of Korea. they're fann-tas-tic role models in Gido (prayer) to You. And in manee manee areas too. I am very very grateful to be able to attend this gathering of your tribes peoples of manee nations. And to serve the seniors in the villages and to trust you for providence for you provided the food, water and shelter for us for two nights 3 days. And the yoghurt and watermelons we did not verbalise to anyone but you.

Kimbie

okieeeez....
full of food here. spicy salty tasty.
nothing has really started yet. one opening address and performance by koreans only.
tmr begins workshops.
hmm, Main-deh people are very interesting. i'm gonna attend a workshop to learn about their culture.

korean culture

oHH noo.....i've been fooLLedd when it's not April...or have i really?

Got one foot in that country with many mountains-for-prayer now......in my mind of course....but soon it will be reality. Thank God my dear friend has forgiven me, this really precious gal pal of mine. I didn't imagine how wonderful her friendship was.....till we fought. The tone, the accusations hurled, all that rudeness, then the silences, and finally, the weird feeling when you realise, "Oh man, that might be the end of a great friendship!! NO way!!"

That's life of course, never easy dealing with these difficult issues especially friendships. let alone, what, BGR? Oh man........whatever it is, be glad in whatever trials or seasons in life God calls...I'm glad I'm in my present season.

Kimberly, wakeneth up thyy daydreams. Anyway, this two weeks was hardship. It was such a torturous week adjusting my normal horrible routine to one that was more inslusive of God and what He wants. Preparing for eleven days of a non-holiday. It's not gonna be a holiday. I'm serious.....!!

Good weather would be bonus...but that's not as iMpOrTaNt as the PeoPlez present there. From Koreans to Singaporeans, I don't think it's easy to adapt to language and culture both ways.

Hhave learnt to like those primary school korean kids and hope to meet grown-up korean kids in the place i am going to... hahaha. if u want special stuff from korea, sms or call me. no promises but will do my best to find some substitute if cant find the exact thingy wanted.

1) 1pm class has ended this week...
2) taught twice this girl Pr 4 math. (her name is Kim Soo Yong, how ironic!!)

rainbow promises

this incredible way of talking i've learnt

no more holiday tomorrow onwards.....my whole family will be back!!! ahhh!!!

(for my own notes) twice Miss R.'s class (last tues n this tues), one pri 4 math today.

this week Tuesday 7 June:
helped Miss R. take her class at 430pm. Essential Enlgish (Pri 4)

thank you for the trust to give moreso when lacking ...... and again, the Lord has been faithful.

he has put bread on the table.

The Lord is good and gracious to all who love Him.

Was a nutty day....in town.....was at PS, bugis then Suntec.....hahaha...
with two groups of palz.......one of them being.......my parents.
yes the real set of parents. helped mom shop......
argh......anyway...after two hours i decided to go with my gal friends instead. yeah the old gang from ntu lecture days. i think i can flow with them more.....at times despite our occasional er....lack of courtesy
So......shoppin at ICON first.
then Phil's steak was so goood!! $9.90 with baked potato, wild mushroom sauce and carrots and coleslaw.
then.....came more shopping at suntec cos SMin wanted her camera......what a lousy pc show man. anyway, then came.....more walking and yakking with Yxin. AND i'm still hungry till today. did so much walking....!!!

equador in orchard

There were EQuaDoriaNs in Orchard Road...spotted today!!

basking, mellow music....
with Red indian hats
(red indians are not related to their culture at all, dunno why they had them on display)

What are these people: From Equador, the jungles which Jim Elliot's and team (during 1950s) reached out to that caused he and the team's deaths.

What are their beliefs: Christianity, because after they killed the missionary Jim and the team of men who were reaching out to them, their wives still went back to reach out to these people and they were so touched i think, that they decided to believe in God.
I asked what religion was their country and one of the men at the side replied "Christianity".....
And coincidentally i'm reading "Through gates of splendour" by Elizabeth elliot. that is one fantastic book.

First time i get to witness a Salvation case.....online.....yay!!!
Mostly through prayer first.

In the middle of a fantastic book now...

yes in a way i'm glad i've kinda really got onto the correct track.... (i think) and i was soo astounded by yesterday's sermon which was in sync with what i wanted to be. and what i didn't want and want. but whoaa......not boasting or anything but i taught 8 hours today?! :P :P but i'm not complaining....my senior teacher was right....how can u not fall in love with faces keep calling "teacher teacher!"

kairos

Kairos missions course --the last day, was held today.

I was writing to someone from Russia for a period of time. Have since last Sat or sunday stopped writing cos i realised it's totally "huh?" writing to someone u do not exactly know!? the bible talks about some people group "praying to an unknown god"....where they offered sacrifices to a god whom they didn't know at all but whom they gave sacrifices to. see the logic why i can't go on talking to an unknown?

Acts 17
22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

Even though the person says he is a guy he may be a girl. or at "it" or half half or Both. nowadays, u never know.

i replied the chatty replyable emails of course. which are about Singapore. USSR was ruled by Tzars, that's all i learnt.

So if he (assume its a he) wants to know about Kazakhs I hope he reads my blog about this info:

Let's see, 50% of Kazakhs are Russians....in fact many Kazakhs are mixed blood,
super exotic.
They like shopping. they are hungry....to learn. and are open to new new friendships. even if they never saw you before. sparse population.....very sparse in newly developed states.

facebook? myspace? friendster? what about heaven?

Its amazing that i remember a lot of great quotes when i'm very sleepy and tired now...And i'm rational moreso now than at any time of the day when i'm alert and awake. why is this so, i ask the Lord and he hasn't replied me. the only thing i can think of is that i'm less distracted by things i'm not supposed to be distracted about when i'm tired. He wants our total focus and attention, amen?

And today, now this evening while chatting online, i remember this famous famous quote....from a pastor or some preacher which said our primary goal in life is to stand literally at hell's gates and chase people far far away from hell. its like standing at your least favourite school and telling your juniors NOT to go to this school. that's a quote man! I mean what greater purpose and fulfilment can we get than to see heaven more and more polulated....i mean COME ON! look at places like www.myspace.com and www.friendster.com.....weird comparison but why is it people FLOCK there by the thousands? even the newest craze facebook? its a hit all over the world....why cant heaven be like that?

i hope thus, we'll all listen to the right voice, the right voice of truth that leads us to the only way to heaven....not by atonement of our sins by human efforts but by faith in Jesus THRU grace.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God"
Eph 2:7

Yess!!

This whole week wasn't just youtubing. ((that video i posted was cute as in funny. meant to emphasise a no-brainer society....that we sometimes have in our lives. heh heh.))

This week was a whole lot more of seriously making time for my work, my calling or whatever. Talking to mom and dad, thinking, having ladies group, shopping with yuxin, going for a meaningful concert, thinking again, making passport, ...excited and stressed about a lot of things....more excited though. have to be positive in everything i do i guess...

hhahaha, reminds me of the long train ride from Almaty to Astana in Kazakhstan in 2004, we didn't know how long the train would take to reach the other town but we will just have fun and have a joyful peaceful time learning etc while we're on the train. great attitude to have in life eh? and no, i never got sick of the cows along the way...really. haha.

i'm seriously considering two things in general. two jobs again...that can be combined. hey that's a wonderfull idea!

silly youtubes

bimbos and himbos (lol)

i was just thinkin about how gals have their own preferences in males too, like how males have their constant comparisons about types of women.

like for instance i know one of my older gal frens, who's chinese (27 yrs old) who told me this:
"that guy's quite cute but he's Blond."
"whats wrong?" i said.
"guess its how the media pictures blonds u know...haha"
"oh the 'dumb blond thing'. i thot that was for women?"
"hahaha. yes but i guess it affects the way girls see the guys too."
"so u prefer brunettes for guys?"
"yea!!"

In a world that places a bit too much ImPoRtAnCe on looks...i'm wondering, is it those magazines? or is it TV? By the way, models on magazines are air-brushed (meaning, their pics are edited).

take a look at this you-tube (who said only girls were bimbos?):


i mean....seriously....sometimes it just gets ridiculous....how the media can just with one show.....influence all our thinking.

Thus with each magazine, book or show you or i watch, dig deep for the positive elements, analyse the negative and the spiritual content.

This and this but this

Life's irony is that sometimes we can get pretty confused about what we really want, or what makes us really happy. And so, we go in circles..heh so the irony is that this week passed so fast, without me sitting at the pc much...hahahha. When i actually tell myself its OK to not have much to do...its ok to rest and relax for two whole weeks.....then the WORK COMES! i'm just asking for it eh...? Planning, getting the resources i need, biangz, got a tuition job too.

But there were some good word from God i had this week. On tuesday and on thursday. tuesday one was affirmation, thurs was have to trust God to be that leader in where he calls. cheem stuff.

Wednesday also learnt quite a bit man. the hands on missions game...ooh k. was tough. :-| haha.....and wednesday was the last time i'm prob seeing my old teammates from previous job.

i just pray i dont get into culture shock for too long on 2 May. and they wont be shocked by me either. i hope they are normal and civilised. i'm sure i got a lot to learn from them as much as they can learn from me. this will be interesting...

btw, i dono who reads this blog. it be good if they left their names...

miss fresh air at bt gombak

I miss the days where i

Have fresh air every day
was living near a stadium which had a track
had a great jogging route to a beeyoutiful park
had a good view of the sky without much blocking of the skyscrapers (HDB flats)
when i didn't have to deal with workplace politics
(politics is ok but not the workplace kind)
had Space to run and run.

Had good workout at Gombak gym yesterday.....it was raining cows and lions.
This new job i'm taking on, WiLL be...a good time of learning...both ways. Me and them. Amen.

The Galaxy and God

thankful

Ok basically it was a tendered resignation followed by Interview, then a contract signed - all happening TodaY.
i'm still in shock (in a good sense) seriously.

there can only be one Being who is able to do this impossible thing
.
.
.
.

.

.

God.

Thank You once again! (the image of the stars and planets are from NASA)

calling

Good yet bad

I know this is gonna be an oxymoron but this week was a little scary but strangely manageable. most would deem it as "scary" or "bad" to tell the truth but personally.... i feel:

sometimes God has to use things we usually call "barriers" (like we cannot get a task done, we can't get to a place at a certain time, etc) to actually direct our paths (or our 'bearings', to use geography terms) so we move in the right direction which is what He planned for us.

and if it took Him six and a half months (in this job) to confirm to me more or less where and what i should be going/doing....then it was really worth it.

If i were to ask God to swap problems, would i be able to carry THEIR problems

Non-Reflections of a sick week

Well this is not really a post on reflections i've had for this sick-blue week. I got hit with the virus on tues...and wed. So let's recap this week...strange how when you're sick you actually make full use of every day...as though fearing you wont be performing at your normal potential each day.

Tues i was shivering at work - got whacked by flu virus. early in the morning started. could feel the flu virus multiplying.....for once my imagination was put to "good use". :P couldn't even relate properly to majority (ppl).

Wed saw me cringing my way to work, because of the guitar-load plus the stupid germs. and the Phlegm....:PPP! thank God for the worship and the whole spiritual uplifting sermon and people later.

Thurs, 70% recvovered!! went for church drama prac!! duno what the thing we did was called but was hiL-aR-iOuS!!

Fri...our department went to eat "high class" food but ended up looking at people around the restaurant. knowledge: casserole is baked rice.
i learnt also, that everyone has their own problems...no matter how happy or at peace they look. If i were to ask God to swap problems, would i be able to carry THEIR problems...?so maybe all of us have our unique set which is something we CAN carry.

Had great time of gal-bonding with the tues-gals on sat....Leez's farewell to another land.

guard the heart

And so the question remains...

I'm not crushed, nor brokenhearted. believe it or not. all those principles thing really worked after all. the words Guard your heart means u imagine your heart to be this time-bomb or this little rascal-kid that cant be tamed. so u literaly have to try to tie it to a chair....like tell it "SIT! be still!". don't invest your heart until there is commitment...blah blah blah. it works!! just knowing how to apply it is the difficult part huh.
i'm kinda confused about my big goals/dreams. wow...i can't pursue ALL of them. i gotta like start thinking what i can do. what i really like...it might take a total change of my course in life.

Lord i wanna be focussed on YOU and your purpose. Amen

Thank you also for discernment....
I saw through some guy's huge OUTRIGHT LIE!! online and offline!! (dont worry, its something this week that happened haha) do people actually talk sooo slowwlyy?? *trying not to roll eyes*

And dear Miss L (the retro gal) and i met up today to shop eat and talk lots......more like sharing.....it was so amazing....shared a lot and it was so invigorating to be able to hear out people and share your stuff that cannot be understood my even your so-called chums u "grew up" with or "hang out" with. but she went thru more than i...and i admire that she came out stronger than me...learning to lean on God's providence on a daily basis.

the most loving thing to do

Doing something right!

Ok i did the most "right thing" today. even though i really wanted to attend the fellowship, i didn't stay. :) my parents miss me....but anyway...i decided this was not just the "most right" thing to do it was the "most loving" thing to do. so i'll be guai first....then see how God works on THAT. or uses THAT (whatever we learnt at KH's bible study and campus crusade teaching didn't go to waste) hmm.....i backed out on the japan trip...ouch! cos couldn't take leave.....but but but CM2007, here i come!

Deep thoughts...

It all starts from the heart, from what happened before, with the future. With what happened before, we fear what may happen again. we think things might (happen again) because of the phrases "People don't change", "Does a leopard change its spots?", "I doubt i've changed" or "Can I change so much these things and people will never happen to me again?"

do you think this is true?

i dont think so.

My belief is that its up to the individual to alter his situation to a certain extent...not 100 percent but to at least some percentage, the world needs every one (to give). With each fall or bad trial comes pain and all but yet more discernment or more empathy. And character-building.
Love (not the romantic type) is indispensible. People can come and go, but love keeps people going. God is love (if not he wouldn't come to us...) and he sees everything.

As for personal aspect of life, yea been encouraged by many people thru the strangest ways. yet these 4 weeks have been very very up and down and this week was plain...strange. but a little sweet.

work life pics 2007 dec

nov, dec and january memoires

the voice of truth

Are You Hearing Voices?
Dave Burchett
is an Emmy Award winning television sports director, author, and Christian speaker. He is the author of When Bad Christians Happen to Good People

....I picked up the paper today and found a Peanuts cartoon that hit the nail on the head on a couple of levels. Peanuts creator Charles Schultz loved the Lord and loved baseball. That should qualify him for sainthood in my scorebook.

This particular strip has Charlie Brown standing on the mound ready for the first game of spring. Charlie Brown loves baseball more than any character on the planet except my friend John Frost. Charlie raises his arms in triumphant joy and exclaims, “I love the start of baseball season.”

In the next panel he has a nostalgic smile and notes, “There’s a certain indescribable feeling in the air.” From rightfield Lucy decides to add her feelings about what is in the air: “Defeat!”

Isn’t that what most of us deal with from time to time? Or maybe all of the time. We feel excitement. We feel triumph. We feel optimism. And then that voice from rightfield tells us that defeat is certain. That voice can be programmed from childhood. Negative parents, teachers, coaches, siblings, friends (?), Christians (?) and assorted others have laid down tracks on our mix of negative thoughts. But another voice that believers hear is the voice of Satan.

One thing is certain as you follow Jesus. If you are doing something for the Lord you can count on hearing from the Enemy. I get letters and emails and stories nearly every day from heartbroken people in the church. It almost always starts out the same way. "I was serving Jesus and it was going great and then…"

...another churchgoer did or said something.
...someone took my place or took me out of my place.
...I didn’t get appreciated or honored.
...I was disappointed by someone or something.

Then the voice jumps in.
And the voice starts telling you what you want to hear. That they should never have said that or did that if they were really a Christian. Or, you deserve that spot, not them. Or, how dare they take you from that position? Maybe the voice reminds you of how hard you work and no one cares. Or how others don’t work and you have to do it all and they still don’t care. That voice is not the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit. That voice is the one yelling “Defeat!” from rightfield. That voice is the one robbing you of your joy in serving Jesus. Let’s be honest. If we are serving Christ to honor Him, we should be serving without expectation. Have I done that very well? No. Am I getting better? A little bit.

If I approach my service without expectation then it is about Him and not me. I am always ready to reverse the pronouns. If I offer to serve and I am not picked… praise God. He knows my heart and knows that I had an unselfish desire to serve. If my four decades of following Jesus have taught me anything it is that God will honor that spirit. Don’t let that “voice” ruin your walk with Jesus.


There is another voice.
It is much softer and requires a lot more effort to hear. You have to slow down and be quiet and spend time in prayer and God’s Word. Casting Crowns has a great song called "The Voice of Truth" that describes this spiritual battle:

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again, "Boy, you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

The song goes on to describe that "other voice":

But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story
The Voice of Truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of Truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth

Jesus had to deal with voices. Three times He was tempted by Satan (Matthew 4). The very men who Jesus invested His life into heard that voice and made ungodly suggestions. James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven to destroy a town that did not welcome them. Jesus rebuked them. And Peter got his hair parted when he tried to explain to Jesus that the events the Lord had just outlined really couldn’t happen.

But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. Matt 16 NLT

All of us hear those voices. The voices from bad experiences in our past may require a little help to erase. Here is a little tip that I have learned: The voice we hear in the spiritual battle is the loud one. Listen for the quiet voice. Be still. Pray. Read His Word. The Voice of Truth says, “This is for my glory.” That is a plumbline for righteous action.

Is it for His glory? That is what the Voice of Truth tells you.

I am choosing to listen and believe the Voice of Truth.

good book

trials last for a season only....whew
Jesus too had to suffer to grow.
any many other big truths that i've been reading from Dr Douglas Rumford's book "Questions God asks, Questions Satan asks"
thot provoking yet factual....only 10% opinions in my opinion. haha.

New department's good.....until the day they kick me out, that is...., anything can happen nowadays.=) but till then...i'm trusting Him.

stressed but not abandoned

Stressful week ~ yet not abandoned

the whole of level six was packing this week to move to level 8. and that is scaryy. it scaresss meee......moving house or office levels is just not my thing. and there were TWO BIG MEALS this week in the office....one dinner to "close" chinese new year and one happy hour lunch....almost consecutive....its nuts!!! argh. jian3 fei2 time again...haha. then again i've been encouraged too this week....so its good n bad.

I'm pissed. or am i frustrated?
every time i cross one huge hurdle, the next one comes. and its the same kinda headache--with different people. so this is like playing the same role on me with different actors. i'm wondering if this is some kind of temptation or test or trial. wow triple T. see, its not like life's that perfect for me, i'm totally human too. it's not that i dont have the same crazy situations u go thru and its not like i dont face the same difficult people you face. but i will let Him deal with this.

my personality

okok
i take back the statement that i want to go for every event.
if i go for everything, there will be some important ones that i forget/neglect.

My Personality

Neuroticism	20
Extraversion	99
Openness To Experience	60
Agreeableness	11
Conscientiousness	13

You are sociable, outgoing, energetic, and lively. You prefer to be around people much of the time. You are generally calm and composed, reacting moderately well to situations that most people would describe as stressful. A desire for tradition does not prevent you from trying new things. Your thinking is neither simple nor complex. To others you appear to be a well-educated person but not an intellectual. You like to live for the moment.

Test">http://pi.pulseware.com.au/mle.asp?pi=569804x338059);'>Test Yourself Compare Yourself View Full Report Browse 1000s of the most popular myspace layouts or create your own layout.

Back again.....
i meant online. ok....so this week was eventful for meee my battery is LOW. 15% more till flat....

on monday i met a friend whom another friend introduced...but...talked a bit and learnt more insights on jobs people actually have.....or had. its nuts to hear that some jobs even existed......*shocked* and people actually survived such jobs. kinda reminds me of this book i've been reading about how the Mexican border missions started. Border of Death (Valley of life) by Daniel G. Groody. its about how the Valley missions started because of the numbers of mexicans suffering at the border for the sake of finding a better paying job in the north America. wow , whoaa.......its a very interesting book.

tues was the eventful day. a colleague's birthday. the meal was weird cos i was leaving the department. kinda sad for me too. i duno how they felt though. oh noo.... later evening time was great fellowship! eliz brought her gal pal.

wednesday.....a group of singles went out. i so like dancing crazily with crazy people!....Here's to frenships above romance--for now.....!! praise the lord.......for this day.

of course, not everyone had fun. i would say some people in my workplace were working late on this supposedly special day yet, they didn't grumble. i was so amazed at these colleagues. gals and guys both. like how despite the pressures this societal norm, it really doesn't hit them tooo hard. maybe it does but not tooo hard. enought to still laugh about it and at themselves. i think that's what's really matters.

inspired

I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D

let truth resonate

let it go beyond fear.

meta camp 2006

YES!

Internet izz......back for my pc.

PTL.

thanks ZX for helping me troubleshoot and finding the cause--its the USB adapter...there were lotsa other hardware faults found along the way also.

but thru this whole no-internet thing....i think for 2 weeks plus! (16 days?) i guess i learnt so many stuff. about being too dependent on the net. sometimes a "bo bian" (no choice) fast from it is good and i think i recall praying for it to happen earlier in a blog entry. and it happened. anyway, this structure my group built during a camp in dec has great significance, bcos....we got it right as the foundations were strong. so getting good foundations by getting into good books like the bible makes ur paths straight.

by the way some of my online friends disappeared? i really hope they're ok!!

juniors

What if God's people pray
(Casting crowns)

Here is last Fri's (not this week one) Baptism service....with my dearez ntu crusade juniors.

the baptism boy was andrew in green. hehe.

Andrea looks pretty on the far left in black. The rest, Zhixian (@ very back), Caroline (beige pants), Kin Leong (white, beside me), Jon Lame(striped), Jessica (in green), Liling (dark green), Yr one gal (white, long hair)....forgot her name.

i duno if people actually can recognise moi.....in the pics hahaha.

In the mean time my personal pc is under maintenance, so i've gotta use little bro's one...not too bad too. keeps him off those games. :P anyway, i didn't really have a choice in the end about department, already said yes to department A one half weeks' ago, (long long story) so......voila.

3 pretty gals. haha. >>>>>>>

Ok,
Job's going pretty ok. not fantastic but better than i thot.
i cant believe it.
I'm really thankful yet....wondering what the next decision is.

now.....i'm either going to the A side or stay in the B side.
one side looks easy but requires more skill than i think.
the other....doesn't look easy and is not easy. but is a good skill.

tough choices

What was meant to be an inquiry about a job turned out to be a counselling session

so coool. think Daddy up there just speaks love sometimes. i was enquiring this company about a job position.......so when i got there late, flustered and the person handling my questions and telling me about the job ended up giving me a counselling session of my dreams and goals in life. and telling about his life and his two daughters' dreams which they pursued and got. was very assuring and affirming. it was sooo comforting to know that heavenly Dad just spoke to me thru this person. haha. he even asked me to visit him again any time. after one meeting only!! Dad-up-there sure uses the strangest situations and people to tell u He cares! :)

today was a bit people-frenly, work-slack and the most amazing part?
i could see (figuratively) God's hand move mightily in my office....
step
by
step

pig out!

in need of a carbohydrate break

this first half of the week i've been eating.......sunday's seafood buffet with YZ, his "good friend" and seet. the eating was wow (duno if that's good or not la). we just ate like total gluttons! i gobbled
4 huge pieces of crab (parts)
9 prawns
100g of bbq chicken at least
40g of bbq mutton
2 chicken wings
one bowl of rice
yong tau foo
2 quail eggs
icecream

no kidding!! because of the 2.5 hour recee and phototaking......where we had to stand in the drizzle at times and walk a lot!! monday was thai food for a colleague's farewell.
today? met up with fairfield gal pals......much carbos. argh
so......well.......haha
those morning jogs help a lot....

goals

Why i AM staYing in engineering

1) it would still take me 4 years to earn money for my master's degree (woot!!) either way...but shorter for engineering cos can get promoted (better check if teaching can get promoted in 3 yrs)
2) since i'm gonna be in the teaching line the rest of my life.....might as well do engineering for now.......then still can teach Engineering if i want to. can teach polytechnic or jc physics too if get working experience....so more options.
3) i'm only 3 months plus here........how can i tell if i truly dislike or like it??!!
4) i must train my "staying power" for MiSSioNz.......
5) prayer (and true worship of the right God) changes me and changes situations!!

wedding

the first wedding of 2007

i think my parents have been wayy cool. for the FIRST time......after 23.45 years....they LET me stay out till 2am.....last night with 3 buddies to watch fireworks and makan.
pauline's wedding followed 8.5 hours later. fwaahhhh. pretty lady and handsome kahwoon in contacts. i teared at the vows as it was sweettt.

ok sigh. now back to re-ConStRuCtiNg my job....literally and figuratively. making up for a lot of lost time. i cant have thoughts of changing so fast. the learning curve always takes time. but yea, still hanging on the line....take a deep breath!!

heard God asking me "how much do u love me?" today. during the wedding.