Ever wonder what exactly is that something about Christmas that makes it so special to almost everyone? As I always believed, it is not by human manipulation (may it be successful business or advertising tactics), but rather, it is by the wonderful act of Divine will.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat — for he grants sleep to those he loves.” -Psalm 127
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Just listened to a sad story about a dog, named Fluffy, that I once met and played with…quite many years ago…how it has now aged and become blinded, how it become frightened and distressed due to its blindness and random sneak up by the family, and how its owner had once considered to send it for euthanasia due to its constant hostile and defensive barking and biting….seriously, my heart clinched and really almost in tears…argh…
Anyway, today is 1st Jan 2010…May this be a Blessed and Hopeful New Year for everyone…even for the little animals out there…!!!
There is NO Fireworks Festival this year! sad..have been following this event every year with my buddy…then come this year, they skipped this celebration…hmph…coz of financial crisis?!
Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle you’ll find me
Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who you’re making me
Somewhere in the middle you’ll find me
“… 3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor. …”
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sometimes, when I search on google for something pertaining to christianity, I will come across some really bad comments about God…accusing God for our suffering…questioning God’s love and His character…quoting Bible verses out of context…~ and sometimes, when I read all those comments, I will have some doubts too…But then again, who are we to accuse the Almighty God who created the universe? we are the ones created by Him, and we are the ones who have sinned against Him…even if God doesn’t love us, don’t we think He has all the reasons and authority? But the fact is, God does love us unconditionally, and from my personal experience, He cares for us even in the little things….even though we really don’t deserve it. At times, I may not understand why God allowed certain things to happen, and I may not understand some parts in the Bible…why God said that, why God did that…although I know that we can’t fully comprehend God with this relatively limited brain of man…but yet, many a times, it was because I did not seek Him with all my heart…my relationship with God wasn’t right, my heart wasn’t in the right place, my priorities weren’t right…
A rather sad yet beautiful song to share…which I heard recently in one of the HK dramas~ It was composed by a TVB staff whose name was not made known, but it was already played in various TVB drama e.g. 建築有情天, 舞動全城, 歲月風雲, 突圍行動, 妙手仁心 III
…
In the sunny days, Sun will light your day
In the windy days, wind will leave your way.
I have to say, you’re my treasure moments
Never gonna walk away
In the rainy days, rains will share my tears
In the stormy days, storms will steal my pain
Just go your way and leave things all behind
Spread your wings and fly away
…
Came back from Church Retreat recently…Ermm…I hope I have something to share from the sermons there…but well…Instead, it’s the worships, the sharings, and the sense of a big family that have touched my heart…
This was my third retreat with the church…and for my first time, it was together with the chinese congregation. Although there were not many of them, but their presence and we worshiping together in english and chinese made a difference in a pleasant and special way. There were some very old ones among them, but even their simple sharing meant a lot. Sometimes, sometimes, we don’t really appriciate the elders…but actually like a chinese saying goes, 家有一老如有一宝…and it is true indeed.
haa…since I have just dropped off from the YA event team…I’m thinking of joining the Chinese ministry…just a thought~
Today, our pastor mentioned about the possibility of starting a dialect congregation in the future…if it’s cantonese, I will surely be there to serve
Was passing by somewhere recently…and heard this song playing…it was very popular, but I can’t really remember when did I first heard of it… secondary? JC? anyway, this old song suddenly makes me ponder about my past, my present…and it’s funny when I come to think of it…how so many things seems to be unchanged even over the many years…but yet, nothing stays the same…
— Graduation – by VITAMIN C
And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives
Where we’re gonna be when we turn 25
I keep thinking times will never change
Keep on thinking things will always be the same
But when we leave this year we won’t be coming back
No more hanging out cause we’re on a different track
And if you got something that you need to say
You better say it right now cause you don’t have another day
Cause we’re moving on and we can’t slow down
These memories are playing like a film without sound
And I keep thinking of that night in June
I didn’t know much of love
But it came too soon
And there was me and you
And then we got real blue
Stay at home talking on the telephone
And we would get so excitedand we’d get so scared
Laughing at ourselves thinking life’s not fair
…
Avocado juice! yep, I love it eversince the first time I tasted it some weeks ago… I preferred the “juice” rather than the “milkshake” type…but for most of the stalls that I found, they offer only the milkshake for avocado…and it’s expensive…hmph…
The best that I have tasted so far is from ‘ICE-Q’ located at the second floor of Amoy Street Food Center…which is near my workplace…and their Avocado Juice is only $1.80!~ thick…fruity…nice…yummy…cheap…
I believe many pple like it too…and needless to mention, this fruit comes with great nutrient value…
Having said all these…I’d like to highlight that eating the plain avocado fruit by itself is, to me,…yucky…it’s great that we can have it in juice…~
Just came back from Hong Kong a few days ago…this time it was mainly visiting relatives, shopping, eating…not much sight-seeing except going up to the peak at night…but nonetheless, it’s a meaningful trip to me
For the first time (I think), we went to the cemetery with my cousin, together with Grandpa and Aunt’s family to pay respect to Grandma…I had the chance to play and go to church with my youngest cousin who is at her “cute-est” stage of her life (that’s 2.5 years old) …and I treasure those time spent with my Grandpa…
“enjoy e air in hk..so nice to b in a canto environment..” that was the sms received from my sis while I was in HK…and very true indeed…even though I am not very familiar with the places and roads in Hong Kong…I feel at home whenever I’m there…
really busy at work…there are new requests and new issues coming in almost every day…tasks start to pile up and can become explosive if don’t act fast enough to complete and resolve them one by one…keeping up with that speed…I don’t like that feeling…having unfinishing list of tasks~ Ahhh…how I miss my simple ‘Online’ iChat status at work, instead of this forever ‘Busy’ I am putting now…
But like what many people say…it’s good that we are still keeping our job in this financial crisis…and there are so much to thank God for at work…
ermm…since we are still in the lunar new year celebration, let me recommend a Chinese Restaurant here…it’s Yan Palace at Upper Cross Street (just next to Chinatown Point)~ It’s Good – Food & Price.
Our family used to go to East Ocean Teochew Restaurant at Shaw Centre for dim sum…coz the food there is good…the quality and variety is authentic (based on the standard of the dim sum in Hong Kong). But the price there is expensive…一笼siew mai is around 5 bucks…hahah~ Anyway, many ‘hong kong pple’ know of this place and often go there for dim sum despite the cost.
In Yan Palace, their food quality is slightly lower, but definitely comparable with East Ocean…their price is much more ‘reasonable’…一笼siew mai is around 3 bucks That’s why eversince my dad’s friend recommended him this place, my family begins to visit here instead… It’s actually a traditional (old) cantonese restaurant…so you could go there for lunar new year lunch or dinner too!
Been sick recently…as usual…it’s the whole package thing… i.e. (1) sore throat > (2) flu > (3) blocked nose > (4) itchy dry cough > (5) itchy cough with phlegm > (6) cough with phlegm > (7) recover~
after visiting the doc twice, and taking two types of antibiotics in two weeks…I’m now finally at the (6) to (7) stage
It’s been a very busy month at work…coz for half of the month, both the other two team-mates were not around, and so I need to handle all the Support work for my team (in addition to my Development work)…and that’s probably the main reason that my body failed me and fall sick… ahhh…how I wish to have a good break for rest now…but think I will just wait till near the end of the year ba~~~
on another note…
the hot topic of the month was ‘the DBS 900′…even the doc whom I visited asked me about it…but no, I’m still holding my job…and I thank God for that
“My husband Dave once did one of the wisest things I’ve seen. Before we entered full-time ministry he worked as an engineer. He was offered a promotion that included a pay rise and a lot of prestige. But he turned it down. At first I was angry with him. I thought he was making a big mistake. Didn’t he want to climb the corporate ladder? Wasn’t he the best person for the job?
He explained that he had watched the other men in that position. They had to travel extensively, and they were constantly saddled with unreasonable deadlines that put them under tremendous stress. “That is not the way I want to live,” Dave said. He chose the position that allowed him to stick to his core values — committment to family, and comfort with self — rather than chasing corporate power so others would look up to him. … “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destory; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” -John 10:10 “
- from~ new day new you 366 Devotions by Joyce Meyer
“And I always thought that one of the things that made people love this film was if two people or three people as far apart as ET and those children could bridge a gap and fall in love with one another and communicate then there were no two people on earth that were that far apart…” commented by actor Peter Coyote
Just finished watching this movie on DVD recently. And now I understand why this movie has been so popular and well-known even though it was first screened some 26 years ago in 1982 (that’s before I was born!).
The storyline is actually quite simple…but yet, it contains deep meanings that clinches my heart…
“… The lives that have been the greatest blessing to you are the lives of those people who themselves were unaware of having been a blessing.” – My Utmost for His Highest ~ August 31
Thank you PowerTots comm, for this devotional book…
ahhh…already forget since which year did my buddy and I started going to the Fireworks Festival…think it’s either during or the year just after JC… well, din manage to take some really good fotos this year…but it’s beautiful and ‘heart-throbbing’ nonetheless…and especially so with that little ‘korean touch’
Yohooo~ am blessed to see this advertisment on the train about the upcoming Yellow Ribbon Concert…and almost immediately, I grabbed my tickets at the station where I dropped off! *happy*
Check it out, and grab yours too!
“The Yellow Ribbon Concert 2008 will highlight the priceless gift of acceptance and second chances. Inspired by stories of kindness extended to reformed offenders by members of the community, the concert will also demonstrate how a simple act of acceptance and kindness can transform the lives of reformed ex-offenders and impact their families. Co-hosted by Tan Kheng Wah and Mark Lee, with supporting performances by Dick Lee, Emil Chau, Mi Lu Bin, Aliff Aziz and many more, the concert will showcase the performing talents of our serving inmates & ex-offenders through original song compositions and touching performance items.”
(Saturday, 6 Sep 2008, 7.30pm at The Max Pavilion, Singapore Expo)
Admission is free
Book your tickets via AXS machines at 4 tickets per redemption!
went to the Festival of Praise the other day at Singapore Indoor Stadium…and we sang this hymn too…in almost the same manner…
Unfold The Rose
It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God’s design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.
The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so easily,
But in my hands they die.
If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God’s design,
Then how can I have the wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?
So I’ll trust in God for leading
Each moment of my day.
I will look to God for guidance
In each step of the way.
The path that lies before me,
Only my Lord knows.
I’ll trust God to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.
It’s about the reality of manipulation…by the evilness – in others and in oneself.
And indeed, how often we got challenged by the ‘Joker’ to do what is seemingly right - but actually is dreadfully wrong? And how many times we buy into that?
aha…been a long while since I touched my psp le…it has been left in the drawer since a month or two ago.
why? coz couldn’t find a new nice game that could attract me to play at that time, and was a bit lazy to complete the download of the korea drama (狗狼之时) to be watched on the train…so in the end, I put my psp to ‘retirement’ altogether…ha
a few days ago, I saw a guy (or a girl? can’t rem…) on the train playing Diner Dash on his psp loudly~…o well, it’s a ‘old’ pc game which I played quite some long time ago…but I din know that it is available out there for psp too!!
hee…the point is, I just did a quick search, and realized that there are a few quite attractive new psp games out there now ^^
One of them is Fading Shadows…but not sure is it too ‘evil’ to be played anot…well, but actually it’s a puzzle game, and the graphic seems quite cool.
Ooo…another game is WALL-E! but that’s only for the cute-ness of its name…pretty sure that it will be somewhat like the Ratatouille psp game I played b4 (got bored by it after playing it for the first time)… and the graphic is not that good too. alright, so those are for kids afterall. But that’s the reason why I mentioned them here! coz I still wanna be part of the kid’s world…somewhat >.< …o yea, and let me have a picture of it here too
the other game I wanna try but yet nv wanted to try (ermm…) is Final Fantasy. The latest one on psp is CRISIS CORE™ – FINAL FANTASY® VII…which was released in march this year…the reviews were good (as always, for final fantasy)..
haaa…think my psp console will be released from my drawer soon!
O yea, attended the RBC MINISTRIES BIBLE CONFERENCE the past two nights at St. Andrew’s Cathedral…and I really thank God for it . And I thank God for my gd old buddy who jio me to attend this, else I probably wouldn’t have know about this conference and so probably wouldn’t attend too..haaa
The speaker was Joe Stowell…frankly speaking, I didn’t know about this speaker before this >.@ , but later realized that he is one of the writers of RBC articles (e.g. Our Daily Bread). But what matters most is that, many are blessed through his teaching and explaination of the Words from the Bible.
Aha! Hmm…let me recall…among the many things, the main points I took home from these two nights are:
Matt 4:18-22, John 21:1-17, John 14:6 (1) “Come, follow me…”- follower of Christ – our life-long calling, our identity.
(2) “I am the way” - not just meaning the way to heaven, but The way (i.e. the way we think, the way we act, the way we live, etc…). The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch, it was not a nickname they decided for themselves, but because they were followers of Christ, and with Christ-like-ness displayed in their lives.
(3) Love language of God - “Feed my lambs”, “Take care of my sheep”; we wouldn’t want to pack our day busy with church activities and work, but at the end of the day to realize that God does not feel loved by us; the importance to know the love language of God.
(4) “…do you truly love me more than these?” – or do you actually love those slimy, smelly fish more than God?
Philippians
(5) What does it matter? – “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”
(6) “…especially those who belong to Caesar’s household”- instead of complaining, ask God what He wants us to do in the place (or situation) He has placed us in.
(7) Rejoice in the Lord always - the point is not commanding us to rejoice always, for Jesus did weep as well. The point is: not to rejoice in ourselves, but rejoice in the Lord.
(8 ) Expectation – what’s the expectation we woke up with each day? did we just miss an opportunity to glorify God?
“We read in the book of Jonah how God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance to the people there. But Jonah did not want to, so he went to Tarshish, which is geographically opposite to Nineveh. Running from God does not help us to be at peace with Him.
What happens when we go in the opposite direction from where God has directed us? What happened to Jonah? When he boarded a ship and headed in his own direction, a storm arose. Many of the storms we face in life are the result of our own stubbornness. In many instances, we have been disobedient to the voice and leadership of God.
The violent storm that came upon Jonah frightened the men on the ship. They cast lots to see who was causing the trouble, and the lot fell on Jonah. He knew he had disobyed God, so he told the men to throw him overboard in order to deliver them from danger.
They did as he requested, the storm stopped, and a great fish swallowed Jonah. From the fish’s belly (not a pleasant place), he cried out to God for deliverance and repented of his stubborn way. The fish vomited Jonah upon the dry land; and in Jonah 3:1, we see that the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. God told him again to go to Nineveh and preach to the people there. No matter how long we avoid God’s instruction, it is still there for us to deal with when we stop running.
God’s will makes us uncomfortable only as long as we are not pursuing it. In other words, we always know when something is just not right in our lives. Eventually we see that being In God’s will, not Out of His will, is what brings peace and joy to us. We have to surrender our own wills, because walking in our self-centered ways is what keeps us unhappy.”
- from~ new day new you 366 Devotions by Joyce Meyer
sad..have been following this event every year with my buddy…then come this year, they skipped this celebration…hmph…coz of financial crisis?!
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