Evangeline MARTIN HOOOOOOOO :)

2011-11-18T23:27:00.001+08:00

SEEING WITH A CHILD'S EYE

When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over my yard. My kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff you can wish on.

When I look at an old drunk and he smiles at me, I see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money and I look away. My kids see someone smiling at them and they smile back.

When I hear music I love, I know I can't carry a tune and don't have much rhythm so I sit self-consciously and listen. My kids feel the beat and move to it. They sing out the words. If they don't know them, they make up their own.

When I feel wind on my face, I brace myself against it. I feel it messing up my hair and pulling me back when I walk. My kids close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing.

When I pray, I say thee and thou and grant me this, give me that etc. My kids say, "Hi God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don't want to go to Heaven yet. I would miss my Mommy and Daddy."

When I see a mud puddle I step around it. I see muddy shoes and dirty carpets. My kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross and worms to play with.

I wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn from?

No wonder God says that unless we become like little children, we shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.

by Mumbi Vickie Ngangu

2011-10-21T21:14:00.001+08:00

A Simple Prayer

My son Gilbert was eight years old and had been in Cub Scouts only a short time. During one of his meetings, he was handed a sheet of paper, a block of wood and four tires and told to return home and give all to "dad".

That was not an easy task for Gilbert to do. Dad was not receptive to doing things with his son. But Gilbert tried. Dad read the paper and scoffed at the idea of making a pine wood derby car with his young, eager son. The block of wood remained untouched as the weeks passed.

Finally, mom stepped in to see if I could figure this all out. The project began.

Having no carpentry skills, I decided it would be best if I simply read the directions and le Gilbert do the work. And he did. I read aloud the measurements, the rules of what we could do and what we couldn't do.

Within days his block of wood was turning into a pinewood derby car. A little lopsided, but looking great (at least through the eyes of mom). Gilbert had not seen any of the other kids cars and was feeling pretty proud of his "Blue Lightning", the pride that comes with knowing you did something on your own.

Then the big night came.

With his blue pinewood derby in his hand and pride in his heart we headed to the big race. Once there my little one's pride turned to humility. Gilbert's car was obviously the only car made entirely on his own. All the other cars were a father-son partnership, with cool paint jobs and sleek body styles made for speed.

A few of the boys giggled as they looked at Gilbert's, lopsided, wobbly, unattractive vehicle. To add to the humility, Gilbert was the only boy without a man at his side. A couple of the boys who were from single parent homes at least had an uncle or grandfather by their side. Gilbert had "mom".

As the race began, it was done in elimination fashion. You kept racing as long as you were the winner. One by one, the cars raced down the finely sanded ramp. Finally, it was between Gilbert and the sleekest, fastest
looking car there.

As the last race was about to begin, my wide eyed, shy eight year old ask if they could stop the race for a minute, because he wanted to pray. The race stopped.

Gilbert hit his knees clutching his funny looking block of wood between his hands. With a wrinkled brow he set to converse with his Father. He prayed in earnest for a very long minute and a half.

Then he stood, smile on his face and announced, 'Okay, I am ready."

As the crowd cheered, a boy named Tommy stood with his father as their car sped down the ramp. Gilbert stood with his Father within his heart and watched his block of wood wobble down the ramp with surprisingly great speed and rushed over the finish line a fraction of a second before Tommy's car.

Gilbert leaped into the air with a loud "Thank you" as the crowd roared in approval. The Scout Master came up to Gilbert with microphone in hand and asked the obvious question, "So you prayed to win, huh, Gilbert?"

To which my young son answered, "Oh, no sir. That wouldn't be fair to ask God to help you beat someone else. I just asked Him to make it so I don't cry when I lose."

Children seem to have a wisdom far beyond us. Gilbert didn't ask God to win the race, he didn't ask God to fix the outcome.

Gilbert asked God to give him strength in the outcome. When Gilbert first saw the other cars he didn't cry out to God, "No fair, they had a fathers help".

No, he went to his Father for strength. Perhaps we spend too much of our prayer time asking God to rig the race, to make us number one, or too much time asking God to remove us from the struggle, when we should be seeking God's strength to get through the struggle. "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

Gilbert's simple prayer spoke volumes to those present that night. He never doubted that God would indeed answer his request. He didn't pray to win, thus hurt someone else. He prayed that God supply the grace to lose with dignity. Gilbert, by his stopping the race to speak to his Father, also showed the crowd that he wasn't there without a "dad", but His Father was most definitely there with him.

Yes, Gilbert walked away a winner that night, with his Father at his side.

by Peggy Porter

2011-09-02T09:22:00.000+08:00

Strength

Yes Lord, it's me again
And like always, I'm in need
Though not for fame and fortune
My heart is without greed

I'm just weary from the burdens
And the strength I seem to lack
I'm not asking for a lighter load,
Lord I just need a stronger back

There are times when the road gets rough
And it's hard to carry on
When rest always seems out of reach
And all but faith is gone

Make my mind think clearly
And use the wisdom it has acquired
Don't let decisions come in haste
When my body becomes tired

My feet always seem smaller
Than the shoes I need to fill
And that's when I still need you, Lord
And know I always will

Alone in weakness I would falter
But if you'll walk by my side
I can persevere in troubled times
And within your strength abide

When my knees start to tremble
And I fear that I may fall
I bow my head and close my eyes
And on you Lord I call

And I pray that you'll walk with me
As I strive along my way
To give me strength when I am weak
And courage when I'm afraid

No, I don't want a lighter load
When this weight is all I've known
All I ask for in times like these
Is the strength to carry on

by Roy Benton Freeman, Sr

2011-07-15T22:44:00.002+08:00

Today I Will Make a Difference

Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.

I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It's OK to stumble...I will get up. It's OK to fail...I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.

I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.

Today I will make a difference.

From Shaped by God (original title: On the Anvil) Copyright (Tyndale House, 1985, 2002) Max Lucado

2011-07-05T22:38:00.002+08:00

Thunderstorms; disappointment that left me speechless.
I do not know whose fault it is and I do not want to know what is going on.
But one thing I must say, the line between You and You is getting blurred.
if You do not know where You should stand, I guess it is time to have a cool down period (which is obviously "in the name of it" isn't it?)
this whole thing leaves me, this spectator, bewildered. Should I be nasty to 'laugh' at You? Or should I just look and watch in utter dismay?
I thought that things would be better when I saw 'evidence' of rationality.
Yes, i know, we humans do struggle a lot. But since You know that You are struggling right now, doesn't it mean that Something has gone wrong. If You have entrusted it to God, I believe that no matter how difficult a situation may be, You WILL be carried through.
I hope that what was written in the book would help You, and I pray hard that You would be enlightened by the words, internalize it and live it out!

2011-05-05T17:54:00.000+08:00

Does Prayer Change Things?

They say that prayer changes things, but does it really change anything?

Does prayer change your present situation or sudden circumstances? No, not always, but it does change the way you look at those events.

Does prayer change your financial future? No, not always, but it does change who you look to for meeting your daily needs.

Does prayer change shattered hearts or broken bodies? No, not always, but it will change your source of strength and comfort.

Does prayer change your wants and desires? No, not always, but it will change your wants into what God desires.

Does prayer change how you view the world?
No, not always, but it will change whose eyes you see the world through.

Does prayer change your regrets from the past? No, not always, but it will change your hopes for the future.

Does prayer change the people around you?
No, not always, but it will change you--the problem isn't always in others.

Does prayer change your life in ways you can't explain? Oh, yes, always! And it will change you from the inside out.

So does prayer really change anything?
Yes! It really does change everything!

by Teressa Vowell

1 Thessalonians 5:17
Pray without ceasing.

2011-04-16T19:00:00.001+08:00

GRANDMA'S HANDS

Grandma, some ninety years old, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.

When I sat down beside her, she didn't acknowledge my presence The longer I sat, I wondered if she was OK.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled.

'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she said in a clear voice.

'I didn't mean to disturb you, Grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I explained to her.

'Have you ever looked at your hands,' she asked. 'I mean really looked at your hands?'

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.

Grandma smiled and related this story:

'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak, have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.

'They braced and caught my fall, when as a toddler, I crashed upon the floor.

'They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war.

'They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band, they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.

'They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.

'They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.

'They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.

'These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life.

'But more importantly, it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when He leads me home. And, with my hands, He will lift me to His side, and there, I will use these hands to touch the face of God.'

I will never look at my hands the same again.

I remember when God reached out and took my Grandma's hands and led her home.

When my hands are hurt or sore, or when I stroke the face of my children and husband, I think of Grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.

--author unknown

2011-03-24T22:15:00.001+08:00

THE SILENT SERMON

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.

It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.

The pastor made himself at home but said nothing.

In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs.

After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent.

The host watched all this in quiet contemplation.

As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more.

Soon it was cold and dead.

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.

The Pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave.

He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire.

Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."

We live in a world today, which tries to say too much with too little. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best "sermons" are the ones left unspoken.

--author unknown

2011-03-18T18:06:00.000+08:00

The 23rd Psalm
A Sunday school teacher asked her class if anyone could quote the entire 23rd Psalm.

A golden-haired, four-and-a-half-year-old girl was among those who raised their hands.

A bit skeptical, the teacher asked if she could really quote the entire psalm.

The little girl came to the front of the room, faced the class, made a perky little bow, and said,

"The Lord is my shepherd, that's all I want."

She bowed again and went and sat down.

That may well be the greatest interpretation of the 23rd Psalm ever heard.

--author unknown

2011-03-12T14:40:00.001+08:00

Ten Thoughts

1) Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble. It is a "steering wheel" that directs us in the right path throughout life.

2) Do you know why a car's windshield is so large and the rear view mirror is so small? Because our past is not as important as our future. So, look ahead and move on.

3) Friendship is like a book. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

4) All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it; it may not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry; it may not last long either.

5) Old friends are like gold! New friends are diamonds! If you get a diamond, don't forget the gold! Because to hold a diamond, you always need a base of gold!

6) Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, God smiles and says, "Relax, it's just a bend, not the end!"

7) When God solves your problems, you have faith in His abilities; when God doesn't solve your problems, He has faith in your abilities.

8) A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision."

9) When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them; and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10) Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles. It takes away today's peace.

--author unknown

2011-03-12T14:38:00.001+08:00

The Sack of Potatoes

One of my teachers had each one of us bring a clear plastic bag and a sack of potatoes.

For every person we'd refuse to forgive in our life, we were told to choose a potato, write on it the name and date, and put it in the plastic bag.

Some of our bags, as you can imagine, were quite heavy.

We were then told to carry this bag with us everywhere for one week, putting it beside our bed at night, on the car seat when driving, next to our desk at work.

The hassle of lugging this around with us made it clear what a weight we were carrying spiritually.

Naturally, the condition of the potatoes deteriorated to a nasty slime.

This was a great metaphor for the price we pay for keeping our pain and heavy negativity.

Too often, we think of forgiveness as a gift to the other person.

While that's true, it clearly is also a gift for ourselves.

So the next time you decide you can't forgive someone, ask yourself - isn't my bag heavy enough?

--author unknown

2011-03-09T18:48:00.001+08:00

when death is just next door..

2011-01-29T21:02:00.000+08:00

Why is this happening?
This is the first time I feel as though I lost complete control of myself.

2011-01-14T22:26:00.001+08:00

A BEND IN THE ROAD

When we feel we have nothing left to give
And we are sure that the song has ended
When our day seems over and the shadows fall
And the darkness of night has descended.

Where can we go to find the strength
To valiantly keep on trying?
Where can we find the hand that will dry
The tears that the heart is crying?

There's but one place to go
And that is to God.
And dropping all pretense and pride,
We can pour out our problems without restraint
And gain strength with Him at our side.

And together we stand at life's crossroads
And view what we think is the end.
But God has a much bigger vision;
He tells us it's only a bend.
For the road goes on and is smoother
And the pause in the song is a rest
And the part that's unsung and unfinished
Is the sweetest and richest and best.
So rest and relax and grow stronger
Let go and let God share your load.
Your work is not finished or ended
You've just come to a bend in the road.

by Helen Steiner Rice

2011-01-08T17:38:00.002+08:00

Great! school is starting on monday and i have not finished my work. oh well, procrastination is my foe.
well, i was doing my GP homework which requires me to research on 2 topics. one of the topics i chose was religion. its kind of funny to actually touch on that topic because it is a sensitive issue. so now, i got to find two opinion articles to work on. and apparently, being an inquisitive person, i click here and there and didnt manage to find a decent article. oh well, come this fateful day (which is today) when i read this article:

excerpt:
Harvard Divinity School's theologian of the secular, black-bearded Harvey Cox, startled an opening-day crowd of 4,000 at the conference when he charged that "hypocrisy—not unbelief—is really the major religious problem of our time." He suggested that the Vatican might well establish a secretariat on hypocrisy to deal with Catholics who attend Mass and "even give the correct answers" but who "do not really have a living belief which motivates their life." Against such believers, asked Cox, "how can we really use the label 'unbeliever' for people whose search for the transcendent is somehow more serious and many times more ardent? They may think of themselves as Marxists or scientific humanists or behaviorists, but 'nonbelievers' is not the name by which they know themselves in their own hearts."

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,840028-1,00.html#ixzz1AR41xHXx

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Non-believers. Unbelievers.

Are we like them?

we may say that we are believers of christ but perhaps, inside you and me, we may not be a true christian.

Are they more religious than us, Christians?

well, perhaps, in terms of seriousness, they probably win us in that critiria.

okay, i should stop here. sorry for the abrupt end but i need to finish work. HAHA.

hmm. should i use this article? maybe not.

2011-01-02T21:06:00.001+08:00

I just want to lead a normal life..

2010-12-31T12:54:00.003+08:00

since the year is coming to an end, i shall post up photos which i was lazy to do so for the past few months..

titled: esther madness

2010-12-30T22:03:00.002+08:00

the year is coming to an end like... finally..
anyway, some reflections abt this year.
as usual, i am very blur, not treating things seriously ESP school stuffs.
yup. i guess i have to stop being "emo" (haha) and concentrate on studies.
i have treated my first year as honeymoon year (totally wasted it)
now its time to get back on tracks..
next year, will be a tough year. cos i failed like the impt subjects and will be streamed into classes which i know no one.
so i got to be brave and finish this 11 months! arh! JIA YOU TO ME!!

nonetheless, i have to be grateful to GREAT friends like *clique* ( i think we gotta find a name) and OG19 and BMW for being there with me the whole lot of time! :)))))
i really want to end study quickly (at the expense of A lvl results.)
oh well.. dunno what am i crapping here..

as for my home/family.
i do hope to have a greater and stronger family bonding as the years pass.
i hope that we could have dinner together, talk and laugh. throw away those handphones that we have. we got to communicate.
it has been a very long time since we sat down as a family and eat soooo (ahem. if you are reading this.. please do sth abt it.)

oh well, have been sick for quite some time aldy.. my mind totally went blur and drunk these few days. haha

ending this with lots of cough and sneeze and tissue paper. :)

2010-12-24T00:16:00.001+08:00

A Christmas Benediction

Well as you know, it's time for my birthday again. Last year, they had a really big party for me and it seems like they will again this year. After all they've been shopping and preparing for it for months now, and there have been announcements and advertisements almost every day about how soon it's coming!

They really do go overboard about it, but it's nice to know that at least one day of the year some people are thinking about me a little. You know, it's been many years now since they first started celebrating my birthday. Back then they seemed to realize and appreciate how much fun it is for the little children. Just the same, it seems that most folks are missing the point of it all. Like last year, for example, when my birthday came around, they threw a big party, but can you believe it? I wasn't even invited! Imagine! The guest of honor, and they forgot all about me?

Here they had begun preparing for the festivities months in advance, but when the big day came, I was left out in the cold. Well, it happened so many times in recent years, I wasn't even surprised.

Even though I wasn't invited, I thought I'd just quietly slip in anyway. So I came in and stood off to the side. Everyone was drinking, laughing and having a grand time, when all of a sudden in came this fat fellow in a bright red suit, wearing a phony white beard and shouting, "Ho, Ho, Ho!" He looked like he had more than enough to drink. When he collapsed into a big armchair, all the little children went running over to him excitedly yelling, "Santa, Santa!" I mean, you'd have thought he was the guest of honor and the whole holiday was just for him.

The little manger scene you put in the corner of your living room is really touching. It's good that people commemorate my birthday like that. Did you know that nowadays, in some countries, the authorities won't even allow manger scenes to be placed in parks, streets, or public places anymore? Not to mention their schools? I'm not talking about Communist countries. I'm talking about the good old USA. Imagine! What could be more innocent than a
manger scene to remind people of my birthday?

Yes, it is banned! They've actually passed laws against it and made it illegal. What is this world coming to?

Another thing that amazes me is how, on my birthday, instead of giving me presents, most people give gifts to each other? And to top it all off, it's usually all kinds of stuff they don't even need!

Let me ask you, wouldn't you find it odd if when your birthday came along, all your friends decided to celebrate it by giving each other presents and never gave you a thing?

Someone once told me, "Well, it's because you're not around like other people are, so how can we give you a present?" You know my answer to that one. Give gifts of food and clothing to the poor, help those who need it. Go visit the lonely. Any gift you give to your needy fellow man, I'll count as if you gave it to me personally. (See Matthew 25:34-40)

Well there is an end even to my patience. So I'm going to let you in on a secret. Now this is something I've been planning on doing for quite sometime. I'll have my own party! How about that?

It's going to be the most fantastic feast you could possibly imagine. It might not happen this year, but I'm sending out the invitations now. I know you'll want to come. There is going to be room for billions, for everyone who wants to come! Some really famous old timers and celebrities are going to be there, and I'll reserve you a seat of honor right there with them! (Matthew 8:11)

So hold on to your hat, because when everything is ready, I'm going to spring it as a big surprise. Many people are going to be left out in the cold, because they did not answer my invitation. Let me know right away if you'd like to come. I'll reserve you a place and write your name in large golden letters in my great big Guest Book!

Much Love,
Jesus

2010-12-18T12:19:00.001+08:00

THE MANGER

In 1994, two Americans answered an invitation from the Russian Department of Education to teach morals and ethics based on biblical principles in prisons and a large orphanage. About 100 boys and girls who had been abandoned, abused, and left in the care of a government-run program were in the orphanage. They relate the following story in their own words:

It was nearing the holiday season, time for our orphans to hear, for the first time, the traditional story of Christmas.

We told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger.

Throughout the story, the children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened. Some sat on the edges of their stools, trying to grasp every word.

Completing the story, we gave the children three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child was given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins I had brought with me. No colored paper was available in the city.

Following instructions, the children tore the paper and carefully laid strips in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel, cut from a worn-out nightgown an American lady was throwing away as she left Russia, were used for the baby's blanket. A doll-like baby was cut from tan felt we had brought from the United States.

The orphans were busy assembling their manger as I walked among them to see if they needed any help. All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sat.

He looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project.

As I looked at the little boy's manger, I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger.

Quickly, I called for the translator to ask the lad why there were two babies in the manger.

Crossing his arms in front of him and looking at this completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the story very seriously. For such a young boy, who had only heard the Christmas story once, he related the happenings accurately until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger.

Then Misha started to ad-lib.

He made up his own ending to the story as he said, "And when Mary laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mamma and I have no papa, so I don't have any place to stay.

"Then, Jesus told me I could stay with him.

"But I told him I couldn't, because I didn't have a gift to give him like everybody else did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift.

"I thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift.

"So I asked Jesus, 'If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?'

"And Jesus told me, 'If you keep me warm, that will be the best gift anybody ever gave me.'

"So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him ... for always."

As little Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears that splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed.

The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon nor abuse him, someone who would stay with him--for always.

I've learned that it's not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts.

2010-12-12T01:39:00.000+08:00

i dreamt of a sailor one night.
it feels soo real to be out in the open sea..

2010-12-05T18:11:00.001+08:00

Dec 5, 2010

Nan Chiau's phoenix-like resurrection

On the verge of failure 10 years ago, it will soon be a SAP school

By Elgin Toh

The comeback of Nan Chiau High owes much to outgoing principal Ong Kian Choon (above), who helped improve students' academic performances. The former all-girls school flourished at its downtown Kim Yam Road premises in the 1970s, but faltered as the neighbourhood developed into a commercial hub. -- ST FILE PHOTO ST PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIM

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SMALL class sizes are usually a good sign, implying better teacher-student care.

But for Nan Chiau High School in 1999, they were a sign that the school was, in one former student's words, 'dying a natural death': It attracted just 18 incoming Secondary 1 students that year.

The situation was about to deteriorate further. In January 2000, there were no fresh Sec 1 students. And within three months, 14 of the 230 enrolled students chose to transfer to other schools.

The writing was on the wall. Talk of closing one of Singapore's oldest Chinese schools started to seem very real.

But one decade on, the school has not only survived but also managed to stage one of the most dramatic comebacks in the history of local secondary schools.

Today, Nan Chiau High is bustling with 1,534 students, and its O-level grades have gone from Band 9 to Band 1 in 10 years, placing it among Singapore's top 10 secondary schools this year.

This turnaround culminated in Education Minister Ng Eng Hen's announcement last month that Nan Chiau High would join other elite schools such as Hwa Chong Institution and Nanyang Girls' High in becoming a Special Assistance Plan (SAP) school, come 2012.

The exclusive SAP scheme, which began in 1979, is part of the Ministry of Education's (MOE) push to nurture a core group of students well-versed in Chinese language and culture. Nan Chiau will become the 11th SAP school, and will admit only Express students studying Chinese as their mother tongue.

'When the news came, my tears just started flowing,' said Madam Zhuang Shu Fen, a 1967 graduate who was president of the school's alumni association for 20 years before being succeeded by Madam Kang Suat Chian in January.

'We really had to fight from rock bottom. Nan Chiau's story is like that of a burning phoenix,' she added, referring to the mythical bird that burns to ashes at the end of a life cycle, only to be reborn as an energetic fledgling.

Founded in 1941 as a teachers' college by philanthropist Lee Kong Chian, Nan Chiau suspended operations during the Japanese Occupation.

After the war, the school was handed over to the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan (SHHK), the main clan association representing the Hokkiens. It was renamed Nan Chiau Girls' High and admitted only girls to its secondary school, although it had a co-educational primary school section.

At its peak in the 1970s, it hosted some 2,700 students at its downtown Kim Yam Road premises. However, as the neighbourhood developed into a commercial hub, residents moved away to the suburbs, leaving the school with no natural student catchment area.

Following recommendations by the MOE, the school went fully co-educational in 1984 to arrest a decline in student numbers. But enrolment continued to dwindle, and things came to a head in early 2000.

That year, the SHHK and the very vocal alumni association split publicly on what needed to be done.

The alumni urged the clan to accept MOE's proposal to move both the primary and secondary schools to two new premises in Sengkang, a growing town where it would no doubt attract more students.

But the SHHK was reluctant to do so, because the rules governing such moves at the time meant it would have to return to the Government a very valuable plot of freehold land in the city centre in exchange for a 30-year lease on the Sengkang plots.

Finally, on April 14 that year, the MOE and the SHHK came to an agreement that was welcomed by all parties.

The Government would compensate the SHHK for the Kim Yam Road land. Nan Chiau would move to Sengkang without the clan having to pay for the new sites, which would be owned by the Government.

Nan Chiau became the first school to benefit under this new school management model for government-aided schools.

The move to Sengkang in 2001 did wonders for its enrolment.

The school started on a clean slate because most of the students from Kim Yam Road had transferred to other schools.

In its first year in Sengkang, 700 students put Nan Chiau High down as their first-choice secondary school. The school took in 360 of these 700 applicants.

Once enrolment was no longer a problem, the school could focus its energies on the next phase: improving grades. On this, students, teachers, clan leaders and alumni who spoke to The Sunday Times all acknowledged the pivotal role played by principal Ong Kian Choon, who arrived from Fuhua Secondary in 2004.

'Soon after he became principal, he made it clear that his goal was for Nan Chiau High to become a world-class institution,' recounted Mr Tien Chee Wai, a chemistry teacher who has taught at Nan Chiau for 15 years.

'He wanted to forge a new sense of confidence among teachers and students: that we could compete with the very best.'

For starters, Mr Ong took the risky step of getting all Express students to opt for the more challenging pure sciences and additional mathematics subjects, whereas some schools would ask weaker students to take easier subjects to ensure higher rates of passes and As.

'I believe in the potential of my students. If you tell them that they can do it, and give them the necessary support, you will be surprised at how the impossible becomes possible,' said Mr Ong.

The strategy paid off, with many students who had not done so well in primary school performing beyond expectations for their O-levels. Nan Chiau has won MOE's academic value-added award for four consecutive years now.

Of course, the raising of standards would not have happened without hours of hard work put in by students and teachers. One illustration of this hard work was the night study programme, also initiated by Mr Ong.

Closer to exams, the school stays open until 9pm so that students can have a quiet place to study. There is an added incentive for students to attend: one duty teacher from each subject will always be on hand to answer any questions that come up during self-study.

And whereas students in other schools generally take just one preliminary exam before the actual O-level exam, Nan Chiau final-year students take three - in May, July and October.

'Many of us complained about having to sit for prelims so many times, but deep down inside, we all knew that it was for our own good,' says Seah Wen Qian, 17, who graduated last year and is now at Victoria Junior College.

Mr Ong's achievements speak for themselves. Average O-level results have improved every year under his watch, with L1B5 scores dropping from 18.8 in 2004 to 10.9 last year.

L1B5 is a way of aggregating O-level grades, for which a lower score is better and 6 is perfect.

It also helped that the clan and the alumni association, two groups that had locked horns in 2000, decided after the move to Sengkang to bury their differences and cooperate in building the school.

Both helped raise funds to provide students with facilities that schools lacking strong financial backers may not enjoy, including an air-conditioned hall, a two-storey sports complex and a dance studio.

Since the move to Sengkang, the clan has spent a total of $6 million on Nan Chiau High. Some of that money goes towards enrichment programmes and scholarships. For example, students who score above 245 for their Primary School Leaving Examination and pick Nan Chiau High as their first choice may receive a one-time award of $800.

Becoming a SAP school has been a 30-year dream that has now come true for Nan Chiau and all who are connected to the school. Many among the alumni still recall the disappointment in 1979 when the unveiled list of the first 10 SAP schools did not include Nan Chiau.

Last month's announcement came as a well-deserved pat on the back for the school, and was a perfect retirement gift for the 61-year-old Mr Ong, who has just one month of service remaining.

But he points out that the significance of the announcement resonates beyond the school's gates: 'The Chinese community as a whole is excited. This is a step forward for bilingual and bicultural education here.'

2010-12-03T21:48:00.001+08:00

Cutting the Vine

Walking through a park, I passed a massive oak tree. A vine had grown up along its trunk.

The vine started small--nothing to bother about.

But over the years the vine had gotten taller and taller. By the time I passed, the entire lower half of the tree was covered by the vine's creepers. The mass of tiny feelers was so thick that the tree looked as though it had innumerable birds' nests in it.

Now the tree was in danger.

This huge, solid oak was quite literally being taken over; the life was being squeezed from it.

But the gardeners in that park had seen the danger.

They had taken a saw and severed the trunk of the vine--one neat cut across the middle.

The tangled mass of the vine's branches still clung to the oak, but the vine was now dead. That would gradually become plain as weeks passed and the creepers began to die and fall away from the tree.

How easy it is for sin, which begins so small and seemingly insignificant, to grow until it has a strangling grip on our lives.

And yet, Christ's death has cut the power of sin.

Yes, the "creepers" of sin still cling and have some effect.

But sin's power is severed by Christ, and gradually, sin's grip dries up and falls away.

by J. Alistair Brown

2010-11-13T22:45:00.001+08:00

thats why,
i cannot sleep

2010-11-13T22:30:00.002+08:00

finally. get to blog after one month MIA.
these few days didn't really sleep well.
thinking about a lot of stuffs..

last night, i had this dream.
i dreamt that i was in a coma, and God gave me two routes to choose. One, to go to him. The other, back to reality.
Well, my initial decision was of course, go back to him. why would i want to suffer in this world. too horrible...
well then, but somehow or rather, i picked to go back to this world. facing death again when i grow old (hopefully).
but then, i thought of the raising from the dead stuff when Jesus comes back. how would i be like then? how would the thousand years be like under his care? it's amazing, majestic and scary...
scary? yes, because before all these starts there will be persecution of the christians and stuff. rebellion, war, CHAOS!
how is it like? imagining it is horrifying!
the end is coming, and yet i aren't doing anything.
it would be saddening to see friends, good friends, best friends to be suffering at the end of the day. guilt will engulf my soul.

now, back to 2010.
i feel that i am indeed that small.
very small. i am living in a space which seems virtual.
this space, is like a shell.
everything will be nothing at the end.
nonetheless,
the worse will blow over one day..
i want to enjoy at the end of the day too.
please, let me enjoy it.

2010-10-14T21:52:00.001+08:00

THE OLD PASTOR

While watching television on Sunday, I watched a church in Atlanta honoring one of its senior pastors who had been retired many years. He was 92 years old and I wondered why the church even bothered to ask the old gentleman to preach at that age.

After a warm introduction of this speaker, he rose from his high back chair and walked slowly, with great effort and a sliding gait to the podium. Without a note or written paper of any kind, he placed both hands on the pulpit to steady himself and then quietly and slowly he began to speak.

"When I was asked to come here today and talk to you, your pastor asked me to tell you what was the greatest lesson ever learned in my 50-odd years of preaching. I thought about it for a few days and boiled it down to just one thing that made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials. The one thing that I could always rely on when tears and
heartbreak and pain and fear and sorrow paralyzed me, the only thing that would comfort was this verse:

"Jesus loves me this I know.
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
We are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so."

When he finished, the church was quiet. You actually could hear his footsteps as he shuffled back to his chair.

A pastor once stated, "I always noticed that it was the adults who chose the children's hymn 'Jesus Loves Me' during a hymn sing, and it was the adults who sang the loudest because I could see they knew it the best."

Here is a new "senior" version just for us who have white hair or no hair at all. For us over middle age, check out this newest version of Jesus Loves Me:

JESUS LOVES ME

Jesus loves me, this I know,
Though my hair is white as snow
Though my sight is growing dim,
Still He bids me trust in Him.
(CHORUS)
Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.

Though my steps are oh, so slow,
With my hand in His I'll go
On through life, let come what may,
He'll be there to lead the way.
(CHORUS)

When the nights are dark and long,
In my heart He puts a song.
Telling me in words so clear,
"Have no fear, for I am near."
(CHORUS)

When my work on earth is done,
And life's victories have been won.
He will take me home above,
Then I'll understand His love.
(CHORUS)

I love Jesus, does He know?
Have I ever told Him so?
Jesus loves to hear me say,
That I love Him every day.
(CHORUS)

--author unknown

2010-10-09T14:31:00.000+08:00

Moving On..
One year is going..

2010-08-28T20:50:00.005+08:00

2010-08-13T09:30:00.000+08:00

LOOK FOR THE BLESSINGS

As a minister was addressing a group of men, he took a large piece of paper and made a black spot in the center of it with a marking pen. Then he held up the paper before the group and asked them what they saw.

One person quickly replied, "I see a black mark."

"Right," the preacher replied, "what else do you see?"
Complete silence prevailed.

"Don't you see anything other than the black spot?" he asked.
A chorus of "NO" came from the audience.

"I'm surprised", the speaker commented. "You have overlooked the most important thing of all--the sheet of white paper."

In life, we are often distracted by our disappointments and trials. We forget the innumerable blessings we receive.

But, like the sheet of paper, the good things in life are sometimes overwhelmed by the adversities that monopolize our attention.

Rather than concentrating on the little trials of life, we should fix our attention on the blessings that are given to us.

--author unknown

2010-08-10T00:05:00.003+08:00

My dream was always to be a writer. Yes, I may not be a good author. But I believe I can be a good writer. Anyway, today’s post will be entitled “CLOSE YOUR EYES. FEEL IT.”.

It was dark. I felt the heat wave which seemed to trap me within where I was standing. Keeping my heart quiet, I tried to hear if anything was around me. Yes, there’s her, some cars, cicadas, rustling of the trees…

Like a plane, I spread out my arms, trying to grasp the warm breeze that was coming towards me. Taking a deep breath, I took my very first step of faith. I tried to listen what was a around me. And I heard peace.

As I continued with my journey, I tried to stay close to her, but somehow, I got drifted away. I couldn’t hear any footstep which was familiar to me. An overwhelming fear came upon me. That was when I opened my eyes…

Taking quick steps, I went back to her side. A sense of security engulfed my soul. And again, I closed my eyes and started walking.

I repeated the cycle for the next kilometre or so and I realised that no matter how hard I try, in less than 30 steps, I will find myself lost. And I realised that I had never closed my eyes fully at all.

Throughout this activity, insecurity filled my mind and heart; making each additional step, that I took, shaky. That sets me thinking. How can a blind man ever have so much faith with his walking stick or even the road which he is taking? I, myself, couldn’t even trust the path which I took earlier this morning. Somehow I felt that the path is ending or making a bent soon. Even then, I didn’t even close my eyes fully. I could still see a tiny weenie part of the world and yet, I drifted off from her most of the time.

Perhaps, it’s the over reliance of the sense of sight.

I have to give my utmost respect to people of the blind. They are trust.

All of us are living in this world, and every second that past by is just an indication of us getting nearer to the end of our lives. I am now just like a normal human being closing eyes, walking down this road of life. I do not know when and where this path will end. And one thing for sure, no one is right beside me to guide me wherever I go. I am very sure that I will feel jittery and apprehensive about the future; if the next step which I will be taking is right.

I do hope that I could be a blind man; one with so much faith and knowledge of every single sound made by the surrounding. That’s when I know I will never be lost.

2010-08-07T00:27:00.001+08:00

i have to say the truth. i lied.

sth happened in sch.
thanks to ziying for telling me abt it.
but. i really hate it.
hate this kind of nonsense.

2010-07-30T23:17:00.002+08:00

just a small little update.

well, if you guys didnt know, i am boarding in the school,
so yup, wont be in sk much aldy.
it has been 6 months into jc life and sometimes i really missed nc life.
where friends just speak whatever they feel like saying even if it hurts each other.
now, i have to control my tactless tongue. making me feel so restricted.

it is great to see friends in other schools having so much fun whilst studying.
i really hope to be like them.
i hope i can enjoy my jc life.
i hope these two years whilst pass QUICKLY.
i hope i can find acquaintances.

perhaps this introvert self of me hasnt been opened yet.
for fear of the unrecovered wound to be wounded again one more time.

oh sky. find the naughty self back for me.

2010-07-10T15:20:00.002+08:00

this is what we did during pw disscussion.

haha

2010-07-10T15:10:00.003+08:00

REGI!!!! YOU SEE STEVEN GERRARD??!!

this toilet bowl can wash your butt!!! lols.

its at yishun!!!!

2010-07-03T08:43:00.000+08:00

God's Rosebud

A new minister was walking with an older, more seasoned minister in the garden one day.

Feeling a bit insecure about what God had for him to do, he was asking the older preacher for some advice.

The older preacher walked up to a rosebush and handed the young preacher a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing off any petals.

The young preacher looked in disbelief at the older preacher and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know the will of God for his life and ministry.

But because of his great respect for the older preacher, he proceeded to try to unfold the rose, while keeping every petal intact.

It wasn't long before he realized how impossible this was to do. Noticing the younger preacher's inability to unfold the rosebud without tearing it,
the older preacher began to recite the following poem:

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.

--author unknown

2010-06-19T23:45:00.009+08:00

A MISTAKEN SORRY THAT WAS MISUSED

To start off, I know I have not been posting up any entry (written by me) lately.
SORRY! Inspiration does not come by easily and what made it even more difficult to come up with one post is this dumb brain of mine.

Anyway, I shall start the writing/typing now.

__________________________________________________________

On a silent day, even when the huff and bustle of city was loud and piercing to the ear, my heart was still. Enjoying the silence in this Singapore city life seemed impossible, all you need is a still heart, still ear and still mind.

Randomly (as usual), I thought about my ‘favourite’ subject, economics.
‘How did I fair for CT?’ I thought.
As I thought about it further, I remembered something.

΅
老师: you have to explain this!
A 仔: but isn’t this common sense?!
老师: in economics, there is no such thing called common sense.
΅

Then something random thing (like again) popped into my mind.
I should change my FB status to ‘SORRY! I GOT TO TREAT YOU LIKE AN IDIOT TO DO WELL FOR ECONS!!’. Wow! I couldn’t believe my own brain to think of such ‘American’-like slang.

Then that sensitive word once again perturbed me.

Sorry.

Many a times in our lives or perhaps days in a month or even hours in a day, we say this word, Sorry. How many times it was correctly used? How many times it was a genuine apology? How many times it was misused? How many times it was mistaken?

First and foremost, we/I need to get the definition right.

sor•ry –adjective
1.
feeling regret, compunction, sympathy, pity, etc.: to be sorry to leave one's friends; to be sorry for a remark; to be sorry for someone in trouble.
2.
regrettable or deplorable; unfortunate; tragic: a sorry situation; to come to a sorry end.
3.
sorrowful, grieved, or sad: Was she sorry when her brother died?
4.
associated with sorrow; suggestive of grief or suffering; melancholy; dismal.
5.
wretched, poor, useless, or pitiful: a sorry horse.
6.
(used interjectionally as a conventional apology or expression of regret): Sorry, you're misinformed. Did I bump you? Sorry.

Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sorry

I believe most of us use sorry as in the form of the sixth explanation. But this conventional sorry, has it turned into something cliché? Meaningless?

Well perhaps, it had become something of no meaning, a decorative word to appease someone.

Reminiscing on the secondary four days, sorry, was probably the word Ms Teo hated.

“Sorry Ms teo, I forgot to bring your assignment to school…@#$!@#$%^&^%@#$%"^&;…”

“Ms teo, I forgot to do my homework because ah beng didn’t tell me got homework…..@#$%^&^%$#@!@#$%........ Sorry.”

Sorry, be it placed at the front or the back in the apology sentence, no longer matters already right?

Personally, I prefer people to apologize first. What about the explanation? After the person, which in this case, I, accepts your apology.

Now I am skeptical of receiving that word from people I know. Because I know that after accepting apology from them, they may take things for granted and who knows, you will hear unnecessary apology from them again.

Sorry, is a silent promise between two, an assurance to each other not to do those things again. Being off track for once is enough, do not derail again. Be sorry, and repent and reflect on the wrong things we had done. That's the true sorry, Regret for the things you had done.

I hate to see and hear people say sorry for the wrong they had done and then repeat what they done again. What is the use of saying sorry if it even isn’t from the bottom of your shallow heart?
While most people say sorry for the sake of saying sorry, some are hardcore egoistic people who can’t even say the word as the word is so powerful and ‘precious’ like gold such that just by saying the word, it would have cost them millions and billions. These type of people, sorry to say, I really pity your life. And mind you, that sorry was genuine.

Well, sorry, an opening for an excuse is often used that way too. One good example is the ‘sorry’ at the top of the post. Well, that’s probably why I try not to use that word as often as before. So if you were to receive my apology, it means that I have really thought through to say that heartfelt apology.

It sounded sarcastic when I received the scholarship rejection and it was written something like ‘ We are sorry but you are not chosen….’.
Yes. I know you are sorry, sorry for me not getting the scholarship? Sorry, but you need not feel sorry for me.(that apology was misused) This is life, harsh and cruel. There is no need to feel or be sorry over such issue.

_______________________________________________________

There are two 'sorry' i kept within myself. One left unsaid, the other misused.
Well, to err is human (even I can't use that word properly!).
Perhaps i need somemore time to think about this word, find out that true meaning and essence of sorry, to repent and reflect before i say these two "sorry" out.

2155hr 19 june 2010 (fresh out of my oven head)

2010-06-17T23:02:00.001+08:00

The Broken Key

Evxn though my typxwritxr is an old modxl, it works quitx wxll xxcxpt for onx of the kxys. I havx many timxs wishxd that it workxd pxrfxctly.

It is trux that thxrx arx forty-onx kxys that function wxll xnough, but just onx kxy not working makxs thx diffxrxncx.

Somxtimxs it sxxms to mx that our church is somxthing likx my typxwritxr -- not all thx kxy pxoplx arx working propxrly.

As onx of thxm, you may say to yoursxlf, "Wxll, I am only onx pxrson, I don't makx or brxak thx church."

Imaginx if thx wholx church fxlt this way. Thx church would not function or makx any sxnsx!

You do makx a big diffxrxncx, bxcausx a church, to bx xffxctivx, nxxds thx activx participation of xvxry pxrson.

So, thx nxxt timx your fxxl your xfforts arx not nxxdxd, rxmxmbxr my typxwritxr and say to yoursxlf, "I am a kxy pxrson in thx congrxgation and I am nxxdxd."

Don't be a broken key--be a useful one.

--Author Unknown

2010-05-31T21:05:00.005+08:00

2010-05-28T21:42:00.000+08:00

Two Horses

Just up the road from my home is a field with two horses in it.

From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something special.

Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.

His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.

This alone is amazing.

If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell.

Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.

Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.

As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse. And the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray.

When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges.

He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.

Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way.

Good friends are like that.

You may not always see them, but you know they are always there.

Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.

Author Unknown

2010-05-22T22:23:00.002+08:00

Music for the Dance

Let's imagine that you want to learn to dance. Being the rational, cerebral person you are, you go to a bookstore and buy a book on dancing.

You take the book home and get to work. You do everything it says. The book says sway; you sway. The book says shuffle; you shuffle. The book says spin; you spin.

Finally, you think you've got it, and you invite your wife to come in and watch. You hold the book open and follow the instructions step by step.

You continue to read, then dance, read, then dance, until the dance is completed. You plop exhausted on the couch, look at your wife, and proclaim, "I executed it perfectly."

"You executed it, all right," she sighs. "You killed it."

"What?"

"You forgot the most important part. Where is the music?"

Music?

We Christians are prone to follow the book while ignoring the music. We master the doctrine, outline the chapters, memorize the dispensations, debate the rules, and stiffly step down the dance floor of life with no music in our hearts. We measure each step, calibrate each turn, and flop into bed each night exhausted from another day of dancing by the book.

Dancing with no music is tough stuff.

Jesus knew that. For that reason, on the night before his death he introduced the disciples to the song maker of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. (John 16:7-9)

Of the three persons of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit is the one we understand the least. Perhaps the most common mistake made regarding the Spirit is perceiving him as a power but not a person, a force with no identity. Such is not true.

The Holy Spirit is not an "it." He is a person. He has knowledge (1 Cor. 2:11). He has a will (1 Cor. 12:11). He has a mind (Rom. 8:27). He has affections (Rom. 15:30). You can lie to him (Acts 5:3-4). You can insult him (Heb. 10:29). You can grieve him (Eph. 4:30).

The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force. He is not Popeye's spinach or the surfer's wave. He is God within you to help you. In fact John calls him the Helper.

Envision a father helping his son learn to ride a bicycle, and you will have a partial picture of the Holy Spirit. The father stays at the son's side. He pushes the bike and steadies it if the boy starts to tumble. The Spirit does that for us; he stays our step and strengthens our stride. Unlike the father, however, he never leaves. He is with us to the end of the age.

What does the Spirit do?

He comforts the saved. (John 16:7).

He convicts the lost. (John 16:8).

He conveys the truth. (John 16:12).

Is John saying we don't need the book in order to dance? Of course not; he helped write it. Emotion without knowledge is as dangerous as knowledge without emotion. God seeks a balance. "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).

What is essential is that you know the music is in you. "If Christ is in you, then the Spirit gives you life" (Rom. 8:10). You don't need a formula to hear it. I don't have a four-step plan to help you know it. What I do have is his promise that the helper would come to comfort, convict, and convey.

So think about it; have you ever been comforted? Has God ever brought you peace when the world brought you pain? Then you heard the music.

Have you ever been convicted? Have you ever sensed a stab of sorrow for your actions? Then you've been touched by the Holy Spirit.

Or have you ever understood a new truth? Or seen an old principle in a new way? The light comes on. Your eyes pop open. "Aha, now I understand." Ever happen to you? If so, that was the Holy Spirit conveying to you a new truth.

What do you know? He's been working in your life already.

By the way, for those of us who spent years trying to do God's job, that is great news. It's much easier to raise the sail than row the boat. And it's a lot easier getting people to join the dance when God is playing the music.

That's what makes God, God.

by Max Lucado

2010-05-20T21:46:00.003+08:00

2010-05-20T21:35:00.002+08:00

thanks! OG19 ROCKS!!!!

2010-05-16T20:06:00.001+08:00

Need Washing?

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in WalMart. She must have been six years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence.

It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout.

We all stood there, under the awning, just inside the door of the WalMart.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day.

I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

Her little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, 'Mom let's run through the rain,' she said.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Let's run through the rain!" she repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited a minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain."

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, He can get us through anything!'"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain.

We all stood silently. No one left.

Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.

Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God let's us get wet, well maybe we just need washing," Mom said.

Then, off they ran.

We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They got soaked.

They were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did.

I ran. I got wet. I needed washing .

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health.

But no one can ever take away your precious memories.

Or your faith.

So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday.

And take time to run through the rain.

--Author Unknown

2010-05-10T14:38:00.001+08:00

WHAT CAN I SAY

Piercing words, eyes are red
Watched your taillights in the rain
Empty heart filled with regret
I know we were both to blame

And I'm not sorry that it's over
But for the way we let it end
So I said all I had to say
In letters that I threw away

And you should know, please believe me
I've picked up the phone a thousand times
And tried to dial your number, but it's been so long
It's never easy, it's like tryin' to spin the world the other way
What can I say?

How did it come to this?
I think about you all the time
It's no excuse, but I wish
That I never made you cry

I'm not sorry that it's over
But for the way we let it end
I couldn't find the words to say

And you should know, please believe me
I've picked up the phone a thousand times
And tried to dial your number, but it's been so long
It's never easy, it's like tryin' to spin the world the other way
So what can I say? What can I say?
What can I say? What can I say?

I hate to think all you had of me
(I said all I had to say)
Is a memory I left you, pace between what was meant to be
(In letters that I threw away)
And the mess that it turned into

And you should know, please believe me
I've picked up the phone a thousand times
And tried to dial your number, but it's been so long
It's never easy, it's like tryin' to spin the world the other way
It's like tryin' to spin the world the other way
What can I say? What can I say?
What can I say?

Songwriter(s): Hodges, David; Mc Ewan, Steve; Underwood, Carrie
Copyright: © 12 06 PUBLISHING
© BIRDS WITH EARS MUSIC
© EMI BLACKWOOD MUSIC INC

2010-05-10T14:36:00.000+08:00

PLAY ON

Whatcha gonna do when the show is over?
Whatcha gonna sing when the song ends?
Yeah, how you gonna cope when there is no closure?
Where you gonna reach when the goal gets higher?
How you gonna make it through when you think you lost your chance?

Play on when you're losing the game
Play on 'cause you're gonna make mistakes
It's always worth the sacrifice
Even when you think you're wrong
So play on, play on

Even when the floodgates swing wide open
Never let current take you down, no
Even when you're not sure where you're going
Swimming through a mess and you can't get out
Just going through the motions and trying not to drown

Play on when you're losing the game
Play on 'cause you're gonna make mistakes
It's always worth the sacrifice
Even when you think you're wrong
So play on, play on

Even through a storm on the darkest night
Don't you ever give up the fight
Even when you feel you're all alone
Play on, play on

Play on when you're losing the game
Play on 'cause you're gonna make mistakes
It's always worth the sacrifice
Even when you think you're wrong
So play on, play on

Play on
Ooh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na

Songwriter(s): Hemby, Natalie; Laird, Luke Robert; Underwood, Carrie

2010-05-09T21:36:00.005+08:00

2010-05-03T21:52:00.000+08:00

A NEW KIND OF HERO

I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep as the Father knows me. John 10:14-15

Behold a hero of the west: the cowboy.

A thousand head of cattle pass behind him. A thousand miles of trail lie before him. A thousand women would love to hold him. But none do. None will. He lives to drive cattle, and he drives cattle to live. He is honest in poker and quick with a gun. Hard riding. Slow talking. His best friend is his horse, and his strength is his grit. He needs no one. He is a cowboy. The American hero.

Behold a hero in the Bible: the shepherd.

On the surface he appears similar to the cowboy. He, too, is rugged. He sleeps where the jackals howl and works where the wolves prowl. Never off duty. Always alert. Like the cowboy, he makes his roof the stars and the pasture his home. But that is where the similarities end.

The shepherd loves his sheep. It's not that the cowboy doesn't appreciate the cow; it's just that he doesn't know the animal. He doesn't even want to. Have you ever seen a picture of a cowboy caressing a cow? Have you ever seen a shepherd caring for a sheep? Why the difference?

Simple. The cowboy leads the cow to slaughter. The shepherd leads the sheep to be shorn. The cowboy wants the meat of the cow. The shepherd wants the wool of the sheep. And so they treat the animals differently.

The cowboy drives the cattle. The shepherd leads the sheep.

A herd has a dozen cowboys. A flock has one shepherd.

The cowboy wrestles, brands, herds, and ropes. The shepherd leads, guides, feeds, and anoints.

The cowboy knows the name of the trail hands. The shepherd knows the name of the sheep.

The cowboy whoops and hollers at the cows. The shepherd calls each sheep by name.

Aren't we glad Christ didn't call himself the Good Cowboy? But some do perceive God that way. A hard-faced, square-jawed ranch-hand from heaven who drives his church against its will to places it doesn't want to go.

But that's a wrong image. Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd. The Shepherd who knows his sheep by name and lays down his life for them. The Shepherd who protects, provides, and possesses his sheep. The Bible is replete with this picture of God.

Eighty percent of Jesus' listeners made their living off of the land. Many were shepherds. They lived on the mesa with the sheep. No flock ever grazed without a shepherd, and no shepherd was ever off duty. When sheep wandered, the shepherd found them. When they fell, he carried them. When they were hurt, he healed them.

Sheep aren't smart. They tend to wander into running creeks for water, then their wool grows heavy and they drown. They need a shepherd to lead them to "calm water" (Ps. 23:2). They have no natural defense-no claws, no horns, no fangs. They are helpless. Sheep need a shepherd with a "rod and walking stick" (Ps. 23:4) to protect them. They have no sense of direction. They need someone to lead them "on paths that are right" (Ps. 23:3).

So do we. We, too, tend to be swept away by waters we should have avoided. We have no defense against the evil lion who prowls about seeking who he might devour. We, too, get lost.

"We all have wandered away like sheep; each of us has gone his own way" (Isa. 53:6).

We need a shepherd. We don't need a cowboy to herd us; we need a shepherd to care for us and to guide us.

He's not a cowboy, and we aren't cattle. He doesn't brand us, and we're not on the way to the market. He guides, feeds, and anoints. And Word has it that he won't quit until we reach the homeland.

From "A Gentle Thunder" by Max Lucado

2010-05-02T23:34:00.000+08:00

ok.
i should start writing one post. proper post soon. not now. so please anticipate for it!

2010-04-23T22:44:00.001+08:00

2010-04-20T19:13:00.002+08:00

sheena's sick joke

2010-04-20T18:57:00.003+08:00

2010-04-17T20:58:00.000+08:00

AH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MY LOVE~~~

2010-04-11T17:00:00.003+08:00

ncwo! cultural night 2010

ok.. the sound is quite horrible NOT BECAUSE YOU GUYS PLAY HORRIBLY but MY PHONE DUN RECORD SOUND WELL..

so yup. it will sound a bit weird. sth like baroque piece. hehe

NCWO ROCKS!!!!!

2010-03-31T22:08:00.001+08:00

oh ya!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHOW KHAI YIN!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KUAN YEW!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!
:)

2010-03-31T22:03:00.002+08:00

lalala... just finish PI!
think it will be rejected by the cher cos didn't elaborate on everything.
haha. holiday is coming!! woots~~.
ok. know its just friday only. but at least its better than nth!
better than waking up at 5 to travel to bukit timah. haha
think the school should seriously consider having a shuttle bus or schoolbus service. Vj aldy have shuttle bus service frm yishun area to sch.
why can't ours??? nvm. rigid schools are just like that. oh well.
shall just quickly mug my way through for one more plus plus plus year then can leave sch!!!

2010-03-25T18:21:00.002+08:00

quick post!

2E blog finally updated!!!
LOLs. one post for the year.
first i mean! haha.
must go read!!!

2010-03-20T14:49:00.002+08:00

Rain rain don't go away, come again another day

OH GREAT!

its finally raining! I LOVE THE RAIN.

ytd went to mac and study with b and w.

haha. i tried to do gc questions. but.....

i don't know how to use the gc!! haha

camwhore after studying then went home.

haha.. winx! upload the photos!!!!!!

anyway, talking abt the photos.

those ppl owe me money one pls O$P$!!

haha.

shall tell karin and regi to be my pao tui. haha

2010-03-18T22:52:00.003+08:00

looking through the photos that was left behind,
i got this feeling of retaining in nc.
perhaps its just the feeling of uncertainty in jc.
now i realised how united our class was despite all the cliques.
the photos just depicted all the joy.
i really regret spoiling my grad day and prom night.
i just realised i missed out so many pictures becos of that.
so tmr camwhore! with ben and winx! finally!
4 years of friendship and all i got is 2 pics with ben.
winx no need say. more than that. haha

oh ya! i must take photo with CLAIRE!!!

2010-03-17T11:47:00.002+08:00

what's the point of living?
we are just living in a space, waiting for time to pass by.
waiting for time to drift off slowly.
what's the use of studying when things will end one day?
certificates will no longer be the passport to bring us to the other world.

2010-03-11T16:45:00.010+08:00

hmm.
gone were the days when i actually love going to school.
not only looking forward to study and also for band.
playing with monkey fish penguin poo poo and the rest.
now, somehow feel that i still couldn't fit into the band.
maybe its becos i am still pretty new to the culture there
or maybe its just becos those fun and insane yet disciplined days were gone.
perhaps i didn't want to be reminded of the days in nc.
perhaps i don't want to be reminded of mr png and and mr lum.
these two conductors are the best conductors i ever had.
though was scolded by them several times, me skipping band at times, they didn't just give up on ppl like me.
perhaps i don't wanna face tt failure of syf again.
perhaps... every single reason.
till now, i still don't have that sense of belonging, partly cos of my anti socialness.
thats why i hesistated to join back band in jc again.
starting to regret joining nj band.
it simply reminds me of mr png everytime mr ho conducts.
i still can't believe it when i almost cried during the first band pract becos of the resemblence

thinking back of how good both conductors treated us, i am really greatful.
playing with our section during public performance so that we won't appear to be a weak section ( its true tt our section is weak).
encouraging us, buy mouthpiece, instruments for us, had tutors coming down to teach us.... so many things.

there are four pieces i don't even dare to play nor listen now.
seventh night of july
inn of sixth happiness
oregon
miss saigon
though i have them in my phone, i will always skip these tracks.
i just don't have the courage to listen these songs.
becos i know i will cry when i hear these songs.
these reminded me of syf, public performance and con foco.

seventh night of july,
i remember the scene of mr png seem to be crying when the climax came.
everyone felt it too.
the goosebumps and everything. very touching.

inn of sixth happiness.
"the grade 6 happy little old man".
when i first heard the recording of how nc played during syf, i was disappointed.
flat. the solo was horribly flat. just a simple 5 notes. yet the tuning is off totally.
maybe its becos of me the band got silver. i caused this tragedy.
i regret not tuning those notes well enough.
its all my fault.

oregon.
the first public performance for us i think. as in school based.
mr png played with us for this piece and tt time, i yearned to play as loud as him. but i couldn't.
this piece, a well loved piece. trombone parts were cool.
euphos were great. many other sections sounded well too.

miss saigon
those gimmicks we made during con fouco 2.
the helicopter etc.
made the last con fouco great.

oh my. i am contemplating should i continue on this journey.
this strive for music perfection needs lots of determination.
but i couldn't use this determination.
its untouchable.
if i don't continue this road, there is no other way for me to go.
all i need is somewhere i can escape to.
escape to another world. but there isn't.

ok. i know there are many sentences with wrong sentence structure and some don't make sense. sorry for abt this. because i am trying to type out what my mind is thinking of.
but as you know, the spped of typing VS speed of thinking is very different, so yup.
this is like 10% of what i am thinking.

"no matter what. do not stop this passion for music even after you leave ncwo or when we conductors leave the band. i am not telling you to join band when you go jc or whatever, all you have to do is just continue to love and pursue music. don't let this passion for music die down" thats what mr lum told ncwo that time, just days before syf. remember?
i won't let thins passion die out. i will let this fire burn within me but perhaps in another place another world of my own.

2010-03-04T18:12:00.001+08:00

Eliminating Debt

Tap! Tap! Tap!

All of sudden, the once rowdy group came to order. The crowd's chatter died down. It was time to start the show. The maestro had arrived and the concert was to begin.

There's just something about the presence of a maestro. His presence brings order out of chaos. It signifies the beginning of a wonderful musical masterpiece.

The atmosphere becomes reverent when he shows up. He demands respect that is comparable to that of a king's coronation.

Jesus is no different. He has the ability to make order out of chaos and to qualm all fears. He also has the uncanny ability to eliminate doubt in our lives.

How does this happen? It happens when we follow orchestral protocol. The word 'maestro' is Italian in origin and means 'master or teacher.'

Jesus is often referred to in scripture as master or teacher. He, in essence, is the Great Maestro in our lives, tapping on the strings of our hearts to bring to order the chaos in our lives.

One of the amazing things about a maestro is his ability to maintain eye contact with his ensemble. Eye contact represents attentiveness.

Any good date, interview, or business interaction is characterized by great eye contact throughout. Christ is attentive to every one of our needs; so much so that he will supply each and every one of them (Philippians 4:19).

However, our own doubt causes us to lose eye contact with our Great Maestro. Peter was well aware of this fact. In Matthew's Gospel he found himself walking on water (See Matthew 14:28-31). However, his inability to maintain eye contact caused him to doubt the very thing that Jesus already told him that he could do.

Eye contact with Jesus was so key when Peter walked on the Sea of Galilee that when it was lost, Peter began to sink.

Many times we can get bogged down in the waves of life and forget about the necessity of eye contact. How am I going to pay this bill? Splish. Will I ever get married? Splash. When can I start a job in the field in which I really want to work? Splash.

Ask any tight rope walker and they will tell you: the key to reaching your destination is found in your ability to keep your eye on the goal. Don't look down. The apostle Paul said it best: We are called to "press toward [our] goals...
(Philippians 3:14).

Maintaining eye contact with Jesus is important when trying to eliminate doubt. Even the best musician in an orchestra can wind up being a failure if he misses his cue from the maestro. Without that visual cue, the orchestra member begins to doubt his/her role in the composition.

Where are your eyes?

Where is your focus?

Are you beginning to doubt your role in God's great composition?

I want to encourage you to refocus on the One who wrote the piece and knows your role better than anyone else. It is then, and only then, that you can begin to eliminate doubt in your life and live the life that God has called you to live.

You play an important role in God's work.

Without you, the harmony is slightly off.

Without you, the composition is incomplete.

Stay focused, give the Maestro your undivided attention, and watch the masterpiece unfold before your eyes.

by John C. Richards, Jr.

2010-02-26T16:23:00.003+08:00

2010-02-26T15:46:00.003+08:00

i was a runner.
i am a runner.
i will always be a runner.
i was the runner who won many race.
i am the runner who escaped from troubles.
i will always be the runner who runs away from reality.
looking at my leg embellished by marks of glory.
not trophies but scars.
i wonder why did i became a runner despite knowing the fact that the reward wouldn't be something glorious.
____________________________

oh ya! need to tell you guys real gross stuff.
i squeezed the pus out of my leg!!
so cool sia. disgusting a bit lah.
but its like a once in a lifetime thing to squeeze pus out frm leg lor.
ok. shouldn't detail-ise the thing any further. haha

2010-02-26T15:03:00.002+08:00

hmm.
i participated in the road run today. yup.
and guess what?!
I CAME IN THE TOP 100!!!!!!!!!!!
(from the bottom though)
anyway, thats not the main point.
just wanna rejoice that after sooooo long of inactivity i still managed to walk the whole route in less than 30 min. haha. fast walker right? of course.
:D

went back to nc again for a while ONLY..
thought of staying back for band in nc.
but then realised all ccas stop practice cos of common test.
sian.
reached home and use com!
tried to understand how to use fb but somehow got lost somewhere.
so logged out and here i am blogging.
sth which is within my means to do it. LOLs

blah. shalln't blog anymore.
getting real tired. need to finish my work and MUG MUG MUG for phy test.
SHUT UP AND MUG GUYS!
:)

2010-02-20T15:34:00.003+08:00

went back to nc today for ncym.
registered name and got small talks conducted by ex chairman.
anyway, did glinnis 'cheer' during the votings and blah blah.
nth much though. haha

anyway, need to clarify things.
dathne join floorball.
ohmy. so unlucky of me to have same cca as her. (oops)
haha.

currentlly addicted to the song below.
oh ya i must say sth!
i 'finished' my tutorials.
LOLs. not all of the Qs are solved la. but at least attempted all.

ytd went for starstruck with esther.
the band play pretty well.
so i decided. not to join band.
cos i will pull down the standard of band.
come to think of it. if i join any cca, i will still pull down their standard.
LOLS.
and also, i dun wanna see *************** anymore!
okok. think esther know who tt person is.
haah.
shall stop here for now!
:)

ps. if you wanna watch the video, you can off the music at the bottom of the page!!!
__________________________

Terrified- katharine mcphee
song written by kara dioguardi

You by the light
Is the greatest find
In a world
Full of wrong
Your the thing that's right
Finally made it
Through the lonely
To the other side

You set it again
My hearts in motion
Every word feels
Like a shooting star
I'm at the edge of my emotions
Watching the shadows
Burning in the dark
And I'm in love
And I'm terrifed
For the first time
And the last time
In my only life
Life

This could be good
It's already better than that
And nothings worse
Than knowing your holding back
I could be all that you need
If you let me try

You set it again
My hearts in motion
Every word feels
Like a shooting star
I'm at the edge of my emotions
Watching the shadows
Burning in the dark
And I'm in love
And I'm terrified
For the first time
And the last time
In my only life

I only said it 'cause I mean it
Oh I only mean it
'Couse it's true
So don't you tear
What I've been dreaming
'Couse it keeps me up
And holds me close
Whenever I'm without you

You set it again
My hearts in motions
Every word feels
Like a shooting star
I'm at the edge of my emotions
Watching the shadows
Burning in the dark
And I'm in love
And I'm terrified
For the first time
And the last time
In my only life
Life, life
In my only life

2010-02-18T17:26:00.001+08:00

2010-02-15T21:28:00.002+08:00

ohoh...
shall slack a bit for now. (though i am doing tt all the time)
on 12 feb. yup. friday.
went to nc after nj cny celebration.
as usual. stuck with a grp of guys who talks pokemon language.
maybe should upgrade a bit. yugioh language or is it porche/audi??
ohoh.. but know yuelong and meldon love 'qi zi de you huo'. haha
ok. so reached there and met xe and th and yz and sh and many many ppl la.
so nice seeing th. cos can suan him like siao.
and emphasize ****ah hem**** in front of him.
haha.
but seriously ar. his art really not good.
make karin card like dunno what like tt.
ok. shall not suan him any further. haha

then went to canteen which turned into a market place
with all the cheers
MJ vs TJ vs NYJ vs VJ
just these few schools.
listen to MJ cheer until i can memorise aldy.
anyway, one thing you nvr guess would be who started the cheer.
shall not pinpoint names here.
haha.
talking abt JC, perly dathne and givon join soccer.
me and gin join floorball.
so cool right?? haha
not forgetting regi and teng join dance. hah

anyway, went teng hse to 'sleep'
went to cp to meet perly.
in the course of waiting for her, i realised my bag de chocolate melted and
everything in my bag got choc.
yup. freaked out totally. dun believe ask regi.
haha

went yz hse there bbq which started at aroud 8 plus to 9??
very fun.
did nj mass dance.
got video of it. but with karin.
tried dancing shake it and beat it.
but gable dunno the steps so yup. didn't know how to dance. haha
went hm at 11 plus. heng not grounded. haha

must have another outing again!!!! weeeeee~~~~

2010-02-15T21:11:00.002+08:00

woo~~
its cny!
pineapple tarts season!!
yup. ate lots of it..
turning pui liao.
not to worry cos tmr gonna go gym..
hhee.
so long nvr visit gym. my treadmill!!

ok. off to do math questions. haha

2010-02-02T20:55:00.002+08:00

Terrific Potential

"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."
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

A shoe manufacturer decided to open his business to the Congo market and sent a salesman to the underdeveloped country.

The salesman wrote, "Prospect here nil. No one wears shoes."

The manufacturer wrote back, "Market potential terrific! Everyone is barefooted."

At times, all we see is our faults and failures, and we convince ourselves the prospect of our spiritual success is nil.

Fortunately, we have a God who sees not only our past and present sins and mistakes; but He also sees our hopeful future, that one day we will be
finally renewed and eternally with Him!

He has the ability to see the big picture and understand that our earthly struggles with our human nature will end once and for all when He returns for us. If we would keep that in the forefront of our mind, we might never lose hope.

We cannot let the enemy constantly remind us of our failures and convince us that our shortcomings define who we are.

Instead, we have to meditate on God's Word, allowing Him to renew our hope that one day we will be like Him.

by David Jeremiah

____________________________

ok. i know i am getting lazier. LOLs
but i at least blogged right? LOL
i am tired. 5 plus wake up everyday.
i think i will be a zombie like tmr?!

cny is coming to town!
and silverstarrs dun wanna tell me what embarrassing thing we gonna do lor. haha.
nvm. i shall anticipate it.
like WOW! BOOMZ!

2010-01-29T22:21:00.005+08:00

i shall blog after MIA for so many days.

so yup. FYI i am in NJ along with
audrey, choon ling, jeanyee,
joshua, meldon, yihxun, huaan, samuel, jianyi, yuelong, qixiang...
last but unimportantly, KOR!!!!!
last but most importantly... EVANGELINE!!!! hehe.
so in total, there are 13 NAN CHIAU REN who went NJ!!

so JUNIORS come NJ next year!!!
and must come yellow hse!! (though i love red)
SOLVICTUS!!! HOT ppl can join this house!!! haha
dun go AETHEON!! cos you gotta be loving to go there.
but you see kor ar.. not loving one. so the credibility...
you know lah.
anyway. this sch is real NATIONAL man.
the colours you always see is RED and WHITE!
without the stars la.
cos got hot stars like me. LOLs

orientation was pretty fun WHEN there was mass dance
haha.
games too. talks were totally infomation overload.
with chers losing a nut or bolt in their mind.
other than that. its ok.haha

counting down to CNY.
can see my dear friends.
yes perly. i will wear nj pe shirt. very red. suit cny.
can blend in with the curtain. LOL

made friends frm other schools and realised their sch also somewhat like nc.
so........ stil got things to talked abt.
saw a girl frm my OG who look really like CLAIRE!
i miss claire!!!! haha

ok.
i forgot what i wanna write. so shall end here.
:) gdnight!

PS. tze sin, how you managed to find my blog frm google?? :P

2010-01-26T15:21:00.002+08:00

i am tired.
very tired.
be it mentally or physically.
many factors to it.
mainly cos of posting results.
and knowing the fact that i am going to face that fearful loneliness no matter what happens.
partly cos i am tired of pretending not to know anything you guys were hiding from me.
though i know its for my own good.
oh well.
i should just be grateful anyway.
becos i do not want to face it.
in a few hours time.
my whole life is going on a brand new start.
new environment.
new friends.
new school.
blah blah.
i wish to bring my friends along but i know its impossible.
in any case, no matter what happens.
i know my dear friends are with me!

too many things are flashing across my mind.
hmm.
anyway, steamboat @ karin's hse on 12 feb.
so this is the rough plan.
CNY celebration tt day, so after work/ school
meet @ NC then go her hse makan.

20 feb is alumni meeting.
winx! remind me hor. haha

i miss poopoo a lot!!!!!
why you go choose tourism??????
haha. must meet up someday hor! haha.
let's makan!!

:)

2010-01-23T10:19:00.002+08:00

ytd was indeed fun filled.
went back to school for steamboat aka buffet.
whatever you may call it.
anyway, its the first time you see yz and tw unable to eat finish the food,
simply because there's too much.
haha.
gave some food to teachers and friends
mind you! those are not leftovers ok.
went to play bball later.
and i am still very noob at it. LOL
went back to band for a while.
then went home. haha.

nxt week got section outing!!
like finally! LOL
and i forgot the venue and everything liao lor.
hehe. so pls. juniors. remind me again.
if i nxt week mia is your prob. haha

hohoho..
nxt wed is the release of posting results.
come to think of it.
i am seriously tired of studying. haha
in any case,
whether i go NJ, VJ or TJ,
it is equally far and loong journey for me.
sian. i hate orientation day esp when i am too awake.
if blur and insane a bit maybe will feel more comfortable.
haha.
hmm. should not worry abt tt anyway.
scarli go nyjc see CKY. horrible. LOL

have been makaning real lot lately.
haha. must go exercise. hehe.

shall end this random post for today.
:)

2010-01-21T16:12:00.003+08:00

it is gone.
i lost it.
what am i going to do now?
nothing can remind me anymore.

2010-01-20T09:57:00.001+08:00

On Eagles Wings
Written by Michael Joncas
Isaiah 40:31
"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run,
and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint."

---------------------------------------------------

You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord,
Who abide in His shadow for life,
Say to the Lord, "My Refuge,
My Rock in Whom I trust."

Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
The snare of the fowler will never capture you,
And famine will bring you no fear;
Under His Wings your refuge,
His faithfulness your shield.

Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
You need not fear the terror of the night,
Nor the arrow that flies by day,
Though thousands fall about you,
Near you it shall not come.

Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
For to His angels He's given a command,
To guard you in all of your ways,
Upon their hands they will bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.

2010-01-19T21:45:00.003+08:00

went to watch the blind side movie today with my sis.
the movie is super touching!!!
highly recommended to watch.
and guess what? i watched it without subtitles for the first time!!!
the english pronounciation is great so yup.
so no trouble listening to them speaking.
and yes. do not watch these type of movie with Ben.
Ben is too impatient for such movies. haha.
so warning for ben is not to watch this movie. LOL
ok la. shall not give you guys any details abt the movie.
if not i will spoil the suspense. hehe.
:)

2010-01-19T11:22:00.004+08:00

I AM MARTIN! LOL
(random)

i cnnt solve any mystery now cos there isn't any.
Ben is happily flying arnd sg to save ppl (tt escaped frm imh). LOL
and seriously i do not know why am i crapping here man.

anyway, my main purpose of writing this blog is for someone.
so dun read on if you think you aren't tt person.
i give you hint la. if you fall into these categories then dun read.
1. pillar
2. sgg

to____________________:
yup. things are definitely going more and more confusing lately yeah?
after discovering tt thing. and knowing somemore thing.
but be reassured tt your super power friends are with you!
( late at night impossible la. lol)
do not hurt yourself.
whatever happens, look at the brighter side even if your surrounding is very dark or almost absolute darkness.
you will definitely see tt glimpse and glimmer of light and hope which will nvr fade away.

anyway, i shall share sth with you.
quite a famous story.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Mary Stevenson, 1936

yup. so even if your superpower friends aren't at your side, rmb that there's a FRIEND who is by your side 24/7.

lastly, shall share with you a song. lyrics are very meaningful.

What a Friend we have in Jesus

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry, ev'rything to God in Prayer.
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry, ev'rything to God in Prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? take it to the Lord in prayer;
in his arms He'll take and shield thee, thou wilt find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised, Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing, all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded, there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship, will be our sweet portion there.

enclose this with a short prayer.

2010-01-18T11:53:00.002+08:00

have been eating so much lately.
esp all the steamboat with clique five aka 5566. LOL
yup. so today gonna have night bball.
i doubt i will turn up. cos i think i am grounded.
anyway, logged on to fb after one month.
and i still do not know how to use the application.
call me a noob or whatever. cos i won't bother to understand such complicated stuff. haha
oh ya. WINX! He is leaving for REAL! i think.
or maybe ACM ba. haha. if you dunno what i talking abt msg me ok.
eh... call better. LOL

2010-01-11T22:27:00.005+08:00

Happy birthday Xue Er!!
you are finally 17..........again!! lol.

First thing. today is the release of the O level results.
before tt, karin and i went to rp to buy steamboat ingredients.
later, regi and i went to xe hse to make the gifts of appreciation for the teachers.
and after a few months of not seeing regi, i realised tt her BHB improved by leaps and bounds!
she was talking abt how cute she is and blah blah.
xe as usual say her art very good.... etc. hehe
then xe went to bathe and we two chiong the boards.
xe lah.bathe so slow.
somemore still sing here and there.

anyway, chiong to nc and started writing the messages
chiong up to hall and then hear mr ong speech.
then the comparision of each subject and you know tt.
list of topscorers name....
yup. shocked tt my name was there.
but it is by the power of God tt i was able to get such results.
with things going sooo wrong just days before O levels,
i thought i would just get 15 points.
with me fainting on the day of amaths paper, i thought i would get a c6 afterall.
with my english failing very single prelim, i thought just a c6, i will be very grateful.
but it is by God's grace, he carried me through the exams.

hmm.. anyway, later yan zhi, tin hwee, gary, kai xun, tas, edmund, wh, shao han,joe karin, hui, perly, xe and regi came my hse for steamboat. haha.
seriously, th and yz eat real lot leh. and they are still so skinny. dunno what kind of ppl are they. haha
hmm. had a fun day today.

tmr going gym then go sch for consultation. cos till now i still dun understand how to apply jae thing. haha.
oh ya! mr tien read blog one leh! so must dun write bad things abt him hor. hehe.
ok. shall end here :)
_____________________________________________

to my darling girls:
do not be upset with your scores ok?
as long as you had done your best, you wil have no regrets.
the scores reflected in the results slip doesn't determine what are you made of.
like syf results tt time, though ncwo didn't get gold but in my heart, we are a gold band!
a medal or anything cnnt label us at all.
let's move on and strive in jc or poly life!
do think real well before applying your sch!
i love you!

2010-01-09T23:29:00.002+08:00

Sherlock Holmes movie

People present: Joelyn, Xue Er, Evangeline, Karin, Tin Hwee, Yan Zhi, Kai Xun, Tasman, Gary, Edmund.

Venue: GVMax, VIVOCITY

Time: 330pm, 9 JAN 2010.

____________________________________________

woohoo~~ today's movie was fantastic right???
haha
i shall cut short what i did today. hehe
first thing. today was cca open hse.
being a loyal member of MY school CCA, of cos i went school lah. haa
in the end talked with joseph in the library.

went to ncps later to acc joe take her bro psle cert. but GO is closed. so yup.
didn't take the cert.

went home and had lunch with family while others went hougang to eat lunch with the guys. haha

met them at vivo and heng i wasn't the last to arrive. hehe.
went to see the puppies at pet store.
sooooo cute! i love schnauzer lots!!! mini one la. haha
went acarade to play bball. of cos bad player like me didn't play.
watched movie. seriously the advertisements were super long!!! 30 mins lor. haha

went back to acarade after movie. but played the water there with karin.
others not enthu de. haha
see them play pool. an activity i really hate.
but seeing them play was a pleasure afterall.
ok. later played fake bball with karin joe and yz. i and yz team and got 342 pts!!!
won joe and karin. but think its yz thats why won. haha.
he every ball get in one.
i just anyhow throw.
haha.
yz is soo tall. no need tiptoe de. haha
went home with joe and talked. OLEVELS RESULTS!!!
scaring me off.
ok. sorry for the disorientated entry.
i am seriously very tired now. so just wrote things real briefly. but i think it isn't that brief la. haha. still as detailed as before. haha

tmr is a sunday.
let's prepare our hearts for worship. :)
___________________________________________

yes. i lied to ppl. thats what i regret.
i know God has forgive me. but i didn't forgive myself.
now i shall just forget the unhappiness i caused. like what i always do, escape.

2010-01-01T12:11:00.005+08:00

2010-01-01T11:09:00.004+08:00

its the first day of the whole new year!
i shall blog what happen last year. LOL. last day i mean.
in short,
ytd was a whole night of marathon.
firstly, i went to cp to meet joe and guess what? hui hui came too. hha
off we went to find karin.
train train train... NOVENA.
had a hard time finding her. cos the head and butt of the train made us confused.
nxt, went orchard. window shopped.
saw a shoe tt we like. BUT karin say the heels too high. same for me la.
haha
continued shopping and met the guys namely KX,TAS,GARY,YZ,TH.
kx they all went kino there buy ************** mag.
and many things happened. hehe
yup. somehow we walked walked and saw a talll talllllllllll christmas tree which is taller than YZ!!!!!!!
took grp photo w/o kx and gary cos they dun wan.
went to somerset to find wh but he is not there.
thanks yz for treating us at andersens' haha.
come my hse for steamboat!!!
okok.
nxt walked to plaza sing somehow. and wanted to catch movie.
apparently. we cnnt cos mostly full hse aldy.
nvm. so we walk/ mostly run to esplanade.
haha
and we had to run to cross roads. so its half jaywalking.
just tt the green man is blinking. haha
reached memorial tower or sth with perspiration alll over our body. haha
the fireworks was fantabulous! it lasted for like 8 min plus.
karin have the video of it. but is 45mb big. soo..... yup.
then we went back home squeezing through the crowds esp in the mrt station.
(you guys should know it)
dropped off at hougang. and makan there and of cos talked!
later we went home when its 2 in the morning.
th and hui go home tgt.
kx got father to drive home.
then yz and karin and me go home tgt.
walked home. talk talk talk, they sent me home first then yz sent karin home then he walked home himself.
thanks yz!
thats what i called friends.
******************************************************************
lastly, i want to say this to all my beloved darlings:
thanks for being a part of my crazy yet sane life.
yes. i won't forget you ppl. and i just hope tt this friendship would last.
though it is not forever. but at least for this lifetime.
as i looked back on this 4 years of secondary school life i had,
i thank God that you were there beside me when things had gone wrong.
celebrating my bday when its in the exam period. of cos i won't forget the whipcream. haha
this 4 years i had. is definitely not wasted away despite me not liking the school. oops. haha
thanks BEN for willing to play along with MARTIN.
thanks flower, water, flour, august, joe,CEO of HF, karen/in, penguin, ah ting, ali, pilot, chomper and many others.
i wonder you rmb all the nicknames. anyway. shall end here.
:) have a great year ahead!

2009-12-11T21:19:00.001+08:00

the boy is soooo CUTE!!!

2009-12-02T21:53:00.002+08:00

I Survived a Zombious Night

let's see. i am currently waiting for my com to load you're beautiful. so meanwhile i decided to blog. LOL.
Jang Geun Suk! 帅呆了!!!!!!
ok. shouldn't 发花痴 now. hehe.

anyway, yesterday chalet was great!
hmm, think "the more the merrier" thing may not apply to every situation afterall. haha
in the morning, went to teng hse to make card.
but in the end gave out some only.
anyway, not everyone can get the cards only lor!!
so chan wai hong! you better dun say no sincerity. hehe
though it looks cheap but it isn't ok.
but cnnt deny tt edmund's one look nicer.
cos teng hse really got a lot of stickers. haha

ok. so after the card making, went for job interview with karin.
and we got the job! like finally. BUT for a 10 day event. better than rotting at home. hehe.
so pls come down to suntec and buy my products ok?? haha

chionged to chalet venue and did preparation work.
and the class is still as punctual as usual. hehe
anyway, the early birds are Tin Hwee and Chuan Yan.
NAUGHTY JOE JOE and HUIHUI close all the curtain and made them walk pass the chalet. and huihui scared me totally when her head suddenly poked out from the curtain. haha.
next early birdies are Jaslyn, Dathne, Jie Lin and Glinnis.
yup. for fear of them not wanting to play games, they were locked out. SORRY AR!!!!!!!!
and glinnis some how managed to bribe hui hui with her enchanting voice and charmed her into bringing her into the chalet, leaving the others locked out. then when we let others in, the rest were like "GLINNIS NG!!!! !@#%^&$#@$&^%!!!!"

played imitation and pass the message.
seriously. i think the guys memory pretty good sia.
all the rao kuo ling can rmb. haha

next was BBQ!
i helped in the starting of the fire!!
but in the end Tasman was the one who made the fire really start.
cos me JOE JOE PERLY AND XE dunno why the flame blew out all the time. haha
and the cooking inthe end is done my Ms Joseph and Joshua?
Wh and I did the microwave beef. funny sia!
the food is delicious! better than seoul garden! thats what jason said to joseph.
hehe
then we practically ate dinner throughout the night!
joshua was correcting our pronunciation and somehow he got some pronuncietion wrong.
Guo Lao Shi came and YanZhi shared paranormal activity details.
*shivers*
haha.
went jacuzzi to find YT REGI the SWIMMING GUYS. haha
so after all the absurd stuff we did.
went to the room and talked talked talked talked. for many many hours.
yt slpt a bit and within an hour, morning came.
checked out. had breakfast at mac. talked talked. home!!!!

hmm. did some bonding with the class through this chalet. talked like nobody's business.
just wished that the class would be tt fun, united throughout the year
but the year is ending soon. so how?
if the class can be as fun like those batches of the past. it would have been better.
nonetheless, i shall be contented and happy that we were classmates, friends once.
will there be a chalet nxt year like this year?? well, let's see who's willing to sponsor us. haha

2009-11-30T21:23:00.002+08:00

yo ppl!

my church having christmas gospel rally this saturday @ 4pm!

do come yeah?? haha

2009-11-28T21:33:00.003+08:00

07 You’re Beautiful OST – “말도 없이” (Without words) by Park Shin-hye.

English Translation
I shouldn’t have done that,
I should have pretended not to know
like I didn’t see it, like I couldn’t see it
I shouldn’t have looked at you in the first place

I should have run away,
I should have pretended I wasn’t listening
like I didn’t hear it, like I couldn’t hear it
I shouldn’t have heard your love in the first place

Without a word you made me know love
Without a word you gave me love
Because you took just a breath and ran away like this
Without a word love leaves me
Without a word love abandons me
Wondering what to say next, my lips were surprised
Because it came without a word.

What Do I Do”

As I let you walk another step away, it brings tears to my eyes
As you walk another step away, it brings tears to my eyes
I reach out my hand, but you go where I can’t approach
I can’t hold onto you, I can only cry

What should I do? What should I do?
You’re leaving
What should I do? What should I do?
You’re leaving me and going away
I love you, I love you
I call out to you but you can’t hear me,
because I’m only crying out with my heart

All day, I try to erase you but I keep thinking of you
All day, I say goodbye but I think of you again
I reach out my hand, but you go where I can’t go
I can’t find you, I can only cry

What should I do? What should I do?
You’re leaving
What should I do? What should I do?
You’re leaving me and going away
I love you, I love you
I call out to you but you can’t hear me,
because I’m only crying out with my heart

What should I do? What should I do?
You’re still the one for me
What should I do? What should I do?
You’re leaving me
What should I do? What should I do?
You’re leaving me and going away
I love you, I love you
I call out to you but you can’t hear me
because I’m only crying out with my heart

2009-11-26T19:49:00.003+08:00

hmm.. my life is still moving on monotonously. haha
anyway, maybe learning jap during holidays with regi.
hmm perhaps now its not the time to work.

i saw my shuai ge on you're beautiful!!
so shuai!!!!!!!!!!!
korean guys are the best. i mean the show tt character.
guys like tt is the best bf. LOL
paisei. fa hua chi here. xe and hui and regi also lor. hehe.

DAGE!! when treat me go out?? LOL
and dun try to be funny and bring back snow frm hokkaido.
cos i at home have tonnes of it. LOL

2009-11-23T19:03:00.002+08:00

grad night/prom might was fine i guess.
yup. pictures are not with me. is with karin.
and karin tan! nvr tell me you still in Malacca .
and ben! nvr wear poncho. some more queue when the songs started immediately. nvr wait for martin. haha.
anyway. prom had some traditional games and events. blah blah.
went to sit on the flyer with seasame street grp plus horny grp. LOL
and xe only said one horny joke. which wasn't really horny. LOL
went back to have a drink.
and walk back to mrt station. leg pain!!!!!!!
you should see xe and karin walk until siao. hui still ok. but they all got blister.
haha.
yup. i reached home. and again. the same usual thing happen.
it is not tt i didn't have patience. but its 40min ok.
dun tell me one take so long to bathe?
ya. with all the lights on and everything.
whatever.
maybe because of my own imagination thinking tt tt happened. thats why i was a little impatient. nvm. so the conclusion is. it is my fault. i should have brought my keys along with me.
so, pardon me if i sound rude these days cos i have not recovered frm tt Great shock you gave me. esp after 2012.
every single second we are nearing to the end of the world.
look around you and see the people surrounding you.
will you get to see them in heaven?
i read tuedays with morrie again.
morrie told readers how to prepare for death.
yup, since all of us gonna die one day, we should prepare for it.
be optimistic abt it. forgive others, yourself. everything.
recommended to read tt book!
so what have i done to deserve to go to heaven?
brought ppl to christ? no.
spread gospel? yes.
the end of the world is horrible. read the bible.
thihnk i couldn't even survive those turmoil.

i am finding work. blah blah.
cos i am going to jc, i cnnt get work as quickly as xe. haha
see you in kiddy palace girl~

regi. i emo with you liao. LOL

2009-11-20T12:24:00.010+08:00

2009-11-13T16:16:00.006+08:00

yup. finally it has ended. probably for glinnis it is a different story. or isn't?
cos she aldy treat msp listening compre as something chicken feet. haha.

wow! it has been a long time since i touch the com. (with the exception of ytd)
i almost forgot my password to enter my blog, msn and facebook.
i am totally cut off from the reality world for like a year?!
but BPL and my ferrari still know a bit.
and guess what? i got Kris Allen new album!!!

throughout this course of revision is really what i would miss the most after the O levels. Imagine study everyday doing constant revision. (for me no need to imagine) O levels is much more easier to cope. (i will take back this sentence if i do badly).
always stay back in school till 7 with regi and gli.
have fun Eating and studying in mac while being 'harressed' by the flasher now and then. for karin and hui hui is look at shuai ge. LOLs.
long time nvr see mr koh aldy man. not tt i like him but find him so funny.
esp his english pronunciation. hehe.
hmm. the end of O levels maybe the start of sian days for many.
but for me different case.
first thing first.
i gonna relax till monday. not really relax. but shop for prom stuff. hehe.
then tuesday to thursday is RedCamp.
friday prom.
sat chalet planning (tentative)
then monday work (i suppose so)
see.. so many things to do!!!!
and can someone buy me some time so i can shop for prom.
talking abt prom remembered what i told dathne.
she totally pissed off sia. haha
she joked abt wearing judo uniform to prom. (cool what)
then i say we buy dress no use. cos wear once throw liao.
so buy disposable dress. since SG so ecofriendly.
and seriously. does tt piss ppl off? LOLs.
and hui gave a better idea. WEAR PONCHO!!!
LMAO.
think only ppl who think the same frequency as me then can appreciate this. :)
in other words is you have to appreciate this idea. haha

and KARIN TAN!
thanks to your reason essay ok.
what??!! JOHN and ME?! ok la. go ROM liao (just kidding)
got time you all should read her essay. i and regi read liao cnnt take it.
yaya. i love john. LOLs

CHOW KHAI YIN!
i mean BEN. when you wanna pit against martin?
haha.
your imagination of perly in dress long hair and scarf till now i still cnnt imagine ok. hehe.

oh ya!!
i should tell you all a nightmare i had sia.
eh. i dunno is it nightmare after perly say it isn't.
anyway, the story goes like this.
i dreamt of MJ dying cos the murderer forced a pencil into his throat.
and when you take the pencil out. it turns into jelly. put back and take out again, is a pencil. (like magic like tt)
haha. the murderer, a blonde, also swallowed a pencil and died. and the whole scene is very bloody ok.
come to think of it. is graphite tt nice to eat??
so perly call this dream bloody, funny.

i will miss school real lots man. BUT i dun love nchs ok. miss = love ?! NO!
BUT BUT the teachers will be missed by me man.
firstly is ms teo.
hmm. our class made her angry so many times and also days before O levels.
i love the english articles she gave. my fave is i show a child what is possible.
coolest essay man.
nxt is mr tien.
funny cher. can be storyteller also. i find him an encouraging teacher. seldom scold ppl but students revere him. encourage us now and then. hehe.
nxt is ms oh.
ok. i dun really like physics when i was in sec three. slp during lesson.
now when physics is just common sense. its real easy man. plus ms oh teach physics very cute one. haha. i like practical a lot!!
nxt is mdm tang.
teach maths is less confusing than koh. oops.
at least very clear ma. haha.
nxt is mr tee.
after 3 years of geog education without listening or even knowing how to ans the questions correctly, i actually learnt it in sec 4! LOL. quite late aldy though.
though lessons boring at times but still hilarious when gli and dathne kena suan. haha. and mr tee always take leave when dun have our lesson for tt day de lor. hehe
of cos, got ms joseph.
inspiring teacher. love doing sourcebased but dunno why keep on failing nearing O levels. hehe. different dressing everyday. when will she bring us out for shopping trip???
nxt is guo lao shi.
first time my chinese failed in my whole life sia. but miraculously got a1. hehe.
chinese isn't tt boring as it seems now. love chinese!!!
nxt is mr koh.
ok la. lessons are like CME like tt. oops. funny too. but dunno why will do well for math when i dun really like him. maybe wanna proof him wrong??
anyway, thanks to mr koh for getting other school papers for us to practise.
one more person!
MR SEE!! I LOVE YOU! so cute!!!!
i shall be a school counsellor in the future!
psychology rocks!

tmr is the last day i MAY BE stepping into school this year.
cos got open hse! if wanna come pls come!!!! haha.
and can they please open the air riffle room??
first class cast went in and why i cnnt??!!!

i miss LOCAL NOODLE DELIGHTS!!
i eat noodles everyday ok. even my mom jealous of aunty aldy.
cos i love school noodles!! my shui jiao!! please teach me how to cook noodles can??? haha.

hmm. i think i shall stop here. next post will be full of grad pics and pictures taken doing revision.
I THANK GOD THAT HE GAVE ME STRENGTH TO HOLD ON TO THE VERY LAST PAPER! THANK HIM FOR THE PEACE AND WISDOM HE GAVE ME.
:)

2009-10-25T14:24:00.003+08:00

isn't this cool??
ferrari here i come! LOL

******************************************
tomorrow is the BIG day!

Jia You Everyone!!!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

2009-09-06T20:22:00.000+08:00

seriously, i shouldn't be blogging now.
but i just cnnot study when too much things bombard my mind.
just now had an 'internal christianity debate' with my family members.
i feel that a am really not growing anymore.
i have to admit it is my fault also.
i didn't do daily devotion. tell lies. sinning everyday.
procrastinating everyday.
however, it isn't like tt when i am studying.
maybe it is becos i set targets to meet everyday?
striving to be the top in studies?
why isn't it like tt in the pursuit of my christian life?
when i pray, i do not feel tt i am a christian.
it is practically just praying cos it is sort of in the system?
oh well, i cnnt really describe tt feeling either.
i feel so dirty. i do not feel cleanse.
i do not dare to look at this sinful hands of mine.
i fear for my life.
i feel inferior when i see christian schoolmates.
they have tt glow in them. i do not have.
i do not feel the spirit and passion in this life i am having now.
the day humans are born, they are aldy on this mysterious life.
trying to find the purpose of living.
do you know how lonely and horrible it is to be detached from this world?
no matter how hard we try, we cnnt enter the island, one has aldy had.

a little load has dropped out of my mind. off to studying.

2009-09-04T21:51:00.002+08:00

woohoo~~
THE TIME TRAVELLER'S WIFE movie is out!!!
i love the book man. after O levels shall find dvd to watch!
oh ya! must watch beethoven virus the drama series!!
very nice!!!

******************************************************

ok.
today got a scolding from mr tee.
well, he is right to scold us though.
who tell me this cleanliness head to be so slack.
ok la. my fault la. haix.
really ar. is not purely hui and i do all the cleaning all the time right?
ok. i admitt tt i dun do as much as hui.
anyway, guys.
a bunch of dunno what.
practically no words to describe them. this is not in a good way at all.
they bear grudge like women, narrow minded ETC.
make ignorant remarks like a fool all the time.
true. FOOLs.
yes. i sound baised. so what. like they care.
before we judge others, we ought to look at tt speck in our eye.
i am in no position to judge others because i am imperfect.
how can i say others when i have flaws?
hmm.
i think regi did a good thing by deciding not to remind the class stuffs aldy.
ha.
since they dun appreciate them and take it for granted.
in our lives, we want others to give and rather we ourselves contributing.
forget it. shall end here.
since i am talking to a wall of my own.

2009-09-04T21:41:00.001+08:00

STEPS OUT OF ANGER

We all have to deal with anger. So, how can we resolve anger?

Here are five important steps to get out of the anger trap:

Step 1: SORT IT OUT

Try to understand why you are angry. Remember, there is a difference between the normal irritations in life and a persistent state of anger.

Step 2: COUNT THE COST

One of the predominant causes of divorce today is negative behavior such as unkind words, abuse and constant fighting. One psychologist says that an
angry confrontation can erase 20 acts of kindness. The point is, anger can cost us dearly if we do not keep it in check.

Step 3: LET IT OUT

Release your anger to God in prayer. Tell God how you feel. He can handle it. Then go talk about it with a friend. Or, even the person you're angry at, if you can do it constructively. Whatever you do, don't keep your anger
locked up in your heart. Repressed anger visits in a host of emotional and relational problems.

Step 4: SET LIMITS

That means to control your words and behavior. God tells us to get a grip on our tongues: "When words are many, sin is not absent. But he who keeps a tight rein on his tongue is wise" (Proverbs 10:19). Don't cross the line of
verbal or physical abuse no matter how frustrated you get. Don't justify or excuse such abusive behaviors.

Step 5: GIVE IT UP

As Christians, we do not have the right to remain angry. In Christ, we have given up that right. We surrender our anger to Him and forgive others as He has forgiven us. When we forgive, we are free indeed. Free from resentment, bitterness, and anger.

So, as we walk today through the mine field of relationships replete with misunderstandings, remember the word of God: "Be angry and sin not. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry" (Ephesians 4:26).

by Dr. David C. Cooper

2009-08-23T21:50:00.000+08:00

as i log in to my email inbox.
i saw two words that i want now.
'forget me'
thats probably why i want to stay out late.
i do not want to go home.
crudely, its just a place where there is a bed to lie and sleep on.
thst is precisely why i want to go a faraway place to study.

2009-08-21T19:23:00.001+08:00

THE EAGLE

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?
The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it.

The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above them.

God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. We can soar above the storm.

Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.

The Bible says, "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles." Isaiah 40:31

2009-08-11T22:18:00.001+08:00

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

There is none like You
No one else can touch my heart like You do
I could search for all eternity long
And find there is none like You

Your mercy flows like a river wide
And healing comes from Your hands
Suffering children are safe in Your arms
There is none like You.

2009-08-11T22:01:00.000+08:00

i am gonna dedicate this post to my darling CLAIRE!!!
ok la. not really dedicate.
but since she say i dun blog frequently nowadays, i must show her tt i will blog for her sake.
(seriously, i dunno what am i crapping right now :p)
ok.
ytd she pulled me out to run.
i thought just run outside punggol park one round can aldy.
but in the end run until my hse then to buangkok then to my home IMH. LOL
but most of the time i wasn't running la.
practically i was walking. brisk walking.
(have to convince myself that walking is also an intensive exercise)haha.
hmm.. lets see.
then we sort of got lost in hougang.
ok. not we, is SHE. haha.
we talk and talk and talk.
talk abt a lot of things actually.
and claire say i got a secret. which i think i know what she was referring to.
hmm. well, i think tt secret is invalid aldy la. haha
thanks to her, i get a chance to do a 'nice' workout. but i still prefer a gym though. haha.
taking a breath of fresh air everynow and then really make wonders.
i decided to run AFTER O LEVELS.
so for now i shall relax and fatten up myself. LOL

tmr is combined science prelim practical!
jiayou everybody!
i shall give you my moral support while i self study tmr! hehe.

2009-08-07T18:26:00.002+08:00

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

[Chorus:]
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

[Chorus:]
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Now I'm just rollin' home into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you

2009-08-05T22:13:00.000+08:00

yup. thats what i want.

2009-08-01T13:32:00.000+08:00