on laksa, life purpose, & lust of the flesh

today left office early, because have to travel to Yishun from Queentown to meet up my mentor for discipleship. Went with my fellow mentoree and we wanted to eat dinner at North Point shopping center, only to receive rude shock of renovation notice. then i suddenly remembered that my brother told me there's this famous laksa store at the coffeeshop nearby Yishun bus interchange. went there to try, but the soup stock was finished just went it came toi our turn to buy. So we tried the noodle store just next store. lucky they also had laksa. and it was not bad too. "hum zway zway" (lotsa cockles), "hum jio zway zway" (lotsa chilli). definitely going back next time ... :p

today's book-chapter was on life purpose. We are now doing Patrick Morly's . yea, basically what is the purpose of man in life? Have you ever wondered why are you on this earth? what is your purpose? so my mentor shared about what is a Godly man's chief end/purpose. It's taken from the 1st question of Westminster Shorter Catechism. That Man's chief end is to glorify God (1st Epistle of Corinthians, Chapter 10, verse 31, Book of Revealations Chapter 4 verse 11) and to enjoy him forever. (Book of Psalms, Psalm 73, verse 25-26). We also talk about what words we to leave behind on our tombstone. as in how we want people to remember us by, with reference to living out our life-verse from the Bible. It's not about merely leaving behind a legacy for its sake alone. It's about living in His will for us. For me, I've claimed my life verse in the first and greatest commandment of the Bible. To love God with all my heart, all my mind and all my soul. yes, it's vague, it's simple, it's a "what kinda life verse is dat?" life verse. hey, i'm just gonna believe this is the life verse for me now.

ah, after closing the study session. we went on a bit on sharing. somehow the topic got around to the topic of sexual temptation. It's pretty encouraging the temptations of the lust of the flesh and lust of the eyes are not peculiar to mine alone. The older men (ahem, with no disrespect to their age) were pretty open, how they were, and still are vulnerable to looking at women with the intent of lust. and not only because the women are promiscuos kind of trying to get into the one night stand. indeed those are the ones that are easier for outright rejection. Rather, it's the nice-girl kind that are the "nightmare", because harder to reject if they appraoch you mah. Heard from this brother how he used to work in Vietnam, and you have all the nice girls approaching him, passing him name cards with pictures of themselves. and how it is really easy to fall into lustful thoughts, as due to our fallen sinful nature. Again, the LORD is gracious, as He will provide a way out. as I was sharing with them, always flee from temptation to under the shadow of the Almighty's wings. For by ourselves, we are weak and will not stand up to the snares and temptations of the Evil One. but hey, with God as your "lao bei", your can shake and move mountains with a faith as small as a mustard seed...

ok, past 12.30am on April's fool day liao. gonna hit the sack soon. to part, here's a pic of laksa, for those unfamiliar with this great local culinary delight. + a pic of my fren's beautiful feline, taking her nap. EMPASIS: it's a her, can't you tell?!?!

In His Time (^^>) a-jack

“ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ”- Isaiah 53:5,6

 

on easter sunday, missionaries and baptism

"oh happy day"

those are the words that greeted us as we enter church for this morning. Today is the day the church celebrates Easter Sunday, the day the Lord Jesus is resurrected from the grave, 3 days after death on the cross by cruxification. I wrote in an earlier posting, asking why we call Good friday as it is. And this is my answer to that question. The fact that the Lord Jesus is risen from the dead, and leaving behind the empty tomb, points the way and answer. Many a times people have the misconception that Christianity is just another religion, teaching people to do good and live right. But the faith I have and the Jesus i know, tells me it's more than just that. The claims made by Jesus are unique. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me"*. Those are the words of Jesus. Either he's mad, or a meglomaniac, or he's really telling the truth about himslelf. Of which of the claims you are to believe about Jesus, you have to make a personal choice and believe for yourself. I pray to my God that you will make a choice soon. For all of us are living on borrowed time. You have only so much time on this earth. If you feel you are being caught up in the rat-race of life, scurrying here and there; or you are bored beyond reason, with nothing to look forward and look to in your life, I invite you all to pause and take stock. you just to take an hour of your life to ask yourself some simple questions about the claims of Jesus that he made about himself. Go to a church or talk to a christian. Dun be afraid of appearing strange or weird. I can tell ytou safely, no Christain will ever turn you away, if you really have the urge to know more about Jesus.

ok, transition to less "heavy stuff". today met up with Monty and Germaine and their 2 wonderful babies in church today. they are a couple on missionary training, and were invited to church by calvin. had a great time talking and sharing about their life, of particular interest was when Geermaine shared about how difficult for them to them to practice their faith in their home country, the US of A. Never occured to me that even to conduct bible study would present so much obstacles. I guess we should really give thanks to the Lord, for being able to practice our faith so openly here. while saying that, we should not take things for granted. and never to take the things given to us for granted. I really hope they will come back again this coming sunday, so that the rest of my friends can share in this couple's joy and passion for the Lord. oh, not to mention i also get to disturb the babies again. :D

witnessed the baptism ceremony of a fellow brother-in-christ in church today. sure bring back memories of my own baptism from 4 months back. The LORD has brought me through interesting times since then. I won't say all are good , and life is a bed of roses and happily ever after stuff. but there are pluses, and the multiplication, besides the minuses and divisions. ultimately, at the bottomline, the LORD gives and He takes away. I am more assuared through these 2 years back in my walk, then through my earlier eleven years "wandering in the desert". All things happen for a purpose, in His time and will. I'm just going along for the ride, but hey, with Jesus at the driver's seat, I'm not worried. for that is His promise to all who believes in Him.

"oh happy day"

*Gospel of John, Chapter 14 verse 6, New testament, the Bible (New International Version).

Glen Campbell - Oh Happy Day

: Oh happy day
Oh happy day :|
--
|: Oh happy day :|
Oh happy day

When Jesus washed
Oh when he washed
When Jesus washed
He washed my sins away!

|: Oh happy day
Oh happy day :|
--
|: Oh happy day :|
Oh happy day

When Jesus washed
Oh when he washed
When Jesus washed
He washed my sins away!

|: Oh happy day
Oh happy day :|
--
1. He taught me how
He taught me
Taught me how to watch
He taught me how to watch
and fight and pray
|: fight and pray :|
yes, fight and pray
--
2. And he'll rejoice
and He'll, and He'll
rejoice in things we say
and He'll rejoice
in things we say
|: things we say :|
yes, things we say
--
|: Oh happy day, Oh happy day
Oh happy day, Oh happy day
Oh happy day :|

Oh happy day

Oh happy day, Oh happy day
When Jesus washed
Oh when he washed
He washed my sins away

He tought me how
to watch, fight and pray
fight and pray

Oh happy day, Oh happy day
When Jesus washed
Oh when he washed
He washed my sins away

We´ll live rejoicing
ev´ry day, ev´ry day

Oh happy day, Oh happy day
When Jesus washed
Oh when he washed
He washed my sins away

Emily's farewell + lou hei at Alice's

HIgherPraise Official Site - Praise And Worship Lyrics, Christian Lyrics

http://www.higherpraise.com

"Once Again" Lyrics (Praise and Worship)

Once Again

D A G D/F# Jesus Christ, I think upon Your sacrifice G D/F# G A You became nothing, poured out to death D A G D/F# Many times I've wondered at Your gift of life G A D And I'm in that place once again G A D I'm in that place once again D D2/F# G A And once again I look upon the cross where You died D D2/F# G A I'm humbled by Your mercy and I'm broken inside Bm G Once again I thank You Bm A G A D Once again I pour out my life D A G D Now You are exalted to the highest place G D G A King of the heavens, where one day I'll bow D A G D But for now, I marvel at Your saving grace G A D And I'm full of praise once again G A D I'm full of praise once again G A Thank You for the cross G D/F# Thank You for the cross G A D Thank You for the cross, my Friend ©1995 Kingsway's Thankyou Music Words and Music by Matt Redman   from http://www.higherpraise.com/lyrics1/7_OnceAgain.htm

SpongeBob SquarePants

Rating:	★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Animation

sigh, much as i would hate to disappoint the spongbob fans out there, this film sucks. not as quirky as the cartoon series. nuff said. as my friend rightly pointed out, the truly outstanding momentsis when we hear "My eyes! argh!! my eyes!!!!"

link:http://www.nick.com/all_nick/movies/spongebob/

Swing Girls (japanese)

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Foreign

Girls meet Jazz! Another heartwarming film by Shinobu Yaguchi (the guy who gave us . As a reviewer puts it, another "zero-to-hero" film. Quite hard to believe how a bunch of people can master big band swing in less than 6 months. But I guess students have all the time in the world. Ahhh, the joy of youth, the exuberance of new found passion in young people.

As usual, you won't find lack of quirky characters in the Yaguchi work. I personally like the 2 heavy-metal-turned-SNAG-folk singers. Very comical. the crtical crtics may find this film too full of card-board characters, re-iminiscient of the characters from . Nonetheless, it's good for some easy-going relaxation. Go catch this film before it ends its run.

Links:http://www.swinggirls.jp/index.html

vista point BBQ

thanks to Jared for posting the pics

on BBQ, racial purity and Good Friday

yesterday went to Woodlands Vista park for BBQ. Our area-pastor organise a BBQ cum potluck at Vista park, for the people in the covenant groups to come together to fellowship and "fei-lou=ship" together. Indeed it was a time of much fun and joy together. the "kids" (20 something men" had a lot of fun, playing soccer and starting the charcoal fire. oh, the children also had much fun too, playing in the park playground and running about. of course we did not just go there to eat only. we also walked around the vinicity, praying for the land. it's really encouraging to see fellow brothers and sisters gather in prayer.

Just read an article in the papers just now. some writer was commenting on a remark by an undergraduate at a university forum. something about how seeing couples of opposite races holding hands giving him the creeps. plus some funny comments about racial purity. indeed it is worrying, to see how our future leaders can think that way. of course i am using one bamboo pole to overturn the whole boat. but I don't think race should be a consideration when it comes to choosing ur future partner. There are much more important considerations. of course, if one comes from a background whereby maintaining "racial purity" is of the utmost importance, you can make it your personal criteria. But do not impose your biased-ness to others. ultimately, that's the crux of the issue, as I would see it.

today is good friday. ever winder why it is good friday? wat makes it so good about good friday? for the overworked majority of us, good friday probably just means another long weekend. but have you ever wondered why it comes to be celebrated in the first place? fot the cynical, they would probably think us nutcases for celebrating the death of a man, condemned to cruxification on a cross, which happened so long ago. but that's only one side of the story... I invite these cynical people to ask their christian friends to tell them the other half of the story. so that they may know wat is so good about good friday.

 

 

pictures taken yesterday

Judos to Tienhong aka Jared for the pictures.

on lor-mee, birthday gifts and yakitori....

had a full day yesterday. Morning went out with some friends to Tiong bahru temporary market for breakfast. For a temporary marketplace (the old is undergoing renovation/"upgrading" right now), it has a pretty permanent feel to it. but i tell you, the food is absolutely fantastic! Go there of course must try the tiong bahru "chwee kway". eh, standard has dropped a bit, in my opinion. but still, can beat the ones in my woodlands area. waaa, but the "lor mee" which my friend recommend to me is the best. absolutely "sedap". must order the $3 variety, with the extra fried fish nuggets and crispy bits. :p~~

after that, went shopping with friend at a christian bookstore for his bible. had a great time wandering among the shelves, just browsing through the titles. oh, my friends decided to get me a book FOC to me, as it was my birthday yesterday. was actually tempted to get those big big concordances, or books on church history. but those are quite expensive books. decided not to "tax" my freinds too much on their purse. what goes around, comes around. :p managed to find a nice little book on Westminster Catechism. also bought for myslef 2 mucis cds, quite intriguing titles. Don't know, just don't seem congruent. when i think of lounging, i think of sitting on the sofa and listening to jazz pieces, chillin' out. never occured to me to use that setting for christian worship songs. haven't listen to them yet. will post my reviews later...

Evening went out with dinner with my army buddy. Had a great yakitori dinner at Tamako. My buddy, being his carnivore self, refuses to touch the kimuchi and the potato saladwhich i ordered. hehehhe, his loss and my gain. we also had yakitori chicken, beef, chicken skin, chicken gizzard, pork belly, pork wrapped around mushroom, quails' egg. basically very satisfying dinner :p

argh, can't find online pics of "chwee kway" and "lor mee". think i post this beautihoo pic of mt sinai instead (from http://www.chrisosullivan.com/mtsinai.html). Gotta go church liao. Enjoy sabbath!

on IPPT, running and public transport

argh, just failed my IPPT ... AGAIN. "sianz", seems like i'm destinied to go for Remedial Training (RT) liao.ah wel, just treat it as cheapo gym training. as my cell group member puts it, basically i WEAK ah. not only physically, but mentally as well. if i have taken the effort to start training from 3 months ago, maybe ah, just maybe i still got chance ah.

so Moral #1: Start training early, dun procastinate.

oh, one of the items which I did not/cannot make it during the test is running the 2.4km run. (a bit redundant, but "ang mor" language is like that what, walking the walk, talking the talk) I'm absolutely detest running. never did like it, as a sport. always prefer swimming to jogging. again, it's all in the head. dats why i always "liap bo kiu" (catch no ball) when Paul writes in Galations 5:7-8

"You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you."

cos i dun have the runner's mentality la. basiaclly no determination to run la. anyway, body still aching from today's ordeal. gotta go rest
. maybe start my running regime tomolo...

Moral # 2: Running can be fun (right...)

oh, one last thing, It took me 1 and a half hour to reach home after my test. considering it's only from Bukit Timah to Woodlands, dats super ridiculous. argh, thanksfully got wunderfool mama's cooking waiting for me at home...

Moral # 3: Get you own private transport!

ok, gotta log off liao. maybe i'll dream of swimming in the waterfile in my picture...

wallyami's wedding

one fine saturday, a great event took place...

on a smoky sunday night...

ahahahah, my friend said my yesterday's posting very "self-existentialistic". dunno what she really meant by dat. went back to re-read my entry, then do realise it's a bit too focused on the SELF. so tonight i will not talk about myself so much. :D

Been doing follow-up with a close friend who just accepted Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour. Really give thanks to God for allowing me the opportunity to do do this, as a chance to revisit my own foundation. furthermore, am encouraged by my friend's response, as he shows advanced understanding. maybe i should consider more advanced materials. *rub hands and snigger*

on another note, had great fun giving flyers for the church Good Friday/Easter Sunday movie event today. Well, responses not as "good" as the Chinese New Year event. But still was heartening to see familiar faces opening up their doors to welcome us and talk to us. oh, plus today we had a "power piak" power puff 7-year old girl in our midst. i tell you, there's nothinhg like having a young kid to show one how aged we have become in terms of energy level.while we were trudging along in the heat, this littlle girl just runs on ahead, crying cheerfully "Lets go next level!"

argh, drowning in smoke. the haze is back. Bway ta han ah! go read through the Picture Bible liao...

on a boring saturday afternoon...

realised i've been neglecting this website for a while. not that i was really into blogging anyway. just treat this as a spare-time hobby. ;p

life's been full of ups and down lately. some of my closer friends are going through ups and downs, both in their work and love life.

guess poeple are struggling to find meaning in their work. I myself faces that problem. what's the point of spending 1/3 to 1/2 your waking hours in a job, for the sake of money? of course, not everyone born with a silver ( or platinium) spoon in his or hers mouth, so not everyone can be an "ah sia kia". (translated from Hokkein dialect, means "rich man's child") for me, i also fall into the money trap thingie. thinks that more money will make me be a happier person...

but the past few months, the LORD has shown me stuff about myself at work. I've come to realise that money is not EVERYTHING (as cliche as that might sounds). it's more important to find meaning in what you do. if you can even derive a pleasure and satisfaction from the meanest and lowliest of jobs, then you will be a much happier person than one who earns millions with a gruding and dispirited heart.

on the matter of the heart, I can't say i'm qualified to give my friends advice. never had a single relationship in my life. My friends find that amazing. queer even. some of them ask me whether i'm gay or not. to which i just shrug it off. yes, i do get urges and temptations of teh flesh, blah blah blah. but that dun mean i have to go hook up wid gers just to show dat i'm "normal" what. I guess like wat some of my friends say, my standards are too high la. still, i'm seriously think i am not ready for a relationship of any sort, until i learn to like myself better, and to love God better.

ok, my lunch almost digested through. time to go for my relaxing swim.

Robots

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Animation

hahaha, can't stop laughing through this show from start to end. Another one of those animation film for the avid movie buffs. watch out for plenty of reference to past movies (like Braveheart) to popular poop culture (wrestling and Britney Spear's "Hit me baby, one more time") Did not know why one of the local critics slam in it in the local papers' review. For crying out loud, it's only a children's animation show, not some artsy-fartsy literature film. i wish i can just make the armpit-farting sound to that review... Must watch!!!

Howl's Moving Castle (Hauru no Ugoku Shiro)

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Animation

It's pretty different from the book it's based upon. But still brings out the wonders and thrills of the fantasy world of Ingary. Hayao Miyazaki has done a wonderful job of adapting the animation form the children's story book of the same title (written by Diana Wynne Jones.) Better go watch it before it ends its run!

For more info, goto
http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/howl/

Easter Friday Movie

Start:	Mar 25, '05 7:00p
End:	Mar 25, '05 10:00p
Location:	CEFC

My Bird Day

Start:	Mar 19, '05 12:00a
End:	Mar 20, '05 12:45a

woo hoo. another year flew past again!