Through my kaleidoscope

Adobe Photoshop Makeup Parody

2012-01-19T23:47:00.000+08:00

2012-01-17T13:35:00.002+08:00

Thoughts on Reluctant Entrepreneurship | Stanford Social Innovation Review

2012-01-17T10:41:00.000+08:00

Thoughts on Reluctant Entrepreneurship | Stanford Social Innovation Review

Contradictory impulses of mankind

2012-01-16T17:25:00.000+08:00

"...most humans have two contradictory impulses: we love and need one another, yet we crave privacy and autonomy…"

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/the-rise-of-the-new-groupthink.html

OPINION

The Rise of the New Groupthink

By SUSAN CAIN

Published: January 13, 2012

Collaboration is in. But it may not be conducive to creativity.

God loves me and that's all I need to know.

2011-12-24T00:16:00.001+08:00

Europe 2011

2011-12-20T02:56:00.001+08:00

winter in paris

christmas market in zurich

zurich

victory monument @paris

a cuppa hot wine

the legendary neuchwenstein castle

ddr museum

hb @munich

filmhaus @berlin

my neighbor on the train

berlin government hall

berlin wall

the iconic eiffel

romerberg@ frankfurt

Add caption

buskers at romerberg frankfurt

snowman

an architectural wonder- jewish museum @berlin

berlin

i think this is frankfurt..:P

nightscene in zurich

Notre Dame, Paris

2011-12-14T15:31:00.001+08:00

Jewish museum in Berlin

2011-12-14T15:21:00.001+08:00

City of love

2011-12-11T00:15:00.001+08:00

Nearly 100 Fantastic Pieces of Journalism - The Atlantic

2011-11-29T01:31:00.000+08:00

Nearly 100 Fantastic Pieces of Journalism - The Atlantic

one day on earth

2011-11-29T01:21:00.001+08:00

Lord, you are near.

2011-11-27T22:59:00.001+08:00

was 10 mins late into chinese service today. the first word uttered by the worship leader was from 1John 4:19 "We love because He first loved us". the very word I have been meditating upon for the past week..
the last song was sung, it was:

你的恩典不离开
耶稣我赞美祢
拯救我脱离一切黑暗
我呼求祢的时候
祢使我心中力量再次刚强起来

耶稣，耶稣，耶稣，耶稣  
狂风暴雨巨浪中  
祢的恩典不离开

祢是我盼望，我唯一的最爱

This was the very song I have been humming for the past week..
Thank you Lord for the amazing encounter, to remind me that you are near, and "you search me and you know me, before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely."(Ps 139)

Lord, you are near, and you have never left..

"Life is about how you value others and how others value you..."

2011-11-26T16:41:00.001+08:00

Another look into.. Discipline

2011-11-23T20:37:00.001+08:00

1. Discipline is the obligation of relationship. This is discipline at its core.
2. For discipline to work, there must be the pleasure of connection.
3. Discipline works best in a culture of expectation.
4. Discipline is a process, not an instant success.

we love because He first loved us

2011-11-22T10:02:00.001+08:00

today's devotional passage: Lev 19:13-22

it is interesting to see that the title of the devotional passage as basis of the Law, and the passage is on how we love our neighbour as ourselves. truly, the bible can be summed up into 2 commandments, love God, and love your neighbour as ourselves. the passage discusses on how we ought to treat our neighbour and maintain good relationship with them. we cannot love God and hate our neighbour.

this message goes in line with the message bill hybel brought, on Colossians 4:2-6 "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ³ And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ⁴ Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. ⁵ Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ⁶ Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

The Lord has extreme amount of love (to the extent that it cost Him His own life) and compassion towards the people who do not know Him and strayed away from Him. He is constantly reaching to His people. He does so through the people who know Him and have tasted His goodness. Do i feel the same way towards the people who have left the flock? how do i really feel towards the people in need? if i'm growing with the Lord, i ought to be feeling how He feels.

even for paul who was in chains, he reminded the colossians church pray for him for God to open a door for the message to proclaim the mystery of Christ. and that we ought to check our conversation to be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.

thank you Lord, you reminded us that we are not to strive in our walk with you. we are not to strive in our journey in loving others.

1John 4:19 "We love because He first loved us"

to me, the bible can be summed up into 3 statements:

1. God first loved us

2. Love God

3. Love our neighbour as ourselves.

we dont love out of a vacuum in our hearts, but we love with a heart first filled with God's love.

rekindle the first love we received, remind us of your great love for each of us, is a message of love that we are sharing and we must first understand and transformed by this love in our lives.

thank you for your love, Lord.

if you want to walk on water, you have to get out of your boat.

2011-11-21T13:09:00.001+08:00

if you want to walk on water, you have to get out of your boat.

It was an experience of living out the very message.
walking on water.
thank you Lord for the opportunity.
it was simply a mission impossible. but you are "I-M-POSSIBLE"
that was an answered prayer. you remembered that little prayer uttered long time ago.
it was more heartening to see people rallying behind me to support, to pray and to give encouragements.
when ps B worked through the night, jj lost sleep to be there, ps FL, HS woke up at 2am to pray.
ps FL's precious tears when she remembered God's goodness in my life through these years.
wow.
it was a breakthru.
breakthru of faith for me. breakthru of knowing that without Jesus it is impossible.
its time i look not in what i cannot do, but what Jesus can do.
its time i look not on the issues, problems, limitations, but on the possibilities and the potentials
its time i look not on the waters, nor the boat, nor the storm but Jesus.

what do i set my eyes on.
myself? my circumstances? my resources?
time to fix those eyes on Jesus.

who has been waiting there on the waters for me
here i come, Lord.

when the game is over, it all goes back in the box

2011-11-18T20:03:00.001+08:00

few lessons i learnt from the book by john ortberg "when the game is over, it all goes back in the box"

like what the title says. it all goes back to the box. we will meet out box one day. be it big one, small one, gold-plated or diamond-rimmed.. one day it will be over. spend our life in things that have eternal value.
temporary, temporary.. all are temporary. our possessions, our resumes, our body, our money, pleasures, other ppl's opinions of me, security, titles, youthfulness, power, physical attractiveness all are temporal. what are not? God, souls, love.. invest in those with eternal value.
dangers of upward comparison, lateral comparison and downward comparison are envy, competition and arrogance respectively
Jesus' story isnt somebody climbing up a ladder, its a picture of coming down- a series of demotions.
master the inner game. "the inner you, is capable of a glory that right now you cannot even imagine"
Some practical scales/mirrors we need to master our inner game:

self examination and confession
friends who love you enough to speak the truth to you
time to be alone and listen to God
examination of your calendar and checkbook
key qns:

how easily discouraged do i get these days?
how easily irritated am i compared to six months ago?

attention to your secret thought life

what is your mind drawn towards- really?
where do envy/blaming/judging/lusting rob your inner person of life and joy?

silence can be deafening

2011-11-18T19:51:00.003+08:00

hello. its been long. i think there shouldnt be anybody reading this.
but i think its still important for me to jot down my thoughts. its been a couple of months since my last post.
many things happened. miracles. stories. tragedies.
coming back to my blog brings along some memories that are difficult to bear..
guess i just have to face it..

Lord. teach me how to love. teach me how to care. teach me how to be who you want me to be.
Lord. i'm sorry for the things i have done. or not done. or spoken. or kept silent...

sometimes silence can be even more deafening.
Lord. teach me when to speak and when to be silent.
cos it can be as important as life and death.

省思之一

2011-08-04T09:35:00.001+08:00

课程重点

向蚂蚁学习
• 蚂蚁十足地发挥自己的潜能。蚂蚁是很强壮的。
o 箴言30:25 蚂蚁是无力之类，却在夏天预备粮食。
o 箴言6:6 懒惰人哪，你去察看蚂蚁的动作，就可得智慧。 6:7 蚂蚁没有元帅，没有官长，没有君王， 6:8 尚且在夏天预备食物，在收割时聚敛粮食。箴言6:9 懒惰人哪，你要睡到几时呢？你何时睡醒呢？ 6:10 再睡片时，打盹片时，抱着手躺卧片时， 6:11 你的贫穷就必如强盗速来，你的缺乏仿佛拿兵器的人来到。

• 蚂蚁十分的勤奋。勤奋是接受每项工作如同主所委派并尽力的去做.
o 箴言 10:4 手懒的要受贫穷。手勤的却要富足。
o 箴言 12:24 殷勤人的手必掌权。懒惰的人必服苦。
• 因为蚂蚁生命的短暂（45－60天），蚂蚁懂得把握每一天。把所有的事情都做的尽善尽美。

信心

• 向圣经人物－但以理学习
o 但以理书 6：10 但以理知道这禁令盖了玉玺，就到自己家里（他楼上的窗户开向耶路撒冷），一日三次，双膝跪在他神面前，祷告感谢，与素常一样。
o 但以理是非常有自律性的一个人。我们的生命在于我们每一天在思想与做的事情。我们的习惯会改变我们的生命。

学习心得

在虔诚人的性格这门课中，更让我体会其实生活中有许多不起眼的小节是能教导我们人生的道理。蚂蚁就是最好的例子。蚂蚁虽然显得十分微不足道但是小小的蚂蚁对生命的态度和它们的精神是非常值得学习的。如果我们没有停下来去花时间体会大自然内存的真理，我们可能就会错失了宝贵的功课。导师为我们讲解了许多关于如何向蚂蚁学习的重点。其中，令我最为深刻的两个重要事实就是蚂蚁能够背起多它50倍重量的东西和蚂蚁只有45－60天短短的寿命。
首先，蚂蚁能够提起比它重50倍东西。从这个例子，我能理解生命中的一个原则。我是不能以世俗的眼光来看待任何人的或事物的。因为“耶和华说：我的意念非同你们的意念；我的道路非同你们的道路。天怎样高过地，照样，我的道路高过你们的道路；我的意念高过你们的意念。”以赛亚书55：8－9。上帝的意念是高过我们的意念。世俗是看外表，但上帝是看内心。在看待蚂蚁的时候，我潜移默化中会以“鄙视”的眼光来看待这些“肮脏”的小昆虫。甚至在于看待周遭的人方面，我要悔改的是有时我会以“以貌取人”的态度去论断他人的这种负面思想。蚂蚁的潜能是大大被人们忽视的，蚂蚁却没有忽视自己的潜能。我必须要向学习蚂蚁的，首先，是不忽视他人或自己的潜能，并且时常鉴察自己、评估自己是否有好好栽培或发挥神所给予我的恩赐。

另一点是讲到蚂蚁对每一个时刻的重视与珍惜。蚂蚁的勤奋是值得一提得。能活着的每一天都是上帝的恩典。如果没有爱惜时光就是浪费生命。箴言 12:24 殷勤人的手必掌权。懒惰的人必服苦。我要为自己在时间上无自律性、无原则性、无目标性的草率安排而悔改。我必须学习如何不让其别人或琐事来掌控我时间。我必须学习珍惜每一刻，把宝贵的时间追求造就自己（以与人共处或看书的方式）和造就别人，成为别人的祝福。

最后，通过但以理的好榜样，圣灵再次光照了我生命中的一个很大的弊病－就是缺乏自律。但以理书 6：10 但以理知道这禁令盖了玉玺，就到自己家里（他楼上的窗户开向耶路撒冷），一日三次，双膝跪在他神面前，祷告感谢，与素常一样。像但以理与“素常一样”的天天像神求告支取力量，我是否有天天向神支取我每一天
所需的力量和吗哪呢？我必须要注意的是我每一天所做的每一件事和我的所培养的习惯。因为我也学习到一个人的习惯会塑造一个人的品格，而一个人成功的秘诀就是在于他的品格。

我在圣经学院，其中一个省思。。

2011-07-23T02:32:00.000+08:00

1. 教会不是建筑物、教会是耶稣的“肢体”
很多时候，我们常把教会当作一个“建筑物”，陷入一种规定试地把每星期天上教会当成一个信仰的宗教仪式。我体会到教会神活在的群体当中。鉴察我们在小组与人之间的关系是非常重要的，因为这能让我们检讨与激励我们与神保持密切的关系。而且肢体也代表每一个部位及功能是连接的而一个部位的失调会大大地影响其他的部位的操作。总的来说，就是要以群体为主，在小组，肢体代表我们对彼此的依赖性和扶持性。一个人只要得罪了群体，也就是不尊重彼此。

2. 神创造人居住在群体中，反映了他的本性
神按照他的面造我们，他的本性就是一个关系化的活物，所以我们不能孤立独处。我们和神的关系居大部分在于我们与人的关系是否和好。 “爱人如己”是圣经的第一条规。我学习到我们爱神一种表态就是爱人。小组的成长也在于组员是否爱彼此，因为圣经说彼此相爱能够让别人看见教会的合一，“吸引”别人进入基督的群体里。我是否有以行动来表达我与其他组员彼此相爱呢？我是否有时和组员只是肤浅的问候，没有出自于真诚关切的心。我悔改。

3. 圣经中的教会生活模式
新约的教会模式是很值得学习的。在使徒行传2：42－46就有提起很多小组应有的特质，如诚实用饭、同心合一、彼此相同、恒心遵守等等。有一些特质如凡物公用代表当时的教会对彼此的信任度是极大的。我认为现在的小组缺乏了这种无私的精神，而且生活的忙碌导致我们小组的成员彼此之间的感情淡化、肤浅。其实，多一句的问候、多一个人主动建立关系这种彼此相爱的动力是有感染力的。我觉得把小组生活融入自己生活的一大部分，时常利用时间来建立关系首先需要一颗愿意的心，二是一个决心。我觉得现在我存在的小组生活距离新约的教会模式太远了。主啊，求你赐我这一个愿意以及决心。好叫我不总是那个被动的人，我就你给我力量做一个主动地去爱的人，这来自上帝的“爱”，祈求上帝你去影响别人便促进小组成员之间的感情。

assumptions are stifling

2011-07-22T22:56:00.003+08:00

assumptions.
the act of taking for granted. the act of supposing something which might not be verified or confirmed. assumptions are stifling.
assumptions happen when i think i am right about something or someone..assumptions happen when i think i uphold certain value that precedes that of others..assumptions lead me to embark into a vicious cycle, a cycle of "self-fulfilling" prophecies.. assumptions cause me to live, behave and interact in a particular way so that my assumptions can prove themselves right...

the more i live in my assumptions, i realised the more i am living in pride, in selfishness, in solidarity.
have there been moments when i was compelled to do something, talk to someone, initiate a message but my assumptions get in the way?
i could have been more bold, more connected, more satisfied then, if i were to not allow assumptions to hinder.

in everything, "challenge your assumptions"..as cliche as it might sounds, i realised how true and important this can be.
the more i start to bring down my walls, my defenses, my masks, the more i discover that people are less busy than i thought, more people are in need that i thought, many people are more sociable than i thought..

taking a baby step can make a lot of difference. you and me did that before we could start to walk.
ok. communicate more. do more. assume less.

i think my life is going to get much better.

Proverbs 16:32

2011-06-18T23:46:00.000+08:00

Better a patient person than a warrior,
one with self-control than one who takes a city.

Proverbs 14:30

2011-06-18T23:44:00.000+08:00

"A heart at peace gives life to the body,
but envy rots the bones."
Proverbs 14:30

be still and wait for the Lord.

2011-04-04T14:58:00.002+08:00

"Lord, i want to know your purpose for my life"
"I am always with you"
"Why can't I hear from you, Lord"
"I am always with you"
"Lord, then why Lord, why can't I hear from you, Lord"
"I am always with you, have you not heard? have you not seen me?"
"Lord, no Lord, I can't hear and can't see you.."
"you will hear and see me if you truly want to, but you have not."
"Teach me how Lord"
"be still and wait for me. i will show you.I am always with you my precious."

2011-03-19T11:44:00.002+08:00

thank you for having patience in me.

Have I lost my dream?

2011-03-18T17:28:00.001+08:00

Have I lost a dream? Have I live as if live dying? Where has my passion gone to? What have i been doing with my life?

Turtles

2010-12-30T00:39:00.000+08:00

A turtle family went on a picnic. The turtles, being naturally slow
about things, took seven years to prepare for their outings. Finally
the turtle family left home looking for a suitable place.

During the second year of their journey they found it. For about six
months, they cleaned up the area, unpacked the picnic basket and
completed the arrangements. Then they discovered they had forgotten the
salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed. After
a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the
salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving
turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell. He
agreed to go on one condition: that no one would eat until he
returned.

The family consented and the little turtle left.

Three years passed and the little turtle had not returned. Five
years...six years...then in the seventh year of his absence, the oldest
turtle could no longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was
going to eat and began to unwrap a sandwich.

At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree
shouting, SEE I knew you wouldn't wait. Now I am not going to go get
the salt.

Design for (Real) Social Impact

2010-12-03T13:59:00.001+08:00

Kevin Starr at IIT Design Research Conference 2010 from IIT Institute of Design on Vimeo.

two is better than one

2010-10-11T15:18:00.006+08:00

"I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

solemn vows uttered. tears of joy trickled. applause of blessings and cheers sounded.

another weekend filled with heartfelt warmth and love. another dear friend and sister in Christ tied the knot with a fine young man. another wonderful opportunity to be part of the proceedings.

marriage, marks the beginning of a new journey, a journey taken not not by one but two, but two entities to be united as one, in synced and aligned.

did the chinese translation of Ps William's sermon, entitled 'Two is better than one", and below is a copy of it.i was blessed by the process of translation, and i hope you will be blessed too.

two is better than one.

传道书4：9-12

⁹两个人总比一个人好，因为二人劳碌同得美好的果效。

¹⁰ 若是跌倒，这人可以扶起他的同伴；若是孤身跌倒，没有别人扶起他来，这人就有祸了。

¹¹ 再者，二人同睡就都暖和，一人独睡怎能暖和呢？

¹² 有人攻胜孤身一人，若有二人便能敌挡他；三股合成的绳子不容易折断。

为什么两个人总比一个人好呢？牧师借着圣经所说的，提起三种原因：

第一：两 个人比一个人好，因为二人劳碌 会共同 得到美好的果效

日华身为一个银行家，肯定了解什么是好利刃、好收成、好果效。从今天起，你们要开始为彼此着想，不论是在什么方面，尤其是在做重要抉择的时候。没有为彼此的利益着想所做出来的决定，是不会得到好果效的。

第二：两 个人比一个人好，因为二人同睡就都暖和了

唯一能保持内心的热忱， 而不让生活的烦恼或失望而击倒，两个人要互相陪伴互相扶持。人总有失落的时候，若一个跌倒了，另一个就能扶他起来。两个人比一个人好，夫妻就必须守候在彼此身边给予关怀，关爱。

第三：两 个人比一个人好 ，因为两人 便共同 能敌挡他人

要如何抵挡恶者的攻击和试探呢？我们就得谨慎守护彼此，互相照顾和互相保护。我们要彻毁撒旦想要分隔我们的种种计谋，所以最有效的策略是，团结互助，相辅而行。只要我们不断地守护着彼此和与上帝一起共同并行，我们接下来的路，是会受到保护。

最后，祝福你们在新的旅程能永结同心，事事能享受好果效，从彼此和上帝而来的温暖和庇护能充满你们生命的每一天。

Quiet time

2010-10-04T15:48:00.005+08:00

Quiet time.
"A time carved out from our normal pace and tasks of everyday life. It is a time for you to centre on God, to become calm, to reflect, to pray. It is time to renew." (source: Living Life Journal (Oct Issue)

whenever i start to blog, its my form of quiet time with God, reflecting and expressing myself to God through words. To start blogging again is a much-needed habit, cos it forces me to journal my thoughts and emotions, and the learning from different experiences of the day. today, as i opened my living life hoping to enter into a time of 'quietness', the above quote strucked me to ponder about the concept of 'quiet time'. I know like all good leaders would encourage cell members to have thier regular quiet time, a time dedicated to God, so that we can get in touch with God.

to be honest, i often find it difficult to enter into a time of 'quiet time'...my mind, my heart and my thoughts within me do not seem to be able to find that 'quietness' i seek for, most of the time, i will rationalised of my speed-reading of a few verses or read off living life under 5 mins as 'quiet time' done. I am totally deceived.

believe that all of us are educated of the lists of benefits of having regular/daily quiet time, how we will be renewed, refreshed, recharged by God.. but instead of saying how much we can benefit from being disciplined in quiet time, we should look into the focus of the time set aside for, the focus should be God not us.

though i might not have uttered to God, but God knows that i am often impatient with my time with Him, constantly seeking for on-the-spot miraculous encounter, instant rhema word and revelation, immediate answer to my prayers.. Lord, i repent.

"quiet time, how can it benefit me, myself and I!" my hedonistic and prideful self often reign and ruin my rational mind..

this moment, as i am writing these words, my pride is confronted with God's overwhelming grace and mercy towards me.

"Why don't you want to hear my heart?"
"I have many things to tell you, but why are you always busy..?"
"Why can't you be true to yourself and tell me all your cares and worries, for I have bore them all for you".
says the Lord.

I'm sorry, Lord.
I can do nothing without you.

its all about you, Lord.

2010-09-28T15:37:00.004+08:00

since i have been posted a challenge to write a blog post a week. I shall get my acts together.
always be reminded that i should not write for the sake of writing. hmm.. what should i write today?
now, am mugging...yes mugging at ADM (Arts, Design, Media) library of NTU, 3.38pm in the afternoon..first time here to check out the library. nice & classy interior, artsy photographs hanging on the lime green wall with arty farty ppl around wearing big ear-rings and bangles..feeling a different "sophistication"here....
so thankful to be student again..love the freedom a student possesses; take a plunge at the swimming pool, library visitings as and when i like to.. explore the different canteens.. reliving my NUS days and feeling young again (by being amongst youngsters..). its simply-nice.

4 weeks into my 1st school term, i'm experiencing mixed feelings. freedom and youthfulness again, amidst very hectic and tiresome routines i have to put up with.. travelling down to campus from work takes 1.5 hours. and going back from school to the east takes another 1.5 hour. the readings are piling, and my work load is not lessening either..day in day out, am running after time, keeping up with time, sometimes, or most of the time tighted up with time as well... i find myself not having much time for quiet reflection and quiet time of seeking God... with that also find that my happiness quotient is affected...

so what if i have a masters degree? will that make me a happier person? so what if i get a better paying job? will that satisfy me? am confronted with these questions again...am pondering about "happiness" and revisiting what pastor preached on one sunday, that "we CAN be happy".
He said, a pure heart is directly related to happiness. it strucked me.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matt 5:8. Therefore it also meant that if we see God, we will experience happiness. how then do we see God? those with a pure heart shall see God.

isnt everyone around us trying to find happiness? arent we trying to work hard toward a life of joy? dont we all want to be truly joyful?

a pure heart is what i seek.

A friend

2010-09-24T12:17:00.000+08:00

Very pleasant meet up indeed, on Tuesday this week with someone who has been very special to me. She initiated a meet up around my office to ensure my convenience, despite not knowing how to get around. She used to not speak so much. She used to not smile so much. She used to not joke so much as well. Yes, the phase “used to” is emphasized. (Disclaimer: the word “so much” is emphasized too.) Much change have been seen in her, and it’s such a happy thing to see her exudes such joy and love wherever she is.

“The joy of the Lord is my strength” Neh 8:10, her life exemplify this verse perfectly. What’s our focus? The sugar-coated donut or the hole in the centre? When we fix our eyes upon the Lord, troubles and difficulties seem to pale in comparison. When we focus on what the Lord has called us to do, all other things in life seem to be less important. When we look into the interests of others before self, our problems seem to diminish. Life’s a paradox. Our God is a God of paradox. If we could shift our paradigm to constantly question ourselves on “how can I be blessing to others?” instead of “how can I be blessed?”, you will be surprised to see many blessings coming your way.

Everyone needs encouragement. Its so good to see one’s faith rubbing on to another.
Her faith has rubbed on to mine, and has created a spark in me, to remind me that it just takes a little act of kindness to make another person’s day.

Thanks Yvette. You are a blessing.

perfection

2010-08-11T01:49:00.001+08:00

i have been thinking about this word.

Be perfect for He is perfect. Is “perfection” a destination we can arrived at? I often ‘counsel’ myself or others, that nobody’s perfect, this piece of advice somehow would make me feel better about myself, that hey, everyone makes mistake and its ok, to make mistakes as well. Well, no qualms about that, but if the Lord’s command is ‘perfection’ for us all, isn’t ‘perfection’ therefore not an impossible task or an unreachable goal? do we then condemn or feel inferior about ourselves if we make mistakes? His discipline and wrath is real, more so, His grace is also real and abounding, grasping His discipline and mercy/grace is a constant lesson to be learnt. So yes, what’s the point now about perfection? being perfect is an attitude, a way of living and thinking. Who determines perfection? of course, only He is able, as He is the yardstick, the sole determinant factor. perfection is not for us to conclude. endearing an attitude towards perfection with each task assigned and each role given, only one way we can move towards- growth.

perfection is a journey, not an aimless one, but more so, an endless one.

i remembered Confucius said, ‘it does not matter how long it takes, as long as you do not stop. .’

random update after a long time…

2010-08-11T00:29:00.001+08:00

Hello, wow. its been really long time since i last blogged. i bet you must have been really disappointed in me, seeing no new updated everytime you visit here! my bad! here’s trying out another software (Windows Live Writer) to update my blog.

so here am i. Blah Blah Blah..testing 123.

anyway, to update u guys, life is gonna have a turn around this season. Sch is starting on 30 Aug, driving test on the 6 Sept, might be travelling on the 11 Sept.

so many changes. but one thing certain. God is in control.

in the season of 40-dof, am glad that this journey of operating by faith, the object of our faith is the dependable big God!

2010-06-29T14:29:00.001+08:00

Sgp Youth Lifebook (Ii) Print

2010-06-03T12:46:00.001+08:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Sgp Youth Lifebook (Ii) Print

View more documents from Dinah Saw.

Babies

2010-04-13T10:18:00.002+08:00

A laid-back afternoon with a shot of expresso

2010-03-11T18:18:00.000+08:00

Void deck

2010-02-27T22:39:00.002+08:00

Took another few pics while walking back home yesterday..

Void decks are not too void afterall.

Iphone photo uploads

2010-02-25T19:59:00.002+08:00

Interesting to see how ppl actually appreciate shots of randomness. Little things do matter, don't they?

Tct seats in another perspective

Random shots of hdb

My first test out shot using the iPhone 'morelomo' app

Blog update using an iPhone app!

2010-02-23T01:26:00.002+08:00

I am feeling really blonde over here. Am trying out a free app for blog writing! this helps me to update and manage my blog much easier..yay. Jus downloaded some cool apps on photography especially those with lomo and polaroid effects...

Here's a polarized lomo pic of my pretty dear friend chean! A meal at mos burger after the movie- Valentine's Day. worth the watch cos i did take home some meaningful truths and quotes about love.. and not to mention the all time favorite stars featuring in it like Julia Roberts and Ashton Kutcher! All in all, was a great show more becos of the company I had....not valentine but a good old buddy.
Anyway...testing testing 123..my free app's working jus well!

2010-02-08T11:21:00.002+08:00

His grace is sufficient for me.
His strength is made perfect in my weaknesses.
His loving kindness is better than life.

Thank you Lord

Hello from Ruth's iphone

2010-02-07T18:50:00.002+08:00

Boo! This is a random update while waiting for a bus..of cos using the so called "by far the best mobile device"- the iphone! To say the truth , life has took on an unprecedented change with this little gadget around..realised that i'm smsing more, checking emails on the go, n I'm too addicted to apps surfing!ok i seriously can't multitask over here. Shopping and blogging jus can't go together for now...esp along this place called Chinatown.

in His time

2010-02-02T12:26:00.009+08:00

there's a time for everything.
am realising that more and more each day.
to God, He has eternity.
to me, at least I have today...and i had my yesterday.
whether or not i have tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, its up to God.
to you God, a day its like a thousand years.. which i will never be able to fathom.
sometimes, i do get a taste of a day seems like a thousand years too,
when hopes deferred, dreams unfulfilled, prayers yet to be answered...ok..its totally different to that of God's a thousand years i know..
more and more, it dawned upon me that i have been trying to live in my own time.. going with my own agendas and my own schedules.. getting totally disoriented with time, impatient and grumpy...
to Him being the author, He knows what exactly lies ahead of me.for He does have a plan and a hope for me He promised. not jus a plan and a hope, but a good plan and an eternal hope.
there's a time for everything.

"so when is the time, Lord?"
"I didn't put a clock in heaven"

The Answer- Corrinne May

2010-01-24T23:47:00.002+08:00

I believe you are the answer to every tear I’ve cried
I believe that you are with me,
My rising and my light.

Give me strength when I am weary
Give me hope when I can’t see
Through the crosses I must carry
Lord, bind my heart to thee

That when all my days are over
and all my chores are done,
I may see your risen Glory
Forever where You are.

Take my 5 loaves and 2 fishes, Lord..

2010-01-24T23:15:00.001+08:00

一言既出，驷马难追

2010-01-21T12:19:00.013+08:00

这回到北京一趟让我体会到这句话的意义。

七年不见的朋友终于在刚过的周末履行了在七年前许下的诺言。
简单的一句： “我结婚一定请你到北京来参加婚礼” 。。高中时的我们，谁会把这句话当真呢？
去年十二月的一通电话、一声温馨的问候、一个真诚的邀请，让我感受到朋友对这份友情的重视。
他话也不多说，重情意的他在乎的只是好友的出席，到场见证这一个非常特别的日子。

话说出来就像泼出去的水，收不回来了。回想起，曾经我有这么多答应过的事情，许下的诺言，说过的言语，说到却没做到的，虽然家人朋友们可能都不记得了，但有时就得承受那种隐约的愧疚感。。“半途而废”、“未完成一件事”的感觉。。现在后悔也于事无补了，关键是今后要懂得言行一致。

这回，我也说了，“我结婚，你们也一定要过来”。。他们毫不犹豫地回答“当然！非去不可！”
你说他们在敷衍了事吗? 当然不是。

我的北京之旅

2010-01-20T12:00:00.007+08:00

西单书局前的路标

天津的气球叔叔

除了大年初一、二、十五，禁止放鞭炮

前门

天安门

毛主席好

oversized fleece on cute little kid @前门

可爱

从公车上眺望天安门广场

冬天的北京街景

西单广场的小山丘

前门

天津步行街的商店

往天津途中

草坪上矗立着的欧式教堂

车子吊着的小小十字架

Be Thou My Vision

2010-01-13T17:02:00.001+08:00

Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;

Nought be all else to me, save that Thou art-

Thou my best thought, by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;

Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,

Thou mine inheritance, now and always:

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,

May I reach heaven's joy, O bright heaven's Sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my Vision, O ruler of all.

Beauty

2010-01-08T23:58:00.005+08:00

my way of a quick update of blog-post a picture.
Yunnan, Lijiang, Huang Ban Ping, 2800m above sea level

beyond the beauty of the landscape,
more beautiful were the innocence, the warmth and the sincerity of the people..

Mum turned 60

2010-01-08T01:58:00.008+08:00

Mum turned 60 on the 5th Jan.

its a milestone to have lived more than half a century. i knew i had to make the day special for her. tho she claimed she would rather spend it quietly, i knew she didnt mean it.

it was not as ra-ra as i hope it would be, the best i could do was to ensure that it was distinctive from her other birthdays.

aunt, and i brought her to a vegetarian restaurant, am happy that she was caught in surprise with the bouquet of pink roses awaiting for her at the dining table.

my 2 brothers did not turn up due to work and also cos of my last min poor planning (oops..)..

like all mums, guess it would be a happy thing to spend this day with all her children. in retrospect, i could have make more effort.

mum always likes to talk about the past. i am guilty for not hearing her out and genuinely listen at times. mum is someone who is familiar with adversities, with strong and stubborn personality, yet a tender heart. she finds much of her worth and confidence from her glorious and not so glorious past. be of a listening ear to her i know itself is a therapy. ripe at her age, her tender heart needs to be cared for and nourished as well.

as a child, i ought to learn how to spend time with mum, not my way but in hers.

Age is catching up with her..(i mean, us.), apparently. it takes her just a minute to forget what she did the last minute. her eyes are not seeing too well, her limbs are not growing too strong..her greying hair needs to be self-dyed black every other week. when i was a kid, i thought mum and dad are invincible, they will always look and be how they used to be. but now, dad's tummy is rounder than i have ever seen before, cos of their long hrs of driving and drinking. and mum, she has shrunk in size, slower in speech, tardier in motions.

having been in existence for the past 20 odd years.. i think that 60 years of living on planet earth is really a long time. logically, there's only 1 round of 60 years anyone can lived up to,and mum just celebrated hers, quietly.

anyway, i really hope she enjoyed her birthday this year.

happy birthday mummy. :)

Authenticity depends on intimacy

2010-01-06T12:37:00.004+08:00

"authenticity depends on intimacy"

benny ho said it.
was listening to his cd on shalom community.he urged us esp the community of God to be authentic people. how do we grow in authenticity..? what precedes is our intimacy with God.

the more intimate we are with God, the more we can be authentic with man.

do i mask my conversations with facades i hope to portray to man? do i consciously (or subconsciously) put up a front before man just to prove something that i am not..? have i not sought and yearned for the approval from man, than from God?

Lord, help me to be who you have made me to be. To know, to be confident and be assured.

Christmas Isn’t Christmas

2009-12-25T23:07:00.003+08:00

Christmas Isn’t Christmas
'till it happens in your heart,
Somewhere deep inside you
Is where Christmas really starts;

So give your heart to Jesus,
you'll discover when you do
That it’s Christmas
Really Christmas for you.

Jesus brings warmth like a winter fire,
A light like a candle's glow;
He's waiting now to come inside
As He did so long ago.

Jesus brings gifts of truth and life
And makes them bloom and grow.
So welcome Him with a song of joy
And when He comes you'll know ..... that ...

Christmas Isn’t Christmas
'till it happens in your heart,
Somewhere deep inside you
Is where Christmas really starts;

So give your heart to Jesus,
you'll discover when you do
That it’s Christmas
Really Christmas for you.

The Ukulele boy (too cute not to be shared!)

2009-12-14T23:00:00.004+08:00

2009-12-01T23:42:00.003+08:00

Scrooge. Classic character by Charles Dickens in "A Christmas Carol"
an exchange between Scrooge and his spouse before she released him.

::::::::::::::::::::::

"..Another idol has displaced me; and if it can cheer and comfort you in time to come, as I would have tried to do, I have no just cause to grieve." she said.

"What Idol has displaced you?" he rejoined

"A golden one"

::::::::::::::::::::::

...Has He been displaced?

2009-12-01T12:48:00.003+08:00

纳西族老妇
a candid shot along 金沙江, 云南

2009-11-29T23:29:00.003+08:00

when you wish upon a star...
makes no difference who you are...
anything your heart desires..
will come to you..

"Devotion"

2009-11-26T23:56:00.004+08:00

A word that's been lingering for the past few days.
while things in my world are not quite in the order i would like them to be.
He reminded me during my solitude that devotion precedes all things..

"Seek ye first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.."

to have things in order, i better get my order right..first his kingdom and righteousness..
then all other things will come in place. the right place in the right time.

let devotion precedes.

migration.

2009-11-26T23:14:00.003+08:00

amidst migration of my blog.

pledging my allegiance to an alternative bloghost..with 'the-grass-is-greener-on-the-other side' mentality...however, like all story goes...the grass is not that green afterall.
Layout problems, font issues, difficulties in managing photos.... the moment i decided to 'migrate', bearing repuccussions that come after the decision, is part and parcel of the deal. as you know, irreversible are some of these outcomes.

thank God its just a blog.

Bejing

2009-11-08T22:56:00.011+08:00

"北京鸟蛋" series..

Crossroad

2009-11-05T00:27:00.009+08:00

alriteee.. shall save you guys from my futile "poetic attempts".....here's some non-rhyming randoms..

Crossroad

another junction of life..
a time to pause and pray, discern and decide...
life's a game with rules to follow and choices to be made...
to the left or to the right?
to stay put or to step out?
what is behind i do not look back...what lies ahead i do not know...
to heed the advice from dad, mentor or friends?
what would i lose or gain?
feaful, anxious or excited..?
at the crossroad...
at this juncture, many paths ahead i face,
with no signboards.. no road maps.. no compass..
where would life take me to?

chaos in within as you can see.. but i find comfort.
left or right it does not matter...
up above is where i can look to,
my source of peace and my reason for hope,
for motivation and conviction to lead me to my next step...
with no fear? no expectations? no fret?
no.
but.. i know of the courage in the presence of fear
the hope that overshadows expectations
the freedom that overcomes fret

Crossroad.
daunting..but exciting ya?
a state of sedentary will not be faced with crossroads..
pack my bag. take my mat.
get out of my comfort zone, my routine, my familiar..
step up and step out.
left or right it does not matter,
detours or roadblocks i might encounter,
but its the destination, i am certain.

Cross road

the sun, the sand and the coconut trees..

2009-10-28T10:14:00.007+08:00

Hong Kong

2009-10-26T22:48:00.020+08:00

Hong Kong. another round of sweet treats...
first nite, upon 1 hr (KL-SG)
+ 3.5hr (SG-HK) of no-food-on-flight budgetair travel,
thank God for different versions of 杨枝甘露 @ 许留山 along our hostel Yesinn!
perfect breakfast (皮蛋鱼片粥+油条豆浆 )+ great company = a beautiful morning so heartened to see many churches in HK!
check out a cool brand for milk too.
signboards. famous desserts restaurant, the 'Tang' (sweet) Dynasty (糖朝) ..
sweett treats as i said.
we paid 88HK dollar (15SGD) for a pot of beancurd! Lan Kwai Fong. A pub street where we had our drinks on the last night.
walls of the Central subway platform in nice bright red.

coming to my sole objective for the trip: Trail Race organised by Raleigh HK.
A team relay combined with Raleigh China and Kuala Lumpur.
Total Distance: 78km within 2 days.
Each leg's ~15km, along the hills and trails of Wilson.
My team comprises 2 from Raleigh China and our HK guide.
The baton was passed on to us at 11.25pm,
and followed on with 5 hours of overnite non-stop trekking in the dark.
quite an experience.
4.30am.was thrilled to reach our checkpt finally.
but when i was told to walk another 1.5 hr to take the public transport,
suddenly thot i was too old for this feat. everyone likes happy endings to stories.
yes. we came. we saw. we conquered.
not just wilson trail. but the dim sums, the desserts and the shopping malls...
the Raleigh journey begins..

KL

2009-10-26T00:05:00.022+08:00

realised that my recent posts have been pretty gloomy..(rather, little more introspective, melancholic perhaps..but be assured that they are anchored in optimism and lots of hope..:))

today, a happy post it shall be.

like many other normal blogs, how about some photos enclosed with comments on my recent trips to msia and hk!

for a start, here's a sweetie treat- DONUTS!
msia and donuts seem to have close associations..donuts are available everywhere.. i think this shot was taken at our fav dunkin' donuts stall amidst the high end shopping mall, midvalley.

so love the shopping experience in msia....creative and very visual shopfronts with lots of colors... as u can seeeee..

anyway, now, aussie's krispy kreme has taken the lead. a must try! but check the calories!
next treat: a good evening view from the hotel's balcony..

the theme of our gala nite was "Glitter and Gel".
Here's a shot of my 'glittered and gelled' project smile team.
can never thank God enough for this team.
Work takes upon different perspective when colleagues become true friends who care. my highlight of the trip! Met up with my Msian friends whom i got to know recently @ a storytelling congress in spore! Liying and Fongwei are such lovely people. picked me up @ my hotel, brought me to tour their uni campus, University of Malaya, then rounded up
the evening with some local delicacies
(tho varieties were quite similar to that of spore's but certainly much tastier!)

all of them: pre-sch teachers who devote their money/time on storybooks and storytelling
to bring in creativity, imagination and fun to the classroom.
and here you go, my very first picture storybook (绘本) for age range 2-4:
<<好饿的小蛇>> - a gift from dinghui!
like all successful people, they have to start somewhere....

to sum up, trip to msia- directions redefined, rekindled friendships, refreshed spirit. thank God.

The Threshing Floor

2009-10-21T00:05:00.008+08:00

The threshing floor, where you led me.
where David built an altar
a place for now, i have to be
where Ruth trusted her author
teach me the lessons of the threshing floor
lest i miss the point and falter

God’s Antivirus

2009-10-20T23:59:00.005+08:00

If ever there was a DTP candidate, it was George. Abandoned by his father, orphaned by his mother, the little boy was shuffled from foster parent to homelessness and back several times. A sitting duck for bitterness and anger, George could have spent his life getting even. But he didn’t….He entered his laboratory every morning with the prayer “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”
God answers such prayers. He changes the man by changing the mind. And how does it happen? By doing what you are doing right now. Considering the glory of Christ. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:18).
To behold him is to become like him. As Christ dominates your thoughts, he changes you from one degree of glory to another until–hang on!–you are ready to live with him.
Heaven is the land of sinless minds. Virus-free thinking. Absolute trust. No fear or anger. Shame and second-guessing are practices of a prior life…
So what are you waiting on? Apply God’s antivirus. “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col. 3:20). Give him your best thoughts, and see if he doesn’t change your mind.

- Next Door Savior by Max Lucado

part of today's devotional series. Great reminder.

What is success?

2009-10-20T23:39:00.003+08:00

At God's footstool, to confess
A poor soul knelt and bowed his head.
"I failed," he cried. The master said,
"Thou didst thy best. That is success."
- Anonymous

Success is the peace of mind attained only through self satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you're capable.- John Wooden

Creed

2009-10-20T23:33:00.003+08:00

"Four things a man must learn to do
If he would make his life more true:
To think without confusion clearly,
To love his fellow man sincerely,
To act from honest motives purely,
To trust in God and heaven securely."

"Be true to yourself,
help others,
make friendship a fine art,
drink deeply from good books,
make each day your masterpiece,
build a shelter against a rainy day by the life you live,
and give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day"

Lost Generation

2009-10-20T09:29:00.001+08:00

The Very Old Lady

2009-10-16T22:21:00.002+08:00

A very old lady looked in the mirror one morning. She had three remaining hairs on her head, and being a positive soul, she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today." So she braided her three hairs, and she had a great day.

Some days later, looking in the mirror one morning, preparing for her day, she saw that she had only two hairs remaining. "Hmm, two hairs... I fancy a centre parting today." She duly parted her two hairs, and as ever, she had a great day.

A week or so later, she saw that she had just one hair left on her head. "One hair huh...," she mused, "I know, a pony-tail will be perfect." And again she had a great day.

The next morning she looked in the mirror. She was completely bald.

"Finally bald huh," she said to herself, "How wonderful! I won't have to waste time doing my hair any more.."

~author unknown

忙还是盲？

2009-10-16T20:17:00.005+08:00

忙。忙。忙。。好忙。
我不喜欢这种感觉。
我不喜欢这种忙到没有时间 reflect 的感觉。
我不喜欢这种喘不过气来的感觉。
我不喜欢这种失去自我的感觉。

真的那么忙吗？是为了事业？志愿？每天繁琐的小事？还是发白日梦？

到底是忙还是盲？

time

2009-10-16T00:16:00.008+08:00

so many thots ...so many reflections... so many things to share..so many stories to tell..so many "grace" encounters to thank God for....so much i yearn to blog..... but, i grapple with time.

managing time is an art. it seems that i'm not too gifted in this form of art... but we can be nurtured into it..as we grow 'wiser' and more 'mature' so to speak, "prioritising" is something we should learn to grow better in...and making full use of time given to be efficient and effectively.. apparently, it still remains an art to me... but again, its the process i learn, and will continue to do so.

my cell leader always remind me that..2 things we ought to do with our time:
1. grow ourselves
2. grow others
time should be spent on upgrading, building ourselves up, feeding our body, soul, spirit, mind. or we spend it with people to build one another, and the community..

what am i doing with my time?

someone said "work is a gd 4-letter word", and "work is a blessing", i just came bk from work upon a meeting which ended at 10.30pm..and preparing for work again at 9am [not complaining over here...) but just to prove the point that out of 24 hrs a day, most of us spent more than 12 hours on work!

time is life.
if we spend almost half of our entire life on work....
yet dread our legs to work everyday...
realised we have stop learning and went into an autopilot mode...
grumbling instead of being grateful...
think again.

time is a gift.
we are stewards of time.
every minute every second's a bonus.
we ought to guard it with much care
as we do not know when our time is up.

time is subjective
people like to associate me with the word "busy"
i raise my 2 hands and feet to agree with that
but i do spend considerable amt of time alone doing nothing...
rather still busy... engaged in catching up with myself and God..
but yes, i'm still busy.

thank you God for the 86400 seconds, 1440 minutes and 24 hours a day,
what then am i doing with all that...?

Lord, i want to be a good manager.
manager of time

The Solitary Piece of Coal

2009-10-06T04:17:00.003+08:00

...just so that we will remember to stay in His love...

SG-KL-HK-SG

2009-10-06T03:37:00.006+08:00

Off to KL for a staff retreat, then to HK to conquer Wilson trail.
seemingly rest to race.. more to that,
praying that i may rest in vigilance and fight in restedness..
...there you go, paradoxes again..

looking forward to the journey ahead, in the hope that i may find some 'stimulations' & 'inspirations'.....

2009-09-28T16:08:00.005+08:00

2 weeks since my last post.

have i neglected the time to reflect?
have i been living a life unchecked?
have i forgotten His words and precepts?

Thru a prayer, He awaits us to connect..
to unravel His plan..perfect.

perhaps' my turn to act?

Once upon a time.

2009-09-15T15:49:00.002+08:00

Truth, naked and cold, had been turned away from every door in the village. Her nakedness frightened the people. When Parable found her she was huddled in a corner, shivering and hungry. Taking pity on her, Parable gathered her up and took her home. There, she dressed Truth in story, warmed her and sent her out again. Clothed in story, Truth knocked again at the doors and was readily welcomed into the villagers' houses. They invited her to eat at their tables and warm herself by their fires.

-- Jewish Teaching Story

2009-09-10T23:58:00.002+08:00

a time to inquire of the Lord.

quotes

2009-09-10T23:52:00.005+08:00

"you can ignore knowledge but you cannot ignore ignorance"

+++++

"The letter after X - crucial questions are the secrets to success."

Laos P.D.R (Please Don't Rush)

2009-09-10T22:49:00.012+08:00

victory monument

droplets @tadat sao

random

propeller flight heading to luang prabang

a kid @kuang si waterfall

so 'connected' to cables

a moment@ luang prabang nite market

colors

back to the 60s.

Vietnam series

2009-09-09T01:19:00.010+08:00

vietnam

along the mekong...

another snapshot of hoian beach, with a little touch of family..

as much as i hated to conform..
in my frenzy,still bought a couple of these for my frens..

the tourist-saturatued tam-coc,
was where a cone-hatted auntie asked for a dollar tip.

smiles.

one of our pitstops

turn right to? the toilet perhaps?

mekong delta.
cabbage, carrot, onions or chilli? pick your choice.

i am obsessed with cables.

travel + photography

2009-09-06T22:42:00.006+08:00

my travels- big part in shaping who i am today.
photography- one of my many loves.
travels + photography = passion, to its core.

gigabytes of travel photos- instead of redundantly occupying the computer's memory..
may i offer facets and perspectives of life...
thru my viewfinder, my eyes, my kaleidoscope..
enjoy.

first up, a personal fav-
An evening shot of the beautiful beach of Hoian, Vietnam.

SMILE:)

2009-09-06T22:20:00.008+08:00

SMIILING IS INFECTIOUS

Smiling is infectious,

you catch it like the flu
When someone smiled at me today I started smiling too;
I passed around the corner,

and someone saw my grin;
When he smiled I realised I'd passed it on to him;
I thought about that smile,

then I realised its worth;
A single smile, just like mine,

could pass around the earth;
So if you feel a smile begin,

don't leave it undetected;
Lets start an epidemic quick,

and get the world infected

Job 23:10

2009-09-05T21:07:00.006+08:00

Job. A man familiar with suffering and sorrow..
yet, out of his understanding and intimacy with the Lord Almightly, he testified...

^"But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold."

5 loaves & 2 fish

2009-09-02T23:02:00.005+08:00

Familiar passage.
5 loaves & 2 fish fed the 5000,with 12 basketful of leftover crumps.

Mark 6:30-44

fatigue is setting in to drain you away? the disciples experienced that as well.
but the Lord's respond was, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

overwhelmed by challanges ahead? the disciples were facing that too to feed the thousands..
'chase' the people back to their home..in escapism from the problems ahead?..
instead, the Lord answered, "You give them something to eat."

hoping for a miracle?
the Lord added on, "How many loaves do you have?" "Go and see."

after the Lord's instruction to group the masses and gave thanks.
5000 were fed. 12 basketful of leftovers.

are your challenges greater then that of feeding the 5000?

Here're some handlers (from the passage) on how to overcome the mountains..:

1. Go to the Lord in solitary and find rest
In the quietness and stillness of our heart, He speaks. Most of the time, whispers.

2. Look at what you already have.
The answer might lie within our own hands. Do you see it?

3. Break them down into bitesize.
the smaller they get, the better they get 'digested'.

4. Give thanks.
Heart of gratitude keeps us in check with the kingdom perspective.

5. Follow thru to witness the miracle.
Acknowledge the source. Count your blessings.

alrite.
Come what may...

He's @work.

2009-09-02T19:10:00.001+08:00

Version #2 - Insanely Great Slideshow Presentations

View more documents from Geoff Brown.

Something beautiful..

2009-08-31T14:11:00.004+08:00

something beautiful
something good
all my confusion
He understood
all i have to offer him was brokenness and strife
He'll make something beautiful out of my life

2009-08-31T00:19:00.008+08:00

amazing.
met a young taiwanese lady today, 19 years old, apparently a famous backpacker and travel blogger who produced her own book at the age of 18.
(<--- and yup!that's her book!)
only 3 days stopover in spore on her way to perth.
she asked for directions; accompanied her to find a backpackers' inn in little india, had dinner together and brought her for a city nite tour ended the evening at my fav place, st andrews catheral.

with a short testimony shared about God's love, and a little prayer of blessing....
the angels are rejoicing cos one more soul is added to the kingdom of God! Praise God!

Lord, you are just so sweet..

Joy of salvation

2009-08-26T00:13:00.002+08:00

"We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" 1 Thess 1: 3

may the joy of our salvation be our strength.

Happy "Birth"day

2009-08-23T22:40:00.012+08:00

An sms received from a mentor reads:

"Hi ruth, have a blessed first anniversary of your baptism. Great to see you worship God on stage today."

Upon reading this simple sms, couldn't help but brought tears to my eyes.
Someone actually bother to remember my baptism date. Someone actually cares enough to send a greeting sms to share my joy today. indeed, on the 23 Aug 08 , exactly one year ago, thought i had a glimpse of heaven and a taste of what it means by eternal happiness. still rem.. tears of joy couldn't stop welling up and the jitters of excitement and gratitude tossing within my belly...

it was the day, i sang aloud to the world (and will continue to sing), "i have decided to follow Jesus."
it was the day, many very impt ppl in my life came to witness my "new birth".
most importantly, it was the day, after 10 full yrs of prayer and petitions to God with pleas and much patience, my mum finally agreed to grace the ceremony (she was full of smiles!), surprisingly, brought along 3 other friends as well to give me their support also according to them, to 大开眼界..
Reminiscing on 23 Aug 08 reminded me that the God I believe in, is faithful, and His promises never fail.. and He does love me very very much.

nothing would describe it best through a photo as attached (below):
to bring you to attention, not the happenings in foreground, rather the many beautiful and impt ppl at the background sitting right amidst the congregation:

my mum, my 2 brothers,
tiong nam, mr chua and family, danny dad,
vette and cell gals, ps bel and cell sisters
gd frens like sec sch clique, kat & ak, qinpei, ym, paul, a'an & mel..and many more..

thank you for walking alongside with me.
all of you have assured me that i walk, but not alone.

anyway, happy 1st year baptism anniversary, ruth :)

Up!

2009-08-21T21:41:00.018+08:00

oOOooOoOoooooOOoOooOOOOoooOOOoooo

"UP" and DOWN through the high-altitude emotional helium ride, "UP"-thus far is my choice for the BEST Pixar film, with heaps of adventure, lots of moral and many tears-triggering moments....

many first-times and lots of surprises! Watching the show with 6 other sec 3 girls from Project SMILE was an interesting first-time experience for me. My heart goes out for them especially after being told that most of them, at the age of 15, a movie outing to Suntec City was their first-time.

Me, contented with my large sweetened popcorn, felt like a kid with my eyes and mouth wide opened awed by the vividness of the 3D effect of the animation. Yes,my first 3D movie (not counting those pri sch trips to omnitheatre). I was like wow-ing away, till i felt little embarrassed of myself sitting amidst the other children who were pretty well-behaved...

the song "Carmen" to start off the movie was brilliant and rather unforgetable.

Carl's Fedrickson (aka the old man) faced a lonely future upon the death of his beloved wife, Ellie, who was an aspiring explorer just like himself. At this ripe old age, decided to live his late wife's dream to put up at an explorers' haven Paradise Falls at South America...hence the floating house, hence the exciting odyssey..of course with an unexpected company, Russell- a die-hard Wilderness Explorer Scout, whose only wilderness experience was at his own backyard.

ok, cut my grandma's stories, to get to the point, here're the conventional bulleted form of my takeaways:

Beyond our problems, beyond ourselves lies a world awaits to be discovered

brought to memory my fav movie "Patch Adams", looking beyond the 4 fingers...

Learning from the least expected amongst us

sometimes, rather most of the time, most precious lessons on life could be drawn from the least expected ppl around us.. just like Carl who was 'stucked' with Russell who taught him new meaning to living.

You can mean "the world" to someone else, really. (as cliche as it might sound...)

Ellie, tho her dream to be an explorer was left unrealised, her days in blissful marriage with Carl who loves her, meant everything to her.

if you were to ask someone what's his dream, the likely answer you might get is "环游世界".
Aspire to peak the highest mountain or touch the tip of the Southpole?

To sum up, leaving you with a concluding quote by its Director, Pete Doctor:
"We came out with this image of a floating house held aloft by balloons and it just seemed to capture what we were after in terms of escaping the world. We quickly realised that the world is really about relationships, and that's what Carl comes to discover.."

wanna 环游世界? perhaps, we should start from home.

Give us today our daily bread

2009-08-21T01:29:00.009+08:00

An analogy (shared by an ex-cell leader)- that etched deeply in my heart remains as a constant reminder:

Our daily bread is the word of the God;
knives are like the Christian literatures, supplementary studies, commentaries, devotionals we often use to help us 'dissect' or 'make easier for understanding' of' the Word.

However, these should not replace the word of God- our daily bread.

Imagine your nice blue-checkered breakfast tabletop placed with butter, jam, olive oil and a knife but without the loave of bread...

Have I missed my bread today?

after the night, the dawn will come..

2009-08-19T23:24:00.001+08:00

Together

2009-08-18T21:42:00.005+08:00

Don't stop.

2009-08-17T23:04:00.005+08:00

“ It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop." Confucius

2 different occasions within 2 days, stumbled upon this word of wisdom from 孔子
First a random surfing of the net, then an ad confronted while was down the mrt's escalator.
Uncanny, huh...? Divine, rather.
Lord, its your answer to my perpetual question for the season.
yes, it does not matter how slow i go so long as i do not stop.

Up, Up and Awayyyy...

2009-08-16T23:08:00.009+08:00

Weeeeeeee~!!

A journey UP too exciting not to be jotted...
thoughts and reflections too precious not to be blogged..

however, the bed beckons.
task deferred, i reckon.

*cross my heart*
its coming right UP.

Saturday's reflections

2009-08-15T11:25:00.009+08:00

Saturday morning! and i'm home after a 'hearty' meal of mince pork kuay tiao with vinegar.. now sitting in front of my computer, with a full tub of strawberry yoghurt, accompanied by symphony 92.4...(when i'm not pressed with THE contested entity that is omipresent with which i associate myself with a love-hate relationship: TIME) is what i deemed as, contentment. :)

tasks for the morning:
read the word,blog, prepare for cluster cell group

going thru a few days of unsettling state of my being pondering about today's cluster cell, the word 'unity' keeps ringing in head.
unity?- a topic too overly mentioned? ..what do you want us to learn about unity today, Lord?

Question: Why do we come together week after week for cell group and fellowship?

Revisit some of these motivations that propel us to do what we do.

Ephesians 3:16-20 tells us,
“16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. “
20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.. ”

Not I but we. Not me but Us.

The fullest of God can only be revealed and experienced through the body of Christ.

In order to receive the complete measure of His blessings and His grace bestowed upon us, the only avenue is through the fellowship of His people, His church, His body.
A man in an island is only shortchanging oneself of the abundance of the Lord and depriving oneself of the blessings the Lord has intended for us.

Ps 133, He reminded us again.. precious is unity..

"1 How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron's beard,
down upon the collar of his robes.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore."

Unity delights the heart of the Lord. Unity draws blessings.

Let nothing but the unfathomable measure of the love of Christ propel us to do what we do and compel us too, to love one another.

Realign your motivations today, and choose to stay connected.

Thankful.

2009-08-12T00:52:00.012+08:00

All these over the national day long weekend..... precious opportunities, divine arrangements, the grace bestowed....

when time seemed never enough for a heartfelt sharing and telling of 'grandmother' stories over mocha ice-cream with a dear sister made me appreciate once more on the value of time as the best gift we can offer to and receive from a friend..
A prayer uttered for a close Indonesian friend who is leaving Singapore for the time being, reminded me that distance should not be a hindrance to friendships...
Bumped into 2 girls on the street with whom i've been desiring to 'connect back' in the longest time..have gave the assurance that the Lord knows the desires of my heart..
Visited a new found friend at a starbucks outlet he's working in, his sincere and deep appreciation towards my little act brought an embarrassedly pleasant grin on my face..
Yet bumped into another of a very dear brother in Christ whom we have sort of lost contact for a while, the very short yet very 'honest' chat along the bustling mrt underpass brought tears of joy, gratefulness and awe to both our eyes, literally.
A simple call made in a hot afternoon by a mentor was a breathe of fresh air
An impromptu dinner with extended family rekindled relationships and kinships which are too easily neglected
A random dream i had (which can be quite a nightmare) turned out to be a tremendously effective reminder to me that our loved ones need our time, our presence and our care.

wow. God, you never fail to surprise me.
Thank you Lord.

The Beatitudes #1

2009-08-05T00:16:00.013+08:00

seems to be taking eons to put together these reflections.. Been distracted by several things. but am not gonna give up!...this is one task that will keep bugging me if i dun get my acts together.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

alrite,so why beautitudes?
thinking about the sermon of the mount, 2 words came shouting at me:
"righteousness" and "paradox".

"righteousness"

first impression of the beautitudes: promises of blessings
Ps Benny's book which entitled "Growing in Righteousness: A devotional look at Beautitudes" implies that righteousness leads to blessings from God- and the beautitudes shall be my little handbook on how to lead a righteous life witnessing God's blessings.

"paradox"
the beautitudes are full of paradoxes. foolishness in the eyes of the world, but worthy for the kingdom.paradoxes are mind boggling and intriguing isnt it.. the last shall be the first, the one who leads shall first be a servant... i love paradoxes.

in attempt to illuminate the perpetual journey of seeking after righteousness and my fancy towards paradoxes have led me to the Sermon of the Mount.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God."

"blessed"="happy"
True happiness is indeed not dependent on the absence of problems, none of us live life without problems. More often than not, the answer lies in our own response..

The Lord's first teaching of the beautitudes provided us with very stark paradox of life.. "blessed (=happy) is the poor in spirit..", hard to associate poor with happiness..but the Lord promises us with nothing but the Kingdom of God...oh ok, that's like umm.. everything.

"poor in spirit.."
ps benny gave us 3 concepts of poverty in the Bible:
1. Not having enough- lacking
2.Have nothing- destitude
3. In permanent debt- bankrupt

Ps Benny highlighted that in this case, the Lord referred to being permanently in debt to someone. Desperation of the spirit and bankruptcy of the heart. We are permanently indebted to what God has done for us on the cross.

Pondering on what Paul uttered in Phil 3:8:

"What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ."

A man with everything that seemed as success in the eyes of the world, yet deemed all that as a loss in comparism to what he may gain in Christ.

surprised to be confronted by yet another verse in Ps 22 (Messianic Psalm-prophecy abt Jesus on the cross), where our Messiah referred himself as a worm.. "⁶ But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people."

till we understand the nothingness of us without God in our lives, till we can fathom that vacuum in each of us which can only be filled by His love, till we are at our wits' end knowing that we have exhausted all that is in us in our vain attempts to solve our ever-existing problems ..will we then turn to God...

imperative for us to be constantly humbled by the works of the Cross, yet knowing our position in Christ, and how God has esteeemed us as precious from the very start.

what is then our heart's response and our attitude towards our brokenness and our poorness?

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God."

Feeling penniless, downtroddened, contrite and destitute? Good for u.

I want to sing

2009-07-25T13:15:00.003+08:00

I want to sing
Until I am lost in Your love
Till I'm found in Your presence
Worshipping before your throne
Held by Your spirit
Entering into Your flow
How precious this moment
Lord I want you to know

It's You
You who have won my heart
Taken me into Your arms
Comforted me like a friend
Your love
Surrounded me from the start
I never want to be apart
From You ever again

The song that does not stop ringing in my head. Did a raw recording of this song courtesy of a dear brother, Clarence.

John

2009-07-25T13:09:00.007+08:00

The Disciple- John
(Adapted from commentary of the Life Application Bible)

"Being loved is the most powerful motivation in the world. Our ability to love is often shaped by our experience of love. We usually love others as we have been loved.

Some of the greatest statements about God's loving nature were written by a man who experienced God's love in a unique way. John, Jesus' disciple, expressed his relationship to the Son of God by calling himself "the disciple whom Jesus' loved" (John 21:20). Although Jesus' love is clearly communicated in all the Gospels, in John's Gospel it is a central theme. Because his own experience of Jesus' love was so strong and personal, John was sensitive to those words and actions of Jesus that illustrated how the One who is love loved others.

Jesus knew John fully and loved him fully. He gave John and his brother James the nickname "Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17), perhaps from an occasionwhen the brothers asked Jesus for permission to "call fire down from heaven" (Luke 9:54) on a village that had refused to welcome Jesus and the disciples. In John's Gospel and letters, we see the great God of love, while the thunder of God's justice bursts from the pages of Revelation.

Jesus confronts each of us as he confronted John. We cannot know the depth of Jesus' love unless we are willing to face the fact that he knows us completely. Otherwise we are fooled into believing he must love the people we pretend to be, not the sinners we actually are. John and all the disciples convince us that God is able and willing to accept us as we are. Being aware of God's love is a great motivator for change. His love is not given in exchange for our efforts; his love frees us to really live. "

Lessons to be learnt from John:

1. Those who realise how much they are loved are able to love much.
2. When God changes a life, he does not take away personality characteristics, but puts them to effective use in his service.

Have you accepted that love?