edwin

2007-01-17T18:23:00.000-08:00

To my friends who are still single…..
Love is like a butterfly,
The more u chase it,
The more it eludes u,
But if u just let it fly,
It will come to u when u least expect it,
Love can make u happy and often it hurts,
But love’s only special,
When u give it to someone who’s realli worth it,
So take your time n choose the best.

To my friends who are not so single…..
Love isn’t becoming someone else’s
“perfect person”
its about finding someone
who helps u become the best person u can be

To my friends who are playboy/playgirl type….
Never say “I love u” if u don’t care
Never talk about feelings
If they aren’t really there
Never touch a life if u mean to break a heart
Never say u will if u don’t plan to start
Never look in the eye when all u do is lie
The cruellest thing a guy can do to a girl
Is to let her fall in love
When he doesn’t intend to catch her fall
- and it works both ways……

To my friends who are married……….
Love is not about “its your fault”
But “I’m sorry”
Not “where are you”
But “I’m right here”
Not “how could you”
But “I understand”
Not “I wish u were”
But “I’m thankful u r”
To my friends who are engaged……
The true measure of compatibility is not the years spent together
But how good u r for each other

To my friends who are heartbroken
Heartbreaks last as long as you want
And cut as deep as u allow them to go
The challenge is not how to survive heartbreaks
But to learn from them

To my friends who are naïve…..
How to be in love:
Fall but don’t stumble,
Be consistent but not too persistent,
Share and never be unfair,
Understand and try not to demand and get hurt,
But never keep the pain.

To my friends who are possessive……..
It breaks your heart to see the one you love happy with someone else
But its more painful to know that the one u love is unhappy with u…

To my friends who are afraid to confess…..
Love hurts when u break up with someone
It hurts even more when someone breaks up with u
But love hurts the most when the person u love has no idea how you feel…

To my friends who are still holding on….
A sad thing about life is when u meet someone and fall in love
Only to find out in the end it was not meant to be
And that u have wasted years on someone who wasn’t worth it
If he wasn’t worth it now he’s not going to be worth it a year
Or 10 years from now
Let go…..

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

Jun & Jen were a pair of young couple...Jun was veri charming & many girls could`t help falling in love with him... therefore, he became quite a flirt.

As for Jen, she was an ordinary girl with average looks. Although there were quite a
number of guys chasing her, jen only had Jun in her heart.although She knew that one day Jun would eventually leave her .. she still continued to love him wholeheartedly...

Jen loves rainy days...she loves playing in the rain, & whenever Jun wanted to join her, she'll always stop him from joining.

Jun then ask her: Why don't you let me join you?

Jen replied: Err..er..because i don't want you to fall sick.

Jun then ask her again: If playing in the rain will make me fall sick, then why are you still doing it?

But each time Jen will always keep quiet & smile at him...

Although Jun was`t able to join her, he felt happy. To him, as long as Jen was happy, he'll be happy as well.

However, nothing last long... Jun soon fell for another girl after two months. He even love the girl more deeply den he love jen.

One day, while Jun & Jen were having their dinner , Jun told Jen that this would be their last dinner together... Jen looked at him. She knew dat this was going to happen, but she choose not to ask any farther...Jun then requested for a break up.. And Jen...she accepted willingly... partly because, she knew... Jun was just like the wind...never stop
at any point.

That night..it was to be the last time Jun send Jen home.. Jen kept veri quiet... although deep down she wanted to know the reasons but she choose not to ask. Just when Jen was about to step into the lift, Jun stop her.

He said: Jen, I'm really sorry that i've let you down. But i'll never forget those days when i see you playing in the rain...those are the most happy & unforgottable memories i had with you.

After listening to Jun, Jen could't help it but cried.. Jun hugged her tightly.

He said: Jen, there's one question i wanted to ask you long ago... Why is it everytime when you are playing in the rain, you just wouldn't allow me to accompany you?

Jen was stunned..

pausing for a few seconds,

Jen replied...

Because...

Because i don't wish to let you know...

I was crying..

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

My husband was an engineer. Since I met him, he was always an unflappable rock in my life. I knew he always had his feet firmly planted on the ground, and it seemed that no matter what else went crazy, he would be the one constant.

Three years of romance, and two years of marriage later, I got tired.

He was the most unromantic man I know. He never bought me flowers, he never surprised me, and nothing changed in our marriage.

After some time, I finally found the courage to tell him that I wanted to leave him. He just sat there, speechless. My heart froze... what kind of man was I married to that didn't even know what to say to make me stay?

After a while, he spoke, "What can I do to change your mind?". "I will stay if you can give me a good answer to this question,"

I replied coldly."If I asked for a flower that grew on a cliff, and you knew that getting it for me means certain death, would you get it for me?". His face grew troubled.

"Can I give you an answer tomorrow morning?" he asked. Hearing that kind of answer, my heart died. I knew that I could never be happy with a man who couldn't even give me a answer straight away.

The next morning, when I woke up, he was missing. In the living room, under a warm glass of milk, was a note. My eyes grew misty as I read it...

"Dear, I have my answer. I will never pick the flower for you if it meant certain death. But before you leave, I hope you can give me a chance to give you my reasons....

You will always sit in front of the computer and type about for the whole day, but everytime you will end up in tears cause your formating will always go all over the place... I need my fingers, to do the formating for you, so your tears will become smiles.

You like to travel, but would always get lost... I need my eyes, so that I can bring you to the nicest places on earth.

Everytime you leave the house, you would always forget your keys... I need my legs, so that I can run home to open the door for you.

You never knew how to take care of yourself... I need my hands to help you get rid of the pesky white hair you hate so much when you grow old, to trim your nails, to feed you.

So you see, that's why I can't pick the flower for you. Until I find someone who loves you more than I do, I will need my body to take care of you.

If you accept my reasons, then open the door, where I will be waiting with your favourite muffin."

With tears streaming from my eyes, I opened the door, and there he stood, with a extremely worried look on his face. He still had nothing to say, but just stood there waving the packet he had in his hand in front of me. And then I knew for a fact that I will never find another man who will ever love me as much as he does.

Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean that they don't love you with all they have...

2006-11-28T14:30:00.000-08:00

I so can't believe I'm blogging now. Looking at the last post which was dated erm... June 9th (oops), I talked about Kai n Kevin's ORD n how my time will come. 6 months down the road (well, somewhere there), my time has finally come. OMG!!!! I SO TOTALLY CAN'T BELIEVE IT! *pinch* Ouch! Oh god, it's not a dream. 24 months for that card, that much coveted pink card with my lovely handsome face on it. Yes, it is the PINK IC!
Ok, for those who have already ORDed or u still have some time with the SAF n u r giving a 'I dun give a damn face' right as u're reading my blog, can u at least SHOW that u're excited even if u're not. Now, yes show me u're excited. Yes, smile u idiot. Yes, that's the way folks. I knew it, I knew it, I knew u were excited abt my ORD. haha.
I tink i'm freakin irritating, but wth. Forgive me if u're provoked k. Edwin actually has a good heart. Serious.
Anw, was tinking of changing my blog skin. The black background with Edwin's dimmed face is giving everyone a mysterious feel n that's not the way i want the blog to be portrayed. I want it to be plain white n simple so that i can post pictures n write w/o readers having a constraint feel. Prolly just add a tagboard, some links, n some photos at the side that's all. But the problem is I dun know how to do it. Can any kind soul out there teach me?
Ok, that's about all i've to say. I hope i wun take a long time for the next entry. haha.

2006-06-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

ORD LO! in 6 months. heh. Anw, congrats to Ling Kai, Kevin n Lionel the recently ORDed personnel. U've waited long enough for this. Nvm, my time will come.
3 more weeks to Hillsong Conference! Woo Hoo. N World Cup starts today. Haha. England n Rooney All The Way! But have to be realistic, England will not win the World Cup. Seriously doubt so. No football experts predicts England will win. N even if Beckham n Co do play well, they'll end up playing Brazil in the semis according to the match fixtures. haiz.
To date, I still think being involved in NDP sux. Compensating one off for one Saturday is so totally not worth it. Who's around on weekdays manz! Thank God i'm going Hillsong Conference this July. At least can skip some rehearsals. Woot!
Been doing a lot of reading lately in camp and during my off days. This story which I'm about to share made a huge impression on me when i first read it in 'Your Best Life Now' by Joel Osteen. Then it appeared again when i read 'The Law Of Prosperity' E-book by Kenneth Copeland. So i guess it's a sign that i should share it.
There is a man who scrimped and saved and finally managed to get himself a boat ticket to America and just enough money some crackers and cheese. During the voyage, he would look into the dining room and think to himself, "I can't afford that" and he would sit outside the room and consume his food ration. One day, a steward stopped by and asked him, "Sir, I've noticed you haven't eaten a single meal in the dining room for the entire journey. Is something the problem?" The poor man answered, "Oh no, it's just that i've only enough money for the ticket and not enough for the meal." Bewildered, the steward said, "But Sir, the meals are included in the ticket."
You see, the meals belonged to the poor man but he did not realize it. Similarly, many Christians do not realize that the blessings which they want are included in the new covenant which Christ has come to establish among the Gentiles. So sad. They limit God just like the Isrealites. Next time, when someone gives you a cow with a stash of money tied to its neck, for goodness sake, milk it first!

2006-05-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

Read this from Kenneth Copeland's 'Tools for financial success' and i tot i wud like to share. I'm sure many of u have read before the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. It's considered as one of the most well known parables in the bible. In case u have forgotten the parable, it goes like this in summary..... The father divided his inheritance between 2 sons. The younger son is a bastard in our lingo (watever the spelling is), basically he squandered his share of money on a sinful lifestyle and one day he repented and came back to the father. Instead of beating up his younger son, he embraced him with with open arms and even killed a fatted calf for part of the celebrations. I'm sure many of u identify ourselves with this younger son and how our Father still accepts us in the beloved despite all our sins.
But for this entry, i'm not gonna talk about the younger son. Instead i will share on the older son. The diligent and hardworking boy who is the total opposite of his younger brother. Naturally, he was really angry at his father's reaction when his brother came back. Notice the father's reply, "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine".
What he meant was everything, and i mean EVERYTHING that was left behind after his younger brother left was his. He could have all the fatted calves he had. Yet he didn't take advantage of his inheritance. Many people often regret at the meagre amount they have taken from Daddy God. He has so much yet we take so little.
People, Abba Father is rich. Let's draw from him evermore and stop letting our conscience and self-effort prevent us from getting our full inheritance. The inheritance was paid with a huge price. Let's take to the max.
Enlarge ur tents now!

2006-04-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought I wud never blog again, but this excerpt from Kenneth Copeland daily devotional just touched me so much that i wanted to share it.

"Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money in.... And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites.... And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them...this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living." (Mark 12:41-44)

Dear Edwin, Have you ever wanted to get God's attention? You can, you know. There's a certain kind of boldness, a certain kind of faith in giving that will get His attention every time. You can see that in Mark 12. Read that chapter and just imagine the situation it describes. Jesus was sitting by the treasury watching as people put in their offerings. Don't you know there were some sanctimonious displays going on with Him there watching? There was bound to be plenty of pharisaical robe swishing as those wealthy leaders walked up to put in their gifts that day.
Right in the middle of it all, this poor widow walked up and threw in her offering. I can just see her in my mind's eye. I can hear her say to herself, "By the eternal Almighty God that liveth, I've had enough of this poverty. I'm fed up with having nothing but want. I may just be a poor widow now, but I'm not going to be a poor widow anymore. I'm going to be a broke widow if God doesn't do something here because I'm giving Him everything I've got!"
Then, wham! She threw that last little dab of money she had into the offering.
Do you know what? That got Jesus' attention. He said, "Listen, everybody. I want to talk to you about this woman," and He started to preach.
What moved Jesus wasn't just the fact that she gave. It was how she gave. She gave in faith--not in fear. She didn't stop and calculate what she didn't have and say, "Boy, if I do this, tomorrow I won't eat." She just boldly threw in all she had, expecting God to take care of her in return.
You and I need to catch hold of that same attitude. We need to start holding our offerings up to the Lord in confidence, throwing it boldly into His service, expecting His blessings in return.
If you have a need right now, get God's attention by giving with boldness like that widow woman did. Throw open the door of your household by throwing everything you have at Jesus. Let God know that He is your source. Before long, the abundance of God will come pouring in!

Wow, that was powerful faith. I guess God really talked to me in this excerpt about my situation. I was so excited to blog this that I haven't even brushed my teeth despite waking half an hour ago. heh.

2006-04-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

Firstly, happy birthday Edmund and congratulations for turning 21. I had a great time and the food was good too. Secondly, apologies to Ling Kai for leading u the wrong way. Actually, we could have continued up past Tekong ferry terminal and chiong the empty roads alongside the runway to the chalet, instead of getting out of Loyang and go out to TPE. Anw, we still got to the place in the end. Hallelujah.
Wat else... oh just realized I got to start my TP soon. No More Procrastination! My mum's bugging me already. Looking at all my frens getting their Class 3 licence is quite demoralising at times. Found out Agnes just passed her TP as well. So I've one year to get my licence, before term starts in April 07 n the hustle n bustle of school life starts to erupt. To all my army mates out there, I'm gonna pass my BTT this time. The reason why i failed the last 2 times was becos I'm confused btw one lane and one way. I keep on tinking one way is one lane n a driver cannot overtake overtake on a one way street.
Went down town today to collect my free guitar strings as well as ask for the quotation for lowering the action of my guitar n to try out all the different models of Oakley sunglasses so as to make my order. Thank God I did not follow the others in ordering the M-frame. It looked nice on the catalog, but seriously, wearing it makes one look like Batman. I finally decided on the Half Jacket. That would set me back by $130-$140 which is like $100 cheaper than retail price. It's too good an offer to be missed. Saw my camp mate Samuel who was heading to SMU for his 4 year information system masters. Read on the website that this programme is actually a scholarship by Inforcomm Authority of Singapore and one have to serve a 4 year bond there after everything. uh-huh... n they only choose up to 40 scholars over the next 5 years. no wonder Sam said his interview was tough, so unlike mine where 7 applicants were having a talk cock session with 2 professors.
Haiz, seeing all those students in school uniform walking on the streets of Orchard on weekdays just remind me of my Dunman High n VJC days.
I Want To Study!!! I Want To ORD!!!
Seriously manz, i dun mind taking A level one more time if i can skip National Service. At least I can still keep in touch with civilization. N I can choose to pontang lessons n teachers will not send me for detention. In the organiztion I'm working for now, I dun have such liberty. 8 more months n my 2 year contract will be fulfilled. They wun have to sack me; I will resign myself.

2006-03-28T01:15:00.000-08:00

hmm... haven't typed a proper entry for a long time. Firstly, being able to come back to Singapore after such a long time feels wonderful. 1 month in India felt like half a year. Life seems to have a purpose all a sudden. Anw, quite a few things have happened, albeit in a few days, most notably the farewell of Daniel Sithu. pretty sad to see him go bcos he has been such a blessing in my life. Apart from the jokes and laughter he brings, his words of encouragement often impacted me. This is a man after God's own heart and I know God has great plans for him. Apparently, he's coming back in August together with Planet Shakers. That would be awesome. Strangely, nobody went to the Planet Shakers conference in Singapore scheduled on 17th March. Dun tell me they cancelled it. Either way, that would be good news for me cos I really wanna experience worship live with Shakers.
Anw, just watched the dvd from United Live's latest album 'United We Stand' from which i downloaded. Wat can I say... it's awesome. I mean the atmosphere, the presence of God. Songwise, so~so i wud say. expected more. but the instrumental intro more than made up for it. I'm thinking of putting the intro on my friendster homepage. Anybody has any idea how to do it???
Sometimes, i really wish praise and worship in New Creation Church could be like this, dynamic and powerful. probably not in main church, but in youth services. I agree that the current style of worship is good for the church, but i think worship for youth services can be brought up to another level. Wat i mean is that music should be more vibrant, and musicians be allowed to flow on their own and add in their own flavour, perhaps some riffs or smth, espcially in the free instrumental part. Well, this is wat i feel, whether the music ministry want to adopt the kind of music i'm talking about still depends on them. End of the day, we're still doing this to glorify God rite?

2006-03-24T08:31:00.000-08:00

Edwin reporting from Changi Airport. I'm back!!!!!!! Yee Ha!

2006-02-28T22:30:00.000-08:00

hmm... time now is about 2230 Indian time so it shoud be 0100 in singapore right about now. Got introduced to this computer with internet connection in the remote corner of the office... apparently not many people knows about this, so that's good. Things are going better than what I had expected. At least they have proper bunks and toilets. Just that 21SA is treating us like 2nd grade soldiers. Their men and specs get to stay in a spacious bunk, while us... men, spec, NSF officers and even regular senior specialists cramp in a small store room. We dun have Indian boys coming into our bunks to polish our floors kilat kilat as promised by 21SA RSM. Geez.
n it's just so coincidental that there's this bird flu thingie going on in India, so poor me dun get to eat chicken. haiz. Lunch n dinner is either a combination of mutton/fish or mutton/small prawns. kinda gotten sick of mutton already. Climate's about the same as Singapore, just that it's so hot n dry in the day, so much so that it gets unbearable. Ok la, go sleep liaoz. everyone please stay cool back home. God bless.
23 more days to end of exercise. Pushing on...

2006-02-19T02:20:00.000-08:00

I really appreciate the NS CG. Really I do. Great bunch of people, too many to be named. I thank God for all these people and I believe these people are not placed in my life by coincidence; it's by God's divine appointment. Like what Andy said, this CG is a unique one bcos there's no girls and some things that are inconvenient to be shared can be shared in the meeting itself. Joined the CG for more than a year... I felt that I had received much more here than in my previous CGs. Apart from the company, I guess it's the spiritual authority I gave to my leader.
Not to say Gerry and Jessica were not good leaders, it's just that I did not really feel at ease talking to them as much as I do talking to Andy. Oestrogen & testosterone simply dun mingle, I guess. Anw, Andy is really an awesome leader. He's gonna do mighty things for the glory of God in the future.
Celebrated Lincoln's bdae at Cartel at Cineleisure today. He treated us to Cartel since he just got promoted to LTA. Thanx dude! & happy bdae! Great company, great laughter, great gossip, great food... Ordered so much that JL has to 'da pao' his St. Louis Pork Ribs. It's so hilarious. ROFL. but watever was shared at the table remains at the table; it's a promise. lol. Wanted to buy smth for Lincoln, but couldn't find anything that suits him. oh ya, sorry Daniel, will call u next time. it was kinda like a last min thingie.
Oh saw so many familiar faces at town which included my BMTC platoon commander. really great to see him again. the best NSF instructor at Mohawk company during my batch, i reckon. During my 13 weeks there, he pumped me less than 100 times while a sergeant can easily exceed that within a day. Not plainly doing what others are doing but having a mind of your own, that's what i call a true commander. I respect him a lot.
hmm... just realized I'm not the only one going overseas nxt month. Kelvin Nah and Jian Lin will be in Brunei, Kevin in London. 1 more week left to departure for India, but still feel very peaceful. Praise God, I'm beginning to learn to let go. Just that I'll miss Planet Shakers' concert from 17th to 19th. damn! I really want to see them perform live after hearing all of their albums. they're such an annointed band. anw, whoever is the one who ask me to buy a shirt for him in India(sry i forgot who issit), I'll see what i can do. dun even know whether there will be things for me to buy in India. Food & drinks are definitely out of question.

2006-02-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, finally i can blog using SAF computers in camp! For those who are frustrated at not being able to blog in camp because there is no 'SIGN IN' tab available at blogger.com, try signing in via blogger.com/home. Ingenious... muhahahaha! No la, not i discover wan; someone taught me so. hehe. but still cannot log on friendster, SAF block the whole website altogether. smart! ell, nvm. at least i still can blog, check mail and surf net at night being duty clerk. hopes SAF security deparment personnel doesn't read this entry, otherwise.... haiz
anw, anw, anw, bible story was awesome. i really, really believe the holy spirit instructed Pastor Prince to preach what he preached... JUST for me. kinda egoistic, but i know people dun mind. alright, back to the topic... i mean Pastor Prince showed the bible references he was supposed to preach on, and it had totally nothing to do with NOT WORRYING. it was almost amusing. Ever since i got my allowance on the 10th this month, i've been worrying and troubled by my finance, problem being it's my first time getting advanced pay which means to say my allowance for this month is doubled and i wun get any for the month of March. I kept thinking about how I'm gonna survive without money in March despite knowing that i'll be in India for 27 days. India is definitely not a place to spend money. Even tithing was difficult for me. The fact that i'll have to tithe double the normal amount didn't really go down well into my stomach. It was like a curse holding on to my money. All the nonchalant tithing attitude was gone. but i still tithed in the end cos i promised myself not to rob God of my tithes.
Manz, thursday's bible study really set me free. thought i couldn't get into the auditorium but met daniel n weiming at Carl's Juniors, so they brought me in. Only regret is that I coudn't sit with them during service. and so I sat with this middle aged guy who has such a stinky breadth. Thank God pASTOR didn't tell me to say many greetings to my neighbours. i mean i could smell it even when he's not speaking. it was as if he ate a mixture of cuttlefish and onions b4 the service. It was terrible, i assure u. I ended up shifting one seat to my left as soon as it was vacated. I dun mean to be mean here, but basic grooming like bathing, cleansing ur mouth, changing out of dirty, smelly clothings are a necessity especially when u know u're gonna interact with people in church. otherwise how is the glory of God gonna shine through u like that???
Ok, bACK TO THE SERMON. Yes it set me free indeed. but i still need God's grace to help me relax, His grace to chill me down when people in camp dun return me my money. They're all small amounts(less than $10), but i dunno why i'm so gan cheong. I thought back about the things i dun worry about, God really increased them supernaturally for example my health, my time, frens...
God, let ur grace cause me not to worry in the area of my finances. I thank you Lord that u re a debtor of no man, that u have blessed me exceedingly, abundantly above all I could ask or think. In Jesus' name, Amen.
PeAce.

2006-02-11T00:11:00.000-08:00

Tired, so tired... Thank God this week's over. This is gonna be my first and last FATEP (Arty training evaluation) of my life, I prophesy. Slept only about 10 hours in 5 nights. Plus a domineering, saddistic, naggy evaluator called MAJ Dave. I mean this guy's can go 10 minutes talking about the same point, just using different sentence structures to convey his meaning, and u just go "Yes Sir, Yes Sir, Yes Sir..." Apparently I heard he's a Hwa Chong student who went Germany for his undergraduate studies. From the way he converse and talk over the coms, he seems kinda eloquent and smart, but very arrogant. Come in first thing knock the whole section down incl the junior officers. Anyhow, friday's was the last day I'm gonna see him. Praise God.
On the other front, I'm pretty excited about the basketball event which the CG's gonna organise, even though I dun play bball. I was thinking perhaps we could get some cheerleaders or break dancers, but must ask Edmund the chairman first. I guess I'll try to finish up everything b4 I leave for India, that condemned place. Yupz, everything is falling into place and I guess it's time for me to lie on my sweet sweet bed liaoz. Shalom.

2006-02-05T00:46:00.000-08:00

Something always happens when u expect fully to receive from God from a service. God definitely touched me during combined service today. Fantastic service indeed. Newly promoted Pastor Daniel (Lao Da) is one hell of an annointed man; he's definitely a great role model for young kids in DARE to emulate. Known Pastor Daniel since I first stepped into Teenzeal (formerly) service back in 2002. This guy is so annointed as a worship leader; the presence of God is just so strong when he leads worship. Memories of my first teenzeal just so vivid... could never forget how the first time God's presence fell on me. I just cried and cried, time literally flew... at that moment I felt like I could worship God forever without getting tired.
Well, what made my first encounter with God precious was that I hunger for God's touch so much b4 the camp. Ok I came to Teenzeal in June. At first I was kinda shocked by the music and all the youths jumping around. Tell the truth, I came to New Creation Church as a 16 year old boy looking for girls. My auntie invited me when i slept over at her place and her son persuaded me to go with him. Ok back to the service... something definitely happened during the service. My heart was beating so fast during the altar call I knew it was God. but I was afraid, so eventually i din go up. but i continued to go for teenzeal service, jumping and singing together. However, amidst all the jumping, I knew something was missing. I did not know wat I was jumping for, it was just jumping for the sake of jumping. yer know, as youths it was kinda fun. I did pray the sinners' prayer at home myself but I wanted God's presence so much. Spoke to this girl and she prayed over me as well.
Then came Teenzeal Camp. I told God I wanted ONLY to experience His presence, forget about all the fun and laughter. but God answered exceedingly above all... the camp was a memorable one. I cried in almost every service. Had great fun, laughter and frens as well.
I'm really looking forward to what God has in store for me ahead. I looked at all the champions whom God has raised, like Pastor Daniel, Darren, Lawrence, Chin Wah etc etc and I told God I want to be like them, successful in their careers, family and ministry. Moved to Campus Ministry, at first a little reluctant. Looking back, I'm glad I've moved on. Came to know great pple like Jessica, Yasmine, Edmund, Kevin, Kai, Joash, Joshua, SIM pple and many many more. Been wanting to find a ministry to serve in... but from the start I've always wanted to join the music ministry, but was put off by the commitments. I've made it a resolution that this year 2006 will be the year I'm gonna join the Music Ministry as a guitarist hopefully. During today's service, God just told me it's not gonna be me anymore. I know all the musical talents count for nothing without God, but I haven't really been able to give all I've got to him. Despite the little I know, I thank God for them and He's gonna multiply, not me.
I dun know why I'm finally sharing this testimony after 3 long years. Just felt the annointing to share it now. Knowing God has gotta to be the most vital decision in my life. All these years I've seen the changes that God has made in my life, but I'm not satisfied. Things are happening too slowly. I'm hungry for more. There were many times which I've said to myself "If only... if only..." but those were issues of the past, no point flying with my eyes constantly staring at my back. That way, I cannot soar. I really believe that this year will be a year of acceleration where I will see things which took a long time to happen being fulfilled in an instant. I've taken far too long to do the things of God these past years. It's time to fly. Shalom.

2006-02-04T07:04:00.000-08:00

JUSTIFICATION

a forensic term, opposed to condemnation. As regards its nature, it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law, i.e., as conformed to all its demands. In addition to the pardon ( q.v.) of sin, justification declares that all the claims of the law are satisfied in respect of the justified. It is the act of a judge and not of a sovereign. The law is not relaxed or set aside, but is declared to be fulfilled in the strictest sense; and so the person justified is declared to be entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from perfect obedience to the law ( Rom 5:1 -10). (Halleilujah!)
It proceeds on the imputing or crediting to the believer by God himself of the perfect righteousness, active and passive, of his Representative and Surety, Jesus Christ ( Rom 10:3 -9). Justification is not the forgiveness of a man without righteousness, but a declaration that he possesses a righteousness which perfectly and for ever satisfies the law, namely, Christ's righteousness ( 2Cr 5:21; Rom 4:6 -8).
The sole condition on which this righteousness is imputed or credited to the believer is faith in or on the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is called a "condition," not because it possesses any merit, but only because it is the instrument, the only instrument by which the soul appropriates or apprehends Christ and his righteousness ( Rom 1:17; 3:25,26; 4:20,22; Phl 3:8 -11; Gal 2:16).
The act of faith which thus secures our justification secures also at the same time our sanctification ( q.v.); and thus the doctrine of justification by faith does not lead to licentiousness ( Rom 6:2 -7). Good works, while not the ground, are the certain consequence of justification ( 6:14; 7:6).

I'm kinda having a lot of fun with blueletterbible, learning a lot also. Anw, I didn't mean to search for the word 'Justification'. A series of clicks led me to this page and I was really blessed by the definition of justification. I think a series of sermons have come out from the excerpt above. I've heard about the principle of righteousness countless times, but I will never fully understand it. Nobody can say he can for grace is to be experienced, not to be understood.

2006-01-31T14:02:00.000-08:00

It's the 'I' age nowadays really, thanks to marketing guru Steve Jobs and Apple Computer & Ipod. What else u have... Iriver, ya IMac is getting really hot right now, appeals mostly to the younger generation of female executives who like the sexy, classy white look (I say that because most males wanna play games on their lappie and Mac isn't really suitable for games). They even have a huge Apple retail shop at Cineleisure now.

Go on, dream, fantasize, salivate watever... Beautiful cars with beautiful interior with an Ipod plugged in to the speakers. In that way, the hassle of CDs would be eradicated.

Talking about cars, I just went to download this podcast on mrbrown.com after reading this article on digital life today. It's called Zhng My Car. 'Zhng' means to modify or to improve. They have even started the series on it. It's basically a 20min audio file on how to modify one's car. I must concede it's really very funny. Go download the very first episode of the series.

http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/podcast/index.html

Listening to the file somehow reminds me of the army regulars' cars I see in camp everyday. Dunno why leh, army personnel seem to like zhng their cars a lot. Change here, change there, but most of the time they put stickers. of course, some are nice, others are just ... I once saw this encik install turbo engine, blue neon lights and an interior sound system with a strong bass sound. Wow, I wonder how much he spent on that.

Nevertheless, is 'zhnging' ur car really necessary??? For me, a car is just for convenience. I would rather spend the money on getting a car which is smooth to drive instead of doing all those modifications. What's the point of racing a car to the next traffic light and attracting people's attention to ur 'boom boom' turbo engine and heavy speakers? Ultimately, it is you driving the car, not the car driving you. The car is just a metal.

2006-01-29T20:22:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to know the real meaning of the word 'holy'. My impression of the word 'holy' initially was that being holy is a tall order and only those Catholic priests whom I always see dressed in white robes can achieve that state of 'holiness'. After checking the definition in blueletterbible, yes being holy is indeed a tall order and only God can be holy.

'Holy' fundamentally signifies "separated" (Sanctified), and hence, in Scripture in its moral and spiritual significance, separated from sin and therefore consecrated to God, sacred.

You ask me why am I writing this... cos Pastor said that God cannot punish our sins twice as He is holy. ya, I always wonder what's so great about being holy. And then Ling Kai told me someone msg him that God tells lies. My first response was God cannot lie becos He is holy. It then came upon me what is holy. yupz, so i decided to check out the word.

On a lighter note, CNY seems to get mundane every year. Travelling from place to place, collect ang pow and 'stone' while my parents catch up on adult issues I'm not interested in. Ok anw my father's side done, tml is my mum's side. Tml will be the time where the main ang pows ($$$) will come. That should keep my spirit up. But ultimately I know this year I will prosper like never before becos of Jesus. He is my source and I shall not lack. Amen.
Oh ya, there's this thing I would like to add. I thought about it a few days ago. Yer know, people always like to wish others good wishings on CNY like gong xi fa cai, wan shi ru yi, xin xiang shi cheng and whatnots. and my grandmother will demand that I wish her gong xi fa cai instead of the routine HAppy New Year which I wish everybody I see. The thing is this... we should be pronouncing these blessings over ourselves everyday. Why only on Chinese New Year??? Plus ours is on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ; theirs is only a wish, period.

Anw, Wishing all a blessed CNY.

2006-01-22T20:07:00.000-08:00

This is my 3rd entry in a single day. Just can't stop blogging. lol. Arh, might as well, I won't be able to blog for the next week possibly. Josh's bdae on Mon, Outfield from Tuesday to Thursday (We fighting Commandos), duty on Fri. busy busy busy :( Anw, bought my first sermon of the year. It was last Sunday's message, the one I missed due to guard duty. 'Give God what is natural and he'll make it supernatural', sounds like a message for me! They kinda have a new packaging which is just so refreshing and classy. It's so nice that I couldn't bear to open it. Got over it already... the better stuff is in the CD inside. hahaha. Kudos to the people who designed it.

Pastor Prince looks really charming in this glamour shot. Praise be to God. It is really surprising someone like him who is in his forties can look so good. Guess it must be the glory of God. God truly renews our youths like the eagle's. I really like Pastor Prince's hair, the kinda fluffy hair which i aspire to keep after ORD. An eyebrow trim would certainly be welcomed; that will probably complete the look. Actually, can anybody tell me if a matured man in his 30s &40s should go for an eyebrow trim?

2006-01-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

here i stand before you
my heart is still
wanting just to be with you
waiting here
long for your voice to speak
touch me now
its your face i seek

how my soul longs for you
to be with you
adore you
nothing more i want to do
than to sing to you

Chorus:
jesus im in love with you
speak to me
whisper you words of truth
take my heart
won't you make me new
jesus, how i love you
how i love you

on my knees
before you i lay my life
giving all
a living sacrifice
take my life
and all that i long to be
set apart
only for you my king

How I Love You - Planet Shakers

Should Naional Service Be Compromised?

2006-01-21T19:16:00.000-08:00

So the recent debate in the parliament is about the purpose of National Service and whether NS should be compromised. Basically, this whole hype is caused by this supposedly 'great' pianist, Mr Melvyn Tan, who was fined a mere $3000 for defaulting NS to further his studies in the UK. The whole things began when Mr Tan wanted to take his Master's in the UK. However, the SAF does not allow people to continue postgraduate studies before serving NS. Well, Mr Tan decided to skip NS and became a British citizen. After almost three decades at the age of 49, Mr Tan decided to come back and visit his parents. My guess was he expected to face the music when he made the plunge to step on Singapore soil after such a long time.

Indeed, many of the older generation Singaporeans who have completed their NS cycle were disgusted at such an apparently insignificant punishment melted out on Mr Tan. Of course, apart from the $3000 fine, Mr Tan also forfeited the $30,000 he laid down as a bond to defer NS back then. Many government leaders, including their female counterparts, feel very strongly about NS defaulters.

After reading the long article, I decided to give my own opinions on the issue. I think the society should forgive Mr Melvyn Tan. Can the society bear to throw such an old person into jail? Moreover, I think his punishment has been duly served when he cannot even visit his ageing parents for close to 30 years. 30 years, that's a lot!

However, cases like this SHOULD NOT happen again. I'm glad that the government has implemented laws to make it difficult for people who are thinking of defaulting NS. Apart from a heavier fine, defaulters who are caught are thrown into detention barracks immediately. They will not be able to change their citizenships so easily also. Furthermore, the bond has been raised to $50,000 or half the parents' annual income, whichever is higher. If you ask me, I would say just serve. It's not worth all these punishments.

After serving for more than a year, you ask me if I could have accomplished more things as a 19, 20 year old without the need of serving NS, I concede YES. Nevertheless, NS has given me another outlook of life. It has taught me how to communicate with people in my daily routines. True, there are people whom I can't work with, even officers face that, it's a common problem but it is how you rely on God's wisdom to solve the conflict that really matters. My relationship with God has certainly moved to another level. NS has let me see the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor which I didn't experience in school. From NSFs driving Benz, BMW, RX8 to camp to people having family grants and staying in camp to avoid seeing their parents. Sad.

I've been really blessed so far in 24SA and I thank God for that. Good and flexible bosses, aircon office all day, minimal outfields, nice new bunks and showers, nights off everyday, lotsa opportunities to go overseas and more to come this year.

Long entry... anyway , if u guys didn't get any of the things I said, never mind. Just remember this important point: 10.5 months to ORD! LOL. Pushing on...

2006-01-14T12:30:00.000-08:00

I carry your heart with me
I carry it in my heart
I am never without it
Anywhere I go, you go my dear
And whatever is done by only me, it's your doing
My darling
I fear no fate, for you are my fate, my sweet
I want no world for beautiful
You are my world

Here's the deepest secret that no one knows
Here's the root of the root
& the bud of the bud
& the sky of the sky
The tree called life
Which goes higher than the soul can hope
A mind can hide
It's a wonder that's keeping the stars apart
I carry your heart
I carry it in my heart

Here the poem for the people who watched 'In Her Shoes' with me on Wednesday night. I know you guys want it as much as I do. I couldn't find the poem on any websites, so I ended up downloading the whole movie just for this poem. haha. so yah, please appreciate it. joking...
For those people who haven watched the show, this poem is about the only highlight of the entire 2 hours show. The movie didn't really work out for me though. I guess only people are lovey dovey will like it.

2006-01-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

It was a fantastic day. The sun in the morning provided a somewhat different scenery which I've seen for the past week. It was really welcomed amidst the misty, gloomy, cold rainy weather which has been lingering around the past week. Nonetheless, the rain came at a great time for me because it means the amount of outfield time was cut short by a considerable amount on Thursday. Yeah, I really hate outfield. In fact, everybody in the battery hates outfield. Even the password was set as CAT 1. lol. On the other hand, I really feel for my dearie brothers Kai and Joshua. I totally cannot imagine walking in puddles of muddy water which reaches to a height of half the boots, let alone PRONE! The worst thing about 'cheong sua' in the rain is that ur socks are soaked and ur feet go 'squech squech' as u walk. I really salute u guys manz.
Ok anw, I went for bible study alone today because I couldn't make it for the usual Thursday slot as outfield ended late. It was actually quite a hard decision to make as I really feel bad missing my mom's dinner. But end of the day, I'm glad I made the right choice cos the sermon was wonderful. Pastor Prince's revelation was a real eye opener for me as well. He said that God cannot see us in the flesh because we are on totally different frequencies and CONDEMNATION is an act of the flesh. All along I tot God could see Adam when he fell and hid himself in the bushes and i tot God asked "Where are you?" to test Adam. (I think Pastor Prince tot like me too before God opened up his eyes) Really, I must go meditate on this over the weekends.
The best part was I didn't had to listen to the sermon all by myself after all. At the queue, I met adorable Charissa and pretty Kimberley. After that, Kevin came along. YEH!!! So it was that Charissa and Jared(guy whom I met in Teenzeal 3 years ago) were sitting beside me. Well, Charissa was laughing almost throughout the sermon which was good as she kept me awake. lol.
Campus tomorrow! really excited about it. Must really treasure campus meetings since it's now a once a month thingie. Hope Daniel Sithu comes so we can do something for him before he leaves us for Australia and Planet Shakers conference. He has been a great pal really and a great blessing in my life. I will miss him and his cranky jokes for sure.

2006-01-09T21:12:00.000-08:00

The Picto-Personality Test

You are a person who lives in the moment and is passionate about whatever and whoever you love.

When alone, you are introspective. You constantly reflect on your life and the world.

You are intelligent. You use your time to its fullest potential and will go very far in life.

In the future you will be very wealthy. You have the ambition and the drive to make a lot of money.

Take this Test at QuizGalaxy.com

I absolutely loves what it says. =)

2006-01-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

Heelo! Watched Goal! last night on my com. Ok, everyone knows the story. It's about a typical poor but talented boy playing in an obscure neighbourhood and a scout spooted him. This boy, Santiago Munez, managed to become a superstar at Newcastle United at the end of the show. However, what seemed far- fetched was that this boy, Munez, managed to make his way from Los Angeles to Newcastle United for a trial, next be drafted into the reserve team and then making it into the senior team, and then scoring the decisive free kick in extra time to secure Newcastle a place in the champion's league, ALL in a period of Newcastle's last 3 games. I mean 3 games in the EPL takes at most 1 month? Fairy tale manz. but anw, it's a show so nvm.
Another thing that I wasn't too comfortable about was why NEWCASTLE and St James Park??????? C'mon, it shud have been Man Utd and the Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford manz. Shearer, Dyer, Bellamy, Jenas... WOW!
Anw, enough of soccer. yupz, that's all for the show. Nonetheless, the show provided enough entertainment for soccer loving boys like me. lol. This blog has been discovered by my camp mates and they are spreading it around. Even my Sergent Major knows about it, albeit coincidentally. I seriously don't know what's all the big hype about my life that they want to be part of. I'm just Edwin whose life is centered around Jesus and the unmerited favour of God. Alright, now my BSM addresses me as Son of God. I know he meant it to be a bit 'sarcastic' but I kinda love it though, even if it does sounds a bit wierd. It makes me feel BIG and kingly. lol.
Announcement! Edwin is on off on Monday so I'm free till Tuesday night when i've gotta book in again. ya, so if anyone wants to jio me out or talk to me, feel free to do so. That's all, folks.

2006-01-06T22:22:00.000-08:00

These are the pictures which Samuel, my bunk mate currently, took when he was in Air Force School, Australia for air grading. These are just facets of his daily life. His bunk, toilet, food etc...

Basically, I'm just totally impressed. Why do pilot trainees in Air Force get such good treatments while their army counterparts have to make do with a totally different lifestyle? Samuel was raving to me about his memories in Australia when he first got posted to 24SA as a signaller. Ok, I was ~~not~~ impressed, but I couldn't believe it was this good until I saw these pictures on his blog. Unbelievable. He told me that they have buffet everyday and Air Force School hires a different chef every week to whip up a variety of dishes. OMG!!!!!! I mean, it's totally ridiculous when u compare this to the cookhouse food we get. Too bad I dun have a picture of a typical meal from the cookhouse, but army guys, I'm sure u can imagine. Ok, to be fair, cookhouse food isn't really that bad; u do get the occasional spring chicken, nasi lemak and satays treats. On the other hand, I dun even bother take a second look at the food sometimes, much less eat it. And the bunk! It's even better than my room at home. They have a bathtub in the toilet and a balcony that is facing an open field with kangaroos jumping around. Wow! Haiz, how come Air Force and Army are under the same organization, SAF, but personnel from both sides seem to receive entirely different treatment???

Ok, enough of bitching. I guess I can take consolation that I did not sign on with the Army. Yes, so for those who are contemplating signing on, the above pictures should be more than enough to convince u to join the Air Force instead of the Army or the navy per se.

2006-01-02T16:40:00.000-08:00

Ok, this is my first entry of 2006. Having slept for close to 14 hours the previous night, I'm back to my normal self. Praise God. Wasn't exactly in a great physical condition when I went for church on Sunday. Haven written out my resolutions for this year, but having read the newspaper about people writing down resolutions for the year only to see many of those unfulfilled, I realized only God can fulfil what U set out to do ya. Alright, the theme for 2006 is to be led by the spirit. Haiz, it's only the second day of the new year and I've ignored the holy spirit's promptings. Yes, I regretted my actions. But nvm, I shall learn. U see, what happen was this: There was supposed to be a jc class outing today at east coast. Realizing that there was no sms and no messages on the class e-group bulletin to inform me when and where to meet watsoever, I tot the whole thing was cancelled again which just works out well for me since i wanted to just chill out at home read books, blog, play the guitar etc. Ok after my breakfast someone called me to tell me to go east coast at 12pm. Ironiacally, it wasn't good news becos it gave me a dilema to contemplate. Thinking I should not reject my frens, I made the long trip down to East Coast. To be frank, there was just no peace and joy in my spirit.
Reached bedok jetty, called one of them, told me they are at Macs. Great, then i took a cab down. simply waste of money! Then they told me they are intending to cycle and blade the whole day. It was the last thing I wanted to hear when I was in a laid back mood, wanting to do nothing but just sit down relax, talk cock and sing song. I tot they were gonna do just that on the beach, but well... Just feel very nua3 la nowadays, want to go gym in the morning for the past few days but couldn't drag my legs out of the house. That is how slack I am. Surprisingly God still mantains my body. lol.
then i made the decision to go home. A decision that was gonna be made sonner or later.
Anw, after the long story, let's talk about happy stuff. Gathering on NYE was great. Eventful ride with Caleb to and fro to Costa Sands. Detours after detours. Saw a bad accident where a black car was smashed in the middle and civil defence personnel trying to get the victim out, then nearly getting into an accident ourselves when the bus neraly hit us as 2 lanes filter into 1 on route to TPE. Thank God all went well. Anw, everybody had fun before the inevitable hunt by the Z-monster. Joshua, Kevin, Kim and me were beaten flat by the monster. Only Caleb the cadet was left standing.
Oh pictures can be found at http://photobucket.com/albums/c103/shandyblues/2005%20NYE/
Videos of the girls dancing and Charissa's bdae get from me on msn. It's pretty funny, cute nonetheless.
Haiz, my dearie cousin chim keng is enlisting in 3 days time, the earliest of his batch. Behold the morale dampening Pulao Tekong and Pasir Ris bus interchange. Taking the bus to the ferry terminal is like old soldiers taking the train to the warfront, leaving behind their loved ones, where tears and hugs are a common sight. haiz. That is so behind me rite now and I'm proud to say I'm gonna ORD this year december. On the other hand, my beloved 3SGs and old 2Lts are leaving soon. Month of scheduled departure is on March. Already I dun see them very often in camp nowadays. They were great pals, treating me like their civilian fren, regardless of rank.
To end it off, I would like to wish all my frens a Blessed 2006! Obey the spirit and 2006 will be ur best year yet.

2005-12-30T13:15:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know I haven been blogging for what seems like ages. Apologies to all those who read this blog (if there's any), listening to me talk ya. Not that I haven got time to go online; it's just that i'm once again indulging in my bad habit of procrastination. Blogging somehow began to feel like writing an essay and I hate writing now. But aniwaes, I decided to blog a bit now before I make my way to Kevin's house to help him prepare for the party this evening. It's gonna be big I think. He has invited the NS, SIM and VJ cg. I wonder if he's invited the old JC East cg, pple like Agnes, Yasmine, Gerry bla bla bla. If he does, it wud be great since I haven got time to catch up with these old pals. Probably can snap some pictures as well.
I was on leave for the past 3 days so come to think of it, it was pretty idiotic of me to not update this blog since I've got so much free time at home. Sorry. Anw, I was intending to go for the 3 day basic diving course which Joshua recommended. I just needed 3 close guy frens to form a group of 4 (I wanted guys cos I felt that it's more fun to do such adventurous stuff with guys). Alas, I couldn't find any. NOT a single one. So i tot i was just gonna rot at home or so i tot...
3 days have past and I can gladly say I'm greatful that I din go diving. Reason: I bought my long awaited guitar!!! hahaha. All the shops are having discount during this period. Swee Lee is having a whopping 50% discount. I mean 50% is a lot. Imagine a $1K guitar going for $500. OMG! I mean the sound of a $1K is definitely much much better than a $500 one, generally to say. The whole thing was unplanned realli. It's a long story.
Ok, I'm supposed to have a JC class outing at Sentosa on Thursday. Thinking I haven seen those old frens since the last time we meet at the collection of our results almost 9 months ago, I had to give up meeting Kev, Edmund, Nat (the usual suspects) at PS for Narnia. And guess wat, nobody informed me that the whole thing was cancelled. I kinda suspect there was smth wrong when nobody was discussing when to meet, wat to buy on the class e group and they were planning for another one on Jan 2. "Wah, so siao ON!" was wat I was thinking on my mind. I was about to go out and buy bottled drinks when I decided to give Zhiyuan (the organizer) an confirmatory sms. And yes, that was when he broke out the news to me. Wait, before I carry on any further, I must affirm that I may sound very angry, but I'm not. yupz. Ok, so I tot I shall go watch Narnia with the SIM pple and the NS brothers. The movie was superb, I got a lot to say abt it, probably nxt time. Unfortunately, Nat has booked the tickets. Awesome, now I had to personally go down to PS hopefully can get one tix which is beside them.
Thursday morning. Wanted to make my way down to PS early so that I could get the seat I want. Yer know Orchard theatres... U must book the seats early to get wat u want. As usual, I couldn't move my feet and found my buttock stuck on the seat in front of my computer table, so I decided to make a telephone booking. I was so close to making the confirmation, just one more press on the button. Then I realized I cannot choose the seat I want since it was a telecommunicator, not a human entertaining my request. What's more, I have to pay $1 more. Bo Hua! Yes, I procrastinated and procrastinated... and procrastinated all the way till 3.30pm before I got myself moving. Can u believe it... 4pm and seats for a 9pm show was already half filled. Irritating. Din really get the seat I want. They were sitting from J4 to J11. J1 was the best seat I could get. Figured I could probably swap with the couple sitting between me and the bunch. Ok, after I bought the tix, I hanged arnd PS , walking arnd aimlessly. I felt kinda lonely walking alone, so I decided to try my luck and sms Joshie if he's in town to join me for a game of pool or smth. And guess wat, he was walking alone at Raffles City. LOL. And he told me Swee Lee was holding a massive year end clear out sale. 50%!!!! So we met up and went Swee Lee and another discovery awaits me. Sister Bernice is attached! hahaha. She told me it's juz recently and the guy apparently is from VJC softball. hmm... Anw, it's always cool to see young lovebirds together, I mean pple u know la. They tend to be very happy after that. lol. But but but I'm not getting one so soon. I'm enjoying my singlehood rite now.
Ok back to the guitar... I saw this Fender acoustic going for 400 down from 800. it's sound is amazing. No surprise since it's Fender. It's unfortunate that there was no plug in. I lamented becos I wanted a plug in, but nonetheless, I was obsessed with the brand and it going at such a cut down price that i decided to buy it. Alright, I was already in the queue with that guitar. I dunno, it's kinda wierd becos there was no peace in my heart when I was in that queue. At the end of the day, I did not buy the guitar. It was a wise decision when I think of it now.
So Joshua and I met up the next day and we went to City Music at Peace Centre. It was at this place I bought my Ovation guitar. I like bright sound and I like the fact that the Ovation is able to give me just that. The one I bought amazed me with a built in tuner. It was great cos I do not have tuner and I have to depend on my so-i-thought sharp ear to tune the guitar. But sometimes u have to admit that a machine is desgined to perform better than human in some aspects. yes, choir pple i'm refering to u. Not so much the NCC choir pple, but the VJC one. hehe. What's more, it comes with 6 months free strings and a bag. I tot 460 was a steal for all these.
Come to think of it, all the stuff that happened was realli God's plan. Everything... from the cancellation of JC gathering to meeting Josh to the movie to finally buying my guitar. I din plan for all these things. I tot I was gonna rot at home bcos I can't find any kakis to go diving with me. God is good realli.
Okok, I really have to rush. Time now 1315. Meet the guys 1330. Outstanding. haha.
Bye. Signing off.

2005-12-23T19:27:00.000-08:00

Mariah Carey : All I Want For Christmas Is You @ FreeFreeVideos

Wishing U Guys A Merry Christmas! Jesus is the reason for the season.
Oh well, I haven bought my pressies yet. lol.

2005-12-19T02:24:00.000-08:00

Yes! I finally got my mp3 back, after like 6 weeks. Heaven wonders why they take so long just to replace spoit player with a brand new one.

My Precious 5GB Zen Micro
Now it's time to dump all my music and sermon in. It's gonna take quite some time, I surmise. I thought Creative would repair the spoilt player for me, so I didn't bothered to do a backup. When I went there, the girl told me Creative is gonna change a whole new one for me, which to be fair, I kinda suspected that they will do that. I was just lazy, that's all. *roll eyes up* hehe. Ya, so I had a choice to either bring the player home and do a backup or just hack it, but Creative being situated at Jurong East is so far from my habitat situated at Serangoon. At the end of the day, it just didn't make sense for me to make such a long wasted trip.

2005-12-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

Alright, I've got quite a lot things to blog about, so I shall jump straight into it.
Ok, Eucharistia was great, though i thought they could do with more games. Weather was great; it's not the typical kind of sunny climate which people are normally hoping for when they go to the beach. Well, it rained so it was rather cooling. Me wasn't in the tanning mood, so the weather suited me just fine. I brought along my sister's digcam along hoping to snap some pictures, but found out in the end that there were not many opportunities to take photos since we are busy playing games. The photo below is the only one I took, at the Harbour Front Macs. Well not exactly I but Joshua. Great shot bro! Anw, I thought it looked quite cool, quite corny as well. It seems apparently to me as if me and Lingkai are the guys in Men in Black (Will Smith n the other guy), waiting for the chance to take down some monsters. lol.

Service today was good. Pastor Prince was sharing about the story of Joseph and how he only had God's presence with him and that was the only factor that brought him through all the evils in his life. He rose from a slave waiting to be auctioned to a person who is second only to Pharoah in Egypt. I've been pratising Daniel's advice: ask God for what the message is going to be about and also to ask for ur portion from the sermon. And yes, God answered my prayer. So the thing was this: I chanced upon Kelvin Na's blog this morning. One of his latest entry reflected what God has done for him this past year and I felt that this guy is really so glorious. He depended only on God's unmerited favour and God's grace literally live through his life. I guess people who know him will agree with me. Anw, after reading the entry, I looked at myself and I asked God why is his glory not manifesting in my life. All I can say is that God is so faithful, he answered me with today's sermon. God's manifested presence=glory.
After making my tithe, the holy spirit just prompted me to go buy an ice cream cone from Ben N Jerry. Met Ian n Jerome there and 'goped' a bit of their ice cream. hehe. Ok, of all the posh ice cream I've eaten so far, Gelare, Swensens etc, Ben n Jerry offers the best service. The girl who entertained me was so patient with my incessant questions about the different flavours they have. Moreover, she scooped, using ice cream sticks, a huge sample of each of the 2 flavours I tried. and the sweet smile of hers really brightened up my day. Anyway... ya go Ben n Jerry if u haven tried it yet although the waffle cone is a little pricey at $4.50. Oh I went to the Suntec branch.
That's all folks. Have a blessed week ahead.

2005-12-10T00:10:00.000-08:00

Exactly this day one year ago, i was a civilian turned into a soldier on my enlistment day. And exactly one year later, I will be a soldier turned into a civilian on my ORD day, albeit 364 days. (ORD=091206) Well, BMT seems so long ago but it will be a memory that is etched in my heart forever. My fellow platoon mates who got f#$%ed together with me have just got commissioned at SAFTI today. And not to forget my Dunman High frens who used to play soccer with me every week. Wenjin, Chong Wan, Wenguang, Keng Yang, Mervyn and many many more. And yes, Josiah from church. Yer know, it's inevitable that I wonder what I've achieved this past year when my close frens become a 2LT and i'm languishing as a CPL. It's some kind of inferiority complex i guess.
It's was the last care group session of the year and it provided me a great chance to reflect what God has done for me this past year. True, i didn't become an officer like my frens, but I feel like I've grown so much in the Lord this year alone, much much more than the 2 years spent in JC. I've discovered a new hunger for bible study on thursday and made so many kingdom friendships. People who happen to read this may think that i'm consoling myself but I don't realli care. I've learnt to play the guitar and my computer knowledge definitely has improved. And I ran 21.1km in 2hrs 28min. lol. Despite being just a CPL, i believe God still can use me for his kingdom purposes. God can use anybody, even the prostitutes and the tax collectors.
I really thank God for what he has done for me this year. I thank God for posting me to 24SA. I'm grateful for Andy, and the entire NS CG . Today, I looked at all the guys in NS CG and I felt like these people are going to be huge success. They are going to use their success as an example of God's faithfulness in their lives and spread the gospel to the world.
Anw, after CG, we went zipping down to the glasshouse for fish n co. Me took Kelvin Na's car and he was going like 80km/h winding thru the narrow roads. It was fun though. Ok, I tried frilled salmon and after trying so many different dishes at fish n co, I must say that seafood platter is the best. Take the one for 2; it's more worth it.

Hmm, Christmas is coming... Can almost feel the festive mood as I thronged the streets. Look forward to all the gatherings and food of course. There's gonna be a feast going on in my family. For me, this time of the year is to reflect what I've done in the past year and new resolutions for the next year. One thing I've set myself to do in the next year is to play the acoustic guitar in church, anywhere realli, doesn't have to be in music ministry. I think anyone who have been changed by God wants to serve Him out of an overflow, me included. It's just a strong desire to play the guitar during worship and I believe desires are placed by God. Ok, shall go get my guitar soon. Other than that, haven't thought of the other resolutions yet. Probably will think more abt it when New Year strikes.

.........Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way..........

2005-11-29T08:27:00.000-08:00

Manz, if u've not watched the Ronaldinho stuff which The New Paper is talking about, you gotta watch it. It's really amazing. On the other hand, it looks fake, albeit edited. How could anyone volley the ball 4 consecutive times onto the crossbar from outside the penalty area, and each time the ball returns back to him??? For the benefit of those who have not watched it, here's the link.
http://www.notv.it/video-of-ronaldinho-brazilian-ping-pong
Well, i assure you that the clip is definitely better than 2 China boys singing Backstreet Boy's 'I Want It That Way'
http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=Lb6eAnp0Yec&feature=Favorites&amp;amp;amp;page=1&t=t&f=b
I guess those 2 guys are just trying too hard to get famous huh. Can't believe this is the top favourite on youtube.com
Anw, before i started this blog, i made a resolution that i will not blog on army related events unless it's really, really outstanding. Army is so boring! But i thought this is really interesting, so i shall share it. The new specialist course just arrived and there's a female trainee. Guess wat, i didn't know she belongs to a different species as me. Oh well, she approached me to ask me for directions. The first thought that came to my mind was (bubbles bubbles bubbles...) SISPEC allow your hair to be so long meh? 'His' hair was like 1cm over the ears and the back was almost touching 'his' collar. I didn't ask of course due to courtesy yer know. I only realize 'he' was a female after i entered the office.
Daryl: Hey, did you see the female trainee outside? She sign on.
Edwin: Oops. She just asked me for directions and I tot she's a guy.
Daryl: Ya, she's a tomboy.
Edwin: Hmm...
I wonder which bunk is she staying in. She can't possibly stay with the guys. That's obscene. No no no, SAF would NEVER allow that. Most prob she's staying alone.
Ok, there's one more event that happened in just these 2 days of the week. I'm tasked by my BSM(Battery Sergent Major) to get some information from the Chief Clerk from another battalion. I've been warned that this Indian woman is a little mad. So i was curious to see how mad is she.
Me (in my nicest and most polite voise): Erm Ma'am, can i get the NRIC no. of these personnal from your battalion?
Mad Woman: Wat time issit now?
Me: 12.20 Ma'am
Mad Woman: It's lunch rite? Come and find me again at 1.30pm.
Me: Ma'am, but my boss wants it by lunch.
Mad Woman: Who's your boss?
Me: My BSM
Mad Woman: I dun care who your boss is. I am the boss here!
So i lan lan have to go somewhere else to get the information. Unfortunately, I saw her a second time, this time going for lunch with her clerks.
Mad Woman: Boy, who's your BSM?
Me: Staff Vincent
Mad Woman: Tell your BSM go wake up la!
I went back and told my BSM. Apparently, he sent an email to complain about that Indian woman and the Chief Clerk got scared out of her balls that she come and tell my Chief Clerk. Well, come to think of it, she has no balls in the first place. Haha. This only re-emphasizes one pont: NEVER fool around with the beloved child of God.

2005-11-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

The Evil SCGS girl
http://studentssketchpad.blogspot.com/2005/07/evil-scgs-girl.html
The AC Dating system
http://studentssketchpad.blogspot.com/2005/08/dear-students-sketchpad.html

They are quite funny, but rather stereotypical. Take a look if u have the time.

2005-11-25T23:52:00.000-08:00

wondered how Charissa"s farewell dinner was like. couldn't attend regrettably bcos of guard duty. i tot i leaked out the plan the night when we watched Harry Potter, but well, i guess she knew all about it when Esther jio her to go out on Thursday night. that was what she told me on MSN la. ya, anw i suddenly remembered to wish her in the middle of the night when i was about to sleep. What i didn't expect was that she call me after a few rounds of SMSes. N we didn't know wat to talk about. We were like "erm, ya, oh well oh well, yes." probably it's bcos of my fatigue, i didn't feel like talking. then i did smth which i feel so bad after i hung up. i said, "hey can i talk to you after you come back from the States?" God, i still din believe i said that. i actually 'gupped' her phone. i guess i'll apologize to her if she comes online.
alright, went to SITEX together with my army frens today. well, there was nothing much. Not much bargains n freebies. I just bought 25 TDK DVDs for $17 which i thought was a steal. and oh, i've got a free Razor baseball cap. haha. The guy at the Razor stall was like asking wat's the latest Razor mouse. My fren answered and he gave the cap to me. well, i guess everybody knew the answer, but din bother to go up to the guy. I wud have relished a Copperhead really, but on second thoughts, i think the Copperhead would have felt disgusted if i was the one clicking on it. i'm not a hardcore FPS(first person shooter) gamer yer know.
ya, and i managed to get into the Big Boyz Toyz exhibition beside SITEX free of charge thanx to some ORDed personnel who gave me his pass. well, the whole show is about cars, cars and cars. the show can be very boring esp for me who is not realli into cars. i thought the only car worth seeing was the limited edition Jackie Chan Evo IX. it has the word 'long2' everywhere but i thought the car looked exquisite.
haiz, brian jio me to play soccer tmr evening, but got CG leh. and i paiseh to reject him. haven seen those 'siao eh' brothers for damn long liaoz. When was the last time we played soccer together manz? the officer cadets are always so busy and tired. we'll see we'll see. i'll let the peace inside me make the decision. good nightz everyone.

2005-11-23T18:53:00.000-08:00

Alright, this is my maiden post, but i've so many things to blog about. And worst of all, i've got no time, so pardon me if i leave this blog dormant for a period of time k. Nevertheless, i've made a personal commitment to blog at least once a week(unlike my last blog -_-). God help me. Haha. Ok, lets start talking about the things that went on last Sunday. Service was fantastic, really. What i took away from that sermon is to obey the SIMPLE things of God, and the results will be miraculous. yer know, one things daniel said to me after the sermon which really hit me: God speaks more often than we listen. and i think it's really true in my life. Many times, deep in my heart i know god is telling me not to do a particular thing, but i insist on doing it, and end up regretting the decision. I guess many people are like me... we know we should follow God's advice, because He knows what's gonna happen ahead. now the thing is this: we only approach Him when it comes to the BIG things. for example, things like which car to buy (well, i dun have to worry about that now since i dun have a Class 3 licence yet, i emphasize again, yet), which subject combinations to take, which school to go, what to say during a scholarship interview blah blah blah... and the sad thing is, God is promting us with answers all the time, but we are often too stressed and excited with things in life that we never slow down to listen.
Anw, after Sunday's sermon, i've decided to take things one step at a time. people in camp flood me with stuff happening in the days ahead, i just flush them out. i try to keep the tempo down and enjoy what i'm doing. Only this way i can listen to what God is speaking to me. ya, i know it's nearly impossible to do it in this crazy rat race in Singapore. but u can ask God to help you. pray about it. i truly believe that if u obey the simple things that god tells you to do, u will be so many steps ahead of your peers who think they are superman and superwoman, trying to cramp so many tasks in one day. that's how people get depression, esp girls (sorry but i think e female species are more emotional).
ok, i've got one testimony about the above topic which i hope will encourage all of u who are reading it. after i bathed yesterday night at about 1.30am, i thought i would be more awake to finally start on my first blog entry, at the same time wait till 3.30am when the champions league match starts. in case u are wondering, it's Man Utd VS Villareal. well, the whole world incl me thinks that Man U is gonna win esp when talismatic Villareal playmaker Riquelme is injured. so i was thinking of staying up to watch my favourite team win. However, after i bathed, something from the inside tells me that i should go and sleep and also forget abt the match despite the fact that i was so refreshed from the bath. so i did the wise thing, yes i went to sleep. This morning the first thing i did when i woke up was to check soccernet for the scores. Oh boy, oh boy, can u believe it? Man Utd draw with no goals scored in the entire match. i was shocked at first, then after that i remembered that God told me to sleep the night before. Praise the Lord. Yes, i know this testimony is not a big thing, flaky it may seems, but it starts from here... start obeying the simple things of God, and the voice of God will become sharper when crunch time comes.
alright, i shall move on to dinner with Daniel Sithu at Little India after service. i had no intentions watsoever to eat there, but Daniel said he had a great craving for curry at this particular shop at Little India. By the time i went down to the foodcourt to find the guys, they were close to finishing their food, so i tot i could follow Daniel. anw, that place's so near my house. He offered to branja me somemore. haha. blessed manz.
at Little India MRT station,
Me: oh god, this place really smells... wierd.
Daniel: yeah, man i sense a real lack of oestrogen in this place!
haha, that guy's a real funny dude. anw, i've not stepped onto Little India for a very long time. it seems like unchartered territory even though it's so near my house. in fact, i didn't dare to go there when i was younger bcos of the crowd and also i believe the myths which parents used to tell their little kids. ya, i shadn't be explicit. nonetheless, the place was still very packed with Indians on a Sunday evening. God! can't imagine how things will be like when i go there for training next March. heard from my encik that dead bodies will be rotting by the side of the road plus crowds which are 2 times what i've seen at Little India. but i believe it will be an eye opener. i wouldn't pay money to visit such exotic countries in the future, so it's great that SAF is paying for my trip there. yupz, but that's still a long way to go. Christmas, New Year and CNY 's coming. WOO-HOO! ok, where am I? oh, we reached this shop. i didn't see any Indians eating there, so i figured it must be pretty 'UP' la. Indeed, it was. 3 drinks, 3 garlic naans(smth like plain roti prata), 1 small plate of exotic, sour tasting chicken curry cost S$17.50. WOw! Little it may seem, but it filled the both of us really. after that, as we were walking down the streets, we saw this bus which is trying to get people to Geylang. didn't realize what it means until a while later. hmm, didn't know such services existed until that day. The Indians who were getting up the bus were so excited and they were dragging their friends along also. That scene was so hilarious.
However, what i cherished from this dinner was the fellowship more than anything else, not the food and the people talk watever. Daniel is gonna go back to Australia soon, so i'm glad to learn from him. Being music enthusiasts, Daniel and I talked about how Planet Shakers and Hillsongs are able to command god's presence to fall the moment the first note resonates, why their songs are so annointed and stuff like that. We also discussed about songwriting. He gave me 2 advice apparently.
1) If you know how to play an instrument, just pick it up and play. Play chord progressions in different keys or smth. If not, just sing. When the spirit of God comes, the song will flow. Place some teddy bears and perform in front of them. I would also like to add that one should not depend on his self efforts. One scene from the United Live DVD still rings so clearly in my mind. Before the 'Look To You' concert in Australia, Darlene Zschech was like speaking to the musicians. She said "Do not rely on your gifts, but let God work through you. For u know if God doesn't come through, you will drown." That was so powerful in my opinion.
2) Get a musically inclined person to give a fair critique about the music you have composed. that shouldn't be difficult.
well, this is a very long entry. so tired liaoz. Now i know why blogging is a huge commitment, it takes up so much time. To think I haven even upload pictures yet. haha

2005-11-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

bla bla bla. testing my ass to the moon.