the obligatory new year post

in a certain daily publication, a reader wrote that sgreans have compassion, despite not having civic graciousness.

for this one year, some people had been debating about giving up seats, clearing plates and bowls, clearing your pet's waste and a recent one about foreign workers, among the usual no littering, no spitting etc.

we hosted F1. going to have the YOG and though the IRs may be delayed, it's going to happen. are we still this ungracious little red dot? unfortunately yeah. we still have a long way but I think we are pretty successful in generating awareness and in time to come, we can make it.

compassion? oh sure we have, loads of it. "Omg that local superstar actress just broke her nail trying to do a cartwheel 2m across the stage on live tv! Honey, lets donate to NKF! It's for a good cause coz we love unfortunate children too right? I am so feeling for that actress. she's gonna be so sad for that broken nail." my point? are you really compassionate or just emotionally charged up?

note, this is just my own personal opinion and by no means represent the viewpoints of the majority others. I would love to have a different perspective but the abovementioned reader failed.

also, I was going to bring this ranting to hong lim park but they say my application wasn't successful.

reason: can't chope time slot with a packet of tissue.

to 2008, auld lang syne.

try again

I started the year 2008 telling myself, "Want to be fit and stay fit.".
I'm ending the year 2008 telling myself, "Want to be fit and stay fit, really.".

2008 is all talk. so I'm determined to make 2009 all action. signed up with a fitness club and worked out a bit. pretty good start to a year end and hopefully working myself into a fitter and sharper looking me.

huffing and puffing away those "too much LOVE to HANDLE" at a gym near you.

who da man

spiderman, ironman, superman and more recently, yes man and ip man.

Me: "2 tickets to eep mun (spelt as pronounced) please."
Tix guy who was ethnic Indian: "wad?"
"eep mun. 2 tickets."
"what??!?"
"erm... ip MAN."
"orh!! IP MAN lah. the guy who can pew pew the japs with his ipping lasers."

okay I made that last one up but seriously, even the posters printed out the spelling to accurately represent the pronunciation.

maybe it's the producers of the film's fault since they are the ones who named the title "Ip Man" instead of "Eep Mun". then again who wants to watch a movie called "Eep Mun"? maybe I should blame the english alphabet.

or maybe I should just shuddup and just watch the movie. which I did.

what doing

now playing : Dawn of Sorrow on NDS
I know it's a bit late to play this 2005-released game, but it's pretty good and I'm a fan. almost done and absolutely loved the tracks, weapon syn and magic sealing. 7 out of 10.

now reading : Shattered Dreams by Dr Larry Crabb
my actual 1st by him. 3 chapters in and I'm convinced its a good one to finish. 8 out of 10.

now listening : Five Loaves and Two Fishes by Corrine May
great voice, nice tune, good subject for a song and excellent lyrics. no reason to rip this off via file-sharing. 11 out of 10.

now watching (or going to at least) : Shark Week on Discovery. ferocious mammals, underwater. sweet (or salty) killer combo, literally. 1 out of 10, which is the actual fatality rate of shark attacks.

now deciding : between an office deskbound job in woodlands (3 out of 10) or a much more freedom but 7 days-a-week almost work-from-home job (9 out of 10). no brainer.

now rambling : at a blog space near you! maybe I should try Hong Lim Park, but won't coz it has been overcrowded by english-speaking lehman bro investors who lately claimed they are uneducated and uninformed and can't read small prints. good try. 1 out of 10. for effort.

can or not

sometimes I ask myself, "Can or not?" but maybe I should just tell myself "Can." and do it. just ask God for strength and work hard. triply hard if have to.

please bless this new undertaking, thank You God.

bang

I use to think Thais are one of the nicest folks in the region. I enjoyed my trip to phuket 2 years ago very much. so much that we had plans to visit bangkok in december. but thank God we didn't let that come to pass.

seriously, what do you do when you feel grieved by your government? well, take it out on the ordinary folks! occupy the airport no less.

I use to have high regards for thais and the nation. but this incident really wins it for them. good job you PAD guys. you have just pretty much bbqwtfpwn you and yourself only. democracy on it's way. and it's gonna do like what your capital says, bang cock. only this time, it's your own.

you win, koks.

play by pray

all work no play makes a man dull.
all talk no pray makes earth like hell.

turbulent times need powerful prayers. I'm glad I start and end each day with prayers with my wife even if not by myself.

Father I pray that You continue to bless me with wisdom and understanding so that I can learn from my everyday experiences. and by the way, the life-size frostmourne looked really cool. can't help but to almost drooled but don't worry, I'm not a fool to pay top bucks for an over-sculptured low-quality metal that have no absolute use other than to make my lovely house look more demonic. I ask that You continue to bless us with the goodies as Christmas draws near, not that You haven't 2000 years ago by bringing Jesus to us to bridge that gap. Thank You and amen.

as 2008 winds down ...

with a lil more than 1.5 months to go in a topsy turvy year, I just want to say that I am very thankful that I'm still on track with God.

sure I side-tracked lots this year and even the last few years, I'm very very happy that I'm finally running on the right track. it's still uncomfy for now but I know that with Jesus being my coach, I will finish it well. better than I can ever imagine.

now, I just look forward to celebrate Christmas 08 in it's truest meaning, again. Thank You Jesus.

wowaa

for wow addicts anonymous. I've been off it for a little more than 5 months now. and with the 2nd expansion set that features my virtual hero upcoming, do I miss it?

without a doubt I do at times. the mindless running about the virtual world called Azeroth hacking away and looting at imaginary prizes that grant real, if only temporary satisfactions. but a larger part of me is glad that I'm minding what matters more. the reality.

sure there are real disappointments and there are no load/save/re-tries but that's what makes it so exciting.

and it helps to have a wife to breathe down your neck, like a level 80 elite taskmaster.

for God, for real

"Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it." - Genesis 2:15.

and so it shall be, to tend and keep it till my fingers, mind, heart and soul turn green.

upwardly mobile

well, we have known each other for almost 2 years. and all these time I have given you my best. sure we had good times but you have to admit it was mostly frustrating.

you are not responsive, you crap out on me now and again and well, you are just not the same anymore. I'm seeing another right now and I wish the best for you. been emotional fella. bye N80.

hello E71.

I feel like a 3-year-old with a new lego set!

dark wet fast

that's the 3 things I have to say about this weekend's F1 GP. dark coz it's the world's 1st night race. wet coz it's been raining and especially so this morning. fast coz it's, F1.

I'm not a huge fan of fast and sleek looking cars, much less the F1 series. but I'm happy that they came to town and it generated such a huge buzz and really boosted singapore's tourism. but as 1 person put it, since it's our 1st, a lot of work went to it and it made singapore look like a huge "under construction" country, what with the integrated resort constructions going on there too.

we are going into a lot of development, all to lure the who's who, big wigs, well-heeled and high rollers in the world to our, little red dot, as some would put it.

suddenly singapore isn't the singapore some of us knew 20 years ago. things grew up so damn fast that it probably left some of the older folks wonder what happened to the good old 40 cent kopi he used to order at the satay club.

welcome to the digital age. where speed matters.

eat what

"I'll prepare a meal this Saturday for both of us!".

that was abt a week ago. and I haven't been since I don't even remember. and with that in mind I decide that I want to do a 3 course romantic dinner. a nice creamy soup with homemade garlic bread and crotons, a huge juicy medium-well black pepper steak with onion rings and grilled tomatoes as sides, ending with 3 tier dessert of melted chocolate, ice-cream and crushed cookies.

and yeap, I haven't been cooking for awhile. so isn't that a little ambitious? yes it is. so I was like literally praying the whole week to God for
1) good planning to prepare so many things
2) good hands so that I won't waste a good piece of beef cut
3) good 'customer' (aka wife) that she won't complain much even if it doesn't turn out well

but hey! everything went well. wife helped with a bit of the preparation, had loads of fun. even the mood music CD (kenny g's bestest hits) was working properly. it was truly great fun shopping for some of the ingredients, preparing it with wifey and eating, photographing/videoing and comments-throwing. God, thank You for the help!

it's my 1st huge culinary project but it won't be the last.

what they meant to me

I'm a casual gamer by society standards but I do get sucked in pretty badly if it's really good or a genre which I like very much.

I had played some really good ones. Diablo, Planescape Torment, Advance Wars series on the nintendo and the most devastating of all, World of Warcraft.

I have officially stopped WoW and most other form of video gaming since early June and it's been slightly more than a quarter of a year now. not that I missed gaming very much and suffering cold turkey but I keep having thoughts of them again especially today. all the sweet memories of kicking ass and the virtual achievements keep flooding my limited brain.

I learnt a lot from gaming. knowledge, strategizing, perseverance and even interacting with people hundreds of miles away can be enriching for me. I made friends from across this very world and learnt teamwork (albeit virtual settings), words and wits that can't be taught in school or texts.

but what at the end of the day? virtual friends come and go. virtual achievements are just. but the time spent would never come back again. memories, all they are but I look towards a better life. a real one, with God. and my wife.

seed faith

Jesus : "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." - John 14:12.

"... if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." - Matthew 17:20.

there. plainly said. by Jesus. any more doubts?

now what?

on the one hand, it's something I enjoy doing. but I'm hardly getting along with people around, which is unusual. and I especially dislike one particular person in my group.

the other? a lot of 'freedom', higher pay, challenging and potentially huge (much much larger) responsibility. the downside? I cannot afford to screw up much. and it's not a definite thing yet, at this writing.

God, please help me in this one. totally. I commit this burden to You and trust that You will deliver me to the right place. I ask for strength and wisdom for my road ahead and pray that it would be a fulfilling journey. Amen.

of medals and foreign athletes

the 2 dudes who won the beach volleyball are brazilians waving georgian flags. oil rich middle easterners dangle golden carrots to get african runners to switch allegiance. russian has the capitalism US rednecks to lead their basketball teams.

so what do singapore do when china have a talent overflow? well, get them in! welcome them with open arms but not without terms and conditions.
1) win olympic medals
2) pay more taxes
3) make more babies
4) vote for the right political party

of babies and dating

yeap, singaporeans need our very dear PM Lee to urge, teach and make policies so that we can date, marry and procreate.

Genesis 1:28 of the Holy Bible ".. Be fruitful and multiply; ..."

yes God we shall. thank You for provisions to help us in this crazy, fossil fuel dependent age. thank You for good governance and prosperity in Singapore. I pray that You continue to bless the nation and see us through pain and suffering. protect us from harm and keep us protected from the elements.

forgive of our sins and have mercy on us. we thank You Jesus for the cross and the sins You bore for us. we in this household love You and honour Your Name.

we ask for abundance of love and blessings for our loved ones. in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Jesus: Our Oasis

what do you do when you are weary from your 'travels' in the world? Go to Jesus.

Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Matt 11:28-30

Amen.

Your commands?

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." - Matthew 22:37.

yeap, you SHALL. not asking, not urging, not recommending, but telling you to.

do it. today.

oh and love the neighbours as yourself.

God, grant me the wisdom, strength and compassion to love my fellowmen as I love myself. but I'm getting that ipod for myself 1st okay? Amen.

run

Run for ME.

but shouldn't I take it slow first? what if I get tired out quickly? I'm not in the best of shape... I'm still weak...

"But those who wait on the LORD SHALL renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint." Ish 40:31.

You said it. You called. I'm RSVPing YES. Thank You God.

lightly salted

Matthews 5:13-14 "You are the salt of the earth;.... You are the light of the world." which is to say be the 'flavour' and 'guiding light' to people around you. I see it as being good testimony for God and be the one helping and showing others, God and the way of Christ.

lightly salted, is what I want to be. in God's sense.

so it's another year

and another chapter of my life since 33 years ago. happy birthday to me.

so what does it really mean? an excuse for a celebration? to give yourself a treat to a nice dinner? presents, cakes and candles, all the whims for a day?

well all I know there's still lots to be done and my workrate needs to be higher. but I thank God anyway for seeing me through to this day and everything He has done for me thus far. I also want to give thanks for the things to come and I'm absolutely sure He would show me even more amazing things, if I trust Him.

God, my life for Your Will. Amen.

daily prayer

Dear God, thank You for bringing me and wife back together. Not a day went by without me thinking about the "what ifs".

though I'm tempted to curse and pray against my enemies, I acknowledge that my biggest enemies are myself and the devil's temptations. so I ask for stronger will and greater wisdom to stand up against them, unwaivered and grounded in faith, in Your Name.

Your Grace, encompasses. Your Love, empowers. Your Will, done. In the Name of Jesus,

gretz, "Amen.".

middle

Stay in the middle of the road. - Aimee Semple Mcpherson

those who knew her life would know she didn't mean to say to compromise, or be lukewarm or anything that sort.

it's "being excessive might skyrocket you, but you will eventually explode plummet to earth. The Christian faith is a way of life, so run it like marathon - not a sprint."

so true.

weakness

Jesus said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

then Paul continued, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.". From Paul's 2nd Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12:9-10.

Lord, turn my weaknesses into strengths, I give them to You for the extension of Your Kingdom. Amen.

trust with all your heart

"TRUST in the LORD with ALL your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." - Proverbs 3:5

not asking you to believe by faith much less by sight. not asking for half heart nor most. just trust and with all your heart.

sounds simple but can you actually say you did? my goal for this month : surrender my all to God.

God, you know there's this ipod thingie and with 4th Jul coming...... *whistle*

bump!

1st major bump for me and wife. 1 sunday svc, 1 counselling and 1 teary prayer later, celebration in salty chicken rice!! with ice-cream cones for desserts. yum!

how to lose weight like that.... think we need to pump faster and harder from now on. no more details or you'll go blind. muahahahah

reckless faith

what does it mean to have, reckless faith? trying to do the 'impossible' while totally trusting God to realise the promises as in the Word?

1 person did that. Jack Coe was one such man. a book by Roberts Liardon in the mid 90s described Coe as a man with such a faith that amazing healings and great revivals took place in his meetings in the US during the 30s to 50s.

Coe's story never failed to impress me. and I want it on record now that I want it. Reckless faith. I want to believe God for miracles. I want to do what God wants me to do and that He would work miracles in people through me. Its not a 'superhero fantasy' but I do want to be a powerful testimony for God.

Proverbs

21 verse 23 : "Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles." NKJV

the verse for me on sunday night (15th June). me and princess (aka wife) read this chapter and prayed together, for the very 1st time in our lives as a couple. a good start for our spiritual walk together and more to come.

just last night, even though both of us were physically tired, we decide to start with 10 verses from Proverbs 1 and go on from there, praying for things and whatever verse impresses our hearts.

Lord, speak to us in a mighty way. speak to us through Your Word. we hunger it.

really

yeah life is really too fragile. so please make it right. I just did.

on this Father's Day, I made my peace with my spiritual Father, Jehovah-Rophe, "Lord who Heals".

God, please bring about healing over people who had been hurt one way or another. cyclone, earthquakes, tragedy, whatever. we are messed up but You can heal. I ask for mercy God. In the Name of Jesus.

Happy Father's Day all.

btw, Edward Norton's Incredible Hulk is incredibly good! especially if you are a fan.