Fitness Freak.. Not quite yet

I made history: I hit the gym twice within 4 days. That is a huge achievement if you know me. Went to the gym at Jessica's apartment on Monday and today and it was great to be able to work out, sweat it all out and release stress after a crazy day at work. Next sweat it out will be on Sunday - hiking to No. 3. Will write more then. Back to work now. I am SO gonna have to burn the midnight oil tonight... sigh... need to hand up my work tomorrow. I am only at Book #5 of 8 books. *faint*. Gotta go now.. tata!

Here We Go A Carolling... (23 December 2007)

Imagine a group of young people barging into your house, yodeling "Joy to the World" off pitch... harrowing thought, isn't it? Being the youth group that we are, we sort of brought this harrowing thought into reality.... (*thud*... Did I hear someone faint?)

The Youth Ministry went on a mission to bless some senior folks from our church by dropping by at their homes (for some, unannounced... eeek!) to sing some Christmas carols. Our mission began at Aunty Shirley and Aunty Ivy's house. Aunty Shirley had a fractured leg so we thought she'd be happy to have a group of noisy young people to cheer her up... and she was! She was as chirpy and welcoming as ever despite being confined to her wheelchair. She was expecting our arrival because we told her we'd come over. We sang and prayed for her and she invited us to come back again!

Our pianist at work.

Daniel is plotting his next trick while David poses with the song sheet.

Group picture with Aunty Shirley.

We then moved on to Mr. and Mrs. Chew's house. Danny and Gary's mom was also there with their niece when we arrived. I hope the kid didn't get a shock from our singing...

Sharon tries to look cute, as usual.

Group picture... the baby seems fine. Suku tries to eat Daniel while Rachel tries to dodge something...

Next stop was Uncle Ang. I think we woke him up from his afternoon nap... sorry!

This is how tall Suku is...and how short I am.

Ken Jin and David got distracted by Sukumaran. Boys, the camera in in front, NOT at the side.

We stopped at the Spoelmans to drop Rachel and Lizzy back and we sang for them too. It was great to be able to see Cindy who had been at home nursing her fractured ankle. Uncle Brian requested for us to sing a carol which most of us did not really know so it sounded... errm... err.. okay, I'll leave for Brian to comment on that.

The Spoelman clan with the rest of us.

Baby Sarah looks a bit lost in the crowd.

Praying for the family and also for Cindy's speedy recovery.

We then dropped by at Aunty Letchumi's place to sing and pray for the family.

Group picture

We went by Cycelia and Joseph's on the way back and we yoddled / shouted (anything but the word "sang") "We wish you a Merry Christmas" from the van at their house entrance. Aunty Fong Moi was amused and sang along with us. It was pretty cool actually... hahaha... we should do it again next year...Well, Uncles and Aunties, Merry Christmas!... we will work on the pitching but do know that we mean well!

2007 Christmas Celebrations

For Christmas, our church organized the second installment of the Rock of Ages Concert, which is a reprise of the inaugural concert in Easter. The pre-concert a bit of a mayhem for me because I was working on the opening video till the very last minute because my computer was giving me so much problems. It 'hanged' a few times and trust me, I so wanted to strangle the computer (although it wasn't exactly its fault that the raw video files were so big). When it was done, it was time to convert the file into MPEG format, I had the worse thoughts because it was a big file and it may take a long long long long time for it to convert or it would probably KO on me again. I said to God that if He wants this video to be up, I believe it shall be up and if He doesn't want it, I am okay if it is not used at all. I left the PC to convert the video while I went out to do something. When checked on it, it was done and ready to be used! I was surprised and amazed (me of little faith). Praise the Lord! The performances of the night were all good. Although no one came out at the invitation to receive Christ, I believe seeds were sown and planted that night and by God's grace, may these seeds land on fertile ground and produce fruit in His time!

Some interesting pictures from the night:

The Program sheet.

Kenny flashes a victory sign.

Everyone seems enchanted with whatever they are watching on the screen... what are they watching anyways???

The Dancing Queens... they are cool cos they are my friends!

I have no name for our quartet but one thing's for sure, I am NOT calling ourselves "The Fettes"!

Me and my cool sistas!

Me with my DeeDee and my Buddee! Rock on sistas!

A ultra cute Sarah Rose and Uncle Brian. Interesting how Jeremy, Su Jen and Joel are also in this picture. Good friends always stick together.

Makan and Fellowship.

Makan and Fellowship.

Makan and Fellowship.

Barb's Bridal Shower (15 December 2007 )

Barb's getting married soon! =) A group of us cool ladies got together for a bridal shower in honour of her. We had food, glorious food and then after, Aunty Nee Jin gave a short sharing on marriage. Each of us said a blessing over Barb and prayed for her before we adjourned. On the overall, I personally enjoyed myself as it was great to be able to get together and fellowship and rejoice over Barb as she prepares to stp into another phase of her life. Many blessings of joy, peace and happiness from our beloved Heavenly Father to you, Barb! =)

Sharon and Ash playing "1, 2, tali som!"

I don't know what Joel is trying to do but whatever he is attempting, he definitely looks real cute doing that!

Sharon trying to look cute...

'

Food, glorious food!

The Bride-To-Be =)

Ashley and ~YinZ~!!! Aren't we cute?! =) (Picture by Sharon Lee)

A group shot with the lovely ladies... and a boy. (Picture by Sharon Lee)

Group picture everyone! Why is Jess covering her face??? (Picture by Sharon Lee)

Everlasting God

I've been hooked to this song for the past few days. Simple message, lovely melody. I heard this on KLTY for the first time this week and it was a version performed by Lincoln Brewster. Just found out that it was written by Brenton Brown and is one of the tracks on Chris Tomlin's album. I think it is fantastic. =)

Everlasting God

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary

You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

God the Provider

Pondering on what has God showed me this week, I realised that He has been showing me that He knows our thoughts and anxieties and that He is the faithful, prayer-answering God. At our ladies Bible study last Saturday, Heidi shared on how God was faithful in answering prayers eventhough it may be a seemingly simple and small need. And thank God she shared her testimony because I remembered what she shared when my faith was put to test on Sunday. We had arranged for a hiking trip up to No. 3 and on Sunday morning, I wasn't even sure if we could make it. I initially cancelled the hike but "resurrected" the plan after Kevin and Sharon said that they'd join us and that Kevin can drive the van. However, I got 2 missed calls from Sharon at around 3 something and when i returned her call, she mentioned that the van key was not available for some reason. So at that point, i panicked a bit cos there was no transport. I called James to see if he can drive or if he would allow me to drive his car and he said no. So eventually, we all went by faith, trusting that it will turn out well. On the way to church, I prayed a very simple prayer committing the hike to God. I checked my handphone and got an SMS from James, asking me to drive his car! Praise the Lord, we have transport. When I arrived at church, I found out that Clement and his cousin, Gary can go on Gary's bike. To my biggest surprise and delight, Brian and Isaac decided to join us for the hike and is willing to drive! Hallelujah! From having a lack, God provided to overflow because by 415pm, we had more cars than we needed. Isn't He amazing? =)

Believing God

A group of us girls and ladies from the church had gone through a Bible study recently on Believing God, based on a book by Beth Moore. Although I have yet to finish all the homework that I am suppose to do throughout the weeks of study, I have been blessed by God's Word through Beth Moore's teaching and the sharing session that we had in the group. Here are some pictures that i took of our most recent bible study session.

I'm Back!!

There is this new blogging craze among the Youths so I thought I'd jump onto the bandwagon along with them. hahaha... I hope I can keep up!

Where am I?

My best friend has been bugging me about updating my blog. Yes, I admit my blog has been rather quiet since last year. Well, I am back. Where have I been? Still in Penang. Where am I now? That is sometimes a question that I don't even know what the answer is. I know I'm still in the same season for a long, long time. Am I ready for a new phase? Maybe yes, maybe no. I really don't know but I know that wherever I am, God is ever faithful, ever true and ever by my side.

I'm looking for the place where I belong. I know I will only be able to find it in God alone.

I'll sing Your praises forever.
Deeper in love with You.
Here in Your courts where I'm close to Your throne,
I've found where I belong.

From the song: You are Holy by Hillsong Australia
© 1997 Reuben Morgan - Hillsong Australia

Take Me Deeper

Jesus, hold me into Your heart
Into Your heart
Lord, my soul delights
And I know You hear my prayer
Take me deeper, Lord

[Chorus of: Deeper (Hillsong United) from the album Look To You (2005)]

Lord, this is the cry of my heart, that You will hold me into your heart and take me into Your arms. Through life's successes and circumstances, let my eyes look to You alone. I want to delight in You, to be in Your presence each day. Change me, O Lord to be more like You. And Lord, take me deeper in love with You.

He Will Carry Me

Going through a bit of crisis. But this song came on the radio and I believe God is trying to encourage me. There is a huge storm battling within me and I am hanging on to what is left of my strength. The Lord knows I do not want to hang on to what is not in His will, to be humble, to remove the pride I have build throughout the years, to be more teachable, to know that it is ok to be weak and most of all, to behave the way a Godly WOMAN should behave. But the process of it is a long and hard road. But I know i am walking on... There are times where I don't know how far I am from God but I know He is faithful and He has never left my side. I am tired and weary. I need to take time to just rest in the Lord. I don't know when but I really hope it is soon.

HE WILL CARRY ME
Mark Schultz
From the album – STORIES AND SONGS

I call, You hear me
I’ve lost it all
And it’s more than I can bear
I feel so empty

You’re strong
I’m weary
I’m holdin’ on
But I feel like givin’ in
But still You’re with me

And even though I’m walkin’ through
The valley of the shadow
I will hold tight to the hand of Him
Whose love will comfort me
And when all hope is gone
And I’ve been wounded in the battle
He is all the strength that I will ever need
And He will carry me

I know I’m broken
But You alone
Can mend this heart of mine
You’re always with me

And even though I’m walkin’ through
The valley of the shadow
I will hold tight to the hand of Him
Whose love will comfort me
And when all hope is gone
And I’ve been wounded in the battle
He is all the strength that I will ever need
And He will carry me

And even though I feel so lonely
Like I’ve never been before
You never said it would be easy
But You said you’d see me through the storm

Some Moral Stories

I got this from a friend. Pretty good.

TRUST

Trust is a very important factor for all relationships. When trust is broken, it is the end of the relationship. Lack of trust leads to suspicion, suspicion generates anger, anger causes enmity and enmity may result in separation. A telephone operator told me that one day she received a phone call. She answered, "Public Utilities Board." There was silence. She repeated, "PUB." There was still no answer. When she was going to cut off the line, she Heard a lady's voice, "Oh, so this is PUB.Sorry, I got the number from my Husband's pocket but I do not know whose number it is." Without mutual trust, just imagine what will happen to the couple if the telephone operator answered with just "hello" instead of "PUB".

NO POINTING FINGERS

A man asked his father-in-law, "Many people praised you for a successful marriage. Could you please share with me your secret?" The father-in-law answered in a smile, "Never criticize your wife for her shortcomings or when she does something wrong. Always bear in mind that because of her shortcomings and weaknesses, she could not find a better husband than you." We all look forward to being loved and respected. Many people are afraid of losing face. Generally, when a person makes a mistake, he would look around to find a scapegoat to point the finger at. This is the start of a war. We should always remember that when we point one finger at a person, the other four fingers are pointing at ourselves. If we forgive the others, others will ignore our mistake too.

CREATING PERFECT RELATIONSHIPS?

A person visited the government matchmaker for marriage, SDU, and requested "I am looking for a spouse. Please help me to find a suitable one." The SDU officer said, "Your requirements, please." "Oh, good looking, polite, humorous , sporty, knowledgeable, good in singing and dancing. Willing to accompany me the whole day at home during my leisure hour, if I don't go out. Telling me interesting stories when I need companion for conversation and be silent when I want to rest." The officer listened carefully and replied, "I understand you need television." There is a saying that a perfect match can only be found between a blind wife and a deaf husband ,because the blind wife cannot see the faults of the husband and the deaf husband cannot hear the nagging of the wife. Many couples are blind and deaf at the courting stage and dream of perpetual perfect relationship. Unfortunately, when the excitement of love wears off, they wake up and discover that marriage is not a bed of roses. The nightmare begins.

NO OVERPOWERING

Many relationships fail because one party tries to overpower another,or demands too much. People in love tend to think that love will conquer all and their spouses will change the bad habits after marriage. Actually, this is not the case. There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "It is easier to reshape a mountain or a river than a person's character." It is not easy to change. Thus, having high expectation on changing the spouse character will cause disappointment and unpleasantness. It would be less painful to change ourselves and lower our expectations..

RIGHT SPEECH

There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "A speech will either prosper or ruin a nation." Many relationships break off because of wrong speech. When a couple is too close with each other,we always forget mutual respect and courtesy. We may say anything without considering if it would hurt the other party. A friend and her millionaire husband visited their construction site. A worker who wore a helmet saw her and shouted,"Hi, Emily! Remember me? We used to date in the secondary school." On the way home, her millionaire husband teased her, "Luckily you married me.Otherwise you will be the wife of a construction worker." She answered ,"You should appreciate that you married me. Otherwise, he will be the millionaire and not you." Frequently exchanging these remarks plants the seed for a bad relationship. It's like a broken egg - cannot be reversed.

PERSONAL PERCEPTION

Different people have different perception. One man's meat could be another man's poison. A couple bought a donkey from the market. On the way home,a boy commented, "Very stupid. Why neither of them ride on the donkey?"Upon hearing that, the husband let the wife ride on the donkey. He walked besides them. Later, an old man saw it and commented, "The husband is the head of family. How can the wife ride on the donkey while the husband is on foot?" Hearing this, the wife quickly got down and let the husband ride on the donkey. Further on the way home, they met an old Lady. She commented, "How can the man ride on the donkey but let the wife walk. He is no gentleman." The husband thus quickly asked the wife to join him on the donkey. Then, they met a young man. He commented, "Poor donkey, how can you hold up the weight of two persons. They are cruel to you." Hearing that, the husband and wife immediately climbed down from the donkey and carried it on their shoulders. It seems to be the only choice left. Later, on a narrow bridge, the donkey was frightened and struggled. They lost their balance and fell into the river. You can never have everyone praise you, nor will everyone condemn you. Never in the past, not at present, and never will be in the future. Thus, do not be too bothered by others words if our conscience is clear..

BE PATIENT

This is a true story which happened in the States. A man came out of his home to admire his new truck. To his puzzlement, his three-year-old son was happily hammering dents into the shiny paint of the truck. The man ran to his son, knocked him away, hammered the little boy's hands into pulp as punishment. When the father calmed down, he rushed his son to the hospital. Although the doctor tried desperately to save the crushed bones, he finally had to amputate the fingers from both the boy's hands. When the boy woke up from the surgery & saw his bandaged stubs, he innocently said, " Daddy,I'm sorry about your truck." Then he asked, "but when are my fingers going to grow back?" The father went home & committed suicide. Think about this story the next time someone steps on your feet or u wish to take revenge. Think first before u lose your patience with someone u love. Trucks can be repaired.. Broken bones & hurt feelings often can't. Too often we fail to recognize the difference between the person and the performance. We forget that forgiveness is greater than revenge. People make mistakes. We are allowed to make mistakes. But the actions we take while in a rage will haunt us forever.

Bienvenido A Mi "Blogspot".

I still can't believe I'm doing this... I am blogging??? Is this me or what? But anyhow, greetings and welcome to my humble blog abode. I wish I could write fluently in Spanish to at least start my first blog in Spanish but my fast fading memory of the beautiful language does not permit me to do so. But for a start, I'll just share one of my favourite psalms in Espanol.

Salmos 84

¡Cuán amables son tus moradas,
Jehová de los ejércitos!

² ¡Anhela mi alma y aun ardientemente
desea los atrios de Jehová!
¡Mi corazón y mi carne cantan
al Dios vivo!

³ Aun el gorrión halla casa,
y la golondrina nido para sí,
donde poner sus polluelos,
cerca de tus altares,Jehová de los ejércitos,
Rey mío y Dios mío.

⁴ ¡Bienaventurados los que habitanen tu Casa;
perpetuamente te alabarán! Selah

⁵ ¡Bienaventurado el hombreque tiene en ti sus fuerzas,
en cuyo corazón están tus caminos!

⁶ Atravesando el valle de lágrimas, lo cambian en fuente
cuando la lluvia llena los estanques.

⁷ Irán de poder en poder;
verán a Dios en Sión.

⁸ Jehová, Dios de los ejércitos,oye mi oración;
¡escucha, Dios de Jacob! Selah

⁹ Mira, Dios, escudo nuestro,
y pon los ojos en el rostro de tu elegido.

¹⁰ Mejor es un día en tus atrios
que mil fuera de ellos.
Escogería antes estar a la puertade la casa de mi Dios
que habitar donde reside la maldad,

¹¹ porque sol y escudo es Jehová Dios;
gracia y gloria dará Jehová.
No quitará el bien
a los que andan en integridad.

¹² ¡Jehová de los ejércitos,
bienaventurado el hombre que en ti confía!

Psalm 84

¹ How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!

² My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

³ Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Selah

⁵ Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

⁶ As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

⁷ They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

⁸ Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, O God of Jacob.
Selah

⁹ Look upon our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.

¹⁰ Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

¹¹ For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

¹² O LORD Almighty,
blessed is the man who trusts in you.