光 阴 似 箭

It's now 12:37 am, 30th December 2007. 2007 is going to end soon. It is really scary to realise how time passes so quickly.

Primary School Classmates Gathering

Ever since graduating from primary school, I rarely keep in touch with my primary school classmates. Probably it was because none of them went to the same secondary school as me. For the last 6 years, I had never attended any of the gatherings which I really regretted. Finally I have got the chance. I attended the gathering tonight at Delicious Chicken Rice Shop which belongs to the ex assistant monitor, Ing Kerh. I was the first person to arrive the venue(Yes, I'm a very punctual person. Applause, please!=D) I was nervous when I arrived because there was no familiar faces. That was when my mind went wild, thinking that I might have been fooled. Thank God I wasn't fooled, I just arrived early. After a while, Fang Qi(or Guo Qi) came. She's really different from before. Later more arrived. I was really suprised that many of them changed tremendously. The girls looked very ladylike and the boys taller and their voice were no longer the shrieking tones. The fellowship was great with Lip Loong talking a lot of nonsense. We chatted about the times we had in primary school and who's double or single. One thing I found out from the fellowship; most of the boys are really cheeky as they talked a lot about things related to porn. It was indeed a great evening. I really regretted for not joining the previous gatherings. I really thank God that He has blessed me with a bunch of hillarious classmates during my days in primary school. Without them, my days in the primary school would not be as colourful it was. From the bottom of my heart, I really wish them all the best in their future and I hope that I will be able to attend all the gatherings in the years to come.
Time flies and we all changed but the moments we cherished together will have a special place in our hearts.

The Gift

For them there were no presents

Around the Christmas tree

No flashing lights unless you count

The lamp across the street

A fire in a barrel

No chimney and no roof

To most of them Santa Claus

Was the man who made the soup

In an alley was a mother

Two children by her side

Trying hard to keep the spark

Of true Christmas alive

She said we may not have some things

That other people do

But Christmas is for everyone

And were Gods children too

Oh and Jesus loves you

And so do I

Think about the baby

And the star up in the sky

I don't think Santa's comin

Cause he don't know where we live

But who needs Christmas presents

We already have the gift

Well early Christmas morning

While they were still asleep

I packed a box of food and clothes

And walked back to their street

Imagine my surprise

When I saw presents all around

Blankets, toys and winter coats

Beside them on the ground

And the card I read from Santa said

Inside the three of you

The real heart of Christmas

Is still beating strong and true

Oh and Jesus loves you

And so do I

Think about the baby

And the star up in the sky

Santa Claus is comin

Cause he know where real faith lives

But who needs Christmas presents

We already have the gift

Who needs Christmas presents

We already have the gift

Who needs Christmas presents

We already have the gift

Christmas Parade

On the 22nd December, Kuching, for the very first time, had a Christmas parade in the city. It was organised but the Methodist churches but churches from other denomination joined too. About 3000 Christian soldiers marched along the roads in Kuching, singing Christmas carols, giving out balloons and wishing the pedestrians and drivers Merry Christmas. There were beautiful floats decorated by the Methodist churches to enlighten the atmosphere. It was indeed an awesome evening. I enjoyed the parade. Thank God that it wasn't raining that night. I hope that the people in Kuching were blessed by the parade. Merry Christmas everybody!!!!
Oh yeah, Trinity Methodist Church came in second for the float. Not bad! Haha.. Congratulations!!!!

He Will Carry Me

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

Chorus:
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

(Chorus)

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

(Chorus)

*Jesus never promise me that life would be easy going but He has assured me that He'll carry me through everything. Amen! Jesus is mighty to save!*

You Will Never Walk Alone

Along life's road
There will be sunshine and rain
Roses and thorns, laughter and pain
And 'cross the miles
You will face mountains so steep
Deserts so long and valleys so deep
Sometimes the Journey's gentle
Sometimes the cold winds blow
But I want you to remember
I want you to know

(Chorus)
You will never walk alone
As long as you have faith
Jesus will be right beside you all the way
You may feel you're far from home
But home is where He is
And he'll be there down every road
You will never walk alone

The path will wind
And you will find wonders and fears
Labors of love and a few falling tears
Across the years
There will be some twists and turns
Mistakes to make and lessons to learn
Sometimes the journey's gentle
Sometimes the cold winds blow
But I want you to remember where ever you may go

Jesus knows your joy,
Jesus knows your need
He will go the distance with you faithfully

*The journey of life is not easy. Even though the course I'm going to study is not easy but Jesus is there for me. I will never be alone for He's with me. Focus on Christ!*

Perseverance

Most of the time when people heard that I wanted to do pharmacy as my course in university, the response thay gave were negative. Very negative!!!! =(

Some examples of their comments:

• "Oh, you want to do pharmacy. Pharmacy very hard hor. My so and so also doing pharmacy in so and so university. He/she says that a lot of assignments, very tough, you know."
• "Pharmacy, not bad lah. But a lot of assignments and tests. Not easy."
• "A lot of things to learn in pharmacy. Very difficult to learn too. No easy life."
• "You hardly get enough sleep because there are too much assignments, lab reports and tests to tackle."

It's very discouraging when you hear these feedbacks, especially when you are fired up and excited about the course you wanted to do. The feeling is like when you're enjoying your dreams and suddenly someone just woke you up and "WHOOSH"! Your beautiful dreams all disappeared. I used to feel very frustrated and worried whenever people give me this kind of feedbacks. I would always think about how am I going to handle all the assignments, tests and lab reports. How am I going to handle the pressure? How am I going to learn and memorise the drugs and their effects? After thinking about these questions, I would feel very down and start to doubt whether I've chosen the wrong course.

I really thank God for His love for me. He has encouraged me through Judith who told me that once my relationship with God is good, nothing can be too difficult for me. After thinking through what she had said to me, I realised that nothing is easy in this world. To achieve success, I must go through the process which may be tough at times. It is only through the tough process that I learn to be a better person and equip myself with skills and knowledge. Of course during those hard times, I may feel weak and want to give up but with my focus on God and clinging on to His teachings, I can achieve success. He will always be there for me, picking me up when I fall, guiding me when I'm lost, sharing my joy when I'm joyful and giving me strength when I'm weak. With Christ I am a Christian, without Christ, I Am Nothing.

Since I have made the decision to do pharmacy, I must accept the outcome, be it bad or good. But one thing I know for sure is that God is the strenght of my heart. Amen!

"I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." -Philippians 4:13-

No Greater Love

"Greater love has no one than this, that He lay down His life for His friends."
-John 15:13-

Before I knew Your Name, You knew my every breath.
Before I found my way,You knew my every step.
Before I knew everything that I need,You gave it all to me.

No greater love than this…
That You should lay down Your life
For someone such as me;
I'd spend a lifetime wondering why.
The Beauty of Heaven
Is here in my heart
And I know there can be
No greater love than this.

I never understood
How merciful Love could be,
Until I felt His Flame
Light every part of me
And I would give everything that I am
'Cause I have been saved;
Yes, I have been saved!

No greater love than this…
That You should lay down Your life
For someone such as me;
I'd spend a lifetime wondering why.
The Beauty of Heaven
Is here in my heart
And I know there can be
No greater love.

Oh, oh oh, oh oh, woah…

The Beauty of Heaven
Is here in my heart
And I know there can be
No greater love...
For someone such as me.
No greater love...than this.

Light of the World=My Identity

I wrote Christianity in forms.
I told people I'm a Christian when asked.
I hang a key chain with a Bible verse on my Bible case.
I sometimes wear t-shirts with Bible verse or a cross printed on it.
I served in youth fellowship.
I served in the church as usher.
I named my blog "Light of the World" which is based on the book of Matthew.
I attended camps and talks to enrich my walk with God.
I sometimes read the Bible and books related to Christianity.
I listened to Christian songs and sermons.
I pray and others prayed for me too.
I encouraged my friends with Bible verses.
I'm in a Christian environment.
BUT.....
Most of the time, my life is no different from non-Christian, which contrast the name of my blog.
Most of the time, I'm like a wolf putting on a lamb suit and taking it off when not in church.
Most of the time, I'm a hypocrite.
Most of the time, I lost my patience and self-control.
Most of the time, I failed God.
I took God for granted.
I didn't live my life in such a way that others will see God in me.
I embarrassed His name.
I failed to live up to His expectation.
I'm supposed to be an example to others, but I didn't.
God still loves me despite my weaknesses and failures.

"God, forgive me for all the sins I've committed. Forgive me for my foolishness and laziness of not spending quiet time with You. Thank you for being so patient with me and for loving me even though I have let You down most of the time. Father, I pray that You will use me as Your instrument. Mould me, Lord, into Your likeness. Make me the salt and the light of this world so that others may see You through me and glorify Your holy name! I don't deserve anything from You but I pray that You 'll have mercy on me. Take me, use me and mould me! I pray that You'll be the potter and I, the clay. In Jesus name, Amen!"

=(

Was it my fault that I get a treatment like this? I'm confused and I'm hurt. I could have done something wrong before but I have tried my best to do whatever I can but to no avail. What's going on? But I thank God that He's still with me and He's my best friend on earth. What a friend I have in Jesus that He has carried on Himself my sins so that I'm reconciled with God the Father. Jesus is always there for me be it good times or bad times. He is there to pick me up when I fall and is always ready to guide me when I'm lost. O Lord, forgive me for my foolishness and laziness. Without You, I am nothing. All Glory and Honour and Power be unto You forever and ever!!!! Amen!

Working Experience

On the 18th October, I helped out with the education fair organised by Australia Business Centre(ABC). It was my dad's idea. He volunteered on behalf of me. Parents..........=P Nevertheless I still have to thank him as this is an opportunity to meet new faces and improve my communication skills. The interesting part during the fair was there was a handful of people who thought that ABC was a university. A lady came to the booth where I was stationed. She asked me where was ABC located. I told her ABC is located in Pending. Not satisfied with my answer, she asked which part in Australia was ABC located. Being so ignorant to her doubt, I thought she was asking which universities were represented by ABC. Therefore I told her most of the universities in Australia. Again she asked, this time more straightfoward, where is ABC's campus in Australia. It was then that I realised that she had mistaken ABC for a university. I explained to her that ABC is an agent which helps students to apply to schools, colleges and universities located in Australia. It was a good experience for me even though I didn't want to be involved in the first place.

At the Cross

Oh Lord You've searched me,
You know my way;
Even when I fail You,
I know You love me.

Your holy presence
Surrounding me
In every season,
I know You love me;
I know You love me.

CHORUS:
At the cross I bow my knee,
Where Your blood was shed for me,
There's no greater love than this.
You have overcome the grave,
Your glory fills the highest place,
What can separate me now?

You go before me,
You shield my way,
Your hand upholds me;
I know You love me.

BRIDGE:
You tore the veil,
You made a way
When You said that it is done.

And when the earth fades,
Falls from my eyes,
And You stand before me,
I know You love me;
I know You love me.

My heart was filled with anger and grudges during one Sunday service due to an argument I had with my brother. The Lord was good to me. He loves me even when I sinned against Him as He gently reminded me of His sacrificial love shown on the cross. Through this song and the sermon related to forgiveness on that Sunday, God reminded me that He has forgiven my sins each time I repented. If He could forgive me for the many sins I've committed, why can't I let go the grudges? I was touched by God and tears streamed down my eyes as I sang this song. For the rest of that day, my heart was enlightened by God's mercy and I let go of the grudges in my heart. Thank you Lord for being patient with me.

Patience

Will be doing the topic " The Benefits of Patience" during cell group tomorrow evening. Patience is something I really lack. =P I get impatient easily when things don't go my way or when dealing with people I dislike a lot. I will usually start grumbling, scolding or blaming others when I get impatient and lost my temper. After behaving like that, I will feel that I'm insane. I always remind my self that I must remember to be patient but I always failed to do so. I feel that I'm not showing a good example of a Christian towards others. I'm sure I'm not the only one who struggles to be patient.

Everyone wants things to be perfectly done in the shortest time. We don't like waiting as waiting from the world's point of view is a waste of time and it decreases productivity. Therefore, people who are slower in learning or doing things will get scolded or eliminated from the society. Because of our impatience, road accidents occur frequently, relationships broken, our health deteriorates, we have 1st, 2nd world war(the list goes on), our moral standard is downgraded and we backslide in our faith.

However, from the God's point of view, being patient and waiting for the right time to act is actually the best way of solving problems without causing any arguments or bloodshed. Proverbs 14:29 says that "A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly."By being patient, we are able to see the whole situation and analyse it with a better understanding. We won't act like a fool if we have patience. Isn't God's teaching amazing?

Being patient is not easy at all because others will surely take advantage on us. But that doesn't mean we don't have to learn to be patient. I really thank God for being so patient with me all the while. If not, I could be sentenced to death. If God, who is so pure and holy, can be patient with me, I don't think I have any reasons not to learn to be patient with others. It;s not going to get easy but I pray that The Lord will remind me about the benefits of patient through the book of Proverbs.

"A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel." Proverbs 15:18

"Better a patient man than a warrior, a man controls his temper than one who takes a city." Proverbs 16:32

"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense." Proverbs 16:11

"Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone." Proverbs 25:15

Friends

Packing up the dreams God planted
In the fertile soil of you
Can’t believe the hopes He’s granted
Means a chapter in your life is through
But we’ll keep you close as always
It won’t even seem you’ve gone’cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

Chorus:
And friends are friends forever
If the Lord’s the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never’cause the welcome will not end
Though it’s hard to let you go
In the Father’s hands we know
That a lifetime’s not too long to live as friends.

With the faith and love God’s given
Springing from the hope we know
We will pray the joy you’ll live in
Is the strength that now you show
But we’ll keep you close as always
It won’t even seem you’ve gone’cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

Words by Deborah D. Smith
Music by Michael W. Smith

Strange...

When others made a mistake, they will tell you that all human make mistakes.
When you made a mistake, others will scold you for being so stupid for making such mistakes.
When others are late for an occasion, their reasons are not excuses but logic and acceptable.
When you're late for an occasion, your reasons are excuses to cover up your irresponsibility.
When others forgot to do something, they say that they are busy and there's too many things in their minds.
When you forgot to do something, no matter how busy or how many things you've in mind, you are irresponsible.
When others do not know how to solve a question, they say that they forget the method and they are not stupid. They just FORGOT, not 'don't know'.
When you don't know how to solve a question, you're stupid because you're not supposed to forget anything you've learned.
When others did something wrong, they expect you and you must forgive them.
When you did something wrong, they will not forgive you.
When you did something wrong to others, you MUST apologized to them.
When others did something wrong to you, they have the right to refuse to apologize to you.
The above situation sometimes happened to me.
Strange, isn't it? Sigh..........

Movie Review

High School Musical 2. Watched it when it was first shown on Disney Channel. It was a delay to be blogging about this but I was lazy to blog for the last few days. =D
The movie was bo...ring!!!! The movie has a really similar plot to part 1. Troy and Gabriella in love. Both had great plans for summer. Sharpay stepped in to destroy their relationship. Troy borke Gabriella's heart. Troy and his buddy, Chad, had some argument. Troy realised his mistakes and repented. Sang with Gabriella and made peace with all his buddies. Sharpay's plans was backfired. Then, everyone sang together. The end!
I felt the movie was also quite similar to Bollywood's style. Singing in middle of no where. Sharpay's character was exaggerating. The movie was too fantasy. Unsuitable for me. Hahaha... In a nutshell, the movie was just plain and dull.
Even though the movie was BORING, I have to give credit to them for their dances and singing. The songs, still not too bad and the dance moves were good.
Ok songs, good dances but boring plot.
*All HSM fans will throw eggs at me if they read this. Hahahaha...!!!!*

"Worrier"

Yes! I worry a lot. I'm sure I'm not the only who worry.
Parents worry that their children might be bullied.
Teachers worry that their students will not do well in exams.
Employees worry that they might get fired next after one colleague was fired.
Before exams, I worry that I will not finish revising on time.
During exams, I worry that I wrote my name wrongly or read the questions wrongly.
After the exams, I worry that the examiners will not accept my answers or I worry that my results are poor.
I worry that I will be a burden to my parents as the tuition fees in Uni is costly.
I worry that I will not be able to cope with uni life.
I worry that I will not get a job and PR in Aus after graduation.( I haven't even started uni and I worry about these things already!! =P)
I worry that I will not fit into my clothes if I eat too much.
When complaining to my mom, my mom always told me, if worry can solve the problem, go on worrying, but since worry cannot solve problems, so why worry?
Logic! But I still worry most of the time.
Elaine Bong Ling Ling!!! Why are you worrying when you have Jesus in your heart?

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?... So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'For the pagans run after all these things, and you heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own."
-Matthew 6:25-34 -
So I must not worry but rather place my faith in God. I must be a prayer warrior of God, not "worrier".

Jokes

人 之 初

果 果： 来， 果 果 教 你 念 三 字 经！

妹 妹： 哦！

果 果： 人 之 初， 性 本 善。

妹 妹： 人 之 初， 性 本 善。

果 果： 师 教 书， 你 捣 旦。

妹 妹： 师 教 书， 你 捣 旦。

果 果： 考 试 时， 你 偷 看。

妹 妹： 考 师 时， 你 偷 看。

果 果： 成 绩 考 个 大 鸡 蛋！

妈 妈： 你 这 坏 蛋， 要 教 坏 妹 妹 啊！（ 拿 藤 条 打 果 果〕



刑 状 不 同

妹 妹： 唔！ 我 不 吃 鸡 蛋！

妈 妈： 孩 子 们， 有 新 鲜 鸡蛋 糕 吃 耶！

妹 妹： 耶！ 我 要 吃 多 多 鸡蛋 糕！

果 果： 你 不 是 说 不 吃 鸡 蛋 ！

妹 妹： 我 又 没 有 看 到 鸡 蛋 在 里 面 啦！

果 果： 。。。



青 蛙 王 子

从 前， 有 一 位 王 子， 应 为 不 小 心 说 错 了 一 句话 而 被 邪 恶 的 巫 婆 变 成 一 只 青 蛙。 要 等 到 有 公 主 肯 吻 它 之 后 才 得 以 破 解 curse。 话 说， 邻 国 有 一 位 爱 幻 想 的 公 主， 因 为 小 时 候 被 母 亲 影 响， 希 望 有 一 天 也 可 以 像 母 亲 那 样 遭 到 心 目 中 的 王 子。 直 到 有 一 天， 她 在 森 林 闲 逛 时， 碰 到 了 一 只 奇 怪 的 大青 蛙。 于 是， 公 主 便 不 假 思 索 的 抱 起 大 青 蛙 狠 狠 的 吻 了 下 去。 就 在 这 时， 令 人 惊 讶 的 奇 迹 发 生 了。 原 来 被 cursed 的 是 非 洲 某 部 落 的 土 王 子！ 可 怜 的 公 主。
公 主： 救 命 啊！ 我 不 要 嫁 给 你！！！

Typing Chinese characters is tedious!!!

For Such a Time as This

Title: For Such A Time As This

Author: Lisa Ryan

This book is recommended for girls, not boys. =D Lisa Ryan, the former beauty peagant of one of the states in the USA used the book Esther from the Bible to tell the girls how God can use them to extend His kingdom and how to live a Godly life as a lady. All girls should really read this book!

Facing the Giants

I watched the movie 'Facing the Giants' at Bethany Youth Centre on the 25th Of August. The beginning of the movie wasn't interesting because I could not really understand what it was talking about. But as I continue watching the movie, I was really touched by the storyline.
The movie was about an American football coach who faced trials one after another and how he eventually surrendered his sorrows and frustrations to God. The scenes that touched my heart were:

• how the coach encouraged a player who thought that it was impossible to crawl 50m across the field carrying another player weighing 160 pounds. The player eventually crawled from one end to the other of the field using his hands and feet while carrying his teammates on his back.
• the coach's wife, together with her husband, had longed for a child of their own but somehow she couldn't conceived because of her husband's physical problem. Despite her disappointment, she cried out to God that she chose to believe that God had better plans for her.

The funny scene in the movie was when the assistant coach guided a player to kick the ball accurately. He used Bible stories to guide the player to kick the ball correctly. The way he explained was really hilarious. Application of Bible teachings!

From the movie, I realised that Christians should not let the giants in our life to rule over us. No matter how tired, disappointed or frustrated we are, we should always focus on God, making Jesus the centre of our life. Good time or bad times, we should focus on Him alone because He's our refuge and strength.

This movie is a good Christian movie. I think it will be great if non Christians watch the movie. MYF will be showing the movie one of the Saturday. I'm so glad I've watched the movie first!!! Muahahaha...!!! I really recommend everyone to watch the movie. This movie also reminded me of the song sung by Don Moen.

I WILL SING

Lord You seem so far away / A million miles or more it feels today/ And though I haven't lost my faith/ I must confess right now/ That it's hard for me to pray/ But I don't know what to say/ And I don't where to start/ But as You give the grace/ With all that's in my heart/ I will sing I will praise/ Even in my darkest hour/ Through the sorrow and the pain/ I will sing I will praise/ Lift my hands to honour You/ Because your word is true/ I will sing/ Lord it's hard for me to see/ All the thoughts and plans you have for me/ But I will put my trust in You/ Knowing that you died to set me free/ But I don't what to say/ And I don't know where to start/ But as You give the grace/ With all that's in my heart

Tubby, my dog

Tubby is my dog's name. He will turn five in December 2007. He's black, brown and white. Good colour combination. He really likes spaghetti. If he sees us eating, he'll surely look at us with innocent eyes, hoping that we will give some to him. Greedy dog!!! At certain times, he will run around the garden really fast like a mad dog. He's very picky on food. Doesn't like vegetables, but strangely he doesn't get constipation. Maybe dogs have different digestive system from humans. When he was a pup, he destroyed almost everything. He destroyed my dad's green plant, my mom's orchid which was blooming, the slippers, my socks, the pandan plants in the garden and etc. Thank God he is no longer that crazy now. He barks whenever he sees strangers and even caught two mice.

On Sunday, 2nd September, he drank the cooking oil which my mom left on the floor of the wet kitchen!!! We were so worried that the oil would clot his arteries. Dad even prayed for Tubby's health that night. Hahaha... He seems fine today.

Tubby, a dog that made the family love him and hate him at the same time.

M16/MKP/Queen of Chatting

M16=MKP(Master of Kay Poh)=Queen of chatting=Jane Ting Fang Ping.
Jane Ting Fang Ping.
I met her in Lodge A level last year.
We are good friends.
I called her MKP.
Vivian called her M16.
She called herself Queen of Chatting.
She likes kueh Chap and loves talking.
She sleeps in class*hehehe*
She has very little hair compared to mine.
Therefore we recommend her to go for Yun Nam hair care. =D
Her father told her that he could finish counting her hair in a day!
She complains that she's fat but in actual fact she's slim.
She plays the piano and violin.
February 7th 2007, she left Kuching for Tuart College in Perth. =P
I guess it's God's plan for her.
Jane, make sure you make full use of your time to study and serve God.
Don't be so careless during exams, especially maths paper.
Don't lost your spectacles.
Don't talk so much. Silence makes a person wise. Hahaha...
All the best to you Jane!!!

Goodbye again!!!

Vivian is leaving tomorrow for KL. Syarizah and her family will be moving to Shah Alam in two weeks time. Andrio is going to Xiamen to learn Mandrin. Sigh.... everyone's leaving soon. God bless you all and have a safe journey to your destiny!!! Goodbye, 再 见, selamat jalan!!! *Sob*

English!!!

Just now I read Clarence's English tuition exercise book. I saw a lot of red marks scribbled all over the pages. Not only that, the teacher, Ms Chee, made them do corrections by rewriting their essays or recopy the edited essays. I also read some comments like "this is kid's stuff". Judging from the way she commented and her way of teaching, I can see that Ms Chee is really good in English and has great expectations on her students. She expects her students to use phrases, broad vocabulary and various sentence structures which is true. Who wants to read an essay filled with the same vocab or same sentence structure?
I guess if she reads my blog, she'll either faint or fall asleep. Yeah, I admit that my standard of English is not that good. I still have some problems in grammar especially when using preposition. Speaking or writing in simple is manageable for me. But to write an interesting essay with a broad usage of vocabulary is really difficult for me. No wonder I got a D for my paper 2 for A level English. Thankfully, my paper 1, which is mainly about commenting a written article*still have the guts to comment people, hahaha...*, scored a B. So overall I got a C, which is marginally acceptable. =D Have to read more books to improve my vocabulary and grammar. I also have to read the politicians comments in newspaper or blogs. Some politicians or writers really write good English. I pray that God will help me to persevere while reading books or articles. I'm really lazy when it comes to reading but with God's help, I am confident that I can do it as He gives me strength. Amen!

Morning jog

Woke up early this morning because Clarence said he wanted to jog as a lot of people said that he was getting fatter. Muahahaha..serve him right because he called me a fat pig once. Shame on you bro!!! So went to the park at BDC housing estate. Surprised to see quite a lot of people jogging at around 7 am. Didn't really jog, just walk around the park on a faster pace, like the S'poreans. No stamina to jog. =D Not bad walking in the park early in the morning. Cool, refreshing...Enjoying the fresh air and tranquility. Such great blessings from God.
I am still waiting for the offer from University of South Australia. When will the unconditional offer letter come???!!!

World Badminton Championship 2007

The 16th World Badminton Championship held in Malaysia had been really exciting and disappointing (especially for Malaysians badminton fans) at the same time for the past one week. Exciting because top seeded players were being defeated by lower ranked players, upset because Malaysia's players failed to deliver even one gold medal.
The very first upset of week was Taufik Hidayat, the Olympic Champion and two times Asian Games Champion, defeated by Anup Sidhar whom I have never heard of. Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei shockingly lost tamely to Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia. Didn't really expect that to happen as Lee showed that he was back to top form in Sudirman Cup and the Philippine's Open. Losing to Kuncoro was already a shock for all Malaysian fans. To make matter worse, he put the blame of defeat on his chief couch but later said that it' was his fault for losing. But he wasn't the only person who blame others for the defeats. Xie Xing Fang and Mohd. Tazarri also blamed the crowd for their defeats. :P No sportmanship at all. I guess it's human's bad nature. Always blame others for the negative things instead of finding the root of the problem and improve from there. Apart from that, a Danish player even provoked Rexy but later apologised. Didn't really know what happened.
There were still good players during the championship. Too many to name them. One of them was Wong Mew Choo who beat Xie XingFang in 2 straight games!!! They showed good fighting spirit and accepted their defeats without blaming others.
I still feel upset as none of the Malaysian players deliver a gold medal. Malaysia was only able to collect a bronze medal through Lee Wan Wah and Choong Tan Fook in the men's double. Don't really dare to hope that Malaysia can deliver a gold medal in next year's Olympic games at the moment. Hopefully the defeat in this World championship is a blessing in disguise to all Malaysian players and that this defeat will act as an alarm clock to warn them that they still have a lot to improve. I would love to see Malaysia getting her first gold medal in the Olympic games. =D

ICE please!!!

For the past few days, Kuching was like a big oven and I was a piece of meat roasting in it. It was a bit hazy too. Just sitting still in the living room with the fan on on its highest speed will also make you sweat. I felt lazy to do anything as I didn't want to get sweaty and sticky. Really hot weathers will also make a person more hot tempered. Besides that, you've to water the plants everyday which is quite water consuming. Therefore, really hot weather is not good!!! But I guess it only has one advantage that is you can sweat easily when exercising and lose more fats!!! Muahaha...!!! But thank God for sending rain early in the morning to cool down the hot atmosphere. Wasn't very hot today compared to previous days. Tomorrow will be the first day of the badminton world championship. I pray and hope that Malaysian players will play their best and win titles from this big event. Go Malaysian players!!!

Blessings from God

The Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) Advance Level (A Level) results is released today. I was very nervous and excited this morning before I went to school to receive my result. My mom forced me to call the school office to check the exact time the results will be released. At first I refused to call but gave in when my mom nagged at me endlessly. *Moms are really naggy but they meant good. Hahaha...* So I called Madam Kathy(my A level bio teacher) around 8:55am and she told me that I could get my results already!!! *Shocked! Didn't expect it to be printed out that fast* Not knowing what my results were, I went to school with very nervous and excited emotions, not knowing what to expect even though Mdm Kathy told me over the phone that I'll be pleased with the results when I see it. Finally reached Lodge Int. Sch. Went in the office and calmly look at my results.
I saw two As and a B. As for chemistry and mathematics. B for biology.*What a coincidence. B for biology!!! Hahaha* I was so happy and thankful to God for what He has blessed me with. Even though He didn't give me straight As(what I prayed for), he still blessed with such good results. How great is our God!!! All glory, honour and praise to God alone!
Went to photocopy my results and asked the principal, Mr Alan James Roger to certify the copies. What a fun and hilarious principal Mr Roger is. He was happy with what I've achieved. He was indeed a good principal but too bad I'm no longer a student of Lodge.

"Thank you Father in heaven for all that you have blessed me. There are no words to express my gratitude. How great are you O Lord. All glory and honour be unto you!!!"

S.M.S(Scripture Memory System)

A few days ago, I SMS four friends. Only two replied. I was happy and disappointed at the same time. Happy because there are still two friends out of the four who responded to my sms ; upset because two didn't. People may think that there's no big deal on whether people reply messages or not but to me, it's important. When people send me cards, messages or emails, I feel that I must reply them because people who sent me greetings and blessings actually took time to show their care and concern for me. By sending messages, cards and emails, they showed that they treasure the friendship. How can I take those messages for granted.

As I was pondering on the matter, a thought came to my mind. I suddenly remembered that God has also SMS me many years ago. Somehow, I didn't really reply His SMS which is the Scripture Memory System. I bought the book, but I hardly read it and memorise the words of God. Shame on me! =( I complained about people who didn't reply my messages and greeting cards and yet I didn't reply God's SMS. I have neglected His messages for me and took for granted of His love for me. I'm sorry God and I'm going to memorise the Bible verses. In fact, I have started memorising the first two verses, which is a good start! Hehehe...

"Therefore, whoever is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
-2Corinthians 5:17-
"For I have been crucified with Christ, so I no longer live but Christ lives in me. This life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved and even gave Himself for me."
-Galatians 2:20-

The Heavenly Man

Author: Brother Yun with Paul Hattaway

Almost everything in this book was abut miracles which I don't see them happening around me. The book talked about a man named Liu Zhenying (better known as Brother Yun) who faced persecution physically and mentally in China as he spread the Gospel. It was amazing to read how God had actually used his mother whom had only received little education and heard a little about Jesus to lead Br. Yun to Christ. Br. Yun and his family were desperate as they tried many ways to cure his sick father. The doctors even told them it was hoepless. However, Br. Yun's mother actually gathered her children and told them to pray to Jesus and asked Him to save their father. With simple faith, they prayed to Jesus. Miraculously, their father was healed completely in the name of Jesus. From that day onward, Br Yun had committed his life to the Lord and was determined to spread the gospel. During his mission, he faced a lot persecution from the authorities and relatives. He was brutally beaten and the guards even used electric batons to beat him. Behind all these cruel scenes, God actually used him to spread the gospel to the prisoners. During his sentence, he even fasted for 74 days. His wife, Deling, and children also faced a lot of persecution from relatives and friends but the Lord was always with them.
There are some quotes in the book which really opened my eyes for example;

"Don't pray for persecution to stop! We shouldn't pray for a lighter load to carry, but a stronger back to endure"

If I were in Br. Yun's shoes, I would have asked Jesus to take away persecution. But thank God for reminding me that the life of a true disciple of Christ is not easy. From the first page to the last, miracles after miracles happened. The book also mentioned that some Westerners even asked the author why such miracles hardly happened in their country. I can't remember how exactly Br. Yun answered them but he explained that life has been so easy and they lack of nothing. Therefore they become materialistic and they back slided.

After reading this remarkable testimony, I realised that I'm a person of little faith. I've been a Christian for a long time but I've never share the gospel to others. I pray that I'll be fire up for God's mission by His grace.

Goodbye!!! =(

Today Ps. Thomas and his family left TMC for Sibu before going to Asbury Theological College in Kentucky, USA. Gonna miss him and his family... May the Lord be with Ps Thomas and his family. I hope I'll always remember them in prayers.

Also found out that KM is leaving for Korea tomorrow afternoon. NOOO...!!! Why's everyone leaving so soon??? Two departures in one week!!! *So sad* What to do? 'tian sia wu bu san de yan xi' All the best to KM in her exams!!!

Prejudice & Exclusions

Heard that topic in Bethany Youth Centre and heard that topic again during this morning's sermon. Strangely, the sermon given by Pastor James was a bit similar to the sharing given by Pastor Cheli in Bethany Bible study.

The similarities:

• The song 'Jesus loves the little children' is mentioned
• Quote from somebody I forgot. It goes ' I love Christianity, I just don't like christians'.

The topic has really woke me up from my slumber. From the video I've watched in Bethany, I learnt that Prejudice and exclusions occurs in many different ways. The video showed a boy whom was under medication and was weird in many ways. His classmates in school excluded him in every activities, made fun of him and even jeered at a Christian who brought him to his youth group. It's only in the youth meetings that he was belonged. The youth pastor said one thing that really struck me. He said that the boy was no diffrent form us. He just don't know how to hide his feelings and weirdness while we, who claimed that we're 'normal' are better in hiding ourselves. A girl whom the weird boy had a crush on said something which I agreed. She said that 'Some people seemed like they are worth making friends with but they are actually not. Some people seemed like they aren't worth making friends are actually worth making friends with.' Another kind of prejudice could come from racism. The video also showed a man singing the song Jesus loves the little children and the producer of his album actually told him to change the lyrics 'Red and yellow black and white' to 'white and white white and white'. Hmm...weird...

Today's sermon Pastor James shared about how Mahatma Ghandi was excluded by the ushers in a church in England. The ushers refused to get him a seat and told him to worship in another place with his own people. If only the usher didn't exlcude him from the worship, India today might be a christian country.

It's going to be hard for me to learn to accept people who different from me. But I believe that God will give the me strength to do it because I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!

For the Sake of the Call

Nobody stood and applauded them

So they knew from the start

This road would not lead to fame

All they really knew for sure was Jesus had called to them

He said "Come follow me" and they came

With reckless abandon they came

Empty nets lying there at the waters edge

Told a story that few could believe and none could explain

How some crazy fishermen agreed to go where Jesus lead

With no thought for what they would gain

For Jesus had called them by name and they answered

CHORUS

We will abandon it all for the sake of the call

No other reason at all but the sake of the call

Wholly devoted to live and to die

For the sake of the call

Drawn like the rivers are drawn to the sea

No turning back for the water cannot help but flow

Once we hear the Savior's call we'll follow wherever he leads

Because of the love He has shown

And because he has called us to go we will answer

CHORUS

We will abandon it all for the sake of the call

No other reason at all but the sake of the call

Wholly devoted to live and to die

For the sake of the call

BRIDGE

Not for the sake of a creed or a cause

Not for a dream or a promise

Simply because it is Jesus who calls

And if we believe we'll obey

By Steven Curtis Chapman

Not Home Yet

To all the travelers

Pilgrims longing for a home

From one who walks with you

On this journey called life's road

It is a long and winding road

From one who's seen the view

And dreamt of staying on the mountains high

And one who's cried like you

Wanting so much just to lay down and die

I offer this, we must remember this

We are not home yet

We are not home yet

Keep on looking ahead

Let your heart not forget

We are not home yet

Not home yet

So close your eyes with me

And hear the Father saying 'welcome home'

Let us find the strength

In all His promises to carry on

He said, 'I go prepare a place for you'

So let us not forget

We are not home yet

We are not home yet

Keep on looking ahead

Let your heart not forget

We are not home yet

We are not home yet

Keep on looking ahead

Let your heart not forget

We are not home yet

I know there'll be a moment

I know there'll be place

Where we will see our Saviour

And fall in His embrace

So let us not grow weary

Or too content to stay

'Cause we are not home yet

We are not home yet

Not home yet

So let us journey on

We are not home yet

We are not home yet

So keep on looking ahead

Let your heart not forget

We are not home yet

Not home yet

Words & Music by Steven Curtis Chapman

Starbucks in Kuching

Didn't know that Starbucks is now in Kuching International Airport until today. So 'sakai'. :P
Went there with my family. The place was quite packed. About 99.9% of the customers are Kuchingnites. Kinda weird... Kuching people going to airport just to visit Starbucks. I heard that outlets like Burger King might be coming too.
I had Coffee latte(i think...never know what I'm drinking when going to Coffee Bean or Starbucks :D) and shared a muffin and a slice of blueberry cheese cake with family. The cheese cake was so expensive. RM 9.00 for a slice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The teddy bear dressed in Starbucks apron was sold at RM50.00!!! Stingy people like me will never buy such expensive soft toy unless there's really a good reason why I need to buy it. 'yi mao bu ba'... Overall the drinks and snacks were nice though very creamy.

Book Review

Title: Hidden Sorrow, Lasting Joy
Author: Anneke Companjen
This book talks about the women who were being persecuted because of their strong faith in Jesus Christ in countries like China, Africa, Vietnam and Egypt. These women are usually the wives of persecuted pastors who underwent a lot of mental torture, exclusions from family members and friends as well as the burden to care for the whole family independently while their husbands were in jail because of their faith. The stories from this book came from different women with different background and faced different kind of persecutions. The author's purpose of compiling these stories was to bring our attention to these forgotten women who had suffered tremendously. Often I heard people said to pray for the persecuted pastors but usually forgot to pray for the pastors' family.
After reading this book(read the book in 2004 =D), I felt that I'm very blessed to be able to read my bible, worship God and pray without any restrictions and persecutions. Yet I'm too lazy to pray and read the bible. (Shame on me!!!:P) I hope that I will change this bad attitude and continue to pray for those people who are being persecuted. Those who are reading my blog, I really recommend that you read this book. It's really eye opening and interesting.

Shrek 3

Shrek 3 wasn't that nice compared to Shrek 1 and Shrek2. However, it wasn't that boring or 'themeless'(is there such word? :D)

Usually movies which had part two or three aren't that nice for example Pocahontas 2 and Mulan 2. So SHrek 3 is still not too bad. The new characters like Merlin, Artie, dronkeys and baby ogres have made the movie interesting and hilarious. I like the prat when Puss in boots showed his innocent eyes when he was in Donkey's body. Those eyes were equally innocent and adorable. Just don't know why the guards still say "Kill it". It's worthwhile watching Shrek 3 even though it's not as nice as first two.

Finally...

Finally, I've created a blog. No longer 'ketinggalan zaman'. Hahaha....