Idyllism

心寒

2011-03-07T23:12:00.003+08:00

心灰意冷... ...
觊觎之心... ...
不堪回首... ...
瓦解云散... ...

心泉的秘密

2011-02-06T22:22:00.002+08:00

夜, 一片靜
心, 一点灰

缘似天上的云
幸福似湖中的涟漪

好想拥有那云
好想拥有那涟漪

风好努力地吹
风想把那云吹来
风想把那涟漪吹起

等待
天上的彩虹
上帝的誓言
心泉的秘密
实现

Nic Vujicic's love for Jesus

2011-01-05T10:37:00.003+08:00

The full sermon by Nic Vujicic

Nic going about his daily life...

If you think you can't... think again...

Nic Vujicic - Why Me?

2011-01-04T17:33:00.003+08:00

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Indescribable

2011-01-03T16:55:00.000+08:00

Here I am to Worship

2011-01-03T16:54:00.000+08:00

How Great is Our God

2011-01-03T16:52:00.002+08:00

Who is the King?

2011-01-01T00:03:00.006+08:00

Overheard this cute conversation on the train on my way home from work. The 2 boys, about the age of 4 and 5, standing beside me were asking their mom a question.

Elder Son: Mommy, does the king take the MRT?
Mommy: There are no kings in Singapore. Who is the king?
Younger son: Mommy, I know! Jesus is the King!
Elder Son: Yeah... Jesus is the King!

I smiled. I think God smiled too.

Chef Daniel's Kitchen

2010-12-27T23:38:00.000+08:00

Hui Jen & Jacin

Met up with the girls and I suggested to go to Chef Daniel's Kitchen at Illuma level 7 as I had a very pleasant dining experience there just 2 weeks ago for a Christmas department lunch. They both looked so radiant from the rest! Both of them were on leave before we met up. Hui Jen cleaned up her house while Jacin went to have a stylish new haircut!!!

We had set dinner and the starter is the Soup of the Day - Pumpkin Soup. They change their soup of the day every time, so that it will be a surprise for the diners. The soup was really creamy and smooth to my liking with free flow of foccacia bread. But I only took one piece to keep space for my main course.

For my main course, I ordered Lobster Meringue and it came nicely grilled with cheese and lobster roe on top. They have taken out the meat and stuffed the bottom of the shell with mashed potato and mushroom. So it is a surprise when you cut the meat open. Lovely. They also have salad on the side with a refreshing and tangy lemony sauce and my favourite rocket leaves.

The meal ended with an extremely satisfying dark chocolate cake with layered orange jelly in between. The preserved plums with the sweet and sour sauce added a punch to the chocolate cake. Lovely and enjoyable.

Hui Jen had a lovely Lamb Shank and Jacin had Cod Fish. The next time I come, I will definitely order the Lamb Shank! The meat was cooked very nicely, soft and tender.

We had lots to talk about and we even proceeded to another place to have coffee and talk until the shops closed! Quite a pity that Sherry is overseas! But we can always come again next time!

We are Jesus's presents!

2010-12-26T21:34:00.001+08:00

Little Luke : We have so many Christmas presents. What about Jesus? What is Jesus's present?
Mommy Lisa : Ermm... I am not sure. What do you think?
Little Luke : Us lor. We are Jesus's presents.

Posted by Mommy Lisa on FB

--------------------------

Isn't it amazing how God speaks to Luke that he can understand God's heart at the age of 4?

Me: Do you know why I call this the Love Potion?
Little Luke: Why?
Me: Because Jesus loves us. Do you love Jesus?
Little Luke: Yes I love Jesus.
Me: Shall we spread the love of Jesus to the guests?
Little Luke: Yes!

During the Christmas party, I had a job for Luke. Everytime a guest walks into the house, our job is to welcome them by pouring them a love potion. My job is to put ice, pour the potion and his job is to put the straw and satay stick! And everytime the door opens, Luke is very excited "Aunty Jerlynn!!! We need to make the Love Potion!" Haha... Luke is such a smart and cute boy whose heart is with Jesus. God is good.

It's Christmas!!!

2010-12-25T22:31:00.001+08:00

My Cell Group Zerubbabel's way of celebrating Christmas is to invite all our friends to come and join us.

We went very early to prepare the Christmas feast! The only thing we don't have is Turkey as most of us do not fancy Turkey meat. Instead, we have roast beef, ribs and ham!

Lex entertaining Luke and Charlene with the Popcorn Magic show in front of the microwave oven! The kids were really funny and they kept on "wow"-ing when the popcorn pops! Lex really have a way with kids.

Charlene checking out if the popcorns are cooked!

Charlene trying a popcorn! It's hot and fresh out of he oven!

Some random shots...

Charlene feeds Aunty Weiying with a popcorn!

Some posed shots...

Our lovely Ginny and one of the winners of the Best Dressed Award

Jerlynn, Shiya and Chloe with the Christmas joy all written on their faces!

The Christmas party ended with a somewhat funny note when Jason took out the Baked Alaska cake and Mud pie cake and with a few efforts to add whiskey on top of the Baked Alaska cake, the fire was very small, but it is a blessing that God controlled the flames!!! And of course, we celebrated the birthdays of our December babies, Diana (19 Dec), Shiya (20 Dec) and Jason (31 Dec).

Singing the birthday song...

Showers of blessing....

Blowing the candles! Each person only one candle!!!

The Meaning of Christmas

2010-12-07T22:11:00.002+08:00

Daddy: "What gift do you want for Christmas this year?"
Little Luke: "Daddy, I want a toy bus."
Daddy: "That's easy. I'll get you one from Toys R Us."

And Daddy walked away with a smile on his face.

Little Luke turns to Mommy Lisa and whispered. "Mommy, Daddy doesn't understand that we don't need any gifts for Christmas."
Mommy Lisa: "Why is that so?"
Little Luke: "Because Jesus is the gift!"

--------------------------------------------

Isn't it amazing? Although Luke is only 4 years old, I must say he has fully understood the true meaning of Christmas.

A Clay Pot of Honey or a Golden Pot of Poison?

2010-12-07T22:07:00.003+08:00

If you were given a clay pot of honey and a golden pot of poison, which will you choose? Surely, a clay pot of honey is ranked higher than a golden pot of poison.
It is not our outer glamour that matters, but our inner virtues make us valuable.

What is Faith?

2010-12-07T22:06:00.001+08:00

Once all villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer, everybody gathered and only one boy came with an umbrella.

Self-Worth

2010-11-21T01:10:00.003+08:00

In a brief conversation, a man asked a woman he was pursuing the question:

'What kind of man are you looking for?'

She sat quietly for a moment before looking him in the eye & asking,
'Do you really want to know?'

Reluctantly, he said, 'Yes.

She began to expound, 'As a woman in this day & age, I am in a position to ask a man what can you do for me that I can't do for myself? I pay my own bills. I take care of my household without the help of any man... or woman for that matter.

I am in the position to ask, 'What can you bring to the table?'

The man looked at her. Clearly he thought that she was referring to money.

She quickly corrected his thought & stated, '
I am not referring to money.
I need something more.
I need a man who is striving for excellence in every aspect of life.

He sat back in his chair, folded his arms, & asked her to explain.

She said, 'I need someone who is striving for excellence mentally because I need conversation & mental stimulation. I don't need a simple-minded man.

I need someone who is striving for excellence spiritually because I don't need to be unequally yoked...believers mixed with unbelievers is a recipe for disaster.

I need a man who is striving for excellence financially because I don't need a financial burden.

I need someone who is sensitive enough to understand what I go through as a woman, but strong enough to keep me grounded.

I need someone who has integrity in dealing with relationships. Lies and game-playing are not my idea of a strong man.

I need a man who is family-oriented. One who can be the leader, priest and provider to the lives entrusted to him by God.

I need someone whom I can respect... In order to be submissive, I must respect him.

I cannot be submissive to a man who isn't taking care of his business. I have no problem being submissive...he just has to be worthy.

And by the way, I am not looking for him...He will find me. He will recognize himself in me. He may not be able to explain the connection, but he will always be drawn to me. God made woman to be a help-mate for man. I can't help a man if he can't help himself.

When she finished her spill, she looked at him.

He sat there with a puzzled look on his face. He said, 'You are asking a lot.

She replied, "I'm worth a lot".

interesting online article

2010-11-18T00:04:00.003+08:00

Excerpt from "The Status Change" by Mandy Hale:

Since the excitement level of my love life as of late has rated somewhere below watching paint dry, I’ve been looking for ways to shake things up; make a splash; jumpstart my romantic life before it fades into obscurity faster than General Larry Platt’s “Pants on the Ground.” So when my good friend, Mastin Kipp (you might know him as “The Daily Love”), rather mischievously suggested I try changing my Facebook relationship status from “Single” to “In a Relationship” for the day, just to see what would happen, I thought: “Why NOT?”

So, for the past 24 hours, I have been “In a Relationship” for the first time in over a year…and I have to say, I kinda like it.

My first act as a betrothed woman was to take my roommate and BFF to dinner at the Olive Garden last night as a reward for the rather rough week he’s been having; where we proceeded to gorge ourselves on the endless salad and breadsticks while ruminating on some of my more colorful relationships. This, of course, led to UPROARIOUS laughter, because – let’s face it – my relationship resume reads like an episode of Jerry Springer…on a good day. Let’s take a closer look at my “Ex-Files” and you’ll see what I mean when I say that the truth truly is stranger than fiction.

1) Exhibit A: Missing a Few Marbles Guy - Yep, this "Romeo" lied repeatedly, tried to jump out of my MOVING vehicle in the midst of an argument, and vandalized my roommate’s house – all within a month of us getting together - and what did I do? Stay with him for another year.

2) Exhibit B: The “Good Guy” Country Music Star - I won’t name names, but I will say it would ROCK YOUR SOCKS if I did. The only “class” this country music singer with the squeaky clean image demonstrated was “FIRST CLASS jerkdom” – ultimately sending me on the Taj Mahal of wild goose chases in the deranged, vengeful stand-up heard ‘round the world.

3) Exhibit C: Around the World in 80 Days Guy - This gentleman, who I engaged in a mild flirtation with on and off for a couple of years, didn’t quite understand the concept of “dating.” As in – dinner and a movie. Allow me to explain. He would invite me on cruises, ski trips, African safaris…all before we had been out on so much as a first date. Guys, word of advice: When a girl says she wants to go to “the Outback,” she’s probably just craving a Blooming Onion – not a trek through the ACTUAL Outback.

4) Exhibit D: The Michael Myers of Ex-Boyfriends - You know the kind. The ex you play “Whack-a-Mole” with for years on end, hoping one of these times when you bop him in the head with the giant mallet, it will actually STICK? This Ex refuses to go away, no matter what methods you try. My own Michael Myers has spent more than a decade dreaming up new and inventive ways to screw me over. Stand me up? Check. Try to creep on his girlfriend with me? Check. Repeatedly delete me from his Blackberry Messenger so his girlfriend won’t see his correspondence with me, then tell me it’s because his phone magically deletes his contacts every three days? CHECK! So far, nothing I’ve tried has deterred this guy for longer than a couple of months. Perhaps calling him out in this column will finally do the trick? (And yes…this means YOU.)

5) Exhibit E: Mr. Big - Sigh. My Mr. Big. My all over the place, up and down, in then out, black and white, wrong then right, infuriatingly indecisive Mr. Big. The same Mr. Big that recently moved across the country to California; and though it’s L.A. rather than the Napa Valley, I still feel, at times, as though I am just one long train ride and one book reading with Mr. Winkle away (and you will get the reference if you are a TRUE Sex & the City fan) from literally BEING Carrie Bradshaw. My Mr. Big who doesn’t know if he wants me but doesn’t want anyone else to have me…who invites me home for the holidays with his family and then forgets to actually COME HOME…who text messaged me a few short hours after my Facebook status changed to determine if I am, indeed, no longer The Single Woman but The Taken Woman. And even though this time, he’ll find me still flying solo; that’s the thing about single girls. They don’t stay single forever.

Though my intent was originally to change my relationship status back to “Single” today, after careful review of my relationship portfolio – I’ve decided there’s one relationship that still needs to be revisited: The one with myself. I turn 32 next week, and isn’t it about time I invest some of that energy I’ve been spending on relationships with others in one with MYSELF? I mean, her resume is pretty darn fabulous, right? Doesn’t she deserve my time, and energy, and affections? And who knows? Maybe someday my Aiden Shaw will be waiting in the wings will sweep me off my feet and out of Mr. Big’s life forever – but until that time, this girl is going to keep her feet firmly on the ground and her “In a Relationship” status firmly in place. Because, after all:

“The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you that YOU love, well…that's just fabulous.” ~Carrie Bradshaw, Sex & the City

Makeover for Winnie

2010-10-04T16:29:00.002+08:00

Wanna learn how to create this look? Click here.
Check out my makeup blog The Magic Wand for my latest works!

Your Destiny...

2010-08-26T16:42:00.002+08:00

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; they become destiny.

~Frank Outlaw

Thoughts Leaders Embrace

2010-08-26T16:32:00.003+08:00

1. You become what you think about most of the time.

2. The more you know about your prospect, the more the prospect feels you know what you are talking about.

3. When the time for action comes, the time for preparation has passed. Honest, intelligent effort is always rewarded.

4. Success in business today comes to those who are Fed-Ex fast and Disney-friendly.

5. You don't have to work hard for bad things to happen. You do have to work hard to make good things happen.

6. Success lingers around knowledge. Knowledge translated into intelligent action is called wisdom.

7. You impress with your promises, but inspire with your results.

8. Today's marketing challenge is finding a way to be first, best or unique.

9. You don't drift into commitment. You drift into complacency.

10. It doesn't take talent to be on time, to return a call or respond to a letter.

11. Your assets go home at night. Without them, you can't maximize your effectiveness. They are your multipliers.

12. Change is inevitable; Growth is optional.

13. Use all the brains you have - and all you can borrow. It's better to imitate than create.

14. If you keep doing what you have always done, you will keep getting what you have always gotten.

15. Don't waste time with those who waste your time.

When the angels rejoice...

2010-08-11T11:56:00.000+08:00

To me, everything was unplanned, unusual and unimaginable. To God, everything was in His plan.

It was a long day at work and I was really exhausted, but I had to get a farewell gift for my colleague. Saw a pair of transformers cufflinks at one of the pushcarts at 313 Somerset over the weekend. My intention was to go there, buy it and go home straight to rest, since I knew what I wanted.

When I reached there, I realised the pushcart was gone and only there for National Day bazaar. I was like... oh no... where to start shopping? I needed the gift urgently because the farewell dinner is the next day. And I was super tired and want to go home to rest. So I'm totally not in a mood to shop at all. All I can think of is my bed.

I shopped until about 9pm when I finally found something to buy. I was about to go home when my phone rang. A friend needed to meet up with me to discuss some matters urgently and asked me to meet him at his office and to go for dinner after that. I surprised myself that I actually obliged. Maybe I was also feeling hungry as I had not taken my dinner. The discussion took longer than I expected and we had dinner from 10pm till about midnight.

By the time I reached home, I was totally zombified. Normally I will just knock out on my bed after shower. Yet because my hair was really greasy, I decided to wash my hair. It was the most out-of-the-norm decision! Washing my hair past midnight means I have to blow dry my hair. And that will take another hour. Physically I was exhausted since 6pm yet, I remained wide awake. Little did I expect what was to come.

Since my parents were already asleep, I took my hairdryer out to the living room and plugged it next to my laptop, so that I can check my emails, blog, twitter and facebook while I blow dry my hair. It was a bizarre and not a normal thing I would do.

While on Facebook, an online message "Hi, which church are you attending?" popped up on my screen. What a question to ask at 1am in the morning. But I replied and the thread led me to share my testimony and the gospel. And finally boldly, I asked her the question.

"So have you accepted Christ into your heart?"

"Yes, I accepted the Lord today and you are the first person to know that!"

"Do you know that I have been praying for you to know Jesus since 10 years ago?"

It was 2am in the morning when the angels in the heavens were dancing and rejoicing over a new salvation. A new sister in Christ. Hallelujah.

Hands-on Hairdo Workshop

2010-08-04T22:57:00.003+08:00

Excerpt from "We Buzz Weekly" - my company HR newsletter where my name appeared:

Mirror? Checked, Hair spray? Checked. Curling tongs? Checked.

40 staff of the “Y” gender hailing from various departments and locations were treated to a hands-on hair-do workshop on Wednesday evening from 6.30pm to 9.00pm. Participants were taught how to create various hairstyles for different occasions, from sassy to classy and elegant to bold. Participants with nimble fingers did their own hair while others, partnered with a fellow colleague to help create a new look for themselves.

Amidst the tingly scent of hairspray that consumed the room, the atmosphere was fun and lively as ladies in giggles (and some in occasional groans of pain from partner’s manhandling) took turns to work on each other’s hair, sharing personal tips and ideas on the different types of hair-do.

The session ended with a mini hair-do competition where all participants had to pair-up to create a winning hair style. Following a vote, the duo comprising of Jerlynn Ang & Winnie Yen from E&T in Alex emerged as the winning team, beating 7 other participating teams. All participants went away happy though with a bottle of organic shampoo each as a take-home gift.

Check out what’s in style for Fall 2010.

The Award-Winning Hairstyle

How it is done:

1. Tie up 3 quarters of the hair into a high ponytail, leaving some at the sides and the bottom for the twist later.

2. Use hairspray all over the ponytail and backcomb thoroughly. This step must be done thoroughly so that the bun can stay upright later.

3. Lightly comb your bun and pin into place with bobby pins. Remember to choose those with rounded edges to protect your client's scalp!

4. Started the twist from the right using the hair we have left alone earlier, do the double twist all around the head and pin the ends into the bun.

5. Hair spray all over to finish. You can add flowers or any other hair accessories to decorate the bun in anyway you like. This is very Audrey Hepburn and can look very elegant for brides.

Movie - "Letters to God"

2010-08-02T00:08:00.003+08:00

Tyler Doherty is an eight-year-old cancer patient who loves God first and soccer second. Brady McDaniels is a mailman struggling with alcoholism and the break-up of his family. Tyler writes direct, heartfelt Letters to God as a means of praying his way through his illness. Brady picks up those Letters on his postal route and is touched and changed by his encounters with Tyler's faith; so are many of the other characters who populate the unabashedly Christian family drama Letters to God.

The film's co-director Patrick Doughtie, who lost his real-life son Tyler to cancer in 2005, wrote the initial screenplay for Letters to God. Although Doughtie fictionalized many of the elements of Tyler's story for the big screen, it's clear that this film comes from a deeply personal place.

A heartwrenching and touching movie made from a true story. For those of you who are struggling with issues in your life, those of you who feel that God is very far away, you will find the answers in this movie. Golden Village at Vivocity only.

God's covenant

2010-07-23T11:21:00.003+08:00

Excerpt from Genesis 9: 12-17

12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."
17 So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."

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This is my favourite bible verse. Whenever I see the rainbow, I will remember God's covenant and God's promise to us.

birthday treat...

2010-07-14T22:36:00.006+08:00

Love my nails? They are done by Sylvia of Her Nails! Check out her post at http://hernails.blogspot.com/2010/07/all-things-cute.html I'm now a hand model. Haha...

Sylvia combined two of my favourite looks into one! She used pink glitters gel as the base and acrylic designs and swarovski crystals on top. Since she knew I love ribbons and laces, she used both to design, and she added hearts and pearls too! In short, it is a combination of all my favourite things! I think she did a great job! Lovely, aren't they?

Now my nails look unbelievably sweet! And the 5 hours is well worth it! I took the day off to pamper myself and get to know my online friend Sylvia! Our first time meeting in person and we hit off with lots of subjects to talk about! And time flew past without me even knowing that we spent 5 hours together! Sylvia is really a sweet and lovely babe.

I believe this is a beginning of a friendship that is going to last a lifetime.

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

After doing my nails, I decided to make a trip to Orchard to do my hair! I had intended to celebrate my birthday by changing a new look... and since my good friend, Winnie had chosen that day to hold her wedding, I took leave today specially to do my nails and hair.

Yesterday, I went shopping and met this sweet and cute girl from this shop Ztyle with beautiful curls! She told me that she did it at Reds Hair Salon at Takashimaya. So I decided to give it a try! At first I was undecided between going back to Shunji Matsuo and look for my Korean hairstylist Gerard Lee, so I gave them a call to book my appointment, but too bad, Gerard is off today. So Reds here I come!

By the time I reached Takashimaya, it was already 6.15pm, so it was straight to the directory, look for Reds and headed straight to Basement 2 where the shop is located, went in and told them I wanted to do digital perm. Since it is my first time, I was game to try any hairstylist and give myself a surprise. I was assigned Lionel Tan.

Lionel had a very clean cut look with shot cropped black hair and neat spectacles, black shirt and black jeans. My first impression? He does not look the least like a hairstylist at all! I thought he was a customer! LOL. At first, I was a little apprehensive. He looked more like an accountant than someone in a fashion industry. I expected to get a hairstylist with funky, wierd hairstyle with a bold hue of hair colour, which was quite typical of hairstylists in Reds.

So I told him I wanted to look like a Japanese girl with the type of curls you see in those Japanese magazines. Lovely. But in my heart, I just crossed my fingers that my curls will not turn out a disaster. And guess what, I walked out a satified and happy customer!!! So satisfied, I immediately booked a second appointment with Lionel to colour my hair on Sunday!

Will post my photo when I'm done on Sunday! :)

lateral canthoplasty, anyone?

2010-07-01T15:33:00.005+08:00

Just read Wendy Cheng Xiaxue's blog, the famous or infamous Blogger who blogs professionally for a living and she announced that she went for plastic surgery 3 days ago. Apparently, this rather good-looking lass wanted to become prettier by extending her eyes. Yes, you did not read wrongly. The technical term is Lateral Canthoplasty, which literally means cutting the outer corners of the eyes to make them bigger and prettier.

If you follow her tweets, there was a funny one where she mentioned that she told her mom about it and it took 2 hours for the message to sink in before her mom called to scream at her. Funny lah. I think if I were her mom, I wouldn't be surprised at all to hear about this. Lateral canthoplasty is not unimaginable after her nose job, blond hair and blue eye contact lenses. Maybe if I were her mom, I would regret not marrying a white man. Maybe that would have saved her some pain. Just maybe. Who knows, perhaps if that were the case, she might dye her hair black and sew up her eyes to make them look like Lucy Liu's. The grass apparently is always greener on the othe side.

There is another girl who blog about her Lateral Canthoplasty too... Click here to see the photos and you will find the process rather mind boggling and the end product rather familiar looking... looks just like another famous blogger, right? The one who denied that she went through any surgery.

To tell the truth, I am rather appalled at the extent of pain girls are willing to endure just to look prettier. For me, I think that mascara and lip gloss are great products that have been invented and fake eyelashes are the most elaborate makeover I will do on special occasions.

And though I'm not perfect, as long as I feel great about myself. I think that people will love me for who I am. Anyway, to Father God, ain't I a princess in His eyes?

Simply Peaceable Giveaway

2010-06-28T20:03:00.006+08:00

For those of you who are Blythe lovers, great news for you! Simply Peaceable is giving away a pretty magenta blythe hat, personally crocheted by the owner of Simply Peaceable! Just post your comment and you stand to win! Check out the website now!

Is the Bible true? by Dr Roy B. Zuck

2010-06-25T22:24:00.006+08:00

Have you ever wondered why there is never a new edition of the bible? Many scholars will know that every textbook has a new edition every now and then where materials are being added or updated in that area of study. So how come the bible never needed to be updated? The reason is simple. Textbooks are written by men and the bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

For those of us who need some scientific evidence or proof, there are several evidences from the bible where we can find proof.

Evidence from Prophecy

There are no other book in the world, other than the bible that has ever given precise predictions of future events, which are also called prophecies, hundreds of years in advance. Moreover, these predictions were far from vague generalities or general guesses like those given by fortune tellers. The prophecies in the Scripture were fulfilled exactly down to the details, so explicitly that no human could possibly devise on his own. Imagine having to come up with the name, ancestry, birthplace, and kind of death for a person who would be born in AD 2800. It is not difficult to see that this is surely humanly impossible. Only God could make such precise and accurate predictions!

This person is no other than Jesus. His ancestry, birthplace, name, suffering, death and burial were all prophecised in the Old Testament seven hundred years before He was born. Jesus himself fulfilled more than 300 prophecies!

Evidence from Archaeology

Critics have questioned many of the Bible's historical statements. Yet, archaeological discoveries in the recent decades have evidences that proves them wrong.

The Bible refers to the Hittite people 36 times. Since no record outside the Bible had affirmed their existence, objectors said the Bible couldn't be trusted. However, excavations in Turkey have now shown that the Hittite Empire was extensive.

The Ebla tablets, discovered in Syria in the 1960s, include the names of Ur, Sodom, and Gomorrah, cities that Bible opponents said did not exist. These tablets also dispel the notion that since writing was not practiced in the 1400s B.C., Moses could not have written the first 5 books of the Bible. Yet, these tablets were written about a thousand years before Moses! The Bible references to the many Assyrian kings are accurate. Archaeologists have uncovered Assyrian artifacts that record the names of all these kings. Certain customs recorded in Genesis are also noted in the Nuzi tablets found in the present-day Iraq.

So again and again, archaeology gives strong court evidence that disproves the claims of the plaintiffs of the Bible.

Evidence from Science

The bible is accurate when it addresses various aspects of science. Just take water as an example. Water evaporates from the ocean, collects in clouds, and falls on the earth as rain or snow.

"He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight." Job 26:8

"He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind." Job 36:27-28

"All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again." Ecclesiastes 1:7

For centuries, scientists did not understand this phenomenon until much later. But it is all recorded in the bible.

Up until only a few centuries ago, people believed that the earth was flat, but several hundred years before Christ, Isaiah wrote of the circular shape of the earth!

"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers, He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in." Isaiah 40:22

And centuries before that, Job had said that the earth is suspended on nothing.

"He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing." Job 26:7

In 1628, William Harvey discovered the circulation of blood in the body. Yet long before that, the Bible recorded the fact that the life of living beings is sustained by their blood.

"For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life." Leviticus 17:11

Prophecy, archaeology and science - this huge body of evidence gives testimony that the Bible is God's reliable truth. If the Bible has mistakes in history, science or geography, we might wonder if it is reliable when it discusses spiritual subjects. But because it is trustworthy in physical matters, it is also dependable in spiritual issues.

The Bible's central message focuses on the problem of sin - and God's answer, Jesus died on the cross to deal with sin. In fact, He carried our sins on the cross so that we might salvation by trusting in Him as our Saviour. Because the Bible is trustworthy, Jesus Christ can be trusted. He said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6) That is, He is the way to God. He is trustworthy and true, and He offers us spiritual life. By trusting in Him, you can find salvation and peace.

dolliexclosetz.blogspot.com

2010-06-20T14:43:00.004+08:00

For my girlfriends who love OPI nail colours, you may want to check out Dollie Closetz! You can order the colours from them online and have them sent to you by post and they are so far the cheapest I know. They even have a post on their blog on how to differentiate authentic OPI nail polish! Click here to read more!

excellence or average? the choice is yours

2010-06-10T11:37:00.009+08:00

I love attending seminars. At least I can always take home some learning points from the platform speakers. Recently I attended the Sales Congress and I would like to share a couple of interesting learning points from the speaker, Mr Gopinath. Many people walked out of the room during his speech because they were unable to understand his heavily accented English and his extremely deafening voice but sad to say they really missed out some excellent life lessons that was being shared.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
In Life, there are only 2 choices - Excellence or Average.

Only 5% of us choose Excellence and the rest of the 95% did not make a choice. So if they do not make any choices, they will just become average. People who do not want to choose Excellence because you need to pay a price to be excellent. But does it mean you do not have to pay a price when you choose to be just average? NO! Both choices, you have to pay a price!

People who choose Excellence pay the price now by studying hard, working hard and putting in sweat and blood. And this group of people will enjoy life later.

People who choose to be Average will enjoy life now, rest and relax. But they will have to pay a price later in their lives during retirement. If not, their children will have to pay the price.

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How true is this!

You drill as if it is a bloodless battles and you battle as if it is a bloody drill. And you can apply this lesson to everything in life!

makeover for Elise

2010-05-24T17:11:00.003+08:00

Wanna know how to create this look? Check out my other blog The Magic Wand!

acres of diamonds

2010-05-19T15:24:00.004+08:00

Excerpt from Acres of Diamonds:

Chapter 1

There once lived not far from the River Indus an ancient Persian by the name of Ali Hafed.

Ali Hafed owned a very large farm, that he had orchards, grain-fields, and gardens; that he had money at interest, and was a wealthy and contented man. He was contented because he was wealthy, and wealthy because he was contented.

One day there visited that old Persian farmer one of those ancient Buddhist priests, one of the wise men of the East. He sat down by the fire and told the old farmer how this world of ours was made. He said that this world was once a mere bank of fog, and that the Almighty thrust His finger into this bank of fog, and began slowly to move finger around, increasing the speed until at last He whirled this bank of fog into a solid ball of fire. Then it went rolling through the universe, burning its way through other banks of fog, and condensed the moisture without, until it fell in floods of rain upon its hot surface, and cooled the outward crust. Then the internal fires bursting outward through the crust threw up the mountains and hills, the valleys, the plains and prairies of this wonderful world of ours. If this internal molten mass came bursting out and cooled very quickly it became granite; less quickly copper, less quickly silver, less quickly gold, and, after gold, diamonds were made.

Said the old priest, "A diamond is a congealed drop of sunlight."

Now that is literally scientifically true, that a diamond is an actual deposit of carbon from the sun. The old priest told Ali Hafed that if he had one diamond the size of his thumb he could purchase the country, and if he had a mine of diamonds he could place his children upon thrones through the influence of their great wealth.

Ali Hafed heard all about diamonds, how much they were worth, and went to his bed that night a poor man. He had not lost anything, but he was poor because he was discontented, and discontented because he feared he was poor. He said, "I want a mine of diamonds," and he lay awake all night.

Early in the morning he sought out the priest. I know by experience that a priest is very cross when awakened early in the morning, and when he shook that old priest out of his dreams, Ali Hafed said to him: "Will you tell me where I can find diamonds?"

"Diamonds! What do you want with diamonds?"

"Why, I wish to be immensely rich."

"Well, then, go along and find them. That is all you have to do; go and find them, and then you have them."

"But I don't know where to go."

"Well, if you will find a river that runs through white sands, between high mountains, in those white sands you will always find diamonds."

"I don't believe there is any such river."

"Oh yes, there are plenty of them. All you have to do is to go and find them, and then you have them." Said Ali Hafed, "I will go."

So he sold his farm, collected his money, left his family in charge of a neighbor, and away he went in search of diamonds. He began his search, very properly to my mind, at the Mountains of
the Moon. Afterward he came around into Palestine, then wandered on into Europe, and at last when his money was all spent and he was in rags, wretchedness, and poverty, he stood on the
shore of that bay at Barcelona, in Spain, when a great tidal wave came rolling in between the pillars of Hercules, and the poor, afflicted, suffering, dying man could not resist the awful temptation to cast himself into that incoming tide, and he sank beneath its foaming crest, never to rise in this life again.

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Chapter 2

The man who purchased Ali Hafed's farm one day led his camel into the garden to drink, and as
that camel put its nose into the shallow water of that garden brook, Ali Hafed's successor noticed a curious flash of light from the white sands of the stream.

He pulled out a black stone having an eye of light reflecting all the hues of the rainbow. He took the pebble into the house and put it on the mantel which covers the central fires, and forgot all about it.

A few days later this same old priest came in to visit Ali Hafed's successor, and the moment he opened that drawing-room door he saw that flash of light on the mantel, and he rushed up to it, and shouted: "Here is a diamond! Has Ali Hafed returned?"

"Oh no, Ali Hafed has not returned, and that is not a diamond. That is nothing but a stone we found right out here in our own garden."

"But," said the priest, "I tell you I know a diamond when I see it. I know positively that is a diamond."

Then together they rushed out into that old garden and stirred up the white sands with their fingers, and lo! there came up other more beautiful and valuable gems than the first. "Thus," said the guide to me, and, friends, it is historically true, "was discovered the diamond-mine of Golconda, the most magnificent diamond-mine in all the history of mankind, excelling the Kimberly itself. The Kohinoor, and the Orloff of the crown jewels of England and Russia, the largest on earth, came from that mine."

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Moral of the Story

Had All Hafed remained at home and dug in his own cellar, or underneath his own wheatfields, or in his own garden, instead of wretchedness, starvation, and death by suicide in a strange land, he would have had acres of diamonds.

For every acre of that old farm, yes, every shovelful, afterward revealed gems which since have decorated the crowns of monarches.

understanding what motivates...

2010-05-18T10:29:00.007+08:00

Excerpt from Seth Godin's blog:

Bad behavior and irrational decisions are almost always caused by fear. If you want to change the behavior, address the fear. And yet we don't.

Instead, we impose an embargo or throw someone in prison. We put a letter in the permanent file or put the employee on a performance improvement plan. We walk away from a prospect or blame a lack of sales on our advertising.

"What are you afraid of?" is not just a great line for a movie trailer. It's a shortcut in understanding what motivates.

------------------------------------

How true this is... sometimes, it just takes us a question to understand someone. It may not just be our employees or clients. It may be our parents, our siblings, our children, our loved ones. How many times have we really sat down and understand the fear that goes through our family members' mind? We go through life with such haste and speed that many a times, we forgot to take time to slow down.

I was watching this drama series on Channel 8 last evening and the was a really touching scene.

The words of the soul of a man who died in a car accident. He said to his daughter "If I knew I was going to die, I would not be working so hard. I will be spending all of my time with you." The unfortunate thing is that his daughter could not hear his words.

Let's slow down in our pace. Take your family for a walk in the gardens. Take a deep breathe and celebrate that you are alive.

Makeover for Heather & Sue

2010-05-15T22:50:00.003+08:00

Heather's Look - Classic Chic.

Sue's Look - Kawaii Japanese Girl

Love the Looks? Wanna learn how to create these 2 looks?

Click here to check out my makeup blog... The Magic Wand.

Can water be affected by our words?

2010-05-13T20:39:00.002+08:00

Dr Masaru Emoto, a Japanese scientist, believes so. And he has proof.

Dr. Emoto took water droplets, exposed them to various words, music, and environments, and froze them for three hours. He then examined the crystal formations under a dark field microscope. And he took photographs.
The results were totally mind-blowing.

Here’s a photo of ordinary water without any prayer spoken over it. The molecular structure is in disarray.

The photo below is water after the prayer was said. It’s simply breathtaking. (I now have a great respect for praying before meals! More on this later.)

Dr. Emoto also exposed water to Heavy Metal music. Here’s how it looks like. Looks sad if you ask me.

Here’s water exposed to classical music...

and this one exposed to folk dance music.

Looks much better, right?

Next, Dr. Emoto stuck a piece of paper with these words: “You make me sick. I will kill you.” Here’s how the frozen water droplets looks like under the microscope…

Below is how water looked like with the words “Love” over it.

The difference is amazing.

This is Polluted water…

This is water from Lourdes, France. Utterly beautiful, right?

Wait A Minute—
Aren’t You Made Up Of Water?

Yes! 72% of your body is made up of water.

Imagine how your words affect your own body. When you say, “I’m a failure,” or “I’m hopeless,” or “I won’t get well,” imagine how these words weaken your health.

Make a choice to say the best words out there. Say often, “I’m wonderful,” and “I’m beautiful,” and “I’m God’s child,” and “God has a great plan for my life!” It’s not only water.

Dr. Emoto also experimented with cooked rice.

He placed one cup of cooked rice in two airtight jars. On one jar, he wrote, “I love you,” and on the other, “You fool.” Everyday for 30 days, Dr. Emoto would say these words to each jar of rice.

After 30 days, the “I love you” rice was still white. But the “You fool” rice was so rotten, it was black.

How can you explain this?

Just as a side note: When I was a child, my mother taught me to pray before meals. Now I realize it wasn’t just a nice thing to do. When I pray over my meal, I know a material transformation takes place in the molecular level of the food that I pray for. I say, “Be blessed,” to the water and food on the table—and I expect it to be blessed.

The above is sent to me by a friend. I hope you'll be blessed by it.

We thank God for all the things He has blessed us with and for creating us. Glory to Him forever. God bless you and family.

Start thinking of "How"

2010-05-08T11:53:00.006+08:00

Why do people just conveniently say "No I can't" instead of thinking of "How can I make it happen?"

When my cell group leader asked me to serve in worship for my cell group, I agreed without any consideration. Yet, there are a lot of people who say "Sorry I have no time" when asked to do anything. How can that statement stand true if everybody is given the same 24 hours by God?

When asked to serve in cell group, people struggle with reaching cell group on time, struggle to come at 7.45 or 8pm. But when they are meeting for a movie, somehow meeting at 7pm becomes not an issue anymore just because the movie will start at 7pm. But going to cell group, we are meeting God! If we have an appointment with God, shouldn't we give him all the due respect since He is our Father and King of the Heavens?

When we are going on a trip, waking up at 6am to catch an early flight becomes not so much of a struggle because there is a consequence if we are late. When asked to wake up at 6am to talk to God, it becomes such a strong struggle. I just can't fathom what thoughts are going on in our little brains. So illogically tuned. We are just so self-contradictory sometimes.

I attended a seminar where this motivational speaker was speaking to my company sales people on "How to become Million Dollar Round Table members". And the basic concept is "Discipline is the foundation of Success." When it comes to making money, we have discipline and motivation to go to work on time and end on time. But when it comes to serving the Lord, why is there is no discipline? No motivation to come on time and end on time. Some people are afraid to leave their work early because they will seem less hardworking and there will be less chances of getting promoted. But it is just a job. If you leave early on Friday to come for cell group to meet God on time, do you think God will not be pleased and bless you in your job?

Who is the ultimate Provider? It is the Lord himself, not your boss or company. Your boss may quit or even die. Your company may collapse, but God is God. He is the Alpha and Omega. Hallelujah.

I love smokey eyes!

2010-05-05T19:38:00.003+08:00

I'm so inspired after viewing the online tutorials on Youtube by MissChevious that I decided to try out a sophisticated smokey eye for work today. No photographs today but smokey eyes really make eyes pop out!

I totally love the new look! I'm so in love with trying out new things! I feel like having a new hairstyle and new hair colour... ok... maybe I will think and decide over the weekend! Happiness is when you pamper yourself. I'm also thinking of getting gel overlay on my nails... hmmm....

smokey eye tutorial

2010-05-03T19:24:00.000+08:00

hernails.blogspot.com

2010-05-02T19:05:00.006+08:00

HerNails has some fabulous giveaway!

Check out HerNails by Sylvia now!
http://hernails.blogspot.com/2010/04/giveaway-1.html#more

the grandeur of Macau Venetian Hotel

2010-04-28T22:11:00.012+08:00

The first impression. The hotel looked super grand but there were no bell boys to brink your luggage to your room! Poor us had to drag our luggage up endless flights of stairways, escalators, shopping mall alleys, across the casino, etc.... to our room. It was a maze and it was amazing how long we walked. It took us at least 25 mins to reach our room from the hotel lobby.

You must be wondering what this place is.... Make a guess? And I'm pretty sure that's a wrong answer. And no, I'm not kidding. This is the Venetian Hotel Foodcourt. The ceiling is painted blue with clouds and spotlight shining on the ceiling. And the best part, the "sky" changes colour as time passes. When it is evening time, it becomes rosy orange so gradually it felt so real! I must say the architect is a genius.

yummy portugese chinese fusion food

2010-04-28T22:03:00.004+08:00

Look at the heart-shaped rice!

So heartwarming when you are in a foreign land...

Yummy seafood baked rice!

We hopped on a cab and told the cab driver that we wanted to try Portugese food. He dropped us at the square and we stumbled upon this superb restaurant with excellent food that is finger-lick'in good!

That night when we went back to the hotel, we realised that this restaurant is featured at the side of the Macau map!!

my travelmates in macau...

2010-04-28T21:23:00.010+08:00

my challenges as a young female leader...

2010-04-02T22:25:00.004+08:00

Serving as a leader for the past couple of years indeed opened my eyes, widened my knowledge and experiences. The saying is true. Walking a thousand miles gain you more experience than reading a thousand books.

I notice a very strange trend.

For the younger generation, they prefer young, bubbly, energetic leaders who motivates and encourages. They don't really care whether the leader is male or female. They accept all.

For the older generation, there seems to be a greater resistance to accept leaders who are younger than them, more intelligent, more capable. To make things more difficult, I am young, single, female, wears trendy clothes with lots of makeup. Somehow, older males tend to equate females who wear trendy clothes and lots of makeup to a bimbo. In their generation, maybe good looks and brains did not go together. Well, the fact is, in their generation, females did not have much opportunity to be educated. Many end up being a homemaker. Maybe that's the perception of females in their era.

As a female, I find that I have to strive doubly hard to earn respect from the older generation. To make things worse, I'm the outspoken kind. If I do not agree with certain policies or issues, I will voice out my opinion. Oh well. Sometimes, I wish I were a guy. Life would have been much easier.

Then again, maybe I should thank God put me through struggles and trials. Without them, I would not become stronger. Without struggling to get out from the cocoon, the caterpillar will never become a butterfly.

déjà vu

2010-04-02T21:53:00.003+08:00

Maybe when you are not truly happy inside, even when you attempt at telling a joke, it didn't come out funny? Well... there seems to be a lot on my mind lately.

Have you ever experienced the feeling of déjà vu?

Sometimes, certain events trigger a hidden memory somehow found it's way out from the locked memory box that trigger yet another chain of memories. Maybe I have too good a memory. My participants in class always tells me so, because I can remember all their names within minutes. All 24 of them. Sometimes, having a super memory is not exactly a good thing either.

I was looking at some of the photos that my friends uploaded on facebook. There was one which I posed during a Christmas party with arms akimbo. It brought back some unhappy memories. I saw one girl roll her eyeballs at me and that look of jealousy in that split second in her eyes haunt me until today. Sigh.

Maybe I doll up too much? Somehow only women give other woman an evil eye when you are more made up than them. Oh well. I couldn't care less if it were a stranger. Except that she is my friend. The funny thing is that she is sometimes very gentle and nice to me, sometimes cold and aloof. I can't quite figure out why she blew hot and cold towards me.

I wish I could read her thoughts out loud. Why can't she love me as I am? Well, maybe if I wore uglier clothes when I go out with her, it might make her happier, but I don't really want to do that because that would make me a hypocrite. Why can't I just be myself?

Maybe it is just impossible to please everyone in the world. Or I'm just trying too hard to please everyone? Why do I think so much and so deeply? Why am I so affected by just one look? Maybe because I cherish and value that friendship very much?

Yes I do. And that look haunted me. It makes me so scared of her that I dare not accept a lift from her anymore after that. That's because I can't quite fathom whether she loves me or she hates me. Before I figure that out, I remember not to overdress too much.

Someone, please tell me that I am paranoid.

reminiscence

2010-03-31T19:30:00.001+08:00

Someone asked me for a translation of my previous post. So here it is.
If you have a better one, feel free to comment...

Tears flow quietly as my mind is wholly occupied by reminiscences.

忆往昔

2010-03-30T23:11:00.001+08:00

思绪缠绵忆往昔，无言惹泪滴。

阿桑

2010-03-30T22:29:00.004+08:00

叶子是不会飞翔的翅膀
翅膀是落在天上的叶子
天堂原来应该不是妄想
只是我早已经遗忘
当初怎么开始飞翔
孤单是一个人的狂欢
狂欢是一群人的孤单
爱情原来的开始是陪伴
但我也渐渐地遗忘
当时是怎样有人陪伴
我一个人吃饭旅行到处走走停停
也一个人看书写信自己对话谈心
只是心又飘到了哪里
就连自己看也看不清
我想我不仅仅是失去你

你的离开，很安静，天堂里不会太喧嚣。
你的歌声，依旧疗着别人的伤。

sad is an understatement

2010-03-22T23:15:00.004+08:00

In this episode of "Human Spirit", they featured a Filipino couple Joe and Joanna deciding on the gender of their 16 month old toddler Jacob. Somehow, Jacob was born in a 3rd gender where doctors were unable to determine his sex because he had both sexual organs present. And his parents Joe and Joanna have to decide which organ to remove and whether to keep him as a boy or a girl. It was finally decided after a series of genetic tests that Jacob had more XY chromosomes (which means he is a boy), so the poor toddler went through a 7-hour long operation to remove the female organ inside his body and to search for the "missing" testerones. This ordeal clearly left a great impact on Jacob and he was so traumatized by the operation that he could not eat or talk.

My heart went out to this baby boy and tears just welled up in my eyes. I can't even think of any suitable word to describe my emotions. Sad is a pure understatement. Unanswered questions flooded my mind in such an overwhelming rate that I simply cannot take it anymore, I had to sit down and blog about it. I would love to scream my head off and ask the Lord all these questions.

Why did this poor child have to suffer so much at an age where he did not even understand the concept of sin? And this is not the only case, apparently there are other cases of similar nature.

Dear Lord Jesus, I pray that you have mercy and heal this little boy Jacob. I lift him unto Your hands. I know You love him. Please let him grow up strong and lead a normal life. Amen.

need new shoes...

2010-03-22T13:35:00.004+08:00

In my previous post, I was giving really great reviews about my Gripz shoes remember? Ok, I gotta take back my words. They only lasted for 4 days. The leather is so soft that it expanded so much in less than a week that the shoes became too loose for my feet. Urgh....

Need to look for new shoes again...

The new pair I'm wearing today from Schu is not comfortable at all. So I'm going to dump them and all 3 pairs, because I bought 3 different colours of the same pair of shoes. In fact I'm dumping 3 pairs of Schu and 2 pairs of Gripz. I've another pair of fuschia pink one.

Oh well, the next time, must resist buying the same shoe in different colours until tried and tested.

Barlow Girl Beautiful Ending Legendado

2010-03-21T16:30:00.001+08:00

joy to my feet...

2010-03-17T11:31:00.007+08:00

Finally found the culprit for my grouchy mood the last 2 days. It wasn't really a Bad Hair Day. It was a Horrible Heels Day! Well... I could hardly move my feet last night when I was on my way home. My mind was willing to walk 3 bus stops home but my feet were hurting so much I decided to take a bus to lessen the agony.

This morning I decided to try out my new pair of leather heels I bought from Gripz and I feel joy oozing out of me! They were really comfortable! Happy Feet Day is a happy day! A pair of good shoes is really a worthwhile investment! Although real leather heels are more costly, I think it is all worth it.

Happy.

a rainy day.

2010-03-15T15:18:00.005+08:00

I am having a bad hair day. My hair is soft, straight and smooth. Not literally but yes, I'm not feeling too good today. I'm in one of those moody moods. Well, I guess this is normal. I'm human. If I feel high everyday, then probably I would be staying in the asylum.

The thing is, I don't like to feel grouchy. I don't like it. But I can't help it. The fact that it is raining cats and dogs with the rain splashing all over the window panes making that irritating splattering sound doesn't help at all. My mood is just like the weather outside. Cold and gloomy.

My index finger on my left hand still hurts. The surface of the wound has healed, but when I put pressure on it, it hurts. Somehow, it is not the same anymore. I see a scar. And the scar will always remain there to remind me of the pain.

Isn't life reacting the same way? Whenever I get hurt, I really want to get over it. Somehow, the scar remained. The wound is healed only on the surface. When you look at the scar again, it reminds you of the pain. Will time heal wounds? Will time fade scars? Will time fade memories? If so, let the painful memories fade and the happy ones remain.

The splattering sound seemed to die down. The rain had stopped. Did God hear my rant? Maybe. Perhaps, there is still sunshine after the rain afterall.

30 second Speech by Bryan Dyson (CEO of Coca Cola)

2010-03-15T09:21:00.003+08:00

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them -
Work,
Family,
Health,
Friends
and Spirit
and you're keeping all of these in the Air.

You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.

But the other four Balls - Family, Health, Friends and Spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these; they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it."

WORK EFFICIENTLY DURING OFFICE HOURS AND LEAVE ON TIME
GIVE THE REQUIRED TIME TO YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS & HAVE PROPER REST.

with precised planning, nothing is impossible

2010-03-04T14:19:00.001+08:00

motivational video

2010-03-04T14:15:00.000+08:00

today is Vivaldi's birthday!

2010-03-04T10:42:00.004+08:00

Logo from Google website: http://www.google.com.sg/

Google celebrated Antonio Vivaldi's birthday with a Google logo dedicated to him. Isn't this beautiful? I think it is great artwork done and I applaud the creative director who has done this. The colours blended together so nicely and the intricate details just made it so irresistable. I have to blog it.

I have noticed that recently Google have been changing their Google search logo almost everyday and I must say their creativity has attracted my attention. I like innovative websites. I like innovative people.

I used to be a Yahoo user, but I have switched to Google since I started using Gmail account and am impressed by the intelligent collapsing of emails with the same subject header. And I have never looked back since. I'm a happy user. So far expectations have been exceeded. Well done Google team!

personal branding

2010-02-24T14:13:00.003+08:00

Your handshake is an indicator of your self-image. So is your dress. Everything from your hair to your shoes is an indicator of who you are and what your style may be, or not be. Projected image creates first impressions. And even though first impressions may not be correct, they are the ones that stick in the mind of the other person until corrected.

Your projected image will determine your ability to make a real connection with people. And your image is your reputation. Whatever your reputation is today determines the near future of your success.

So, what is your image?

It's not even about fashion. It's about how you carry yourself. It's your branding. Personal branding.

let our light shine

2010-02-16T12:56:00.003+08:00

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that
we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that
frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about
shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make
manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's
in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other
people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our
presence automatically liberates others.”

~Nelson Mandela in his 1994 inaugural speech

the hidden messages in water

2010-02-11T11:49:00.007+08:00

Excerpt from "The True Power of Water" by Masaru Emoto ~

I was certain that the difference in ice-crystal formation was not solely due to the presence or absence of chlorine but ti the other information affecting it.

To test this, I put water into two glass bottles. On one bottle, I pasted a label typed "Thank you," and on the other, "You fool," in such a way that water would be able to "read" them. The water in both bottles was the same. I then froze the water in each bottle.

The results were more than supportive of my theory; the water in the bottle with "Thank you" formed beautiful hexagonal crystals, while the one with "You fool" had only fragments of crystals.

If water collects information and its crystals reflect those characteristics, it means that the quality of water changes based on the information it receives. In other words, the information we give to water changes its quality.

I was more motivated than ever to study water, and at the same time, I started to think about how people would be able to become happy with good water.

Water Understands Words

As this experiment convinced me that my theory was correct, we then began to give water various information, freeze it, and photograph the crystals. The results were very interesting.

We consistently found that water responded to positive words by forming beautiful crystals. As if it wanted to express its joyous feeling, the crystals opened up like a flower. In contrast, when water was shown negative words, it did not form crystals.

For example, when we showed water the word "happiness", it formed crystals with well-balanced shapes like beautifully cut diamonds. On the other hand, water exposed to the word "unhappiness" resulted in broken and unbalanced crystals. That water seemed to have tried hard to form crystals, but it exhausted its strength and crashed, happiness slipping away from it.

We continued to show a pair of opposite words to the same water: "well done" versus "no good", "like" versus "dislike", "power"versus "powerless", "angel" versus "devil" and "peace" versus "war". Water formed crystals only when it was shown positive words.

Interestingly, water responded to foreign words in a similar but not exact manner as it did to Japanese words. Water formed beautiful crystals to all the words expressing gratitude all over the world, such as "Thank you" (English), "多谢" (Chinese), merci (French), danke (German), grazie (Italian) and kamusamunida (Korean).

For more on this research, you can click here to http://educate-yourself.org/cn/emotohiddenmessageswater14oct06.shtml

why are there suffering?

2010-01-31T20:02:00.005+08:00

After watching a few episodes of the "Human Spirit", there were a lot of strange cases of people suffering, one of the most heartwrenching cases was about how a mother did not give up hope on her 3 girls - blind and deaf triplets. I asked the Lord, why are there suffering? Why are there people who has more suffering than others? Aren't you a merciful God? Why do you allow sufferings? And especially to young children. In this case, the triplets were born blind and deaf - double tragedy.

I guess I got the answer today when I read a blog post by sister Shiya. It is an excerpt from "Compelled by Love by Heidi Baker". Let me repost it here:

"There is major suffering all over the world. We can use our suffering to be more like Jesus, or we can let bitterness fester inside our hearts. Somehow, in God's mercy, He allows us to understand the pain of others so that we can become more like Jesus in our compassion. He can even use suffering because He knows how to turn everything around for good.

Whatever you have experienced, you can also sympathize with in others. If you have been thirsty, you can understand thirst. If you have been lonely, you can understand loneliness. In the same way, we can also use our suffering to comfort those who are mourning. God can use even the worst things from our lives and turn them into something good, if only we let Him."

the power of words...

2010-01-26T23:10:00.000+08:00

Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can shatter my soul.

a pot calling a kettle black?

2010-01-26T22:29:00.001+08:00

One day a lady criticized D. L. Moody for his methods of evangelism in attempting to win people to the Lord.

Moody's reply was "I agree with you. I don't like the way I do it either. Tell me, how do you do it?"

The lady replied, "I don't do it."

Moody responded "I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it."

pray when the sea is calm

2010-01-22T15:57:00.000+08:00

There is a story of about a sea captain who in his retirement skippered a boat taking day-trippers to Shetland Islands.On one trip, the boat was full of young people. They laughed at the old captain when they saw him say a prayer before sailing out, because the day was fine and the sea was calm.

However they weren't long at sea when a storm suddenly blew up and the boat began to pitch violently. The terrified passengers came to the captain and asked him to join them in prayer.But he replied, "I say my prayers when it's calm. When it's rough I attend to my ship."

Here is a lesson for us.......

If we cannot seek God in quiet moments of our lives; we are not likely to find him when trouble strikes. We are more likely to panic. But if we have learnt to seek him and trust him in quiet moments, then most certainly we will find him when the going gets rough.

about boldness

2010-01-22T15:09:00.004+08:00

After hearing sister Ei Leen's testimony about her grandmother's salvation and how my cell group leader Lex boldly walked straight into the hospital ward and shared the gospel in Hokkien, and how her grandmother was saved just before she breathed her last. I was really touched. So touched by the boldness of Lex and it made me ponder.

From that day onwards, I made a little promise in my heart that I will boldly share the gospel and leave the rest to God.

We must be sensitive to the holy spirit and share whenever prompted. So far, I have shared with one colleague and 2 friends in the past week. Most importantly, I boldly shared my testimony on how I got my job with my dad while he drove me home.

And just 2 nights ago, I was prompted by the spirit again. This time round, my brother happened to play Evans Almighty DVD, which was a worldly show, yes, but a symbolic story modified after the building of Noah's Ark. And yes, I boldly shared about how Noah was called by the Lord to build the ark to my family while they were watching the show. It was the most bold thing I've ever done, considering the amount of persecution I faced in the last 10 years, especially from my brother. I would never have the courage to do that. But I did.

What made me do what I did? I don't really want to go to heaven alone. Eternity without my mom, my dad and my brother just is too scary a thought for me.

Dear Lord, I have done my part. I trust you to do the rest. Amen.

the royalty rule

2010-01-14T21:21:00.003+08:00

If you want to be treated like royalty, dress like one and act like one.

People with royalty blood always exude a certain aura that immediately, you recognize them to be of the royal blood. Why?

Royalty speak with a certain confidence with excellent manners. Do you ever see royalty gossip? Do you hear royalty swear or use vulgarities? Never! If you want to be treated like royalty, earn your respect!

Royalty dress immaculately at any occasion. Do you ever see royalty wearing shabby, untidy or revealing clothes in public? Do you see royalty walk around in flip flops? Never! If you want to be treated like royalty, dress like one!

tear no more for man

2010-01-12T22:27:00.003+08:00

From this day onwards, I will only tear for the Lord. No other man will be worth my tears other than the Lord Himself, who sacrificed on the cross for me.

closed door or open door?

2010-01-10T16:31:00.003+08:00

I feel strange. So strange.

I remembered asking the Lord many times before with regards to closed doors and open doors and the Lord usually replies very promptly when the door is a closed door. I always tell the Lord, if the door is closed, please reveal it to me early so that I won't waste time on it! Like when I was looking for a job and sent out many resumes, I don't really want to waste time going for the interviews, so usually I will tell God to close the doors if it is not His will for me to be there. It's like right after I have prayed and asked God, the next moment, God opened my eyes and the truth is being revealed. Immediately, I usually will know God's answer if the door is closed. Usually it is pretty obvious. Like for interviews, I will not be asked for the interviews or like there was once at a bank, I specifically said that I do not wish to work on Sundays because of church and sabbath day, they specifically said the job requires me to do so. Obviously, I turned down the offer.

And when the door is closed, if I was not sure the first time round, I just have to pray a couple more times and then the answer will be quite apparent to me. Closed door.

This time round, it is pretty strange. I prayed again and asked God whether the door is close or open, and if it were not God's will, please close the door. The door remained open.

I am not sure, so I prayed again the second time. The door remained open.

I prayed a third time. The door remained open.

I prayed a fourth time. The door remained open.

This went on for 9 months. So in an ordinarily very human understanding, I made a guess that the door is open. Then suddenly the door closed. Why? Is God playing a trick with me? Did I hear wrongly from the Lord? Is this a test from the Lord? Did I ask the Lord too few times? If it were a closed door, why didn't God reveal it to me earlier? Why did God give me an answer that was seemingly open and which in actual fact closed? Why did God give me an ambiguous answer? Maybe God gave me an apparent answer, but I refused to acknowledge it? God could have given me another answer, which was wait, but why did God reveal something else? Strange. I do not have the answer. Should I pray and ask God again? Can God like give me more wisdom to understand and fathom what He is trying to tell me? How come God opened the door for a while and then slam it shut suddenly?
Many questions just raced through my mind at the same time. Unanswered.

I wish I had the wisdom to understand. I don't have the answers to many of the questions, but one thing I know for sure is that He has the best plan for me and though it is difficult to accept it when the door is closed, I accept. Thank you Lord. But please, next time, can you tell me earlier? Thanks.

my lungs are falling out...

2010-01-03T22:29:00.003+08:00

Sometimes I just wonder how many of my friends will find out if I disappear from the face of the earth.

Well I've been sick since new year eve and I missed the watch-night service because I was curling up in bed with a high temperature bundled up in my blankets but my sweat glands was not working at all. Instead of feeling hot, I felt cold. My freezing palm found its way to my warm forehead to keep warm. Groggily, I got up and went straight to rummage my fridge for some panadols. I gulped down a couple of the pills and went back to bed.

I thought I felt better on Saturday but come Sunday morning, I was down with fever again. Stubborn me refused to see a doctor for fear of the big pack of anti-biotics. So I randomly ate some panadols again. I was coughing so incessantly that I thought I better don't spread the germs around, which I'm afraid I already had. Somehow, I heard my mom coughing too. Pray that I don't spread any germs to her! Oh dear!

So far, sister Liling is the first one who discovered that I was sick. Then sister Eileen. And today brother Jason. One a day is not bad at all. Thank you all of you for thinking about me. I feel so loved. Please remember to pray for me. Thanks.

my spiritual report card

2009-12-25T23:59:00.002+08:00

For the past 10 years, I had been so busy with Christmas drama rehearsals, Christmas carolling, choir practices, flower arrangements, buying, wrapping and giving Christmas presents, organizing Christmas parties... and a whole load of other things, so busy until I did not have time to stop for a moment and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas is about Jesus.

What was the real reason of Jesus coming down to earth? Dying on the cross? And rose again on the third day?

Jesus died for all of us because God loves us. And once this is established and reflected upon, I think that the calling for each and every believer is about spreading His love and help to gather back the lost sheep.

Christmas this year was a really fruitful and meaningful one to me.

Somehow the Lord kept reminding me about the verse from John 4: 35 "Do you not say 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest."

During our prayers, the Lord impressed upon me and my cell leader Lex about the youths at Teck Ghee Youth Centre, those whom we had brought them on a frog farm outing last month. And so we decided to organize a Christmas party for them and share with them about the true meaning of Jesus.

And praise the Lord, we had at least 6 salvations. God delivered His promise to us.

At the end of the day, when it is time for me to see the Lord with my report card, what would the Lord ask me? Is it how high have your climbed in your career path? Is it how much money you have stored up in your bank account? NO! The Lord will be asking me for the number of souls I have brought to heaven with me to enjoy eternal life! That's my report card.

Seriously, I can't imagine going to heaven one day and realised that I have left my best friends and loved ones behind... my resolutions for next year is to focus on my spiritual growth, cell group, outreach and mission trips.

Little things in life

2009-12-14T21:02:00.004+08:00

I am someone who really appreciates the little things that people do for me. You know it when someone takes note of the little remarks that you make and remember them. People who truly listens to you are the ones who truly care. It is a blessing to have someone who always keep a lookout for you and you know you feel safe. You know it when God sends you a guardian angel. God is really good.

It is fun when you have someone who shares the same likes and dislikes in food, shopping, clothes and opinions. And you can spend hours with them and time just flew past in a wink of an eye and you wish you had more time with them! Best friends are made by God and sent by God. Imagine the number of human beings on earth. How difficult is it to find a best friend? Well, God brought them into our lives. God planned for them to be in our lives. Isn't God amazing?

Semi-Annual Convention at Macau November 2009

2009-11-28T18:17:00.003+08:00

Had a wonderful and fruitful trip to Macau! One of the best conventions and best travel companions I've ever had! Looking forward to our next trip to Bangkok next year!

Don't copy if you can't paste! ~ Anonymous

2009-11-20T14:34:00.000+08:00

A popular motivational speaker was entertaining his audience. He said: "The best years of my life were spent in the arms of a woman who wasn't my wife!"

The audience was in silence and shock.

The speaker added: "And that woman was my mother!" Laughter and applause.

A week later, a top manager trained by the motivational speaker tried to crack this very effective joke at home. He was a bit foggy after a drink. He said loudly to his wife who was preparing dinner,” The greatest years of my life were spent in the arms of a woman who was not my wife!"

The wife went; "Aaaaaggh!" with shock and rage!!

Standing there for 20 seconds trying to recall the second half of the joke, the manager finally blurted out "...and I can't remember who she was!" By the time the manager regained his consciousness, he was on a hospital bed nursing burns from boiling water.

Moral of the story: Don't copy if you can't paste!

story of 2 trees

2009-10-18T20:56:00.007+08:00

There were 2 trees.

One tree, Strong, was in the middle of a cluster of similar trees, by a small river. Seasons come and go. It never faced the fiercest of storms nor the driest of drought. It is always sheltered by the trees around it from the winds and the storms. As it is near the small river, its roots never need to go deep or far for water. The roots of the fellow trees also help to stabilize it and keep it standing firm and straight. Its height did not increase for years as it is comfortably shielded by the trees beside it. Life is good.

Another tree, Weak, was planted near the edge of the forest, some distance away from this cluster of trees. Seasons come and go. It faced the fiercest of storms and constant strong north-east wind. In its initial years, it laments daily why it is planted at the wrong spot. There were times when it almost got uprooted. It is never easy with the wind blowing at you all the time. It did not have luxurious leaves or a beautiful crown like Strong. It laments its weakness compared to Strong.

One day, a strong earthquake struck. Many trees from the cluster were uprooted. Both Strong and Weak survived. Strong was protected by the trees around it. Weak was surprised it survived. Weak was the weakest of them all, so how did it survive?

Two days passed and another earthquake struck. Strong was badly shaken as there are no fellow trees around it this time. Its roots were too shallow to hold itself up during the earthquake and it was almost uprooted. Still, Weak remains as it is. Weak is even more surprised now.

Then the small river disappeared after the earthquake.

Strong started drying up very fast as its roots could not reach the deep water sources since its reliance had been the small river. It laments daily and tries to grow its roots deeper. Yet, the lack of water restraints its growth. Before long, it dried up completely.

Still, Weak continued growing and its crown got wider. Weak asked the Sun why. Sun told Weak: "Although you look weak from the surface, your roots have been growing deeper to tap the water sources and wider to support yourself from the storms and strong winds that struck you daily. Strong was too reliant on the small river and the cluster of trees around it, so it naturally did not have deep roots. Though you thought you were weak, yet, you are becoming stronger daily through fighting the storms and strong winds."

Author Unknown (Received this story from Lex via email.)

the agape love

2009-10-16T23:15:00.001+08:00

The presence of the Holy Spirit was really strong during worship session. I felt God's love so strong and so intense that I wept uncontrollably. I was Jonas. Despite my constant running away, God never let go of me and loved me so deeply I just felt so so small. God reminded me of how I almost gave up when God led me to the new cell group and new church. God so loved me that he brought me to a place where my cell group leader was so spiritual and close to God that he knew by prayers that I was his sheep.

My cell leader felt impressed by the Lord to let us wash each others' feet. It was the most humbling experience for me. I felt so emotional as my leader washed my feet. I could imagine how Jesus' disciples felt when He washed their feet. I felt so broken inside. My heart wrenched in pain.

God's love is agape - unconditional. We can never outgive God. His love extends vastly beyond our imagination. I'm so small. I'm so undeserving.

left or right brained?

2009-09-21T21:23:00.003+08:00

"Of 30 questions, 17 of your responses indicate you are left brained dominant. 13 of your responses are indications of right brain dominance. These results indicate you have a balanced brain, with no tendency to think towards either side. Those who are middle-brain dominant tend to be more flexible than either the left or the right-brain folks; however, you often vacillate between the two hemispheres when you make decisions. You sometimes get confused when decisions need to be made because, neurologically speaking, you could do most tasks through either a left-brain or a right-brain method! A balanced score means you are able to draw on the strengths of both the right and left hemispheres of your brain depending upon a given situation. This combination makes you a creative and flexible thinker.The down side to having a more "balanced brain" is that you may sometimes feel paralyzed by indecision when the two hemispheres of your brain are competing to solve a problem in their own unique ways. You may also find career choices difficult due to your proficiency in several different areas. "

My test results is rather true. :) I remember when I took an ability test when I was applying for scholarship to determine my area of interests in terms of career, my results went haywire as it showed 2 extremes. One career preference is the arts category - musician or fine arts. And the other end was the science category - research.

Well, in fact, I'm pretty happy now that I found my dream job as a sales trainer. As a sales trainer, I got to be very left-brained when it comes to details. I have to be accurate with the details in my delivery, especially when it comes to products, or certain areas of compliance. On the other hand, I can express my artistic side when designing the slides or course development and of course during delivery. I need to train subjects that are super left-brained like Financial Literacy modules on time value of money and very soft skill subjects like Buyers' Psychology. I think that perhaps having a balanced brain allows me to do that switch fairly comfortably. Even though I'm more left-brained, I tend to prefer training right-brained subjects.

And I have also found the place to release my thirst to be a musician. I'm playing the keyboard for my cell group and I think that it is really a perfect arrangement.

dress for success

2009-09-20T17:55:00.003+08:00

Gave a talk on "Dress for Success" at a Speechcraft Workshop organized by Buona Vista Toastmasters Club and received compliments from my club members as well as the participants. It was really enjoyable and I'm already thinking of doing a sequel to the talk.

I realised that this topic about Image and Personal Grooming is a huge topic and there are many areas to explore. Impressionistic Branding is an up and coming "IN" thing which is what differentiates anyone from everyone else and it should not be overlooked and taken for granted.

However, I realise that it takes 2 hands to clap and when it comes to dressing. People can be as stubborn as a mule! Well, the first criteria for dressing for success is that desire. If there is no desire to change, it can't work, no matter how many times I coach them.

And the other criteria for dressing for success is the eye for details. And my goodness, when it comes to colours, not everybody is gifted with differentiating colours with the slightest different in tone or texture. Well, can't help it for people who are born colour-blind. But worse, for people who are born with poor taste. I think that such things are really beyond me.

I remember one ex-colleague ever told me that she thinks that VPL is sexy. And my jaw just dropped, almost right to the floor. Well, for those who are uninitiated, VPL stands for "Visible Panty Line" and it is one of the top 10 image destroyers for ladies. And I'm surprised of the number of working ladies out there who are not aware what is VPL and happily walking around with one. And worse still, believe that it is sexy. Gosh. I really can't stomach that.

But then, if you observe people walking on the streets, which is one of the things I love to observe while I'm shopping, is that you will be amazed that there are people who wear the ugliest things in Orchard Road, which I believe must be their favourite pieces. People's taste do vary quite a lot! Then again, people appreciate art differently. And I must say, whoever came up with the phrase "Beauty is in the eyes of the Beholder" is a genius.

teacher

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

"The mediocre teacher tells.

The good teacher explains.

The superior teacher demonstrates.

The great teacher inspires."

~ William Arthur Ward

a close shave

2009-09-06T21:29:00.000+08:00

Had a close shave today. I was crossing the small lane in front of church behind a taxi when suddenly the taxi reversed fiercely and stopped just before it hit me. It was barely a couple of centimetres away and I could have flown. Well, I guess God had more tasks for me on earth and my time is not up yet.

Thank God for His protection.

the rose

2009-09-01T23:47:00.002+08:00

As a Rose absorbs the nutrients it feeds on and as it thrives to see the sun as it must to survive......
the Rose becomes more beautiful and in turn will provide sunshine to those who can behold it's beauty.
Fortunate is the Man who can see the Rose within a Woman.
Blessed is the man who this Woman holds to be her nutrient, her sunshine.

-- Art Denton

fashion quotes

2009-08-30T18:44:00.004+08:00

"A fashionable woman is always in love - with herself." ~ La Rochefoucauld

"A love of fashion makes the economy go round." ~ Liz Tillberis

"My philosophy has always been to help men and women feel comfortable and confident through the clothes they wear." ~ Georgio Armani

"The best colour in the world is the one that looks good, on you!" ~ Gabriella Mattina

the you attitude

2009-08-12T16:20:00.003+08:00

It is not about what we accumulate
But what we give

It is not about what we learn
But what we teach

It is not about what we build for ourselves
But whose lives we built

It is not about me
It's about you

i am who i am

2009-08-09T02:12:00.002+08:00

Just wonders why you cannot accept me for who I am. Yes, I am a perfectionist. So what's wrong with striving to do the best for everything? What's wrong with being meticulous? Why must you question me about being fussy or finicky over trivial things? I am just who I am and I pay attention to details. That's me.

miracles needed

2009-08-07T23:56:00.002+08:00

Dear God, Princess Jerl is praying for miracles to happen. Princess Jerl is feeling kind of weary and tired. Princess Jerl needs just a little encouragement, a little strength and a little faith.

an unbelievably distasteful joke

2009-08-07T03:00:00.001+08:00

I received an email yesterday to ask me for permission to use my name in a Humorous Contest speech. I thought that was a harmless request, so without much thought, I replied to say "Go ahead". In my heart, I thought that was a really nice and polite person to ask me for permission to use my name. I was looking forward to hearing that particular contest speech and all prepared to laugh, since it was supposed to be a Humorous Speech Contest.

Little did I expect to hear my name being associated with a joke with sexual connotations! Trust me, I have a very good sense of humour and I do crack self-deprecating jokes. But when I heard that speech, I just simply did not find it funny at all. The first thought that came to my mind was "What on earth was going through this guy's head when he asked to use my name in a sexual joke?" I just stared at him with disbelief. It felt like I had been molested.

The feeling of uncomfort and embarrassment just made my stomach queasy. To make things worse, the speaker was a male retiree and a recent aquaintance whom I had only met less than 5 times in the last few months. This incident left me with such a bad aftertaste that I had to expel it all out through blogging at 3am.

That was just an unbelievably distasteful joke.

an unexpected kiss

2009-08-02T22:05:00.005+08:00

Halfway through his meal, he suddenly grabbed my hand. I thought he had something to tell me, so I leaned closer and positioned my ear next to his mouth. To my surprise, he gave me a peck on my cheek! This gesture of affection sent such joy to my heart. That was little Maverick, LiLing's 3-year-old nephew.

That's the way little children show their love for you - without any hesitation, without any pretence. Little children are just so expressive in their love language, so generous to shower you with hugs and kisses. I am touched by Maverick's way of loving me. When it was time to say goodbye, he hugged me so tightly and refused to let go of my hand.

Somehow, this incident reminded me of how God loves us - so unconditionally, so abundantly, so generous. And how joyful our Father in heaven will be, only if we respond to love him back in little ways - spending time with Him, talking to Him, singing to Him.

"Daddy, how come you always say 'No' to me?"

2009-07-31T17:12:00.001+08:00

Kids are just so innocent and many a times, they ask the most direct questions. And adults have to answer carefully because their little brains are absorbing information at a rate that is almost equivalent, if not faster, than a dry, cracking sponge absorbing water.

My friend’s daughter asked one difficult question to her father. “Daddy, how come you always say ‘No’ to me?”

How will you answer this question if you were the father? For me, I will probably be dumbfounded for a while, thinking of the appropriate words I should use. On one hand, I do not want to hurt the feelings of the little one. On the other hand, I want to impart the correct values! I felt like I was doing a balancing act on a see-saw alone!

The father, in stark contrast, was as cool as a cucumber! He replied in a matter-of-fact tone, “That’s because you ask the wrong question, dear. If you had asked me, ‘Daddy, can I do more homework?’ That answer would have been ‘Yes.’ Or if you had asked me, ‘Daddy, can I do my homework first before watching TV?’ My answer would have been ‘Yes’ too!”

I take my hat off him. He’s simply amazing.

double-edged sword

2009-07-24T12:45:00.002+08:00

Words are like double-edged sword. If not used properly, they can kill.

The way to happiness

2009-07-16T12:14:00.003+08:00

Keep your heart free from hate,

your mind from worry.

Live simply,

Expect little,

Give much.

Fill your life with love.

Scatter sunshine.

Forget self, think of others.

Do as you would be done.

- by H.C. Mattern -

what colour am I?

2009-07-06T19:25:00.004+08:00

You are pink! You are a fun loving, bubbly person. You love your friends, you love your family, you love just about everything! You are probably often described as "cute", and you like it that way. You are usually a little superficial, you don't really like to take things deeper. You can definitely have a bit of a temper, but you get over things quickly too. Your relationships are based on fun and adventure. You are a good mix of white and red - passionate and a little lusty, but with an innocent charm. You may be a little spoiled, but that's okay with you. You are probably pretty secure with who you are. You are energetic, but not overly so (like reds, yellows, and oranges). You don't mind giving in to other people sometimes. You like being in the spotlight, and being recognized for your accomplishments. You love spending time with your friends. In fact, you probably hate being away from them. Being alone is not something you enjoy at all. Your friends know that with you, they will always be loved and have a great time. You, in a nutshell: Cute, bubbly, happy, a bit of a diva, friendly, confident, loving, fun. PINK!

***

A quiz in Facebook which is pretty cool! I wanted to be pink but I chose my favourite colour to be scarlet. So I thought it might just be a quiz that will show your favourite colour, but it didn't.

Only 2 points that I didn't quite agree with though.

I don't think I'm superficial. I'm someone who tend to think a lot though I may not show it. But I only think of things that are worth thinking about.

And temper wise, it is very difficult to make me lose my temper, so people who can make that happen are really something. Please don't try your luck though. Once you lose my trust, you're gone from my life.

I love the summary. "You, in a nutshell: Cute, bubbly, happy, a bit of a diva, friendly, confident, loving, fun. PINK! " That basically sums me up!

mariah carey's walk-in wardrobe

2009-06-22T13:55:00.011+08:00

working overtime

2009-06-17T15:39:00.000+08:00

45 lessons life taught me by Regina Brett

2009-06-17T15:19:00.003+08:00

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift. "

I can't take that chance

2009-06-17T15:12:00.001+08:00

sweetest words

2009-05-13T21:56:00.003+08:00

The sweetest words that touched my heart is when someone said " I will pray for you." Four simple words, yet what great love is behind the four words. The words, though simple, has been echoing in my heart. I feel so loved and blessed.

From the depth of my heart, I thank you.

Is love a noun or a verb?

2009-05-05T22:16:00.001+08:00

To a person who is reactive, love is a noun.

To a person who is proactive, love is a verb.

old vs young

2009-05-04T23:11:00.000+08:00

Old: Knows the mouse that eat the cheese
Young: Knows the mouse that moves the cursor

Old: Earrings are on the ears
Young: Earrings are anywhere except the ears

Old: Hold hands
Young: Hold handphones

Old: Touch hearts
Young: Touch screen

Old: Talk to people they see
Young: Talk to anybody they can't see

Old: Values changes
Young: Changes values

neglect

2009-05-04T22:28:00.000+08:00

I was just talking to a fellow blogger friend and he said that if you neglect your blog for too long, you will lose your regular readers very soon. Indeed, I think that is happening to my blog. It's been gathering dust for too long and it is not healthy.

how far are you stretching your yardstick?

2009-04-27T21:16:00.003+08:00

Some people think that my standards are very high when it comes to integrity. I don't agree with some people who find all sorts of excuses to lower the standards of integrity. Although sometimes, the defining line is a little grey, yet I think still the line must be drawn. What's the point of living with a huge grey area?

I once was having a discussion with a Christian brother with regards to gambling. Personally I feel that buying lottery tickets like 4D or Toto are considered gambling. And that person who argued with me said that he was in fact donating to charity when he buys lottery tickets and that he don't see why I should be so strict in classification. According to his exact words, he said I was inflexible.

Well, my take is always refer back to God's word - The Bible. According to God's standards, if a man looks lustfully at a woman, he had already committed adultery. God has very high standards when it comes to morals. So how is it possible that God's tolerance level can be compromised? Logically, God's standards are stricter than mine. How can one possibly use flexibility as an excuse when it comes to integrity? It is does not make much sense to me.

God is very clear. The gate to the heavens is narrow. Very narrow indeed.

So, my take is that you can compromise however you like. You can be as self-righteous as you like. When you compromise on your integrity, what else are you compromising with? Honesty with yourself?

My question is: How far are you stretching your yardstick?

let go and let God

2009-04-19T18:32:00.002+08:00

Whenever I feel a little discouraged or disappointed, I will login to read and re-read some of my blogposts and indeed my previous post has encouraged me once again. Sometimes, we get discouraged or disappointed because things did not go the way that we had expected.

The previous blogpost reminded me of my trust in the Lord and to trust the Lord with ALL my heart. Not half, not a quarter, but 100%. Once that is established, then the furrows on my brow relaxed and smoothened out. The nagging migraine slowly disappears. Perhaps I was too hard on myself and wanted to take control of all things in my own hand. It is always a struggle to let go and let God take control.

Thinking further, the control freak in me becomes an apparent oxymoron when we're talking about trusting in God. If I really put ALL my 100% trust in the Lord, why would I be worrying? And why would I even be longing to control my own fate? Shouldn't I be trusting that God had everything nicely planned out for me?

Yes, in fact, God has planned and God is in control. It is time for me to relax my brain cells, let go and let God.

A constant reminder.

love is like the shadow

2009-04-07T23:52:00.003+08:00

Love is like the shadow... so near yet so elusive...

***

I took a facebook quiz and here is the verdict of me:

You're the Romantic. You're such an easy going and quiet natured person. You have an inner spark inside of you that shines through to the world. You're beautiful inside and out. You believe in true love and that the world needs more genuine people like yourself.

***

I guess I believe in true love afterall. I thought that my heart had died a few years back when I ended a relationship rather abruptly. There was no quarrel, nothing. It just ended without me even knowing that it ended. I don't even know if I can call that ended. Or rather, the person disappeared from my life just all of a sudden.

Well, I never felt my heart beat again for the longest time. I guess time has healed the wounded heart and I'm ready to move on. I'm happy with that discovery. The discovery that my heart is still alive and pumping! Sometimes, I think that God let me meet all the wrong persons just so that I can recognize the right person if he comes along. I think God is such an awesome planner. Everything is just so perfect in His time.

The only test is when God says "Wait". Dealing with that is not easy, especially so when we are living in our own time and making our own plans. We can plan for a lot of things, but if it were not meant to be, it will never happen. And if it were meant to be, then God will make sure everything falls in the right place at the right time. I just have to give thanks for the test. And leave the rest to God.

Are we faithful to the little things that God entrusted us with?

2009-03-22T18:11:00.004+08:00

A fresh new perspective of God by Pastor Glyn Barrett. In an attempt to share my learning points from this morning's sermon.

***

Man's first attempt to "play God" cloned Dolly the sheep. And Man thought he was intelligent. But whatever Man created, he needed the raw materials, some high tech equipment, numerous experiments, tests and of course failures. How proud.

On the contrary, God is the Almighty God who created the Heavens and the Earth out of nothing. And God created Man out of dust. Hallelujah.

***

Can Man be trusted? Does Man's "Yes" really mean "Yes"? Or does it mean "No", "Maybe", "It will be a Yes until something better comes along." Does Man take marriage vows seriously? Does Man really mean it when he utters "till death do us part"?

If it is really so, why then is divorce rates increasing? In contrary, according to 2 Corinthians 1:12-20, we can see that God's "Yes" means "Yes". And God being a faithful God, will deliver His promises.

We must understand also that our problems do not hinder God's promises. In life, we are bound to encounter obstacles because if life were easy and smooth, then why would Man ever need God? Many a times, we can learn a lot of lessons from children, for they will look for the solution to the problems and will never let the problems hinder promises.

Ezekiel 17:1
Faithfulness of God comes in small things. Many times, we look for God's faithfulness in big things. We're expecting an extraordinary miracle to happen in the things we ask of God. Yet, if we read carefully, 2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us that God is faithful to the promises God made. Not any promises. Definitely, not one that comes from Man.

A female eagle will drop a twig from its beak from a very high place and if a male eagle manages to catch hold of that twig three times in a row without fail, she will mate with him. If the male eagle can pass the test of being faithful to the small little things, then in the same way, will be able to take care of the bigger responsibilities.

In the same way, God's faithfulness comes in small the form of twigs. God is faithful in small things. God is faithful to ensure that we breathe when we wake up, God is faithful to ensure that there is food on our table. In that same way, when we look for a spouse, also look for the man or woman who is faithful in small things. If he/she can be faithful in small things such as being on time for service, then he/she can be faithful in big things such as marriage.

We as human beings are made to deal with impossible situations, so that we can say "I can do all things through Him." We can then put our trust in the Lord and rely on His strength instead of our own strength.

And lastly, it is for us to say "Amen" to God's promise. If we really want to receive God's promise of eternal life, then we've got to be faithful to the process. So then the last question to ponder would be "Are we faithful to the little things that God has entrusted us with?"