Fabulous 2009!

Touched

Once in a cab ride, we drove passed the Novena church and the driver commented that the church answers prayers. Surprised that he visits the Catholic church as his taxi had displays of other religious items. So I asked him what brought him to church. His response:
"This church hor, very powerful, I pray for 4D, I get!"

*stunned*

*recovery phrase*

Me: "Uncle, like that also can ah?"
Him: "Although God here know I not christian ah, but my prayers were answered leh!"

The power of praying does the most unexpected, impossible tasks for us. God knows our needs even before we asks, so all we need to do is ask and you'll be given. Its like a unlimited guarantee that all your desires are satisfied!

We've seen how broken marriages are healed and turned around through prayers.

We've seen how families come together in unity through prayers.

We've seen how people were pulled away from tragedies with prayers.

We've seen how difficulties were conquered through prayers when nothing else seems to work.

So when a person say that they are praying for you, its like a special blessing, not just because the prayers were said for you. But also because you're often thought of by this person who is offering a prayer for you. Isn't it touching?

Often than now, I have a friend who shares that we're in their prayers. I feel so blessed! And touched of course.

Thank you all of you who've thought about us, prayed for us, prayed with us.

Thank You!

Singing: Birth of Christ

Christmas has always been special to me, it was how I was brought to our church literately.

A friend invited me to attend his church's midnight Christmas celebrations, it was a elaborated affair that I never had imagined. Dressing up for church as if they were going to a grand ball at MIDNIGHT! Who does that?

Well, christians does that!

Why?

Because its a celebration of the birth of someone very very dear to their hearts.

I was impressed by the music on my first Christmas midnight mass. There were drums, guitars, bass guitars, piano, organ players who played in great sync with such joy. There was a sense of warmth to their worship. That great desire to play beyond their very best to celebrate the birth of Christ. I have not seen worship at such genuine level before. There were hiccups and last min obstacles that they need to overcome but everyone pitched in to put up the greatest show they can.

And the choir.... oh my, they stood for almost the entire 2hours, blasting their lungs out. The melodious music with the festive mood was overly joyful to the soul.

I was an addict to Christmas celebrations in our church.

Gradually over a few years, I just kept wanting to go back for the Christmas mass. It was always so delightful!

THEN I myself started to join in the choir to create the "noise" hee.... Time and time again, we all looked forward to performing a great show for the birth of baby Jesus. We sang our hearts out, belt our voices hoarse.

Today I finally knew why we enjoyed doing that so much....

Today our Saviour is Born
Today our Saviour is Bo-rn
This is the day
This is the day
Christ our Saviour is Born!

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Friday, December 25, 2009
We Praise God for the Gift of Jesus
by Rick Warren
From the Gospel of Luke we see the birth announcement of Jesus -

Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified.

The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

Luke 2:9-14 (MSG)

Christmas - what does it mean?

Its Christmas time!

What does it mean?

Shopping for Christmas gifts?

Receiving Christmas gifts?

Year end wrap up of projects, events, work?

Mega gatherings to catch up with those that were too busy during the actual year?

This year its alot less festive for me. Perhaps its because I've done most of the Christmas shopping way early in the year. So no need to cheong for last min presents or force to buy something for the sake of buying.

And perhaps also because there were some pretty notty boys in my life this year, making me not feeling so loving towards them. Yah, lots of emotional baggage you can say.

Perhaps also because we attended 3 funerals in just 2 months. One grandaunt who survived the boat journey from China just to be with her husband. Raised 4 kids with very limited resources, lived to see her own grandchild get married before she left the mortal world. There were more amazing stories about her which were shared during the course of her wake. Makes you feel so blessed to be born in today's modern world. With all our modern luxuries.

Ad's godpa also left us, but not for good. As we celebrate his departure from this mortal earth, we know that he's up in heaven with Jesus. Nonetheless, the sense of loss is felt, when we learn so much more about him in his youthful days, the things that he did. Just makes you wish you've heard it from him personally. Or had that chance to give him just one more hug. He's got such lovable personality. You wish that you can clone that and inject it into every unpleasant elderly you meet. hee....

Then came the departure of a dear friend's mother. A 80+ elderly who has combat cancer for the past few years, never with a word of complaint nor grumble. She just bore the pain, the discomforts, the frustrations. We were glad we made it to see her one last time the day before she left. Though she was frail and weak, she was definitely without pain. On the day of her funeral, my heart went out to her DIL, who cried so bitterly about her loss, that my tears flowed in synchrony as well. She had the most beautiful funeral mass I've ever attended. The music which made up a large part of the mass was soft, light and comforting. Memories of all those who have departed came flowing back. We pray for all our departed brothers and sisters to be safe in Jesus's side up in heaven.

Some lessons that I've learnt this year:

Your earthly family may not = your spiritual family. So feel blessed anyway.

Forgive every wrong that comes your way, even if that person never apologize, or will never come to know what damage he's done towards you. Because you need healing from the event. He can go settle his behavior with God in due time.

We should envelope ourselves with positive, like-minded people. Never mind even if that is your childhood friend, if he/she is influencing you in a negative way, its time to stay away. Just pray for that person to turn around, but you dun have to join him/her at it.

There are those who love you no matter what you do. Treasure them, for they may not stay around the next time you commit the same error.

Some actions, no matter what good intentions you have. If taken the wrong way, it is still not achieved its desired effects. So take some actions with cautions and consider the consequences carefully.

Sometimes when a person is angry with you or something you did, it may not necessarily mean that you've done something wrong. It could mean that this person has anger, and you happened to be there. So dun let that get you down.

Hugs are great wondrous actions! Give more hugs!

Have crystal clear goals in your mind. Dun allow yourself to be distracted .... (note to self in bold)

Celebrate every success that you have. Send joy to every cell in your body! You deserve it!

Dashes of snow

Light dashes of snow always remind me of the 1st time we experienced snow together on the eve of Christmas.

That magical feeling of snow, lightly touching your face is so memorable.

And guess what? Its snowing on my dashboard today!

Parents WATCH OUT: Scary but true

Spent a lovely evening with an aunt who has been residing in HK and as we chatted, she share some really scary but true stories about the REALITY of child-napping around asia. So I thought I'll share what I can recall to help bring about some awareness.

She says that there's news of children missing daily in the newspapers. Its a real threat. Not one that's hearsay. Just because its safe in Sg, doesn't mean that we stop to educate our children what is "NO talking to strangers".

1. One duo-income family with 2 young kids hired a helper from China, they are addressed as 啊姨 (an affectionate auntie term). Their parents went to work one day, only to return home with no kids, no 啊姨. They reported the police and CCTV around train stations, bus interchanges showed how their 啊姨 took their kids further and further away from home. Finally into the chinese border and lost in the crowd. GONE forever!

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2. Another duo-income family had a 3yr old boy and 6yr old girl. For many months after their domestic helper from Indonesia came into the family. Nothing unusual occurred. In fact, their helper was diligently bringing the kids down to the nearby playground daily. Without fail. Every single day. It became such a routine that no one really took noticed that the boy is not really talking much. The girl is not such a chirpy young child. One morning, the girl pleaded with her mummy not to go to work. Mommy thought that she was just throwing her tantrums. So mummy went to work as usual, left her daughter crying for attention.

One evening soon after that day, while the helper was busy with something. Mummy decided to shower her daughter for a change. 1st time in about 10months.....

Daughter told mummy that her private parts hurt. Mummy examined her, she was swollen, red with infection at her groin area. What comes to mind? 6yr old young child?

Their helper has been bringing the 2 young kids down to the shed NEXT to the playground daily to a guy. A guy who paid this maid $200/month to bring the kids to him. These poor children is traumatized for the rest of their lives.

What good does it do to the young children even if both the helper & the bad guy got caught?

The little boy has chosen to not speak.

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3. Real life encounter:
One of my niece who took part in a school overseas trip in China for an exchange program with another school. She and 2 other girlfriends were taking a break and went out of the school gates for a chat. One big, clean, tourist looking bus drove by the gate with 3 men inside the bus. The men told the girls to get up the bus. They said that they knew which hotel they stayed, they can wait for the rest of their friends on the bus.

Thankfully, the girls were sharp enough to notice that it was a different bus from what they're taking. So they did not get up that dubious bus.

Who knows what will happen to them? Young blossoming girls! They actually knew where they stayed! Doesn't that mean that these guys were just waiting for an opportunity?

Be careful on your overseas trips people. You never know WHO is watching at you, just for one short moment when you are not looking, your kids may just vanish. Forever. So teach them well, grill into them to be ALERT.

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4. Another real life encounter in SINGAPORE
A young and very pretty cousin just got her driving lessons and drove her daddy's car to Takashimaya for a shopping spree.
She got into her car and thankfully her mommy taught her well. LOCK immediately before you do anything else in the car. She hasn't even start her car yet.

A man came knocking on her window. Whacking it with some urgency.

Initially, she thought that he was trying to offer her some cleaning services. She was going to lower her window to give him so money when she noticed that there was something not quite right with that urgency on knocking on her door. He was also trying to open her door!

She also noticed that he's got a white hanky behind his back held by one of his hands. She knew that there's something not right with this guy!

She started her car engine quickly and drove towards the exit. Somehow that same guy got ahead of her and was waiting for her at the exit. He told her that he will remember her with fingers pointing towards her!

Ain't it scary?

They went to report to the police, to Takashimaya management and guess what? There was NO traces of that guy in their cameras at the carpark nor lift landings. So no one can figure out how this guy can appear in such a popular spot along Orchard road in Singapore.