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2010-04-26T21:22:00.001+08:00

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Be yourself with God

2010-04-12T22:14:00.003+08:00

Once again, I'm enlightened.

I remember how I comforted I felt when a dear friend prayed for me when I was in alot of pain. The short yet simple prayer led a powerful sense of peace to my being. I was yet a Christian then. She was a real sweetheart to come all the way to my house to pray with me.

There were times when I pray and I dun feel like I've really communicated all my thoughts properly in my prayers.

Now, its the step by step guide to teach me how!

Isn't God just wonderful? He knows! Yes He REALLY knows me!

I just love Him!

Try it?
======================================
Monday, April 12, 2010
Be yourself with God
by Rick Warren
When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans do, who think that their gods will hear them because their prayers are long. Do not be like them. Your Father already knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:5-15 (TEV)
"Jesus says don't get caught up in ritual prayer. You can't impress God with fancy language, and you shouldn't be trying to impress other people either. "

God created you and so he wants you to be the real you. By being authentic when you speak to God, you worship him as you Creator.

For years I copied the prayers of other people. I noticed they used certain words and even a special tone of voice. I imitated all the religious clichés: "Lead, guide and direct us, O Lord." "Bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies." "Bless the gift and the giver."

In New Testament times, prayers were wordy, meaningless rituals. There was no spontaneity, no genuineness. But Jesus says don't get caught up in ritual prayer. You don't have to use fancy language. You can't impress God with fancy language, and you shouldn't be trying to impress other people either.

I love to hear new Christians pray -- no pious pomposity. They haven't learned the clichés yet. They just say, "Hi, God. It's me." That's how you make contact with God. You just talk with your Heavenly Father about what's on your mind. Just pray your heart. Reveal yourself.

Imagine I walked in the door one evening and my kids said: "O, almighty procreator of our family. How wonderful thou art, who sovereignly deposits our allowance to us. Oh, the majesty of thy wonderful self! We beseech thee to come eat dinner with us." I'd check their temperatures to see if they were sick! I don't want to hear that. I want them to say, "Hey! Dad's home. Good to see you, Pop!"

I'm not saying to be flippant in prayer, but that's how you make contact with God. You just talk with him in a genuine and heartfelt way.

Jesus gives us a model we can use as we learn to make contact with God. Over the next few days, we'll look at six things we can talk to God about when we pray.

Be real and be relaxed with God

2010-04-12T00:04:00.003+08:00

I never knew that I can fall in love with a being whom I've not seen with my own eyes nor hear from Him directly.

But He has shown me that I CAN!

I was surviving on adrenaline for the past 2 days, i tried to calm myself down but cant seems to find a way to. In my mind, I was asking Jesus to help me, but in reality I was really trying on my own to do it. Because I dun seem to have located the right "methodology".

Then God unfailingly showed me how to do it! Step by Step, just how I can understand it!

NO, I dun mean that God appeared infront of me and held a conversation with me with numbered steps about it.

Instead, He inspired the authors of a daily devotion to write this piece, made the publisher publish this piece on this very very faithful day just when I need it!

Imagine the mechanics that this has to go through for it to work realistically?

WHAT are the chances that the authors knew that I have a need to calm down with specific instructions?

What are the chances that the publishers chose this article to be published on this day?

Multiply those just those two factors together and then you'll wonder now.... what are the chances???

Who can have such a powerful presence to influence so many chain events to occur for me to read this article on this day?

Only God can!

Now, isn't that true love? He moved this world for me just so that He can show me how much He loves me. :D

Start talking to Jesus today and ask him to show you How much Our Father loves you! And if you are feeling anxious, you can always try this out.....

===============================================
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Be real and be relaxed with God
by Rick Warren
Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world." Psalm 46:10 (NLT)
"Take a deep breath and try to forget anyone or anything that's around you and just focus in on God for a minute."

Hurry is the death of prayer. If you rush through all your prayers, it will kill your prayer life.

I have a habit in my prayer life, before I pray any prayer -- it is almost spontaneous -- that I take a deep breath. I just relax, settle down, and let go of any tension. Then, I'm ready to talk God.

So, when you pray - relax. Take a deep breath and try to forget anyone or anything that's around you and just focus in on God for a minute. Calm yourself down and get still: "Be still, and know that I am God!" (Psalm 46:10, NLT)

Jesus sat in Martha's house, but she was so busy, she couldn't stop to talk to him and enjoy his company. Jesus said, "Martha, Martha! You are worried and troubled over so many things, but just one is needed. Mary has chosen the right thing, and it will not be taken away from her." Mary chose to relax at the feet of Jesus, listening to him while "Martha was distracted ...." (Luke 10:40, NIV)

Be real and relaxed, "go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you." (Matthew 6:6, TEV)

Easter means Jesus paid for our sins

2010-04-05T23:54:00.003+08:00

Can't help but feel overwhelmed with happiness as I read this passage.

I pray for you to feel the joy that rushes through my blood knowing that I'm precious! Yes, so are you!

=================================================
Monday, April 05, 2010
Easter means Jesus paid for our sins
by Rick Warren
Through the blood of his Son, we are set free from our sins. God forgives our failures because of his overflowing kindness. Ephesians 1:7 (GWT)
"Everything you've ever done wrong, everything you're ever going to do wrong, things you haven't even thought of yet, all those sins have already been paid for by Jesus Christ as he died on the cross. "

Jesus' death and resurrection paid for our sins.

There have been a lot of great religious teachers throughout history. They've all had good things to say, but what makes Jesus different from every other religious teacher throughout history is the fact that he died and rose again.

That's of critical importance because it's not the life of Jesus that saves you; it's not the teachings of Jesus that save you; it's his death and resurrection that open the door for your salvation.

Jesus died for your sins. The Bible says we've all blown it. We've all made mistakes. None of us is perfect. That's pretty obvious; I don't measure up to my own standards much less God's. We have all sinned.

The Bible says that justice demands punishment. If you do the crime, you pay the time. If you break the law, you pay the fine. If you get caught speeding, you get a ticket. If you break God's laws, you pay God's penalty and, according to the Bible, "the wages [for our] sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23 NLT).

In other words, somebody has to pay for all the things you've done wrong in life: either you pay or somebody else pays for you. And this is where God says, "I'll do it!" He steps up to the plate. Jesus Christ is sent to earth—God in human form—and he says, in effect, "I will pay for your sins."

Here's the good news: Everything you've ever done wrong, everything you're ever going to do wrong, things you haven't even thought of yet, all those sins have already been paid for by Jesus Christ as he died on the cross: "Through the blood of his Son, we are set free from our sins. God forgives our failures because of his overflowing kindness" (Ephesians 1:7 GWT).

When Jesus died on the cross for you, it showed two things:

It showed how much your forgiveness cost. The highest price you can pay for anything is to give your life for it. And that's what Jesus did. He gave his blood. He gave his life. It was extremely expensive. Grace is free but it is not cheap. It cost Jesus his life, but he paid for your sins.
It shows how much God values you. It shows how much you matter to God. Jesus died for you on the cross. It shows the highest price possibly to be paid was giving a life.
How much are you worth? Jesus says, with his arms stretched out on the cross, "This much I'm willing to die for you." You may think that you're worthless because of things you've done wrong. But Jesus says, "No. You're priceless. And I'm willing to give my life in order to pay for your sins."

Don’t trade your life for temporary things

2010-04-04T23:31:00.003+08:00

I was just sharing with a dear friend on how God reach out to each of us differently. For me, God has always used words, daily devotions to answer my queries.

The past 2 weeks has been quite a nightmare for us (me & my dear friend). We were caught up in a biz transaction that took us on a 2 week roller coaster ride. We had sleepless nights, worrying about what might happen and how do we try our best to savage the deal. It was such a traumatizing time for me, I could not sleep well at night, at most just 4hours of sleep as compared to my usual 8-10hours. I used to just fall asleep on the bed but I lie in bed wondering if there was anything more I can do or what went wrong. I jump out of bed in the wee hours of the night checking my email for the "promised email from the other party" which never came. I lived 2 weeks of my life checking my mobile phone for messages, emails or phone calls.

I couldn't eat a proper meal. I fell ill twice in that 14days, had fever and felt cold all over. I was not just physically exhausted but also mentally exhausted. My whole mind was just filled to its brim with this case. It was causing harm to not just my personal health but my marital health as well. My hubby says that I'm physically here but mentally not around.

Finally, we got some sort of a break from the case and I got the much needed rest. And I asked myself why am I into that?
What should my focus be? Slowly but surely, God unfolded the answers before me.

Thank you God for once again using words to encourage me, to help me focus on You and what's important.

Thank you for sending Jesus to live amongst us, sacrifice for our sins and show us how to be a better person.

Happy Easter to all!

===============================================
Sunday, April 04, 2010
On Mission: Don’t trade your life for temporary things
by Rick Warren
There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:18 (MSG)
""What are you allowing to stand in the way of your mission? "

So much of what we waste our energy on will not matter even a year from now, much less for eternity. Don't trade your life for temporary things.

Jesus said, "Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62, TLB). Paul warned, "Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out." (1 Corinthians 7:31, MSG)

What are you allowing to stand in the way of your mission? Whatever it is, let it go. "Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back..." (Hebrews 12:1, TLB)

How can we do this? In one of his most misunderstood statements, Jesus said, "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings." (Luke 16:9, NIV)

Jesus did not mean for you to "buy" friends with money. What he meant was that you should use the money God gives you to bring people to Christ. They will then be friends for eternity who will welcome you when you get to heaven! It's the best financial investment you'll ever make.

You've probably heard the expression "You can't take it with you"- but the Bible says you can send it on ahead, by investing in people who are going there! The Bible says, "By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven--it is the only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well." (1 Timothy 6:19, TLB)

Living with our past

2010-03-31T15:03:00.003+08:00

We came across a piece of lip training device that have been scientifically proven to solve a few issues. Oya the director for Parataka lip trainer explained the importance of para-sympathetic nervous control with sympathetic nervous control in our body. He share with us how 3-4 times training of our lips with their patented lip trainer can help reduce snoring after a couple of weeks, reduce morning dry throat syndrome, choking syndrome etc.

This lip trainer acts to strengthen some facial muscles which leads to training the para-sympathetic nervous system. With the strengthen facial muscles, it opens up the airways to the nasal pathways, increasing blood flow to the brain. As a result, one will wake up feeling fresher.

He also explained why some people have sudden quicken heart rates, this is due the the drop in oxygen levels to the brain and therefore the brain tells the heart to beat faster to increase the blood flow thereby increasing the oxygen levels to the brain. We all know that oxygen is require to sustain our very complex neural system. Otherwise, we'll be vegetables, brain dead.

This device is said to reduce high blood pressure, reduce snoring at night, reduce frequency to the bathroom, reduce choking syndrome, improve Alzheimer's disease, down syndrome, autism, speech and many more.

More information can be found here.

Why Living with our past as the title of this blog?

Because we came across this device together with Godma. Godpa left us last Nov, some of the difficulties he was experiencing were swallowing food. This lip trainer would have given him more relief from eating his favourite food if he had used it. Godma was once again saddened. You can sense that disappointment of WHY din we find this earlier?

Once a person leaves us, we cannot turn back the clock. There'll be endless times when we asks ourselves why din we do something for that person. Why din we come across something earlier.

We are only human. Only we ourselves know whether we've done beyond our best in any occasions. God knows that too! And He knows us before we know ourselves. Its all part of God's plan for each of our experiences, be it good or bad. We pass on what we've learnt and pray that our loved ones would not commit the same mistakes that we did. And if after trying our best, they still do, we can only interpret it as part of God's plan for them. It is not for us or anyone to decide what another person does. We can only do our best for them.

And when we've done our best, we'll have to learn to stop torturing ourselves with all the "what ifs". Instead, learn to really widen our horizons and move on. Focus on what's ahead, what's important.

God, I pray for strength to carry on each day, looking forward to what You have put in place for me. I know that You will not let me walk alone in the dark shadows nor leave alone to face adversities. God I pray that you'll give us wisdom to learn what is important and what is not for our days ahead. God I also pray that you'll hug my father's soul tightly and I take comfort that he is with You. For all the things that I did and did not do for my father, I ask for Your forgiveness. Please grant us peace in our days.

Lesson for all

2010-03-25T01:02:00.003+08:00

Was chatting with 2 friends from China and we were discussing about the difference in medical care between the two countries. One of them had recently undergone a minor surgery. She mentioned that chose the private option in the hospital to avoid the cumbersome processes. In turned she had to pay 5 times more of what the other subsidized options had to pay.

Then friend 2 said that normally, when a person needs to go for surgery, just before he/she was wheeled into the operation theatre, their family would stuff a red packet full of cash to the team of surgeons, nurses etc that would be operating on that patient. This helps to "ensure" quality medical care of that patient. Well, no one knows what are the statistics for those who did not survive the operation because their family did not give the surgical team the red packet. But no one dares to test the integrity of the system either. Most of the families would end up giving some regardless of how tough it'll take them to get hold of the money.

It suddenly dawn upon me that perhaps, that was the reason why my dad did not survive his heart attack. What seems to be a pretty mild case to me lead to his death in a foreign land.

Scenario:
1. discomforts throughout the day, rested in the hotel room
2. further discomforts after dinner, dad was brought to A&E, still pretty much alive
3. nurses and "docs" saw him and started CPR on him
4. heart rate came back on and off, CPR continued throughout the night from 12midnight till 7am
5. around 6am-7am, when it was time to change shift for the hospital staff, my brother-in-law was asked to take over the CPR
6. no defrilberator was used on my dad
7. pronounced dead early in the morning

After analyzing the situation with me, both my friends agreed that there was a possibility that things might be different if there was the red packet to the hospital staff.

a. dad was sent to this hospital under the recommendation of the tour guide
b. shouldn't the tour guide pick a better hospital?
c. shouldn't the tour guide advise them better?

To lose a dad is not easy.

To lose a dad in a foreign land is tougher.

To lose a dad and only to find out years later that perhaps, there was a possibility that he would still be alive today.... is a torture.

Yes, we'll never know the difference today.

But today, we can make the difference by sharing with all our family, friends, loved ones this same information:
Be ultra prepared with loads of emergency cash whenever you travel.
Be in touch with at least a couple of friends wherever you are.

You may never know all the local cultures and practices, some times all it takes is someone who knows to tell you to do the right thing at the right time and that makes all the critical differences.

Here's to all who have lost a parent. My love goes out to you. May the Lord bless their souls and give us peace in our souls!

I have so much to be grateful for

2010-03-18T08:34:00.005+08:00

The past few weeks is just nothing short of being amazing. Things occur at whirlwind speed yet there was so much positivity in the air. There were some dangerously low points but yet it was turned around by God's grace.

Indeed God is the one who performs miracles where we thought that everything was impossible.

Thank you God! You are the BEST!

Just to give a short summary:

1. We put ourselves in the danger of losing $10k but God turned it 100% around for us.
It was a lesson to learn not to be hasty with God's money.
And never to make any major decision when we are tired.
Always always pray to God to ask for HIS opinion and listen hard, watch out for the smallest signs that may tell you NO.
Always always be prepared.
Better to be safe than sorry.
I counted about 5 hints from God to tell us NO but we totally missed them.

2. By the end of the week, God has showed me that if I am willing to put aside my own tiredness, laziness, He will reward my hard work. And He did. In 3 days, I've met up with some amazing people and closed my 1st property deal. God is really good to me. I did put my 1st ever exam in like 8yrs at risk by that deal. I figured there'll always be another exam I can sit for but there may not be another great house for my client. With that thought, it cleared all pathways and we had the most amazing time taking the exam. Waiting for the results is the scary part......

3. With that 1st deal, I was able to fulfill my dream of giving my family a treat. Its been a while since we all sat down together to eat. We had a jolly good time. I'm thankful for the opportunities that God has created to keep our family bonded together. God is really good. He's ahead of anyone of us with His plans.

4. God knows when we're ready to be parents and He decides for us. There were times when we were impatient. There were times when we were ignorant. There were also times when we were doubtful (maybe it was just me). God used so many lessons to show me to have complete trust in Him. And in Him alone. When I can do that, there is such a sense of peace and comfort from the Holy Spirit. And that's when I knew I was obeying to the right one.

5. In this season of Lent, I was inspired to do something less conventional. Instead of fasting, I spent the day thinking about a theme centered around a group of people in my life.
On Mondays, I think of children, all the little children around us, I talk to God about their needs and pray for them.
Tuesdays, married couples are my focus. I ask God to show me how to make our marriage a more loving one. How to be a more loving wife. Who are the model couples that we can learn from? And who are those in need of a prayer as well.
Wednesdays are for individuals, some have work-related struggles, while others long for a partner to share their lives with. So have problems with addiction. I ask God to watch over them and guide them towards their path. Help to know more of what God can do for them.
Thursdays are for elderlys, so many dear ones are aging faster than we can remember. I would think of each of them and ask God what good lessons can I learn from each one of them? How can we do our part for them? And most definitely, I would ask God to always watch over them, protect them from harm, keep them healthy & strong. For those who are unwell, to recover with God's mercy & grace.
Fridays are for anything under the sun. Love this day because its also the end of the week. Anything can happen. And ALOT of things did happened on Fridays.
With this practice, I realized that I was talking more to Jesus in my heart. Leaning closer to Him and learning to be more of a servant like Him.
Just a simple idea with such a wondrous reward. God is truly amazing!

6. I had kinda a slap in my face which I dun think I deserved. In my shock of trying to figure how much responsibility should I take for getting the "black mark", God put my manager in that same space as I was. (My manager was not supposed to be in office that night and God put him there) So my manager witness or heard the whole conversation and shared that I did the right thing by protecting the interest of my clients. I found comfort in those comforting words, God knows how important that was for me and He gave them to me through another person. And learnt to play the positive tunes in my head more to drown out those negative ones. I'm definitely still on the road of learning to be a better person. But definitely there's alot to be grateful for in this life time.

7. I closed another deal last night!!! It was such a total surprise as I just did my best juggling tight schedules to fulfill my role as a wife, daughter + friend. With only 3hours of sleep, I did the best I could, thankfully I had some very forgiving clients who did not mind me getting lost in the jungle of many flats. It was so unbelievable. The best part is, the co-broke agent was a jolly soul. Such a joy to meet another jolly soul. And the BESTEST part is, I learnt that my friend's mum is a believer in Christ!!! I'm so happy for her! I'm happy for my friend too!

The 7 wonders of my life for now. More to come I'm sure!

So dun hesitate so much anymore, start walking closely with God and He'll show you endless miracles & surprises!

God provides!

Thank you God!

A sweet friendship refreshes the soul

2010-02-23T15:30:00.003+08:00

How sweet is this proverb!

"A sweet friendship refreshes the soul." Proverbs 27:9 (MSG)

Often we have a bad day or week or month hopefully not year... we have a get together with some friends and simply by being in their company, all that negative emotions get lifted. The miracle healing of friendship! SWEET!

Friends are like life's cushions!
====================================================
Monday, February 22, 2010
How to connect with people
by Rick Warren
"A sweet friendship refreshes the soul." Proverbs 27:9 (MSG)

One of the deepest needs we have in life is the need to be understood. We all desperately need to feel that somebody can feel what we're feeling and understand what we're thinking. We all need people who connect with us.

A study by the California Department of Health Mental found that if you're disconnected from other people -

You're two-to-three times more likely to die an early death;
You're four times more likely to suffer from emotional burnout;
You're five times more likely to suffer clinical depression, and;
You're ten times more likely to be hospitalized for an emotional or mental disorder.
We need human connections for physical, emotional, spiritual health. We need people who understand us, who relate to us and who can connect to us.

Learning how to connect with people on a heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul level is one of life's most important skills. Unfortunately, nobody ever teaches us how to do this. You learn science and geography, history and math in school, but nobody teaches you how to connect with people. You may be brilliant in some subject, but if you don't know how to connect with people, you're still not going to go very far in life.

Over the next six days, we'll look at the six principles of how to connect with people. It doesn't matter your age or stage of life. If you're a parent and you want to know how to better connect with your children, you can use these principles. If you're engaged or married and you want to know how to better relate to that other person, you can use these principles. If you're a teacher or an employer or employee, no matter who you are, if you need to get close to anybody in life, you need these principles.

Together, we'll see that human connections are good medicine and a "sweet friendship refreshes the soul."

Just for Laughs - Clockman

2010-02-22T22:56:00.002+08:00

Why did they name it clockman? Men can be yakky afterall!

hahahaha

Getting ready for our winter adventure!

2010-01-07T03:22:00.001+08:00

Must find winter outer wear for -30 degrees Celsius in the cold cold north.
So went shopping in the tropical Sg. Guess how the inspiration for South Park came about?

Must keep our toes warm in night too! Found these socks really helpful! Loved them!

Also must test out if our Sg milk pudding tastes better or those in Japan hee

Winter Wonder Holiday! Yeah!

Fabulous 2009!

2009-12-31T23:52:00.002+08:00

Touched

2009-12-26T07:11:00.004+08:00

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

2009-12-26T06:53:00.003+08:00

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!

=================================================================
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?

2009-12-24T13:21:00.008+08:00

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

2009-12-09T22:39:00.004+08:00

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

2009-12-07T00:35:00.006+08:00

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.

Jesus challenged people

2009-11-30T23:14:00.001+08:00

How apt, as we are faced with some challenging situations where there are folks that we love, but we dunno how to love them.

a paradigm shift!

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Monday, November 30, 2009
Jesus challenged people
by Rick Warren
We should consider the good of our neighbor and build up his character. Romans 15:2
This Christmas season, I want to encourage you to become a people-builder. It is a gift you can give someone that will last forever.

The Bible encourages us to do this in Romans 15:2, where it says, "We should consider the good of our neighbor and build up his character."

The key to building up people is kindness -- giving them what they need and not what they deserve. When you consider the way Jesus built up people, He did three things: challenged, encouraged, and spoke honestly.

Today, we’ll look at how Jesus challenged people to be all God made them to be. God doesn’t want you to waste your life!

Challenge your family and friends to live beyond themselves and to discover their strengths and abilities. God has given each of us some special abilities, and he wants us to use them to help each other. We’re to pass on to others God's many kinds of blessings.

We all need somebody who will help us discover our gifts and who will challenge us to develop, strengthen, and use them. You can play a critical role in this way by helping the ones you love to discover their strengths and abilities, and then challenging them to use them.

And, help them understand how special their gifts are – that we will all miss out on a blessing if they don’t use the gifts God has given them. It’s like a singer who never sings; we miss out on the blessing that would come from hearing the voice. We are meant to be a blessing to others.

Birds @ Hawker Center

2009-11-30T10:24:00.002+08:00

These days, the convenience of finding different menu at one place has extended to our animal kingdom. These birds are happily feeding off the leftovers from a noodle store, a roasted meat + rice store, fruit juice and what seems like mutton soup store as well.

There's at least a dozen of these birds chirping loudly to nudge another bird off their food and chomping down hungrily.

Please folks, eat up all your food or return the trays/bowls/plates filled with leftovers to the stores rather than allowing these aviary feasts.

The clip was cut off abruptly because one of these birds who got rustled out of the feast was looking for another feasting table... and guess whose lunch it was eyeing? MINE! That bird was moving towards ME! While I was still seated on my table, eating my food. They are indeed getting bolder!

The clip was cut off in time from my scream too hee....

Goodbye Godpa SC

2009-11-27T00:06:00.007+08:00

Learnt many lessons tonight as I celebrate the passing of Godpa SC with his family & friends.

Yes, the word is celebrate. Because as much as it is our earthly loss of Godpa SC, it was much more of Jesus's gain. We believe that Godpa SC is in a better place, right in Jesus's house. A place where every christian longed to be. And he got there first before us.

Hearing the eulogies from various members of the family was enlightening, as they shared about how Godpa SC played pivotal roles in their lives. Memories of Godpa SC came flooded to my mind.

I remember how lovingly he always looks at his wife. Even after a 2hr conversation over dinner. Yes, even if he was silent during the entire dinner, he'll be looking at her with such loving gaze.

I remember his cheeky smile before his cheeky comments.

I remember how gentlemanly he was, at 80yrs old, he'll pamper a young lady like myself by opening the doors, or pulling the chair for me. Usually with a cheeky comment that follows.

He's got eyes that sparkle like a child which totally goes along with that active mind that churns out cheekiness.

He's got a fatherly charm that is hard to resist. One which I wished I had more of, but definitely grateful that I have a share of.

I get to see how many lives he's touched by simply rejoicing in God's love. Its amazing.

How not to love a man like him?

How not to miss a man like him?

Kungfu class has started!

2009-11-21T12:50:00.002+08:00

Around the neighborhood

2009-11-21T12:28:00.004+08:00

We were taking a walk around our neighborhood and found some interesting sightings.

We came across this mini-nursery, racks were filled with numerous potted plants. Almost feel like we are back to the wild, got that jungle feel to this tiny area of our neighborhood.

And guess who has been keeping watch to ensure the "safety" of these plants?

yep, doreamon... hahahaha
CUTE

There was this void deck that was filled with delightfully colored pillars. I cant help but to go around them to check them out. Colors + cute pictures = eye-catching!

Turns out that they are painted by a group of youths that has a club near this void deck!

Definitely a great use of talent & energy!

PLUS, it helps to give gentle reminders to the neighborhood too!

Love it!

Then something more disturbing came to sight. We just changed the railings leading to the central. From the trusty & rusty iron railings (that served us for as long as I can remember), they were changed to lighter, cheaper aluminum ones. They do look more modern and sophisticated. But in less than 1 year, I have seen numerous thief of these railings, causing more replacements = increased cost!

The efforts to remove this piece must have been foiled... I hope the person is caught and sentenced! This is certainly public property! And it is important part of the pedestrian pavement that thousands transcends daily. What if there were elderly folks who were leading on these railings for a rest and with the weaken structure, falls into the drain behind it? It'll be disastrous!

Last but not least, these potted plants has been residence of our neighborhood for a few months. Perhaps due to lack of care or improper maintenance. They never really flourished since day 1. With the regular monsoon rain, they have also became a breeding ground for mossies!

I took this picture over the weekend. I told myself that if by the 1st working day, these pots continue to be flooded, I will go speak to the owner of the shops that seems to be the ones "taking care" of these pots. Thankfully, by late morning on Monday, these pots were cleared away! The shop has also seems to ceased operations. At least they were mindful not to leave a mossie breeding ground behind! Goody!

It's been a fun walk around the neighborhood!

Till the next time!

God Is Stronger Than We Think

2009-11-05T01:08:00.003+08:00

Indeed God is truely stronger than we think!

Thank God for that!!

Last week, I was at a new pit bottom low with my emotions. I questioned how can God let me feel so so so low. I felt abandoned. Not neglected, but abandoned.

The pain was intense. And so was the recovery!

God filled up my life over the next few days. I have the most unbelievable weekend.

My doubts in God has been answered through and through.

Thank you Lord. For you are my Saviour. My strength grows through you and you alone.

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November 04, 2009
God Is Stronger Than We Think
by Jon Walker
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13 NIV).

This guest devotional is by Jon Walker, author of 'Growing with Purpose.'

We're not as strong as we think we are, but God is stronger than we think.

You become strong through God's strength. His strength enters your life, delivered by the Holy Spirit--Jesus within--and the more dependent you are on God, the stronger in him you become. In our weakness, he is strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).

"I can do everything . . . " doesn't mean, 'Now that I'm a believer, I'm strong enough to do everything and anything for God.' Your own testimony can attest to the fears and failures related to such thinking.

The strength of "I can do everything . . . " comes through God, who gives you the strength you need for each day. Your ability to "do everything" is wholly dependent upon him because your strength is dependent upon him. It's not a strength you work up to by pumping iron with emotional or mental barbells.

Strength comes from submission. The thing you do that may require the greatest strength is to submit yourself completely to God! But God is "working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him" (Philippians 2:13 NLT).

Strength is linked to faith. You believe in faith that God is giving you his strength; and so, in faith you can act in confidence, knowing the strength is there: "But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength" (2 Timothy 4:17 NIV).

Jon Walker is the editor of The Purpose Driven Life On-line Devotionals. You can find him on Facebook at 'GraceCreates' with Jon Walker. This devotional is copyrighted 2009 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

All Soul's Day 2009

2009-11-02T14:11:00.004+08:00

2nd of Nov is designated as All Soul's Day.

In the catholic community in Sg, this is a day where all gather in church to pray for those who have passed on. Somewhat like the hungry ghost festival in the chinese community, just that its condensed into 1 day instead of 1 month. And more environmentally friendly too! No need to burn paper in the air.

My first personal experience with death was when grandpa had an heart attack at home. And I was there. Young and ignorant me have no idea that he had an attack. His sudden passing brought great shock and sorrow to all of us at home. It was my the first time I witness a chinese funeral with all its works! Taoist monk chanting a few times a day. Some times requiring all family to sit on the mat. Some times the monk and his group will chant seated on tables. Not around, but ON the tables. The most memorable part of the funeral was the effort to bring my grandpa's soul through hell and into heaven. Got crossing of a bridge, hecking through hell, the taoist monk's real kungfu was displayed in a 2hr ceremony. We had to hang around grown ups to understand what the taoist monk was doing. It was a real eye-opener.

There were parts of the funeral procession that really evoked deep grief from us. Grandpa had an open casket in the most traditional chinese form. Like what you would see in the chinese "jiang shi" (chinese vampire) movies where its solid wood, lid is a one piece heavy wood that requires nails instead of a simple lock. It was so heavy that it required more than 8 men to carry it. When the monk was nailing to seal the coffin, every knock on the giant metal nails wedged a hole in my heart.

PONG PONG PONG
felt like someone is actually hitting my heart too. Grieve was created physically.

When my dad passed away suddenly of heart attack 3 yrs ago. Grieve wasn't physical but internal. It felt like a heavy weight in my heart for a long long time. There were days that I wondered what it'll be like if he was still around. There were times when I wished that he was still around.

Yes, daddy you've been missed dearly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCzQ4ZSy7Og

But what can we do about those who are deceased?

We can pray for their soul to be in place of peace on this All Soul's Day.

All Saint's Day 2009

2009-11-02T02:56:00.006+08:00

All Saints Day is a special day for me.

And for us too.

8 years ago, a very despondent me, tired from what seems to be endless cycles of family disasters, sat on a pew in church.

Seeking hard. Praying hard.

Praying for God's guidance. Praying for a breakthrough. Praying for a miracle.

He must have heard me loud and clear. Because He spoke to me loudly and clearly too!

That night, I made a very important decision to follow His words, cannot go that wrong with God's words right? In church some more leh!

I made the decision to trust in the Lord completely. He say this man is the one for me, I believed in Him wholly and solely. That night, I opened my heart out to a man, who is totally different from me. A man whom I've met for barely 2 weeks. A leap of faith indeed. Today, I'm happily married for 6 years, all thanks to that one evening that changed my life forever.

There must be tonnes of angels around me that night. I felt so much love!

It was a rough journey leading up to this year's All Saint's Day.
I felt rejection. I felt abandonment. I felt alone.

And again, the grace and peace that I've experienced is far beyond my wildest imagination!
I have not laughed so hard for such a long time. My jaws were aching from 4hours of non-stop laughter.

I believe that the angels are out again in full force for me this weekend to bless me with such a wonderful time!

Thank you angels, you are really my angels!

Thank you Lord, I want to live in your embrace forever!