Feliz Navidad!

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Forgotten Man

Hey Everyone,

A Merry Christmas eve to you..



So how has this Christmas season been for you this year?

Hope it's been a joyous one..



Anyway, just some thoughts over Christmas..


Was having QT this morning and the title was about "The Forgotten Man".
Any guesses about who this 'forgotten man' could be?

No no.. it ain't a Baby, whose birthday we're celebrating. We rarely forget about Him, although we do have troubles letting Him play the main character in our Christmas celebrations sometimes.

Well, it's actually the man who was given the responsibility to help bring up this very special Child.
Yes, it is none other than Joseph, the husband of Mary, the young virgin who took upon her shoulders the responsibility of carrying in her womb the Saviour of the world.

Why are we talking about him? His role ain't as significant.
You think so?

Well, I've always thought so.. I mean, he wasn't the one who was going to suffer the pain of giving birth to a child, who was to eventually die a cruel death on the cross at Calvary.

But then, I forgot one thing... that was he didn't have an easy ride either in this preparation for the most important birth of the world - the birth of Christ.
Having an angel appear before him (though in a dream) must have been a real shock. Not just that. I believe it must have also been terrifying. If I was in his shoes, I would've certainly asked myself, "Why in the world would an angel appear to me now (just before he was going to secretly divorce Mary - so not to disgrace her by making a public divorce)? Oh no, what will God be asking of me?"; I would definitely not be able to sleep well after that.

And if having an angel appear before him wasn't frightening enough, being told to go against what he was planning to do, and to take up the responsibility to be the 'father' of the coming Saviour must have been overwhelming, to say the least.

I would honestly not know what to do if I were in his shoes (probably that's precisely why Joseph was chosen instead of me.. hehe). I would've probably chickened out and let God know that the task was way beyond me, was beyond what I can do.
Well, come to think of it.. it was away beyond Joseph too. But he didn't chicken out. He obeyed. Yes, he OBEYED.

He knew it would not be an easy ride after that. He knew what was going to come.
He knew that people would look at him differently. I mean.. a pregnant virgin? Yeah right..
Well, not everyone believed that with God, all things are possible.
Not everyone knew about Elizabeth, who was at a very old age when she had John the Baptist in her womb.
Not everyone remembered how God brought the Israelites out of Egypt.
And not everyone believed in the prophets, who prophesied about a virgin who were to give birth to our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

With his own strength, he would've failed. With his own efforts, he would've eventually given up. Only God would be able to bring someone through this difficult period.

He had full faith in God. He TRUSTED God.

He trusted and obeyed.




Would you? Would I?

Perhaps, this is something for us to think about...



_______________________



Anyway, a blessed Christmas to all of you!

Merry Christmas!



...

The Thief on the Cross (Justified)

It was as though a thousand layers
Of fraud and murder and affairs,
Each wrapped around his shrinking heart,
And hard as steel, had come apart.
He hung there silent, numb and hoarse
From screaming at the pain. The coarse
And filthy language of his soul
Dried scarlet on the splintered pole.
No strength remained to comprehend
How these few, quiet words could rend
The wicked wineskins of his life
Where every other moral knife
Had snapped like twigs against the rock.

The man had heard the soldiers mock
The Lord, and joined them at the first.
He saw him keep his peace, and thirst,
And with this tongue he whipped and sliced
The folly of a feeble Christ.
And then by some strange providence
Of grace, above his impudence
He heard the word of Life—not preached,
But whispered low; and that it reached
His ear above the blasphemy
Of his own lips was gift, as free
As gifts could ever be. He heard
Above the mockery the word:
"O Father, please, I beg of you,
Forgive, they know not what they do."
A curse, half-formed beneath his teeth,
Fell silent to the ground beneath,
Like slaving ropes and prison chains,
Like fears and rage and guilt and pains.
But then the lurid memories
Like waves from demon-laden seas
Broke savagely against the light
Of hope.

The lad had learned to fight
For garbage just to stay alive
Before he reached the age of five.
When he was nine he stabbed a man,
A beggar, just to have his pan,
Then threw up in the alley where
He ran to count the coins. He'd wear
A holy garment like a priest
When he was grown and rob the feast
And desecrate the holy meals.
And set the stage for his appeals
To lonely women in their grief,
Until they learned he was a thief,
And he escaped to Jericho.
He formed a group called Ganavo
And worked the wealthy routes until
The roads to Jericho were still,
And Roman legions searched the woods
And found him drunk among his goods.

The prosecutor's case was built
With ease. He bragged about his guilt,
And cursed his way from court to cross
Without remorse, as if the loss
Of his own soul to endless woe
Were sealed, and he would have it so.

But now his vicious mouth was still,
And something deep within his will,
Begotten by the quiet prayer
Of this reputed King, was there
As new and strange to wickedness
As orchards in the wilderness.
And from his lips there came a word
That none from him had ever heard.
He turned his head so he could see:
"Jesus, is there a hope for me?"

At first he feared the Lord was dead.
But then he lifted up his head
To see the fruit of his travail,
And softly spoke around the nail,
"Today with me in Paradise
You'll reign beside the feeble Christ."
And when he heard the Savior die,
He gave his agonizing cry:
"My God! My God! How can this be!
Why hast thou not forsaken me?"

And do we not this time of year
Repeat these words with godly fear,
And stand in awe of sovereign grace
That put a God in sinners' place,
And turned his head to hear our plea!
Who is a pardoning God like thee!

The awesome truth of candle three:
A sinner justified and free!

- John Piper

How Can It Be?

O' great and wonderous God, who rose on high and sets us free,

Why so willing to pay the price for me?

How can it be? Oh, how can it be?

I can only stand in awe of a King like Thee


__

K550i

His Mercies Never Come To An End

Living on the mercies of God each and every day.

Indeed, His mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning, new every morning.

I can't imagine what will happen if God runs out of mercy.
I dare not imagine.

Then again, we can always look to the cross for comfort, for assurance. That His love and mercy will never fail or fade away.
Such amazing love. Such wonderous love.

.. His mercies never come to an end
They are new every morning, new every morning
Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord
Great is Thy faithfulness

Take care!



____________________________



Birthdays are a special thing.

It may remind us that we aren't getting any younger, yes it does, but aren't we thankful that it also reminds us how far God has sustained us and cared for us.

"Count your blessings" - we've always been told. But I'd like to say "count your 'sufferings' as well", as they may come in handy in shaping us to be who we'll be in the future.

You've survived 22 years, and will be going through your 23rd year on this planet from today onwards. In this continuing journey of yours, I hope that God will continue to be your Light and Guide.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY IRWINDER KAUR (a.k.a. Gee Gee)


God bless!

Happenings

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap
a harvest if we do not give up.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do
good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of
believers.



- Galations 6:9,10

Had a good and refreshing camp in Kuantan (Care 2 Care). More learning, less rest. Good reminders - an indication that there's a need for more things to be done.

Of course, we had some fun as well - making chewing gum posters, beach games, banana-pyjamas dance, 'SPOON', etc..

Convocations

Congrats to both Yennie and Hui Shi, who both graduated from UM on the 6th and 8th of September respectively..

I missed the throwing sessions for BOTH days though.. sigh.. then again, maybe it was better that way. Won't want to be responsible for accidentally killling someone 'cause of my failure to catch the person. Haha.

That's all for now..

Hoping for an, almost impossible, less-stress week. Hope yours ain't as bad.

Take care!

Goodbye... Happy Birthday... Thank You...

Hey Hui Min.. glad to hear you've landed safely in the States.

Do take care and keep in touch!

May God be your constant source of guidance as you walk through a new journey in your studying life.


____________________


To Mei Yee..

A very HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY to you!



Cherish you very last year as a 'teen'.. hehe.

How's celebrating it in US for the first time? Hope you had great time..


____________________


A special "thank you" to all who sent their wishes via SMS, notes or other means..

THANK YOU!

Goodbye, Mei Yee..

Hey there, Chew Mei Yee.. you're about to enter a new phase of your studying life in the US.

ALL THE BEST!!

May God continue to guide your steps and ways, and continue to groom you into a woman after His own heart.

Take care, keep in touch, and God bless!

Pencil

5 Important Lessons to Learn from a Humble Pencil

1. It tells you that everything you do will always leave a mark
2. You can always amend the mistake you've made
3. What is important is what is inside you and not outside you
4. In life, you will undergo painful sharpenings which will make you better in whatever you do
5. To live, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the Hand that holds you, the mighty HAND of God

(courtesy of an sms I received from Irwinder, a.k.a. Gee Gee)

Random Pictures

Been another long while.. mainly due to lack of time and another computer crisis at home. Plus, there's this something called "work" as well.

Sorry ya for the lack of updates..


Anyway, pictures speak a thousand words, they say... so yea, enjoy these few pics!

It's Back!

I've got my modem replaced!

Can finally come online again after a pretty long absence..


Hhmm.. there's so much to say.. so much to tell.. just don't know where to start


As for now, I'll just leave you all with a few pictures - pictures taken at Camp Cameron 2007..


Sorry, lack of words now.. hehe

More Birthdays

Wah.. many many many many many many many people born in May...

Will be off to a camp (Camp Cam!) for 3 weeks.. so won't be able to wish you all (from what I've heard, there's no line at the campsite)

I shall, therefore, give all of you early birthday wishes instead

:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Cheong Siu Fai - 14th May

Dad - 15th May

Deborah Yong - 18th May

Wong Hon Yau - 19th May

Alicia Low - 23rd May

Yeow Zhong Yi - 24th May

Priscilla Cheong - 28th May

Paul Chak - 29th May

Bukit Tabor

Climb Bukit Tabor again??

But that would make it 2 times in less than 2 weeks!

Never will I do such a thing.. crazzeeeeee!!


Yea yea..

I know what you're gonna say.. "Never say never" rite? I know, I know..






So yea.. we, re-presentatives of HELP CF (should've brought along a CF flag), decided to take up the challenge of hiking up Bukit Tabor, allocated in where else but the emergingly famous Taman Melawati!

Hiking members: Doulos, Amanda, Rachel Puan, Ken Ming, Emily (Ken's friend), Becky, Gavin, Siu Fai, Anna, Shaun, and me..

"We came, we saw, we conquered!"


How?


We came to a hill called Bkt. Tabor and saw that the land was good..

Therefore, it was only fitting that we try to conquer it


As you can see, it wasn't easy.. especially since our army was led by a general (me!) who was less experienced compared to his soldiers




During our conquest to conquer Bkt. Tabor, we came upon.. uuhh.. some obstacles, which almost brought upon the death of the general

Haha..
No lar.. where got so drama wan.. haha

There were some injuries, but that didn't dampen their spirits

Btw, getting injured really isn't as fun as the face suggests.. hehe




"We conquered!"

In the end, it was all worth it! Just look at all the happy and satisfied faces.. OK, Doulos' face expression is a bit weird, but I'm sure he was satisfied too.. hehe

We were exceptionally proud of our smallest comrad, Anna (Peanut) Teoh, who did well in completing the conquering act with us



End of story.. hehe


After a day's hard work, it's time to head back and guess wut we saw on our way back..

A baby durian

Not jst one, but two













And guess wut did Gavin do with it..

-_-

Of all things.. she's taken lah, Gavin

Let's hope Jinwang won't kill you.. hehe

It's Your Birthday!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to Fishylalalalalalalalalalala.......................

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

(curi-ed some pics from your friendster.. hope you don't mind.. :p)

Goodness me, you're 19 already,
How'd they survive, your mummy and daddy?
Bringing you up, they have to do it still,
Hoping one day, you'll be a woman after God's will

Happy 19th Birthday!
God bless!

Australia, Here I Come!

Hey everyone!


Please take note:

DO NOT CALL OR SMS MY HP NUMBER FROM 18th - 28th APRIL AS I WON'T BE IN MALAYSIA..


Where will I be going?

Hehe..


The title of this post should've given you a BIG hint



Well, if it still miraculously somehow does not..

See the map below?


Yes, that's where I'll be heading to..





Australia!



















Will be going to Sydney.. and after that, Melbourne











So yeah.. do remember not to call or sms me until the 28th of April yah.

Uuhh... do let me know if you need anything from Australia lah k.. like maybe something from a sister who's there or sumthing.. jst leave a comment here or e-mail me if there is anything lah. Hehe



_____________________________



And oh.. birthdays!

April - for some reason or another, there're just so many April-babies around

So since I'll not be around to wish you April-babies, I shall do so now



Here's a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to...

Tabitha Dorcas Lim - 18th
April


James (Ah Pek) Quah - 18th April


Monica Khoo - 21st April


Wong Hui Min - 22nd April


Lukas Lim (Cambridge guy!) - 23rd
April

Hope you'll all be having nice, happy and interesting celebrations!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!




_____________________________



And yes.. for those who have yet to know......

I'm officially a GRADUATE now!

After all these years of studying.. really thank God for helping me get through


Convocation was on Sunday (15th April 2007) at Shangri-La Hotel, KL

Well, it was held at Shangri-La because HELP University College has some kind of agreement with the hotel to have their major events there... so yeah.. that's why it was held there


Anyway, I had the opportunity to graduate alongside some other former CF members.. such as Charis, Junita and Serena In. Also managed to see Franklin and Dr Goh in graduation gowns / robes for once.. hehe

Since I didn't have a functioning camera, I had to depend on my friends' cameras. And since I've yet to receive the pictures from most of my friends, can't show too many pics for now.. my apologies to those who're hoping to see Dr Goh's photo here now - "SORREEEE!"


Here are some of the pics I have with me right now..



Some coursemates and I - Joanne's camera












And then...

Hon Yau came to rescue the day!

...with his heroic camera-phone!



Thanks to Hon Yau, we can now see the next 2 pictures.. hehe

"Thank you, Hon Yau!"



Picture with parents














Churchmates who turned up for my Convo - (from left) Jason Kuok, Aaron Teo, .. (me), Monica Khoo and Lim Hui Ling

Hon Yau was taking this pic.. thus his non-appearance in this pic







See you all when I get back!

Take care!

Amazing Love

Can you think of anyone else who would leave His glory to come down to die for our sins?

I can't.

Amazing love - yes, that was it. That was what kept Him there on the cross. That was what made Him come down to our lowly Earth.

What seemed like weekness (the cross) turned out to be victory (resurrection)!


Indeed, He gave His all.

What else could we ask for?


He knew that we needed to be saved.. to be rescued. He knew that there was only ONE way, no other way.

It was His blood that took our place in redeeming sacrifice.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me

Amazing love, how can it be
That You my King would die for me

_____________________________



Anyway, HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY

(belated wish)

Matthew Khoo!

Hope you like the Jay Chou concert DVD!

Not easy to find eh.. hehe.

Enjoy it!

Paradox of Forgiving Love

Hhmm.. been a while since I last updated...


Anyway, after being 'interrogated' by a Bible study group (members of the group will know who they are) about some issues regarding our future love partner, been thinking a 'lil about what love really means..

I kinda realised that we, humans, tend to love only what we like. We mix with certain people because we like them.. we read only the things we like, such as the comics and sports sections of the newspaper.. we even sometimes choose to hear only the advices we'd like to hear.

But God's concept of love is so radically different from ours. We are inclined to go for what is comfortable and to avoid what brings pain. What about God?

God loves what is in our best interest. We are inclined to forgive when we think it is in our best interest. God wants us to forgive when it is in the best interest of someone else. God tells us, "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good" (Romans 12:9), or another version reads, "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good".

Well, loving others requires a willingness to forgive. In the same way, whether we like it or not, forgiving others requires a willingness to love... can't run away from either, if we are to let love be made "complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him" (1 John 4:17).
So then, how do we know what love is?
God is love.
We love because He first loved us.
The ability to love and forgive can begin only after we have been forgiven by God.


This reminder hit me hard. I've failed terribly in this aspect of love.. to love and forgive when it is in the best interest of another.

God loved everyone. Shouldn't we at least try?
He paid the ultimate price for us on the cross and has chosen to forgive us for all we've done. We're so unworthy of such love and sacrifice. He truly loved us while we were still His enemies. He came to us so that we might come to Him. Such Amazing Love. Such forgiving love.

I'm forgiven, because You were forsaken
I'm accepted, You were condemned
I'm alive and well, Your Spirit is within me
Because You died and rose again

Amazing Love, how can it be
That You my King would die for me
Amazing Love, I know it's true
Now it's my joy to honour You
In all I do, I honour You

Forgiveness is the loving cencellation of a debt. God forgave because He loved.


____________________________


By the way, congrats to all of you who just got your SPM results!

For those waiting for their STPM results, all the best!
May the peace of the Lord be with you.


And oh, happy belated 17th brithday, Zhong Xin.

Happy Chinese New Year!

"Xin Nian Kuai Le!"

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!



"gong xi, gong xi"


CNY has come..

It's the time for reunion dinners (or some may have reunion lunches), time for families to get together, time for friends to visit each other's houses, and the tradition that will never die out - angpow giving sessions (it's receiving for our part though.. hehe).

While quite a number of ppl may be travelling back to their respective hometowns, here I am in the city that is unusually quiet during this time of the year - Kuala Lumpur. This yea may not be as quiet as previous years though, since some families have decided to stay back as well - e.g. the Chaks, Lows, Yongs, Lims, Khoos.

So anyway, just hope you'll all have a good new year celebration.. and a prosperous stomach by the end of CNY. Hehe.



HAPPY CNY!