Sunday, July 30

watched these 2 movies over this weekend...something in common between these 2 movies...both plots are pretty unrealistic....events which wouldn't really happen in this world...

the theme in lady in the water is on fairy tale, so u can expect the entire movie is to be lk reading a fairy tale...certain parts tend to feel rather lame...not much of a development of plot, i feel...only small revelations throughout the movie as well as small thrills...but i really felt the revelations were pretty dull and tend to make the audience feel stupid....anw, the movie brought up a point where the Lord (yes, christianity is involved) make use of one person, who is a little boy, to bring forth His message through to the rest...it reminded me again of the point whereby everyone is treated equally important, regardless of one's age or maturity as the Lord will make use of the one He chose to rise up to the occasion....

i kind of enjoyed watching the chemistry between sandra bullocks and keanu reeves in the lake house....the lake house itself is wonderfully designed in such a scenic environment...no wonder the house won an architectural award....it can get confusing if u dun follow the plot very closely cause the main characters exist in different eras and time past by them at different rates....wonderful twist at the end although its definitely illogical (dun want to be a spoiler by revealing what it is)...but the movie brought across the importance of being patient...a valuable asset which can reap rewards if one learn to have patience...rushing through wld not help change the situation if its meant to happen otherwise..we need to learn to trust and wait...the rewards will be waiting at the end of the road....

i'm thankful i have the opportunity to watch these 2 films..although they are not the best films i've watched this summer but nevertheless, they brought an impact on me...

jel; 8:58 pm

Friday, July 28

was busy with the preparation of a confidential (i think) event during this week...went through relatively tough periods due to various reasons...not point mentioning abt it over here...but the main point is we felt that we were expected to work miracles out at certain instances...in that sense, we were given unreasonable demands to meet and we just felt kinda unjustified that such occasions can arise...and then shawn mentioned abt this song..well, sort of trying to imply that they treated us like we were superman, expecting us to do what only superman can do...

i dun really felt for the lyrics, but i do feel that if they expect us to be able to work everything out, its really expecting us to be superman...its not easy to satisfy everyone cause its impossible to do so..most importantly, stay true to yourself and be committed in your responsibilities...yes, we may not be superman but that doesn't prevent us from being accountable for our actions..only then will we be able to be free from guilt despite accusations..

jel; 10:45 pm

Sunday, July 23

Student/NSF : $4 per ticket / per day
Working Adult : $8 per ticket / per day

Just inform me if u need tix...i'm looking forward to watching their concert!

jel; 9:02 pm

today was the last lesson for sol 1...most or less completed this level least for 2 lessons...this stage of sol has really helped me shaped my values and believes and i definitely benefited from all the teachings that i went through in 8 lessons...

the seminars covered many critical aspects of our life journey...family, courting and leading a abundant life...these seminars gave me a whole new perspective in these areas...building strong family relationships, knowing each member's role in the family, the value of marriage, differentiating the stages in a relationship, how to build on this relationship...the fact everyone experiences these aspects of life makes these seminars very relevant and especially beneficial...in fact, after going through all these seminars, there's this new found confidence in me when it comes to going through these areas of life and i'm definitely more ease now that i'm more prepared in handling relationships between pple...

well, the next round of los will start from 20 aug..this time round it'll be sol 2 for me and make-up for the 2 lessons for sol 1...this next stage will focus on leadership since the fundamentals of christian living has been covered in pe and sol 1...but starting from next week will be 10 lessons of spirtual leadership training classes (sltc)...after looking at the schedule and lesson plans, i know i'm definitely going to get much busier in the coming weeks...more preparations need to be done for the lessons...the lessons cover areas which i've little experience in but i guess thats the reason i'm attending...its going to be quite a challenge for me cause i'll be pushed to learn a lot more as well as apply what we had learned...

after today's briefing, i realised i need to form a grp of at least 6 pple to preach what we had learnt...which means that now my weekends will get even busier...cell groups, sltc, sol from 20 aug, service and this mini-sharing group...well, pple serious abt doing the will of God are definitely busy pple...and i delight at the opportunities given so i'm definitely treasuring it...

jel; 8:24 pm

Sunday, July 16

went with mf to vivocity's jobfair yest at harbourfront...since vivocity is opening in oct/nov which is when i ord, thought i might as well see whether there's any suitable job opportunities...i'm quite open to choices when it comes to this temp job although i'm not quite enthusiastic abt retailing...

had a sneak preview of the shops that are opening at vivocity at the same time..had fun browsing through the booths, imagining the kind of jobs that we might be taking up...we weren't very eager in looking out for job opportunities but in the end we did send it an application for page one bookshop and another for sentosa (although its not one of its tenants)...was more interested in the latter..chose the job as an attraction host which i guess would involve the daily routine operations of the attractions as well as being an guide at these attractions...kind of preferred such jobs..get to have more interaction with pple esp tourists, more flexibility in the scope of job, less regimented working hours...sentosa is the heart of tourism in singapore..what better place to be in when tourism is my interest?

anw, i'm still keeping my options open at this moment...and they may not offer me the job too...i'm not particular very interested in finding high-paying jobs, just a average-paying job..more importantly is the nature and scope of job and it shld not take up most of the time of the week cause i need time to enrich myself, attending lessons/courses, time to pursue my interests and most importantly, to accomodate my church commitments and ministry...i guess i need not worry now and learn to trust the Lord for the job that He will arrange for me...in the meantime, i'll keep my eyes open for doors of opportunities....

jel; 7:20 pm

finally visited the dentist today after like almost 3 yrs since i've last been to one...was so glad that all except one tooth are alright...the dentist just had to clean up on that only one...

enquired abt my wisdom teeth at the same time..again i was glad that none of my wisdom teeth are impacted..each one has fully emerged and wouldn't cause any difficulties or problems...the dentist mentioned something lk my jaw is long enough, thus allowing the teeth to emerge fully and not be obstructed by the neighbouring tooth...so now i need not worry abt any wisdom teeth extraction, having to go through the agony which some of my friends have gone through..in a way i feel pretty blessed...

here all i need is to stick to my regular half-yrly dental checkup schedule to keep my teeth in their best conditions......

jel; 12:05 am

Saturday, July 15

just watched superman returns...this is a line in the movie which superman mentioned to lois lane, a line which caught my attention immediately...in fact, there were many lines which were rather memorable but this particular line left the deepest impression on me...i can't rmb exactly every single word of that line but its as far as i rmb...

isn't it so true as to what this world is facing now? pple crying out for help in every part of this world in every single second right now..all the pains, sufferings, guilt and emotions that we pple face in our everyday situations...and how we wish there could just be a one single solution to all these problems, someone who could just remove all these and bring about peace and comfort to our hearts...and that someone is one whom we would proclain as our Saviour...

Have you found your Saviour?

jel; 12:42 am

Thursday, July 13

this headline from the straits times front page caught my attention today...because this was the project title of my project work back in J1...and it definitely brought back fond memories during those times when we struggled to put tog a proper piece of work...it wasn't as easy a task as it seemed...but all of us were glad we achieved the grade we wanted in the end....

but this time, its an article reporting on the ww2 bomb found in toa payoh yest...it can quite horrifying for nearby residents to learn that a bomb had been lying in their premises all these yrs, esp one in which the firing pin is not securely in place..which means it can be in danger of igniting any moment..so dangerous that the authorities had to explode it in a nearby field instead of the firing range in tuas...go watch a videocast of the explosion at www.straitstimes.asia1.com.sg,,,

jel; 9:59 am

just want to share some recent photos which i've taken...


i thought this photo was a great idea...taking a reflection of our images through the puddle of water...joshua teo came up with this brilliant idea...can't really recognise which is my hand though....


the turnout at kbox...bracer and liangwei came later...it was a great outing out of our camp compound...

with leo and cheehao...the training branch pple...i really miss their presence now that they ord/ording...

cheehao's birthday cake..signature oreo cheesecake from olio..though a bit exp but nevertheless its worth the money...and i thought the cake tasted great...partly due to my love for oreo cheesecake...

took this photo at the escalator at city hall mrt while waiting for the first train service to start...we tried to be choreograph for the photo but i guess we didn't really put in the effort to be creative in our poses...btw, the escalators weren't moving..thats why this photo is possible...
i kinda lk this photo...smthng different which i've nv tried b4..a bit of fun and adventure in the pose..n its also only possible with a stationary escalator...

just an impromptu pic...trying to 'connect' with r.b....smthng fun which we played ard with...its early in the morning and we didn't sleep, end up doing all these crazy little things...anw, really want to watch this concert but the tix are too exp...

jel; 12:43 am

Wednesday, July 12

had fever when i woke up this morning in camp...and the cold morning wasn't making me feel any better..was physically cold on the outside and warm on the inside...end up being off-form for the entire morning...couldn't bring myself to do much work at all...i'm was feeling giddy and my body temp was rising through the morning...

finally brought myself to visit the medical centre and ended up with 2 days of mc...feeling so much better now after the medicine and a gd sleep...at least now i dun feel lk my head has just been knocked out...i guess these 2 days will be a gd break and rest for me to recover...i really thank God for this rest as well as the things which He has blessed me with today...i could really sense His presence at many occasions today as He helped me through many of my difficulties and thats why i have a really gd rest today without any worries...

jel; 11:32 pm

Tuesday, July 11

Read this message from my tribe blog:

Angels

Have you ever thought about the number of times you’ve been been preserved from death, danger or temptation? Those countless occasions when you’ve been close to disaster – on the motorway, in your home or wherever. And those are only the incidents we’ve been aware of! How many thousands of times have there been when we’ve been in great danger – and haven’t known anything about it? For many, if not all of these deliverances, we can be thankful for the ministry of angels. These essentially invisible beings who only occasionally take on a visible, human form, play a massive though mostly unseen role in the lives of God’s people. There are some of the things the Bible tells us about them.
And there are going to be 6 Series of Messages on Angels. I hope it will present persuasive evidence from the Bible and from modern life that God commissions an army of angels to intervene in human affairs.

6 Series of Messages
1. ANGELS ARE REAL
2. THE ORIGIN & HISTORY OF ANGELS
3. THE POWER OF ANGELS
4. ANGELS AND YOU
5. ANGELS AND THE FUTURE
6. CONCLUSION

this series come after the series of 'rest from stress' sermons...i guess this would be interesting learning sessions since my understanding and knowledge of the angels in heaven are pretty much quite little...i'm not sure when this series will start but it should be these upcoming weeks...definitely looking to it...

jel; 8:12 pm

Sunday, July 9

2Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve;
-2 Peter 5:2

being officially in the g12 structure definitely means taking up a greater responsibility...listening to what ps seng lee told the 9 of us after service gave me a clearer idea of the position which i hold...to take charge of the guys given to us...its no longer my own life which i need to be accountable for but the lives of those under me...it really gives me joy to be given the opportunity to learn as a leader...to be a disciple-maker...i'll definitely treasure the learning opportunities given as more doors are opened such as sltc...

coming from different bkgrds, the nine of us are rather different in terms of character and interest...but i believe we are brought tog as brothers for a reason..each one of us has a role to play in this family, to help one another...as what was mentioned today, although we may be diffferent, we are united as one in our purpose in serving the Lord...i'm looking forward to walking this life journey with this spiritual family...

jel; 9:08 pm

Saturday, July 8

jel; 11:33 pm

A historical retelling of the story of China's Empress Dowager, the story is seen from the eyes of an American painter, Kate Carl, who is commissioned to paint the Empress's portrait. The Empress recounts her amazing journey from a young imperial concubine to become the Empress of China and the pressures she faced. The musical explores the myths surrounding her reign, from the controversial death of her only son to her ambitious tussle for power. Having played to 60,000 people in 2003, Forbidden City is Singapore's most successful musical to date. Starring Asian sensation Kit Chan.

going to watch this musical with my friends on 16 sept at the esplanade...think its the third re-run this time...missed the previous two times cause of reasons i can't rmb but i so glad its back again this time and i managed to find friends wo want to catch this too....looking forward to kit chan's performance...has been quite some time since left the entertainment scene....

jel; 9:33 am

Friday, July 7

saw this t shirt from funkyb..well, its exactly the same design as my blog template..well, i really liked this concept of using the hazard sign to warn against conforming to the standards of this world...was quite tempted to buy ithe t-shirt but i guess it looks better as a blog template then a tshirt design...

jel; 11:37 pm

27"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
-Matthew 23:27-28

Have you been so concerned over your image in front of others that you become someone whom you're not? Do you put on a false persona just so to fit into the image that the society deems acceptable?

I've always been very wary of this as its easy to fall into the world of image idolatry if one doesn't check his heart and reflect upon his actions...been too cautious of how others perceived you will bring more damage than you imagined...its really not how others see you on the surface but the actions that come right from your heart that matters....i've been guilty of being too image-conscious and i realise time/effort is wasted in taking care of these matters...its not point trying to be someone whom you're not..most importantly, accept who and what you are...only when you're comfortable with who you are that you're able to step out in confidence with your image....

27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
-Genesis 1:27

we were created in God's image, so by criticising one's image, we are going against what God has created each and every one of us to be like...humbly seek Him in honest confession and repentance to restore the perfect image that He had created us, only then that we can truly step out in confidence and reflect His glory...

jel; 11:12 pm

Sunday, July 2

never underestimate the power of this book..this is the book that first opened the doors to my salvation...now, this book may just be doing the same thing to those in my family..it may just be the key to opening doors of many more opportunities to come...i really need to thank the Lord for all that He has done...after all the prayers i've made, i can see progress in the family, whether it is abt this morning during breakfast or what happened just now, i believe the Lord is at work all these while...once again, i felt the importance of the role i play in this family and my purpose...once again, i pray for His love and presence to dwell in this household...and is exactly what my family needs most now urgently... once again, i strongly recommend this book...if there is any point in time in your life you felt lost in the direction of your life or felt weary of your purpose in life, this is definitely the answer....thank God for this book...

jel; 8:38 pm

today's sol lesson on courtship was particularly useful for me...reaffirmed some of my views on having a relationship and also taught me a lot more on how to handle relationships...and i was very much enlightened on the viewpoints of courtship...and it gave me confidence in handling matters of the heart as well as keep me focused in my life journey in future...just want to share certain pointers which may be useful to those reading this...

Definition: both can relate to one another without entertaining thoughts of exploring to be a special friend
Preparation: understand/appreciate one another, seek freedom from past entanglement

Definition: interaction with intent of knowing each other better without pressure of dating commitment

Definition: deliberate interaction, developing to pt where both both are ready to consider marriage

it is impt that we understand the definitions for each stage as we progress in a relationship and more often than not, commitments are made too early in the stages and thats when complications arises...


i will definitely use these 7 factors in choosing my future mate...



there's still a lot more that i've learned from today's session..through these few weeks of lessons on courtship, marriage, family, relationships, i've grown and matured..listening to the experiences from ps yc was so encouraging as they are an example of how relationships can be worked and how a blessed family can be possible...the way i approach these issues is so different from the past and i myself am surprised with this change...i'm continuing to learn with time to face these issues and i have the confidence cause i know the Lord is with me...

coincidentally, the main message which i learned from sol lesson and the sermon today is similar..in order to be focused and be stress-free, you have to learn to be a simple life, a life which only loves and serves Jesus....

jel; 6:24 pm

Dear Lord,

let me always have the fire of the Holy Spirit, to be burning with passion for Your Will to be done on me. Amen.

jel; 1:12 am