Transformation

Before

After

Spot the difference!! To see more, click here.

More than my room was transformed. I have been working harder this week too. On a recap, have begun to go into the lab for my project. That's new thing No. 1

Secondly, Poho this week was pretty good. It's always good though, mind you.

Next new thing, the MASSOC website has been changed around. New photos, new committee, new link. Plus, learnt something new. Never order 10 chicken and chips at 2.30 am when only 3 people are eating. Crown Pizza ended up giving me 6 extra pieces!! The result, ate 4 pieces at 4 and still had about 3/4 pieces in the microwave. The effect: was so full the next day, no need breakfast plus the fact that I couldn't look at anything oily for a whole day. Good stuff...

Today's sermon was about golf. First of all, about the grip. In golf, you don't hold the club too tightly or too loose. In the same way, we grip on to life but we don't strangle it because it needs room for God to work His miracles. By gripping life nicely, we will be comfortable. Next, stand. Having a good stand will provide good balance. Next, swing. In other words, just go with the flow of life. And finally, follow through. Whenever we start something, we should see it through till the end (something very important in my opinion). Once we see the end result, we can then say it is good.

2 Samuel 23 talks about just showing up. As long as we show up to where we are suppose to be, the battle is won already because God will lead us on to victory. All we have to do is show up. Matthew 16 speaks about stamping our signature. Everyone has a certain signature that when they do something, anyone who knows them can tell that it's their handiwork. In the same way, each of us leave a bit of our signature in everyone we meet. The final lesson I remember from Pastor Glyn's sermon is that sometimes, being in the rough is not necessarily a bad thing. It's in the rough when we can discover many things we never knew before. In fact, he says that the most important lessons we learn are in there. He also says that God meets us there to bring us out of it. For it is while we are outside of it, we don't really see a need for God and it is when we finally enter it that we learn something new, something profound. And once we get out, we will be much wiser.

I find that line particularly useful. If there's one thing I know, it's that only when we do something ourself that we learn the lesson. And it's not when we do it well, it's when we slip up when the lesson really sticks. For example, mixing water with hot oil. My friend has told me not to do it because it will cause the oil to splash out. In fact, it has happen before but that was when I was stir-frying vegetables. So, the lesson is there but it didn't really caught on. However, once I accidentally drop a blob of water into an empty pan of hot oil and the whole stove was quickly covered in oil!!! It's only after that that I take extra care not to have anything watery near the stove when I'm cooking.

Also, I realize that I find out more about myself when I am struggling with something. Last year, when I was struggling with my studies, I quickly realize which path in engineering I should take. However, if I hadn't struggle I probably still think I can do any major and made my decision a little harder to make. That's the thing when you are an A-star student. You know you can do anything, so how to you really know what is it you do well in? Everything is A, is good. I dunno, that's just what I think.

Anyway, gonna put Pastor Glyn's words to practise. Studies, here I come!!

Refreshing

What a week it's been. The declaration I made was only last week and already it seems like eons ago. Frankly, I feel more relax now.

Well, this week went pretty normally. Wednesday, I cooked a meal for 6 people for the first time without using any instant mixes (see here for more details). My friends said it was ok actually.

On Thursday night, it snowed!! Imagine that, snow in November. Not bad eh? The weather here has been getting colder quite fast. Already the temperature is mostly one digit. Hahha... in December, we might actually go below 0 degrees. So much for having one jacket...

On that note, whenever I went out, I can already see my breath. Having your hands out too long will be like washing them with ice cold water for half a minute. Time to put on all the thermal wears....

In the course of the week, I've been greatly encouraged and motivated to continue to do God's work. I found out this week that at least 3 of my friends have converted. This is great news indeed. Hahaha...I would really like to meet up with them. It's so encouraging that God's mighty hands are at work all the time. At times when I think I can't see God's work, He goes and reminds me again of His mighty powers.

Speaking of which, church this week was a refreshing session. Coincidently, today's sermon was about refreshing ourselves. Pastor Jenny talked about how we can refresh our souls if we get tired or too stuck in the mundane. How we can get a new set of teeth to once again grab life with a stranglehold. Some verses quoted were Isaiah 41:15, Isaiah 43:19 and Matthew 9:16-17. One thing that stood out from her sermon was the calling to clean ourselves first. As Matthew 9:16-17 says,

No-one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, making the tear worse.
Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will
burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new
wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.

Pastor Jenny used these 2 verses to say that sometimes, before God can give us the new things He has planned for our lives, we have to refresh ourselves, make ourselves ready to receive it.

It's interesting sometimes going through life with God by my side. Whenever I feel down, depressed, ready to throw in the towel, He is there to remind me again of His power and mercy. It truly is an up and down lifestyle. ^_^

Hmm... final notes. It's so nice sometimes to walk outside even in the cold. Once you come in, it's so nice and warm.... Another thing I like about the British weather, I can walk outside in the rain. Hahaha... don't worry, it's what we Malaysians would term drizzle. It's nice to just walk and enjoy the pitter patter of the rain hitting on the face. Enjoying God's blessing on the earth. Whenever I take the time to look around me, I see His greatness. Anyways, it's nice to appreciate the art around us, man-made or God-made. Makes life so much more pleasant.

Cooking

For the first time, I cooked not one, not two, but two dishes and one soup for dinner! Well, really cook without using instant mixes or with anyone's help (okay, so I asked advice before hand). Not a bad dinner though little. No one had much to say about it though. Wonder if that's a good sign or a bad sign...

On another note, I have deleted almost all my photos so, whoever still wants them, please claim them fast (sounds like an auction hahaha...).

2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Just something worth noting; since I put the site counter last week, I have received 81 hits over a period of just 8 days. that works out to be an average of 10 hits a day. Hahhaa... and here I thought hardly anyone visits my blog. Of course, almost half those hits came from Malaysia though I did get some weird ones such as from other blogs of people I have no idea about plus a couple from a google search of shoutlouder and a yahoo search of 'mnid'. After Malaysia was the UK which doesn't include my own checking in (ok, just the first times but was only 2!). But, the website from where most users came in from was Ee-lin's blog. Hmm... point worth noting. The most hits though came from TMNet which means either my family or friends back home. And, that's it. On to the main part...

Peace after the chaos

This photo I took of my living room is a perfect picture to mark my new beginning. Just for fun, I'll let you all think about why is the picture titled "Peace after the chaos". I'll give the reason later, maybe a week from now.

The title for this landmark post is very apt as well. At this point in time, I would just like to say my blog is finally, totally and 100% up. I have the tag-board I want plus an extra doodleboard which is kinda fun too (though no one posts on it. wonder why...). I have the links to the blogs I read plus links to some nice group websites. And I'm link to everything I want. Probably some of the links will be updated, new ones will be added but the template is pretty much settled and that's where I want to mark this new beginning from.

Well, basically the last few weeks have been quite hectic for me in terms of work and socializing. And I've felt a little pressured, felt like being pushed into a direction which I didn't like. But, after spending some time in church and rediscovering the wonders of God, I can firmly say NO. I have heard many times about peer pressure and have always felt I can stop its influence on my life. So far, I have been moderately successful. I said I won't drink, I had the occasional drink. I said I won't find a girlfriend, I didn't. Many things I say I won't do, I didn't do or didn't go into the extreme. However, standing up to it, saying no to it took a lot out of me and I have felt more and more pressed into submiting to it. Felt like being pushed by everyone into submitting into the lifestyle that is 'normal' by the world standards.

And I haven't. The difference between my priorities and the world's priorities is causing a lot of friction within me. One side says, follow your heart. The other says, just give in and follow the world. As a result, I've grown moodier and easily show a black face. I won't blame anyone for causing this friction for I know you are all only concern about me and you want me to be successful. But, I must take this time to vent a little of this off and to tell all, family and friends alike, please back off.

Many have told me, find a girlfriend, do well in your studies so you can get a good job. Also, many said that I should drink some beer because next time, socializing with colleagues will involve that. First of all, it's these very words that have been driving me up the wall.

And so, right here, right now, I am going to come clean. I admit, I have compromise my standards sometimes. I say I would not masturbate, I have failed to live up to those words. I said I would not drink, within the last 2 months, I have drunk 3 can of beers, 4 shots of vodka and a shot of tequila. I know I am prone to anger and I do not always see things the way people see things. I am not proud of these things and I choose not to do them again, God willing.

And now, my priorities. In terms of girlfriends and all that, please let me decide. I know you all worry about me. I have heard many saying I should get one because it's the next step. But I believe that when the right girl for me comes, I will know because God will show her to me. Yes, we cannot just say God, show me my soulmate and sit in the house all day but at the same time, I know God will bring me into the relationship world when He knows I'm ready for it. So, I say just let Him work His magic in my life. I choose to just enjoy knowing girls and understanding them for now. Please respect my decision.

The second thing. Some have said I should learn to drink. Some even go as far as saying I should learn to smoke a bit because the peer pressure in the working life will get me into it. Not to drink or smoke excessively but to do it socially. I say, NO. I refuse to drink anything alcoholic (with the exception of shandy, wine and champagne as they seem OK for now...) anymore. If you truly respect me in any way, please don't ever force to me to drink anymore. I fear I might hurt you physically or mentally. As for smoking, that is something I will never pick up, God willing. If you smoke, that is your choice. Just don't lead me into that life. I choose to draw the line for both these things. If I ever compromise on this again, it will only be for the Glory of God.

I find the world very shallow. You study, you graduate, get a good job with good pay, get married, have children and enjoy a wonderful family life. NO! I am not going down the same path. I say, work in a job where I can serve the community the best and do God's work here on earth. That is my plan for life. So what if I don't get a good pay? I don't care! When I say it's not about the money, it's really not about the money. For it is said in the Bible,

Matthew 6:26-30 - Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store
away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more
valuable than they? Who of you by owrrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They
do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his
splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of
the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not
much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

I choose to live a life after Him and not after anything anybody says the world is like.

I take a stand to follow my Father in heaven forever and ever. Yes, I will stumble along the way but I keep faith and hold on to His promise that He will never forsake me. Just as my parents are always there for me and point me in the right direction, how much more will God be there for me and guide me! I take a stand not to follow what feng shui says. I take a stand not to believe in luck. I take a stand not to fashion myself to what the world says is good. I have chosen the path less taken. The straight and narrow. I have chosen to do what God wants me to do. I believe that everything that happens is a work of God's hands. And that, is how I can only live.

Matthew 5:33 - But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these
things will be given to you as well.

This decision is not something I decided on a whim. I have been thinking it through. Believe in me when I say I have thought long and hard, taking into consideration what everyone has said. Yes, living differently from others will be hard but that's something I am willing to face as I know God is with me. I cannot and will never try again to fit in. I know it will be hard but at the same time, I know it's the only way for me. Compromising my promises and my priorities is always going to haunt me. It will tear me inside. Holding on to them, leaning on God and following my conscience will lead me to peace within my soul. It's not something that's only happening when I'm old. I am at peace even now.

A saying I heard in the movie 'What A Girl Wants' is so true; "Why fit in when you stand out?" Why indeed.

Motivation

Today's sermon was awesome. Pastor Dave was preaching today and he preach about how we can take the next step.

In a nutshell, he preach that when we keep on giving even when we are empty, that's when we will really see God's miracles work in our lives. That God cannot do miracles if we are full. Which is very true. If we are contented with our lives, what miracles are needed? Only when we have nothing, then only can God do something to enrich our lives.

Thinking back, there has been quite a number of similar but not the same sermons over the last year. It makes it even more fundamental in seeing God's work in our lives. To sum it all up, when we keep faith in Jesus, and we carry on keeping faith and doing His will on earth even when we get to a point where we think we have nothing left to give, then we will really see God's hands on our lives. It speaks about trusting God wholely and proclaiming His words shamelessly.

Some thing has happen to me over the weekend. I pledge my life to serve God and in return, He gave me His promise over my life. It's a promise I know He will never break and it's a promise that I'll hold on to forever. He is my Father in Heaven and just as my parents will never forsake me, neither will He. With His promise, I can now go through life confidently and successfully.

Dear Lord, thank you for your promise. Thank you that you accept me just as
I am. You have made me perfect and that is something I will never forget. Thank
you for your guidance over my life. I pray that in everything I do, I give glory
unto You. In Jesus might name, Amen.

Blogger Quiz

Hmm, found this on Hong Leong's blog. Cute quiz.

You Are a Life Blogger!

Your blog is the story of your life - a living diary. If it happens, you blog it. And make it as entertaining as possible.

What kind of blogger are you?

Shoutlouder Day 2

Today was a great day!! Mark Ritchie was amazing!! His sermon was life changing! Definitely worth the time and money.

There's nothing much I want to write about that here. Instead, I'll just talk about updates.

First, I have now 2 tagboards!! Hahahahaa... for the fun of it. And, I finally made my sidebar longer than my main column. Still to come, webtracker (once I find a good one) and pictures. Bear with me on this.

What else is there to say? Church is tomorrow and I'm so excited over it!!

Oh, Internet is very slow. Even slower than 56k. No idea why. Hope it's better by tomorrow.

Ermmm, that's it for now. See you!!

More musings.

But first, pictures!! I promise pictures of my room and here they are!! Click here. Having said that, anyone knows a good site for picture placing? Also, which web tracker is the best?

And on with my crazy thoughts...

Suddenly, I realize a few things about life. Whenever we say devil, we normally think he's the one who puts stumbling blcks in our life. Things like sickness, poverty, dangerous people, etc. Well, he could be those. But, like what pastor Mal Fletcher said, some of those also came from God. As he said, Satan will take advantage of all this situation. From what I see, this means the devil is not only trying to pull us down but anytime we are down, he will try to keep us there.

By thinking that Satan brings trouble, we may think that he is only outside. That he is creating problems in the world. But something hit me last week. Satan is also near us. He doesn't only act through others but in us. He is Anger, he is Fear, he is Doubt, he is Insecurity, he is Worry. God has many great plans for each and everyone of us but the devil will always put this insecure feelings in us to prevent us from fulfilling this plans. That's how he works.

When I realize that, I know that God is always for me and always going to be there to help me get through and fulfill those plans. Any Doubt, any Worry, any Fear I have over those plans are only works of the devil and nothing more. As it is said, if God is for me, who can be against me? Realizing that, nothing is impossible. As long as it's in God's plan, all things are possible. Really, the sky is the limit. Many a times they say things are impossible. Well, so many 'impossible' things have been done like going into space, running below 10 seconds and flying a heavier than air plane. Why not the next impossibles like creating the perfect diodes, finding a cure for all types of sickness and even, educating all men so that we are all civilised? no more fighting, no more backstabbing, no more evil. It's fantasy but I say, it can be reality.