3 months after Audacious, I can stil remember the lessons I learnt from Hope City. The lessons I learnt there were life changing. It changed the way I look at life, at work, at the world and mostly, at God.
Change No. 1
Change from Chritianity the 'Religion' to Christianity the 'Relationship'. I learnt a very powerful lesson during my first service in Hope City. Previously, I thought Christianity was all about Sundays. I thought that Christianity was the same as other religions in the sense that it teaches you moral values and how to live a good life. I learnt that it was much more than that. Christianity is all about God forgiving our past sins and wanting to be in a relationship with us. I know realize why we call God, our father in heaven. He, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, wants to know us as His children. He desires that we know Him so well that He can talk to us directly and that we can talk to Him directly at any time as well.
Previously, I thought holy Christians were people who were meek and mild. They don't cause trouble. They love everyone and that they had no problems because God took care of them. What I learnt though is that the truly devoted Christians are nothing like that! They push the barrier, they are passionate, enthusiastic and they celebrate life like no one else! I have since learnt that knowing God doesn't mean no more problems, it just means that any problems I go through, I don't go through them alone. Especially since I've been up to Penang, I've learnt just how much He can do for me. While I have problems, I don't have to worry about them. I know that God is always taking care of me and any problems I face now, I can put it in His hands and He will guide me through it.
I've come to realize that knowing God intimately will result in doing crazy things. In going out on a limb, in doing things that I won't normally even dare think of doing. But at the same time, I am comforted in knowing that He is always looking over me and that all the things I do for Him is good.
Change No. 2
Other things I've learnt to look at in another way is at work and especially at money. I've always believe money is the root of evil. But now, I realize that I can change that perception and use money to do God's work. I also learnt that many things I previously thought was unholy are actually can be for His glory. It's just been used the wrong way.
In conclusion, I have learnt much.
Sunday 6 November 2005
Right vs. Easy
I heard this quotation (in a movie no less!) "...choice between what is right, and what is easy." It surprised me the first time I heard that. I would think the right decision is between right and wrong. But after giving it some thought, I realize that that quote was very true, especially in this day where perception of right and wrong is quite distorted.
For example, many people nowadays believe in 'white lie'. Lying as so not to offend someone. Many think it's not wrong because it doesn't hurt anyone. However, it is the easier option compared to telling the truth. To me, the completely, 100% right option is to tell the truth, no matter what the situation. Honesty is the best policy after all. I believe white lies are dangerous. First of all, what is the difference between white lies and blatant lying? Not knowing the difference can allow people to claim all their lies to be white lies. After all, everything we do is for your benefit, isn't it? Secondly, if your white lies is discovered by the other party, how would he/she react? Humans don't like being lied to, whatever the reason or situation. Their perception of you can be based upon your words. If you lie, some of the perceptions that can arise is insecurity, untrustworthy, dishonest and many others. For me, those are traits I wouldn't like to be associated with, would you?
Another example of easier options is buying pirated goods. It's easier to buy them because
So, from the examples above, I have come to realize that doing the right thing is never the easier option. In the world, there will always be easier options to do anything. But I believe doing the right thing all the time will result in a better life and, a better self worth. In fact, I also truly believe by always doing the right thing, we create an aura of self-righteousness that others will look up to, no matter what they say about it.
For example, many people nowadays believe in 'white lie'. Lying as so not to offend someone. Many think it's not wrong because it doesn't hurt anyone. However, it is the easier option compared to telling the truth. To me, the completely, 100% right option is to tell the truth, no matter what the situation. Honesty is the best policy after all. I believe white lies are dangerous. First of all, what is the difference between white lies and blatant lying? Not knowing the difference can allow people to claim all their lies to be white lies. After all, everything we do is for your benefit, isn't it? Secondly, if your white lies is discovered by the other party, how would he/she react? Humans don't like being lied to, whatever the reason or situation. Their perception of you can be based upon your words. If you lie, some of the perceptions that can arise is insecurity, untrustworthy, dishonest and many others. For me, those are traits I wouldn't like to be associated with, would you?
Another example of easier options is buying pirated goods. It's easier to buy them because
- it's much cheaper,
- it's more readily available AND
- everyone is doing it and if you don't, you're like an outcast.
So, from the examples above, I have come to realize that doing the right thing is never the easier option. In the world, there will always be easier options to do anything. But I believe doing the right thing all the time will result in a better life and, a better self worth. In fact, I also truly believe by always doing the right thing, we create an aura of self-righteousness that others will look up to, no matter what they say about it.
Thursday 3 November 2005
Bus ride (6 November 2005)
Interesting enough, this marks my 2nd bus ride in Malaysia only. Depending on how you look at it, the surprise is that it's only my 2nd bus ride or that I have ridden a bus before. Ok, that's not counting the Putra buses which I've taken at least 5 times. However, this is my first long trip bus ride.
The bus was quite comfortable. I had a lone seat so more space for me! Heh... It was a night bus so by the time it moved off, all the lights within the bus was turned off and most of the passengers were asleep. Since it was so dark, couldn't do much other than twiddle with my laptop till the battery was low. Couldn't read (light at my seat was faulty) so slept half the time. Lucky for me, I could shut off the air-con so it wasn't too cold. Due to ample warning, I was also wearing 2 shirts.
The bus ride was quite uneventful. Nothing to see since it's dark plus everyone was sleeping. It rained off and on throughout the journey, making sleeping a very nice option.
Arrived in KL at 11.30 pm. Not bad actually.
The bus was quite comfortable. I had a lone seat so more space for me! Heh... It was a night bus so by the time it moved off, all the lights within the bus was turned off and most of the passengers were asleep. Since it was so dark, couldn't do much other than twiddle with my laptop till the battery was low. Couldn't read (light at my seat was faulty) so slept half the time. Lucky for me, I could shut off the air-con so it wasn't too cold. Due to ample warning, I was also wearing 2 shirts.
The bus ride was quite uneventful. Nothing to see since it's dark plus everyone was sleeping. It rained off and on throughout the journey, making sleeping a very nice option.
Arrived in KL at 11.30 pm. Not bad actually.
Sunday 30 October 2005
In Penang (6 November 2005)
Have been in Penang for almost 3 weeks now. Got to say it's a change of environment to KL. One thing, can't really speed. So far, been driving around the 60 kph zone, haven't had a chance to open up till 80-100 kph. Sigh...
Other than that, it's interesting how I can get from my place in the south to Georgetown up north in 10 minutes. By my estimate, that means I can get anywhere in Penang Island within the hour! Nice change unlike KL where everything seems to take half an hour to reach.
Ooooo... did I mention I got a new car? Haha, I'll let you guess what it is. That's another thing I had to get used to though. From manual to automatic and power steering. Also, have to get use to having a bigger car. But it's getting there.
Have been church hopping of sorts so far, hopefully not for long. The hard part is finding a passionate, enthusiastic church. One that is ready to go to war to save a nation. Other minor changes living in Penang include, sleeping without air-con and working.
Other than that, it's interesting how I can get from my place in the south to Georgetown up north in 10 minutes. By my estimate, that means I can get anywhere in Penang Island within the hour! Nice change unlike KL where everything seems to take half an hour to reach.
Ooooo... did I mention I got a new car? Haha, I'll let you guess what it is. That's another thing I had to get used to though. From manual to automatic and power steering. Also, have to get use to having a bigger car. But it's getting there.
Have been church hopping of sorts so far, hopefully not for long. The hard part is finding a passionate, enthusiastic church. One that is ready to go to war to save a nation. Other minor changes living in Penang include, sleeping without air-con and working.
Monday 26 September 2005
A week early
Celebrated my birthday a week before my actual birthday due to the probability of traveling up to Penang on that day. It was a very nice dinner and the cake was awesome! Hahaha... I'll let you guess where I had it! MUahahahaahaha...
Then yesterday, went for Aaron's 21st birthday. Only just realize that we were born exactly a week apart. How cool is that? The birthday bash was nice as well. Aaron's family really pull out all the stops for it. Great dinner and excellent time catching up with old friends. I met back Aaron (of course!), Matthew, Santana, Siva, Yin Whai, Tack Wee and Cheng Yew. Iong Ying was also there but as I met him a while ago, can't really say met him back, heh...
Other than that, my week has pretty much been boring. With so much time on my hand, I have manage to muse and reflect some more! Wahahahaa... but I won't bore you with my 2 cents (for now). Wait for it! =P
Then yesterday, went for Aaron's 21st birthday. Only just realize that we were born exactly a week apart. How cool is that? The birthday bash was nice as well. Aaron's family really pull out all the stops for it. Great dinner and excellent time catching up with old friends. I met back Aaron (of course!), Matthew, Santana, Siva, Yin Whai, Tack Wee and Cheng Yew. Iong Ying was also there but as I met him a while ago, can't really say met him back, heh...
Other than that, my week has pretty much been boring. With so much time on my hand, I have manage to muse and reflect some more! Wahahahaa... but I won't bore you with my 2 cents (for now). Wait for it! =P
Monday 19 September 2005
When I hit the brakes, God hits the accelerator.
Things that has happened to me over the last 4 months have made me think that's how God seems to operate with me lately. Course, maybe it's a good way to push me not to procrastinate again, heh.
Back in June, I volunteered to help around the church. 4 days later, I was already in the church, being the resident cleaner. And now, I applied to Intel on the 1st and barely 2 weeks later, they have offered me a job! Talk about your express deliveries...
Anyway, not gonna complain. It's time to hit that accelerator and drive the car down the side of the waterfall!! Wooooooooooooohooooooooooo!!!!!
Back in June, I volunteered to help around the church. 4 days later, I was already in the church, being the resident cleaner. And now, I applied to Intel on the 1st and barely 2 weeks later, they have offered me a job! Talk about your express deliveries...
Anyway, not gonna complain. It's time to hit that accelerator and drive the car down the side of the waterfall!! Wooooooooooooohooooooooooo!!!!!
Saturday 10 September 2005
Alma Mater (18/09/05)
Visited my secondary school earlier during my brother's speech day. Here are some pictures I took of the 'updates' around the school...
Squash Complex still looks the same. At least there's a new fence now, no more students sneaking in through the back!
The guardhouse. Kinda makes the school more imposing, don't you think?
Squash Complex still looks the same. At least there's a new fence now, no more students sneaking in through the back! 
The newest addition (for those who do not know) is the new scout's den besides the squash complex. Also, the barren patch on the field is growing grass finally!
What happened to the old scout's den, the store room and the PBSM room?! It's all gone!
Countdown to SPM and PMR!! There seems to be unlimited number of days left though...
Goodbye lake/garden, hello porch? Oh, take note of the phone on the pillar. There's quite a few of them around the school nowadays...
The guardhouse. Kinda makes the school more imposing, don't you think?Interesting enough, all this changes were implements before Pn. Ishah retired. Her final legacy to the school?
Friday 9 September 2005
My G.O.D. is B.I.G. - Russ Evans, Audacious 2005
How this for accidental forward planning? I thought I had ran out of folders to keep my certs and went to Popular to buy a new one. They didn't have any thick file folders so I compensated and bought a thin, 20 page one instead (Note: this was 2 weeks ago). Course, with all my "busyness" I delayed actually filing up my certs... Then, on Monday night, as I was packing to go for the Intel interview, my dad suggested bringing a folder with all my relevant documents, to keep it nice and simple. So, the newly bought folder was nicely put into use without me having to remove all unneccessary certs I might have put in! Oh, but it gets better! When I was digging around for some more certs, I found I already had another new folder with a few certs! Which means, I had bought an extra folder which would have been a waste if it weren't used for bringing to interviews! So, through sheer fate (or accident depending on how you choose to believe) I have got ready a folder to bring to interviews while being able to file all my certs up. And this all was done before I even started thinking about applying for jobs!
Speaking of interviews, I have gone for one at Intel Penang. Flunked some simple questions but good learning experience. In fact, can say that the entire journey up and down was a good learning experience as well.
Upcoming plans include a BBQ and more soul searching. See ya later, folks!
Speaking of interviews, I have gone for one at Intel Penang. Flunked some simple questions but good learning experience. In fact, can say that the entire journey up and down was a good learning experience as well.
Upcoming plans include a BBQ and more soul searching. See ya later, folks!
Sunday 4 September 2005
Yet another reflection...
Within the last few months, I've felt both quite old and quite young at one time or another. Feeling young is no big deal I guess, I am still only 20 years old. Plus, there are so many people older than me, still taking care of me, showing me the right way. So, still feel quite junior to a lot of people. Especially when I hear of people who were alive before I was born...
On the other hand, I also have been feeling quite old. First off, I'm done with the studying world and has step into the working world. Towards total independence. Plus, the fact I'm reaching 21, the age when people start to think you're an adult, seems to indicate I'm becoming old. But one of the main reasons why I start feeling quite old is the fact that things like relationships and marriage no longer seems to be one of those "in the future" kinda things anymore. I know friends around my age getting married or somewhere near that stage. To a lesser extent, knowing cousins from my generation are married or soon to be also makes me feel quite old too.
And the last factor is the fact that many celebrities and stars today are actually my age or younger. I remember a time when I used to dream about becoming top athletes or being a celebrity (well, not that I really want to, just nice to fantasize...). And suddenly, hard to dream about following idols because they are my peers or juniors! Kinda weird to say I wanna grow up to be like someone younger than me...
So, yeah. It's kinda weird to know that while you are still quite young, you're also considered old. Never thought would feel old, at least not until I'm like 30+ or married...
That's reflection no. 1. Here's no. 2!! MUAHAHhahahahaa..... and you thought that was it. Anyway, just want to say a big thank you to all my loyal readers. I know there are still those who check out my blog occasionally though their visits are probably more frequent than my postings (hehe) so here's a big thank you for still taking time to read my thoughts.
And lastly, for those who have not noticed, I have put up pictures from my graduation! It's just below!!
On the other hand, I also have been feeling quite old. First off, I'm done with the studying world and has step into the working world. Towards total independence. Plus, the fact I'm reaching 21, the age when people start to think you're an adult, seems to indicate I'm becoming old. But one of the main reasons why I start feeling quite old is the fact that things like relationships and marriage no longer seems to be one of those "in the future" kinda things anymore. I know friends around my age getting married or somewhere near that stage. To a lesser extent, knowing cousins from my generation are married or soon to be also makes me feel quite old too.
And the last factor is the fact that many celebrities and stars today are actually my age or younger. I remember a time when I used to dream about becoming top athletes or being a celebrity (well, not that I really want to, just nice to fantasize...). And suddenly, hard to dream about following idols because they are my peers or juniors! Kinda weird to say I wanna grow up to be like someone younger than me...
So, yeah. It's kinda weird to know that while you are still quite young, you're also considered old. Never thought would feel old, at least not until I'm like 30+ or married...
That's reflection no. 1. Here's no. 2!! MUAHAHhahahahaa..... and you thought that was it. Anyway, just want to say a big thank you to all my loyal readers. I know there are still those who check out my blog occasionally though their visits are probably more frequent than my postings (hehe) so here's a big thank you for still taking time to read my thoughts.
And lastly, for those who have not noticed, I have put up pictures from my graduation! It's just below!!
Friday 2 September 2005
Graduation Photos
Due to popular demand, here are my graduation photos! Enjoy people...
Me in my apartment
In front of my department
St George's Church, one of my many lecture theathers
2 of my housemates and 3 of my friends (one non-graduate, hah!)
Our very own mortarboard toss...
My supervisor and me
In front of Firth Court
With Dad next to Firth Court (in front of Weston Park)
With Mom at a grassy area in front of the union
Me in my apartment
In front of my department
St George's Church, one of my many lecture theathers
2 of my housemates and 3 of my friends (one non-graduate, hah!)
Our very own mortarboard toss...
My supervisor and me
In front of Firth Court
With Dad next to Firth Court (in front of Weston Park)
With Mom at a grassy area in front of the union
Thursday 1 September 2005
York Photos
Before my graduation, I went to see some cities around Sheffield with my parents. Among them was York (My mom was the official photographer for the trip, which explains why there are so little pictures of her):
My parents in front of the York Minster
Boy, was it windy up there!
Taking a break on the York Wall
Aaaauuugghhh! I'm in front of a bullet!
Care to join me for a ride? (Too bad it doesn't go back to Sheffield!)
Me in York!
My parents in front of the York Minster
Me and my dad with the Clifford Tower
Boy, was it windy up there!
Taking a break on the York Wall
Aaaauuugghhh! I'm in front of a bullet!
Care to join me for a ride? (Too bad it doesn't go back to Sheffield!)
The New Apartment!
More pictures, this time of when I first moved in the next day, 1st of July, 2005.
First sight of my (half) unpacked room.
Kitchen too!
First sight of my (half) unpacked room. 
Where the mess really is...
The living room is huge!
Kitchen too!Last Pictures of Apartment 1
Here are pictures from our last day in apartment 1. Enjoy folks!
Moving day...
My empty room
The last bags to bring over...
Tuesday 30 August 2005
Audacious CDs
The Audacious CDs have arrived!! They have arrived... *sings off-key...* 11 of the most life-changing sessions I have ever heard!! Woooo HOOO!!!!!!
Friday 26 August 2005
Reflecting...
It's been nearly 3 weeks since I've come back. Reaching back, I have been amazed by how much things have stayed the same. I've changed so much during my time in Sheffield, guessed I was expecting Malaysia to have changed some what too, especially considering the amount of construction work going on when I left.
It's been an interesting and exciting 2 years in Sheffield. I've changed my perception on many things while emphasising others. In that time, I've gone clubbing (somewhat), travelled quite a bit and got planted in an awesome church. I've learnt to tolerate certain things and gotten focused on my life.
Looking back, I can definitely feel different to when I first went over. In fact, I can say after the experience I gain in Sheffield, I never want to revert back to before. To me, graduation marked the closure of one chapter of my life and Audacious marked the beginning of a long and exciting new chapter. Here I go...
It's been an interesting and exciting 2 years in Sheffield. I've changed my perception on many things while emphasising others. In that time, I've gone clubbing (somewhat), travelled quite a bit and got planted in an awesome church. I've learnt to tolerate certain things and gotten focused on my life.
Looking back, I can definitely feel different to when I first went over. In fact, I can say after the experience I gain in Sheffield, I never want to revert back to before. To me, graduation marked the closure of one chapter of my life and Audacious marked the beginning of a long and exciting new chapter. Here I go...
Assaulted
On Sunday the 31st of July, I got assaulted! Hehehe...
Basically, got a drunk who thought I was following him and got mad. The university's security services saw the whole incident, picked me up and called the police. According to the police, they can't arrest him because he has not physically harm me. So, fortunate for me, I'm perfectly fine!
Anyway, just though I'd write it down. That's all folks!
Basically, got a drunk who thought I was following him and got mad. The university's security services saw the whole incident, picked me up and called the police. According to the police, they can't arrest him because he has not physically harm me. So, fortunate for me, I'm perfectly fine!
Anyway, just though I'd write it down. That's all folks!
Thursday 25 August 2005
Ice Princess: Lessons
I watched Disney's Ice Princess last month and found it quite nice though the storyline was not to my liking (guess I prefer the traditional rise to glory story of falling down and starting again). Still, it was a nice movie. In a nutshell, the story is about Casey pursuing her dreams. It starts out with her doing an physics project based on figure skating and follows her as she gives up academic excellence to pursue her dream of being a figure skater.
What's interesting in this movie is the presence of two kinds of parents. Casey's mom has always put academic excellence above anything else. She sees getting a good degree as the ultimate dream; no matter what Casey's interest might be. Course, it helps that Casey is a straight A student. Casey's coach however pushes her own daughter to be a champion figure skater. In conclusion, we see 2 moms both pushing their respective daughters to achieving greatness while both daughters wanting otherwise.
While both moms only want the best for their daughters, neither actually knows what their own daughters want. As Casey says in the movie: "I'm giving up your dream, mom. I chasing after mine." Casey's mom only wanted the best for her daughter. But because she placed so much importance in good grades (since she believes that's the only way to a long, happy life), she has convinced herself that that's Casey's dream. However, as the movie shows, that's not true.
I find this very true in life. I have met quite a few people who end up doing a course just to get a degree. Some have even plan to branch out to something else all together after they graduated. Also, I have come to realize that all those examinations we work so hard for (SPM, PMR, UPSR, etc.) don't matter much other than to get you to the next level. Once you get to Form 4, PMR does not matter anymore for example. And yet, we work so hard to do extremely well in PMR as if our lives depended on it. That, I find, quite insane.
On the other hand, Casey's coach, former figure skater Tina Harwood, pushes her own daughter into becoming a champion figure skater. She reminds me of parents who put their children through any sports they show the smallest inkling for just in case they might be a prodigy. Of course, in this case, Tina and her daughter both know she's not very talented in figure skating.
The lesson that both mums learn is to listen to their daughters. And a lesson I can take from this is not to over stress the importance of one over the other. While I believe that academics makes life better, I do not believe it's vital. There are many examples of people who achieve their dreams and living happy lives without doing well academically. The same way I believe money does not buy happiness, I also believe getting a degree gives anyone anything. It's just a piece of paper, full stop. All it shows is that you have learn more about a certain subject compared to most people.
Don't get me wrong, I still believe education is important. But the way it's been stressed is just crazy. Tuitions for every subject, revision books by the dozens, question spotting, strategies for scoring that A... it's nuts. It's as if exams are a war to be won. One way Dictionary.com defines exams is "A set of questions or exercises testing knowledge or skill." The way I see it, exams should be a test of how much we know about a subject, not how well we can spot the questions coming out in it. The certificate we get is basically proof about how well we know those subjects.
During my time in Sheffield, I have learn to appreciate thoroughly learning something and knowing the basics. Many people have played down the importance of the first year subjects because we only need to pass them to get to the second year and they don't count towards our final grade. I disagree. If I hadn't completely understand and learn those subjects, I would have struggled very hard in the next 2 years. Those subjects were the foundation subjects. All the things I learnt later on were basically the same things I have already learnt except in different forms and in more depth.
I'll let you in on a little secret. Many a times, I have had friends come up to me, asking for my help with things they do not understand. At that time, I have not revised what they ask me but because I know the basics, I can use logic to explain it to them. From that, I know that understanding and memorising something is totally different. When you understand something, it becomes easier to remember it. Course, I still had to study it coz otherwise, it won't stick in my mind. =P
Another interesting lesson I caught is one many movies has shown in the past. It's the pursuit of dreams completely. Casey devoted all her time and energy towards achieving her goal, whether it was getting a good project or becoming a better figure skater. That's a valuable lesson for anyone.
Lastly, it nice to see a cheerleader and a couple of geeks can still mix together. Plus, the fact that Jen has been guiding Casey genuinely though she is strictly an opponent. Also, the 2 mums seem to be able to get along okay though they had have their differences. Overall, the movie has a very feel good manner to it though lacking in any real baddies plus having changing relationships between characters.
What's interesting in this movie is the presence of two kinds of parents. Casey's mom has always put academic excellence above anything else. She sees getting a good degree as the ultimate dream; no matter what Casey's interest might be. Course, it helps that Casey is a straight A student. Casey's coach however pushes her own daughter to be a champion figure skater. In conclusion, we see 2 moms both pushing their respective daughters to achieving greatness while both daughters wanting otherwise.
While both moms only want the best for their daughters, neither actually knows what their own daughters want. As Casey says in the movie: "I'm giving up your dream, mom. I chasing after mine." Casey's mom only wanted the best for her daughter. But because she placed so much importance in good grades (since she believes that's the only way to a long, happy life), she has convinced herself that that's Casey's dream. However, as the movie shows, that's not true.
I find this very true in life. I have met quite a few people who end up doing a course just to get a degree. Some have even plan to branch out to something else all together after they graduated. Also, I have come to realize that all those examinations we work so hard for (SPM, PMR, UPSR, etc.) don't matter much other than to get you to the next level. Once you get to Form 4, PMR does not matter anymore for example. And yet, we work so hard to do extremely well in PMR as if our lives depended on it. That, I find, quite insane.
On the other hand, Casey's coach, former figure skater Tina Harwood, pushes her own daughter into becoming a champion figure skater. She reminds me of parents who put their children through any sports they show the smallest inkling for just in case they might be a prodigy. Of course, in this case, Tina and her daughter both know she's not very talented in figure skating.
The lesson that both mums learn is to listen to their daughters. And a lesson I can take from this is not to over stress the importance of one over the other. While I believe that academics makes life better, I do not believe it's vital. There are many examples of people who achieve their dreams and living happy lives without doing well academically. The same way I believe money does not buy happiness, I also believe getting a degree gives anyone anything. It's just a piece of paper, full stop. All it shows is that you have learn more about a certain subject compared to most people.
Don't get me wrong, I still believe education is important. But the way it's been stressed is just crazy. Tuitions for every subject, revision books by the dozens, question spotting, strategies for scoring that A... it's nuts. It's as if exams are a war to be won. One way Dictionary.com defines exams is "A set of questions or exercises testing knowledge or skill." The way I see it, exams should be a test of how much we know about a subject, not how well we can spot the questions coming out in it. The certificate we get is basically proof about how well we know those subjects.
During my time in Sheffield, I have learn to appreciate thoroughly learning something and knowing the basics. Many people have played down the importance of the first year subjects because we only need to pass them to get to the second year and they don't count towards our final grade. I disagree. If I hadn't completely understand and learn those subjects, I would have struggled very hard in the next 2 years. Those subjects were the foundation subjects. All the things I learnt later on were basically the same things I have already learnt except in different forms and in more depth.
I'll let you in on a little secret. Many a times, I have had friends come up to me, asking for my help with things they do not understand. At that time, I have not revised what they ask me but because I know the basics, I can use logic to explain it to them. From that, I know that understanding and memorising something is totally different. When you understand something, it becomes easier to remember it. Course, I still had to study it coz otherwise, it won't stick in my mind. =P
Another interesting lesson I caught is one many movies has shown in the past. It's the pursuit of dreams completely. Casey devoted all her time and energy towards achieving her goal, whether it was getting a good project or becoming a better figure skater. That's a valuable lesson for anyone.
Lastly, it nice to see a cheerleader and a couple of geeks can still mix together. Plus, the fact that Jen has been guiding Casey genuinely though she is strictly an opponent. Also, the 2 mums seem to be able to get along okay though they had have their differences. Overall, the movie has a very feel good manner to it though lacking in any real baddies plus having changing relationships between characters.
Friday 5 August 2005
Audacious!
From the 30th of July till the 3rd of August, a conference called Audacious was held in Ice Sheffield. It's more than a conference, it's a revolution. And I was part of it, not only as a delegate but also as a volunteer.
For as long as I can remember, my church has been hyping up Audacious. Everyone who talks about it says it's really good and not to be missed. Kinda makes you wonder whether it can live up to the hype, doesn't it? Plus, it cost me 90 pounds and I heard that not many people from my church signed up for it.
Well, now that I've experience it for myself, I can definitely tell you that it's not only lives up to the hype, but exceeds it. The experience and the knowledge that I gain from it is priceless. Now, I'll probably be one of those who will hype up next year's Audacious which will be held in 2 cities, one after another! Woohoo!!
Let me just say this, the entire conference just got better, and better. It started on Saturday night and Glyn was speaking. I forgot my notepad so I couldn't take notes but his preach was powerful. The next day was awesome as well. Mark Ritchie spoke during the night session and he was so funny! Anyone who wasn't laughing at some point during his preach couldn't have been listening to him.
Monday morning, Clive Urquhart shared a powerful message and then we broke into groups for seminars. The night speaker was Andy Elmes who shared a powerful and funny message on Gideon. He shared another, equally powerful message the next morning. That night's speaker was Russ Evans. He preached a very good message in the morning already but the message he had for the night session just blows my mind. It was so great, I thought that that was the climax of Audacious and that tomorrow would be a sort of winding down session.
Boy, was I wrong. Russ Evans and Dave Gilpin preached in the morning and both messages were equally awesome. And then came the final session with Russ Evans. His message that night was incredibly moving and definitely made Audacious end on a high.
Throughout the entire 5 days, the sessions just got better and better, the worship also went from better to better and the entertainment also went from strength to strength. The whole experience was so excellent in so many ways, I can't name highlight. Audacious is basically the highlight for me. For once, I can't think of a single time during Audacious that was bad. I really can't, no joke.
It was awesome participating in the sessions. Equally awesome was helping out in the accomodation team. It was a little boring and tiring standing along the route marked out for the delegates but it's so good helping out. A small girl even gave me a candy on the 3rd night! How much cooler can it get?
I also tried reverse bungee. For those who have no idea on what it is (which included me until I saw the monster contraption!), they basically strap you in a small cage and then launch you into the sky like a catapult. Only thing is, the ropes will hold you and instead of flying off into the sky, you get pulled back down to the ground. The ride was cool, the view from up there was great but the 'best' view is when the ball rotates you so you're looking at the ground, you're off the chair so you have a weightless feeling (plus feeling like there's nothing holding on to you!) and you start dropping like a stone. Heh.
Audacious stands out for me in another way as well. In my case, I never knew what was coming up next in Audacious until moments before it was to happen. I only found out about what I was doing on the accomodation team the night before the event. I didn't plan my afternoon free time but still end up doing something good. I did the reverse bungee without even knowing how it is like. And last of all, some of the speakers were changed at the last minute as well. What's so mind-blowing is that the best time of my life was done almost completely ad hoc.
In many ways, I feel Audacious is my 'graduation' into what God has in store for me next. He has closed a chapter of my life and has open the next one. The first 3 days of Audacious, He pointed me in the right direction, the last 2, He changed and equipped me to take the next step. From this moment, I can go forth and claim the future that God has promised for me with confidence.
P.S. Though I did say in my Round Up I had some posts left to post, it's highly likely that it's never going to be posted. Everything I wanted to say in those posts have been summed up by this one.
For as long as I can remember, my church has been hyping up Audacious. Everyone who talks about it says it's really good and not to be missed. Kinda makes you wonder whether it can live up to the hype, doesn't it? Plus, it cost me 90 pounds and I heard that not many people from my church signed up for it.
Well, now that I've experience it for myself, I can definitely tell you that it's not only lives up to the hype, but exceeds it. The experience and the knowledge that I gain from it is priceless. Now, I'll probably be one of those who will hype up next year's Audacious which will be held in 2 cities, one after another! Woohoo!!
Let me just say this, the entire conference just got better, and better. It started on Saturday night and Glyn was speaking. I forgot my notepad so I couldn't take notes but his preach was powerful. The next day was awesome as well. Mark Ritchie spoke during the night session and he was so funny! Anyone who wasn't laughing at some point during his preach couldn't have been listening to him.
Monday morning, Clive Urquhart shared a powerful message and then we broke into groups for seminars. The night speaker was Andy Elmes who shared a powerful and funny message on Gideon. He shared another, equally powerful message the next morning. That night's speaker was Russ Evans. He preached a very good message in the morning already but the message he had for the night session just blows my mind. It was so great, I thought that that was the climax of Audacious and that tomorrow would be a sort of winding down session.
Boy, was I wrong. Russ Evans and Dave Gilpin preached in the morning and both messages were equally awesome. And then came the final session with Russ Evans. His message that night was incredibly moving and definitely made Audacious end on a high.
Throughout the entire 5 days, the sessions just got better and better, the worship also went from better to better and the entertainment also went from strength to strength. The whole experience was so excellent in so many ways, I can't name highlight. Audacious is basically the highlight for me. For once, I can't think of a single time during Audacious that was bad. I really can't, no joke.
It was awesome participating in the sessions. Equally awesome was helping out in the accomodation team. It was a little boring and tiring standing along the route marked out for the delegates but it's so good helping out. A small girl even gave me a candy on the 3rd night! How much cooler can it get?
I also tried reverse bungee. For those who have no idea on what it is (which included me until I saw the monster contraption!), they basically strap you in a small cage and then launch you into the sky like a catapult. Only thing is, the ropes will hold you and instead of flying off into the sky, you get pulled back down to the ground. The ride was cool, the view from up there was great but the 'best' view is when the ball rotates you so you're looking at the ground, you're off the chair so you have a weightless feeling (plus feeling like there's nothing holding on to you!) and you start dropping like a stone. Heh.
Audacious stands out for me in another way as well. In my case, I never knew what was coming up next in Audacious until moments before it was to happen. I only found out about what I was doing on the accomodation team the night before the event. I didn't plan my afternoon free time but still end up doing something good. I did the reverse bungee without even knowing how it is like. And last of all, some of the speakers were changed at the last minute as well. What's so mind-blowing is that the best time of my life was done almost completely ad hoc.
In many ways, I feel Audacious is my 'graduation' into what God has in store for me next. He has closed a chapter of my life and has open the next one. The first 3 days of Audacious, He pointed me in the right direction, the last 2, He changed and equipped me to take the next step. From this moment, I can go forth and claim the future that God has promised for me with confidence.
P.S. Though I did say in my Round Up I had some posts left to post, it's highly likely that it's never going to be posted. Everything I wanted to say in those posts have been summed up by this one.
Graduation
This is a summary of all events from my last post until graduation. Events after graduation is wayyy too long and wayyyy more important to put in this.
Right, off we go! My parents arrived on Thursday, the 14th of July. Interestingly, a lot of parents were arriving on the same flight. Seems any flight after that will be more expensive. Hhahaha... we, the students all blur....
On Friday, we went to STA to book a trip up to Scotland but unluckily (or as I see it, a blessing in disguise) Tiger Woods was up there for a tournament. So, ALL the hotels were fully booked. Aishh... But, as I said, it's good in a way also coz could bring my parents see more places and they manage to visit my church!
Anyway, we spent Friday just shopping in the city centre. On Saturday, went to Liverpool to visit the Beatle's Museum. They provided a speaker thingy that narrates each part of the museum as you go along it. So you can follow the life story of the Beatle's at your own leisure pace. After that, we took the right bus but in the wrong direction so ended up having a bus journey to nowhere. Due to that, couldn't go to Anfield but then again, the only stadium worth visiting would be Old Trafford!! Hahahaaha.... Anyways, in the end just went to see the Chinatown arch and then went back. That arch is suppose to be the biggest arch outside of China.
On Sunday, took my parents to Hope City Church! They found it okay which is good. Then, took them on a tram ride all the way to Halfway and back. For the non-Sheffieldians (is that even a word?) Halfway is the one of the 5 end points on the tram line. It was a nice ride since it's up the hilll. You can see over a lot of Sheffield from there.
We went to Manchester the next day. Only went to Old Trafford since there's nothing else of interest that I know of there. Walked throught the Museum and took a guided tour around the stadium. Very informative. Even manage to buy some knick knacks.
Tuesday, went to York. We first went to the York Cathedral. It was a very good trip because they had a free tour inside. Finally, I knew what is there to see in a cathedral. Plus, York Cathedral has a very fascinating history. We then had a quick lunch and then went to Clifford Tower. The tower used to be part of a castle built there long, long ago (duh!). After that, we walked on the City walls (not beside it, really on it!) back to the train station. Had a little time before the next train so we also visited the Railway Museum nearby. It was near closing time bt since it's free admission, we went for it anyways. Got to see the Bullet Train so it was good.
On Wednesday, I took them to see my university and did a little shopping. Nothing much. And then Thursday was the graduation. The ceremony itself was quite short, only an hour and a half long. Spent the rest of the time taking photos with friends and parents all around the union and at Firth Park.
Went back to the Union the next day to take pictures with the law graduate friends. Then, went with my parents to Manchester Airport and sent them off. Met a friend there though. And that's what has been happening until graduation! Next post: Audacious!
Right, off we go! My parents arrived on Thursday, the 14th of July. Interestingly, a lot of parents were arriving on the same flight. Seems any flight after that will be more expensive. Hhahaha... we, the students all blur....
On Friday, we went to STA to book a trip up to Scotland but unluckily (or as I see it, a blessing in disguise) Tiger Woods was up there for a tournament. So, ALL the hotels were fully booked. Aishh... But, as I said, it's good in a way also coz could bring my parents see more places and they manage to visit my church!
Anyway, we spent Friday just shopping in the city centre. On Saturday, went to Liverpool to visit the Beatle's Museum. They provided a speaker thingy that narrates each part of the museum as you go along it. So you can follow the life story of the Beatle's at your own leisure pace. After that, we took the right bus but in the wrong direction so ended up having a bus journey to nowhere. Due to that, couldn't go to Anfield but then again, the only stadium worth visiting would be Old Trafford!! Hahahaaha.... Anyways, in the end just went to see the Chinatown arch and then went back. That arch is suppose to be the biggest arch outside of China.
On Sunday, took my parents to Hope City Church! They found it okay which is good. Then, took them on a tram ride all the way to Halfway and back. For the non-Sheffieldians (is that even a word?) Halfway is the one of the 5 end points on the tram line. It was a nice ride since it's up the hilll. You can see over a lot of Sheffield from there.
We went to Manchester the next day. Only went to Old Trafford since there's nothing else of interest that I know of there. Walked throught the Museum and took a guided tour around the stadium. Very informative. Even manage to buy some knick knacks.
Tuesday, went to York. We first went to the York Cathedral. It was a very good trip because they had a free tour inside. Finally, I knew what is there to see in a cathedral. Plus, York Cathedral has a very fascinating history. We then had a quick lunch and then went to Clifford Tower. The tower used to be part of a castle built there long, long ago (duh!). After that, we walked on the City walls (not beside it, really on it!) back to the train station. Had a little time before the next train so we also visited the Railway Museum nearby. It was near closing time bt since it's free admission, we went for it anyways. Got to see the Bullet Train so it was good.
On Wednesday, I took them to see my university and did a little shopping. Nothing much. And then Thursday was the graduation. The ceremony itself was quite short, only an hour and a half long. Spent the rest of the time taking photos with friends and parents all around the union and at Firth Park.
Went back to the Union the next day to take pictures with the law graduate friends. Then, went with my parents to Manchester Airport and sent them off. Met a friend there though. And that's what has been happening until graduation! Next post: Audacious!
Sunday 10 July 2005
Round Up
Well, sort of unofficial because I have yet to blog about a quote I heard, lessons from Ice Princess and the influences which made me who I am today. Also been wanting to blog about the things I have learnt here but that can wait till I have left.
But other than those, I have pretty much finish off all the blogging posts I have delayed. It's weird that there was no post for 1 month+ then suddenly 15 posts in 9 days. Still, hopefully this doesn't happen again.
Next week, my parents are going to be down and we'll be travelling so probably no new posts till the 24th. But, will tell about my travels and my graduation day after that. And maybe, also post up the 3 that I want to. But, till then, enjoy the posts!! And I hope to see more comments and/or tagboard messages. Too quiet hehehee....
But other than those, I have pretty much finish off all the blogging posts I have delayed. It's weird that there was no post for 1 month+ then suddenly 15 posts in 9 days. Still, hopefully this doesn't happen again.
Next week, my parents are going to be down and we'll be travelling so probably no new posts till the 24th. But, will tell about my travels and my graduation day after that. And maybe, also post up the 3 that I want to. But, till then, enjoy the posts!! And I hope to see more comments and/or tagboard messages. Too quiet hehehee....
The music preference tag
From Ee-lin. Saw it a month ago but due to my lazyness procrastinating "business", only got round to it today.
Total volume of music files on my PC:
390 songs. Cleared quite a lot recently, more to go. Plus a few more to come. Wahahaha...
The last CD i bought:
Pop Shuvit's Take It and Shuvit. They're the best! Not the last though, going to probably buy a few more within the next month or so...
Song playing right now:
None actually. In IT lab, no real mood to listen. But the next song I'll be playing will probably be Evan & Jaron's Crazy For This Girl. Why? Coz it's the next song in my playlist. Hehe...
5 songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me:
Actually, hard to choose coz I listen to all the songs quite equally. But since you asked...
Come On You Reds (Manchester United)
- Manchester United theme. Would say the Glory Glory United one but that's too common...
Heart Of Worship (Passion)
- Reminds me of my sins and how much I need God.
Majesty (Here I Am) (Delirious?)
- the song I heard when watching clip from The Passion Of Christ. Really moved me that time. Not sure if it's the song or the clips but hey, it works either way...
Semi Charmed Life (Third Eye Blind)
- Just a very upbeat song.
Same Direction (Hoobastank)
- Kinda talks about life and how everyone seems to be doing the same thing. Blogged about it once before.
Five people to whom i'm passing the baton:
Wen-liang, Dave Teoh, Hong Leong, Winnie and Weng Sing.
Total volume of music files on my PC:
390 songs. Cleared quite a lot recently, more to go. Plus a few more to come. Wahahaha...
The last CD i bought:
Pop Shuvit's Take It and Shuvit. They're the best! Not the last though, going to probably buy a few more within the next month or so...
Song playing right now:
None actually. In IT lab, no real mood to listen. But the next song I'll be playing will probably be Evan & Jaron's Crazy For This Girl. Why? Coz it's the next song in my playlist. Hehe...
5 songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me:
Actually, hard to choose coz I listen to all the songs quite equally. But since you asked...
Come On You Reds (Manchester United)
- Manchester United theme. Would say the Glory Glory United one but that's too common...
Heart Of Worship (Passion)
- Reminds me of my sins and how much I need God.
Majesty (Here I Am) (Delirious?)
- the song I heard when watching clip from The Passion Of Christ. Really moved me that time. Not sure if it's the song or the clips but hey, it works either way...
Semi Charmed Life (Third Eye Blind)
- Just a very upbeat song.
Same Direction (Hoobastank)
- Kinda talks about life and how everyone seems to be doing the same thing. Blogged about it once before.
Five people to whom i'm passing the baton:
Wen-liang, Dave Teoh, Hong Leong, Winnie and Weng Sing.
A week of events.
Phew, glad the week's over. Oh wait, it's not! NNNOOOOooooooo....!!!!
Monday, learn the meaning behind cannot move a muscle. I literaly could not stand up! It took all my energy just to sit up on the bed.
Tuesday, I was dusty, sweaty (as usual) added with completely wet and having paint on me. Dumb rain... Oh! I also learnt I have a slight fear of heights plus experiencing having my nerves totally shot. When painting a wall, had to stand on a ladder to reach the high parts. Let me just say, it's very unnerving standing on top of a ladder that's not completely sturdy and hearing the outside door banging shut everytime someone opens it. Couldn't finish painting coz could not concentrate. In fact, for the next hour or so, every door shutting made me jump.
Wednesday, went for the last powerhouse ever. Coz next year it's Connect groups! Well, nothing much happened except it was Shu En's birthday. Also played some observation games, the kind seniors love to play at Christian camps back in secondary school. At least they tell the answers to this ones...
Thursday, had a mini Halifax gathering. That's it actually.
Friday, watched "The Man with the Golden Gun" on ITV.
Today, blogged. Tomorrow, church and lunch outing. Life is busy...
Monday, learn the meaning behind cannot move a muscle. I literaly could not stand up! It took all my energy just to sit up on the bed.
Tuesday, I was dusty, sweaty (as usual) added with completely wet and having paint on me. Dumb rain... Oh! I also learnt I have a slight fear of heights plus experiencing having my nerves totally shot. When painting a wall, had to stand on a ladder to reach the high parts. Let me just say, it's very unnerving standing on top of a ladder that's not completely sturdy and hearing the outside door banging shut everytime someone opens it. Couldn't finish painting coz could not concentrate. In fact, for the next hour or so, every door shutting made me jump.
Wednesday, went for the last powerhouse ever. Coz next year it's Connect groups! Well, nothing much happened except it was Shu En's birthday. Also played some observation games, the kind seniors love to play at Christian camps back in secondary school. At least they tell the answers to this ones...
Thursday, had a mini Halifax gathering. That's it actually.
Friday, watched "The Man with the Golden Gun" on ITV.
Today, blogged. Tomorrow, church and lunch outing. Life is busy...
Saturday 9 July 2005
Balancing Life
I have observed a lot about life and one thing that has been consistent is how life is always a balance. It's always too much of a good thing. Never have I found something that's better the more you get it.
Food is a good example. Chocolate can be good for your skin but in small doses. Alcohol and drugs have their medicinal usages but we all know how misuse of it can be dangerous. In the same way, soya is also good but too much and it becomes bad. Also, a balance diet includes various kinds of food that makes up the total nutrition needs of a human. Also, nutrients such as fat and carbo are actually good for you but only if you need it. Since most humans nowadays spend all day on chairs, that's why people tend to avoid them.
Another good example is ethics. Being humble is good but being too humble usually means you have low self-esteem which isn't good. You have to speak up to be heard but too loud and you become annoying. Actually, I'm beginning to suspect some people go over to the bad side coz doing good is actually quite hard what with trying to balance between underdoing it and overdoing it.
In fact, even the things we build are never completely perfect. They might serve a certain purpose but don't perform very well in other conditions. 4 wheel drives can handle extreme terrain but most can't go very fast. The racing cars that go faster in 1st gear than most cars can't handle even normal roads. So it's a case of ruggedness vs speed. Then in the world of F1 racing, speed rules. But you need the necessary downforce to take corners easily. But, downforce slows the car down. So it's downforce vs speed.
And so on for a lot of things. Kinda makes life difficult in a way but also very interesting. Imagine if life leaned to one side of the spectrum. Everyone would aim to be there and everything would be the same! The horror of it all!
But, life isn't like that. We all have to find a perfect balance for ourselves in everything we do. And that's what makes each of us unique. In some ways, this makes a seemingly imperfect world, seem actually quite perfect. And personally, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Food is a good example. Chocolate can be good for your skin but in small doses. Alcohol and drugs have their medicinal usages but we all know how misuse of it can be dangerous. In the same way, soya is also good but too much and it becomes bad. Also, a balance diet includes various kinds of food that makes up the total nutrition needs of a human. Also, nutrients such as fat and carbo are actually good for you but only if you need it. Since most humans nowadays spend all day on chairs, that's why people tend to avoid them.
Another good example is ethics. Being humble is good but being too humble usually means you have low self-esteem which isn't good. You have to speak up to be heard but too loud and you become annoying. Actually, I'm beginning to suspect some people go over to the bad side coz doing good is actually quite hard what with trying to balance between underdoing it and overdoing it.
In fact, even the things we build are never completely perfect. They might serve a certain purpose but don't perform very well in other conditions. 4 wheel drives can handle extreme terrain but most can't go very fast. The racing cars that go faster in 1st gear than most cars can't handle even normal roads. So it's a case of ruggedness vs speed. Then in the world of F1 racing, speed rules. But you need the necessary downforce to take corners easily. But, downforce slows the car down. So it's downforce vs speed.
And so on for a lot of things. Kinda makes life difficult in a way but also very interesting. Imagine if life leaned to one side of the spectrum. Everyone would aim to be there and everything would be the same! The horror of it all!
But, life isn't like that. We all have to find a perfect balance for ourselves in everything we do. And that's what makes each of us unique. In some ways, this makes a seemingly imperfect world, seem actually quite perfect. And personally, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Tuesday 5 July 2005
14 hours sleep
Fresh from a 1 hour sleep on Saturday night, I ended up sleep for 14 straight hours on Sunday night. After dinner, I went straight to sleep which was about 12. Unbelievably, I could not wake up the next morning. I actually woke up at 11 but I just could NOT get up. It took me all of my strength just to stand up! Regretfully, that meant I had to skip helping in church today. Haihzz....
Not a bad landmark. Set my minimum sleep time (it's at night, it's still sleep hehe...) and then set my maximum sleeping time. Good night people...
P.S. Yes, I know I was suppose to have only 5 posts up but with all the new posts coming in fast and furious, I've run out of options.
Not a bad landmark. Set my minimum sleep time (it's at night, it's still sleep hehe...) and then set my maximum sleeping time. Good night people...
P.S. Yes, I know I was suppose to have only 5 posts up but with all the new posts coming in fast and furious, I've run out of options.
Monday 4 July 2005
Strange Sunday
Today, I slept a record minimum of only 1 hour. That's right ladies and gentlemen, I stayed up almost the entire night mostly blogging and getting back in touch with some distant friends. Went back home at 9 and took a nap from 9.30 till 10.30. Then, took a shower and off to church!
Church today was excellent. Pastor Jenny started a series of talks about staying put with God. Today basically was talking about integrity and sticking by them. Finally found a reason to why I abhor smoking and alcohol. It really WAS about the principle (more on me and alcohol later).
Throughout the entire service, I actually felt a little light on my feet. In fact, I was probably having an adrenaline rush. That was NOT a reaction I expected. You'd think I'd be more tired and yawny but no... felt more like ready to go bungee jumping. But the message was good and I manage to get through the service as if I had enough sleep. (course, I did have a really good sleep the night before and that could be the reason I'm ok)
And after the service, there's the customary chatting and waiting. Usually, I'm quite happy just standing around and catching up with people I know. Today, I boldly went where I normally wouldn't go... be my cheeky self. Yes, I actually did something that ruin my good boy reputation most girls seem to think of me. Reflecting back, I probably was more open today then I can remember.
It's weird because as far as I remember, I'm only like that at home. With friends, not so much though the wisecracks are there. Among church friends, I'm even quieter, mostly coz most of what I think up is not appropiate for media. Heh.
I don't really know why exactly I'm so shy. Partly because I'm afraid some of the things I think up are not quite appropiate. Partly because I'm afraid I might sound too bossy. Partly because I fear rejection.
Somehow, these fears have always made me more withdrawn. I tend to stick in the background and keep my distance. That way I can be quite sure I'm not stepping on anyone's toes (figuratively speaking) and that I don't offend anyone. I've only just come to realize that this mentality is not right and it's something I'd like to change soon.
I can at least give a reason why I was suddenly a little bolder today. I say a little, because I know I can be more daring than that. One thing I realize is that when I'm tired, the first thing I lose is all the negative thoughts and shyness. A good example is while I was helping around the Megacentre. When I'm tired out, I'd stop worrying whether I'm overstepping any boundaries or not behaving appropiately. My mind is only consumed with getting the job done and that helps me perform faster and reach my actual limit. Same reason, those negative thoughts just somehow did not exist today.
Usually when I've recovered, I'd be terribly embarrassed but so far... I'm still numb. It's actually made this day quite good actually. Now if these continues....
MUAHAHAHAHAHahahahahahahaa....
Church today was excellent. Pastor Jenny started a series of talks about staying put with God. Today basically was talking about integrity and sticking by them. Finally found a reason to why I abhor smoking and alcohol. It really WAS about the principle (more on me and alcohol later).
Throughout the entire service, I actually felt a little light on my feet. In fact, I was probably having an adrenaline rush. That was NOT a reaction I expected. You'd think I'd be more tired and yawny but no... felt more like ready to go bungee jumping. But the message was good and I manage to get through the service as if I had enough sleep. (course, I did have a really good sleep the night before and that could be the reason I'm ok)
And after the service, there's the customary chatting and waiting. Usually, I'm quite happy just standing around and catching up with people I know. Today, I boldly went where I normally wouldn't go... be my cheeky self. Yes, I actually did something that ruin my good boy reputation most girls seem to think of me. Reflecting back, I probably was more open today then I can remember.
It's weird because as far as I remember, I'm only like that at home. With friends, not so much though the wisecracks are there. Among church friends, I'm even quieter, mostly coz most of what I think up is not appropiate for media. Heh.
I don't really know why exactly I'm so shy. Partly because I'm afraid some of the things I think up are not quite appropiate. Partly because I'm afraid I might sound too bossy. Partly because I fear rejection.
Somehow, these fears have always made me more withdrawn. I tend to stick in the background and keep my distance. That way I can be quite sure I'm not stepping on anyone's toes (figuratively speaking) and that I don't offend anyone. I've only just come to realize that this mentality is not right and it's something I'd like to change soon.
I can at least give a reason why I was suddenly a little bolder today. I say a little, because I know I can be more daring than that. One thing I realize is that when I'm tired, the first thing I lose is all the negative thoughts and shyness. A good example is while I was helping around the Megacentre. When I'm tired out, I'd stop worrying whether I'm overstepping any boundaries or not behaving appropiately. My mind is only consumed with getting the job done and that helps me perform faster and reach my actual limit. Same reason, those negative thoughts just somehow did not exist today.
Usually when I've recovered, I'd be terribly embarrassed but so far... I'm still numb. It's actually made this day quite good actually. Now if these continues....
MUAHAHAHAHAHahahahahahahaa....
Sunday 3 July 2005
Homeless (30th June 2005)
This day was the last day of my current accomodation contract. By 12pm, we had to move out and give back the keys to the apartment. No worries about shifting bags and boxes as we rented the apartment next door for a whole month. For those who wonder why we didn't then rented back the same apartment, it's because all contracts in Portland Towers is a 12-month contract and the new tenants in our apartment are moving in straight away. By contrast, the next door tenants are enjoying the summer away from Sheffield so we can 'tumpang' temporarily.
Actually, this arrangements is quite good. All my housemates previously wanted to rent this apartment but got beaten to it by another group. So, at least they have the chance to live in it for a month. And after seeing the new apartment, I can see clearly the difference. It's soooo much more better! The place seem cozier, the furniture are bigger and the living room and kitchen together are nearly double the size of their counterpart back in the old apartment.
Though there's no internet, it's not a problem since we are nearby the IT centre in Mappin (the Engineering department).
The only problem was that the new contract starts on the 1st of July. That means, I would have to spend the night somewhere. My original plan was to pull an all-nighter in the IT centre. At least that would help me get some internet things settled such as Graduation issues, blogging posts and mostly, catching up on news on the internet. It does mean I would be homeless for almost a day.
However, the night before the big move, the 3 of us who were planning the all-nighter got a bit of good news. Our friends at Victoria Hall had 2 rooms free due to friends being on holiday. They wouldn't be back either since the Vic Hall contract ends on the 1st of July anyways. So, we got 2 beds to share for the night! In fact, it was 3 since another friend stayed over at her new place that night.
In the end, we brought over a duvet/sleeping bag/bedsheet for each of us and spend the night there. Well, actually we only slept at nearly 5 till about 11 since we stayed quite long in the IT centre anyways.
Actually, this arrangements is quite good. All my housemates previously wanted to rent this apartment but got beaten to it by another group. So, at least they have the chance to live in it for a month. And after seeing the new apartment, I can see clearly the difference. It's soooo much more better! The place seem cozier, the furniture are bigger and the living room and kitchen together are nearly double the size of their counterpart back in the old apartment.
Though there's no internet, it's not a problem since we are nearby the IT centre in Mappin (the Engineering department).
The only problem was that the new contract starts on the 1st of July. That means, I would have to spend the night somewhere. My original plan was to pull an all-nighter in the IT centre. At least that would help me get some internet things settled such as Graduation issues, blogging posts and mostly, catching up on news on the internet. It does mean I would be homeless for almost a day.
However, the night before the big move, the 3 of us who were planning the all-nighter got a bit of good news. Our friends at Victoria Hall had 2 rooms free due to friends being on holiday. They wouldn't be back either since the Vic Hall contract ends on the 1st of July anyways. So, we got 2 beds to share for the night! In fact, it was 3 since another friend stayed over at her new place that night.
In the end, we brought over a duvet/sleeping bag/bedsheet for each of us and spend the night there. Well, actually we only slept at nearly 5 till about 11 since we stayed quite long in the IT centre anyways.
Thursday 23 June 2005
Break up (3rd July 2005)
Well, this is a post just to clear up any gossips and rumours that anyone has. I got into a relationship back in early December. It actually lasted till the above date, making it 6 months and almost 3 weeks. Simply put, the secrecy was coz we were both not very comfortable about telling others yet but it's over now. And that's all to it.
Thursday 16 June 2005
Volunteer Cleaner (3rd July 2005)
On that day, I started helping out in the church, cleaning it. Basically, I come in 10am - 4pm every weekday and vacumn the office corridors and rooms, clean the windows on the doors (all that fingerprint stains...), clean toilets and mop floors. Oh! I also empty the bins in all the offices.
Ironically, I'm cleaning around the church though my own room is not so well maintained. Better still, I sort of volunteered to do all this. Heh.
Well, it's actually quite nice and quite exciting seeing how the church operates. Also, I'm learning to sleep earlier and hopefully, becoming stronger. Cleaning is hard work! Pretty much tired out everytime I get back. Also, this gives me a whole new appreciation for the things a cleaner has to do.
Ironically, I'm cleaning around the church though my own room is not so well maintained. Better still, I sort of volunteered to do all this. Heh.
Well, it's actually quite nice and quite exciting seeing how the church operates. Also, I'm learning to sleep earlier and hopefully, becoming stronger. Cleaning is hard work! Pretty much tired out everytime I get back. Also, this gives me a whole new appreciation for the things a cleaner has to do.
Saturday 11 June 2005
Exam results (3rd July 2005)
I got my provisional result on that day and unless something extraordinary happens, I'll be graduating with a 2.1 (second upper) degree. Technically, this means an average of 60 to 70% but in my case, my average was 58.3%. According to the 3rd year supervisor, the examination board examined my results and my past results and decided that I'm worthy of the promotion to 2.1.
Personally, I'm quite happy and relieved to get a quite good degree since I did slack off for my 2nd and 3rd year. But because I did slack off, there will always be the sense of disappointment that I could have done much, much better. If I had worked hard, I probably would have gotten a 1st class. Or at the very least, I would not have to worry about failing or not getting a degree in the week between the end of exams and the results coming out. Also, I definitely won't appreciate the degree because I did not deserve it.
This is my personal example for all those who always said being smart is good enough. True, I did better than some who worked harder than me, but it's not something I'll ever be proud of or be satisfied with. Having felt both ends of the spectrum, I think I can safely say I'd rather fail knowing I did my best than to do well without working hard. It's like getting a present for doing nothing. You won't appreciate it and it'll probably be something best forgotten. Not something I'd like to say about my degree.
Oh! And if anyone says there are those who would really wish they could get my kind off degree, I would be happy to give it to them. I'd rather earn a lower degree than get a high degree that's not earnt.
Oh well, looking on the bright side, I have manage to put some of my own philosophy to the test and I'm quite happy to say, I do live up to my words. Though there was that worry of failing, I stuck to my philosophy that it's over with and there's nothing I can do about it. So, I never worried about my results but only discuss it when someone brings up the subject. As a result, I had quite a good time that week.
Also, this also proves that smartness does help quite a bit but in the long run, it's not the done deal. Also, hard work is much preferable since it won't leave a sense of disappointment or a bad taste in the mouth in the end.
I also realize how valuable that first year back in Taylor's was. Though it wasn't valuable academically (at least, not much), it was extremely precious to me doing well enough to earn the push to the 2.1. Many a times I find myself being able to explain notes to my friends though I have not gone through them myself. In fact, I can put the reasons behind my lower results due to
This is also motivation for me not to procrastinate anymore. Partly why I failed to study was the failure to get started until it was too late. (Note: still having problems in this area but hopefully, it's something I can discipline soon).
All in all, this degree has taught me a lot of lessons, all of which are invaluable. Course, I wouldn't have wished for it but I'm not really wishing that it'll go away either.
Personally, I'm quite happy and relieved to get a quite good degree since I did slack off for my 2nd and 3rd year. But because I did slack off, there will always be the sense of disappointment that I could have done much, much better. If I had worked hard, I probably would have gotten a 1st class. Or at the very least, I would not have to worry about failing or not getting a degree in the week between the end of exams and the results coming out. Also, I definitely won't appreciate the degree because I did not deserve it.
This is my personal example for all those who always said being smart is good enough. True, I did better than some who worked harder than me, but it's not something I'll ever be proud of or be satisfied with. Having felt both ends of the spectrum, I think I can safely say I'd rather fail knowing I did my best than to do well without working hard. It's like getting a present for doing nothing. You won't appreciate it and it'll probably be something best forgotten. Not something I'd like to say about my degree.
Oh! And if anyone says there are those who would really wish they could get my kind off degree, I would be happy to give it to them. I'd rather earn a lower degree than get a high degree that's not earnt.
Oh well, looking on the bright side, I have manage to put some of my own philosophy to the test and I'm quite happy to say, I do live up to my words. Though there was that worry of failing, I stuck to my philosophy that it's over with and there's nothing I can do about it. So, I never worried about my results but only discuss it when someone brings up the subject. As a result, I had quite a good time that week.
Also, this also proves that smartness does help quite a bit but in the long run, it's not the done deal. Also, hard work is much preferable since it won't leave a sense of disappointment or a bad taste in the mouth in the end.
I also realize how valuable that first year back in Taylor's was. Though it wasn't valuable academically (at least, not much), it was extremely precious to me doing well enough to earn the push to the 2.1. Many a times I find myself being able to explain notes to my friends though I have not gone through them myself. In fact, I can put the reasons behind my lower results due to
- cannot remember the right points/formulas to use in the situation
- not having time because was solving problems slower as it's not second nature to me
This is also motivation for me not to procrastinate anymore. Partly why I failed to study was the failure to get started until it was too late. (Note: still having problems in this area but hopefully, it's something I can discipline soon).
All in all, this degree has taught me a lot of lessons, all of which are invaluable. Course, I wouldn't have wished for it but I'm not really wishing that it'll go away either.
Monday 6 June 2005
Miracle! (3rd July 2005)
As of June, I had only about £70+ to spend for the entire month. This was due to a large sum of my money being stuck in a High Interest Savings Account (HISA). For those who don't know it, HISA is a cross between a savings account and a fixed deposit. You can put money in at any time but it requires 60 days notice to take any money out or else a fee will be charged.
As I said, a bulk of my money was stuck in such an account but I wasn't too worried because most of it is going to be withdrawn soon. My biggest issue was closing the account as 60 days from the 6th was the 5th of August, the date I'm flying back.
When I got to the bank, I set out to close the account. To my surprise and delight, the bank just changed their policy on that account! I can now withdraw the money as and when I want to! In other words the HISA is now like my savings account but with a higher interest!
The miracle of it is, HSBC changed that policy that very morning! So, if I had gone the friday before as I originally planned, I would have ended up with less money for the next few days and having money stuck till my flight date. Now, I miraculously have all the money at my disposal and still get quite a sum from the interest. God really works in mysterious ways... ^_^
As I said, a bulk of my money was stuck in such an account but I wasn't too worried because most of it is going to be withdrawn soon. My biggest issue was closing the account as 60 days from the 6th was the 5th of August, the date I'm flying back.
When I got to the bank, I set out to close the account. To my surprise and delight, the bank just changed their policy on that account! I can now withdraw the money as and when I want to! In other words the HISA is now like my savings account but with a higher interest!
The miracle of it is, HSBC changed that policy that very morning! So, if I had gone the friday before as I originally planned, I would have ended up with less money for the next few days and having money stuck till my flight date. Now, I miraculously have all the money at my disposal and still get quite a sum from the interest. God really works in mysterious ways... ^_^
Life's Perfect (3rd July 2005)
Okay, I'll bet no one agrees with me. I also thought life was a little unfair at times and that in utopia, everyone would be happy. Then I came to realize, it's what we think that's unfair that's actually going to make us happy. So in a way, life is perfect.
I have always thought of Utopia as a place where all humans are living in harmony. Where there is no more conflict, no more problems. Humans are happy. There will no longer be sadness, heartache or disappointment. In fact, I have always lived a conservative live to avoid such feelings. You cannot be sad if there's nothing to be really sad about. Failure does not exist if we do not try.
From that last statement, I have come to realize that the good and the bad co-exist. In order for us to achieve great things, we must first fail sometimes. A good quote from the movie Batman Begins (incidentally, a very good movie. I recommend it to everyone) is, "Why do we fall? So that may we learn how to pick ourselves back up." Along the same lines, in order to truly appreciate the things around us, sometimes we must first lose it. We cannot truly appreciate our friends until we receive their help when we fall. For us to develop close bonds with those around us, we must allow ourselves to get close to them, to trust them, to give them the chance to break our hearts.
As another saying goes, "Life is a mirror." Which is very true and yet, quite strange. If we trust the people around us, we realize that trust is given back to us. When we start to open our hearts to others, they will in turn open their hearts to us. As far as I know, as long as we don't decide to make a move, nothing can happen. That's amazing considering how usually, we always try to have a safety net before we move ahead. But the ones who achieve the most are usually the ones who take the biggest risk. The ones who operate without something to actually fall back to. Truly, if we expect nothing but the best, we frequently get it.
Of course, along the way there are bound to be many oppositions, sadness, disappointments and failures. But what's important is to realize that those failures are actually lessons in disguise. We never really learn our lesson until we truly fall. For example, kids only learn when something is bad when they are punished for it. And those are the lessons we will always remember.
The alternative is to live a very conservative and sheltered life. Stick close to the people we know, don't try anything that looks too risky, living with our 'comfort zone'. If that's the kind of life you prefer, go ahead. Whatever makes you happy. But I must warn you now, you're missing out on all the great things that life has in store for you. Living within what is comfortable is boring. You do the same things everyday. You take the same routes. You don't try something new (unless maybe with a friend). You stick with the same friends and keep everything as constant as you can.
That's the safe life. Nothing out of the ordinary, very comfortable. But, as I said, there's so much that you'll be missing out on. If you keep taking the same routes, you might miss out on a shorter route. Or even, a more interesting route. Trying something new is frightening, uncomfortable even. But as we go through it, we will get used to it. We would have learn something new and quite possible, develop a new interest. We might also make new friends, develop better bonds. In fact, we might even find a new best friend or soulmate when we step out. Whatever the consequence, the new journey will be exciting and adventurous. And with the right mindset, we might even enjoy it.
Also, there's the fact that life is never stagnant. All around us, our world is constantly changing. Routes we usually take might be closed for some reason or another. Friends come and go as they go out, living out their lives. Sooner or later, we will have to adapt to changes. Since that's a fact of life, we might as well accept that and begin to enjoy the ride.
I like to relate life to a very long road. If we take the safe route, it's akin to taking the highway of life. Broad, straight road. No unexpected twist, no twisting and turning, making you carsick. Of course, it's quite boring (espeically Malaysian highways which cut through hills and cleared lands with nothing to see) and uneventful but at least you get to your destination in one piece. But, I'd rather take the road less taken. The back roads that hardly anyone would take. True, it's winding, small, hard to drive. But, it's also more interesting. First of all, navigating through all the twist and turns is going to be interesting. The view would probably be more fascinating as you probably go through small towns and around or over hills. And then, there are the unexpected glitches along the way that makes me work around them. It's a tougher route but definitely, more exciting and entertaining. I'll get to the final destination bruised, maybe even dented but it'll all be worth it.
So, if problems (that includes some unfairness) are part and parcel of life, doesn't that make it better that it still exist? We could be depriving the future generation of opportunities to build character! Having these thoughts through my head, made my passion for making the world a better place seem... pointless in a way.
Then, thanks to some friends' advice and a spam email (God works in mysterious ways...), I started to get a new understanding for life. It's true that problems build character but injustice must still be fought. Character is built by overcoming those problems. Injustice is meant to be fought. It exist to give an opportunity for us to rise up and become strong. Plus, it fuels the next generation to fight other injustice. I can firmly believe in the impossible because those before me have done so and proven it right countless time. And there's no worry about the new generation having life too easy. I notice how certain problems are age old. Also, there will always be new problems cropping up. And finally, at any rate, God has a plan for them. Far be it that I play God and start to plan so far ahead.
In the end, I have come to realize that Utopia does not exist. And Utopia can never exist because we need our world to be non-ideal. If our world is ever ideal, someone else's world won't be and the cycle of changes continues. Also, living in an ideal world is bad. I wouldn't want to spend all my time just lazing about. It's so boring and pretty much, nothing better than being a robot. But at the same time, doing the opposite (which is to just accept the problems will occur) is also bad. By doing so, we end up not doing anything and just live life and accept all things as going to happen. That's a slippery slope to destruction. We were given a heart and mind to go out and accomplish great things, to fight the injustice in the world. As far as I comprehend now, problems exist and will continue to exist but they exist to build us up, to make us stronger. As such, I will continue to fight the problems of this world but with a new understanding that the imperfectness around us is what makes this life so wonderful and actually, quite perfect.
I have always thought of Utopia as a place where all humans are living in harmony. Where there is no more conflict, no more problems. Humans are happy. There will no longer be sadness, heartache or disappointment. In fact, I have always lived a conservative live to avoid such feelings. You cannot be sad if there's nothing to be really sad about. Failure does not exist if we do not try.
From that last statement, I have come to realize that the good and the bad co-exist. In order for us to achieve great things, we must first fail sometimes. A good quote from the movie Batman Begins (incidentally, a very good movie. I recommend it to everyone) is, "Why do we fall? So that may we learn how to pick ourselves back up." Along the same lines, in order to truly appreciate the things around us, sometimes we must first lose it. We cannot truly appreciate our friends until we receive their help when we fall. For us to develop close bonds with those around us, we must allow ourselves to get close to them, to trust them, to give them the chance to break our hearts.
As another saying goes, "Life is a mirror." Which is very true and yet, quite strange. If we trust the people around us, we realize that trust is given back to us. When we start to open our hearts to others, they will in turn open their hearts to us. As far as I know, as long as we don't decide to make a move, nothing can happen. That's amazing considering how usually, we always try to have a safety net before we move ahead. But the ones who achieve the most are usually the ones who take the biggest risk. The ones who operate without something to actually fall back to. Truly, if we expect nothing but the best, we frequently get it.
Of course, along the way there are bound to be many oppositions, sadness, disappointments and failures. But what's important is to realize that those failures are actually lessons in disguise. We never really learn our lesson until we truly fall. For example, kids only learn when something is bad when they are punished for it. And those are the lessons we will always remember.
The alternative is to live a very conservative and sheltered life. Stick close to the people we know, don't try anything that looks too risky, living with our 'comfort zone'. If that's the kind of life you prefer, go ahead. Whatever makes you happy. But I must warn you now, you're missing out on all the great things that life has in store for you. Living within what is comfortable is boring. You do the same things everyday. You take the same routes. You don't try something new (unless maybe with a friend). You stick with the same friends and keep everything as constant as you can.
That's the safe life. Nothing out of the ordinary, very comfortable. But, as I said, there's so much that you'll be missing out on. If you keep taking the same routes, you might miss out on a shorter route. Or even, a more interesting route. Trying something new is frightening, uncomfortable even. But as we go through it, we will get used to it. We would have learn something new and quite possible, develop a new interest. We might also make new friends, develop better bonds. In fact, we might even find a new best friend or soulmate when we step out. Whatever the consequence, the new journey will be exciting and adventurous. And with the right mindset, we might even enjoy it.
Also, there's the fact that life is never stagnant. All around us, our world is constantly changing. Routes we usually take might be closed for some reason or another. Friends come and go as they go out, living out their lives. Sooner or later, we will have to adapt to changes. Since that's a fact of life, we might as well accept that and begin to enjoy the ride.
I like to relate life to a very long road. If we take the safe route, it's akin to taking the highway of life. Broad, straight road. No unexpected twist, no twisting and turning, making you carsick. Of course, it's quite boring (espeically Malaysian highways which cut through hills and cleared lands with nothing to see) and uneventful but at least you get to your destination in one piece. But, I'd rather take the road less taken. The back roads that hardly anyone would take. True, it's winding, small, hard to drive. But, it's also more interesting. First of all, navigating through all the twist and turns is going to be interesting. The view would probably be more fascinating as you probably go through small towns and around or over hills. And then, there are the unexpected glitches along the way that makes me work around them. It's a tougher route but definitely, more exciting and entertaining. I'll get to the final destination bruised, maybe even dented but it'll all be worth it.
So, if problems (that includes some unfairness) are part and parcel of life, doesn't that make it better that it still exist? We could be depriving the future generation of opportunities to build character! Having these thoughts through my head, made my passion for making the world a better place seem... pointless in a way.
Then, thanks to some friends' advice and a spam email (God works in mysterious ways...), I started to get a new understanding for life. It's true that problems build character but injustice must still be fought. Character is built by overcoming those problems. Injustice is meant to be fought. It exist to give an opportunity for us to rise up and become strong. Plus, it fuels the next generation to fight other injustice. I can firmly believe in the impossible because those before me have done so and proven it right countless time. And there's no worry about the new generation having life too easy. I notice how certain problems are age old. Also, there will always be new problems cropping up. And finally, at any rate, God has a plan for them. Far be it that I play God and start to plan so far ahead.
In the end, I have come to realize that Utopia does not exist. And Utopia can never exist because we need our world to be non-ideal. If our world is ever ideal, someone else's world won't be and the cycle of changes continues. Also, living in an ideal world is bad. I wouldn't want to spend all my time just lazing about. It's so boring and pretty much, nothing better than being a robot. But at the same time, doing the opposite (which is to just accept the problems will occur) is also bad. By doing so, we end up not doing anything and just live life and accept all things as going to happen. That's a slippery slope to destruction. We were given a heart and mind to go out and accomplish great things, to fight the injustice in the world. As far as I comprehend now, problems exist and will continue to exist but they exist to build us up, to make us stronger. As such, I will continue to fight the problems of this world but with a new understanding that the imperfectness around us is what makes this life so wonderful and actually, quite perfect.
Burned Hand (1st July 2005)
On the date above, I burnt my hand by accident. Was putting something in the oven to cook when I accidentally touch the top inside of the oven.
The burn on the hand
After 10 days, the burn looks like this:
The burn 10 days old
The burn after it healed
Though it's healed and no longer hurts, the mark is still on my hand. Do I look more macho now? =P
P.S. This post is the first using Geocities to host my pictures and also the first photos I edit.
The burn on the hand
After 10 days, the burn looks like this:
The burn 10 days old
The burn after it healed
Though it's healed and no longer hurts, the mark is still on my hand. Do I look more macho now? =P
P.S. This post is the first using Geocities to host my pictures and also the first photos I edit.
Monday 16 May 2005
Sunday 15 May 2005
Life
How do you know when you have given up on life? Is giving up apathy? Does that mean not caring about anything? Going from living to just surviving? Is it the last step before suicide?
What is the purpose of life? Why are we all here? Does anything actually matters in the long run?
Don't worry people, this are just random thoughts that popped into my head. Do not read too much into them...
What is the purpose of life? Why are we all here? Does anything actually matters in the long run?
Don't worry people, this are just random thoughts that popped into my head. Do not read too much into them...
Sunday 24 April 2005
A Sunday unlike no other
Well, this Sunday sure is different. Actually manage to wake up by 9 so could get a lot of things settled before going to church. Also, came to church earlier than usual but still later than the regular malaysians (sigh...). Oh! Finally got the CDs I wanted too. It's been too long. Also, greatly encourage to see someone come back to church and to be among the jumpers. Felt sorry that David missed out on a great sermon though. Maybe I'll pay him a visit if I have time...
Well, right now I'm in the St. George IT lab clearing up some online stuff (since my own connection at home is slower than a tortoise) and then it's off to report land! See ya folks! Next week's gonna be busy, busy busy...
Well, right now I'm in the St. George IT lab clearing up some online stuff (since my own connection at home is slower than a tortoise) and then it's off to report land! See ya folks! Next week's gonna be busy, busy busy...
Saturday 23 April 2005
Twas the night for shouting loudly...
Shoutlouder was awesome! I picked up on a lot of points. First off, to continously have faith for He is God and there is nothing He cannot do. And, to put my full faith and trust in Him. And be motivated for Him everyday!!
Update time!
Well, this has been a quite good week. After getting charged up at 7th Day, I attack the week with vigour. Actually, spent most of my time working on my presentation. Not too bad if I say so myself. Considering I only started praticing my speech (which was off the top of my head) on Wednesday night, I'd say I did a very good job. In fact, my supervisor said that the only thing I missed out was a picture of my finished work. Next week is gonna be really hectic though. Finishing a 6000 word thesis while doing outreach week and studies (plus revision). All I can say is.... Bring It On! Romans 9:37 - No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
Also, Jeremiah 20:9 says
P.S. Anyone know a good website to host photos for putting in blogs? Hard to put more than one picture per post right now...
Also, Jeremiah 20:9 says
But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his wordTime to step out in faith!
is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it
in; indeed, I cannnot.
P.S. Anyone know a good website to host photos for putting in blogs? Hard to put more than one picture per post right now...
Sunday 17 April 2005
7th Day
was brilliant!! Everything was superb from the cabin to the food, talks and view!
Here's a quick summary. Friday night, we were welcomed into The Jonas Centre with rain drenching down through the night. But Pastor Glyn's message that night more than made up for it (and the 45 pounds fee!).
The next day, the rain had let up though the sun wasn't really shining. Took a few pictures after breakfast before heading to the Barn for the sessions with Pastor Lou. Her messages were really inspiring and will be taken heed of. In a nutshell, she made us look at the ways to improve our lives and ways to follow those steps. After lunch, there were some activities but due to a lack of transportation (plus coming out late from lunch), I ended up spending the time playing a game of chess and watching Monsters Inc. Quite a good afternoon actually. Spent the evening taking somemore pictures, most of it sceneries.
Later that night was the talk by Chris. He basically talked about areas of our lives to constantly renew so we don't get stagnant. Awesome.
After that, we went out to the field for the barbecue. Due to the rain last night, most of the firewood was damp and that made lighting them up quite hard. In fact, it took quite some time before both the bonfire and barbecue was ready. By that time, the queue line was long!
Some of the worship teams went back that night as they have to perform the next morning in church. For the rest of us, it was sleep time! The last morning was uneventful. It basically consist of packing up and heading back to church to catch the second service.
All in all, the 7th Day was absolutely fantastic. I really felt recharged by it. And here are some pictures I took:
My cabin, Swatrdale
The Barn where we held all our meetings
The opposite view
Sunray bursting through the clouds
Here's a quick summary. Friday night, we were welcomed into The Jonas Centre with rain drenching down through the night. But Pastor Glyn's message that night more than made up for it (and the 45 pounds fee!).
The next day, the rain had let up though the sun wasn't really shining. Took a few pictures after breakfast before heading to the Barn for the sessions with Pastor Lou. Her messages were really inspiring and will be taken heed of. In a nutshell, she made us look at the ways to improve our lives and ways to follow those steps. After lunch, there were some activities but due to a lack of transportation (plus coming out late from lunch), I ended up spending the time playing a game of chess and watching Monsters Inc. Quite a good afternoon actually. Spent the evening taking somemore pictures, most of it sceneries.
Later that night was the talk by Chris. He basically talked about areas of our lives to constantly renew so we don't get stagnant. Awesome.
After that, we went out to the field for the barbecue. Due to the rain last night, most of the firewood was damp and that made lighting them up quite hard. In fact, it took quite some time before both the bonfire and barbecue was ready. By that time, the queue line was long!
Some of the worship teams went back that night as they have to perform the next morning in church. For the rest of us, it was sleep time! The last morning was uneventful. It basically consist of packing up and heading back to church to catch the second service.
All in all, the 7th Day was absolutely fantastic. I really felt recharged by it. And here are some pictures I took:
My cabin, Swatrdale
The Barn where we held all our meetings
The opposite view
Sunray bursting through the clouds
Sunday 3 April 2005
Audacious Night!
Brilliant! Tonight, I ushered people, collected money, counted money, miss the entire sermon, handed out leaflets, carried chairs, picked up garbage (ironic considering I have bags of rubbish which I haven't thrown back home) and had a wonderful time!
Saturday 2 April 2005
Longest fortnight ever...
...was the last 2 weeks (not counting this week). I'll get on to that later. Now, just so that everyone knows I'm still alive, I'm going to tell you what I have been up to. Let's see... playing the Easter Bunny on the 26th (that bunny was scary!), visiting Manchester on the 29th and do some culinary work yesterday. It's a new month and from what I see, it's gonna be a very busy month. Take care people!
Monday 28 March 2005
Easter Sunday
It's been a relaxing week topped off by a very relaxing Sunday. Pastor Glyn gave an awesome sermon about who Jesus is, why Jesus is God and what did He accomplish here on earth.
The sermon was so awe-inspiring, I don't even know where to begin. Jesus was fully man and fully God. That means He was God cloaked as man. He felt everything man felt and did everything man did with one important exception, He did not sin. What's important about this is that we can never accuse God of not knowing our situation because He has already gone through it! He has taken the road before us and can guide us through it.
The next thing Glyn talked about (and one which I feel is the most important thing) is how Jesus is God. Jesus is God because
He came to bring us new life, life free from sin. His accomplishments on earth was staggering. In the Old Testament, the prophets predicted 333 miracles when the Saviour would come. Jesus fulfilled every last one of them. What's even more amazing is that on Jesus's last day on earth (the day He was to be crucified), there was still 30 miracles that has not been fulfilled. Jesus's death fulfilled them all. For the mathematicians, the odds of that happening is 25(90 million zeros):1. Among the prophecies that was fulfilled that day was the Earth was shaken, the dead was raised, the centurion understood and (most significantly) the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
After the powerful sermon, I went over to a friend's house for lunch and some socializing. It was really nice, I get to meet a lot of new people while getting to know old friends better. Very relaxing. In fact, I stayed till 12am, making it possibly the longest I have ever been outside of my house (12 hours and 30 minutes!). But really nice.
Last point, I recently watched 7th Heaven and for anyone who thinks that show represents Christianity or Christian life in any way, please don't. I can't see how it does. When you speak to Christians, I don't think it's like that.
The sermon was so awe-inspiring, I don't even know where to begin. Jesus was fully man and fully God. That means He was God cloaked as man. He felt everything man felt and did everything man did with one important exception, He did not sin. What's important about this is that we can never accuse God of not knowing our situation because He has already gone through it! He has taken the road before us and can guide us through it.
The next thing Glyn talked about (and one which I feel is the most important thing) is how Jesus is God. Jesus is God because
- Direct claims - The Bible records Jesus claiming He is God through the miracles He perform.
- Eye-witnesses - Jesus's own disciples have seen clearly that Jesus was God.
- it's the only explanation that makes sense - how else can you explain someone who has raise the dead to life, heal the sick, help the lame walk, the blind see, the mute speak and deaf hear?
- Resurrection - Jesus died on the cross (the Roman soldiers made sure of that) and was risen to life 3 days later. That's a pretty big miracle by any standards.
- My story - however hard anyone can argue the other points, my own personal walk with Jesus is the ultimate proof of His Godliness. As they say, nothing can substitute for experience.
- God gives me the faith to believe in Him.
He came to bring us new life, life free from sin. His accomplishments on earth was staggering. In the Old Testament, the prophets predicted 333 miracles when the Saviour would come. Jesus fulfilled every last one of them. What's even more amazing is that on Jesus's last day on earth (the day He was to be crucified), there was still 30 miracles that has not been fulfilled. Jesus's death fulfilled them all. For the mathematicians, the odds of that happening is 25(90 million zeros):1. Among the prophecies that was fulfilled that day was the Earth was shaken, the dead was raised, the centurion understood and (most significantly) the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
After the powerful sermon, I went over to a friend's house for lunch and some socializing. It was really nice, I get to meet a lot of new people while getting to know old friends better. Very relaxing. In fact, I stayed till 12am, making it possibly the longest I have ever been outside of my house (12 hours and 30 minutes!). But really nice.
Last point, I recently watched 7th Heaven and for anyone who thinks that show represents Christianity or Christian life in any way, please don't. I can't see how it does. When you speak to Christians, I don't think it's like that.
Tuesday 22 March 2005
Last week before Easter break
This has been another entertaining and life changing week in the life of Yong De Jing, Adrian. Although, it's a little dull compared with the previous week.
First off, I had a relaxing Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (sort of) due to having nothing else to do with my project. Then, Thursday was the powerpack day of the week. Tried to find my supervisor but he was at a seminar he organized. Should have checked my webmail as he did sent out one the day before. Anyway, saw him later on and got on with putting a layer of photoresist on my substrate. Due to a lack of consumption and aided by running up and down the stairs in Mappin, I felt a little worn out and fainty during the entire process. Supervisor put it down to the fumes from the baking process and I didn't care to correct him.
Once that was over, headed back home to cook spaghetti for dinner. Nearly chopped off my right thumb too. While you can say it was lucky the knife was blunt, I think if it wasn't blunt, I would not have put my thumb so invitingly for it to cut. At any rate, the spaghetti was a moderate success. (praise God)
Next day, saw my second marker who finally had good things to say about my logbook. Went to see my supervisor next to just get the pattern on the substrate. With the way things had been going, the water supply for cooling the laser had to been cut off just as we were about to use it. Cut short our lab work and I'm going back this Wednesday to finally get it all done. Internet was slow this few days also but the good news is, it gives me time to get on with some other things.
Sunday, was simply awesome. Got so much out of the service and Forge that night. Won't say much but, think might cut down on the blogging nowadays.
Well, it's been a GREAT Sunday and it's going to be a GREAT week ahead!! Light the fire, God!
First off, I had a relaxing Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (sort of) due to having nothing else to do with my project. Then, Thursday was the powerpack day of the week. Tried to find my supervisor but he was at a seminar he organized. Should have checked my webmail as he did sent out one the day before. Anyway, saw him later on and got on with putting a layer of photoresist on my substrate. Due to a lack of consumption and aided by running up and down the stairs in Mappin, I felt a little worn out and fainty during the entire process. Supervisor put it down to the fumes from the baking process and I didn't care to correct him.
Once that was over, headed back home to cook spaghetti for dinner. Nearly chopped off my right thumb too. While you can say it was lucky the knife was blunt, I think if it wasn't blunt, I would not have put my thumb so invitingly for it to cut. At any rate, the spaghetti was a moderate success. (praise God)
Next day, saw my second marker who finally had good things to say about my logbook. Went to see my supervisor next to just get the pattern on the substrate. With the way things had been going, the water supply for cooling the laser had to been cut off just as we were about to use it. Cut short our lab work and I'm going back this Wednesday to finally get it all done. Internet was slow this few days also but the good news is, it gives me time to get on with some other things.
Sunday, was simply awesome. Got so much out of the service and Forge that night. Won't say much but, think might cut down on the blogging nowadays.
Well, it's been a GREAT Sunday and it's going to be a GREAT week ahead!! Light the fire, God!
Last week before Easter break
This has been another entertaining and life changing week in the life of Yong De Jing, Adrian. Although, it's a little dull compared with the previous week.
First off, I had a relaxing Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (sort of) due to having nothing else to do with my project. Then, Thursday was the powerpack day of the week. Tried to find my supervisor but he was at a seminar he organized. Should have checked my webmail as he did sent out one the day before. Anyway, saw him later on and got on with putting a layer of photoresist on my substrate. Due to a lack of consumption and aided by running up and down the stairs in Mappin, I felt a little worn out and fainty during the entire process. Supervisor put it down to the fumes from the baking process and I didn't care to correct him.
Once that was over, headed back home to cook spaghetti for dinner. Nearly chopped off my right thumb too. While you can say it was lucky the knife was blunt, I think if it wasn't blunt, I would not have put my thumb so invitingly for it to cut. At any rate, the spaghetti was a moderate success. (praise God)
Next day, saw my second marker who finally had good things to say about my logbook. Went to see my supervisor next to just get the pattern on the substrate. With the way things had been going, the water supply for cooling the laser had to been cut off just as we were about to use it. Cut short our lab work and I'm going back this Wednesday to finally get it all done.
Sunday, was simply awesome. Got so much out of the service and Forge that night. Won't say much but, think might cut down on the blogging nowadays.
Well, it's been a GREAT Sunday and it's going to be a GREAT week ahead!! Light the fire, God!
First off, I had a relaxing Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (sort of) due to having nothing else to do with my project. Then, Thursday was the powerpack day of the week. Tried to find my supervisor but he was at a seminar he organized. Should have checked my webmail as he did sent out one the day before. Anyway, saw him later on and got on with putting a layer of photoresist on my substrate. Due to a lack of consumption and aided by running up and down the stairs in Mappin, I felt a little worn out and fainty during the entire process. Supervisor put it down to the fumes from the baking process and I didn't care to correct him.
Once that was over, headed back home to cook spaghetti for dinner. Nearly chopped off my right thumb too. While you can say it was lucky the knife was blunt, I think if it wasn't blunt, I would not have put my thumb so invitingly for it to cut. At any rate, the spaghetti was a moderate success. (praise God)
Next day, saw my second marker who finally had good things to say about my logbook. Went to see my supervisor next to just get the pattern on the substrate. With the way things had been going, the water supply for cooling the laser had to been cut off just as we were about to use it. Cut short our lab work and I'm going back this Wednesday to finally get it all done.
Sunday, was simply awesome. Got so much out of the service and Forge that night. Won't say much but, think might cut down on the blogging nowadays.
Well, it's been a GREAT Sunday and it's going to be a GREAT week ahead!! Light the fire, God!
Monday 14 March 2005
Week of many activities...
It's been a very interesting week. Can't believe it's actually only one week since I last blog. First, there was the dissapointing fact that Man Utd are out of the Champion's League. Then, Leverkusen crash out too (to Liverpool of all teams...). Actually, I went out to Cavendish (which is the bar/restaurant which I live right behind of) to see the trashing. In fact, I cut my thumb there with my key ring. That's right, not the key, the key ring. Think there's a little niche in it and my itchy thumb just had to stroke it till it bled. Been trying to do thing without the use of it since wednesday till now.
On Thursday, I finally went into the lab and test out my mask! Not exactly what I hope for but it still works!! Given that the mask is the reverse of what it was meant to be ie. the transparent parts are black and vice versa, that it worked is satisfactory already.
Friday, went to shoutlouder. I was late getting there but with the grace of God, I made it! First miracle, as I came out of apartment, I saw the tram at the traffic light! Luckily, I manage to run all the way to the tram stop (about 100+ meters away) and catch it. Second miracle, late as I was, there was still someone at the door. So, in the end I didn't miss much.
Yesterday afternoon, I went to play football with my friends at a quadrangle. Kinda nice to be exercising after an entire year of none. What's not so nice, my muscles are all aching even till this moment. And I mean, ALL muscles. Basically, my body can't move without sending pain signals. I looked so tired out this morning, at least 2 people asked me if I'm alright at church. In fact, I slept the afternoon away, something I don't do unless I'm sick.
Positive outlook for the week ahead, it's the last week before easter break! Hoping my project will work out as this is the last week we have for working on it. Hopeful that my second marker has good comments on my logbook. Looking forward to a Powerhouse in Starbucks (marking only the second time I've been in that cafe), it's gonna be great! Hopefully, gonna get job for the easter break while catching up on my revision and tutorials. Only dilemma now, 7th Day or Chelsea?
On Thursday, I finally went into the lab and test out my mask! Not exactly what I hope for but it still works!! Given that the mask is the reverse of what it was meant to be ie. the transparent parts are black and vice versa, that it worked is satisfactory already.
Friday, went to shoutlouder. I was late getting there but with the grace of God, I made it! First miracle, as I came out of apartment, I saw the tram at the traffic light! Luckily, I manage to run all the way to the tram stop (about 100+ meters away) and catch it. Second miracle, late as I was, there was still someone at the door. So, in the end I didn't miss much.
Yesterday afternoon, I went to play football with my friends at a quadrangle. Kinda nice to be exercising after an entire year of none. What's not so nice, my muscles are all aching even till this moment. And I mean, ALL muscles. Basically, my body can't move without sending pain signals. I looked so tired out this morning, at least 2 people asked me if I'm alright at church. In fact, I slept the afternoon away, something I don't do unless I'm sick.
Positive outlook for the week ahead, it's the last week before easter break! Hoping my project will work out as this is the last week we have for working on it. Hopeful that my second marker has good comments on my logbook. Looking forward to a Powerhouse in Starbucks (marking only the second time I've been in that cafe), it's gonna be great! Hopefully, gonna get job for the easter break while catching up on my revision and tutorials. Only dilemma now, 7th Day or Chelsea?
Wednesday 9 March 2005
Norm
Last Sunday, the sermon was about 2 tracks that Christians live on. One is feeling God's presense. The other is understanding God's words through the Bible. The pastor preached on living on both at the same time.
In a nutshell, he talked about living according to Heaven's norm and not earth's norm. Earth's norm is to feel, think then act. Heaven's norm is to Think about what needs to be done to fulfill God's plans in our lives, Act on it and then Feel God's presense. In other words, think more than we feel. A good verse is Romans 12:2 which says
What was really life changing that the pastor said prophesies do not redirect our lives, it refocuses us onto God's plans for us. Also, he said God does not have a detail plan. He does not plan what we should wear or which transport we should take in order to do what He has asked us to do. I think that's something worth remembering.
So, lessons for life: Keep my mindset on Heaven's norm, live according to what I believe is God's plans for me until God tells me otherwise, but do not forget to seek His presense everyday.
In a nutshell, he talked about living according to Heaven's norm and not earth's norm. Earth's norm is to feel, think then act. Heaven's norm is to Think about what needs to be done to fulfill God's plans in our lives, Act on it and then Feel God's presense. In other words, think more than we feel. A good verse is Romans 12:2 which says
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed byBasically, it means we should constantly renew our minds so we do not get stuck in a mindset. For when it does, we are not open to new ideas and new understandings about God's will.
the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's
will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
What was really life changing that the pastor said prophesies do not redirect our lives, it refocuses us onto God's plans for us. Also, he said God does not have a detail plan. He does not plan what we should wear or which transport we should take in order to do what He has asked us to do. I think that's something worth remembering.
So, lessons for life: Keep my mindset on Heaven's norm, live according to what I believe is God's plans for me until God tells me otherwise, but do not forget to seek His presense everyday.
Monday 7 March 2005
Renovation again
back to beside the window...
bed view
This makes the 3rd change to my room layout in 6 months, 4th if you include the moving of my cupboard half a meter sideways when i first got here. The whole reason behind this change is I want to get the sunlight so I can do my work without a lamp and coz internet connection more stable near the window. Actually, this arrangement is pretty good, I can keep warm while having my door open. Only drawback is that the bed is too far from the table to watch movies properly. =P
I tried to get better arrangements (even while I was busy shifting all the furniture) but this was still the best choice. Oh well, I don't download many movies these days anyways. Hmm... maybe I can find job as an interior decorator...
Friday 4 March 2005
Sheffield United 0-0 Arsenal
Last Tuesday, I went down to Bramall Lane to catch the Sheffield United vs Arsenal FA Cup 5th round replay with Chee Weng, Choon, Ken and Brandon. The night wasn't very chilly and the place was near enough to walk. It's just a bit further on from The Moor.
The stadium looks quite small actually compared to Old Trafford. Hard to make a comparison though, it's like apples and oranges. The atmosphere inside was more noisy though. The fans were singing almost the entire 90 minutes. They could give the Stretford End fans a run for their money. ^_^
Most of the songs they sang sounded a lot like the songs Man Utd fans sing. Makes you wonder who copied who. The theme song for Sheffield United was uniquely theirs though. Some familiar songs were such as "Shame on Arsenal, always cheating" plus chants on Ashley Cole.
The match itself was quite exciting though devoid of goals. It's quite incredible that Sheffield United manage to hold Arsenal all the way till the penalties. Too bad they weren't better at taking them.
Other interesting events were such as the arrest of troublemakers and witnessing a phone thrown onto the pitch. Just goes to show you that there's more to watching a football match in the stadium then just watching a football match inside a stadium. Heh.
The stadium looks quite small actually compared to Old Trafford. Hard to make a comparison though, it's like apples and oranges. The atmosphere inside was more noisy though. The fans were singing almost the entire 90 minutes. They could give the Stretford End fans a run for their money. ^_^
Most of the songs they sang sounded a lot like the songs Man Utd fans sing. Makes you wonder who copied who. The theme song for Sheffield United was uniquely theirs though. Some familiar songs were such as "Shame on Arsenal, always cheating" plus chants on Ashley Cole.
The match itself was quite exciting though devoid of goals. It's quite incredible that Sheffield United manage to hold Arsenal all the way till the penalties. Too bad they weren't better at taking them.
Other interesting events were such as the arrest of troublemakers and witnessing a phone thrown onto the pitch. Just goes to show you that there's more to watching a football match in the stadium then just watching a football match inside a stadium. Heh.
Friday 25 February 2005
Champions League + Snow
Last wednesday, went to Manchester to watch Manchester United vs AC Milan. Just for your information, did you know that Milan is pronounced Mee-lan and not Milano because the club was formed by Englishmen? Hmm.... interesting...
Well, before the match, I was in the middle of a protest march by Man Utd fans against Glazer. Kinda cool to be walking besides the singing, marching fans. Could hear quite a number of songs, Red Army, We are the Busby Boys, You are my Solskjaer, and many more. Could have been on tv too. Heh.
Today, I sat at the Stretford End where the fans are the loudest. Honestly! The fans in my area (Tier 2) had to be asked to sit down 3 times! Plus, there was a section of the fans in the middle that stood for the entire 90 minutes. Other songs I heard there were Ruud van Nistelrooy and Gary Neville is a Red.
The match itself was pretty interesting. Man Utd could have been in the lead at half-time. In the second half, Milan defended pretty well and Man Utd seem to lack the imagination to break through the defense. It's just too bad that Carroll fail to clear the ball properly and let in that goal. Overall, it was pretty even and should have been a 0-0 draw. Oh well.
After the match, we went to see the players as they leave. Managed to get T-Ho and RVN's autographs. How cool is that? Then, we took the tram back to the train station. Unfortunately, they only had a replacement bus service at midnight. So, we ended up reaching Sheffield train station at 2 plus am. Walking back was a little harsh as it was snowing and windy at the same time. Along the way, we saw clubbers playing in the snow (with one layer of clothing on only mind you) and took some pictures of the white scenery.
The next morning, it was still snowing!! Quite nice to be walking to class in the snow. During lunchbreak, we went to St. George's churchyard to take more photos and play with the snow a little more. Even took a picture beside a snowman someone build and left there. Too bad the snow stop by evening.
Anyways, it was an enjoyable wednesday night and thursday morning and afternoon. Hope this happens again soon!
Well, before the match, I was in the middle of a protest march by Man Utd fans against Glazer. Kinda cool to be walking besides the singing, marching fans. Could hear quite a number of songs, Red Army, We are the Busby Boys, You are my Solskjaer, and many more. Could have been on tv too. Heh.
Today, I sat at the Stretford End where the fans are the loudest. Honestly! The fans in my area (Tier 2) had to be asked to sit down 3 times! Plus, there was a section of the fans in the middle that stood for the entire 90 minutes. Other songs I heard there were Ruud van Nistelrooy and Gary Neville is a Red.
The match itself was pretty interesting. Man Utd could have been in the lead at half-time. In the second half, Milan defended pretty well and Man Utd seem to lack the imagination to break through the defense. It's just too bad that Carroll fail to clear the ball properly and let in that goal. Overall, it was pretty even and should have been a 0-0 draw. Oh well.
After the match, we went to see the players as they leave. Managed to get T-Ho and RVN's autographs. How cool is that? Then, we took the tram back to the train station. Unfortunately, they only had a replacement bus service at midnight. So, we ended up reaching Sheffield train station at 2 plus am. Walking back was a little harsh as it was snowing and windy at the same time. Along the way, we saw clubbers playing in the snow (with one layer of clothing on only mind you) and took some pictures of the white scenery.
The next morning, it was still snowing!! Quite nice to be walking to class in the snow. During lunchbreak, we went to St. George's churchyard to take more photos and play with the snow a little more. Even took a picture beside a snowman someone build and left there. Too bad the snow stop by evening.
Anyways, it was an enjoyable wednesday night and thursday morning and afternoon. Hope this happens again soon!
Monday 21 February 2005
Focussing on the future
Tonight's Forge was excellent! Actually, Sunday was excellent! After church, came back to blog, then went to church again to help with the setup and then Forge itself!
Today, Chris talked about visualizing what we are now and then visualizing what we want to be in the future. One other important aspect is to set a time frame to achieve it or else the whole thing would fail. So, he got all of us to suggest what are characteristic we should encompass to be good Christians and then, ask us to decide which characteristics we would like to build. I have my list, and I'm gonna stick to it.
Oh, and to make the whole day especially sweet, Chelsea lost to Newcastle 1-0 plus Bridge injured, Duff, Kezman, Gallas limping and Cudicini sent off! There goes Chelsea's quadruple dreams and treble dreams too! (coz Man Utd's Treble included the FA Cup which they just crashed out of) Life is good...
Today, Chris talked about visualizing what we are now and then visualizing what we want to be in the future. One other important aspect is to set a time frame to achieve it or else the whole thing would fail. So, he got all of us to suggest what are characteristic we should encompass to be good Christians and then, ask us to decide which characteristics we would like to build. I have my list, and I'm gonna stick to it.
Oh, and to make the whole day especially sweet, Chelsea lost to Newcastle 1-0 plus Bridge injured, Duff, Kezman, Gallas limping and Cudicini sent off! There goes Chelsea's quadruple dreams and treble dreams too! (coz Man Utd's Treble included the FA Cup which they just crashed out of) Life is good...
Sunday 20 February 2005
Normalcy
Even after 2/3 days of R&R, I still woke up this morning too tired to bother going to church. Maybe it's due to me not getting enough sleep kekekeke....
But, since I woke up already, I decided to take a nice walk down. Save 70p plus get some exercise. All in all it wasn't too bad. I actually reach slightly before the tram pulled in.
Today's sermon was about living to the fullest in the present but at the same time, planning and preparing for the destiny that God has prepared for us. First off, Jeremiah 12:1 relates something very true today
Though all things are possible through Him, we must first have the right attitude to achieve that. As it was said in today's sermon, the attitude you carry now is the attitude you carry onward. If we cannot be trusted with what little we have now, there is no way God can trust us with what He has planned for us. For we would fall flat. In a way, the only thing stopping us from reaching our destiny is ourselves. We have to love the journey.
In order to do that, here are some tips in today's sermon:
1. Remember what you are living for.
We have to keep reminding ourselves that we are not here to gain worldly gains. Instead, we are living for things in Heaven. God has promise that once we start living for Him, He will bless us with all the worldly things such as wealth creation, peace, status etc.
2. Renew every area of our life.
One thing I have come to realise is there is no such thing as normal. How does one define normality? Boring? Stagnant? Life was never meant to be normal. A proverb I once read said "the only constant thing in life is change" In fact, that's a good thing! Once our lives tend to repeat themselves, we start to switch off. We settle to a routine. We effectively stop living and start just surviving. To avoid a coma-like life, we have to constantly change our environment, our thinking, our everything. Do something spontaneous every week!
3. Make a Decision, Live with Discipline and Do it.
When we make a decision to change, we must have the discipline to follow that decision. Then, we will make that change a permanent thing in our lives. Many a times, we decide to give our lives to God/follow His words/etc. only to back out later. We tend to say things like it's too hard/I'm not good at it/no time/etc. In order to fulfill our destiny, we have to start seeing this changes as steps towards the final goal and have the discipline to implement those changes.
Lastly, today's sermon talks about 2 kinds of Christian packages. There is the Safe Christian Package and the Adventure Christian Package. Safe Christian Package means Christians who go to church, worship the Lord, believe He died for us on the cross but just go back to their lives not really impacted by God. The Adventure Christian Package are those who actively seek out His words and are running towards His prophesy over their lives. They are the ones who reach out and touch the hearts of others. The choice is up to you. Personally, I would prefer Adventure.
Lastly, I would like to sum up the whole sermon with this verse:
But, since I woke up already, I decided to take a nice walk down. Save 70p plus get some exercise. All in all it wasn't too bad. I actually reach slightly before the tram pulled in.
Today's sermon was about living to the fullest in the present but at the same time, planning and preparing for the destiny that God has prepared for us. First off, Jeremiah 12:1 relates something very true today
You are always righteous, O LORD, when I bring a case before you. Yet I wouldGod's answer is found a few verses away in Jeremiah 12:9 -
speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why
do all the faithless live at ease?
If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can youThis basically means if we cannot be satisfied with what we have, how then can God lead us on to other, more exciting things? This is something so true in our lives. Everyone constantly thinks that their own life is hard while others seem to have it easy. We also constantly wonder why God is being so unfair; that we are not blessed as others. God is replying, be contented with what you have and do the best you can. Once you have success where you are, God will lead us on to better things. God continues to move our boundary lines. If we believe we can only influence one person and we do, God will lead us on to influencing a crowd. Once we reach that, God will then lead us to influencing a city. God IS Almighty. With Him, there is no boundary. Anything is possible with Him.
compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the
thickets by the Jordan?
Though all things are possible through Him, we must first have the right attitude to achieve that. As it was said in today's sermon, the attitude you carry now is the attitude you carry onward. If we cannot be trusted with what little we have now, there is no way God can trust us with what He has planned for us. For we would fall flat. In a way, the only thing stopping us from reaching our destiny is ourselves. We have to love the journey.
In order to do that, here are some tips in today's sermon:
1. Remember what you are living for.
We have to keep reminding ourselves that we are not here to gain worldly gains. Instead, we are living for things in Heaven. God has promise that once we start living for Him, He will bless us with all the worldly things such as wealth creation, peace, status etc.
2. Renew every area of our life.
One thing I have come to realise is there is no such thing as normal. How does one define normality? Boring? Stagnant? Life was never meant to be normal. A proverb I once read said "the only constant thing in life is change" In fact, that's a good thing! Once our lives tend to repeat themselves, we start to switch off. We settle to a routine. We effectively stop living and start just surviving. To avoid a coma-like life, we have to constantly change our environment, our thinking, our everything. Do something spontaneous every week!
3. Make a Decision, Live with Discipline and Do it.
When we make a decision to change, we must have the discipline to follow that decision. Then, we will make that change a permanent thing in our lives. Many a times, we decide to give our lives to God/follow His words/etc. only to back out later. We tend to say things like it's too hard/I'm not good at it/no time/etc. In order to fulfill our destiny, we have to start seeing this changes as steps towards the final goal and have the discipline to implement those changes.
Lastly, today's sermon talks about 2 kinds of Christian packages. There is the Safe Christian Package and the Adventure Christian Package. Safe Christian Package means Christians who go to church, worship the Lord, believe He died for us on the cross but just go back to their lives not really impacted by God. The Adventure Christian Package are those who actively seek out His words and are running towards His prophesy over their lives. They are the ones who reach out and touch the hearts of others. The choice is up to you. Personally, I would prefer Adventure.
Lastly, I would like to sum up the whole sermon with this verse:
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, butIn other words, to reach our destiny and claim the prize, we must make a firm decision, be disciplined and follow it through.
only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who
competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that
will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last for ever. Therefore I
do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the
air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to
others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Friday 18 February 2005
CNY week
aka, Project week. Probably one of my busiest weeks. Everyday, I was working on my project in the morning and in the afternoon. In the evening, eat out or special dinner.
The itineray:
Monday= Pizza Volante (Halifax)
Tuesday= Noodle Inn (Portland)
Wednesday= Steamboat in Portland
Thursday= Leftovers from steamboat
Friday= Shoutlouder (not really dinner but still out)
Saturday= Dinner with Kam, Hamimah and Shu En
Wahh... sleeping late, waking up early... I still feel lethargic. But, it was a very good week. My project made quite a lot of progress and that's gooooooooooooooooooooooooooood....
The itineray:
Monday= Pizza Volante (Halifax)
Tuesday= Noodle Inn (Portland)
Wednesday= Steamboat in Portland
Thursday= Leftovers from steamboat
Friday= Shoutlouder (not really dinner but still out)
Saturday= Dinner with Kam, Hamimah and Shu En
Wahh... sleeping late, waking up early... I still feel lethargic. But, it was a very good week. My project made quite a lot of progress and that's gooooooooooooooooooooooooooood....
Monday 14 February 2005
Kitchen cleaning
where are all the dishes?
I see a counter!!
Sometime around the 27th of January, smack in the middle of my exam week, everyone of us living in Apartment 1 till June decided to clean up the kitchen and living room. In fact, the only reason we got soooo motivated to do this was due to a complain from our landlord. Guess he felt our pigsty kitchen wasn't gonna get new tenants for him. ^_^
Actually, you can really say the kitchen was messy. There was garbage bags cluttered, food all over the counters and crockery everywhere (except in the cupboards where they belong). Cleaning it turned out to be quite a mammoth task. We hauled at least 3 big black garbage bags away. The counter you see above was invisible before we rearrange the stuff there. Our stove changed colour from brown to silver (almost!). Plus, we manage to get some extra floor space!
Actually, I'm still in awe of the transformation. Can't believe it actually still looks quite clean today compared to 3 weeks ago. *grins*
Friends who blog
I did not plan on blogging this late nor did I plan to stay up reading my friends' (and other people's) blogs but somehow it happened. For those who worry whether I will suffer for this, rest assure I won't because, I now have a 3-day weekend! Yes folks, I have NO (let me repeat that, NO) classes on Monday! *dances like a monkey*
Okay, back to the point. After reading through the blogs, some things became pretty clear. First of all, of all the blogs I read, the author/authoress is either already overseas, back home or going overseas. The first 2 usually just blog about daily events while those who fall in the 3rd category (the few who do) are busy counting down the days till their departure. This makes some depressing reading though. No offense, just sounds to me like they emigrating or something. Oh well, parting is such sweet sorrow. Anyway, to them, I wish you all the best in Australia for I know you all will do well.
Second of all, I actually read some blogs of people who I only know by name (ie. friends' friends' blog). I just somehow find it interesting. Don't ask me why though, I am not sure myself. @.@
Due to that, I have change my blog link on the sidebar to list almost all the blogs I read. If anyone doesn't want their link there, please email me at ydj.adrian@gmail.com and i will remove the link. Cheers, people.
The last thing I notice was that I quite some traffic lately due to a couple of posts. First of all, when I change my blog name to Eagle's Wings. And now (in fact, more due to this), my post listing Randy Orton's entrance theme song. Guess if no one comes to my blog anymore, I'll still get Randy Orton fans coming in. Heh.
Right, before I go off and catch some zzz's, I would just like to say sorry for the lack of posts lately. The truth is, I just got a little lazy and a little too busy with exams, projects and CNY. Look out for my post on kitchen cleaning and my CNY week! Until then, jumpa lagi!
Okay, back to the point. After reading through the blogs, some things became pretty clear. First of all, of all the blogs I read, the author/authoress is either already overseas, back home or going overseas. The first 2 usually just blog about daily events while those who fall in the 3rd category (the few who do) are busy counting down the days till their departure. This makes some depressing reading though. No offense, just sounds to me like they emigrating or something. Oh well, parting is such sweet sorrow. Anyway, to them, I wish you all the best in Australia for I know you all will do well.
Second of all, I actually read some blogs of people who I only know by name (ie. friends' friends' blog). I just somehow find it interesting. Don't ask me why though, I am not sure myself. @.@
Due to that, I have change my blog link on the sidebar to list almost all the blogs I read. If anyone doesn't want their link there, please email me at ydj.adrian@gmail.com and i will remove the link. Cheers, people.
The last thing I notice was that I quite some traffic lately due to a couple of posts. First of all, when I change my blog name to Eagle's Wings. And now (in fact, more due to this), my post listing Randy Orton's entrance theme song. Guess if no one comes to my blog anymore, I'll still get Randy Orton fans coming in. Heh.
Right, before I go off and catch some zzz's, I would just like to say sorry for the lack of posts lately. The truth is, I just got a little lazy and a little too busy with exams, projects and CNY. Look out for my post on kitchen cleaning and my CNY week! Until then, jumpa lagi!
Sunday 30 January 2005
Still a teenager?
|
You Are 16 Years Old |
|
16 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax. |
nuff 'sed
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