Since this Monday, after sporting this new ''Botak" hair of mine, I received to my extreme surprise, a blend of extreme opinions about it. So I guess it wouldn't hurt to add suggest my own reasons for on such an unconventional hairstyle for me.
Well, the first and most primary reason I did so was simply to save money in the long run. I wouldn't have to cut my hair that often now. A little savings go a long way, it just feels better.
Next, I wanted to test my friends' responses out there, hoping that they would think that I have entered NS already, well it was quite well received, they assumed it without much questioning. Whereas for those who I thought gullible, to say I was balding was another attractive alternative. (Cut my hair to minimise the signs of my balding)
A few interesting comments-
Foong Chin= You look like a monk travelling on alms, with that hair of yours and bag slouched at the back. So I was conferred the title of Xu Shifu(Pugilist Master Koh) for the training today. I treated it with much solemnity.
Someone but i forgot whom= You siao ar?! Ya, I hope you didn't have a heart attack(jokingly).
Anyway I attended this seminar yesterday- BReaking a Millionaire Code by Thomas Mathew. It was splendid, 3 hours long yet i didn't even have the time to feel drowsy. Great speaker and imparted great tips on how to indeed be a millionaire- quite easily. The youngest one he groomed turned out to be 24. I'm going to place my money in their team, IPP. I want to be a good steward of my money, to glorify my Master with what He has given me.
That should be all, please pray for me- the Wushu Taiji Quan competition on 9th April, the SLA Spatial Challenge, and VJC Economics Symposium, that I shall shine for God, no matter how insignificant I am.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
-Softball-
I just witnessed a softball match by my greenhorn-ish juniors opposite my house, at East Spring Secondary School. They lost, quite badly. I couldn't keep track of how many runs they trailed behind.
Sad. They lacked the fighting spirit, the mutual encouragement and support, and the tenacity that a softball player should uniquely possess. Despite this harsh critique on them, I myself and many others have fallen prey to defeatist attitudes as well. I have great hopes for them, so for any of you softballers who may chance about your senior's blog, don't despair for it is not all doom and gloom! I believe you have untapped potential, seeing that you all just don't see yourselves that way.
I then realised how much I miss this sport, still returning to watch a match, under the relentles s sun, occupying a good one eighth of my day. This team game, that was the catalyst of many a lifelong friendships and the development of a strong willed individual that I am.
With this I pen down this poem, in memory of this sport which I can or never will sever with. And to the teammates whom have made softball the elusive sport that it is.
SWING BATTER, BATTER SWING!
From what came strangers formed an unlikely team
of talents not appreciated, demeaned.
No field of our own,
bats, gloves, nets we had to loan.
We have grown.
Terrible we were, a blatant fact
couldn't hold a bat, baffled by the act,
no wonder it led to Mr Yeo's rambling
Yes spilling on and on- numbing.
We have grown.
zhu zhu, zai zai, long long, (yun long, zai hui, shyang long)
yuan yuan, ming ming zuan, (zhen yuan, zuan ming)
shan zhu, tkt, guang sh(it) or GS, (hejun, kim tien, guang shun)
aaron, sikai, joseph. (alvin)
We have grown.
The first match- MATI!
Against Mr Yeo's own Chai Chee,
Cocky bulls they were, brawny
whilst we docile lamb, scrawny.
We have grown.
The honour of a privileged few,
The First of our kind to invade the field,
Thrice a week we strenously train.
Then picking balls from the slimy drain.
We have grown.
Year 2004 marks our foray
into the East Zone, ready to play.
With our minds rehearsed, reflexes sharpened,
Against our adversaries our emotions sullen (may be disputed)
We have grown.
A disappointing defeat by arch nemesis to be -Damai,
Second to none but nepalese Damai.
Only to happen again in Year 2006,
To crush our wishes that irksome Damai. (Becky!)
We have grown.
Yet beyond the triumphs and the doldrums
Nothing can match the exhilaration
of holding a bat and commandeering the play,
especially so, scoring the ecclesiatical home run.
We have grown.
How long has it been, a year or two?
With each of us walking his own way.
Search deep, lurking within us,
lies an earnest desire to rekindle the past.
And we have grown.
Hmm... Soft sport, they brazenly mock,
Unaware of the perils it knocks,
Wait till a softball comes crashing down,
I pray you'll be safe and sound.
They have grown.
And so have we.
P.S. I had a fun time reminiscing all of these fond memories, and really, such words are quite unable to capture the enormity of feelings I have for softball and the 'gang'. I don't ascribe calling ourselves the gang because it's too boorish. Anyway, a picture to remember!
Sad. They lacked the fighting spirit, the mutual encouragement and support, and the tenacity that a softball player should uniquely possess. Despite this harsh critique on them, I myself and many others have fallen prey to defeatist attitudes as well. I have great hopes for them, so for any of you softballers who may chance about your senior's blog, don't despair for it is not all doom and gloom! I believe you have untapped potential, seeing that you all just don't see yourselves that way.
I then realised how much I miss this sport, still returning to watch a match, under the relentles s sun, occupying a good one eighth of my day. This team game, that was the catalyst of many a lifelong friendships and the development of a strong willed individual that I am.
With this I pen down this poem, in memory of this sport which I can or never will sever with. And to the teammates whom have made softball the elusive sport that it is.
SWING BATTER, BATTER SWING!
From what came strangers formed an unlikely team
of talents not appreciated, demeaned.
No field of our own,
bats, gloves, nets we had to loan.
We have grown.
Terrible we were, a blatant fact
couldn't hold a bat, baffled by the act,
no wonder it led to Mr Yeo's rambling
Yes spilling on and on- numbing.
We have grown.
zhu zhu, zai zai, long long, (yun long, zai hui, shyang long)
yuan yuan, ming ming zuan, (zhen yuan, zuan ming)
shan zhu, tkt, guang sh(it) or GS, (hejun, kim tien, guang shun)
aaron, sikai, joseph. (alvin)
We have grown.
The first match- MATI!
Against Mr Yeo's own Chai Chee,
Cocky bulls they were, brawny
whilst we docile lamb, scrawny.
We have grown.
The honour of a privileged few,
The First of our kind to invade the field,
Thrice a week we strenously train.
Then picking balls from the slimy drain.
We have grown.
Year 2004 marks our foray
into the East Zone, ready to play.
With our minds rehearsed, reflexes sharpened,
Against our adversaries our emotions sullen (may be disputed)
We have grown.
A disappointing defeat by arch nemesis to be -Damai,
Second to none but nepalese Damai.
Only to happen again in Year 2006,
To crush our wishes that irksome Damai. (Becky!)
We have grown.
Yet beyond the triumphs and the doldrums
Nothing can match the exhilaration
of holding a bat and commandeering the play,
especially so, scoring the ecclesiatical home run.
We have grown.
How long has it been, a year or two?
With each of us walking his own way.
Search deep, lurking within us,
lies an earnest desire to rekindle the past.
And we have grown.
Hmm... Soft sport, they brazenly mock,
Unaware of the perils it knocks,
Wait till a softball comes crashing down,
I pray you'll be safe and sound.
They have grown.
And so have we.
P.S. I had a fun time reminiscing all of these fond memories, and really, such words are quite unable to capture the enormity of feelings I have for softball and the 'gang'. I don't ascribe calling ourselves the gang because it's too boorish. Anyway, a picture to remember!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Short post
This shall be my shortest post ever! Stay strong and be healthy and get plenty of rest, fellow petralites and classmates and dear friends! I will remember to pray for you!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Remnants of Cambridge-a delight to the eyes
Whats the fuss about a pile of big rocks? Plenty,
there is an unqueasy energy in this place.
Looks familiar, hey wait isn't it the harry
potter bridge, without the stream?!
What a classic, yet imposing abbey. Cut down the trees, chop down the signboard!
Hope it adds life to the blog:)
Friday, March 7, 2008
Relative time, relative importance
Time is said to be relative, that is you use time efficiently, you have more time, you use it inefficiently, you have less time.
I am in short, spending my time on such an array of activities all in the span of a week.
(Pre-U Seminar emcee sessions, SLA Geographic Imaging Systems competition, VJC economics symposium, Who wants to be an Econnaire, Youth Connect exhibition, giving weekly friday tuitions to primary school kids, wushu training 3 times a week, now 4, wednesday morning prayer meetings in school, weekly thursday meetings with Campus Crusade, Investment Cashflow game on Saturday, followed by church till night, Sunday church cancelled due to training, not to mention the crafting of lesson plans, planning of games, and sharing of testimonies)
Couple that with a slew of piping hot tests that spills all over the week and the impending block tests in a week, it could be quite a tramatic experience. However, despite the overwhelming workload, I am still quite stress free, and quite numb overall to the entire experience. By God's grace truly.
How I look forward to Saturdays and Sundays, where I would once again, be restored to strength to strength, as Isaiah 40:31 promises : "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
Friends always remark at how I survive this hectic, frenetic, maniacal schedule of mine, if they can tell or do know, (since I am always so stress free.) Well my God does it for me, and He can for you too :)
I hope that as I take time off to compose this poem , you would also take time off to contemplate on it. My greatest satisfaction would be the elevation of your souls. (hmm) You can try figuring out the rhyming scheme(its quite tough! Took me quite a while to get it, you can doublecheck below)
Look Forward
As we toil in our daily cares,
let us not fall into the snares,
of living an existence
which bears no resemblance,
to what you have in mind.
"Seek me first, and you will find-
fulfillment, love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self control "
to say the least.
How I await the great feast!
Where people from every nation,
tribe and tongue,
would gather in unison-
To praise our God in jubilation!
An attempt at a little more complex rhyming scheme, aabbc cdefd dghgg.
I am in short, spending my time on such an array of activities all in the span of a week.
(Pre-U Seminar emcee sessions, SLA Geographic Imaging Systems competition, VJC economics symposium, Who wants to be an Econnaire, Youth Connect exhibition, giving weekly friday tuitions to primary school kids, wushu training 3 times a week, now 4, wednesday morning prayer meetings in school, weekly thursday meetings with Campus Crusade, Investment Cashflow game on Saturday, followed by church till night, Sunday church cancelled due to training, not to mention the crafting of lesson plans, planning of games, and sharing of testimonies)
Couple that with a slew of piping hot tests that spills all over the week and the impending block tests in a week, it could be quite a tramatic experience. However, despite the overwhelming workload, I am still quite stress free, and quite numb overall to the entire experience. By God's grace truly.
How I look forward to Saturdays and Sundays, where I would once again, be restored to strength to strength, as Isaiah 40:31 promises : "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
Friends always remark at how I survive this hectic, frenetic, maniacal schedule of mine, if they can tell or do know, (since I am always so stress free.) Well my God does it for me, and He can for you too :)
I hope that as I take time off to compose this poem , you would also take time off to contemplate on it. My greatest satisfaction would be the elevation of your souls. (hmm) You can try figuring out the rhyming scheme(its quite tough! Took me quite a while to get it, you can doublecheck below)
Look Forward
As we toil in our daily cares,
let us not fall into the snares,
of living an existence
which bears no resemblance,
to what you have in mind.
"Seek me first, and you will find-
fulfillment, love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self control "
to say the least.
How I await the great feast!
Where people from every nation,
tribe and tongue,
would gather in unison-
To praise our God in jubilation!
An attempt at a little more complex rhyming scheme, aabbc cdefd dghgg.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Carried in His arms
This is going to be the testimony I am going to share with newcomers and dear friends at my church: Of God's faithfulness and love for me in my lowest of lows since December last year. This account is of course not fabricated in any sort, nor is it supposed to be. THIS is my personal story of how God led me through this tumultuous times and is still carrying me, in His arms.
For many of you, especially those who have known me in school, would unanimously agree that I am of the ENFJ personality type: Loud, straightforward, critical, jovial, intelligent and 'witty'. In church too, I am much the same, though perhaps a bit more reserved. That said, as I begin to familiarise myself with my brethen, I am slowly 'coming out of my shell' and am pretty much the same Chong Lip in school as in church.
It has been 2.6 years since I surrendered my life to Jesus. As I reminisce, it tickles me as to how idealistic I have been: To think that all things would proceed smoothly now that I have become a Christian. I wouldn't be hypocritical and say that God has blessed my family richly or my relationships richly as of now. But He has blessed my life richly, and I can confidently proclaim that He has made me a better person, a wholer person, than before. I would very possibly degenerate to a beastly like thing have I not followed Christ. So, thank you God, for choosing me.
Last december, after I went back home from the 'THINK' camp in church, I found out that my dad has not been at home, for a few days already. He only came back in 2 weeks. And left in the wee hours again. Without a word of notice. He didn't dare look at me in the eye when he came back, it must have been guilt of a strange kind. My father became a stranger to me. My mum, being Mrs Bennet, was hysterical, writhing, going through rages and bouts of depression, worsened by the fact that some friend of hers witnessed seeing my dad with another 'pretty, China woman'. My siblings didn't care, I was the one who tried to console her, to assure her, when I myself struggled inside; I simply could not ascertain that my dad was unfaithful to my mum; That God allowed such a thing to happen in my family . That period as short as 2 weeks could be said to be the absolute worst in my life.
Now, where is God's promise as in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. " I felt battered, wearied, lost, without hope and still, acting as if I am alright and well, outside the confines of my home. How futile it is, how unsustainable, to keep up this double life of mine.
Many times, I asked God. I ask him, why is this happening to me, why do I have to be in this family. I envisioned myself worse off than a starving baby languishing in the slums of Africa. Though he didn't have food, he had not tasted the emotional anguish that assailed me.
I pored over the Bible, read the Daily Bread daily, since there was no one else I could turn to. I didn't know my church friends well enough, and I only told them a slice of what was happening in my family. Grief was my friend.
I began to journal down my thoughts and prayers. I wrote down verses which God revealed to me through His Word, and mediated upon them.
Sunday, December 16, 2007. This was the first verse i jotted down. Psalm 46.10 - Be still, and know that I am God. Indeed, the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) I felt so strongly God's peace and presence as I quieted down my spirit and just 'Be still'. Even as I am typing this now, God is ministering to me. I was enlightened in a sense, how silly i have been not to hope and trust in God, whom is the creator of Heaven and Earth.
I would also like to share with you another verse from 2 Corinthians 4:8-9- We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. May this bring hope to those of whom are hurting, despairing, for God is always there for you.
Remember the Lord, who is GREAT and AWESOME, Nehemiah(in 4:14) says. Though things are still quite as bad as before, God has heard my prayers and begun a recuperative process in my family. Though the devil continues to throw snares, I can know that what God promised in Jeremiah 29:11 is not a feint one. For this is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us-whatever we ask- we know that we have what we asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15)
Even if it is restoring peace between my siblings and I, and the reconciliating the relationships between my parents, and even with some of my friends whom I have ignored, God is mighty and able to. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
I hope that you will come to accept God and His love for you. Make a personal choice today, to follow Him.
P.S. Those observant ones would realise that I didnt blog during December, January because I simply wasn't in the best state of mind :p
For many of you, especially those who have known me in school, would unanimously agree that I am of the ENFJ personality type: Loud, straightforward, critical, jovial, intelligent and 'witty'. In church too, I am much the same, though perhaps a bit more reserved. That said, as I begin to familiarise myself with my brethen, I am slowly 'coming out of my shell' and am pretty much the same Chong Lip in school as in church.
It has been 2.6 years since I surrendered my life to Jesus. As I reminisce, it tickles me as to how idealistic I have been: To think that all things would proceed smoothly now that I have become a Christian. I wouldn't be hypocritical and say that God has blessed my family richly or my relationships richly as of now. But He has blessed my life richly, and I can confidently proclaim that He has made me a better person, a wholer person, than before. I would very possibly degenerate to a beastly like thing have I not followed Christ. So, thank you God, for choosing me.
Last december, after I went back home from the 'THINK' camp in church, I found out that my dad has not been at home, for a few days already. He only came back in 2 weeks. And left in the wee hours again. Without a word of notice. He didn't dare look at me in the eye when he came back, it must have been guilt of a strange kind. My father became a stranger to me. My mum, being Mrs Bennet, was hysterical, writhing, going through rages and bouts of depression, worsened by the fact that some friend of hers witnessed seeing my dad with another 'pretty, China woman'. My siblings didn't care, I was the one who tried to console her, to assure her, when I myself struggled inside; I simply could not ascertain that my dad was unfaithful to my mum; That God allowed such a thing to happen in my family . That period as short as 2 weeks could be said to be the absolute worst in my life.
Now, where is God's promise as in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. " I felt battered, wearied, lost, without hope and still, acting as if I am alright and well, outside the confines of my home. How futile it is, how unsustainable, to keep up this double life of mine.
Many times, I asked God. I ask him, why is this happening to me, why do I have to be in this family. I envisioned myself worse off than a starving baby languishing in the slums of Africa. Though he didn't have food, he had not tasted the emotional anguish that assailed me.
I pored over the Bible, read the Daily Bread daily, since there was no one else I could turn to. I didn't know my church friends well enough, and I only told them a slice of what was happening in my family. Grief was my friend.
I began to journal down my thoughts and prayers. I wrote down verses which God revealed to me through His Word, and mediated upon them.
Sunday, December 16, 2007. This was the first verse i jotted down. Psalm 46.10 - Be still, and know that I am God. Indeed, the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) I felt so strongly God's peace and presence as I quieted down my spirit and just 'Be still'. Even as I am typing this now, God is ministering to me. I was enlightened in a sense, how silly i have been not to hope and trust in God, whom is the creator of Heaven and Earth.
I would also like to share with you another verse from 2 Corinthians 4:8-9- We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. May this bring hope to those of whom are hurting, despairing, for God is always there for you.
Remember the Lord, who is GREAT and AWESOME, Nehemiah(in 4:14) says. Though things are still quite as bad as before, God has heard my prayers and begun a recuperative process in my family. Though the devil continues to throw snares, I can know that what God promised in Jeremiah 29:11 is not a feint one. For this is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us-whatever we ask- we know that we have what we asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15)
Even if it is restoring peace between my siblings and I, and the reconciliating the relationships between my parents, and even with some of my friends whom I have ignored, God is mighty and able to. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
I hope that you will come to accept God and His love for you. Make a personal choice today, to follow Him.
P.S. Those observant ones would realise that I didnt blog during December, January because I simply wasn't in the best state of mind :p
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