Unfailling love and truth have met together,

Righteousness and peace have kissed!

-Psalms 85:10

"My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!"

Psalm 57:7, NLT

I'll hold you close, I won't let go

You're the joy, that's set before my eyes.

In troubled times, you will find

me close to you, I will be here.

Something's missing and I just can't seem to find it..

Tribute to a phone that lasted eternity( in mobile phone industry terms)

It finally came a moment for me to depart from this phone. Not because it had ceased to function, but it was sold away by its unfaithful master for its already pathetic, yet still depreciating monetary value.

I am nevertheless convinced that this phone is able to outlive my life, or perhaps, until technology renders it obsolete. Otherwise, the physical aspect is built to last.

( Pardon this pity-party, or rather, this pity-post.. And the sudden sentiments as well. But this master rejoices that things, which are suppose to last, were made to last.. and actually lasted.)

Tiny hint of mighty joy

I've learnt to an immeasurable amount from them..

It's no wonder then, that I still seek audience with them.

Ouch

Victor Explorer cls 2800

18/08/09 - 02/09/09

clashed into my partner's forefinger while in the game.. Hence, ouch..

( It is firmly believed that the picture of this broken racket should be grotesque enough..)

The guitarist

The hair will soon disappear haha..

( What you see on the picture is a total incorrect representation of my aristocratical acoustic guitar.. There should be 6 strings instead of 3.. Come to think of it, I should have 5 fingers on both hands each.. and where are my eye-brows!!)

Waiter in the waiting

Stumbled upon this interesting article written by Kelly Needham.


"My Predicament - Part 1
Tuesday, Dec 9th, 2008


As it seems most Christian girls are I was waiting on God to bring me my husband, my perfect man. (Of course he wouldn't be perfect, but just about perfect, at least for me.) A few prospective guys came in and out of my life through high school and college and as they came, I considered them and contemplated if this was the one that I was waiting for. It was usually the same story: I liked the guy, spent time analyzing whether or not he could be the one, had lots of phone conversations with him, and usually went on a few dates. At some point in the relationship (sometimes within a few weeks, sometimes within a few months) I would realize that he could not be the one I was waiting for and then ended the relationship. This cycle was dissatisfying, and disappointing.

Finally, in September of 2005, God revealed the error of my practice of waiting on Him to bring me my husband.

“I am waiting on God to bring me my husband.”

Is there anything wrong with this statement? It might not seem like it. It is good and right to wait on God’s timing concerning marriage and dating instead of trying to do things in our own way. But if that is the ONLY THING that we are waiting on, we have an incorrect perspective.

Picture this: You are at a restaurant and have just ordered a pizza. A friend walks in and sits down with you and asks, “What are you doing?” And you respond with, “I am waiting on the waiter to bring me my pizza.” (Does this sentence structure sound familiar?) In this example, you do not have much regard for the waiter. The waiter is only the vehicle by which you get what you are truly there for: your pizza. You are not expecting the waiter to come and sit down and talk with you, but to simply deliver the pizza.

“I am waiting on God to bring me my husband.”

What are you more excited about: Jesus or your future husband? God was never designed to simply be the means for us to receive things. He was never intended to be our waiter, but to BE OUR EVERYTHING! I had replaced the passionate pursuit of knowing Him with the pursuit of an allegedly more passionate relationship on earth. I had put another “god” before the Lord; I had created an idol.

In Hosea 2:16, God speaks to His people saying, “And it shall be, in that day, says the Lord, "That you will call Me 'My Husband,' And no longer call Me 'My Master.'” One of the most common reasons that we, as Christian women, long for marriage and relationships more than God is because we don’t know how to fall in love with God. We have been taught how to obey and please God (how to call Him ’Master’), but we do not know how to grow in our love for Him and fall deeper in love with the character of our Creator (how to call Him ’Husband’).

Consider this analogy:
David and Jessica have been dating for a few months now and most of their friends comment about how cute a couple they are. They are frequently seen at the local coffee shop or out to eat together on a Friday night. Their favorite spot to frequent is the beach near by at sunset. Here they spend their time walking along the shore, holding hands, and enjoying the sunset in silence. The problem is that Jessica spends this time on the beach thinking about John, a guy in one of her classes. She reminisces about what he said to her that day, the way he looked, and how sweet he was to stay late and help his friend with homework. She’s already thinking about what she’s going to wear tomorrow so that she can look extra special when she sees him. This is not fair to David at all; it is emotional infidelity and emotional lust. It may look like she loves David because she does all the right things to appear in love with him, but her heart is set on someone else. This is exactly what many of us have done in our relationship with God! We know how to appear passionate about God: we talk about Him to others, we read His Word, we attend Bible studies and keep trying harder to learn more about Him, but our hearts are set on something else.

We were created to be in a passionate, consuming, and loving relationship; this is why our hearts long for it. So when we do not experience this fulfilling relationship in God, we naturally look for it in other things: usually in a relationship here on earth. This is a terrible situation, because our GREATEST commandment is to “love the Lord you God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength” (Mark 12:29-30)! Not simply to put God first in your daily activities, but LOVE HIM PASSIONATELY! What does it mean to love someone with all your heart? To love someone with all your mental capacity? To love someone with your whole being? With all the strength that you have within you? That is a passionate love! Unfortunately, I have found that the majority of girls I talk to have never experienced this kind of love for God. They know how to please God, how to do the things that He wants them to do, how to look like they are passionate about Him, but their hearts are set on something they perceive to be more passionate. We need to repent and surrender this idol we have made. "

(I just find this an interesting article.. I'm not looking for a potential soul-mate in dear near future.. and please.. definitely not anticipating a husband..)

Gone were the days

"If the world's ethical standards fail to rise with the advances of our technological revolution, the world will go to hell. Let us remember that in the horse-and-buggy days nobody got hurt if the coachman had a drink too many. In our times of high-powered automobiles, however, that same drink may be fatal...."
-Wernher Von Braun

Such really is the case, as I conclude while edging across the border between adolescence and adulthood, if you consider the early part of my life as 'horse-and-buggy' days.

It appears that we gotta wise up, my friend.. haha

Excellent excuse

One day a boss decided to check out his employees.

He found one of them skiving without being detected.

"Why aren't you working, Sam?"asked the superior.

Attached to the reply was the excellent excuse,"I didn't see you coming."

Har Har

Spoilsport

There was a time when winning in the sports I engage in is all the matter. It was of paramount significance that I reach the top spot on the podium. At least that was all that the voices around me were telling me to.. 'you have to win'.. 'work it out'.. 'slog!'.. 'focus on it'..

Be enslaved to it.. When winning is all that matters, there can be no grace perpetuating.

I still enjoy competitions now really. I'd continue to give my best for sure, but now it's not just for a silly spoil.. Call me a spoilsport for not wanting to win then.. but excellence does not equates to winning..

"How can you continue to do your best if you do not want to win?", he insisted,"You no longer have passion for the game."

"I merely reserved my passion for a greater purpose." I told him.

because you can enjoy playing without trying to win..

Afterall, the victory belongs to Him ha

Transition

The train reaches it's final destination,

but your journey has yet to be concluded..

The jetplane touches down,

but you know your feet will soon be off the ground..

The car hits the brakes and stops-

This junction has heavy traffic.. any wrong turn spells heavy consequences..

(Some clarity needed.. Audible hints appreciated..)

Time to start executing plans!

..

bahaha

Bobo Tan

As times go by I've began to identify my little pet's functions and capabilities ( it didn't come with an instruction manual) :

- It is usually the first one to greet me at the door with several high decibel 'hellos', followed a few sniffs and then proceeds to scan the stuffs that I brought home to complete the security checks( Although I would see it more as trying to see if I brought any food home). It will occasionally lick my leg, if I'm not wearing long pants, to round off the welcoming gesture..

- It is without any doubt a burglar alarm. Haha I think I can save my breath on this one.. It's interesting to point out though, that it is easily triggered..

- It is my personal leg trainer when I'm at home. It does its job by tugging on to my leg when I'm walking around. I need an illustration to show this.

There.

- It is sometimes a miniature heater in my sleep, whether I prefer the extra warmth or not. But for most of the time it's during chilly mornings, I'd wake up finding this heater popping out snugging near my abdominal area.. It probably needs some warmth itself too

- It has this function which I have yet to determine whether it's beneficial or otherwise, and that's to scratch the door when the door's closed and when it wants to enter to do spot checks.

- It is most frequently my make-shift pillow. Ok..

It is in all times my friend(awww), unless when food or bones come in between us of course.. haha.. Sometimes, I would just spend time doing nothing and let it come onto my lap and start giving it doggy massage.. R&R.

I'm still trying to figure out many other functions.. as well as looking out for the owner's manual.. I must have left it somewhere..

prudent lavishness

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!"

-Matthew 13:45-46

Not so dainty nightouts

I remember that my objective was the announcements( And that one really failed), but all I could recall was pop charts, GM, all-star, and Jack Barwu!

I'm sure missing these times together...

you're Mine

"... I paid a huge price for you:

all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!

That's how much you mean to me!

That's how much I love you!

I'd sell off the whole world to get you back,

trade the creation just for you."

-Isaiah 43:3-4

Much was said figuratively, only to have even more actuated into reality.. to prove this post's title true..

Good things come in trios, usually

Finally gotten my in-ear monitors(IEM) for stage usage. Why did I mention that good things come in threes when there's only a pair of them( like I've got 3 ears haha)? It's because in each earpiece, there's generally three drivers( or simply speakers) to provide sound- one for lows(bass), one for mids, and one for highs(treble).. This makes the sound more whole, and gives this piece a 'undeniable range' as stated in the packaging haha. It provides 25dB of sound isolation thus making it ideal for stage use. The clarity of this monitors is superb. I am able to hear Ps Andrew flipping his bible pages.



While this monitors are amazing, I'm actually more amazed at God's providence.. How I gotten this is just unbelievable.. CT found this offer selling it at the amount 2/3 the price of brand new one. So I met up with this guy selling the stuff( and he turns out to be Jason too!) and as it turns out, He bought this in a package deal with a amplifier that is the most expensive amp I've ever known. And that's why he could sell it so cheap.. He can literally earn some income with this package that he paid for.. He's not a musician so he didn't really enjoy listening with the IEM.. And the other thing is when I decided to buy, the tax rebate came, so I don't have to starve after buying it.



Overall, I'm really thankful to have this wonderful IEM.. Haha this is gonna last me quite a while, unless they come out with one that has 4 drivers in it.

Ode.. with, the guitar

After listening to a handful of other fellow levites and their lack of musical accompaniment in their homes, I'm left with thoughts of gratefulness-that I'm blessed with such a lovely instrument that is ready for me as and when I am, that it's sound is intensely backing me up as I carry on with my pursue after Him.. yet gentle enough to let me hear God whisper into my ears..

I'm not trying to say that you can't worship God just by yourself and that you need to have a full orchestra to initiate your time spent with God.. but I'm saying that I'm thankful for this piece of relatively expensive wood, which I sometimes take for granted, in enabling me to generate higher decibels of noise in my tiny, bedroom worship sessions. haha.