move off this mountain!

Deut 1

6 The LORD our God said to us at Horeb, "You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7 Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 8 See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them."
It's time to move? perhaps time to look to new things? a year or so back i started a small business, teaching music and selling guitars. took a break from that for quite a while liaoz.

maybe its time to restart in small ways? so.....

i've start a yahoogroup, inspired by my midnite chat with David at the dam haha....so i'm inviting anyone, who's interested in teaching music and any instrument (as well as those who want to learn) to drop me an email and i'll add u to the yahoogroup. the website is also under redevelopment. Do pass around the message =) who knows how far this could go? maybe one day enough for me to quit my job and start on another path?

if you wondering, for now, i profit nothing from this. but i hope others can profit from this in some way, either by becoming a student, or becoming an instructor.

so...haha...see how lor.. =)

OMG! 10 Months Exactly!

OCX just reminded me....exactly 10 MONTHS!! woo! haha

The settled list

we have a few things left to settle

1. Actual Day photographer. i'm thinking of Ambi. what does everyone think?
2. Pre-wedding. most likely we are going with Tri-Angles. its cool cos we may go Tanjong Pinang to shoot! it will be hot & dirty, but meaningful i think. we'll try to time it so that we are there while the mission trip is on
3. Church. we have two one choices so far. Trinty Theological College Chapel@Bukit Timah and Church of Acension.....TTC doesn't rent anymore starting in 2009....dots.....so now looks like its a slim hope for Acension.... Hopefully someone calls us back! If not it is COS (MP)!
4. Wedding Dinner. Gosh this one will take some time....the invite list for the dinner is a headache and we're still thinking about who shld we ask to co-ord and MC the dinner.
5. Pre-marriage Counselling. that's with Ps Mark and starts in April =)
6. Church Wedding. Thanks Mr Ong & Ms Teo...the helper list is with them liaoz...thanks in advance to everyone that is volunteering to help =)

some people would outsource this to a professional wedding planner, but its good to know you have people around you that you can rely on =)

i love ISAIAH!! (even more! :))

We had the most amazing day! :) Shopped at Bras Basah from 1pm to 6pm today! For some funky reasons, all of our errands/wants/needs were met until one roof in the complex :) And i totally splurged on assessment books. Fret not, it's claimable. Hahaha!

Isaiah was such a dear. Not once did he grumble about walking non stop (actually i was the one who complained about my poor tired legs!), AND he surprised me with...

CINDERELLA TICKETS! :) :) :) :) :)

I was drawn to Lea Salonga after i fell in love with her song, 'Journey', many years ago.

The step sisters and step mother

Stepsister's interesting dress sense (for the ball)

Lea Salonga as Cinderella and the lovely fairy godmother

Isaiah's favourite character - the mouse (who turned into the horsemen later!)

Saying goodbye, for now
Happily ever after
And i love the carriage! It's so prettttttyyy :) Sparkling and all!

I was most impressed by the set up of the stage and deco. I mean, when the fairy godmother was supposed to change Cinderella, i kept thinking, can she get on with it already!?! Then iT dawned upon me that this was not a cartoon but a play, hence special effects are impossible. Heh. Nevertheless, the change was super fast, so fast that we were left so entralled and amazed. :)

I had the most wonderful time. Thank you sweetheart for the surprise. But above all, thank you for remembering that i wanted to watch the musical, despite it being a passing comment, and oh so long ago! :)

I CANT WAIT FOR CNY!!

I love CNY because we get to spend time with our family members :) Every first day of New Year, we used to wake up early and eat Mee Swa (Vermicelli) made by my paternal grandma (ah ma) and mummy. They will also cook red date and longan drink (ang saor teh) and prepare lots of food for all my grandparents' kids/grandkids/great grand kids who are coming to visit them.

Mee Swa on New Year's Day is a Hokkien tradition which sybolizes longevity i think :) But i like to think of it as family togetherness when we eat together first thing on New Year's day.

These days, though my paternal grandparents are no longer with us, the sweet sweet memory they left behind lives on strongly. Daddy and Mummy prepares the mee swa and Isaiah will come over to have a nice homely breakfast. We still have the longan and red date tea, of which this year, i'm gonna improvise and make it ice blended! :)

Another must-do thing would be to catch the yearly Jack Neo film in the theatres with my beloved family :) This year would be of no exception! Have you caught the funky trailer in the movies?

Have no idea what the movie is about? Fret not! Omy keeps you updated, informed, on the loop, yada yada yada! And that's why i love it! :)

broken hunter

Matthew 23:37

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.

Jeremiah 23:3-4

"I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the LORD.

i can't think of what to blog...i cannot stand the thought that His children have drifted from His embrace. yet i remember that God loves you, more than i ever will. Yet i constrain myself....but the WORD says that the "Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died"

Matthew 18:12-14

"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

That none should be lost, but that all come (& stay) in the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus.

I have hung up my bow, i have kept my boots. i have stayed in my cabin. perhaps its time....one-by-one...just like before....till all are safe, in the Father's embrace.

its in about 10 months..

somewhere in NYC

I had a revelation this morning.
It suddenly dawned on me that our wedding is in slightly more than 10 months time. We have passed the one year mark.

Uh oh.

Hotel booked.
Bridal Package booked.
Church being confirmed soon
Photographer being confirmed soon

and a million other things to do.

Think FUN! :)

p.s. Elynn & Bernard's wedding was soooo great! We were super tired, and in fact still trying to recuperate from it. Photos to be up soon.

Working at work like Jesus

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2 by Os Hillman
Thursday, January 08 2009
"Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of
James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And
they took offense at him (Mark 6:3).
In 2005, a movie entitled The Passion was released that chronicled the last twenty-four hours of Jesus' life. During a flashback scene, Jesus was seen in his carpentry shop making a table with his mother standing by playfully observing. It was a very beautiful scene that reminds us that Jesus was a carpenter for most of his adult life. In fact, Jesus was more qualified to be a carpenter than the Son of God in the eyes of the people because that is the history they knew of this young working class man from Nazareth.
Consider that in the New Testament of Jesus' 132 public appearances, 122 were in the marketplace. Of 52 parables Jesus told, 45 had a workplace context. Of 40 miracles in the book of Acts, 39 were in the marketplace. Jesus spent his adult life as a carpenter until age 30 before he went into a preaching ministry in the workplace. And, 54% of Jesus' reported teaching ministry arose out of issues posed by others in the scope of daily life experience. Saint Bonaventure said, "His doing nothing 'wonderful' (his first 30-years) was in itself a kind of wonder."
Work, in its different forms, is mentioned more than 800 times in the Bible -more than all the words used to express worship, music, praise, and singing combined. God created work and He is a worker. "My father is always at his work to this very day, and I too, am working" (John
5:17).
So, the next time you are tempted to minimize your daily work as anything less than a holy calling, remember that Jesus was a workplace minister as a carpenter in his community. He has called you and I to reflect His glory in our work.
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I think too often I don't think rightly about the work that I do from Monday to Friday. I need to realise and remember that God put me here for 9 hours X 5 days per week for a purpose!
I thank God that He has given me many opportunities in the workplace and I pray that 2009 would be the year that I really can bless my "mission ground"!
There are so many opportunities everyday to keep being a living testimony to His goodness and I pray that my eyes be open to the chances, but also that I may be in favour with God and man to show that Godly values bring God's favour and fragrance into the
marketplace!

Thank God for 2008, Hello 2009

Finally i have a chance to reflect over 2008 and i will just quickly put down whatever i can remember!

1. Thank you darling Matz for accepting my engagement ring =) 2009 is going to be super exciting woot!
2. Thanks COSB and David especially for welcoming me into your fellowship. my first year here =)
3. Thanks JonW for asking me to serve in the worship team, its been great!
4. Thanks for Cambodia and all the lovely crazy passionate people that went as well as the people we met there =)
5. Thanks to the Bali trip gang (Karen, OCX, Liwen) - we should go again!
6. & the nonsense Bintan people (JonW, DanY, DanF)....jump on my bed again and i will smack you! but it was a great break!
7. love my lunch kakis too (Shawn, Sharon, XL, Wei Wen)

Alot of changes and adaptions for me to get used to in 2008, but by the grace of God i made it through =)

i think it was also the first time in my life that i ever flew so many times!

• Mumbai, India x 1
• Middle East x 2
• Bali x 1
• Cambodia x 1
• Penang x 1

1st time also that i bought a bass ever (& it was the first instrument i bought in 10 years as well!)
1st time for my mixer as well =p
1st time to Bible Camp - fun too, 1st time driving up to Malacca!
1st time to missions@Bintan
1st time with a DSLR camera
1st time receiving bonus from my company - Praise God who gives exceedingly, abundantly beyond our measure!

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Prayers

• thinking about Cambodia, i pray for that guy that we invited off the streets to the outreach event. praying for you brother, that one day when we go back, we will see you bringing other missionaries around as well!
• I pray that this would be a year where my friends in the marketplace will come to know Jesus and find the REAL thing they are searching for in life.
• Work has been great as well, God has blessed me so greatly in the marketplac, so i hope i can be a great testimony in 2009
• Pray for Matz & me too - I hope that 2009 is when we can spend more time together, just being together, but also serving together. so that we can say that "But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD" - Joshua 24:15
• Pray that we can continue to bless those around us as well
• 2009 is also when i hope to be able to spend more time with my family. never had the habit to, but i hope that this year i can do more in their lives

2nd Jan was a strange day. after having drinks with my NUS friends, i was walking to the bus-stop and i met wei, my JC friend. so i arranged lunch with him for tuesday. then i took the bus and sat down upstairs. sitting infront of me - my JC class mate! wah!
Then as i was parking the car at bishan, i met a brother from Z3! wah again!

somehow i feel that God wants me to be sensitive and look around and do what i do best - to just connect with all these people, and in faith help them step closer into the kingdom.

Lord this year 2009 is for YOU & we (I+M) pray that Your will be done, Your kingdom reign in our lives. May we hold nothing back from You & trust You in everything - knowing that You know best the road ahead =)