An annoucement to make. I've accepted a job offer from Siemens last Wednesday. So in a month's time I'll be start working at Siemens Business Centre Pte Ltd in Singapore. At first I didn't expect to get a job so soon, as I've mentioned in my previous post. Looks like God has started guiding me little by little, no more living a life of "nothingless". Hopefully it's a good start of my new life journey. I'm sure it is.
So now I've accepted the offer. It's time to get busy around with medical checkups and working documents. Yup, foreigners working in Spore have to get their pre-employment stuff done asap. It's a hassle though, but what to do.. I've done my medical checkup, got my letter of appointment, filled up the S Pass form. Now waiting to submit all my forms to MOM, and another medic checkup. Duh... Once got my pass done, have to open bank account, sign up mobile plan, hunt for a room to rent, etc.. still have so many things need to be done. Hopefully I can settle everything asap.
Some people would say, "Wow! got a job in Sg. At least you can come back every weekend. It's not far between Sg and JB..." I would say it's a better choice to settle down in Sg, attend a church there instead of JB and etc. At least my life would be much stabilised and routined compare to going back JB every weekend, have to beat the causeway jam, human jam, run towards the bus and sqeeze in... Wasting a lot of time. So I've decided to settle down there for good. Who knows I might be sent to Siemens M'sia in the next few years. Anyhow I trust God that He will help me to search my purpose in life!
So what have I been through in life recently? Well, it was like driving on the road, and there's a traffic light in front of me. I have to stop as the light was red. But I had a long stop because the traffic light was faulty. Many motorists have realised the problem, and they just drove through despite the red light. Being a good motorist, I've chose to stop there unless the light has turned green. As I was in the car, I got nothing to do. No music player, no mobile phone, nothing. I was so bored. Life was so meaningless at that time. I could have just passed through the faulty lights, but I chose to stay. I obeyed! After some time, some technicians came to the site and got the lights fixed. It was green! Finally I can start to move forward.
I've made my first move. I have no idea how far is the next traffic light. Would it be red or green by then?
So now I've accepted the offer. It's time to get busy around with medical checkups and working documents. Yup, foreigners working in Spore have to get their pre-employment stuff done asap. It's a hassle though, but what to do.. I've done my medical checkup, got my letter of appointment, filled up the S Pass form. Now waiting to submit all my forms to MOM, and another medic checkup. Duh... Once got my pass done, have to open bank account, sign up mobile plan, hunt for a room to rent, etc.. still have so many things need to be done. Hopefully I can settle everything asap.
Some people would say, "Wow! got a job in Sg. At least you can come back every weekend. It's not far between Sg and JB..." I would say it's a better choice to settle down in Sg, attend a church there instead of JB and etc. At least my life would be much stabilised and routined compare to going back JB every weekend, have to beat the causeway jam, human jam, run towards the bus and sqeeze in... Wasting a lot of time. So I've decided to settle down there for good. Who knows I might be sent to Siemens M'sia in the next few years. Anyhow I trust God that He will help me to search my purpose in life!
So what have I been through in life recently? Well, it was like driving on the road, and there's a traffic light in front of me. I have to stop as the light was red. But I had a long stop because the traffic light was faulty. Many motorists have realised the problem, and they just drove through despite the red light. Being a good motorist, I've chose to stop there unless the light has turned green. As I was in the car, I got nothing to do. No music player, no mobile phone, nothing. I was so bored. Life was so meaningless at that time. I could have just passed through the faulty lights, but I chose to stay. I obeyed! After some time, some technicians came to the site and got the lights fixed. It was green! Finally I can start to move forward.
I've made my first move. I have no idea how far is the next traffic light. Would it be red or green by then?
Last Saturday, I went to this restaurant called Fish & co in S'pore. Was having lunch with my JB & S'porean friends. The food is so delicious, I can't wait for another go. Hehe... Here are some photos taken from there.
Main Menu
Fish eaters
Seafood Platters. Yummy yum!!
Gone with "The Platters"..
Butterfish with rice & cajun sauce
Nice ambience huh..
Another one..
Last week I had 2 interviews in S'pore. I'm pretty satisfied with the first one, based on the requirements and offer. Already had 2nd interview with them, so I have to wait and see whether I'll pass or not. To me it was a miracle because I haven't been recieved any calls from the Lion City for the past 2 months after sending so many resumes and applications. Nevertheless I thank God for His goodness. I began to see how God has started moving things, bit by bit in my life. I guess I've obeyed His orders, and I'm blessed by His works.
Hopefully Christians might have heard of this word blessings many times. You might even heard of people saying "God bless you" or "Shen zhu fu ni" in Mandarin. Basically it's a popular greetings between Christians. Now, I'm not talking about the definition of "blessings" or "blessedness" over here. But I would like to draw out a comparison between the meanings of blessings in the Christians today and blessings that is stated in the bible.
I've realised a big problem about how the church leaders today use this word blessings to their church congregations. Maybe you've heard of this trend which many leaders are using today. It's called "Prosperity Gospel". It's a type of extended gospel which includes blessings in order to attract more non-Christians to get salvation. It works in a way that this gospel is shared, followed by a testimony or two about how God had blessed them (normally related to financial aspect) and lastly the altar call. If you have heard of this gospel, you might be familiar with "God wants to bless you, both physically and financially"; "If you give your life to Christ, you will be blessed even more than what you've blessed today, exceedingly, abundantly!"; "God asked me to give all my money into the offering, and I was blessed with triple the amount by someone after that. Hallelujah!" The problem lies here. Where is the gospel that we should be hearing? "We are all sinners. God forgives!" This is not my main concern in this post. My concern is that people are drawn to the gospel simply because they will be blessed, they can live a better life as a Christian, hoping for better health, "gain more by giving all" and so on.
Is that what God telling us about the meaning of blessedness? Allow me to quote you about what Jesus said regarding to this (in contemporary language).
Hopefully Christians might have heard of this word blessings many times. You might even heard of people saying "God bless you" or "Shen zhu fu ni" in Mandarin. Basically it's a popular greetings between Christians. Now, I'm not talking about the definition of "blessings" or "blessedness" over here. But I would like to draw out a comparison between the meanings of blessings in the Christians today and blessings that is stated in the bible.
I've realised a big problem about how the church leaders today use this word blessings to their church congregations. Maybe you've heard of this trend which many leaders are using today. It's called "Prosperity Gospel". It's a type of extended gospel which includes blessings in order to attract more non-Christians to get salvation. It works in a way that this gospel is shared, followed by a testimony or two about how God had blessed them (normally related to financial aspect) and lastly the altar call. If you have heard of this gospel, you might be familiar with "God wants to bless you, both physically and financially"; "If you give your life to Christ, you will be blessed even more than what you've blessed today, exceedingly, abundantly!"; "God asked me to give all my money into the offering, and I was blessed with triple the amount by someone after that. Hallelujah!" The problem lies here. Where is the gospel that we should be hearing? "We are all sinners. God forgives!" This is not my main concern in this post. My concern is that people are drawn to the gospel simply because they will be blessed, they can live a better life as a Christian, hoping for better health, "gain more by giving all" and so on.
Is that what God telling us about the meaning of blessedness? Allow me to quote you about what Jesus said regarding to this (in contemporary language).
You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
You're blessed when you're content with just who you are -- no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
You're blessed when you get your inside world--your mind and heart--put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.
Count yourself blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. You can be glad when that happens -- give a cheer, even! -- for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
What do you think? Sounds negative? I don't think so. No doubt we will be blessed by Him even more than we could ask for. But He wants us to obey him as children obey their parents. Simple as that. "You will be blessed if you obey me." not "You will be blessed if you make my church grow." If you can obey your pastor's order, why can't you obey God's order? You want to be blessed by God or by your pastor? Are you going for Gold or for God??
Though sometimes I grow weary
When the roads getting long
And each point of my weakness
You make me strong
And when doubt takes over
I remember it's true
I left everything to follow you
To stay safe or to follow
You asked me to choose
But how could I failed
When I've got nothing left to lose
Without you call I could make it
It'll be impossible to do
To leave everything and follow you
Everything to follow (2x)
Everything to follow you
But what is my petty offering
To your sacrifice
I gave up my home
But you left paradise
And what you called me to offer
Has really set me free
Cause you left everything to be with me
So with joy I embrace
A faith that calls me from home
And I will cling to your promise
That I am never alone
And with each passing moments
I'll keep hoping it's true
I left everything to follow you
Everything to follow (2x)
Everything to follow you
"I Left Everything to Follow You" by Michael Card
Take from the album "A Fragile Stone"
Hmm.. someone commented that my first post was too strong, too serious, and too challenged. Who knows I might have scared my readers away. But don't worry, I'm not a totally serious person by nature. I like to make some crappy jokes too. "Hehe..." See? Not funny right? Anyway, I hope you do like my blog. Thanks to why, yarn and scmay for the lovely tag messages. Appreciate that.
The 3rd theme from the American Idol 4 live stage performance was Broadway Musical. I've watched the performance show. Honestly speaking, it wasn't that good. Because it's not easy to sing a song that is originated from any musical performance background. Even Simon Cowell told the host to drop this theme and never use it again for the upcoming competition. One of the contestants was a self-confessed Rocker. Before he came out to sing, he said: "This is my first time singing a song from a Musical, so I've chosen this song from this "anonymous" Musical and fingers crossed"...
There are many difficulties in life we have to face. One of it is the difficulty of "Uncertainty". Normally this occurs when something unknown that is happening to human for the time being and there is no certain answer to settle with. Therefore, most of us will fell uneasy because of the "question mark" has not been changed to "full stop". I guess in life, people just cannot settle with question marks. If there's a way to change to full stops, they are willing to do anything, anywhere, anytime to make sure they are able to clear this doubt.
I'm going through a period of "Fingers crossing". It is a fact of life. People can live without going through it are those who can control their lives well. As for me, I'm living a life that is given by someone. Therefore, I have no right to control my life with my own standard of living, until I have found my purpose of life! He wants me to know there are many uncertainties in life we have to face. So it's either to embrace it or to solve it? My decision : Embrace it. It's tough. Questions like "Where will I be working? What if I work there? How is my life going to be in the next few years?" always floating inside my mind without trying to solve it myself. I guess by learning how to embrace "fingers crossing" would be a great advantage for me, unlike other people who "die die don't want to face the fact". Hehe... (That's a chinese translated term)
Few weeks ago I've decided to focus my job application in Singapore rather than in KL. Some people would think I'm crazy because it's hard to get a job in S'pore, furthermore I'm neither a Singaporean nor PR. Other people would say I'm too money minded because of the high currency rate. Let me tell you, neither one are correct. My decision has been much influenced by "embracing uncertainty". I've expected this would caused me to stay jobless for at least another 6 months. But yet because of His "Nothing is impossible" term that led me to this path. At the end of the day, it's all about obedience. Since then I have not recieved any calls for an interview session despite sending more than 50 applications. But surprisingly, I've recieved 2 phone calls for the past 2 days from S'pore asking me to attend interview. I wonder is that a hint from somewhere? Obedience??
"Harry Potter was given a train ticket to Hogwarts. However he has to find the unknown platform which apparently cannot be found at the station. I've been given 2 train tickets. This time the platform can be found at the station, but I can only choose one ticket, one known destination and another unknown destination." The opportunity is right in front of our eyes. But which ticket will you choose? A journey of certainty or a journey of uncertainty?
The 3rd theme from the American Idol 4 live stage performance was Broadway Musical. I've watched the performance show. Honestly speaking, it wasn't that good. Because it's not easy to sing a song that is originated from any musical performance background. Even Simon Cowell told the host to drop this theme and never use it again for the upcoming competition. One of the contestants was a self-confessed Rocker. Before he came out to sing, he said: "This is my first time singing a song from a Musical, so I've chosen this song from this "anonymous" Musical and fingers crossed"...
There are many difficulties in life we have to face. One of it is the difficulty of "Uncertainty". Normally this occurs when something unknown that is happening to human for the time being and there is no certain answer to settle with. Therefore, most of us will fell uneasy because of the "question mark" has not been changed to "full stop". I guess in life, people just cannot settle with question marks. If there's a way to change to full stops, they are willing to do anything, anywhere, anytime to make sure they are able to clear this doubt.
I'm going through a period of "Fingers crossing". It is a fact of life. People can live without going through it are those who can control their lives well. As for me, I'm living a life that is given by someone. Therefore, I have no right to control my life with my own standard of living, until I have found my purpose of life! He wants me to know there are many uncertainties in life we have to face. So it's either to embrace it or to solve it? My decision : Embrace it. It's tough. Questions like "Where will I be working? What if I work there? How is my life going to be in the next few years?" always floating inside my mind without trying to solve it myself. I guess by learning how to embrace "fingers crossing" would be a great advantage for me, unlike other people who "die die don't want to face the fact". Hehe... (That's a chinese translated term)
Few weeks ago I've decided to focus my job application in Singapore rather than in KL. Some people would think I'm crazy because it's hard to get a job in S'pore, furthermore I'm neither a Singaporean nor PR. Other people would say I'm too money minded because of the high currency rate. Let me tell you, neither one are correct. My decision has been much influenced by "embracing uncertainty". I've expected this would caused me to stay jobless for at least another 6 months. But yet because of His "Nothing is impossible" term that led me to this path. At the end of the day, it's all about obedience. Since then I have not recieved any calls for an interview session despite sending more than 50 applications. But surprisingly, I've recieved 2 phone calls for the past 2 days from S'pore asking me to attend interview. I wonder is that a hint from somewhere? Obedience??
"Harry Potter was given a train ticket to Hogwarts. However he has to find the unknown platform which apparently cannot be found at the station. I've been given 2 train tickets. This time the platform can be found at the station, but I can only choose one ticket, one known destination and another unknown destination." The opportunity is right in front of our eyes. But which ticket will you choose? A journey of certainty or a journey of uncertainty?
Finally, I've decided to start my own blog; thanks to the much persuasion from my best friend, and my "HSBC Public Speaking Competition 2005 - First runners-up" friend, who had given me some advise on how to start blogging. Am feeling happy and excited. Well, the purpose of setting up this blog is to jot down events that are happening throughout my life journey. Unlike other blogs, this one brings out a person's thoughts who himself wants to live a fruitful 'ONE' life. However, he knows that the journey of getting there is not going to be a smooth sailing one. In fact, it's going to be rough, tough and painful. Yes! This fellow is Me. It would be a long, adventurous journey. But it's gonna be very exciting.
All rite, first and foremost; an introduction. My name is Benjamin. Going to be 23 this year. Unmarried. I live with my wonderful parents, my 4 years younger brother, and my almost 80 years old grandmother in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. I have just finished my Bachelor of IT degree course in Queensland University of Technology, Australia end of last year. Still faithfully surfing on Jobstreet & Jobdb websites everyday. And of course, be a good grandson by staying home most of the time (granny took care of me since I was borned). Finally, my religion : Christian
Since young, I used to serve actively in church. It all began with music which led me to the worship ministry. I started from a percussionist, standby drummer and then settled with a bass guitar. As I'm the only bassist in the church, I partically played every week unfailingly. I'm also part of the core leaders and cell group leader in youth ministry. Besides in church, I'm also a Boys' Brigade member for 12 years; from a mischievous, active young kid until a Sergeant who has to learn to be a good leader to the members and to the company. As you can see, this was my life as an teenager. Always busy in studies, church, curriculum activities, etc. But now, I realised that it's time for me to make a immediate stop from all these works and allow God to re-design my life in his own way. "As my life is not mine, but His!"
At the moment, I'm going through a life of "nothingless". In order for God to stir me up, I have to empty myself, having a mindset of "zero percent controlling my life" as the very first task to do. It's not that hard for me to go through this, firstly because I just came back 2 months ago and still floating around. Some leaders have approached me to go back and serve. I've kindly rejected their request because of this. Some worse cases, I have friends who are struggling of going through this process; having to leave everything behind and move on, even relationships! Just like when Jesus approached Peter and Andrew, they left their work and followed Him. Sounds easy? I don't think so.
How will you feel when someone approach you and say: "Stop everything and Follow me."? You might be asking him "who are you", or "why should I follow you". What if God approach you? Will you be asking Him the same question, or trying to negotiate a deal so that both parties are happy with it. I don't think God is willing to negotiate this deal, but He gave us something called choice. At the end of the day, there's always a decision to make. I've made my choice. What would your choice be?
God has a plan for everyone. And He wants to give us as a gift. But this gift doesn't come to us easily. Somehow we have to pay a price for the plan; a very high price in fact. As for me, I'm willing to pay for it. What about you? Would you want to "odyssey" with me? As if you do, are you willing to pay the price? Think about it. It's a once-in-the-lifetime opportunity!
All rite, first and foremost; an introduction. My name is Benjamin. Going to be 23 this year. Unmarried. I live with my wonderful parents, my 4 years younger brother, and my almost 80 years old grandmother in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. I have just finished my Bachelor of IT degree course in Queensland University of Technology, Australia end of last year. Still faithfully surfing on Jobstreet & Jobdb websites everyday. And of course, be a good grandson by staying home most of the time (granny took care of me since I was borned). Finally, my religion : Christian
Since young, I used to serve actively in church. It all began with music which led me to the worship ministry. I started from a percussionist, standby drummer and then settled with a bass guitar. As I'm the only bassist in the church, I partically played every week unfailingly. I'm also part of the core leaders and cell group leader in youth ministry. Besides in church, I'm also a Boys' Brigade member for 12 years; from a mischievous, active young kid until a Sergeant who has to learn to be a good leader to the members and to the company. As you can see, this was my life as an teenager. Always busy in studies, church, curriculum activities, etc. But now, I realised that it's time for me to make a immediate stop from all these works and allow God to re-design my life in his own way. "As my life is not mine, but His!"
At the moment, I'm going through a life of "nothingless". In order for God to stir me up, I have to empty myself, having a mindset of "zero percent controlling my life" as the very first task to do. It's not that hard for me to go through this, firstly because I just came back 2 months ago and still floating around. Some leaders have approached me to go back and serve. I've kindly rejected their request because of this. Some worse cases, I have friends who are struggling of going through this process; having to leave everything behind and move on, even relationships! Just like when Jesus approached Peter and Andrew, they left their work and followed Him. Sounds easy? I don't think so.
How will you feel when someone approach you and say: "Stop everything and Follow me."? You might be asking him "who are you", or "why should I follow you". What if God approach you? Will you be asking Him the same question, or trying to negotiate a deal so that both parties are happy with it. I don't think God is willing to negotiate this deal, but He gave us something called choice. At the end of the day, there's always a decision to make. I've made my choice. What would your choice be?
God has a plan for everyone. And He wants to give us as a gift. But this gift doesn't come to us easily. Somehow we have to pay a price for the plan; a very high price in fact. As for me, I'm willing to pay for it. What about you? Would you want to "odyssey" with me? As if you do, are you willing to pay the price? Think about it. It's a once-in-the-lifetime opportunity!