Simple Life

Deng... Deng Deng Deng

2007-11-09T03:53:00.000+08:00

After "pak toh" for a year, finally they got married last Saturday.

Prior to the wedding day, all the preparations and stuff went through smoothly. I was also involved together with Diana and Viola on the last 2 days before the wedding, basically being a multi-tasker (driver, decorator...). It was very tiring but in the end twas all worth while to give the couple one of the happiest moments in their lives.

Click on the links below to check out some of the candids which was taken before and after the wedding. Enjoy.

Wedding (day - 2)

Wedding (day - 1)

Wedding Day

What's Wrong With Female Drivers?

2007-09-02T14:59:00.000+08:00

Dan met with an accident yesterday. Thank God He was unhurt.

His car was hit at the back by another car, which resulted the car bumper being wrecked and dropped on the road. He called Sherman and told him the whole incident, including the driver who is a female. She was at fault in the car accident by hitting on Dan's car. But guess what, she claimed that it wasn't her fault and she didn't want to be responsible for the damage. Dan in the end had to use a rope to tie up the bumper and send his car to a workshop to fix it up.

When Sherman told me and Oli about this incident, he went on to shake his head and said, "Next time if happen to notice a lady driver on the road, better stay far far away from it". Then question arised when Dan asked him where would any driver notices other drivers on the road. Sherman with the big eyes staring t us and said, "I do!"

I could understand what he's thinking simply because this kind of case has happened to him on his old car. To summarise the story, he was driving along the road when the lady driver suddenly dashed out with her car and hit on Sherman's car back door. Again she was at fault and she didn't want to admit it but eventually she did. Brought the car to the workshop but claimed that she doesn't have enough money to pay for the damage. In the end Dan had to travel to her house to collect it.

I've heard so many stories from my colleagues and friends talking about female drivers. Talk about how they drive on the road and sometimes it's scary to see the way they drive their cars. Whenever there's something unusual or dangerous incidents happen on the road, coincidently or uncoincidently the driver happens to be a female. One of my male colleagues who was about to leave the office about few days ago, was in a little shock when a lady driver drove past besides his car with just two centimeters apart. He told us and shook his head with sigh and said, "lady driver".

I am in no intention to condemn or offend any female drivers in Malaysia. However the fact that many male drivers kept talking about how dangerous female drivers are when driving on the road, I couldn't help but to think if there's any issues or concerns from ladies especially when they are driving. I know my mum is afraid of driving at night time because it's too dark and hard to see. Some of them drive big cars but they could hardly drive and estimate distances due to the body height. Lack of concentration is also another issue to some of them and etc. In these kind of cases, should or shouldn't they drive on the road? Will they bring any danger to other drivers on the road? Why would they not admit mistakes when accidents happen? Afraid of being bullied by the casualties?

Hopefully I could see some comments on this post. Once again I would like to stress out that I am not refering or condemning to anybody in particular, but rather a concern to a social issue.

Tommy Emmanuel

2007-08-19T11:10:00.000+08:00

This is what he does when he is not being serious. *grin*

My Personality Info

2007-08-18T21:35:00.000+08:00

What say you?

What's My Blog Rated

2007-07-25T21:45:00.000+08:00

Was browsing through Sivin's blog until I stumbled upon this. Thought of giving it a try and came out with this result.

I think I'm pretty satisfied with this. Due to my curiosity, I did this on Sherman and Sunflower's blog. Same outcome.

My curiosity has risen. I went to check what kind of result would Kenny Sia's blog be rated. And you know what, better check it yourself. *grin*

Personality Test

2007-07-23T22:39:00.000+08:00

I wonder if this is true about me.

Eight Random Facts

2007-07-22T20:50:00.000+08:00

Tagged by Dan.

1) Each player must post these rules first
2) Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3) People who are tagged need to write their own blog about eight things and post these rules.
4) At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5) Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

So, proudly presenting to you, BEN'S EIGHT RANDOM FACTS

1. Ben is a very organized person. Whether is conducting work activities or arranging his own things in his room, he will make sure that everything must be in order. He's happy when things arrange nicely and neatly.

2. Ben loves to eat all kinds of food. Oriental, Western, Greek... (His favourite so far is Italian food). Probably very much influenced by his chef idol, the one and only Jamie Oliver.

3. Ben likes to cook. It all has to thank his grandmother for her guidance in bringing him to the kitchen when he was young. Even though he started cooking chinese food, he hasn't cook a proper chinese home-cooked food for almost 3 years. He prefers to cook Western meals.

4. Ben likes to watch a movie/sitcom/drama numerous times if he likes it very much. Of course not watching numerous times in a cinema, but watching it at home on DVD.

5. Ben likes to play sports. Literally any ball games. His favourite 1-2-3 is Volleyball, badminton, table tennis.

6. Ben hates durian. Yucks

7. Ben is still an amateur in speaking Cantonese (no choice because most of his colleagues speak Cantonese in office), but learning and progressing well.

8. Ben cannot sleep after meals. (Some people said I'm weird because after meals supposed to be the best time to sleep! But not for me. hehe..)

I tag:

Sunflower

Amanda

Chee Kidd

Edna

Gary

James

Sing Yin

Valerie

Why You Never Update Your Blog?

2007-07-15T23:34:00.000+08:00

Had a nice catching-up cum dinner with Emmy and Sunflower just now. Whilst at the dinner table, suddenly Sunflower popped up this question which is the title of this post.

I told her that the main reason is I don’t have anything special to write. To me blogging is not about jotting down daily “news”, for example today had a team meeting and boss have some development plans for my team, or while on the way to work I saw an accident happened just across the traffic junction.. I always thought blogging is something about having some thoughts or reflection on certain things which I think is interesting. It must start with an inspiration that somehow strike in the mind to do so. Otherwise, writing daily news on my blog makes me think it’s a boring one. Soon after I’ve said this, Sunflower replied back to me and said, “then you are saying that my blog is boring lah.” Opps.. *grin*

Another reason is my blogging mood. Whenever I thought of something interesting to write, my mood switches on in a nick of time. And that means I better type it or write it down somewhere fast (within a couple of hours) preferably on a computer. Otherwise I can just forget about it totally! I just can’t figure out why. Maybe I have short term memory; maybe my mood has a short time limitation. So it really depends on the blogging mood. If it switches off, even if I can still remember what I need to write, I will still be struggling hard to write it down.

Another one would be writing my thoughts into words. I have a big problem in this. I’m like those types of people who just cannot transfer my well-arranged thoughts from my brain into a blank document well. So sometimes you might notice a lot of my posts are very long and winded, but in the end you may not understand what I’m trying to say. My thoughts are long. I don’t like to write 3-4 sentences post. I want to write a very “canggih” post, but at times readers cannot understand my posts, which I felt a bit ashamed.

For sunflower, I believe blogging to her is like a hobby, a habit. To me she’s a “blog addict”. She can just think of something interesting which could be just happened just a few minutes ago, write it down nicely and post it up. I don’t think blogging has become my hobby yet. I would like to nurture it.

Anyone kind enough to lend me a hand?

Resting My Soul

2007-07-08T15:55:00.000+08:00

Yesterday Oli was listening to this song “You raise me up” on Youtube. What made me curious was that he kept listening to it over and over again. So I went up to him and asked him why he kept repeating this song. He said, “because this song can rest my soul”. I can feel the peace and comfort in him while he’s enjoying the song. It is of no wonder that when I woke up this morning, I went to the room where he slept and realized the computer was on, playing those songs from Taize. I felt peace in my heart. I know that these hymns can rest my soul.

When I was young, I used to go to church for service every Sunday evening together with my family sitting on my dad’s car. I remembered on the way to church, I always hear hymns playing on one of the radio station’s in Singapore. Most of them are slow tempos sang by the choirs. I always felt peaceful whenever I hear these hymns being played on the radio. At that time, all I know is that whenever we enter into the church sanctuary, the ushers will pass us a hymn book, and we sing hymns from the book. There was no OHP or LCD projectors; no drums and guitars, just a pianist playing on a piano, the worship leader, and hymn books. I don’t remember at that time I appreciate hymns a lot, except for those well known, grand and high climax ones that would give me goose bumps whenever we sing it in church. Even so, I felt that hymns can make my soul feel at rest. I guess singing hymns is one of the important part in service liturgy.

After several years as a teenager, I came across Christian music like Hosanna Music and Hillsongs. It became an impact to all the churches in America and in Asia simply because these songs are catchy, with simple chords progression and nice melody, and the lyrics contain only 1 verse and chorus as compared to several verses in hymns, so it’s easy to remember and not too many verses to absorb. Because of these reasons, churches started to use these songs to sing in church service. Soon after they’ve realized these songs are very much similar with secular songs in terms of the music genre, they started to adapt more of these songs as a way to not just attract believers, but also non-believers to come to church, in a way of achieving numbers in church growth. They also “invested” in musical instruments, good sound systems so that these people would know that “Christian music” is not all about hymns.

So with all these songs being sang in churches, hymns and hymn books are slowly fade away. Hymns were used to be “the” songs in church, but now it has been replaced by these catchy songs with different genre. I believe part of the reason why many churches are not singing hymns is because hymns are boring, it will not bring significant impact towards church growth, and probably because they want to follow the music trend that was being publicized well by mega churches in America and Australia. For them, it is good for bringing numbers to church. For me, it is bad for their souls.

Hymns are lying on a critical state now. People particularly Christian believers that understand and appreciate them became lesser. Modern churches have turned to “gospel music” for earthly tangible results. I cannot imagine how long more could hymns survive.

What would you choose to rest your soul?

A true driver?

2007-06-18T21:08:00.001+08:00

It’s almost 8pm, and I’m still in the office updating some patches on the server. Whilst waiting for the patches to be done, why not post something on my blog since I haven’t been blogging for a while. So maybe just post something about what I’ve heard on the news radio this morning.

I was about to reach office early this morning when I heard the sports news on the radio. “Lewis Hamilton has won the US Grand Prix ahead of Fernando Alonso. It was a back-to-back victory for this 22 year-old rookie.” In my mind, I was thinking that this guy is really something. Never in my life have I seen such a great F1 driver, not to mention that he is a rookie and is leading the world driver’s championship! I admire Michael Schummacher because of his driving skill, his pace, and the way how he controls and utilises his car all the way to the chequered flag. So far in this F1 season I’ve never really seen how Hamilton drives (I did managed to catch a glimpse of him driving during the Sepang Grand Prix), but I could see the way he drives his car, I know he has more than just skills and pace. He has that ‘never give up’ spirit in him. His steer determination is unbelievable.

Besides possessing the skills and pace as a world champion-quality driver, the machine (car) and team work also play an important role in determine a podium finish. For me, I like Ferrari because technically it’s the fastest car on F1 race. However having to drive the fastest car doesn’t mean he will definitely win the race. Occasionally technical problems may occur without giving any warning, human mistakes and etc. Pit crew must always be alert and to follow the procedures correctly without any mistakes in order to make sure the car pits as fast as possible. Even a driver who has the best skills than anybody else in the world may not prove that he is going to be a world champion, without the right attitude and mindset. Guess it’s not easy after all huh.

I believe in competition, there is no such thing as “One-man show”. Everyone is giving their little part in producing a good product. In this case, I guess a lot of people have sacrificed their time and energy, gave their very best in producing someone like Hamilton who have stunned the world by his stunning drive, and is going to produce more surprises to the F1 fans.

Will Hamilton win the title as a rookie?

Happy Lunar New Year!

2007-02-17T23:01:00.000+08:00

Found out this lyrics on the internet. This song is entitled "Lion Dance Song", to the tune of "Mary had a Little Lamb".

See the lion dance and prance,
Dance and prance, dance and prance.
See the lion dance and prance
On Chinese New Year's Day.

Hear the firecrackers pop,
Pop,pop,pop; pop,pop,pop
Hear the firecrackers pop
On Chinese New Year's Day.

As we bid farewell to the year of "bow wow" and usher the year of "oink oink", wishing you all a very HAPPY LUNAR YEAR!

The Father's Song

2007-02-16T16:57:00.000+08:00

I have heard so many songs
Listened to a thousand tongues
But there is one that sounds above them all
The Father's song, the Father's love
You sung it over me and for eternity
It's written on my heart

Heaven's perfect melody
The Creator's symphony
You are singing over me
The Father's song
Heaven's perfect mystery
The king of love has sent for me
And now you're singing over me
The Father's song

Matt Redman - The Father's Song

Two-007

2007-01-01T14:50:00.000+08:00

Goodbye 2006, see you never again. Hello 2007, what's new this time?

So what were the major things that had happened to me in year 2006? Let's see.

May 2006 : My contract with Siemens expired on the 23rd May. Despite my manager's high hope on me to renew my contract, increased salary for a better "career prospect", in the end I didn't renew. Decided to move on to another career path, something that clicks to my interest.

August 2006 : After several months of job hunting, finally found one which I felt this could be "the path" that my new journey should be embarked. Since then, things went fine and smooth. It seems like a long journey with many discovery to be undiscovered. I'm thrilled and excited to have made this choice at the moment. Well, we never know what's going to happen in a few years time.

Just a few weeks ago before ushering the new year, guess what happened?

Mid Dec 2006 : Government announced toll rise in five expressways. Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong (LDP) was one of them which I use it to travel to work. From RM1 to RM1.60, which means I have to fork out another RM50 to make it a total of RM130 monthly just to travel to office. And that is almost 10% of my pay! I wonder how many people like me would be heavily affected by this. Rebate as a possible next move?

End of Dec 2006 : Internet down?! You people should know what had happened. Broadband users were having a miserable time trying to surf the web, not to mention hardcore bloggers and impatient online-gamers. They must be praying desperately, hoping that the internet speed can be restored asap. Maybe we should learn about "Patience is a virtue"?

Blessed new year!

A Tale of Two Conversations (3)

2006-12-30T17:00:00.000+08:00

Note: To my blog readers who have been anticipating on my next post in this series, my deepest apology for keep you all waiting. I have been terribly busy at work lately, plus I do not have internet access at home, thus it is tougher for me to post new entries. Please bear with me as I will try my best to finish up the rest of it. In fact there are only two more posts left as this will be a very short series.

David and Melissa are studying together at a cafe for their upcoming final year exam...

David : Do you know how to solve this mathematical question?

Melissa : Yes. Let me show you. See, this is how you solve it.

David : Thanks Mel. No wonder you are the top Maths student in the entire intake.

Melissa : Thanks for the compliment. Guess I just love doing Maths. No matter how tough it is I will challenge myself to solve it. Hey, you did well in the history subject too. How did you manage it?

David : Well, I love history subject because I want to trace back and to know the things that had happened before, for instance how did the country managed to gain independence and etc. The key is that I will think through and eventually understand the whole story. So this is how I managed it. Anyway, I can’t wait for this exam to be over. Remember I told you before that I will be going for a mission trip. This time we are going into the jungle to visit the tribe people who live there. It would be a great exposure as the adults and the youths from my church will work along for this trip. What about you? Any plans after exam?

Melissa : Wow! Sounds like you are going to have a good time staying with the tribe people. I don’t have any plans yet. Attend cell group and church service as usual. Sigh, actually I don’t feel like attending any activities in my church.

David : What happened? No wonder I didn’t hear you talking about your involvement in church activities lately.

Melissa : It happened about a month ago. During that time I was badly affected by the daily quarreling from my parents. Then one day during the care group meeting I decided to tell this to my cg members. As soon as I’ve finished telling them, they came straight to me, laid their hands on me and prayed for me. I was very touched. I was hoping that someone would come and comfort me after the meeting is over. But it didn’t happen. They were enjoying their usual chatting session after that. Even my cg leader was busy chatting with them too. I was sitting alone and nobody came and talked to me. Then I started to think, did they really care for me? Did they sincerely pray for me? I wonder if God really hear our prayers.

David : Why did you think so? I believe God is always with us to hear our prayers, no matter where we are, what situations we’re in.

Melissa : But seems like that was not my case. Since then, my family situation didn’t change. My parents were still quarrelling very often. I’d called my cg leader hoping that he could pay a visit to my place. She told me that she was very busy preparing for the year-end cg retreat, but she had approached another youth leader to visit me. Then I got to know that he was part of the production team for the upcoming Christmas musical rally in my church, so he couldn’t find a time to do visitation. I was so depressed that I went pondering on why the leaders were so busy with the church ‘programmes’. I was told that the leaders in this church are a group of loving people, ever-ready to care for those who are in need. That was why I decided to attend this mega church, not to mention that I was amazed by the multi-level building, auditorium-like sanctuary, professional musicians, but most importantly is the hyper-active senior pastor who has been a big influence to me because of his emphasis on love which he said is a great blessing from God, and that we should spread this love to one another. But I don’t see this happening to me. Where were my youth leaders and cg members when I’m in need? Why is it so difficult when I needed someone to show concern to me so that I could feel being loved? Then I started to question myself about what the senior pastor had said, is that what the love of God is? Honestly speaking, I don’t feel loved in this church anymore. The feeling is not there like it used to when I first joined. In fact I felt more comfortable spending time with non-Christian friends. At least they do understand how I felt, cared for me and even visited me. I am lost and confused. Should I spend more time with church friends and with non-believers?

David : I didn’t know you had kept this issue to yourself for so long. I think what you should do now is to keep this issue aside first while concentrating in the exam. We can talk about this after the exam is over. I can definitely seek my church leaders to help you. Why not you join us for the mission trip, at least you have things to do to ease your depression.

Melissa : Sure. See how first. I have to go back now. Catch up with you in school tomorrow. Bye.

David : All right. Take care.

A Tale of Two Conversations (2)

2006-10-29T19:29:00.000+08:00

David met Sam at a shopping centre. They haven't been met for years...

David : Hey Sam, Long time no see. How are you doing?

Sam : Hi David. Wow.. we haven't been meet up for years. I'm doing well and how 'bout you?

David : I'm good thanks. Still working at the same company. On weekends I will visit my parents and spend some good time with them chatting, eating as usual. Are you still with the same company which you had told me the last time?

Sam : Oh no. In fact I just joined another company not too long ago. Good salary and huge benefits. I must say it is God's blessing. I have prayed about it for quite a while. My church pastor encourages us to give more so that we can see more blessings from God. And I can see God has answered my prayers one by one. Besides work, recently I had just changed my 5 year old car to an European car, and I'd just bought a new house too which is still in renovation at the moment. God is really good, and I'm thankful for the pastors and my cell group leader who have encouraged me to understand what God blessing is. I believe this is the church that God wants me to be a part of them for a purpose.

David : Wow! Is that the church you had brought me there once many years ago?

Sam : Yes! That old factory building. Remembered we used to be amazed by the colourful lightings and the superb sound systems, the electronic LED board that used for displaying lyrics during praise and worship, and also those friendly people and not forgetting the ever happening pastor when he preaches in the pulpit? Yup even still now the pastor is still there. In fact the church has just bought another building and has been renovated to become one of the most stylish, state-of-the-art building in the world! We have spent several years to raise millions of funds for this project and we did it. Isn't it amazing how God works in this church? I believe so. We see hundreds of people receiving salvation every week during service. By fulfilling His commission, the church send people to do mission work all around the world, to reach out to the unreached people group. By sharing gospel in the local community, we have gospel rallies by staging up musicals; we have community service to reach out to the helpless people, so on and so forth. I must say this is my purpose in life, to assist the church to fulfill its vision.

David : I'm glad that you have settled down this church well and knowing what you are doing in your life. Hey, my wife is calling me. I have to go now. Catch up with you another time.

Sam : Sure. Call me if you would like to visit this church. Take care!

A Tale of Two Conversations (Prologue)

2006-10-23T21:21:00.000+08:00

Just a couple of weeks ago while I was listening to the preacher at a church service, suddenly a pack of conversations started flowing into my mind. I can't remember all of them, but I could only recalled some of the dialogues which were between two persons who have not been in contact with each other for a long time until they met again. Both of them were attending the same church during their teenage years, but now one of them had left to attend another church while the other is still at the same place. Many reflections have came through my thoughts throughout the conversations. And since I have never started any series in this blog yet, I was thinking why not just give it a go then. I hope it is an interesting one. *grin*

Basically the next two posts will be a two-way dialogues. There will be this same person appears on both dialogues, talking to two different persons. And then I will end it with my reflections on these dialogues. Simple as that. Therefore I will call it as A Tale of Two Conversations.

...

2006-10-16T22:30:00.000+08:00

When the night seems to say
All hope is lost. Gone away
But I know I'm not alone
By the light she stands
There she waves, faithful friend
Shimmering stars, westward wind
Show the way, carry me
To the place she stands

Just when you think it might be over
Just when you think the fight is gone
Someone will risk his life to raise her
There she stands

There she flies, clear blue skies
Reminds us with red of those that died
Washed in white by the brave
In their strength she stands

When evil calls itself a martyr
When all your hopes come crashing down
Someone will pull her from the rubble
There she stands

We've seen her flying torn and tattered
We've seen her stand the test of time
And through it all, the fools have fallen
There she stands

By the dawn's, early light
And through the fight, she stands...

News flash

2006-09-30T16:09:00.000+08:00

I find it really hard to blog regularly. Somehow my eagerness of blogging is not there. I wonder if there's any way, whether it's physically or mentally to keep this blog alive. It's very embarassing to see that I'm blogging once every month. Now that's terrible. Talk about discipline huh..

Anyway, I've just started my new job in this company about a month. So far so good. Lots of things to catch up but I'm happy to be able to work on something that's of my interest. And tonight is my first time working from midnight till the next day. Big project and somehow I'm looking forward to it without knowing why. Maybe this is a rare opportunity for me to learn how the stuff works, so it's all good in the end I guess.

Besides work, I'm also able to meet up with my community regularly. Being together with close friends is indeed good. Everything that we do are always together. Eating, chatting, sleeping, making fun to one another and so on. Such a simple life with simple people are definitely something that I will not forget, right guys? *wink* "I feel good, neh neh neh neh neh neh neh.. (That's it lah, started lah...)"

Went to a birthday cum dinner gathering at her place yesteryday. It was my first time meeting her and also her housemate, finally after got to know her through her popular blog. Twas a great time together with them and my best pals, although it was a pretty silent pizza feast. And I enjoyed the delicious apple pie with ice-cream very much. Emmy, If you are reading this, thanks for the pie. I would love to have that more often. :) Wish you an early happy birthday!

Time for my afternoon nap. Zzzzz....

Which of the X-Men Are You?

2006-09-19T20:04:00.000+08:00

You Are Cyclops

Dedicated and responsible, you will always remain loyal to your cause.
You are a commanding leader - after all, you can kill someone just by looking at them.

Power: force beams from your eyes

Which of the X-Men Are You?

Got this from Sherman's blog so decided to give it a go.

And the results? 50/50 correct. I don't think I can kill someone just by looking at them. Otherwise I would have to wear red lense sunglasses everyday. *grin*

Straight or Cross

2006-08-16T22:08:00.000+08:00

Adam chose to drive along an easy, long straight road to reach the destination. He knew that no other roads can be easier than this. By just driving straight all the way it will save time, petrol and energy. It is also the safest bet as there are no cross roads that he will be coming across, so no worries at all. Even if there is a cross road ahead, he knows that going straight should lead him to the destination. With his wonderful and flawless plan, he might be the first person to reach the destination.

Brandon chose to drive along a difficult path, full of cross roads and junctions. He knew that he will experience many obstacles along the way. To him, there are other concerns which are more important than saving time and energy. He knew that by taking this road, his chances of getting lost is high, but neither is he getting worried nor afraid. This journey challenges him in many ways, and he knew that it would help him to become a wiser person and a better decision maker. He knows he might reach the destination much later than Adam, but he is sure that this journey experience would definitely be a memorable one to him.

In life, there are people who choose to live their life like Adam. They always plan and decide on their 'desired' choices, making sure that everything goes through smoothly. They think there is no need for a plan B as the plan is perfect and flawless. Therefore success should always be around the corner. A life of "No worries, no problem."

There are also people who prefers to live their life like Brandon. They understand there is a core purpose in their life journey. And because they understand the purpose, they are able to set their priorities right. They know that not everything in life will go through smoothly and successfully. Obstacles cannot be avoided, challenges keep coming towards them, unexpected things beyond our control can be happen. Despite all these, there is someone whom they can cling on, trust Him that all these things can be overcome, and that stories are created so that they can understand and tell these stories to listeners who are interested. A life of embracing uncertainty and excitement. A life full of wonderful memories and precious stories.

Which road would you like to choose?

I Can Only Imagine

2006-07-15T19:41:00.000+08:00

I can only imagine
What it will be like when I walk by Your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see when Your face is before me

I can only imagine
When the day comes, when I find myself standing beside You
I can only imagine
When all I will do is forever worship You

Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, or be still in awe of You?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing Hallelujah? Will I be able to speak it all?
I can only imagine, I can only imagine.

Unbelievable!

2006-07-04T21:57:00.000+08:00

Check out this 11 year old girl singing in a reality show. All I can say, she really blew me away. My eyes almost popped out and I went "Wow!!"

Whitney Houston reborn?

Unpleasent Day

2006-06-29T23:35:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow is my first job interview after unemployed for a month. Some of you may not know that I had quit my previous job in Singapore, so now looking for another opportunity and hopefully in the area that I'm interested in.

So today I have decided to take a bus up to Seremban first to visit my friends. The bus was supposed to arrive at 9.45am. I waited till 10.15am but still no sign of the bus yet. I then went to check with the lady at the ticket counter. She was informed that the bus tyre was punctured while on the way to the branch terminal, so had to turn back to where it started and get the tyre changed. Gosh!! It's gonna take quite some time for this. And 1.5 hours was the time I waited for the bus to arrive. I would have know it earlier that I can follow my friend's car to the main bus terminal and take my favourite "red bus" instead of the one I took this morning. What a start of the day.

While on the bus, I noticed that the bus stopped a few times which is quite unusual. And to my surprise, the bus driver went for a shower for 15 minutes at one of the stops which I find it ridiculous. Usually these buses stop only once for toilet break and meal time. But this bus driver stopped so many times and it was already late due to this morning's incident! Honestly I was quite furious by his unprofessionalism and his complacency attitude. And I'm ashamed to say that many of these bus drivers and companies in Malaysia are having this attitude as well. It is so easy for them to say "sorry lah bang (bro)" when the bus failed to arrive on time, don't even think of asking for refund. But in other countries not only there will be a refund, and also a free trip given as an act of apology. Perhaps the Malaysia Consumers Association should think of such issue to avoid things getting out of control in the near future. Who knows.

Having reached Seremban, I just wanted to relax myself at my friend's place and get online wirelessly using my laptop. But somehow I couldnt' get connected to the internet while the other computer works perfectly with wireless connection. Being an IT savvy person I thought I can try to configure the settings but to no avail. My laptop just couldn't connect to the internet even though it was connected fine with the router. Not able to do my work and still trying to fix the connectivity problem, felt that my day has been pretty down. Despite all these things that have happened, I'm blessed to have internet access at another place which kinda bring back a little smile back to my face.

I really don't know what to prepare for tomorrow's interview. But I trust God that no matter what will be the outcome, I shall work at my best level and fingers crossed!

Felt like singing this famous song by Daniel Powter to comprehend my day..

A New Beginning?

2006-06-26T21:27:00.000+08:00

Yes, after spending the whole afternoon on the computer, finally my blog had undergone a new transistion. New template with new features added. The old has gone, the new has come. Does this mean I will once again back into this blogging business? I hope my laziness won't disappoint me again.

More updates later.

MSN Surprise

2006-05-08T13:57:00.000+08:00

Got this surprised message from my MSN today.

A taxi passenger tapped the driver on the shoulder to ask him a question. The driver screamed, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up on the footpath, and stopped centimeters from a shop window.

For a second everything went quiet in the cab, then the driver said: "Look mate, don't ever do that again. You scared the daylights out of me!".

The passenger apologized and said, "I didn't realize that a little tap would scare you so much."
The driver replied, "Sorry, it's not really your fault. Today is my first day as a taxi driver. I've been driving a van carrying Dead Bodies for the last 25 years.

The Act of Pre-GSS

2006-05-03T22:52:00.000+08:00

Note: GSS stands for Great Singapore Sale (26th May - 23rd July).

Guess what I've bought for the past 3 days:

Clockwise from left, a music CD which features this blind man who became the most popular singer in the country through a singing competition cum reality show. I bought this simply because of his mesmerizing voice and nicely written songs on the disc (I love ballads). Nothing more.

Next, Targus USB bluetooth adapter which I've been thinking of getting it for the past few weeks. Mainly use for data transfering especially photos which taken from my phone, and then transfer the files to my laptop. It's a hassle for me to hook up the data cable. Instead wireless which is much more convenient.

The one on the top right is also a music CD by Yellow Jackets, one of the well known jazz fusion band in the early 90's. I first heard them 3 years ago when they came to Malaysia and performed a concert at the prestigious Philharmonic hall located between the Petronas twin towers. Always wanted to get one but expensive. I saw this at a 2nd hand music CD store, selling at a bargain price. Very worth it.

Next is one of my favourite album during my teenage years, Take That - Greatest Hits. What can I say, all their bestest songs are in this album, also from that music store together with the Yellow Jackets.

And lastly a Moshi pouch for Ipod. Although that's for the 5th generation Ipod video, my Ipod mini is still able to fit in. Very nice fabric, like it a lot.

I hope I won't keep doing this for the next few days. Shopping mood can be quite dangerous without a proper control. Scary.

Random Thoughts on Labour day

2006-05-01T22:30:00.000+08:00

Happy Labour Day to those who worked today (that's me), or enjoying the public holiday.

Just came back from a well deserved leave from Seremban. Had a good rest and relaxation in a small, slow, quiet town. Spending a lot of good times with my godmother, my godkids (dogs), my best buddies, new buddies... and of course chatting, sleeping, eating, cooking, shopping and etc. I really enjoyed myself there even though I didn't do much there (that's exactly what i'm longing for).

Wonder when will be my next trip to Seremban again?

Still not sure whether I could make it for the Cameron Highlands trip in June...

Looking forward to my cousin's wedding on the 19th June, and I've been designated to perform two duties.

World cup 2006 is coming soon! Woohoo!!

Had KFC for dinner just now.

This month is a "decision-making" month for me. Several important decisions are to be made by this month. Decisions that are concering my future, my life direction, my desire desired by God.

Lord, may You grant me the desires of my heart. Here I am waiting for You. Use me and I shall obey; send me and I will go. Amen.

Review on Taylor GS

2006-04-21T09:19:00.000+08:00

It's been two weeks since I last blogged. As usual I will not blog unless I have something in mind or any inspiration which I feel like writing somewhere. Currently I'm on a week's leave from work and also away from the Lion City. It's good to be back to a slower pace city compared to a faster pace country. I definitely need a break from work. This is exactly the moment what I'm longing for since two months ago. Woohoo!!

Last Monday I went to Sinamex to purchase some guitar strings on behalf of my buddy. The purple pack guitar strings which I've seen my buddy bought before prompted me to go straight ahead and grab six packs, and then to the counter to pay for the strings since I have no reason to stay there long as there weren't many Taylors I can try out (they are waiting for this month's stock to arrive). I went back home and informed him about it. Never did I noticed that I purchased the wrong strings. In fact, all six packs are not able to use on his 514ce (Came with standard light gauge and MUST use the same one, otherwise the guitar will snap). I quickly took out the receipt and noticed at the right bottom of the paper which written "Goods are not refundable and not replacable". But somehow I called them right away and they said can change for me. Phew.. So the next day I went back and got it changed, and guess what I saw before I left the shop? New Taylors!! Apparently their stocks have just arrived. That's not all, the newly launch Taylor GS has also arrived. Finally I got a chance to test it out. Hehe... I must say I did a foolish, innocent decision to buy the wrong strings, came back the next day and got a rare chance to be the first person at Sinamex to test out the GS. *grin*

*Suddenly I realised that I'm so melancholiq today.*

There are three GSs available and I've tested all of them. Rosewood / Cedar, Rosewood / Spruce and Maple / Spruce. Just thought of share my reviews on these guitars. Basically the biggest difference is that GS sounds louder and rounder compared to any other Taylors. I took the Rosewood / Cedar first because I've heard so much good reviews on this and also a big fan of rosewood. To my opinion the sound is a bit bassie and muffle, doesn't have the clear-cut sound that I'm expected for it. Next was Rosewood / Spruce. Overall I liked it very much because it has a very balanced sound, both bass and treble. Louder than the R/C. I just can't stop playing on it thinking by far this would be my favourite. Lastly Maple / Spruce. I don't know why it's heavier than the other GSs (could be it's maple), anyhow it has a good sound with no sustain (good for studio recording), but not as loud and rounded as compared to R/C and R/S. So my final choice would be Rosewood / Spruce. No doubt my favourite GS so far. All came with ES pickups and cost S$3850 each. Very good price for the rosewood models. But sad to say I still cannot afford to buy. Maybe I should wait for another two years?

I'm glad that I've tested out the Grand Symphony, and I definitely wish to get one in the near future.

Time to play with my buddy's furkids. Later.

Shocker

2006-04-06T21:39:00.000+08:00

For the first genuine surprise in American Idol season 5, Mandisa the powerful vocalist who is highly rated by Simon Cowell has voted off from the competition. I know many of us have been caught by surprise. It's a sad ending, I guess this is what competition is all about.

Surprises can never leave us. It is a fact of life. It may be good or bad.

*yawning*

If you are a fan of indie music or you're bored of pop, rock, and other normal genre of music, check out this new artist from UK. Her music attracted me!

Currently listening : Ocean drive - Lighthouse Family

'Ok' performance

2006-04-05T22:13:00.000+08:00

Just watched American Idol.

This week's theme is country, and Kenny Rogers was invited as guest trainer to those 9 contestants.

Overall it was an ok performance. I guess most of them preferred to play safe simply because country music is specialised and not easy to sing. My point of view is that one must at least pertain a 'country' vocal to be worthy of singing this genre of music, otherwise don't even think about it.

Who will be voted out this time? I think it's time for Taylor. Maybe I'm just being baised but I just don't think he's a good singer. No doubt he's a great performer but hey, this is a singing competition as what Simon Cowell always said during the competition.

Bucky didn't perform well too. Paris chose a good song but her vocal just cannot blend well with it. The others did all rite. We'll just see what happens on the result night.

Oh no!! Inter Milan crashed out of the Champions League!!!

TGIS

2006-04-02T20:12:00.000+08:00

Just ended my dinner with a simple pasta dish and some garden salad. Spaghetti with lemon and anchovies sauce. Thanks Jamie.

Had a great session of badminton with my colleagues yesterday, which ended up my hips and my right arm suffering from muscle pain (I must admit I didn't exercise regularly). And because of this and my tiredness I've decided to give steamboat dinner a miss. But I still enjoyed my dinner with my colleagues at the nearby hawker centre.

Happy to see my relatives from KL and JB again (and of coz my mum!! *grin*). As usual in situation like this, my relatives like to do things together such as chit chatting, mahjong'ing', poker'ing', sleeping, eating and etc. Very happening one!! Had a great time together. My cousin is getting married soon, and I've been assigned to be their chauffeur and visual & audio controller during the dinner night. Wow!! Guess I need to apply leave after the wedding night.

I've fallen in love with this brand of watches. Very nice designed. But I heard it's not available in Asia (except Japan). Sigh... never mind then.

Nite.

@ work

2006-04-01T07:51:00.000+08:00

Am blogging in office now. First time ever.

Today will be a boring day at work for me coz there's nothing much to do.

Should I watch a movie then? *grin*

Going for a badminton session with my colleagues after work. Really need to do exercise often now.

My aunt and her family is coming down here later on. It will be a big gathering among my mum's sisters. (Mum is coming down too :-)). And dinner tonight will be steamboat style at Marina South. Should be good, am looking forward to this.

I'm off tomorrow. Woohoo!!

Nothing to blog about

2006-03-29T22:54:00.000+08:00

*yawn*... time to sleep. Another day of work tomorrow.

Managed to catch a bit of American Idol just now. Overall their performances weren't good as most of them didn't perform well. Even the idol favourite Katherine Mcphee didn't sing well because of choosing a wrong song. Anyway, results will be out tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Good nite everybody!

*Currently playing : Various Artists - We are the world*

We are the world, we are the children.
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
There's a choice we making, we're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me.

What happened to me last weekend?

2006-03-28T19:25:00.000+08:00

Went back to JB last week. Twas a good experience spending time with my family and enjoying my off days. How good it is to relax at home. ahh...

Had a lunch with my junior schoolmate at Pizza hut last Saturday. It was a nice catching up session with her as she will be going back to KL soon for her 3rd year medic course at UKM. What can I say that she's a very bright and obedient person. Despite that medicine was not her first course (it wasn't her choice at all), but because of her parents dream she decided to give up her full scholarship in National University of Singapore. I hope she could adapt well in her training at Hospital UKM.

Last Sunday me and my close mates went to this French bistro near the town area. Just thought of having a hang out session since we haven't been together for quite a while. We truly enjoyed our moment with wines, desserts and the ambience at the bistro. If some of you are staying in JB or even Singapore, this place is strong recommended for french cuisine and wine tasting.

This morning I was listening to the my favourite radio station. The DJ was saying that way back in 1986 of this very day, over 6000 radio stations in the world played the same song at the same time (10pm EST GMT -5). This song is entitled "We are the world", a very famous song even until this day, written to raise money for Africa and sang by various artists. What a moment.

I also heard it from the radio too. Maybe some of you might know what's the answer for the question below. Honestly speaking, I really don't know the answer. I don't think there is an answer!!

Glenn : Someone who is addicted to work is Workaholic, right?
FD : Yes...
Glenn : Someone who is addicted to alcohol is Alcoholic, right?
FD : Uh huh...
Glenn: Then someone who is addicted to horlick should be known as what?
FD : Hmm... *eyes rolling*

Cheers mates!!

Fettucini Carbonara and the "craps"

2006-03-23T19:25:00.000+08:00

Ahh... so full now. Guess what I'd made for my dinner today?

No, I didn't buy it outside. Yes, I made it myself with some minor changes such as sausages for the meat and sauce which consists of white wine and cream, and toss up with a bit Italian parsley.

These few days I've been cooking for my dinner, wondering where did my cooking mood came from? Was it part of the highly anticipated dinner which I will be preparing for my friends next month, or I'm just sick of the same hawker food that I always have it for the past 10 months? Anyway I'm excited that I'm back into my cooking mood. Think I'm gonna start controlling my expenses coz been spending a lot this month. Things like Sennheiser HD485, Mosaic Music Festival, flight ticket to KL next month and etc. Oh my, I'm broke!!!

I'm off on weekends again. Woohoo!! Thinking of going back to JB and meet up with my best mates. Plan to visit this place for a drink too.

I had a dream last night, it's about this World Debating Championship in which India emerged as the Champions!! Why India? Hey, how would I know?? It was just a dream... or maybe I had this thought before, that I reckon Indians generally are good debaters. Hmm.. *right eyebrow rose up emoticon*

I think I'm gonna do another pasta tomrorow. Maybe different type of sauce. Perhaps a Spaghetti Puttanesca.

Plan to catch this movie tomorrow night. Singapore box office No.1 for this week. Hopefully it's a good one.

A picture to end this post.

Isn't she lovely? *grin*

Steak Diane

2006-03-21T21:54:00.000+08:00

Guess what I've made for my dinner today..

Yes, the famous classic French cuisine. Finally I got to make it for the first time ever, including the making of the creamy sauce.

I'm pretty satisfied with the sauce, just that I overcooked the meat which it turned out to be quite tough. Mission failed.. sigh... It's time for me to brush up my steak grilling skill before presenting this main course to my close buddies (and their friends) next month.

Can I make it a perfect one this time round?

Kena tagged again!!

2006-03-20T20:07:00.000+08:00

Hello again. Long time no see. I know some of you are wondering why I haven't been blogging for quite some time (thanks Edna for the post on chatzone). I guess perhaps I'm too lazy, too tired, no inspiration, lack of motivation... but hey, I'm back now so hopefully I can continue to blog regularly lah..

I was reading through my friend's blog and found out I have been tagged again. So here goes:

4 jobs you've had in your life

Technical Assistant at APIIT
Customer Interaction Centre Agent at Siemens Business Services
"Not sure"
"Who knows"

4 movies you could watch over and over

Con Air
Speed
Catch me if you can
Serendipity

4 TV shows you love to watch

Whose line is it anyway
Mr Bean
CSI: Miami
Amazing Race

4 places you've lived

Taman Perling, Johor Bahru
Damansara Heights, KL
Bukit Jalil, KL
West End, Brisbane

4 places you've been on vacation to

USA
China
Thailand
Korea

4 places you would rather be

Playing with my Goddoggies in Seremban, M'sia (Maltese and American Cocker Spaniel)
Winter in Europe
Gadgets shopping in US
Can't think of any yet

4 of your favourite food

Kuey teow kia (Johor Bahru)
Seafood platters (Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco)
Greek kebabs (Cafe Meze, Brisbane)
Calamari (Coffee club, Brisbane)

4 websites you visit daily

4 tagged

Be Still My Soul

2006-03-13T19:37:00.000+08:00

Be still my soul
Be still my soul
Cease from the labor and the toil
Refreshing springs of peace wait
To troubled minds and hearts that ache

Be still my soul
God knows your way
And He will guide
For His name's sake
Plunge in the rivers of His grace
Rest in the arms of His embrace

Be still my soul
Be still my soul
Though battles round you rage and roar
One thing you need and nothing more
To hear the whisper of your Lord

Be still my child
I know your way
And I will guide
For my name's sake
Plunge in the rivers of My grace
Rest in the arms of My embrace

Words and Music by Kim Noblitt
Taken from the album Let Your Glory Fall by Don Moen

Goodbye 2005, welcome 2006

2005-12-31T20:21:00.000+08:00

Gosh... I've forgoten what I want to write. My mind is blank now.

Anyway, I want to thank God for walking me through the entire year of 2005. It is a year where I started a new journey in my life cycle. For the coming 2006, I don't have any particular new year resolution or dreams. I know the Author of life continues writing my life story, and I'm excited and anticipating to see how my life goes for this new year.

Another 3 more hours and it's time to bid farewell to 2005 and 2006!

Happy new year!!

Christmas Eve Dinner

2005-12-25T16:06:00.000+08:00

Went back to work on Thursday after a week long leave. I knew I have to work on Christmas and New Year Day, and the fact that many of my colleagues are planning to take a short break during this festive season making it tougher for me to apply leave on both days. While I'm thinking of wearing a red Santa Claus hat in the office on Christmas day, suddenly my colleague came to my desk...

Colleague : Hey welcome back. Do you know that we will be off on Christmas and New Year day due to the operation will be closed on both days?

Me : Huh?? Really??? Yeah!!!!

Colleague : Yeah man. So, what's your plan for both days?

Me : Hhmm......

If I knew it earlier, I might be taking another day off after Chrismas so that I can go back to JB to help up, as my parents will be organising the annual Christmas luncheon at home on the 25th. Seems like I'm not able to make it. Nevertheless, my cousin invited me to their place for a "western" style dinner on Christmas Eve. I'm assigned to cook some pasta while my cousin has ordered a roast turkey as one of the main course dishes. Yummy!!

Dinner was good, and so was the gathering and the fellowship of the "cousins". Dishes include pasta, roast turkey, seafood salad, baked cod fish and fruits salad, with a couple shots of Japanese's "Choya", Vodka and Baileys (I must mention that I'm not drunk after a few shots :-) ). We all had a good time on a cooling and breezing Christmas Eve day. Check out some of the pictures below.

Have a blessed Christmas everybody.

Serving up the pasta

Laying out the dishes

Most of the presents are for my nephew and niece

There they are. Aren't they cute?

Roast turkey!! Yum Yum..

Posing with her present, a "Chicken Little" pillow

Guess who is the recipient?

On Leave

2005-12-21T19:57:00.000+08:00

Stucked in a traffic jam while going to Megamall

Just arrived in Singapore today after a long week in Malaysia. Was in KL for 3 days, mainly because of attending my ex CG leader's wedding which was held on Sunday at the Saujana Golf & Country club resort. The holy matrimony a.k.a wedding ceremony was held at the beautiuful poolside followed by the dinner inside the ballroom. Twas a good time catching up with my DUMC mates, pastors and cg buddies. Once again I would like to congratulate Victor & Lai Fong, wishing both of you the best in everything.

Besides the wedding, managed to catch up with some of my close college-mates. Good to see that all of them have graduated and started working. Besides the usual and horrible traffic jam on weekends, I enjoyed my time over there. It's good to be back to where I've spent 2.5 years doing my tertiary studies. I also visited my buddy who had just shifted to Seremban recently. A small and quiet town, it would be a perfect place for retirees who plan to live a quiet and relaxing life. It is also a place where the locals sleep early at night and wake up late the next day. What a life!

Anyhow, tomorrow is back to work again. Hopefully I can make another trip to the north again soon. Just came across this song while i'm blogging. Got to know this song when I was a small boy, kept singing this song again and again because of the short lyrics, until the past few years only reliased this is just the 'chorus' part. Nevertheless, it is a song which reminds me of Him that I'm able to keep this 'journey' moving.

In Christ alone, I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory, let it be said on me
My source of strength, my source of hope is Christ alone.

Back Again

2005-12-08T15:06:00.000+08:00

It's good to be back in JB again, nice and relaxing. And of course not forgeting to come back to the blogger world.

Unexpectedly, I just got promoted recently and started my new role this week. It's not really a new role, but rather the same role with more assignments and tasks to be carried out. It's gonna be more work, higher responsibilities, and "harder" to fall. It's a new challenge, and frankly speaking I'm not too sure I can overcome it or not. But nevertheless, I just need to accomplish my task and full stop. For those who have been following up my blog, I should be achieving 3000 calls by this week. Another small and happy moment which I will cherish it.

Festive seasons are drawing near, and I will be in KL during my one week leave in mid December to spend some time with my fellow friends there. Will be also attending my ex CG leader's wedding on Dec 18th. My most sincere wishes to Victor and Lai Fong, Congratulations!! And to all my fellow mates, happy holidays and enjoy the rest of the days in 2005 before we welcome year 2006.

His newly revamped blog just launched. I like the layout and everything has been nicely done. Good job Wai Nyan, keep it up!

I hope I could blog more frequently. I guess I should be putting that as my new year resolution...

Currently listening to : Our Daily Bread - Hymns of Praise & Wonder

Take My Life

2005-11-20T20:08:00.000+08:00

Stumbled upon this song whilst playing my buddy's Taylor 514ce. Nice melody and blends well in devotion, so thought of posting out the lyrics. This song is written by Third Day.

Take My Life

How many times have I turned away
The number is the same as the sand on the shore
But every time You've taken me back
And now I pray You do it once more

Please take from me my life
When I don't have the strength
to give it away to You Jesus

How many times have I turned away
The number is the same as the stars in the sky
But every time You've taken me back
And now I pray You do it tonight

Lord, even if I journey through a period of brokenness, I want You to know my life belongs to You. Amen.

Depression a.k.a Silent Killer

2005-11-18T20:04:00.000+08:00

Do you feel persistently sad or “empty” mood? Do you have the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness? Have you lost your interest in hobbies and activities? Have you lost your appetite, experience early-morning awakening or oversleeping? Has your energy decreased tremendously? Do you have thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts? Have you exhibit these symptoms lately? If you are, then you might have signs of traces of Depression.

Some people might think depression is something that can be cured easily. Well, in most cases it is curable through medication and counseling until he/she is freed from it, but there are some other cases where treatments can be done to a certain extent, the rest is up to individual’s will power to minimize the chances of creeping out again. In other words, these individuals pertains deep depression level which has been developed for some time without them knowing it. This is the ultimate key point. It is an internal “stress state”; a “silent killer”. Worst case it could bring fatality. It is that serious.

A friend of mine discovered this problem when he was 4 years old, until it hit the worst level about 3 years ago, then found out that his depression level had grown so deeply that he nearly committed suicide, and during his recovering period he had a hard time trying to fight against it. But I’m glad that he had fought a real tough battle and stand above it. I wouldn’t say he has 100 percent freed from it, but at least he knows how to prepare himself when it starts creeping over him again.

That is why Singapore government is aware of this internal illness that has been developed among the society, the health ministry board started a campaign called Treat Depression Early to bring awareness to residents and start taking actions against it. Right now they are inviting people who are recovering from it to share their own stories, in order to reach out and to encourage those who are experiencing these signs and symptoms.

Don’t hesitate to seek help before it’s too late.

Surprise of the day

2005-11-09T19:25:00.000+08:00

Recieved a surprise text message from a friend whom I have lost touch with her for quite a while. She's asking me out for a dinner tomorrow. *blink blink* Well, we used to be close friends before until we both further our studies in difference places. Guess I really have to do some catching up with her, getting updates about her rumourly spread 'boyfriend'.

Am dwelling this myth in my mind now. I wonder why a group of people going out for a meal, in the end the entire meal will be paid by one person instead of sharing out the cost? Is that a sign of manner, being a generous person or prove that one is able to do so because everybody does?? *scratching my chin*

November - A Good Start??

2005-11-04T10:50:00.000+08:00

Seems like everything to me has been going smoothly since the start of a new month. Welcome November, goodbye October.

Some of you might not know, daylight saving time in US has ended. Yup, fall has arrived and it's time to say goodbye to DST. With DST ended, their time will be fall back 1 hour earlier. For instance, during DST New York is 12 hours difference with Singapore. Now it's 13. I know you guys think that it's totally unrelated to residence in Singapore, but it's very curcial thing to me, meaning that I will need to adjust some of the my work processes. Time is very important.

Besides need to work on public holidays (I've worked on Deepavali and Hari Raya), good thing is that my last 2 days performance has been pretty good, with both days achieving the same record number of calls handled, and also achieved tha required target set by the management. And thus hopefully more bonus by the end of the year. lol

Yesterday went out for a dinner feast at a Teochew restaurant located at Concourse. It was my aunt's 60th birthday. The food was good and quite affordable. Now she's officially a senior citizen in S'pore, with many benefits awaiting for her to enjoy. Happy belated birthday, 3rd aunt!

My brother is on the way to Singapore today. He's planning to purchase a acoustic guitar, so I'm gonna bring him to Sinamex to test out the Timothy S10J guitar which I've talked about it before. Taylor 2005 Fall Limiteds are out in stores now. Hopefully Sinamex got some of the Limiteds that I can try it out. Can't wait to test out the 414ce-L10 and 814ce-L10.

When can I own a Taylor?

C2C -- Computer to Cooking Pan

2005-10-29T20:09:00.000+08:00

I'm not sure why, but I'm back to cooking mood again. Guess I'm more of an arts person than science because I love cooking and playing music. I really enjoy cooking good meal, inviting a few mates over to taste my dishes and watching them enjoying themselves. I really do.

Anyway, yesterday I did a Fettucini Marinara for my dinner. Today's dinner I did a grilled Sirloin steak and invited my uncle to join me. I guess I did it pretty well, and he's pretty satisfied with it. Seeing him enjoying my 'creation', that very moment was just something that is undescribable. I just couldn't describe the happy moment. I feel good!! neh neh neh neh neh... :)

I thought for a while, should I be a chef? Would that be my next transition?

Phew.. What a scare!

2005-10-28T20:27:00.000+08:00

I thought of doing a revamp on my bloggie because it has been in this 'settings' for a long time. The first thing that came through my mind was to changing the blog templete, trying to get rid of the greenish-filled wallpaper. So I was browsing through the sample templetes on blogger and decided to use the brownish one. I selected that and a message pop up asking me do I want to continue. I clicked 'ok' and my nightmare has just begun. I noticed that the previous customization on my blog has gone! I've lost all my hard work customization!! Gosh...

Then I realised that the message that pop up was warning me that if I change to another templete, all the customization will be lost. My bad. Anyhow I spent some time rescuing my blog through various methods, and finally I've got everything back on and running again. Sigh, no mood to revamp already. Maybe tomorrow I should try get back my mood again.

Went to watch Goal today. It's about a young Mexican guy who dreams of becoming a soccer star. He thinks that this dream can be fulfilled easily because of his tremendous skill, but eventually it's not. He had to go through many trials, embracing ups and downs before he became a famous figure among the players and the fans. It's not easy to be successful in career and life. Good movie. Recommended.

Don't know why today I'm so in a mood of cooking. In other words, I'm back to cooking mode! So after movie I went straight to do some grocery shopping mainly for today and tomorrow's dinner. For today's dinner, I've done a Fettucini Marinara for myself. And tomorrow, I'm gonna do a grilled Sirloin steak with baked potato and boiled brocolli, plus a mushroom soup for starter. A two-course meal, and I'm gonna cook for my uncle as well. Invited him too. I guess he's very happy that I'm gonna make a meal for his dinner. Hehe..

Update! Update!

2005-10-27T19:39:00.000+08:00

Wow! It's been a long time since I last blogged. Partly because lack of inspiration to write, and I must admit... Yes, laziness. *grin* Well, I think some of you might know that I don't simply blog for nothing. I'm not the type who writes about what they eat for lunch and dinner, whom they met on that day and etc. So it's hard for me to blog everyday unlike my buddy (you know who you are). Nevertheless, here I am reporting live on some of my updates in this month.

At work, I'm officially confirmed as permanent staff as of end of September. No more probation anymore. So what's the diff?? Well, everything is the same except securing my bonus, a black Siemens polo shirt and a letter of confirmation. Nothing great except more money *bell rings*. Besides confirmation, two months ago I did wrote something about my little achievement, and I'm hereby announce that I've handled more than 2200 calls as of this day. Another milestone, another achievement. I wonder if I could achieve 5000 calls by the end of the contract. Crossing my fingers.

Managed to celebrate my granny's birthday couple of weeks ago. We went to a french restaurant for dinner which is located in a quaint little city called Johor Bahru which is also my hometown :) and we had a good time enjoying the ambience, the food and the wine. It was my treat, but most importantly I could see the smiling face from my 77-year-old granny, and that really made my day.

I guess that's all of my updates.. Life has been as usual as before. I just hope that my leave application for Christmas and Lunar New Year seasons will be approved. However there could be possibility that either one of the holiday seasons can be approved. Gosh... still crossing my fingers..

I'm off tomorrow. Planning to watch Goal. Anyone wants to join me?

A night at Esplanade

2005-09-28T09:13:00.000+08:00

Went to watch Stomp last night at the Singapore Esplanade Theatre.

Stomp is a group of people who creates and plays music using all sorts of things and methods. Some of the things like broom, matchsticks, basketball, keys, pails, garbage bins and etc.

Well, what can I say? The entire show was fun, hillarous and astonishing. The New York Times quoted "Irresistible! A sure-fire crowd pleaser."

Well said. They not just playing music, but they also do acting, make the crowd laugh all over the place. It's just like watching a comedy musical whlist experiencing their groovy and musical talented performance. Bravo!

If you are in Singapore for the next few days, and would like to watch their performance, you can book a ticket at Sistic. You won't regret it.

And guess who I saw yesterday at Esplanade? Alex To (du de wei)

Yesterday I recieved a sms from a friend of mine. He told me that he has free tickets to watch Quidam. I think it's like a circus performance. I don't mind going since it's FOC. *grin*

I'm keen on going for this as well.

I enjoy watching musical performance. I guess it's one of my remedy to de-stress myself from work. :)

Later.

I have been tagged again

2005-09-24T20:24:00.000+08:00

Here we go again.

7 Things You Plan to Do Before You Die:

1. Own 2 dogs
2. Own a BMW
3. Design my dream IT room
4. Tour europe
5. Enjoy a great feast of greek cuisine
6. Watch world cup final in the stadium
7. Visit New Zealand again

7 Celebrity Crushes:

1. Kate Hudson
2. Renee Zellweger
3. Scarlett Johannson
4. Kate Beckinsale
5. Jennifer Garner
6. Rachel Mcadams
7, Meg Ryan

7 Often Repeated WORDS/PHRASES:

1. ic (i see)
2. ok
3. izzit (is it)
4. sien (boring)
5. cool
6. sure
7. no prob (no problem)

7 Physical Traits I Look For In the Opposite Sex:

1. Straight hair (long or short)
2. Stunning brown eyes
3. Sweet smiling face
4. Nice body smell
5. Average body line (not too thin, not too fat)
6. Smooth skin
7. Wrinkle-less, pimple-less face

7 People to Continue This:

1. Cheryl
2. Daniel
3. Joyce
4. Mun Tzin
5. Sherman
6. Wai Nyan
7. Chu Yau

Missing in action

2005-09-19T11:42:00.000+08:00

Haven't been blogging for a while. Don't know why lately it's either I'm lazy to think of something to blog or there's really nothing special happening to me that I feel the need to jot down. Or maybe I've been catching up with friends during my off days, no time to blog. Or maybe, maybe...

Went to watch Cinderella Man with my buddy last Saturday. Finally got a chance to catch a movie since I started working 4 months ago. This movie is based on a true story, talking about a boxer's life on how he became so famous, won every matches during his early days as a boxer, and how he became so poor and desperate, 4 years after the Great Depression. He cannot fight, he cannot get a job, he has a family to take care of. And despite all these, he managed to beat against all odds and created a miracle, hence being called as the 'Cinderella Man'. Good show. Starring Russell Crowe and Renne Zellweger, directed by Ron Howard. Movie rating : 4/5

Oh well, this week will be a busy one for me. Since today is my off day, I think I'll just stay at home. Just felt that I need a rest, a good rest.

I was 'msn'ing with my friend yesterday, and out of a sudden he asked me these questions. And till now I haven't give him the answers yet, because I don't know how to answer. My mind was blank at that time.

1. Do you consider yourself a happy person?
2. What makes you think you're a happy person?

Why don't you ask yourself these questions? Good for self-reflection, don't you think so?

The Fellowship of the 'Interest'

2005-09-09T20:59:00.000+08:00

Some of you may know that I love to cook. When I was young, I started to develop this interest of cooking. I used to hang up in the kitchen, standing beside my grandma while she's cooking. I guess she started noticing that I'm very keen on learning how to cook delicious food, so she kept asking me to help her out in the kitchen. From preparing ingredients until 'making noises' on the wok, my interest started gaining swiftly. From then on, I knew that cooking will be part of my life.

Recently, I realised that this interest has started fading away. Why??

I don't know. Maybe because I'm tired of cooking my own meal (I cook almost everyday during my one year stay in Australia). It's just so bored to prepare all the ingredients, do the cooking and washing. Or maybe I don't have much friends who are into culinary (my best buddy knows how to eat only), so I'm not able to share my interest as well as to improve my skills.

As I recalled what Michael Card said, 'Music comes from relationships'. It is because of human relationships that develops the music into a greater meaning. There may be plenty of talented musicians out there, but developing a friendship through music makes each other a better friend. Don't you think so?

I believe this goes the same with cooking. I'm not refering to the fellowship among the chefs, but rather a gathering of friends who are interested in food would be sufficient in developing friendships. As for me, I love to invite people to come and taste my cooking skills. Not only that, I love to enjoy the fellowship of the meal, having a great time of eating, drinking, chatting, laughing and etc. Isn't that draws a greater meaning in friendship? It's all about sharing the same interest (Food) isn't it?

Now, I'm not sure what I'm talking about. But anyhow, it's just a random thought.

My Prayer for the Day

2005-09-06T19:05:00.000+08:00

Lord, here I pray

On my knees before You

I live for You today because I adore You

I will not be afraid

Only watch and pray to see Your glad return

I'll put my trust in You until my life is completed

To all as unto You, believing all You've stated

I want to live in peace in spite of tribulation

Until You come again

Please know that I love You

I'll stay by Your side

Worship You in spirit and in truth
Dear Lord, be my guide

Let me be your follower forever

I love you with my life

Amen

Comex After Effect

2005-09-05T22:07:00.000+08:00

Went to Comex last Friday with my colleagues. And this was what I brought out from the exhibition hall.

Click on the devices for more information

Yes. After much consideration, I've decided to get myself a external notebook hard drive. What I bought from Comex was a Samsung 80GB notebook hard drive which runs on 5400rpm and Saratech Cutie 2.5 inches hard drive enclosure which fits as a external casing for my hard drive.

Three main reasons of getting this hard drive:

- Not enough storage space in my laptop and my 20GB external hard drives.
- I need a hard drive which doesn't need additional AC power to provide power supply.
- Easy to carry around, compact and durable.

Despite the damage is enough to create a big hole on my wallet, honestly I'm pretty happy with my purchase. Guess I have to watch out my expenses for this month again.

News Update : Guitars Day

2005-09-01T19:22:00.000+08:00

All rightee, let me bring you some updates from Guitars Day trip.

First station was Sinamex which located at Paradiz Centre. My intention was to check out the Timothys and Taylors. Went in there, saw quite a number of Simon & Patrick guitars. Just briefly browsed through and then walked to the next row. Ah ha, finally noticed the Timothys. I was actually trying to find this model, but sadly to say it ran out of materials and therefore it's not available at the moment. This is the only model they have at the moment.

Timothy S10J

Anyhow, I took one of them down and sat down on the chair to do my personal review. The minute I strumbed a 'G' chord, I was like "Wow! This is really something". This handmade, medium Jumbo, using solid Sitka Spruce top, solid Ovangkol back & sides, Wood Rosette, Fishman Prefix pickup system and Taylor recommended Elixir strings just blew me away. No doubt it is a quality guitar and can never lose to any branded guitars in the world. Say, don't underestimate this Vietnam-made guitar. Too bad there's no Taylor 414ce (Ovangkol) available for me to make an comparison, otherwise it should be a good "Battle of the Ovangkols". For the price of S$1,500 (RM3,360), this guitar is definitely worth considering for beginners and intermediates. Thumbs up to S10J! Check out more reviews over here.

Too bad for the Taylors, only left a few as most of them have sold off. I've tried the 510ce and 814ce. 510ce has low actions, nice tone from the solid Mahagony body. 814ce's solid Indian Rosewood produces a unique tone which is so irresistable, but too ex to afford. Had a chat with the boss. He mentioned that the next shipment of Taylors will be in 2 weeks time. Wondering whether I should pay a visit again or not. Hmm..

After Sinamex, the next station was this music cum sports store at Bras Basah Complex, which was located opposite the Raffles Hotel at North Beach Rd. I was particular checking out the Larrivees at this store. Went inside, my eyes was browsing around the brands until I finally noticed this model. As usual I took it down and had a test of it. Gosh, the strings are so hard to press. Didn't have a good feeling on struming the strings. The tone was not as good as I expected. I hate to say this, this guitar store never takes care of the instruments. Bet this guitar has been hanging there for quite so time without even taken care of. I'm really sad to see that, at the same time very disappointed on their way of taking care the instruments. I really hope that Larrivee will start to control their distributors tightly, making sure these people maintain the guitars well.

Oh well.. after checking out so many guitar brands, the guitar of the day has to be the one from the picture above. Hats off to this guitar.

Am going to Comex tomorrow. Anyone wants to join me?

Selamat Hari Kemerdekaan, Malaysia

2005-08-31T20:40:00.000+08:00

Puji dan syukur pada Ilahi

Anugerahnya tiada terhingga

Kedamaian kemakmuran

Malaysiaku bahagia

Dengan tekad untuk berjaya

Berbakti pada nusa dan bangsa

Kami junjung cita-cita luhur

Perpaduan seluruh negeri

Seia sekata sehati sejiwa

Menghadapi cabaran

Kami sedia kami setia

Berkorban untuk negara

Bersemarak Malaysia tercinta

Kibarkan panji kebesarannya

Kami rela menjaga namamu

Sejahtera Malaysia

Kepada semua saudara-saudari yang berada di Malaysia, selamat meyambut Hari Kebangsaan; selamat hari jadi Malaysia. Merdeka! Merdeka!! Merdeka!!!

What a fruitful day. Visited Sinamex and Excel Music and Sports today, tried the Taylors, Timothys and Larrivees. Want to know my personal reviews from these guitars? Come back tomorrow for the latest updates from Guitars Day. Have a great day.

Guitars Day

2005-08-31T09:49:00.000+08:00

Later, I'm going to visit this guitar store to check out the Taylors and Timothys. This store is also the sole distributor of Taylor guitars in South East Asia region. Some of you might have heard of Taylors before. No doubt it is one of the best in the world. However, most of you might not have heard of Timothys before. Well, it is one of their own products in the store.

Manufactured in Vietnam (some said Singapore but that's not true), this guitar is made of 100% solid Mahagony or Ovangkol woods. And because it's a solid wood guitar, the sound is just so beautiful. Better than those well known brands which the sound is not so fantastic because of using laminated wood. And furthermore, it's worth for the price! Recommended for beginners. My brother wants to get one, so I'm going there to survey the Timothys. Hehe.. At the same time, might as well try out the Taylors too. So tempted to get one. *grin*

After that, I'm going to another store to check out another guitar brand called Larrivee. Another best guitar brand in the world, Larrivees are among the favourites in North America region, not so popular in Asia side though. I've personally tried the Larrivee parlor guitar (smaller version) in Australia, and I fell in love with this guitar. The sound is excellent, but the price is too excellent for me. Unfortunately I was told that this distributor doesn't import much Larrivees to S'pore, hopefully I'm able to see more Larrivees in the store later today.

More updates coming up. So stay tuned..

After-Lunch Habit

2005-08-29T21:07:00.000+08:00

After having lunch today at the office cafeteria, I went up to my office flour and proceed straight to the restroom. Once I pushed the restroom door, I saw a guy, probably a manager from the other department who also just had his lunch, brushing his teeth in front of the sink and facing the mirror.

After a while, one of my colleagues came back from the restroom, and telling my other colleagues that he saw my supervisor brushing his teeth in the restroom.

Few weeks ago, I noticed that one of my senior colleagues has this habit of brushing her teeth after lunch. She always has her toothbrush and toothpaste on her desk, and never fails to brush her teeth after lunch.

I wondered is that their habit of maintaining their own teeth condition, or making sure it stays white at all times so that they can to pull out a big smile without any fear?

I recalled back during my primary school years when my teacher taught us that brush teeth is a good habit. Not just doing it in the morning and before sleep, but also after meals. Seriously speaking, for the past 23 years I have never brush my teeth after lunch. Does that indicates a crisis? Gosh!! I need to whiten up my teeth. Any suggestion? Colgate or Darlie??

Life goes on

2005-08-26T22:39:00.000+08:00

I'm back in Singapore again after 2 days of 'babysitting' my granny in JB.

It's nice to be back in JB again. Basically just relax myself and enjoy the home-cooked food courtesy of my granny. Home sweet home. Ahh...

Oh well, it's back to work on weekends as usual. It's a fact of my life.

Life goes on, and on, and on.....

Episode IV - Bits and bites @ work

2005-08-25T08:34:00.000+08:00

Interested to know what I do in the office everyday?

As usual, I will reach my office at about 6.35am. Walk to my desk, turn on the laptop, open up all the necessary websites needed for my work, check emails, surfing my favourites websites (not porns ok). At 6.55am, get ready to sign on, put my headset on. At 7am sharp, I'm ready to rock and roll.

Calls coming in one after another. Once I recieve a call, I'm all set to serve the caller. First greet him/her using the standard greeting script, then listen to the problem, diagnose the problem in details, and try to work out the solutions. If solved, call ended leaving a happy caller. If not, some of them understand the situation, but some will be so frustrated, so angry that they will not hang up the call until this issue has been resolved. In this case, that's where 'call handling management' comes to the point, ensure that I'm the one who's controlling the call, and not the caller. Once the caller takes control, end of the story. I failed. So it's very important and crucial that I must handle each call in a proper way.

Yesterday I thought it wasn't a good day for me, simply because some cases that I've handled are cases that I've never encountered before. For instance, my third call was a lady whereby she needs something from me which I've never heard of it before. I told her that I have no idea about it and that's nothing I can help in this issue. She was so frustrated that she yelled at me, and demanded to speak to the supervisor. To cut things short, I managed to calm her down and resolve the issue. Oh well, this is not the first time I got yelled in a phone conversation.

After a while I got another call. This time an old man who encountered a weird problem while accessing the IE. He's long winded and a novice in computers. I had to be very patient to guide him through the troubleshooting steps, but even that the problem still persist. In the end I had no choice but to provide him the last resort to this problem. I was with him for 40 mins.

I was hoping the next call would be a much easier one to handle. Who knows the next call was a lady who speaks some kind of alien language. I had trouble understanding her language. After 10 mins, I'm still cracking my head. I'm slowly losing my patience. Finally after 25 mins, I managed to understand her question and provided the solution.

Gosh, the next call was another guy who has a strong spanish accent. Another IE problem, another weird one. He's worse than the old man. He's very long winded. And while I'm guiding through the support, he will write down the steps. And at times he will ask me to repeat again. He was very panicked when I mentioned about computer terms. He will ask me what's the meaning of it, so that he can write it down. In the end, the whole call was generally a phone technical support cum computer lesson. My job is to provide support to the problem, not providing free computer lesson. These people just taking advantage of the toll-free number, thinking that they can get computer lesson for free since they spent so much money on it. I did mentioned a case before in my previous post.

I was so tired by that time after handling all these calls. Then suddenly this next call brighten up my day. I was motivated after the call. It was a lady, probably in her teenage years or in her 20s. Her voice was so sweet that eventually my heart went melted away. It wasn't a big issue and I managed to solve it within 5 mins. I could sense that she's a nice, innocent, understandable, gentle and kind person. She was really appreciative of what I've gone through the steps with her. I was thinking, how I wished all my calls are like that. But I know this is against the reality. Anyhow I want to thank this lady. You've certainly made my day.

Oh well, these are just the bits and bites that happens while I'm at work. Think positively, it's interesting.

ps. try this game, it's very addictive. Only 4000 ppl in the world managed to finish it. Can you?

An Achievement

2005-08-22T18:51:00.000+08:00

Ladies and gentlemen,

As of today, I hereby announce that the total number of calls I have handled so far on my job is

1030 calls

Finally past 1000 calls. I've mentioned before on my previous post, that this week I will be able to reach 1000 calls. Well, reflecting back to 2 months ago when I first started handling my first ever call, my mind was full of questions such as:

What is he/she going to ask me about?

Can I solve his/her problem?

What if I cannot solve?

Am I able to handle the call well?

What if I've forgoten everything?

...

.....

And the list goes on. Thankfully my first call wasn't that bad, and that was the only call for the day. :) Of course as time goes by, I'm getting better in handling the call properly, knowing that I need to apply the right medicine in order to solve the issue. After all, this is my bread and butter. *grin*

Ok. Let me list down some interesting call statistics.

Youngest caller : under 10 years old

Oldest caller : between 60 - 70 years old

Longest call : 100 minutes

Shortest call : 2 minutes

Most number of calls handled in a day : 27 calls

Least number of calls handled in a day : 8 calls

My trainer has been in this business for more than 2.5 years. He once told us that he'd handled more than 20000 calls. I only managed to break 1000 in 2 months, how long more can I reach 20k? Can someone calculate for me?

Totally Unexpected

2005-08-20T20:24:00.000+08:00

Here I am at McDonalds, using my buddy's Dell Inspiron 700M, enjoying the free wireless access and blogging my latest post. Guess I've proven my 'Ben's McTheory'. McDonalds in Singapore indeed has free WIFI access.

And guess what, it is not a dream. Neither did I slap my face nor bite my arm just to face this reality. (Dear Rev Sivin), I have no choice but to speak the truth. The one truth; the voice of truth. I.......

FOUND IT AT LAST!!!!

Thanks to him, who managed to find the only and the last 2 copies at Trumpet Praise, Plaza Singapura. It was not a desperate intention to search, but rather an accident + the right time + a bit of luck. I have never expected to get it so fast. As a matter of fact, I've mentally prepared because I know it's very hard to find this album around the region. You know what, the store personnel told my friend that this album is not easy to get. I guess it was through determination that this album can be easily obtained in such a short time.

Oh yes, I just went to Ikea. And guess what again, I've just created another big hole on my wallet. *sob sob*

'BONNY' SWIVEL CHAIR (WITHOUT THE HANDLES)

I wanted to get a chair so that I can sit comfortably in front of my laptop. The current swivel chair in my room cannot be pushed up, and also it's not good to my back as well. That's why I decided to get a new one. It's a bit pricy, but for the sake of long term investment and my health. As one of the Ikea banner quoted 'Invest in a good chair today, and your body will thank you tomorrow'. No regrets.

That's all for today. Signing out.

Btw, the fella beside me said 'Dell Inspiron 700M rocks!' Cheh.. Mukanya begitu tebal, memanglah. :p

Classified

2005-08-19T19:13:00.000+08:00

I am desperately looking for this album, my No.1 shopping list at the moment:

My Utmost For His Highest: Quiet Prayers - Byran Duncan
(Click on the picture for more details)

A short introduction. I've never heard of this gospel artist before until last year when my friend sent me this song through MSN. Honestly speaking, after I've heard of it, I'm deeply touched by the lyrics and the ballad genre of this song. It talks about our heart are so unworthy, so bad that someone has to come to redeem our heart. You should listen to it. The title of this song is 'A Heart Like Mine'. Highly recommended. Rating: 4.5 / 5

Right now I'm hunting for this Tommy Emmanuel look-alike face on the front cover of the album. It's a complilation of hymns plus his own written songs (including 'A Heart Like Mine' in instrumental). Most of the genre are made up of jazz and ballads. I'm totally mesmerized by the songs in this album. Songs like 'When I Turn to You' which has the Norah Jones genre-alike, Michael Card's 'El Shaddai', ever popular 'As the Dear', and hymns like 'I surrender all' and 'Take My Life and Let it Be'. A must-buy album! Good for listening while driving back home after a long day work, or couldn't sleep at night. Bottom line, it's light and easy. Very highly recommended. Rating: 5 / 5

Therefore, if you have seen this album at any music stores in Singapore or Malaysia, please let me know. I know it's very hard to get this album because it was released 9 years ago. I need to get two copies because my buddy also wants it. Thanks to this guy, otherwise I wouldn't have got to know this album at all.

I don't mind accepting complementary copies though. Why shouldn't I? =)

My Prayer

2005-08-18T23:38:00.000+08:00

This is my prayer, and this is what I want my life to be.

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of thy love.

Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King.

Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee;
Take my silver and my gold
Not a mite would I withhold.

Take my will, and make it thine
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is thine own
It shall be thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At thy feet its treasure-store;
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for thee.

It's Meme Time!

2005-08-16T19:56:00.000+08:00

Somehow or rather, I have been tagged by this guy to fulfill this task. And so being a super nice guy *grin*, I shall fulfill it with great honour. Let's rock!

1) Total Numbers of Books You Own:

Gosh!! This is a tough one. Frankly speaking, I never count how many books I own. My books range from IT related, Computer Networking, dictionaries, to christianity, biography, and cooking recipes.

2) The last Book You've Bought:

One of the core materials needed for bible study. I mean, really study the bible, not just reading alone.

3) The Last Book You've Read:

I bought this when I was studying in Australia. It was recommended by a Pastor of this church which I attended for the past year. Even he himself also love this book very much. A must-read book for new believers.

4) Five Books That Mean A Lot To Me:

5) Tag Five People And Have Them Fill This Out On Their Blogs:

Here goes:

1. Amanda Yap

2. Mun Tzin

3. Joyce Soh

4. Edna Yap

5. Cheryl Low

Back in action

2005-08-15T16:50:00.000+08:00

Ok. Somebody commented that I need to update my blog. You know who you are. So here I am now, and let's rock and roll.

Some updates from work. Been working almost three months now. As of today I've handled more than 900 calls. Should be reaching 1000 by next week. My job has been pretty much settled down at the moment. Recently just launched the auto-answering call, which means the calls will come in automatically without pressing anything, which also means there would be no more irritating ring tones polluting the entire office environment. Good thing is that it's much more quiet now. but on the other hand, have to be alert at all times when the status is on ready, and no more ring tones indicating that a call has arrived. And I know is just one sound 'tooo', and then "Hello, you're speaking to Ben. May I have your name please?" And there it goes again...

Yesterday was my day off. This is the second time I got my day off on weekends. Isn't it good to be off on weekends? Oh well, for me there's no such thing as 'weekends' now, only 'off days'. So instead of looking forward to weekends which many working people does, I'm always looking forward to my Excel working schedule and hunt for the word 'OFF'.

And so, I was with my buddy last Saturday. Met him at the MRT station after work, and both of us had a common thing in mind on that day, "Shopping". I want to get a wireless keyboard and mouse for my dad latest purchase, a new computer. Whereas he wants to purchase some computer accessories for his latest purchase, a new Dell Inspiron 700M.

We went to Sim Lim Square, and here's what I've bought.

Logitech Cordless Internet Pro Desktop

and my buddy bought a few stuff, including this which he posted in his blog. Honestly speaking, this gadget is really cool. We were totally mesmerized by the features and functionality of it, and we kept Woo.... Wah..... all the time. It's amazing! I wished I could get one of this, but I'm satisfied with my current one. And I don't feel 'depressed' because my mum paid the bill. Muahahaha...

Woke up at 11.30am on Sunday, lunch, went to bed again from 1.30pm - 3pm, church service, dinner, back home, slept at 10.30pm. Say (in cantonese), sleep too much is not good for health man.

That's all for today, stay tuned for more blog 'actions' tomorrow. Adios...

Coffee Bean, Pastamania, The Island

2005-07-27T13:57:00.000+08:00

Managed to catch up with my ex-sec schoolmate yesterday night. We met up at Coffee Bean, and it was my idea to go there because it has been quite a while I haven't visited my favourite coffee outlet, also in desperation of sipping a cup of Ice blended Mocha, my favourite coffee at CB. Had a good time of conversation with him. It's always nice and relax to catch up with some friends, especially at night having a good cup of coffee, sitting down there and have a good time of fun and laughter. I can say this overwrites our stressful life @ work. No doubt about it.

Later gonna meet up with another friend from KL, came here for working attachment. He just bought a 60GB Ipod yesterday. Happy and excited, he realised that his Thinkpad doesn't store a lot of songs. So he asked me to burn some songs for him. I'm gonna treat him for dinner tonight at Pastamania, to show my appreciate for what he had done in me few years ago when I was in KL. I'm really thankful to him, and I pray that he will continue to make a difference on people's lives. Thanks Ian.

I want to watch this movie. Anyone wants to join me? If you want to catch a glimpse of this movie, watch this.

Random Pictures

2005-07-25T19:33:00.000+08:00

Some photos with colleagues..

Training over. Yeah!!

BBQ session at Costa Sands Resort

It was drizzling. No joke.

One of the best! No doubt.

Korean beauties.

Mix of nationality

MRT, on our way back. Super tired.. Have to work on the next day. *yawn*

Random Thoughts

2005-07-25T16:44:00.000+08:00

Took half day MC today, my first ever MC since I started working. Had headache and I felt the heat on my body. Couldn't concentrate on work very well.

It was 10.31am, 9 more mins left, which I need to inform my supervisor that I need to take afternoon leave. Still pondering whether to MC or not. Walked to the pantry and made a cup of tea, had a bun which I bought it from BreakTalk yesterday. Went back to my desk. 4 more mins to go, I'm still trying to get myself concentrating on my work in front of my laptop. Gosh.. The pain on my head came back again. Guess I really need to go back, consult the doctor of a nearby clinic, and rest. Yes, I went to tell my supervisor about it. He just asked me to send him an email and I can leave. I left office soon after.

Just woke up, felt afresh after a 4 hours nap. I think I'm better now after taken the medication. Tomorrow is another day of work. After that my long-awaited off day. Yeah!!

Some updates on work. Close to recieving 600 calls as of today. Time flies, almost 2 months I've been working. So far have been getting used to the working hours, rosters, working process and procedures. But still a lot to improve in terms of how to manage the call well with my customers, making sure by the end of the call I will be hearing things like "Thank you so much, you have been a great help to me", "Well, I really appreciate your help, thank you very much" and etc. It really makes my day and also to the customers; boosts up my confidence to perform better. Frankly speaking, it's not my forte to work this kind of position. I have no idea how long I will be staying on. I'll just take one step to another, embracing uncertainty.

Been having some deep thoughts lately. What is practical in life?? Is it practical to live our lives according to the world standard? How to be practical in spending money? Is it practical to spend more money because of the branding, the design of a product? Is it not practical if we purchase a product based on the usage itself and not the brand? Are we afraid of people looking down on us because we buy cheap, unbranded goods? Is it practical that we have to pursue branded goods so that we can stay on with the standard of this modern world? If that so, we shouldn't buy cheap stuff because it's not practical, right? Or...

If you are still thinking which one is practical and which one is not, I suggest that you spend your money on people. Do you know that there are people who can barely live on this world, people who doesn't have cheap clothes to wear, people who thinks life is a torturing process, suffering is the only word they can describe to you. So, what say you?

Another one. Would you want to have a"secured life" or a life of "taking risk"??

Would you live a life which you are able to pursue your dream car; dream house; dream wife, or a life full of uncertainty such as "will I be getting a car? Am I going to work here for long? Can someone tell me what should I do?"

If you have a choice, which one would you choose as your dream life? Or rather God's dream in your life??

Episode III - Off Day

2005-07-05T20:38:00.000+08:00

How good it is to relax on my day off. A day where work related issues have simply no chance to knock on my mind; a day where I could simply do whatever things that I like; a day where I could choose not to eat bread for breakfast, cafeteria food for lunch and hawker food for dinner; a day where I can sleep a bit longer; a day......

Today I'm off from work. So what did I do? Woke up at 7.30am, went to buy carrot cake and soya bean juice for breakfast, ran some errands, went karaoke with my cousins (they are off today as well), jalan-jalan at a shopping mall, had afternoon nap, dinner, and now I'm here again typing. At least I'm happy of what I did today. It's fun and relaxing. A definite enjoyable day.

I should treasure the days that I get off, and do things that I like. Sleep, watch movie, chatting... Because it's the only day I'm off on the entire week. :) Arghh.. how I wish tomorrow I'm off as well. Hehe..

Refering to Live 8 which I mentioned on my previous post. I managed to find 2 reviews or opinions regarding this issue. One who thinks that Live 8 concerts will remind G8 leaders to do something abt poverty, and the other thinks will this message be heard. Check it out.

Time to take my shower and sleep. Good night!

Episode II - Life @ work

2005-07-04T20:45:00.000+08:00

Hi people. Apologize for the late update. Been concentrating a lot on work, hence feeling so tired and energy-less after a long day at office. But anyhow, I'm here again. And I will try to update as much as I can, as often as I can.

It has been 3 weeks since operation started. As of this date, I've handled more than 200 calls already. Among them, some good calls as in it's easy to handle and can be settled in no time. Others like troublesome, annoying, irritating calls and etc. You don't want to know man. Some of the customers are so computer illiterate that they called us to provide them basic computer knowledge. For example, this customer asked me the functions of every keys on the keyboard, and she claimed that she deserved to be taught because she has purchased Toshiba laptop, so it's our responsibility to teach users how to use their product. I mean yes, every product does comes with a user manual so that user can learn how to use a product, which I doubt many users are doing that nowadays. But for computer products, at least a user must obtain a certain level of computer knowledge. And this lady has 0% in this area, and she said she paid so much money on this laptop, therefore she deserved our service by teaching her how to use Microsoft Windows XP. Imagine she asked me this question, "What is the function of the Start button in Windows?" Gosh!!

Besides all those interesting calls that I've handled, some of you might not know that I'm working 6 days a week; my off days, break time, lunch hour are arranged according to the schedule. It will be changed every 2 weeks, meaning to say if starting this week my off day is on Monday, in 2 weeks time it will change to Tuesday, another 2 weeks Wednesday, and so forth. So in summary, my working schedule is not flexible. Most of the time I have to work on weekends. And my working hours starts from 7am to 3.30pm. So have to wake up at 5 plus in the morning. A lot of adjustment to make, but I trust God for His purpose and faithfulness in me. He will keep me strong, He will guide me in everything I do.

Just got my first pay few days ago. And I'm happy that I'm able to use it wisely according to my monthly budget which I've worked out. I guess the exciting part is about giving 10%. I know it's not a small sum; it's painful to give away so much. But hey, it is not belong to me, it's God. So it's my responsibility to take out this portion of money first from the pay, and not giving the leftovers. But the most exciting part is about giving some portion of my savings to someone else in this world who is poor and has needs that are not met. Maybe some of you might be thinking I'm earning big bucks now, able to spend money easily. Well, you are wrong then. I only get to save a bit every month, because there are people who needs more than me. They need our help. And I'm willing to give, I'm willing to scarifice, without asking for any reward back. I trust God to provide me what I need. I don't need to worry about tomorrow, because He knows what to do. Amen? :)

Just a random thought. Recently Live 8 concerts have been organised throughout the world in order to prevent poverty in Africa. Do you think by having concerts, having world class musicians and well known artists to perform on stage will help Africa?

Luther Vandross passed away last week after 2 years of battling with his illness. One of my favourite soul singer. His well known songs such as "Here and Now", "So Amazing", "Dance with my Father" and a duet with Mariah Carey "Endless Love". Will miss his voice definitely.

Ok. That's all for now. Roger and out.

Episode I - The Journey Begins

2005-06-18T21:50:00.000+08:00

Wassup people?? Finally got to jot down something here after a month long absence.

Time really flies. I have already been working for almost a month, three weeks to be exact. That consists of 2 weeks intensive product training + language training by the British Council, 2 days of shadowing / testing and 3 days of real time operation.

So far so good. I've started to feel more excited about this job. One can gain valuable knowledge, and also learning the importance of "multi-tasking". So important that I'm still finding it hard to cope it at the moment. But as time goes, I should be able to manage it well. ;-)

Time to go now. Signing off...

*Stay tuned for the next episode*

Given the Green Light

2005-05-19T21:39:00.000+08:00

Counting down to 4 days.

Finally, my S Pass has been approved! Recieved 3 calls from the company today. First call was about the briefing session I need to attend on this Saturday morning. Second one was about the medical report. Apparently they need the original report from me for 45839238 reasons. And the last call was of course informing me about my pass, so I have to collect it by tomorrow afternoon. Well, looks like it's time to get busy with my last preparations.

I know that God has started moving, and He's moving fast! All I need to do is to move together with Him in the same speed. Because I'm starting from 0 kph, catching up his pace will be a bit of struggle.

I know I have to settle a lot of things. Need to open a bank account, apply for a mobile plan, etc. Although I need to move at His speed, I realised that by catching up the pace, my level of anxiousness on preparation also going up. It's unnecessary to be anxious. And God is teaching me to take things slowly, step by step. There's no need to be anxious. Go easy. I think I understand what He meant by that.

Have to start packing up my necessity stuff. This Sunday I'll be moving myself and my 'barang's over. Will my life never be the same again ever after? Only God knows. Help me to be obedient to You.

One week to go

2005-05-17T20:21:00.000+08:00

Counting down to 7 days before I start working at Siemens. Still no news about my working pass approval. What if I have to start work without my pass? Illegal worker?? Gosh!!

So far did some shopping mainly on men's apparel. Bought some long sleeves shirts, pants, shoes, socks and belt. I saw a travellers bag which the size is just nice for carrying to office. It's also function as a laptop bag too. But I refrained myself from buying it because of the price and also uncertainty, in the sense that I wouldn't know what should I bring to office until I started my job.

Will be staying at my relative's place tentatively. Good idea as well because it's not very far from my office. I managed to find out this public bus company website in Singapore. Amazingly this website has a travel guide system which helped me to plan my route, and even calculated the bus fare and the time it takes to travel. It's really cool! So now I know which bus number to take, how much the fare cost and how long to travel to office.

"Lord, be my guide. Hold me closely to your side. I've given my life to your Hands. Take me, mould me, use me, fill me, lead me. Help me to embrace patience. Show me your ways pertaining to perseverence. Teach me to be obedient. Amen!"

Passion -- Priorities

2005-05-09T21:07:00.000+08:00

First of all, I want to wish Mr. why, yarn the best in his performance at the International Public Speaking Competition which will be held in London. Hopefully he will have enough sliva to spit what he needs to speak. Beware of spitting towards the judges! Hehe..

Phew.. what an exercise-packed evening. Neither was I jogging nor sporting. So what did I do? "Car washing & floor cleaning" exercise!! Doesn't sound very exhausting? Read on then you know.

Parents came back in the evening. Noticed my dad didn't park in the car properly. I knew what is going on later. Apparently yesterday was a rainy day, so he didn't manage to do his weekly 'exercise'. So came back, and asked me and my brother to help him wash. So we washed the car within 5 minutes. After that I have to park the car outside, and off to second round. Yup! Another car to wash!! But this time not so bad. He only asked my brother to wipe the car only, as the car is hardly use anyway.

Whilst my bro is in-charge of wiping, my next task was to wash the car porch floor. That includes scrubbing with soap powder. I must make sure I scrub the floor hard, so that the water stain will disappear due to the rain and the sun which dries up the rain water and thus creates the dirty stain. And to fulfill his incredibly high expectation on cleanliness, I would have to scrub it with all my heart, soul and strength! So imagine his weekly exercises include all these. Seriously it's not an easy job for a "one man show". It's exhausting. But the climax part is the after-effect of the job. The 'satisfaction' from the exercise; both cars are shining like brand new ones from the showroom, the floor is super clean with no water stain, it looks like just being waxed!

To him, he feels happy out of the satisfaction. At least it would be clean for another week before another round of routine exercise. People always commented his cars always look like the brand new ones. Not to mention that his latest car is almost 3 years old. Still as shining as from the car showroom. This is his passion, to make sure he takes care of his precious as long as possible!

To me, I don't think I will take care of my own car just like he does. No doubt I will be excited to purchase my new car. I would even get it install and decorate with accessories, install good sound system, service the car regularly, maybe wash the car every week. But as time goes, I might not even want to wash the car for two weeks. It's not a big deal if there's water stain on the windscreen. As long the car doesn't have mud stain, I won't be bothered to wash it. Hehe... It is my passion to take care of my car, making sure the engine, air con system, tyres are working fine. But it's not my passion to make my car forever "showroom shine".

Don't get misunderstood. I'm not trying to complain about my dad. I salute him for his commitment. It is he who maintains the cleanliness of the house. Besides, we also have our role to play as their children in helping to maintain the house. What I'm trying to say is, our priorities somehow relate to our passion. Just like our work, our commitments, it's all part of our passion in pursuing all these issues. It's tough that sometimes our priorities are not related to our passion. In other words, we have to carry out our priorities as a duty, not in our interest guideline. So therefore, if you want to set your priorities right, work it out according to your interest, your passion, and not the opposite. This is something that I've realised after washing the floor. Man, not just physically at work, even mentally too!

One of my soon-to-be priorities is my job. I didn't get a job that I'm not interested in, which many people are doing the opposite because of other factors. I thank God for His goodness that I'm able to work within my interest and passion. I'm satisfied with my job scope. Hopefully I would be satisfied with my work performance. So people, set your priorities right. Set it according to your passion. You will find your life a better way to live, a better way to smile!

Free gifts on May Day

2005-05-07T10:16:00.000+08:00

May 1st a.k.a Labour day was a public holiday. Got to spend some good time with my family. So what did we do?

We went for breakfast in the morning, and after that shopping spree at Carrefour. Got my new Panasonic electric shaver there. Woohoo!! This shaver is also equipped with a trimmer for trimming sideburns and moustache. Sungguh power! Hehe...

After checking out from the cash counter, my mum had a conversation with me.

Mum : We bought so many barang, dunno got free gift or not leh.

Me : Go find the counter lor. Maybe they have.

*At the counter*

Mum : Look! Every purchase of RM100 and above, you are entitled to get 1.5L mineral water for FREE!!

Me : Then take lor. I'm following papa to the kedai kasut. Come look for us later.

*At the shoe shop, mum approaching*

Mum : Eh.. come help me to carry. So heavy.

Me : Wah!! How did u manage to get 4 bottles??

Mum : Dunno. They gave me, so I took lor.

Me : *duh*

In the end, we got 4 bottles of 1.5 litres mineral water for FREE! *grin* At least qualified under the Free Gift Category.

Goodbye my love, Charis

2005-05-06T19:57:00.000+08:00

She's not my girlfriend; she's a dog. She's not my dog but I treat her as my own. She belongs to a friend of mine. A Maltese shih-tzu breed. Bought because she chose him to be her master and not others. She's pretty, loyal, sweet, intelligent. She always greet her master everyday without fail. Very independent one, but love to be pampered. She died on Tuesday, 3rd May 2005. She's not even two years old..

She died because of kidney failure; something that has happened since she was borned. When we found out she has this sickness, it's too late to save her. It was a shock and sad news to his family. And even myself too, because I used to drop by his place and play with her, eat with her, sleep with her. Despite the vet said she has very slight chance to recover, we know she's going to leave us soon. So during that week, she has been going through intensive care to ensure she feels comfortable. Although her sickness was getting worse and suffering badly each day, she never give up her life. Because of her strong will to live, she managed to live longer than expected. In the end, she went off peacefully.

We know she had gone to a better place than on earth, and she deserved it. Although her life was short, she had lived it to the fullness. Here, I want to tell her that I will always love her, miss her, and not forget her in my life. Her life has brought joy and impact to me. Goodbye Charis!

KL, Brisbane, now Singapore

2005-04-25T10:32:00.000+08:00

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?

Fish & co

2005-04-19T18:09:00.000+08:00

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..

Blessings - Gold or God

2005-04-18T09:54:00.000+08:00

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).

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??

A Song to Share

2005-04-12T14:14:00.000+08:00

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"

Fingers Crossed

2005-04-12T11:44:00.000+08:00

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?

First timer

2005-04-11T11:52:00.000+08:00

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!