A revelation of hope

Hey guys! How's 2013 been so far? :)

For me, it has been a horror start.

For the past 2 weeks, I have been struggling with school. Why? Because:

-I have lots of homework and test EVERYDAY.*Exam is a seperate thing*
-Passing mark for test is 80%. 80%!!!!!o.O *if fail, u resit the paper till u pass*
-Have to do corrections, again and again until u get it right. *Not writing the right answer only, but rewrite the whole sentence again*
-I leave the house every morning at 7.15am and get back home earliest by 6.30pm. *that's if public transport is on time and I walk really fast*
-My school is very primary school setting *Eg. no drinking water in class, u have to greet the teacher before every lesson and before she leaves the classroom, teachers fuss over ur handwriting etc*

I can go on and on....

So honestly, I felt like giving up and quiting for the past 2 weeks. Before that, I was so excited about a new life here in KL, continue studying the language I love, and about what God has install for me.

But just after the 1st day of school, I felt like quitting and going back to Penang. This was not the kind of life I expected here. I started to doubt whether I made the right choice to come here. I whine to God everyday about how suffering my life is. It was a stormy 2 weeks.

Yet, God constantly reminded me with these verses:


"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" - 12 Corinthians 4:9

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" -Philippians 4:13



And last Wednesday, I actually went to the reception to tell them about my struggles in class and also about me considering to change to the beginner's class. *I couldn't tahan d* Yet, my form teacher said no, that I'm in the right class and that I would be able to cope. Even the principal came to encourage me, saying that it's normal to struggle in the beginning because I'm jumping class, and I'm still not used to the learning method here. They told me I would take roughly 3-4 months to adapt to the same level as my classmates. They asked me not to give up or stress, but just make sure I give my best. My teachers believed in me and that gave me back my confidence.

I immediately knew God was behind the scene. He was actually speaking through my teachers, assuring me that coming to KL, to this school was not a mistake. He is with me, and that He has sent me supportive teachers and classmates.

And in today's service, I felt God speaking to me again. The message was about hope, that we should rejoice in Him always (good and bad times), because of the hope we have in Him. He reminded me about the prophecy He gave me through Pr Sam and Pr Sandra about God will fill me up this year.

Yes now it make sense....Just as Pr Sam preached "as the demand increases, the supply also increases."

I suddenly felt a huge burden lifted off me, and also His peace filling my heart. He said very clearly to me today " I know ur current struggles. And because u can't do it with ur own strength, u are going to witness My grace and power working in and through u. U will learn to rest in me." All that I've learned for the past 4 months through Pr Sam's preaching, I think God is teaching me to put it into practice this year.

Now, I feel refreshed, recharged and excited about what lies ahead. No more fear or anxiety, because victory is on my side.

*Tests, exams and homework, I'm going to take u down!*

A reflection of 2012: A new chapter awaits!

Here we are again....on the last day of the year. Don't u feel that year by year, time passes more and more quickly?

And usually at this time of the year, we take time to reflect on what has happened throughout the year, and also make resolutions for the coming year so we can break again. *HAHA*

But really, how was 2012 for u? For me, 2012 can be summarized into 2 halves, 1st half during my time in Japan and 2nd half back in Malaysia. It was generally a good year for me, especially the 1st half of the year.

1st Half

If u follow me on Facebook, u would have known that I went to Japan for an exchange for 5 months. It was a dream come true, and getting a good scholarship made it even better! :D I had a wonderful time during the exchange, making lots of friends and also challenging my Japanese ability to the fullest.

But things did not become so rosy after that. I'm done with my degree! It was decision time. Whether to continue study? Or start working? Where? What kind of job? All these questions were flying all over my head. But I knew that I wanted to continue to study Japanese, not because I am so in love with studying or Japanese language, but because it would feel like a waste if I just leave it half hanging. Coming back from Japan, I just felt I had the momentum to go on and if I don't continue, I would most likely lose it. And since I majored in it, I just wanted to get the highest proficiency to my ability, whether or not I will eventually use it in my working life in the future.

I looked for Japanese schools around Japan, and the fees were really costly. Of course if I could I wanted to stay on, but I also have to consider my parent's money, now that my brother Jonathan is also in college. Hence I decided to study back in Malaysia since I managed to find an institute that also have roughly the same program as the schools in Japan.

And that leads me to the 2nd half of 2012...

2nd Half

After being away from home for more than 3 years, it takes a while to adjust back ya know. The weather, the traffic here (if u don't know, Penang drivers are CRAZY!!!), and even church. During my time in Australia, I attended Paradise Community Church (now known as Influencer's Church) which I considered home. I loved the worship and the preaching, the vibrancy and the passion, the beliefs and the vision of the church. During those 3 years, I learned and grew so much in the Lord, and also in ministry. I flourished into the person I am today, thanks to my awesome pastors whom guided me and friends whom supported me. Even when I was in Japan, I attended a church that was rather small, but the DNA was similar to my church back in Australia.

Coming back to Penang, I was looking for a church with the same kind of DNA. Just for your info, I grew up in a beautiful baptist church called Georgetown Baptised Church (GBC), since I was a baby right up till my college days. I had wonderful memories there, from acting  in Sunday Schools when I was a little kid right until becoming a leader during my youth days.

But when I came back this time, I felt...different. I realized that all those are sweet memories, but I'm in a different season right now. A season in my life where my needs are different from the time I was there. Cut the long story short, I spoke to Daniel (GBC's youth pastor which I was formerly under) about it, and ask for his blessings. After that, I started looking for a new church....which led me to Exel Point Community Church (EPCC).

Naturally, it took some time for me to adjust to EPCC. Like getting to know new people, new worship songs etc. But 1 thing that made me feel at home was that EPCC had very similar DNA traits to my church back in Australia and Japan. 4 months have passed, and I feel very connected and at home there. I wanna thank God for that!

2 Highlights of 2012
On the 27th of October during campus retreat, I went out for prayer. As Pr Sam was praying for me, he said "Jeshua, I see empty vessels....It's not what u know or can do, but God wanna fill u up again." 
On the 18th of December during youth camp, I responded to 1 of the message preached by Pr Sandra. When Pr Sandra came to pray for me, she said something similar....." Young man, as I was preaching felt in my heart that God has something He wanted me to tell you. I see you have the heart to preach the word of God, but firstly God wants to fill you. He is going to fill you...I see vessels in you."

WOW!!!! After that I was stunned for a while. 2 different pastors at different camps spoke the same thing about me....It surely has to be God speaking!! o.O

Expectations for 2013
What else can I expect after what I just heard? Yes, that 2013 is going to be an exciting faith filled year for me, that God is going to fill me again with His grace and power.


I don't know what sort of year you've had, but I pray that 2013 will be a great year for you. If u had a good year, awesome!! If not, it's ok...Cheer up! Because a new chapter of your life is awaiting. =)

Blessed new year everyone!!! =D

Placement test starts tmr! o.O

Yes, and I'm still sitting here blogging instead of studying. Lol. But it's not like I did not study before hand....I've done some revision but feel kinda lazy now to study. Haha...

The placement test is actually to examine our Japanese proficiency to know which class to enrol us into. So it's not a do or die thing, in fact I can actually act dumb and they will put me at the easiest level. Haha. But SURELY NOT! That would defeat the whole purpose of me coming here. I still need, and wanna do my best!

It's been almost 2 weeks since I came here and I'm starting to find momentum again. I'm back cooking, doing my glocery shopping and laundry. *Oh yeah! But boo to laundry....I just hate doing laundry!*

And u also start to get more farmiliar with people, the place and etc. I can proudly say I know more vocabulary than the last time I blogged! =P

So far I can say, Ryoda is my best friend here! He's the warden in I-House, my 'Japanese teacher', my friend.

Thanks to him, I've gotten more farmlilar with Nagoya. And of course, my Japanese has also improved because of him!

I would love to blog more but it seems like the internet connection right now is bad, and I need to sleep too. So....Bye peeps! Shall continue next time =D

Hello Nagoya!

I'm currently sitting here in my room, in Nagoya, Japan, typing this blog as the weather outside is quite gloomy today. Its been around 5 days since I arrived here. How has it been? It's been really exciting, fun yet challenging! Why? Cause everything is in Japanese!!!

For the past 5 days, I remember:

-Checking my phone dictionary in almost every sentences I make during conversation.

-The awkward moment when you and your friend stares blankly at each other, not understanding each other.

-Writing all the new vocabularies I've learn for the day in a book. (on average 10 new vocabs a day!)

-Looking through that book every night before I sleep.

It has been a real challenge for me, since it's the first time that I've used Japanese so often in my life. Back in Australia, it was only 4 hours of class a week and even so, we spoke English most of the time. But now, I'm using Japanese everyday! Each time I step out from my room, I know I will need to switch back to Japanese mode.

Apart from that, it has been REALLY GREAT!!!! People are very kind and friendly, and making new friends are always fun, isn't it? =D

This was the first night at I-House, my dormitory. The caretaker brought some plum liquor and snacks for us, and it was the first time we actually get to know each other!

And also, we had a city tour yesterday by the NUFS(Nagoya University of Foreign Studies) students. We went to the castle and also some shops in the city. The weather was terrible but apart from that, it was great fun!

Toshu, Koroko and Miki, the ones that brought us around.

Although sometimes I do feel a little stressed up when it comes to conversing, reading and even getting farmiliar with this new place, I'm determine to enjoy every moment of it!

I've just experienced another miracle.

So....I went through a period of time where I lost the semangat to blog again. And now I look back, wow 4 months have passed! Semester is over, waiting for results which will be out this Sat. *fingers crossed*

Anyway, the story of today is quite extra ordinary. See....I've been trying to sell my stuff these few days, and my car is 1 of them. So like how I advertised the other stuff, I posted pictures and info of my car on Gumtree last week. Mysteriously, I received an sms from a guys saying he was willing to pay me 700AUD more than the original price I offered (which was 1300$). I felt suspicious initially but I decided to give it a try so I contacted him.

 My car which I am trying to sell....

Cut the whole story short, I received an invoice from Paypal saying he has paid 2600$ to my account, but I'll need to first pay his agent 600$ for the pick up fee because he would not be able to personally come and pick it up. Not suspecting anything, I did it through western union. Somehow, the transaction was declined for some strange reason. Still not suspecting that it was a scam, I went to the post office to make the payment. However, there was not enough money in my account to pay him because my money which was declined haven't bounced back to me. So I thought I would wait till Monday(today) to make the payment.

Last night, my previous lifegroup leader warned me not to make the payment because she said it was a scam! She said her friend and herself have experienced this before and it's fake! I nearly dropped dead when I heard it, fearing that it's too late and the money had gone to him. Today, I checked my account and saw that the money did bounced back to me and the transaction really did not go through. I was overjoyed!

Truly, it is a miracle. Somehow, the money miraculously did not go through for some reason. It was God that intervened. THANK YOU JESUS!

"The LORD will keep you from all harm, He will watch over your life"-Psalm 121:7

Oxygen Ball 2011

Wow....just a glance and it's Week 6 of uni tomorrow, when my last post was about sem starting. Guess I don't realise the time flying so fast is because it's been such a eventful few weeks, with Oxygen activities every week, work, and studies to juggle with at the same time. Well, the past few Oxygen event was really fun, but last night was the best because it was.......OXYGEN'S 1ST EVER BALL!!!!

Here are some of the pics...*Go to my Facebook to see all the pics!*

 Wing Hang with her little post....

 Amy, Doreen and Claire...3 pretty girls!

Juliana with her cute dimples.....

 Yvonne....U look stunning!

 Natasha....cheerful as always!



Abby....The planner for the whole event. The one behind all the set up and deco. She was brilliant! And of course, Abby u look awesome!


Now for some good looking guys.....

 Yew Gene, Jeremy, Kavi and Caleb....Don't they look good?

 Hanxzen and Zack....Bros of life!

Oxygen Ball committee 2011....Congrats guys, we did it! =)

Phew, finally everything is over! All the planning and stressing before that but it was all worth it. Really enjoyed myself and I'm sure everyone did!

Another semester starts tomorrow.

Can't believe it's the end of winter holidays. 3 weeks just like that.....in a flash. Well it has been a good break for me though and I hope it was a good break for you too! *if it's relevant to you* =P

So tomorrow will be the beginning of a new semester, new adventure, new challenge. I'm actually quite excited about it. Don't know why.

Maybe because I'm entering my final year now.

Maybe because I wanna avenge for my disappointment of one of my result where I missed 2 marks to get a Distinction. It still pains me a little when I think of it. I'm sure this pain will inspire me to do better next sem.

One of my strengths have always been bouncing back from disappointments. I always come back stronger.

So wish me luck for the new semester. In Christ, I can! =)

Anyway, just wanna share this song with you. I have been quite addicted to this song lately and admiring these 2 sweet pretty girls, Jayesslee! =P

Curry mee!!!

What is your favourite hawkers food?

For me, curry mee is definitely one of them! Well, it is also known as curry laksa in other places (most places actually) and internationally. In Penang, it's known as curry mee because it clashes with our unique asam laksa. *And I actually don't really like asam laksa. Weird for a Penangite to say that right? I love coconut milk and I'll take anything lemak over asam anytime!*

Made curry mee for the 1st time. Yum! Super success not because I am pro, but because the paste was super awesome. *Nowadays cooking is not a big deal lar....all also instant packet tipu one.*

Combine ice skating outing tomorrow with Northington lifegroup. It's been a while since I last ice skated here. Can't wait! =D

Revival starts from us.

This post is a follow up on what happened on the 9th of July. We all know what happened. Don't need for further elaboration. However, what do you see in these pictures?


People whom were physically challenged were there.

This woman, 65 years old, took a bus by herself down to KL to make her stand.

Police brutally firing tear gas towards the brave crowd who stood for their country.

Police beating up and arresting this helpless citizen for his conviction.

This is the most touching of all: The Malays sat down to pray for Malaysia when the police started firing towards them.

What do you see? If these images don't move you, or stir you up, you really gotta ask yourself about your own conviction. It's funny how people can still complain that because of this rally, they did not get to enjoy their weekend shopping or they did not get to make business, when these people out there were fighting for the future of Malaysia. This just shows plain IGNORANCE. Yes, people can be so ignorant and selfish. No sense of gratitude or appreciation whatsoever. All they know is to complain.

And saddest thing is when Christians also make a mockery of these whole thingy, saying that this rally is silly or a waste of time. It just breaks my heart when Christians do that. Fair enough if your conviction is not to participate in this, and I totally respect that. But to mock people for gathering peacefully and standing for what is right is just ridiculous.

And we claim that we worship the God of righteousness and justice, yet we cannot differentiate between a righteous act and an evil act. Yet we fail to stand up for justice when it matters. When other people from all religious background can do it, we failed. If the Malays could risk their safety to gather on the streets to pray for the country, if the disabled and the elderly people could make their stand despite all the danger and obstacles, what more us? The young, energetic people who claims to be the children of God.

C'MON PEOPLE, WE CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!!!!

It's time that we also make our stand, and make a difference. Revival and change starts from us. If we're going to continue to just remain silent with no actions, we can forget about any changes, or revival.

I totally believe in prayers. And yes, we need to have faith. But it's also time we take more action.

^"14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?" -James 2:14

Doa Untuk Malaysia

If you are a Malaysian, this post is for you.

Are you sick of all the dirty politics, the corruption and the abuse of power going on in our country? Honestly, I'm seriously sick of it, and any true Malaysians would feel the same way. I'm not interested in who is right or wrong, or which party is ruling the country. I just want a better Malaysia, a corruption-free country because I love Malaysia.

If you studied Marketing before, you would learn about the 80-20 rule. That only 20% of your buyers are heavy buyers while 80% are actually light buyers. And that applies in our everyday life. Isn't it? That 20% of the church people will do 80% of the work. That majority of people would only complain and do nothing while those who actually do something are the minority. I see this everywhere, every time.

And this applies to Malaysians. That majority of us would just complain and complain about our government, the politics and all. But how many of us actually do something about it?

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that all of us gotta be politicians or something. But how many of us actually pray for our country? Or play our part in voting during elections? It's little things like this that makes a big difference. You can say "Aiyah...what can we do? Sure loose one lah. BN sure win one." or "I'm just fed up with Malaysia. I can't be bothered. Malaysia hopeless lah" or you can say "Yes, I'm gonna play my part and believe for a change."

And so I did.

Went to this Bersih gathering in Victoria Square today. The crowd was roughly 160 people. Not bad for the number considering the fact that it was raining throughout the day and it was freezing cold. Really glad to meet other Malaysians who were also passionate for a change in Malaysia. We peacefully gathered there to voice out for fair vote during elections and for dirty politics to stop. Just a statement of intent. Nothing else.

 

Me and my friends. WE ALL LOVE MALAYSIA!!!

And today's news back home was that 50 000 people actually braved the police force in KL to voice out for the country. Over 1600 people arrested for stupid reasons like they wore a yellow shirt. Many was sprayed with chemical waters and several injured/beaten up by the police. It was the police force that acted in violence and not the crowd. These people did it with a cost, but through this, I believe it will be a start of something new. So proud of everyone who took part in it. U GUYS ARE THE HEROES/HEROINES OF THE COUNTRY!!! For standing up for justice for the country.

Friends, changes just don't happen like this. It takes time, effort, perseverance and faith. It comes with a COST. Are you willing to pay the cost?

^"14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." -2 Chronicles 7:14 

An experience in WWE

Last night was quite a special night for me. Rewind back to those times when I was a little kid, I could only dream of attending a WWE show. I was crazy about it, together with my brother and school friends.

I remember me and my bro last time would curi-curi watch WWE on tv when my parents are out. My mum told me last night "You think we don't know ah? Whenever we come back home, we would touch the top of the tv and it's always warm. We just closed 1 eye and kept quiet." *So if you think you can out smart your parents, better think twice. They have also gone through life and they know all our tricks*

Fast forward to 2011 and here is this 21 year old guy attending WWE. I did not plan to go actually because I've already out grown that and also, the tickets were quite expensive. But my friend Natasha was bugging me non stop, trying to convince me to go with her. After a while, I was like "Aiya...it's not like your going anywhere for holidays also. And how often will u get this chance? Since this is a once a lifetime opportunity, just go lah and fulfill that childhood dream."


This is my friend Natasha, the one super enthusiastic about it and managed to somehow persuade me to go. Well done! :P

So anyway when I was there, I switched off and turned myself into a kid again. Screaming, shouting, yelling. Looking around and seeing all the kids so passionate about it, it just brought a smile to my face because I was like this once upon a time. It was truly a wonderful experience!

Childhood dream fulfilled, Jeshua!


*I actually wanted to upload the videos I recorded but I couldn't for some reason. Get it from me if u want!*

Bye exams, hello holidays!

Hello peeps! I'M BACK!! How have u been? I know you have been eagerly waiting for me to update my blog right? LOL :P

Well, I kinda took a break from blogging because I had exams this week. THANK GOD IT'S OVER!!!!!

Do you know that syiok feeling? After exams, there's this merdeka feeling, that sense of joy and relief....arghhhh LOVE IT!!!

Well all my papers were okay. Thankfully I could do all of them, although there were times I felt I could not finish the paper on time. Thank God that everything went well.


Bye bye notes! You have served me well for the past 15 weeks! =)

So what next? Here is my to do list during this 3 week holidays:

1)Re-apply for my exchange to Japan
2)Catch up with some friends I have kinda lost touch
3)Read up some self-motivation/faith inspiring books that I've bought
4)FIND A NEW JOB!


Yes. I took a 5 weeks break from my job because the last few weeks of uni was just too crazy for me, with all the big presentations, assignments and eventually exams! So my boss had actually found someone to replace me. For the mean time, she said she already has enough people to work for her so she just told me to go ahead and look for a new job. If she can, she said she'll try to fit me in again. MAN I'M GONNA MISS THE FREE FOOD THERE!!!!

So I called my previous boss's wife on Thursday and ask if there was still vacancy in that Thai restaurant. When she knew I called, she instantly ask me whether I would like to work! HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!!! But we did not manage to talk much because she had a meeting that time. I will call her again on Monday to negotiate things. Sigh. I kinda need a job now cos I'm running dry....So let's just hope that I would be able to work there again. I do miss the food there as well. *When it comes to Jeshua, it's always about food. Hahahah *

So ya....I shouldn't worry so much because my God will provide! =)

Gossiping v Confiding

 “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.” -Proverbs 11:13

Have you ever wondered what's the difference between gossiping and confiding? If I have a problem with A, and I share it to B, is that gossiping? Or confiding?

 This picture calls it "networking". In other words, "fellowship". What about you? What do you say?

You see, my whole life I have been trying to work out what gossiping really is. And I thank God that He finally revealed the answer to me when I came to Australia.


When I was young I used to think that gossip is all about "spreading fake rumours". If you check the dictionary, it will tell you this.

So I gave myself the right to say what I want about others, what I feel about others, as long as it's true. No, not because I enjoy doing it or to make myself feel good, but because I love truth and love speaking the truth. I was just being very transparent in my thoughts and actions. So I just shared them without thinking who I was sharing it to, where I was sharing it etc. Was I gossiping? YES. *What a joke, doing something I actually hate without realising. I was a hypocrite all these years, yet I used to condemn hypocrites*

In 2009, Pr Ashley preached about this topic. He said "Gossip means saying something about others behind their back, EVEN IF IT'S TRUE." *Ouch, that was like a tight slap on my face*

After that message, I understood gossip as "talking bad about others, even if it's true."  Thus, I stop sharing my thoughts, my relationship struggles, my conflict problems with anyone because I didn't wanna gossip. As someone that always claims he hates gossip, I really did not want to be a hypocrite again.

Did I do the right thing? NO. I was actually suffering inside, felt like I was dying. *And I'm sure you know that feeling*

Couldn't tahan anymore, I spoke to my LG leader. I remember he said "WHY ARE YOU TORMENTING YOURSELF LIKE THIS?!?Why didn't you tell me earlier?I am always here to help you!" I said "Because I didn't wanna gossip about others." Lol. He told me "What your doing now is confiding, not gossiping."

That was like a breakthrough for me and I finally understood the difference between gossiping and confiding.

Here's the difference:

Gossipers:

-often gossip to kill time (too free, too bored).

-have the goal of building themselves up by making others look bad by sharing their weaknesses, faults, private information etc.

-share the information with anyone/all their friends, often in a group and publicly via facebook, blog etc.

-gossip because they love it.

Confiders:

-confide because there is a relationship problem (housemates, friends, family etc) they are struggling with.

-have the intention of resolving the problem by seeking advice.

-only share the information with someone they are accountable to (leaders, close family members, best/close friends), and they usually do it 1 on 1 or in a private manner.

-confide because it's necessary.

Sometimes, there are situations where we want to warn out friends about a particular person. Say....A is very hamsap (means pervert in cantonese). And I know about it. I have a duty/responsibility to warn my friend about A, if she doesn't know that. So what do I say? Just say what is necessary.

Basically, just try to tell her that she should be more careful because A is known to be a hamsap, by revealing his past actions/behaviour as little as possible!

^"29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are GOSSIPS,..." -Romans 1:29

Gossiping is evil in God's eyes. Fact.


I am not perfect, and I'm still learning. But that doesn't change the fact that I love truth, and I hate gossips.


Just wanna end this post with this beautiful song. Thank you Lord, for always teaching and guiding me. Make me Your sanctuary, and keep me from evil, always.

I hope you have been blessed by this post :)

1 bizzare injury

I just found out during the weekend that my bro fractured his wrist because of......FUTSAL! OH MY GOODNESS. Only God knows how did it happened!

My bro and my niece (My cousin's daughter. Preeetty right? DON'T DREAM. She's most probably too young for you, definitely too young for this! Lol :P)

My bro said that as he was trying to control the ball, he accidentally stepped on it and fall. That was how it happened. But still, to fracture a wrist because of soccer still baffles me. Everyone is amazed by how it happened.

In the hospital, the first thing he asked the doctor was "Will I still be able to go to the gym?". Lol...Not whether he can write or not, or whether he can drive. It's all about GYM!

VERY GOOD bro. Maybe God let this happen so that u will focus on Him more! Maybe gym has overtaken God as your 1st love. Very good. MC for....1 month huh? No gym or computer games for 1 solid month. Wooo I can use this month to overtake u in body building while you better/should use this time to DIG DEEP IN GOD'S WORD. *big bro talking*

Anyway, recover soon and please, don't be such a injury prone la. Enjoy ur little "holiday" and take care!

Love,
Koko

Happy Father's Day to my dearest father!

Wow, it's my 1st time blogging twice in a day. But have to lar....It's Father's Day today (yesterday actually cos already pass midnight)!

I was just looking for a picture of just me and my dad and to my horror, I realised I don't have any recent picture! Omg! I have not taken a picture with just my dad since end of 2007! HOW TERRIBLE IS THAT!?!I definitely must take a picture with him again when I go back this time!!

Me and my dad at Melaka, 2007

This is the latest picture of him, in Singapore end of 2010.


He's awesome. Just 3 points I can draw out to summarise him.

He's a man after God's heart

He makes sure me and my siblings go to church every week when we were young (even now, although he doesn't have to do that anymore lol). No compromise. No such thing as lazy, exams or cannot wake up. It's better you be there or you're gonna makan rotan later. He also makes sure we have family devotions every Sunday night (kinda like a family lifegroup thingy). Which means he will lead worship then later he or my mum will lead some bible study, then pray. I will always remember what he tells us since young "There is no greater honour than to serve the Lord, our God"  

He's a romantic

No I'm serious. He can be the sweetest guy alive when he has the mood. He will always tell us "your mum is the Rachel of my life". Every Valentine's day, my dad will send flowers to my mum though a company that deals with this. Can you imagine when my mum is in school, all a sudden there would be someone that comes in and say "Hi. Someone sent you these flowers." in front of all her staff?!?When my parents celebrated their 20th anniversary of marriage, he kinda wrote down a short speech of love and gratitude and read it to my mum during dinner. He beats Romeo anytime.

Dad and mum when they celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2008

He's a family man

I remember when me and my bro was still little, he would bring us to go hike Penang hill every Sunday. And when we were older, he would spend time playing football with us. Sometimes, it's just 3 of us but we had so much fun. He always tells us that he would not exchange anything else in this world for his family.

 Family trip to Melaka in December, 2010

And yes, he would often play his guitar and sing to us this song when we were little kids titled "Child"....

....and make 3 of us cry....LOL. Even now, I do still get teary sometimes when I hear this song because each time I hear this, I remember my dad, his love for us and the family.


It's because of him, I'm the person I am today.

Thank you for all the love, care and discipline you gave me. All the values and principles of life you've taught me throughout my life.

I love you pup, always :)

Farewell to a good friend :(

Today was actually quite a sad day for me because I saw my very good friend, Keat Xiong for the last time in church before him going back to Malaysia for good tomorrow.

 Me and Keat Xiong.

Thinking of it, it's funny how we were strangers 4 months back. I remembered us introducing ourselves for the 1st time at the beginning of March during 1 Oxygen (Just for ur info, Oxygen is the name of Paradise's International Students Ministry) meeting. Then later on, we started playing futsal together with the other boys...then somehow gradually, BOOM! We're really good friends now.

It's funny how guys can click so fast right? Guys just need to do something they like together then somehow, they become friends really fast.

Fast forward 4 months later and wow, it's time to say goodbye. How sad?

Never imagine that would happen when I first met him. He said he would be staying here and all....all a sudden, he is going back for good. Part of life isn't it? Life is just unpredictable.

Anyway, I just want to thank you Keat Xiong for being such a good friend to me. Also thanks for being the only friend that agreed to watch football together with me at 4am *haha*. Although it was just 4 months, it felt like we have known each other for a long time.

May God continue to bless you and direct your path. Keep in touch bro! :)

A beautiful night!

It was supposed to look like this.....

 


But this was the best shot I had.

FAIL.

It was hard to take cos my camera is not good enough for sky shots. Stilll.....

It was my first time witnessing the moon with a halo around it. What a beautiful night!:)

³ When I consider your heavens,
   the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
   which you have set in place,
⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them, 

   human beings that you care for them?                     -Psalms 8:3-4

14 days to exam.

Yes it is. I've finally managed to get my last assignment out of the way 2 days ago, so it's all about focusing on exams now.

I managed to study 6 hours today, the first day of my study marathon. Not bad eh? So I should give myself a pat on the back. *pats* I need to create some momentum so by next week, I'll be in full gear!

I know I can do it. I will give my best. 加油 Jeshua!

A romantic relationship at its best.

As I've said, I would blog about last night's BGR talk we had in lifegroup. Well....Xiao Wen and Judah spoke so much that they could not even cover all the questions. It was really a big topic and it would be impossible for me to write everything down here. However, I will still write down the highlights for me personally, those that I've felt I've learn something new.....

1) How do you know if you have met the right person? 

*drum rolling*...........Cheng! The answer is "YOU'LL NEVER KNOW". Lol....I'm just writting down exactly what Judah did and said last night, including those sound effect! Ya, we'll never know. That's the real answer. Even for Judah and Xiao Wen as pastors, they don't know whether they are the right one for each other until today! How surprising is that? Well, I was surprise to be honest. Because we always think that there is this "right" guy or girl or "THE ONE" out there for us. They said that in life, there will always be "if"s and "but"s and you usually start to doubt about your partner during tough times. So instead of asking that question, they rather choose to thank God for each other and trust God in their relationship.

2)How do you know if you are in the wrong relationship?
Well, they said that one of the signs is that the person you once knew is no longer the person u know after the relationship. Say for example....I'm a cheerful person. But after being in this relationship, I am no longer cheerful. Or....I'm once an outgoing person. But after dating this girl, I'm no longer outgoing. Basically, the things (characteristics, personality, convictions, hobby, passion etc) that makes you YOU disappears after being in that relationship. Another sign is that you are now further away from God after in that relationship compared to the time when you were still single. Basically, it means that your relationship is not helping you in your spiritual growth with God. In a relationship, both the guy and girl should push and help each other upwards in their growth with God, not drag each other down. And all it takes is 1 side in the relationship that is not strong in God (or does not know God) to drag the other side down. Thus, they emphasize that it is so very important to find a God fearing person, someone who loves God with all his/her heart.

3) Is it ok to just give it a try first in a relationship and see whether it works? 
NO. It was a direct answer from them. There is no such thing as "I'm just trying it out" or "just testing." It's either a "yes", which means a 100% committed relationship, including giving your 100% heart or a "no". I have always wondered, since people like me have a bad experience before, it would not be easy to give 100% in the next relationship because of the fear of getting hurt again. So maybe, I should just start of with 70% first, then gradually to 100% when I feel more confident. NO! NO SUCH THING JESHUA! *Oh I see* Firstly because, it would not be fair to your partner and secondly, Judah said that when both parties don't give their 100%, they are making their relationship more vulnerable to failure and they will not be able to experience their romantic relationship to the fullest. So don't play play.....choose carefully!



To sum everything up about last night, here is an analogy:

A loving relationship is like a triangle. If the guy/girl is moving towards the other person who is running towards God, he/she is never going to reach her/him. If the boy and the girl both move horizontally towards each other, they may reach one another – but they won’t be moving towards God, which is unhealthy. BUT… If both the guy and the girl are running towards God, then, eventually, when the time is right, they will meet at the top of the triangle, with God as the foundation of their relationship. And with God at the center of their relationship, they will be able to experience the best possible relationship God designed it to be.

Sorry my dear friends if some of these points are hitting at you. Well, I felt some of the points discussed last night kinda changed my perspectives on dating relationships. It makes me think deeper about what a romantic relationship is all about.

Well, these are facts, and these are the truth. The truth may hurt, but I rather be hurt by the truth now than to face the consequences for the rest of my life.

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” -John 8:32

Ahhhh.....Love is so sweet, love is such a beautiful thing. Just need to be patient until the right time comes! =)

BGR talk at life group tomorrow!

Just for your info, BGR means Boy Girl Relationship if u don't know. Hahaha...interesting topic right? IT ALWAYS IS!!!

It has been a long time since the last BGR talk I've had in church/life group. I think the last time I had one was when I was back in Malaysia. I always love it when my pastors/leaders lead some BGR topics because these people will teach how to be in a Godly relationship, not just a romantic one. They can give lots of advice that I find it personally useful.

Looking around, and seeing so many people ending up heart broken after break ups these days just keeps me on my toes. Yes, I've kinda experienced it before. And I know how painful it is. And I've told myself that I would never wanna experience that again if possible. And honestly, I rather be single than to be in a wrong relationship.

Anyway, Xiao Wen will be leading the talk tomorrow! I'm really looking forward to hear what she has to say....and hopefully, some of the questions I have will answered!

I'll blog about what I've learned after tomorrow's discussion so stay tuned if you're interested! *which I'm sure you are! :P*