30/5/08 - 31/5/08 (Day 6 & 7)

大家都在学习， 为了星期五晚上加油。Every team is practicing very hard for their 'show time' on Friday night.




这就是敬拜！This is the symbol of worship!






星期五晚上，我们跟学生们道别了。 虽然是依依不舍，但天下无不散之宴席，只好把眼泪往里吞。下山后，还是吃东西。We had to part with our students and go down the mountains. What else but supper (again?) after settling down!

当我们到这间教会事奉时，我看到了这不止感动了我的心，更感动了我的灵的一目。
We went to this church on Saturday night, with the choir to minister. But this was a sight that not only caught my eyes, but also my heart.

唱诗班。他们是我的骄傲！
The choir :) They were wonderful! My pride and my joy!





会所很早就已经坐满了。大家都是为了慈爱的神而来。
The hall was packed FULL half an hour before the service started. Wow! I had a wonderful time worshiping with them.


过后，又是吃东西，不把我们养胖是假的呢 ：)
After that, what did we do? Make a guess. SUPPER!!! Again!

28/5/2008 - 29/5/2008 (day 4 and 5)

接下来的两天，我们是加紧把握所有时间来上课跟练习，因为星期五晚上每个团队都要上台示范， 所以大家都会找机会练习。而老师们在休息时间会到附近的小溪散散心，拍拍照。Day after day, all we need is more time, but seemingly, it's always not enough :) whenever we have time, we would juz walk over to the little stream for a time of relaxation, a time to be part of nature, to breathe in the air of freshness.
看到温州兄弟姐妹们敬拜，有时会让我感动，眼泪也会不听使唤的掉下来。Worship - in the eyes of the brothers and sisters there in Wenzhou, somehow the meaning is so different.


华强老师分享了一段非常感人肺腑的讯息，谢谢你把神要说的都传达出来。Jon shared a message on Thursday night that I think is truly God-given, thought provoking and inspiring.


当然，蛋挞是我们的压轴罗。Then came the highlight of the night. Well, it came timely too because on Wednesday night, we actually had no water to bathe, to even brush our teeth. We then went down the mountain for supper (which was very heavy, more like dinner), dry clean ourselves before heading back up the mountains. But for egg tart, it was worth it :)

When I am down, You are always there,
When I am lost, You will always find me,
When I am afraid, You gave me peace,
When life is not a bed of roses,
You comfort me.
When there seems to be no hope,
You light shines through!
Let me shine for You Lord,
Let me shine like You do!

27/5/2008 (Day 3) 第三天 - 课程正式开始

这是我们女老师的睡房， 也是老师们每天早上一起祷告的地方。This is the girl's room, also where all the teachers meet for daily devotion and prayer. We usually hang out in the boy's room.

梁伟强老师，我最喜欢他所弹的键盘二，特别是萨克斯管， 好好听哦。I've never met anyone blowing into his synth, until now (I know I'm a bit suaku). His saxophone 'blowing' was great!


许华强老师，一位附有爱心和非常善良的人。Jonathan Koh, multi talented, even though he's got an impressive background in the past, he's very humble, with a gentle and kind heart.


林义恩老师，我们最年轻，最帅的贝斯老师！Well, youngest and most 'handsomestest' (ahum, cough) bassist!







杨少伟 老师，我很喜欢和他聊天，因为每每与他说话以后，自己的心情也会好起来。Jeremy, talented and fun guy to hang around with. He brought lots of laughter into the group. Thanks Jeremy!

秋云老师，一位我非常敬佩的人。 她的才华是有目共睹的。CY, what can I say? You've always been an inspiration to many people around you. It's God's gift to you. I'm so glad that you've been blessing the Kingdom of God. Thank you!

当然，不要忘记我们的灵魂人物，洪启元老师和阿Hum老师。洪老师不止要领唱，还要教导学生们如何带领大家进入崇拜。阿Hum老师把音响系统管理的十全十美。他不愧是我合作过最好的调音师。哇！大家都很专业。Not forgetting, Chuck Hong and Ah Hum. Chuck was the leader of the team, not only planning the schedule, but also leading the people into songs and teaching them to lead others into worship too. Ah Hum, the BEST sound personal I've ever worked with, very professional, very detailed, very precise.

学生们正在学习如何唱歌。大家都很用功。Singing lesson begins. Students learning how to sing, and feeling the sensation of 'head' tone. I even made them bark like a dog :)


键盘一课正在如火如荼的进行着。That's the keyboard class. Everyone is so eager to learn. Wow, what a sight!




午餐时间到了！老师们可以趁机休息，也可以讨论学生们的进展。这可是我们老师们最宝贵的时间之一。Lunch Time!!! We use this time to eat, rest, prepare for next session, discuss about the progress of students etc. This is precious time!

又到了一天最期盼的时刻了，那就是蛋挞时间！虽然我一直听到其他老师们谈起，说蛋挞多好吃，可是当我咬下它第一口时，哇！真的是好好吃哦！好！我们一定要每天都吃到它！I've heard them talking about egg tart egg tart, what is so nice about it? Well, it was only until I sink my teeth into one of this, then I understood how nice it was. Yes! It was decided that we'll find every opportunity to grab a few of these whenever we can! Egg tart...... here we come!!!!

26/5/08 (Day 2) 星期一，在温州的第二天

今天早上起得很早，不到五点就天亮了，很自然就会把眼睛睁开。温州山上的景色非常的美，人也美，空气又好。我也精神了很多。下午开始彩排，第一次与其他的老师们合作，感觉非常幸福， 好神奇哦！晚上跟学生们第一次接触，觉得大家都好好哦。很快的，美好的一天又过了。
Woke up very early this morning, although very tired, but cant really sleep well. Maybe it's because the sun rises earlier here, at about 5am :)
Breakfast greeted us this morning, very interesting, warm, different. The students bought for us KFC porridge, with fried dough (you tiao 油条), hash brown and coffee/tea. The team had a good time sharing what we think this trip should be like. We agreed to have daily devotion and prayer esp for this trip, so that we'll depend on the Lord for wisdom, strength and guidance. After breakfast, we went for a walk as the students get the instruments and equipments ready. As we arrived late last night, I didn't know that we were really situated in the midst of mountains. Very beautiful!!!
After that was rehearsal. First time singing/playing with the team, how do I feel? G-R-E-A-T!!! They were awesome. Each member knows what is their role, each one complimenting the other, very smooth, very in-tune with each other. Although I do not know most of the songs, it was still a wonderful and enriching experience.
Evening was when all the students started to stream in. We had an evening service, where each of us were introduced and was given some time to interact with our students. I was overwhelmed as the students were very welcoming and friendly. They made me feel so at home.
Well, that's the end of day 2 - Tiring day!

25/5/08 (Day 1) - Arrived in Wenzhou 温州，我们来了！

双脚终于踏上了温州的土地，也与其他老师们会合了。看到学生们以笑脸欢迎老师们的时候，心中充满了期盼，好想在一瞬间就与大家打成一片。他们也把我们照顾得非常好，带我们去吃晚餐 （一间非常附有格调的餐厅），还把我们送到家门口， 我相信，虽然老师们都很累，可是我们都很很感动。好了，也已经是凌晨12点了，快睡吧，为明天冲刺吧！Arrived in Wenzhou (after a dramatic delay on the domestic flight fr Guangzhou to Wenzhou) at about 5-ish, met up with Chuck & the others, we finally made our way to dinner, then drive up the mountains for another hour where we stayed for the next few days. Reached our destination at around mid-night. What a tiring day! Although we still do not know each other very well yet, I had a good feeling that we'll just hit off very well.

中国 - 我心会永远在你那里

直从我们从中国回来以后，我每几句话都会提起温州，广州。我想，我已经把我一部分的心留在那里了吧 :)
如果你是我在那里的学生，又刚好在看我的部落格，那我要跟你说：你们把我给害惨了:( 哈哈
我好想你们啊！
我第一次在中国侍奉，把我的所有都摆上，看到每一个学生都好用功，我的心也感到很安慰，很感动，知道我这一次没有白来。
有时跟Joncon (晓敏）MSN 时，心里一直挂念着大家，好希望我们又可以再碰面。
在那里认识了一群好伙伴，好朋友，好姐妹，好弟兄，一家人。
我还是那一句话：想念，开心，感恩，盼望，期待。
除了感谢神以外，还是要感谢他。

China photos

Some photos from Wenzhou. If you wanna know more, ask me, I'll gladly tell you. In fact, I'm in the midst of writing everything down as a journal so that I can remember it by.

我们回来了！I'm Back :)

Hey frenz,
I'm back from China! Wow! What an experience. I've totally enjoyed my stay there, meeting the Chinese folks, working with superb and excellent musicians from different background, different culture, different churches, but worshiping the same God, with the same passion and love.
I've gained a lot of beautiful memories and also made wonderful life-long relationships with some of the greatest people I know. I thank God for CY ('mostest betterest' piano player and a great friend), Jonathan ('more betterestest' Electric guitar player and the bestest heart), Sean (more 'mostest wonderfulest' bassist friend I can ever ask for), Steve (most 'betterestest' synth 'blower' and very cixiang), Chuck (most thankfulest for you and for all that you've done), Ah Hum (most professional sound personal I've ever worked with), Jeremy (more 'mostest funnest' person, you made me laugh!!!), Joncon and RongLei, BingRong, LiYong, Enoch, Meimei etc. God is good!!!
Will upload some photos later.
Thank you all for keeping us in prayer.
Cheers!

Tribal farewell for us by Reg 5 leaders

The leaders in Reg 5 did a Tribal farewell for our family last night. It was very nice of them to do that. They've even presented us something very unique and special for us to remember them by. Very touched.
Here are photos taken last night.
Thank you guys :)

Short China missions trip

I am so looking forward to this short missions trip to China.
I feel so privilege to be part of this international music group that goes into China to do music camp. I'm already expecting to learn from all the different ones and also to experience with the Chinese and worship alongside with them. How often do you get opportunities like that? I must give glory to God for allowing me to be there. So dear frenz, please remember me in your prayers that God will extend His grace and mercy towards His people and that what we set to achieve will be fruitful and may His name be glorified ultimately! Please also remember my family back home in prayer too as I know I will and am already missing them, esp my two beautiful and loving girls :'(
FYI, I'll be flying off this sunday morning, and only back on 5th June.
More updates after I come back :)
Cheers and God bless!

Laughing baby Ethan

Was a bit stressed up and found this video which made me very happy. Have a look:

Fourteen million (and counting!) views later, Ethan's video has become one of the most watched videos on the site and recently won, by popular vote, the title of "Most Adorable" video in the 2007 YouTube Video Awards. His video also is being used by AIG in a nationwide advertising campaign and has appeared on many talk shows and news programs. You can watch it here: "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXIfU-87TZo"
Here's another laughing baby commercial: "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E25cGeY13M0&feature=related"

Huh? Another scam?

Received this today:
Attention Dear Beneficiary,
We are very sorry for what happen to you since last year,
Now listen the reason this money is coming to you is that the government of this country has found that you was scammed since last year and they have arrested those that scammed people.
So since yesterday after we did not hear from you or receive your mail we have made arrangement with OCEANIC BANK BENIN REPUBLIC on how to transfer your money into your bank account at your country and note that your money which bank going to transfer is $800.000.00 and what you have to do right now is to contact the bank immediately so that the manager will transfer your money into your bank account and be informed that we have paid the bank for the open of new account fee for you. now listen the money that remain which you can pay to him is wire tranSfer fee which is only 150.00 to transfer your money directly into your bank account at your country ok.
Try to contact bank through this.
HON.MR.TONY HUBERT OCEANIC BANK MANAGER
MANAGER'S PHONE NUMBER..00229-93840292
FAX..00229-97438
EMAIL.... (oceanicbankbenin80@yahoo.de)(funny right? using yahoo as email, not the actual bank's email address)
please make sure that you follow bank manager's instruction and forward all your bank account detail where to transfer your money into and your current telephone number.
This is information the Bank Manager need from you.
YOUR COUNTRY............
YOUR FULL NAME........
YOUR ACCOUNT NUMBER..........
NAME OF YOUR BANK............
OCCUPATION...........
HOME ADDRESS.....
MOBIL PHONE NUMBER.....
OFFICE NUMBER.........
HOME NUMBER............
AGE....
SEX....
May God Be With you
from ups company Manager
Benin Republic
Dr.ADAMS JOHN

I emailed the actual bank and this was what they replied:
Dear Anne,
Thank you for visiting our website.
Please note that the mail you received is a SCAM and it is not from Oceanic Bank International Plc.
We advice you do not transfer funds and stop any form of communication with them
Best regards
Customer Care
Oceanic Bank International Plc

Lavette baking on her own!!!! Yummy!!

She did everything all by herself :)

And the end product - for her grandfather's birthday, it was really yummy.
She baked another one for her connect group that same day.
Ummmm....... yum yum!

24th April - Happy Birthday to Monica

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRL!
生日快乐，美人！

Andrew Johnston singing 'Pie Jesu'

This boy is amazing. I wasn't expecting his voice to turn out like that, moved me to tears :'(
Can't imagine that he's been bullied since 6 years old. Have a listen.

Thought for the day

John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (NIV)
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, deserted island. He prayed fervently for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none came. Exhausted, he eventually built a small hut out of driftwood as a shelter and a place to store his few remaining possessions.
One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. Everything was lost. Stunned with grief and anger, he cried, "God, how you could do this to me!" Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island. It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" the weary man asked. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
God is always at work in our lives, even during the most stress-filled moments. When we entrust everything we are and everything we have to God, when we depend upon his truth instead of our own understanding and choose to walk in obedience, God promises to "make our paths straight" (Proverbs 3:6 NLT). No matter how deep the valley, we can count on God for direction. In Proverbs 3:6 , "make straight" means "to do right, to make smooth or to be evenly hammered". I love that truth! I can almost see my Father going before me, the hammer of truth in his hand, flattening every fear-filled obstacle, hammering down every mountain of doubt before me so that, when he has made a way, I can cross over. He straightens out the crooked paths, improving my behavior and causing me to do the "right" things.
Valleys are best faced with a total abandonment to the Shepherd of the valley. How many times have we danced with joy on the mountain top then moaned and complained in the valley? God is Lord of the mountain and the valley. I suspect that the most powerful life is lived in the valley -- not on the mountain top. Every valley is surrounded by mountains and every valley has a shepherd, a shepherd who will walk with us through the valley, a shepherd who will go before us, leading us out of the valley. When the psalmist wrote these words, he wrote my life message, "I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." (Psalm 40:1-2 NIV)
Grace Chavis, a gifted author and speaker, stepped into my life and was a friend and mentor to me for many years. I will never forget the day I heard she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. I picked up the phone to call this precious lady, expecting to offer words of comfort and faith. The person who answered the phone could not possibly be Grace! She sounded ecstatic! But it was Grace! I sputtered, "Grace, I must have misunderstood a message I received today saying you had been diagnosed with terminal cancer!" A laugh of pure joy rang in my ears as she said, "Oh, no! That's right! Now, I am here in my living room, dancing before Jesus and singing, "I'll be with you soon!" I have to tell you that her response blew me away and to this day still challenges my faith. Talk about trust!
No matter where you are today, your Father is there. No matter how deep or long the valley, he is with you, waiting for you to surrender all. Give him your valley, knowing that he will surely lead you out. God has ordained that valley as an altar of sacrifice, an opportunity for him to work through your broken heart and life. Keep your glance on the valley and your gaze on the Shepherd. Begin praising him for your deliverance. It will surely come.
Let's Pray
Father God, my Shepherd. I feel like a lost sheep, a broken lamb. I am desperate for You. I confess that I don't always understand how You work, and tend to doubt You in those times. But I want to trust You as a sheep trusts its shepherd. By faith, I come to You, placing my life in Your hands in total surrender. Thank You for loving me just as I am. In Jesus' name, Amen

Great lunch - thank you to the Tan family

This was our first 'farewell' meal from reg 5/6 at Great Shanghai in Grand Copthorne. We had a wonderful time with the Tan family. They have been a tremendous blessings to this church and our lives. May God continue to bless them richly as they walk closer with the Lord!

Thought for the day

Hebrews 11:6 (ICB) "Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is real and that He rewards those who truly want to find him."
Billy Graham once said, "Most of us do not understand nuclear fission, but we accept it. I don't understand television, but I accept it. I don't understand radio, but every week my voice goes out around the world, and I accept it. Why is it so easy to accept all these man-made miracles and so difficult to accept the miracles of the Bible?"
Faith can be defined as "confidence or trust". We all have faith. We walk into a room and flip a switch, believing in faith that light will result. We sit in a chair, confident it will support us. We go to a doctor who is a total stranger. He gives us a prescription that we can't read, which we take to a pharmacist we don't know. We are given a bottle of mysterious pills and we gobble them down - all in faith!
Our problem is not a lack of faith. Our problem is where we place our faith. Faith is more than just believing. It is acting on that belief. The story is told of a woman who lived in a remote valley in Wales . When electricity came to the rural area, one of the first customers was a young woman with a large family. However, the electric company soon noticed that the woman was using a very small amount of electricity each month and suspecting a problem with the installed equipment, they sent a repairman to check the meter. After a close inspection, the worker found the equipment was installed properly. Confused, the repairman knocked on the front door to give the woman his report. "We've inspected the meter which seems to be working properly. The only thing I can figure out is that you are not using the power that is available to you. Don't you use any electricity?" the repairman asked. "Oh yes" she said. "We turn it on every night to see how to light our oil lamps and then we switch it off again."
We often approach God's power in the same way, knowing it exists but failing to appropriate that power. Instead, we work diligently in our own strength until that strength is gone and we are left feeling empty and without purpose. That is not God's plan.
Hebrews 11:1 What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. (NLT)
We are not saved by faith plus works. We are saved by faith that leads to good works. We attempt to build a life on the flawed premise that if we do enough good works, God will be pleased. However, those works are useless and count for nothing unless the heart motivation behind them is one of faith. Faith is the altar of powerful living because faith pleases God. I often picture my Father watching with delight as I step into the unknown, walk straight through my fear and trust Him to be there. I truly believe God loves big dreamers, children who take Him at His Word and walk by faith...not by sight. Go ahead! Take that first step of faith today!
Let's Pray: Father God, I pray that my heart and mind would be childlike in the matters of faith. I choose today to accept Your plan without understanding that plan. I choose to believe You and Your Truth, even though that truth is hard to believe. I choose to keep my gaze on You and my glance on circumstances. I want to be a woman of faith, Lord. I want to please you by stepping out in faith. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Fur Elise with a twist

This is really interesting. 'Fur Elise' in a kind of Jazzy and Rag feel.
Have a listen!

Another scam - wow! I so fortunate lor, always meet this kind of Money offer :)

Received this in my eamil:
IMF-World Bank Collaboration

Attention
We wish to inform you that your overdue payment has be scheduled to pay to you through certified ATM Card which you will be only required to proceed to any ATM Cash Point to withdraw $10,000 per day till your complete payment fund of $1.2M USD are completed.
This development was as result of new payment policy revolution of 2007 carry out by the World Financial Body in collaboration with World Bank Audit unit and Policy maker unit under world bank new year payment constitution.
This effort is to help the international monetary fund restrict and monitor every international transaction to avoid money laundering activities and will help us to fight against fraudulent activities from scam experts. Furthermore you are advice to reconfirm you billing address include your full name and direct contact telephone number to the Bank of Afirca cotonou Benin Republic for the issuance certified ATM Credit Card, the contact information is as follows:

BANK OF AFRICA, COTONOU
REPUBLIC OF BENIN.
Email: atmdevelopmentoffice0008@yahoo.fr
CONTACT PERSON:Rolland Scoth.

NB note that you can only withdraw just $10,000.00 per day till your fund is completed.Please do not reply to this E-mail contact the Bank immediately with the necessary information required from you so that they commence on proceeding.

Yours sincerely,
MR.JIM PETER
中关村科技园区海淀园招收56位博士后
*用搜狗拼音写邮件，体验更流畅的中文输入>>

The two most beautiful girls I've ever known!!!!

My pride and joy!!!
Thank God for blessing me with the two of them :)

Excerpt from Girlfriends in God

The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8 (NLT)
When my daughter, Danna, was a toddler, she and her daddy had a favorite game. Dan would place her in some high spot then stand back, hold up his arms saying, "Jump to Daddy!" I hated this game but Danna loved it. She would always jump into his arms, laughing and giggling! One day, however, Dan put Danna in a spot that for some reason seemed just a little too high for Danna. She did what I do when I get scared. She closed her eyes. When her dad said, "Jump!" she said, "I can't! 'Cause I can't see you, Daddy!" Dan said, "It doesn't matter, baby. I can see you!" With a smile on her scrunched up face my daughter bailed off into the strong arms of her Father, secure in the knowledge that he would catch her just as he always had.
The apostle Paul understood and lived by the truth that God is constantly at work in and around us, monitoring every circumstance. Paul writes in Philippians 4:10, "I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it." This verse contains a message that is easy to miss - the truth that God is always at work around us. Paul's circumstances did not show that God was working, but Paul knew! He was secure in the belief that help was on the way so he stood firm and began watching for God to show up!
He examined every circumstance, understanding that it had already passed through His Father's hands with His permission! And God came through! To find real security and contentment we must learn to search for the handprints of God in the every day circumstances of life.
Life is not a series of accidents but a series of divine appointments made by our heavenly Father, designed to prove that He loves us and orchestrated to illustrate His provision for us. That interruption we complain about or that intrusion we resent may well be a window of opportunity sent by Him! God is our provider. The word "provider" comes from two Latin words, "pro" which means "before" and "video" which means, "to see". In other words, God will take care of it beforehand. God caused the church at Philippi to become concerned about Paul's needs and it came at the time when Paul needed their love the most! He always comes when we need Him the most! It is a picture of the Good Shepherd meeting every need of every sheep.
John 10:4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice. (NLT)
The Shepherd is always ahead of his sheep - out in front which means that any attack upon the sheep has to go through him. What peace and security we can have knowing that God has gone before us through every valley, across each mountain of life. He knows what tomorrow holds and will give us everything we need to face it. When we begin to understand and walk in the truth that God monitors every circumstance, we will also understand and walk in contentment.
You may find yourself in a frightening place filled with darkness and doubt. Your fragile heart may be wondering if God knows where you are. Let me assure you my friend - He does. Even if you cannot see Him He can see you. And when it comes right down to it, I really prefer that God be able to see me rather than insisting that I be able to see Him! We think that because we cannot see the hand of God or sense His presence, it means that He is not working. Nothing could be further from the truth. God is always at work in our lives. Now that is real security and the cornerstone of a life of contentment.

Now it's Your Turn
By faith, accept the truth that God is always at work in your life and thank Him for His steadfast provision. Look back over the last few days, weeks and months of your life. Now praise Him for the things He has done.
Identify the people or things that you tend to think of and rely upon as sources of security and contentment in your life.
Read Proverbs 3:5-6. What are the steps listed in this passage that -- when taken -- will produce contentment?
What hedges of protection can you put in place today that will prepare you to face tomorrow with security and contentment?

This kid is not bad!!!

He's cute and can bring up the atmosphere with the audience too. Entertaining!

5 year old blind talent

I am sure you will be impressed after watching this show! It is very touching when this little 5-years old blind sung a song that really represented her plight.
It is another sign that God has always been fair and has endowed us with different abilities.

Cheerobics 2007 - Cheerobics 2008 post coming soon

This was last year's Cheerobics where Lavvy's school won Champion again!
But of course, 2008 Cheerobics, St Hilda's won yet again, making them the defending Champion for the last 5 years (I think)!

This was their winning performance

Some great songs!

WOW! I still cant get over this wonderful Hillsong Conference Opening arrangement!

“Yet I hold this against you; You have forsaken your first love” (Revelation 2:4 NIV).

If you’re married, what do you do when you’ve lost that lovin’ feelin’? Maybe you truly adored your husband in the beginning, but now you can’t remember why. Maybe you honestly admired his finer qualities, but now you can’t remember what they were. Maybe you appreciated his wonderful attributes, but now take them for granted. What do you do now?
Here’s a statistic you might find interesting. According to an analysis of the National Survey of Families and Household, 86 percent of unhappily married people who stick it out find that, five years later, their marriages are happier. In fact, nearly 60 percent of those who rated their marriage as unhappy in the late 1980’s, and who stayed married, rated their same marriage “very happy” or “quite happy” when re-interviewed five years later ( Linda J. Waite and Maggie Gallagher, The Case for Marriage (New York: Doubleday, 2000) 148). In comparison, those who divorced and remarried divorced again at a rate of 60 percent (Judith Wallerstein and Julia A. Lewis, and Sandra Blakeslee, The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce, Hyperion, 2000) p295).
So, starting over may very well be the answer! As long as it’s with the same man.
In the book of Revelation in the Bible, God had this to say to the church at Ephesus. “Yet I hold this against you; You have forsaken your first love” (Revelation 2:4). Ephesus was one of the most loving churches in the New Testament and yet, somewhere along the way, they lost that initial thrill of knowing Christ. Their love for each other and for God had grown cold.
As I read God’s lament, I whispered a prayer. “Oh Lord, how many of us women have forgotten our first love. We’ve forgotten the thrill we felt when we first met our husbands: the spine tingling chills when he walked into a room, the heart skipping flutter when he called on the phone, the tender wooing when we opened a letter penned by his hand. Somewhere between taking out the garbage, paying the bills, running carpool, mowing the lawn, disciplining the kids, folding the laundry…somewhere among the mundane routine of life, we’ve lost the romance”.
How do we get it back? God gave the church two simple steps for the Bride of Christ to renew her passion for her Beloved, and I believe we can apply the same principles to renewing our passion for the man of our dreams.
Remember and Return
Remember what drew you to your husband in the first place? Remember how you tried to please him, capture his heart, and win his affection? That may have been fifty pounds and a full head of hair ago, but that young man who longed to be adored, admired, and appreciated still lives within his heart. He wants to know if he still “has what it takes.” Let him know that he does.
Everyone loves a love story. Tell your children the story of how you first met and fell in love. Remember special days such as your first date, your first kiss, or the day when you first realized he was the man you wanted to marry. On your anniversary, listen to a tape or watch a video of your wedding. Celebrate not only your wedding anniversary but also the day he asked you to marry him.
Now it’s Your Turn
If you have kids, tell them the story of how you met and fell in love with your husband at the dinner table tonight.
If you aren’t married, tell someone how you met Jesus Christ and gave your life to Him.
If you are married, write down what drew you to your husband initially.
If you are not married, write down what you long for in the man of your dreams.

Back from Australia

I was in Sydney for about 10 days with Timothy for the Entech 2008 exhibition. Wow!!!! What an experience! Thank God that He saw us through!!! Timothy had to work through the night for many nights in his three weeks stay. He only came back like 5 or 6am in the morning, slept for 2 hours and then back to work :(
I had to work non-stop also, building the truss for the exhibition stand, setting the stand up, run here and there like an event construction worker :P .... very tiring!
During the exhibition days, we had to walk half an hour, up slope from hotel to exhibition centre, stand from 9am to 6pm, then back to hotel, walking another half an hour with really tired feet back to the hotel. Sometimes it gets so tiring that we even skipped dinner.... no appetite already! After the exhibition, it's tear down time!!! The same process all over again.
I'm sure you would understand how much we L-O-N-G to come home to Singapore and to our children!!! One thing good is that the whether was really cool, sometimes cold there. Not forgetting the beef is delicious too :P
But we miss local food cos it's always bread bread bread and more bread, if not meat meat and more meat!!! Haha
Even coming home was a small little adventure. Our flight was due to depart at 5pm Australia time but was delayed till 8pm. That means we stayed at the airport from 2.30pm till 8pm just to catch the flight back home. We ended up arriving on Sunday early morning instead of Saturday night. PHEW.... :)

14 years old Charice Pempengco

Her voice is not too bad. Great stage presence also. Just like what the interviewer said, she made the stage looks small. Watch for her changing of the mics from right to left hand, in mid air - cool! Have a listen:

And the interview session:

Amazing Grace - Pentatonic!

Our Pride and Joy!

Yesterday was a day filled with emotional roller coaster rides. First it was excitement in the morning, then great anticipation, then anxiety kicked in before joy came through.
What do I mean by that? Well, Lyn collected her 'O' levels result yesterday.
I'm so glad we were there all the way to support her.
You see, Lyn had tried her very best last year with her studies when she finally decided to really buck up and do well for 'O's. She was not exactly up to par from sec 1 to 3 but we believed in her that she will mature and will start to plan for her future. She did! When she started to work hard, we cheered her on knowing that that's the best thing we can do and should do. She didn't disappoint us!
You see, before we left for school, I felt that we needed to pray and commit everything to God. No matter what the results were, God is in control - that was what I prayed. I wanted her to put her trust in God and learn to accept whatever results she may get. Deep in my heart I knew she'll do well but if she didn't, I didn't want to put pressure on her.
When we reached school, the anxiety is really unbelievable. All the girls were excited, seeing many of their friends' names listed on the screen - those who scored xx amount of As, those who had a high aggregate difference between prelim and 'O's etc etc. Well, it came time for the rest to collect their results and we were literally standing on our toes with anticipation. She called me on my mobile to tell me that she scored better than expected! Hallelujah!!!! Praise the Lord. I'll never forget that scene when she came running to us, with tears in her eyes and a wide grin on her face and gave both of us a big hug. I cried, so proud of her. Tim was controlling his tears but I could see the redness and tears welling up in his eyes.
In fact, she did better than many of her classmates who always topped her! I believe her hard work paid off, but most importantly, God has be glorified in all this!!!!
Thank you Jesus for seeing us through!
AMEN!

"Branches were broken off that I could be grafted in" (Romans 11:19 NIV).

One day when Julianna was twelve years old, she rushed out her front door on her way to dance class. She slammed the door behind her as she hurried to catch her ride, but the door closed before all of her fingers followed her body across the threshold. Now you have probably slammed your fingers in a door a time or two, and can remember wincing a bit. But Julianna never does anything half-way. She jerked to a sudden halt, spun around quickly, and saw her appendages trapped in the closed door. When she opened the door to remove her hand, she was horrified to discover that not all of it was there. She had amputated the upper third of her second right finger.
"Help! Somebody help me! I've just cut off my finger!"
Fortunately, the woman picking her up for dance class was a nurse. She rushed to the screaming ballerina. "Julianna, where's your mom?" she asked.
"She's not here," Julianna answered between sobs. "Nobody's here but Daniel."
"Quick," the neighbor instructed, "Let's put some pressure on that nub. Daniel, come help us!" she yelled.
Daniel, Julianna's fifteen-year-old brother, ran down the stairs at the cry for help.
"Julianna's just cut her finger off. You have to find it. We've got to put it in ice and take her to the hospital right away."
A pale faced Daniel went to the scene of the accident. As he hung his head, he saw the finger lying at his feet. Trying not to lose his breakfast, Daniel picked up his sister's digit in a towel and handed it over to the nurse.

Well, the good news is that they got to the hospital in time. The skilled doctor put Humpty-Dumpty back together again and told them to pray that the finger would reattach.
"We'll keep our fingers crossed," he said with a grin as he walked out of the treatment room.
A few days later Julianna unwrapped the bandages, afraid of what she might find underneath. What she saw was not a pretty sight. Instead of a finger, she saw a black mushroom-like thimble sitting atop her nub.
"Doctor, we took the bandage off today. It's black and crusty and looks like a mushroom cap," her mom reported. "It looks dead."
"That's fine," he reassured her. "Don't worry. If nature is working properly, and it sounds like it is, the top will turn black, but underneath, nerves and blood vessels are reattaching. Underneath the thimble, a new finger is forming. She needs the old part in order for the new part to form underneath. In about three weeks, we'll know if the procedure worked. Just keep it wrapped and clean."
A few weeks after the accident, Julianna came to spend the night with us while she was attending a dance camp in my hometown. I had the pleasure of her company and the displeasure of changing her bandage. Her description was accurate.
Four weeks after Julianna had returned home, she wrote me a thank you note for having her in our home. She ended by saying, "P.S. Guess what? My crusty thimble fell off and I have a new finger!"

Now don't ask me how this happened. It is a mystery to me. But scripture tells of another mystery that is just as amazing. Another grafting process that is just as miraculous. God demonstrated His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners (cut off, dead, rotten to the core), Christ died for us and made it possible for us to be grafted onto the living root -- Jesus Himself (Romans 5:8, Romans 11:17). At the very moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we receive a new living spirit to replace our old dead spirit. God performs a spiritual makeover in the twinkling of an eye - in the time it takes for us to say, "I believe."
Now that's a miracle.

O Holy Night - David Phelps

I've never heard this song sung this way. Every word is interpreted as he sings along. It's no JUST a song anymore. It's really really GOOD!!! hair stand, eyes wet, heart in awesome wonder. Never thought of exactly how amazing Jesus' birth means to us! All knees bow and all tongues confess that CHRIST IS LORD!



Thank you Joel for introducing it to me!

3 year old Akim

This boy is so amazing. I like the part when the orchestra supported him at the end (for his last song). It's a bit long but very interesting - if you like music!

Amazing 8 year old child prodigy

Sand Fantasy

This artist is really good. You can view more of her work from www.sandfantasy.com

Nice Animation!

From Girlfriends in God:

"Pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17 )

Friend to Friend
Over the past few years, my spiritual life has changed dramatically. I've witnessed the LORD move in amazing ways, and have felt His hand guide me like never before. What's the big secret? Why the big change? Simple: prayer. There is unexplainable power in prayer.
No, prayer isn't new to me. I've prayed ever since I was a child. But even though I love God, I've often struggled to remain focused during my quiet time...or even to carve out a daily quiet time, for that matter. My creative mind has a strong tendency to wander. So a few years back, I began keeping a prayer journal...and my faith has really grown as a result.
My journal isn't fancy or expensive, just a notebook that can be picked up anywhere, but it has been a power tool for God's movement in and through my life. By keeping my heart focused in prayer, my journal has fanned the flame of my prayers, and has fueled the fire in my soul to connect with our active and living God who longs to be the center of our attention.
It's not rocket science, and there aren't any special tricks. A prayer journal can be an effective tool for spiritual growth, but the power is in the praying! How do I put my power tool to work? I start by writing the date. Then I jot down who and what I want to pray about. I also love to write out scripture passages that have spoken to my heart. Then I go to my Father...focused and fearless. God is the source of all power, and prayer is essential to experiencing His power in our lives.
Martin Luther said, "As it is the business of tailors to make clothes, and of cobblers to mend shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray." Prayer moves the hand of God, yet, statistically; most Christians spend less than 5 minutes a day in prayer. That's just crazy! Why would we expect God to show His power in our lives if we don't give Him more time than we spend brushing our teeth each day?
Are you experiencing the power of God in your life? He wants you to come to Him in prayer: when you are hurting, when you are angry, when you need direction, when you need answers, when you need hope, when you need healing. He wants you to come to Him for forgiveness, courage, strength, confidence, and perspective. Come with praise, adoration, humility, honor, and worship.
So -- grab a journal and focus your heart and thoughts on God...or, if that idea yucks you out, banish the thought. What matters is that you pray. He just wants you to come.
A GIG PLEDGE: Let's commit together to spend more time on our knees in 2008! Raise your right hand and say out loud: "Lord, it is my sincere intention to seek you more fervently in 2008." God assures us, that when we seek Him, we will find Him! As Girlfriends in God, we are growing rapidly in numbers. All around the globe, close to 50,000 women come together in devotion to seek God's face. As we grow in width, may we, as GiGs, also grow in depth. I pray that 2008 will lead us, collectively and individually, deeper and wider into the life changing presence of God.
Let's Pray
Holy Father, Thank You for allowing me to come to You in prayer. I humbly bow before Your throne of grace and ask that You would forgive me for all of the times I have failed to come. I need You more than I know. Please help me experience the fullness of Your life-changing presence in a fresh and powerful way this year. For Your glory and In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Now it's Your Turn
Consider keeping a prayer journal! Grab a pen and a notebook and get started! If you don't know where to start, use this as a template to begin:
Begin reading the Psalms during your quiet time. Journal what you learn and write down the verses that stir your heart. (There are 150 of them and if you meditate on one or two each day, you could be kept busy for a few months!)

More from the Girlfriends
One morning, as I was reading in the Psalms, I came across a great scripture prayer. It is Psalm 143:8: "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." As I read it over and over, a song came to my heart.
Gwen Smith is a worship artist, songwriter, speaker, and author. Visit her website at: www.GwenSmith.net, or stop by her e-store to grab a few of her worship CDs.
"http://www.girlfriendsingod.com"

New Super Mario Bros with a twist

He is our HEALER!

Latest song in VFC: Powerful!

Happy New Year

Wishing all my friends a-z New Year: Amazing, Blessed, Colourful, Dynamite, Exceptional, Fantastic, Glorious, Hilarious, Incredible, Joyful, Kinetic, Lovely, Magnificent, Noble, Outstanding, Perfect, Quirky, Radiant, Surpassing, Tremendous, Unique, Valuable, Wonderful, Xtraordinary, Youthful, Zero-cool

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Here's wishing everyone a blessed 2008 that is fun, exciting, fruitful, blessed, full of testimonies for God and most importantly, a year that we grow deeper in love and walk closer spiritually in Him!

The last few weeks

It's been a really roller-coaster ride for the last few weeks!
I was so occupied with the Popular outreach that our church was invited to do, also spend a weekend with family and friends in Malacca, prepare for office closure for the Christmas holiday and New Year - BTW, my office closes from 21st Dec 2007 to 6th Jan 2008! Yea, long holiday!
Looking forward for the long holiday where I can spend good quality time doing some planning and also with family members.
Well, if I'm not able to update more post this year, then
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008!

Cute prayer for mac-n-cheese

Lynette introduced me to this video - very well done mime!

VFC - 30th Anniversary Banquet

The celebration was very memorable. Getting to celebrate with close friends, even serving different ones, and not forgetting meeting some old friends! It was great! Wish there were more but I think if we had to wait for another 30 years, I old liao lor! Ha ha!
Anyways, here are some of the photos (will update more later):

The Edge Annoucement with LYNETTE in it!!!!

Targeted as a victim of the HK lucky draw scam

It all started with a friendly phone call asking me to take part in a simple survey. Then a few days later, I was told that I won the 3rd prize of S$150,000 cash!! But WAIT! Don't be too happy for me, cos all this is a SCAM!

This is how it happened:
First, I attended to their survey. Then in order to submit the survey, they needed my full name, which sounded reasonable. To be honest, I can't even remember what company she mentioned she was from. Anyway, to thank me for my participation, she gave me a lucky draw number.
A few days later,I was invited to an event hosted in JB. Obviously I wouldn't go cos I was still working then. Strangely, on the day of the event, I was told that I was one of their lucky draw winners, and was asked to come to JB to collect my prize. I thought it might be some small items, so I was not willing to travel all the way down. She said someone will contact me again on how to have my prize delivered to me. OK, so far, that sounded genuine and convincing.
The next few days were fun, cos she sounded really genuine in wanting to give me my prize. First, she introduced herself as Cai Ya Juan, working in Hong Kong but her mainland Chinese accent gave her away. Her phone number was withheld so I don't know where she was calling from. The background seems a bit noisy, as if the company was very crowded. She also gave me her company phone number: 0218 52 3078 3278. She was very friendly,a lot of chit chatting, like your old friend, it puts you off your guard. She even gave me her company website to check out their company - hkxina.com. It looked really impressive.
Now comes the question mark part. In order to claim my money, I had to pay up an insurance or guarantee of some sort, to their selected board to ensure that I will pay Hong Kong government their levy. The cost: $5800. After which, within one hour, I will 'see' my prize money in the bank!

Ok, now the fun part.
1. I checked out their website using 'whois registrar' and found out that it was registered on 7th Oct 2007! Now if the company is more than 20 years old, and being so established, why set up website only one month ago?
2. Although they even gave me a login number and password to see my name on the winning list, why wasn't there a newspaper announcement? I asked her and she said it'll not be published in the HK newspaper cos the draw was in Malaysia. Then she couldn't answer me why Malaysia and Singapore papers were not published too.
3. When I was asked to pay the $5800, I asked for a black and white proof that I will receive the money in one hour's time. She went back to the beginning and go through with me all over the procedure, which sounded very fluent - too fluent like as if she had been handling a lot of lucky draws. Wow, the company so big hor? Always got lucky draws :P Anyways, a big, established company can't even provide me a faxed form of black and white!
4. Whenever along the conversation when I raise some doubt, there'll always be another caller calling in and I can somehow 'hear' their conversation and the topic is always what I've just asked! And the lady will always repeat what the other party says, as if to let me know what they were talking about!
5. The moment she sensed that I'm not going to fall for their trick, her tone literally changed! Ha ha, but I still pretended to not know about the trick and played along with her. I doubt she'll call back.

Now, if you received any calls like that, DON'T BELIEVE EVERY WORD THE OTHER PARTY SAYS!!!! Check out the internet, MANY MANY fell for this scam. A teacher paid $61,000 and still has not seen her cash prize yet! Browse through the internet and you can find some interesting ways others are dealing with this scam.
But if you did give away your particulars, here are some steps you need to do:
1. File a police report, to safe guard yourself. Give the police all the details so that they can investigate.
2. If you did disclose your bank account, call your bank to lock your account. You can still use it personally but they will not entertain anyone (including yourself)over the phone or internet. You'll need to close the bank account and open a new one.
Just be careful my friends!

Our Refuge And Strength

READ: Isaiah 31

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. —Psalm 20:7

In August 2004, Hurricane Charley brought fierce destruction to areas of Florida. During the storm, 25-year-old Danny Williams went outside to seek protection in one of his favorite places, a shed under the protective branches of a banyan tree. But the tree fell on the shed and killed Williams. Sometimes, the places we look to for security can be the most dangerous.
The prophet Isaiah warned Judah’s King Hezekiah of this truth. Hezekiah was a good king, but he repeated the sin of his father Ahaz by seeking security in an alliance with an alien power (2 Kings 16:7; Isa. 36:6). Instead, he should have been encouraging his people to trust in the Lord.
By seeking help from Egypt, Hezekiah showed that he had failed to learn from history. Egypt had been anything but an ally to Israel. Hezekiah had also forgotten Scripture. Amassing horses for cavalry units was against the divine constitution for the king (Deut. 17:16).
Ultimately, Hezekiah did seek help from the Lord (Isa. 37:1-6,14-20). And God miraculously annihilated the invading Assyrians (vv.36-38).
Judah made the mistake of valuing the strength of Egypt over the living God. May our trust always be in the name of the Lord our God (Ps. 20:7).
—Marvin Williams

Trust in God and you will know
He can vanquish any foe;
Simply trust Him day by day,
He will be your strength and stay. —D. De Haan

Amazing Voice for a Little Girl

What an amazing voice from a 6 years old girl - Connie Talbot from Britain's Got Talent! Enjoy :)

Go ahead, play the game!

Sudoku Play this fantastic puzzle game that is taking the world by storm!!

Play this free game now!!

Mondayblues? Use Psalms 23

This little girl is so cute! Shirley (or surely) will make your Monday blues go away!

One of my favourite song, not because it's old, but because of the words describing His amazing grace!!!!

Now still in office :(

It's Tuesday night, 7-ish already but still stuck in office :(
Tim's going to Philippines and then Hong Kong tmr morning, that's why so much work to do.
Anyways, here's something to ponder and meditate on:

Deuteronomy 28:1
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

For those who like billard - this is so cool lor!

Our Daily Bread

"Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,
All His wonderful passion and purity;
Oh, Thou Spirit Divine, all my nature refine
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me. —Orsborn"

Keep section 377A

I wonder what's the outcome of the repeal of penal code 377A. I'm sure it will not come to pass cos that's not what God wants!!!!
Came across this blog as it was featured in Singapore Post. I agree with her thoughts! Check it out: http://inhisgrace.wordpress.com/2007/10/19/on-s377a/
So glad that I did sign on the petition to keep section 377A. I've done my part!
Let's keep praying that God will keep His hand on this country as we continue to honour Him in Singapore!

In rememberance of my dear friend - Monica

Hey all,
Suddenly missing her, so here's her blog (in case you wanna go visit): http://www.monz-lifejourney.blogspot.com

And if you wanna see the powerpoint that was presented during her wake, here it is:

Top 3 laughing baby´s

they really makes me laugh too :)

For when I am weak, then I am strong!

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
— 2 Corinthians 12:9,10 —

When I was at my lowest . . . confounded by obstacles . . . I discovered an astonishing truth: God is attracted to my weakness. He can't resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desparately they need him. Our weakness . . . makes room for his power.
— Jim Cymabala -

It's going to be a long week

Well, not too sure how to describe but, all I know is that it's going to be a long week this week. Tim's away in Korea (so jealous!!!) and there's still so many things not done yet!!
Especially for the 30th Anniversary video, I'm very very concern cos up till today, we've not received anything yet to work on!
Anyways, I've got to do what I have to do! ha ha
Lyn's got 'O's and Lavvy got final year exam to go through. Praying that they'll make full use of their time and at the end, give glory to God for helping them through!
Well, here's something to ponder on:
'Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance.' - Samuel Johnson

Very very cute ad.

another cute ad! hope you like it :)

Cute advertisement

This is so cute lor!

Butter Cake recipe

For those who like my butter cake, here's the recipe:
250g butter (softened), 250g fine sugar, 250g self raising flour, 5 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla essence.
1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C.
2. Beat butter and eggs till colour turns light and is creamy.
3. Add in vanilla essence and eggs - one at a time and beat thoroughly.
4. Add in flour a little a time, stir to mix well.
5. Pour in baking pan and bake till golden brown and when toothpick is poked into the batter, it comes out clean.
6. Enjoy!!

Let me know if you tried it and your opinion of it :)

Animusic - Pipe Dream

Something very cool too!
Have fun watching :)

Human Tetris

It's been so long!

It's been so long since I last updated my blog.
Well, as usual, the same excuse: busy busy busy :P
Anyways, came across something very funny. Will try and see if I can post it up. If not, you can always visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll2kajMH2u0
Life has been great although I'm still trying to adjust to the fact that one of my friend is not longer with me. I guess if it happens like we'd expected it, then it wouldn't be so hard to accept. But since it happened so suddenly, without any explanations, that makes it very hard to come to terms with!
Well, there's nothing we can do about it, only looking forward to seeing her in heaven next time.
Life still has to go on right?
Anyways, go visit my first online biz website at http://www.yaswebsites.com/M409057W
That's all for now! Until the next time - God bless you richly!! Amen!!