Hannah's mom called me on Sunday evening to ask how I was doing. I had to explain my predicament and the reasons for doing what I was doing. She was so nice about it. She also offered to pray for me. I was so touched. "How can I bless you?" she asked.
It's been the longest time that I have been asked that question. The idea that someone was eager to bless me really touched me.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
TCC
Trinity Christian Centre - that's where I went on Sunday. The praise and worship in the smaller churches never fail to amaze me. And wow me. I have forgotten what it's like to worship God with the feeling that it's just Him and me. Sometimes I feel like I'm putting on a show. In Barnabas Club (sorry, G-Kidz) I am responsible for making sure the kids are alright. And as a leader you are required to clap louder, jump higher, etc. At the youth service, the music is so loud and deafening that I can't hear myself. But at TCC, the songs weren't terribly recent. But it reminded of the good old days when as a young child, I would sing these songs with my mother. I'm a sucker for nostalgia. It is worship such as this that inspires me to sit at my piano and play a worship tune=) I miss it quite a bit. Give me simple worship. I don't ask for drama. I want to go back to basics. So maybe God can shine through a bit more.
I was even more impressed by the sermon. The pastor that week was starting on Haggai, which is a book I didn't bother about much before. I felt so ignorant and foolish. And I came out of the service so much more enlightened at the very end when she went through the context of the book and explained the significance of the temple of God and why it was necessary to rebuild it. Now I know what Karen meant when she said she learnt so much more about the word here. Heck, I really need this sort of education. I don't think I have the time, drive and thirst to listen to sermons outside of church as often as some others do. But I really like the freshness of the sermon.
The church service certainly inspired, but what do I know about the hearts of the people in the church? That is one thing I always admire about the people at FCBC - their hearts of service and their willingness to sacrifice personal time and space to serve others. I obviously cannot comment on the people at TCC. How do I know whether it's a place I can fit in? If there's one thing of concern to me, it's the friends and the comradeship and the family that I'll miss dreadfully.
I was even more impressed by the sermon. The pastor that week was starting on Haggai, which is a book I didn't bother about much before. I felt so ignorant and foolish. And I came out of the service so much more enlightened at the very end when she went through the context of the book and explained the significance of the temple of God and why it was necessary to rebuild it. Now I know what Karen meant when she said she learnt so much more about the word here. Heck, I really need this sort of education. I don't think I have the time, drive and thirst to listen to sermons outside of church as often as some others do. But I really like the freshness of the sermon.
The church service certainly inspired, but what do I know about the hearts of the people in the church? That is one thing I always admire about the people at FCBC - their hearts of service and their willingness to sacrifice personal time and space to serve others. I obviously cannot comment on the people at TCC. How do I know whether it's a place I can fit in? If there's one thing of concern to me, it's the friends and the comradeship and the family that I'll miss dreadfully.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Ballet Under The Stars (or more commonly referred to as BUTS)
Hahaha.... The acronym for Ballet under the Stars is BUTS. I only found out when the emcee at the event referred to it as such. Later in the night when it started to rain, they said "Now it's more like Ballet Under The Umbrella" (BUTU??)
KK and I hopped down to Parkway where we stocked up on cheeses and dips and chips and bought small bottles of wine. All the necessities for a feel good picnic =) As usual he's super organized and prepared. He brought the cups and the cutlery and the plates and he even brought the very essential umbrella and battery-operated fan! Oh and the very large mat courtesy of the Mini Cooper people.
The ballet was good. I'm not an expert on it, but I was wowed over by the execution, how light the dancers looked and how they never seemed to land but rather floated. We actually went for seconds at Serangoon Gardens after that.
Great night despite the rain =)
KK and I hopped down to Parkway where we stocked up on cheeses and dips and chips and bought small bottles of wine. All the necessities for a feel good picnic =) As usual he's super organized and prepared. He brought the cups and the cutlery and the plates and he even brought the very essential umbrella and battery-operated fan! Oh and the very large mat courtesy of the Mini Cooper people.
The ballet was good. I'm not an expert on it, but I was wowed over by the execution, how light the dancers looked and how they never seemed to land but rather floated. We actually went for seconds at Serangoon Gardens after that.
Great night despite the rain =)
Updates on Church 2
I went to Lighthouse on Sunday. This must be the most punctual church I've even been to. I went by myself and I kind of slunked in as unobtrusively as I could at 1112am (the service started at 1115). And almost every seat was filled. This was unusual, considering none of the other services I've been in started on time.
And the praise and worship... wow. It's like praise and worship that I remember fondly from way back in early 2000. They played songs like "Hear O Israel", which I hadn't heard in a long time. It felt warm, comfortable and peaceful. I really really like the worship there. Not too formal, upbeat, unassuming. I really really miss such simple sweet worship. Now strobe lights. No loud drums. No jumping up and down. But this was just... nice. Haha, if I ever join Lighthouse, one of the main reasons would be because of the worship.
I never seem to have the knack to go when there's a good sermon on though. When I went to ARPC, I happened to go when it was "Friendship Day" and they were doing John 3:16. At Lighthouse, the children's service leaders put up a performance. They did a stage presentation of how a lesson was conducted in Sunday School. And the lesson they taught was Faith. Hebrews 11:6 was the main verse for the day. It's about being able to thank God for something that you have not yet received. And yet you are able to thank God because you know His heart and you know His providence. And you also know that even if you don't agree with Him now, you can thank Him because one day, you will be able to understand. I spoke to KK about it in the evening. Today I learnt a grand lesson on faith, which I had always overlooked. I tend to overthink and mull on issues a tad too much. But really, I should leave it all up to Him. All the issues that are plaguing me now are man-made =( Funny how I went in thinking that I would never learn anything from that kiddy presentation and coming up having learnt something profound.
Yes, Lighthouse was good. I think I'll visit again.
And the praise and worship... wow. It's like praise and worship that I remember fondly from way back in early 2000. They played songs like "Hear O Israel", which I hadn't heard in a long time. It felt warm, comfortable and peaceful. I really really like the worship there. Not too formal, upbeat, unassuming. I really really miss such simple sweet worship. Now strobe lights. No loud drums. No jumping up and down. But this was just... nice. Haha, if I ever join Lighthouse, one of the main reasons would be because of the worship.
I never seem to have the knack to go when there's a good sermon on though. When I went to ARPC, I happened to go when it was "Friendship Day" and they were doing John 3:16. At Lighthouse, the children's service leaders put up a performance. They did a stage presentation of how a lesson was conducted in Sunday School. And the lesson they taught was Faith. Hebrews 11:6 was the main verse for the day. It's about being able to thank God for something that you have not yet received. And yet you are able to thank God because you know His heart and you know His providence. And you also know that even if you don't agree with Him now, you can thank Him because one day, you will be able to understand. I spoke to KK about it in the evening. Today I learnt a grand lesson on faith, which I had always overlooked. I tend to overthink and mull on issues a tad too much. But really, I should leave it all up to Him. All the issues that are plaguing me now are man-made =( Funny how I went in thinking that I would never learn anything from that kiddy presentation and coming up having learnt something profound.
Yes, Lighthouse was good. I think I'll visit again.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Updates
Perhaps an update is in order. I've been visiting a few churches of late. To find out something about myself and to find out more about the God I serve and what it really means to belong to a church. I've been to Wesley, Covenant Evangelical Free Church, and Adam Road Presbytarian Church.
I didn't really like the traditional worship style of Wesley and how it felt so individualistic. People would sit by themselves or with just their other halves. And then they would leave right after. Cell group was an option. No one pushed you to attend. My friend W had been going to Wesley for years without even committing to a cell group and he had no impetus to join one! Same thing went for another friend of mine, before she decided to take that leap of faith.
I really really love CEFC. The message from Nehemiah spoke to me. It's a book I hardly ever touch and I have always dismissed it because I thought there were more important books to read. CEFC is like FCBC circa 2000. The worship is more subdued (but besides CHC, what other church can rival ours in terms of LOUD worship). More subdued but very refreshing. I think it's simple worship that is the most private. No jumping up and down required.
I think I like CEFC because it's like FCBC. I can't get used to ARPC and Wesley because they are so different from this church that I've been in for more than 14 years. 14 YEARS. That's more than half of my life.
But for certain big reasons, I can't go to CEFC. I think I will check out Lighthouse and see where this goes. There are no real plans to move yet. But I don't think I can give as much as FCBC and the leaders are demanding. It can't be ALL my life. God can, but now I feel a bit stifled, because I feel that CHURCH is demanding my 100%, and Church and God feels so separate nowadays. I need to come back to that first love.
I didn't really like the traditional worship style of Wesley and how it felt so individualistic. People would sit by themselves or with just their other halves. And then they would leave right after. Cell group was an option. No one pushed you to attend. My friend W had been going to Wesley for years without even committing to a cell group and he had no impetus to join one! Same thing went for another friend of mine, before she decided to take that leap of faith.
I really really love CEFC. The message from Nehemiah spoke to me. It's a book I hardly ever touch and I have always dismissed it because I thought there were more important books to read. CEFC is like FCBC circa 2000. The worship is more subdued (but besides CHC, what other church can rival ours in terms of LOUD worship). More subdued but very refreshing. I think it's simple worship that is the most private. No jumping up and down required.
I think I like CEFC because it's like FCBC. I can't get used to ARPC and Wesley because they are so different from this church that I've been in for more than 14 years. 14 YEARS. That's more than half of my life.
But for certain big reasons, I can't go to CEFC. I think I will check out Lighthouse and see where this goes. There are no real plans to move yet. But I don't think I can give as much as FCBC and the leaders are demanding. It can't be ALL my life. God can, but now I feel a bit stifled, because I feel that CHURCH is demanding my 100%, and Church and God feels so separate nowadays. I need to come back to that first love.
Dim Sum Dollies
I better note this down before I forget the euphoria of having watched this pretty phenomenal production. I have been getting jaded with some of the local productions that I have been watching. Sleeping Beauty was a snooze. Blithe Spirit was ok only. Many of the locally written plays are forums to air political views and criticism. There's only so much I can take of that. Granted, they have interesting points of view, but I'm tired of sitting through a play and getting a didactic and pedantic discussion of our political scene.
What made Dim Sum Dollies always an eye opener is how they throw out some of the prejudices that we already have and subvert it. Or how they actually dare to voice some of our hidden thoughts without blushing or being bashful about it. Because, they would say, we are Singaporean and we should learn to embrace our quirks and even oddities. And we need to learn to laugh about ourselves. Selena Tan's writing is hilarious. Pointed and witty and the characters are very endearing.
This time, it was more "Dim Sum Dollies AND Hossan Leong", not "Dim Sum Dollies, featuring Hossan Leong". I love his opening act, where he pops out as a myriad of great conquerors or pioneers, like Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, or Marco Polo, etc., and all of them dismiss the "island of Temasek" one by one for being too small.
I also like the opening of the second half, where all three Dollies are suspended by cables in midair, as Kamikaze pilots who ejected themselves out of the plane and got caught in a tree.
And then there was the blatant advertisement on behalf of Moove media. And Indian man tugging a fuchsia Moove cow with a rope and talking about how "sometimes we hold hands" really hit the right spot.
Oh there was also the song about "Instinctive Lee" and "Clever Lee".
We were sitting right in front, at the extreme end, but the view was still good. I could see every blemish, every detail of their makeup and the fishnet stockings. I could almost catch the actors' eyes. At the very end, like the last Dim Sum Dollies production, we were all given Singapore flags to wave around. My friend didn't wave his. Hossan Leong actually pointed at him until he picked it up and waved it!
Loved it=)
What made Dim Sum Dollies always an eye opener is how they throw out some of the prejudices that we already have and subvert it. Or how they actually dare to voice some of our hidden thoughts without blushing or being bashful about it. Because, they would say, we are Singaporean and we should learn to embrace our quirks and even oddities. And we need to learn to laugh about ourselves. Selena Tan's writing is hilarious. Pointed and witty and the characters are very endearing.
This time, it was more "Dim Sum Dollies AND Hossan Leong", not "Dim Sum Dollies, featuring Hossan Leong". I love his opening act, where he pops out as a myriad of great conquerors or pioneers, like Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, or Marco Polo, etc., and all of them dismiss the "island of Temasek" one by one for being too small.
I also like the opening of the second half, where all three Dollies are suspended by cables in midair, as Kamikaze pilots who ejected themselves out of the plane and got caught in a tree.
And then there was the blatant advertisement on behalf of Moove media. And Indian man tugging a fuchsia Moove cow with a rope and talking about how "sometimes we hold hands" really hit the right spot.
Oh there was also the song about "Instinctive Lee" and "Clever Lee".
We were sitting right in front, at the extreme end, but the view was still good. I could see every blemish, every detail of their makeup and the fishnet stockings. I could almost catch the actors' eyes. At the very end, like the last Dim Sum Dollies production, we were all given Singapore flags to wave around. My friend didn't wave his. Hossan Leong actually pointed at him until he picked it up and waved it!
Loved it=)
Saturday Section of the Straits Times
I just read the Saturday section of yesterday's papers. And there's this article on a recent operation done by Dr Matthew Cheng on a guy who was paralysed waist down. What they did was to remove the entire lower half of his body, and some of the skin from his thigh was taken to replace the base of his upper torso. Since the lower part of his body is removed, waste disposal takes place on the outside of his body. A custom-made bucket is fitted around his chest. The aorta is clamped and the spinal cord had to be properly sealed so that it would not leak spinal fluid, which would be fatal.
Not many details were given. It was a pictorial description of how the surgery took place. But it stunned me how it was annotated in such a cold, formal, matter of fact way. Of course, I understand that this surgery is a private affair for the man and his family. Details as to how the decision was made, or the repercussions of the surgery Should be hidden from the public eye. But, then numerous questions arose in my head as I pondered about what it meant to lose some of the faculties that one has taken for granted, like excretion (which naturally is done by one's own body) and one's legs (I can't imagine the pain he, as do all amputees, must go through as the body gets accustomed to the loss of limbs).
This is one brave man. I don't know how much I am willing to go through in order to live a longer life.
Not many details were given. It was a pictorial description of how the surgery took place. But it stunned me how it was annotated in such a cold, formal, matter of fact way. Of course, I understand that this surgery is a private affair for the man and his family. Details as to how the decision was made, or the repercussions of the surgery Should be hidden from the public eye. But, then numerous questions arose in my head as I pondered about what it meant to lose some of the faculties that one has taken for granted, like excretion (which naturally is done by one's own body) and one's legs (I can't imagine the pain he, as do all amputees, must go through as the body gets accustomed to the loss of limbs).
This is one brave man. I don't know how much I am willing to go through in order to live a longer life.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
My Blog
Every time I am tempted to blog nowadays, I can't help thinking exactly who my audience is. I can never tell because no one comments. But every so often I get a random comment about something I say in my blog. Which makes me surprised. Usually it's a neutral surprise, but occasionally it puts me on my guard and makes me wonder how many people actually know what's going on in my life and how much I'm willing to let on.
For now, certain posts will stay just mine. I'm going to dig up my nice diary (courtesy of a shopping spree in Melbourne=)) I'm flipping through it as we speak and it's amazing how some of my thoughts and reactions have stayed the same all these years. Yes, I don't think I've changed much. Many of my sentiments still hold true.
Now only my close friends or people who are curious enough will be privy to certain information.
For now, certain posts will stay just mine. I'm going to dig up my nice diary (courtesy of a shopping spree in Melbourne=)) I'm flipping through it as we speak and it's amazing how some of my thoughts and reactions have stayed the same all these years. Yes, I don't think I've changed much. Many of my sentiments still hold true.
Now only my close friends or people who are curious enough will be privy to certain information.
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