Just three things really: a hymn, a verse, and an email

1. Hymn

Because He Lives

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives.
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone!
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives!

~ William and Gloria Gaither

2. Verse

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

3. Email
Don't give up, because He did not

One day, I decided to quit...
I quit my job, my relationship, and my spirituality.
I wanted to quit my life.

I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.
'God', I asked, 'Can you give me one good reason not to quit?'
His answer surprised me...

'Look around', He said. 'Do you see the fern and the bamboo?'
'Yes', I replied.

'When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water.

The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor.

Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year, the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed.

But I did not quit on the bamboo', He said.

'In year three, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.
But I did not quit.

In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit', He said.

'Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant.

But just 6 months later, the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.
It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.

I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle', He said.

He asked me, 'Did you know, my child, that all this time that you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots?'

'I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don't compare yourself to others', He said.

'The bamboo had a different Purpose from the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.

Your time will come', God said to me.

'You will rise high'
'How high should I rise?' I asked.
'How high will the bamboo rise?' He asked in return.
'As high as it can?' I questioned.
'Yes.' He said, 'Give me glory by rising as high as you can.'

I left the forest and brought back this story.
I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.

Never, Never, Never Give up.

For the Christians, Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.
Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is,

Tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

Rick Warren Interviewed by Larry King

i did say i'd be going to sleep soon and indeed i have to. i got started reading a transcript of Rick Warren being interviewed by Larry King and well, i very much respect Rick Warren and ended up reading all ten pages worth of the interview. i recommend it for reading as well.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0503/22/lkl.01.html

and on that note, i'm going to look up my Purpose-Driven Life (hopefully it's in Singapore) and start reading it again. =)

edit: oops, linkie without text..

just plodding along

mm.. yet another update to just keep plodding along, keep in the habit of posting to this blog. mmm.. started a new book, You Were Born Rich, recommended by my mentor and thus far finding it really thought-provoking. i've never gone through a book so slowly and thoroughly before, save those journal articles that require a check in the dictionary every few words or so. amazing stuff. i'm not done yet, but i'd recommend the book to anyone.

on other fronts, i've picked up a job in a daycare centre; should be good. i like kids. =)

on other other news, i did a good job on my solo in choir today. happy. =)

Where in Heaven is Mozart?

wow, it seems every time i visit youtube, something fascinating and inspiring pops up. this one is of a family that decided to take a leap of faith and tour the world, letting their daughter experience the world in a way i definitely wish to let mine own future children experience.


explanation: the girl's nickname is Mozart, the music is by Pachelbel.

miaarose

ran into this singer, Maria Antonia Sampaio Rosa aka Mia Rose, on youtube. inspired really. first is a music video, second a message to her fans.

murder on the dance floor

for some reason, this tune popped back into my mind. it's really catchy and stems from my days in AIESEC. every one danced to this tune. haha! at any rate, the tune's one thing, but this video is a whole different story. it's funny!

Sophie Ellis Bextor - Murder On The
Uploaded by hakim93200

i keep thinking i've posted this somewhere but i can't quite remember where...

dawn of war 2!

woah! a peek at gamespot.com revealed that Dawn of War 2 is in the works! a few pretty pictures to boot! this would all be very exciting except that i'm no longer a hardcore gamer.. heck, i'm barely a casual gamer now. haha, nevertheless, i still find the Warhammer 40k universe to be exciting... kinda. all that blood and gore gets old after a while. real life is getting more and more interesting. haha!

anyway, it's been a few days since i updated. in the meantime, i've gotten my US visa, discovered that the person i was cracking jokes with on monday was actually a SIA pilot getting his aircrew pass (turns out Canadian aircrew need to get these if they're based somewhere other than Canada), read a wonderful book called "Instant Millionaire", met a few interesting people, gained a few leads on employment, tried out a free session with a personal trainer, and discovered that i've improved my IPPT 2.4km timing by at least 30 seconds.

the most interesting thing this week would be getting short-changed by Recruit Express -- they sent me down to Kallang for an interview even though I can't commit to the minimum time required by the employer. now the interesting part was that while getting rejected took all of 1 minute, the boss and i proceeded to have an conversation 140 minutes long! haha! cool guy. i really would have enjoyed working with him, i like his style. funny how i went looking for a job and went away with a business contact and possible future business collaboration.

mm.. and that's about it. my laptop's battery levels are low so i'm signing off but if you want details, just ask away.

gonna get me visa soon!

yippee, went to the US embassy today or rather i should term it Fortress USA, cuz it really looks like one of those old school castles with a more oriental bent but all stone. learned a few things:

1. the delays of the earlier time slots ripple downwards -- though i was supposed to start queuing up at 10am, i only got to do so at 10:15am. it would seem that picking the earliest time slot would lead to fewer delays.

2. don't arrive too early. you'll just have to wait until your appointed time anyway and if there are delays.. well.

3. it's a sprint! you can start queuing up for your time slot only after the guard calls it out and you've got around 6+ people at the same time; so just be aware and ready. hehe, i bagged 2nd spot for my line -- the first guy was really quick, like an old hand. haha. and yes, it matters. processing at the front may be relatively quick but the timings are gonna pile up once you start the application process proper -- i waited about an hour+ after i got in.

at any rate, the whole thing went smoothly and i should be able to pick up my passport with its newly minted visa on wednesday afternoon. yipee!

mm.. other news.. sleepy, had to take a nap in the afternoon. and managed to turn off my alarm clock without knowing it. then i cleaned up my room. it was.. not clean. so i'm unpacked and it's looking good. now to try and nab a decent night's sleep so i can have an early start tomorrow. =)

itsa mario!

or "i need to come up with better random titles day"

ok, another update.

1. I've officially moved to Ang Mo Kio as of today. Thanks go out to Wei Jie and Yi Po for helping me lug stuff around yesterday and to Karen and her husband for giving me a hand and a lift today.
2. I've successfully handed over the unit to the tenant's agent. Successfully in that the unit was presentable when they came in to look it over and inventory the stuff. Glad that one went down smoothly. Interesting to see how they go about it. As I myself would have done, the other agent went about photographing the unit. Nothing like evidence to show that no funny business happened under her tenants stay.
3. I've found an even better place to do my internet stuff. Thanks to whoever, I think it was Yingyu, mentioned that McDonald's is a good spot. 24 hours sounds good to me. My CCK McDonald's had neither 24 hours nor internet.
4. Called my mum and sis today after a long break. Well, 1 week feels like a long time. Feels good. Something I needed to do.
5. New place is not bad. Friendly owners. Cute daughter. And in a very weird twist of events, yes Feng, even though you don't know the existence of this blog, it seems that your "lonely daughter of owner" scenario can finally occur. Well, not really. She's 3 years old. It's funny hearing her shout out "koko". As mentioned, cute kid.

mm.. not much more to write. so signing off.