ellson isaac seet yong hwee

why why why

2011-01-03T21:13:00.002+08:00

Why do you keep asking whether I've bathed or eaten, as if I don't know how?

Why are you walking so slow, as if you've aged?

Why are you amazed at everything, as if you've never seen them before?

Why are you walking towards the lobby, as if "3 man in a box" means the toilet?

Why are you insisting we switch train at "promenade" as if we are at "dhoby ghaut"?

Why do you again, keep asking whether I've bathed or eaten, as if I don't know how?

Because I never talk much with you

Because I never notice

Because I never bring you out often

Because I never bring you out

Because I never bring you out at all

Because I never care...

All the lies... All the justifying... All the walls...

I simply didn't care enough

shingz dinner with dinos

2010-08-22T23:50:00.004+08:00

Shingz @ melben 16/8/10

Jan & his "salted egg crab"; ellson & his "black pepper crab"

the legendary "salted egg crab"... super zuper duper luper nice lor!

after-makan-ed

the dino-makan gang (kangwei & jiayan MCed)

一起走到

2010-08-11T00:44:00.016+08:00

While I was youtube-ing for Corrine May’s NDP song, I stumbled across this “一起走到” song for NDP 2002. And I simply love this song…

But it is not because the song is catchy

Neither is it due to the fact that YanZi sung it

Probably it is that hair rising feeling that I experience when I listened to this song; that uncanny resemblance to our walk with God…

在我们心中我知道, 这是永恒的长跑

"...He has also set eternity in the hearts of men..."

Ecclesiastes 3:11

“I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

1 Corinthians 9:23-25

Eternity is not something that we can comprehend in our mind; it can only be understood in our hearts. The Christian walk is a marathon. It is tough and God’s frank about it.

好不容易, 来到这里, 明天还要追更多荣耀

“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:13-14

From student ministry to young graduate ministry, it is really a tough road and an even tougher transition. It is not just about long much mileage we had made but also bring more glory to God with each and everyday

把自己角色扮演好, 全力以赴每一秒

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.”

1 Corinthians 12:12

“…making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

Ephesians 5:16

The heart pumps continuously, the lung breathes continuously, the stomach digests continuously and the list goes on; you get the picture.

和我的家人, 和我的朋友

"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Mark 3:33-34

Like it or not, no man is an island… to complete the race, we need support from spiritual family and friends…

And yes, there is a difference between spiritual family and friends

向着目标, 手牵手, 一起走到

^“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Hebrews 10:24-25

inspiration #2

2010-07-15T11:36:00.009+08:00

Lest the peripherals be polished,
a convex lens it is not.
In futility the ray passes by,
either reflect or refract.
Towering walls stood tall and great,
heaping shadowy jeers & sneers.
With faith, the edges be chamfered,
converging glass it becomes.
In victory we focus light,
stimulating emission.
Breaking stones, rocks and quartz,
'woohoo' echoes through it all...

and so it begins...

2010-05-26T00:50:00.001+08:00

21.05.10 = day 01

22.05.10 = day 02

23.05.10 = day 03

24.05.10 = day 04

25.05.10 = day 05

26.05.10 = day 06

and so it begins...

2010-05-21T22:40:00.000+08:00

day 01

inspiration #1

2009-05-11T00:24:00.004+08:00

if there're seasons, there are reasons...
to sew hearts and to sow...
harden they may be; hidden He may seem...
in His presence, is a present...
to those who seek, all will see...

quotable quotes

2009-02-16T00:21:00.005+08:00

some famous words that struck me recently

"pain is temporary. it may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. if i quit, however, it will last forever."
- lance armstrong -

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
~ Theodore Roosevelt~

You can be as mad as a mad dog at the way things went. You could swear, curse the fates, but when it comes to the end, you have to let go.
~Captain Mike~
"The curious case of benjamin buttons"

and of course...

"Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. but this happens so that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."
~Paul aka Saul~

CNY with sheep

2009-01-30T01:44:00.007+08:00

it's really been a long time since i last blog about something... Apologies to friends who came visiting my blog, only to find cobweb and dust...

anyway, today is a really special day... believe it or not, it is actually the VERY first day i invited people over to my place. come to think about it, the last time which i had did something similar was when i was in primary school and i had invited my friends to come... however, i was a little skeptical about it and i din dare to tell my parents about it... i only said, they might come and good to get some tit-bits or something... when they din turn up, my mum inquired about it... i merely said they say they might come... wah! deep in my heart, i was so disappointed lor... i thought i had forgotten about it already... but the memories came back when i was cabbing to AMK HUB to fetch my kiddos. oh well... that was in the past... gone with the wind... heh heh

anyway, the time was spent greater than expected! i had always thought that my house is super boring lor... and most probably they will stay for 2 hours at most... haha... guess it was my insecurties at work again.

but i do like what Joe said when he first entered the house... "not very dirty what!" haha... of course la... i've been mopping and cleaning lor! haha... at least someone noticed my effort!

anyway, the time was spent:
1. the recurit (completed)
2. ip man (fast forwarded... YZ wanna just view the fighting scene)
3. 3 kingdom (80% of it)
4. muching on oishi pizzas... after eating these pizzas, you will never want to try pizza hut again...
5. Play station (ZZ commented that it feels like nitendo... haha... how true! considering now we have PS3 and Xbox already)

below are some of the pictures taken...

information on plasma burn in
http://www.plasmasaver.com/burnin.html
BTW... CTRs are susceptible to burn in as well... that is the whole reason why there was an invention called screen savers... because they literally save your screens.... and just for the record, LCD are immune to burn in... laptops have screen savers for aesthetic reasons only...

stay tuned

2009-01-28T17:05:00.001+08:00

random thoughts again...

2008-07-16T00:54:00.003+08:00

12th July 2008

highlights 01
赤壁 is really THE answer to LORD of the RINGS... though there are some discrepancies from history, the movie is nevertheless entertaining! 4.5 popcorns out of 5!!! but i have to agree that there's a 花瓶 in the motion picture, though... :(
*meng meng, stand up... meng meng, stand up... promise me you wouldn't make her into a battle horse...*

hightlights 02
was ah ma's birthday... actually i din noe if it is really her actual bday nor how old she is... but i guess it doesn't matter. the important thing that it WAS an extended family gathering... check out my ah kong! isn't he a sweet husband!?!?

13th July 2008
my very first family dinner for the last 3+ years...
my very very first time organizing a family dinner...
my very very very first time in treating my family to a dinner...
was sadz but true...
is still weak but strength will come..
seems impossible but hopeful...
it wouldn't be the last time... this i know... :)

looking forward to saturday... for i am going zhng my 赤兔马

a little gift from God

2007-12-09T19:57:00.000+08:00

recently i have been listening to this great song by Chris Tomlin, "how great is our God" and at the very very last part... the congregation was singing another song... that goes like this:

"...then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee
How great thou art, how great thou art
The sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee
how great thou art, how great thou art..."

somehow this song warms my heart in a strange manner... emotions are stirred... it helps me to remember what is means to say Great is our God with our soul! and not just through lips!i had to listen to the whole song, i am excited what new feelings it will bring me. though i did managed to find the lyrics and the chords, i couldn't make out how to play or sing the rest of the song... i asked some of my cg mates, church mates & decor team and try to get my hands on the mp3 but in vain... :(

However during the solemnization of Shengteng and Peiru, this song was sung!perhaps this song was their song because they confessed that without God, it would be impossible for them to come together, due to their various differences... to them God is that great! How great God is in bringing them together...

for me, at the moment when i heard the song... i just felt very loved by God... He had chose to withheld the mp3 from me so that i may hear it "live" for the first time... nothing beats singing along bros and sisters who are praising God with their souls as well!

how great thou art... how great thou art... how great God has been to me in the past, in the present and He will be in the future as well. although there are issues which i had still unable to understand, by extrapolation... then sing my soul, my Saviour God is Thee, He knows what He is doing... everything is in His control... here's my book... it's Yours to write...

**updates**

just an hour of posting this blog... my "daughter jesline" sent me THE song!!! [she calls me ah pa... so that makes her my daughter... hehe... God's kinda cute!

how great thou art...

2007-12-06T00:52:00.000+08:00

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee
How great thou art,   how great thou art
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee
How great thou art,   how great thou art

gave and take away

2007-11-22T21:42:00.000+08:00

"give and take away... You gave and take away..."
my heart will choose to say....

i have to confess that it didn't felt good... the feeling is terrible... but i am glad God reminded me of 1 story in particular... Abraham and Isaac in Gen 22:1-12

the childless man, Abraham was given the great promise of being the patriarch of the chosen nation.
at his twilight years, God gave him a son... with a hint of doubt, Abraham must have doted his son a lot... and even that could be an understatement....
and then, God commended Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to Him... hearing this, Abraham's neuron must have went into over-drive...

"What?!? You gave me my son... Now you want him back? Why do you give him to me in the first place?"
"i thought You desire mercy, not sacrifice... why this?"
"i have rams... sheep... throngs of them... why my son?"

these may or not may be his thoughts... but by his action, Abraham had chosen to trust... to love the MAKER, rather than focusing on the MADE... even if it seems to be "MADNESS"... i seriously didn't think that Abraham meant it when he lied to his son... neither does he knows that God is just testing him nor understands the reason behind such a command.
He could only trust...

He gave and take away... He gave and take away...
I praise the Lord when the MAKER gave
I should praise the Lord even when the MADE was taken away
because my heart will chose to say... blessed is HIS NAME

the glasses on your nose; the spirit in your heart

2007-10-22T13:15:00.000+08:00

recently Pastor Jo mentioned about the spirit during Ministry Night ... He said that the spirit of a man determines how he looks at the world, the various happenings, the joyous occasions, the sorrowful events... it is like a pair of glasses, a red-tinted one will make everything look red, a blue-tinted one will make everything look blue... when God allows sufferings, it is not that He is powerless nor nonchalant, He is using sufferings to soften our hearts... a seed cannot grow in hard ground, the ground needs to be tilted to facilitate growth...

"do not look at what God had seemingly let you DOWN but focus how God had lifted you UP"

God can make things right... if only you let Him... if only i let Him... amen

inspiration #0

2007-10-15T12:15:00.002+08:00

am i blessed?

when i was alone and without friends, God sent me GenACTS
when i needed You, God sent me FengQi, Ben & ZeWei
when i needed help in mech, God sent me GuoQiang
am i blessed? ...

when i was down and out, God sent me KangWei
when i was back in church, God sent me CareGroup
when i was growing, God sent me sheep
am i blessed? hmm...

when i was diverting, God sent me reminders
when i was facing death, God sent me LiXiong
when i was helpless in project, God sent me understanding classmates
am i blessed? i think i am...

when i was facing dengue, God brought family to visit
when i was doing FYP, God sent me support
when i need buddies, God comfort me via kinwee & kimchu
am i blessed? yeah...

when i need a vision, God sent His
when i need a job, God gave gericke
when i need love, God taught me
am i blessed? i am...

when i repent, God gave grace
when i sinned, God gave mercy
when i .... , God is there... here... at... in... my heart....
am i blessed? I sure am!

God is Grrrrrrrrrrrreat!

2007-10-08T00:33:00.000+08:00

God is Great! Can someone please say amen? because the chairs and the tables cant say amen!!!God has been good to me... although there has been some bad times like challenges being thrown at me... stress increment... felt the lack of support.... bad stuffs... yet in the midst of all these, God has never let me down... at times i cant see Him, at times i cant feel him... not because He left me... but rather, i had "left" Him... After being an working adult for more than 4 months, i can finally identify how can one forget about God during weekdays and remember Him during weekends... as our friendly pastor jeff likes to put it, "去church一条龙，去work一条虫"

recently, something positive happened and it made me see the light of HOPE once again. i guess that's the how God encourage me when i felt the temptation of giving up. i mentioned in my previous entry about wanting to be a "salty sheep in the midst of wolves" and about daring to be different.... to be the minority.... God blessed me with an early confirmation and it rekindle my conviction. most impt of all, i got to receive the letter of confirmation from my CEO, Mr Markus Gericke. how cool can that be? haha... Praise the Lord...

below are some pictures taken during my company dinner and BBQ... enjoy

Mr Gericke, the man himself! together with my GM, Mr Lua on his left.... dinner at ah yat!

ellson and his abalone!!! nice!

that's my follow project engineer, edwin kiew!

sales engineer, andrew with edwin... see! i am not the only one with 断背problem... *joke*

the MAN himself giving a speech during company BBQ...

i am back!

2007-09-23T01:46:00.000+08:00

time flies really really very fast... before i know it, i have been a working adult for close to 4 months.... that means i haven't been blogging for the same amount of time... the excuse is "my laptop crashed" haha... but deep in my heart i know the real reason... haha... i had actually gotten my laptop back for a week... i just haven't had enough kinetic energy to start moving.

since this is my first blog after so long, i wouldn't/couldn't write much stuff with depth... [though it may not be Twenty Thousand Leagues deep, got at least one metre bah] anyway here's some photoscheck out my notice board... got much more stuff than the previous one...

the famous Bat Kut Teh from Klang, KL

that's my company laptop... kena blue screen again... *sigh*

PS
many thanks to my friends who kept bugging me to blog. really felt appreciated and loved. esp to kc! kw din mention much though... haha... oh ya.. edwin got ask about it as well... haha.. thanks, guys!

my first day at gericke

2007-06-02T00:07:00.000+08:00

my very first day working at Gericke... it reminds me of the time i first entered primary school, secondary school, JC, NS and even university... a place of strangers, a place that's unfamiliar but that means it is also a place of mulligan!
a place where you can have a "fresh" start. as we live our lives, there will be events or incidents that we wished that we can reverse the situations, shoulders that we wished that we hadn't rubbed, people we wished that we hadn't hurt... our Lord Jesus will and can forgive sins and us we will be spiritually healed but there will still be physical and emotional consequences to bear...

so in this new station of my life, i pray that i will not only have a good start but also a good finish... be salty bright sheep among wolves!

here's me at my workstation... that's my ancient lappie... Tecra Centrino 1.2

bachelor of engineering... i have that... sigh

2007-05-21T01:09:00.000+08:00

sigh... today i kena threatened by uncle at Park Mall noodles house [can rem the name of shop so anyhow smoke one] myself, huan yan, yi zhong and ben were at this shop, having lunch. we were sitted outside. there was this strange looking man who walked passed us and into the shop. as he walked, he kicked the chairs so that they wil be under the tables. huan yan commented "violent" while i said “他是老板吗?" That uncle came back and pointed his fist at me and said something which i do not understand but can roughly deciphered as "dun be KPO!" i was so shocked... haha... why do i kena this? anyway... he went for coffee, tea or whatever. after he finished, he went back to me and shouted something and then finally the L.J. coupled with the action. haha... *sigh* maybe i just happened to have the ah beng face... after all, my degree is B.eng

bangkok [day 02]

2007-05-12T02:23:00.000+08:00

sunrise in bangkok

me and taxi driver "wan"

team @ HOPE place

that's the Grand Palace

@ the Grand Palace

dun frown... let me tickle you...

tuktuk... the roller coaster on the road

the Thai King was there addressing to the nation last dec!

the world largest golden teak mansion... belongs to King Rama V

ok ok ok... fine... i admit... i am homesick...

bangkok [day 01]

2007-05-08T02:59:00.000+08:00

from the left to right

liping, qiaoping, shuling, jasmine, ritchie

jas & ritchie on their way to Rompo Mansion

the view's pretty good at Rompo...

this is the raan aahaan that Pastor Pakich treated us!

in return, i treat him to swensons...

this black chip is the "card" for the subway in bangkok. works like our EZlink card.

thai camp: mission heartbeat

2007-05-08T01:39:00.000+08:00

not just excitement but E-X-C-I-T-E-M-E-N-T

i am excited not just about the camp... but the group that's going also!!!

the group is pretty diversified! we got pastor YanFang, ellson & qping from uni, ritchie from NS, shuling & liping from poly and Jo-N from TWAM. [btw yan fang => jasmine]

Praise the Lord for the experience... Thai camp is indeed very spirit filled and the warmth of the thai bros and sis simply amazes me...

MISSION SUNDAY is the segment which i was looking forward to. i want to see what God will speak to me through pastor PN's preaching. it was fantastic! i felt my heart stirring and burden increased for the lost. i had came to thailand for confirmation about my mission heartbeat for the 3rd world countries. i had to have genuine burden for mission because mission is pain staking, diffcult and even dangerous and without genuine burden, it is impossible to press on when situations arises. i was struck by pastor PN's statement, "if you do not have burden, make a decision, then pray for burden." immediately, i realised that everyone SHOULD have burden for mission... be it go-er or send-er.... as i prayed, my heart pumped faster and faster... it wasnt fear or anxiety... in fact, i felt peaceful... it was pumping with excitement! i just responded during the altar call and got up the stage...

today i went to for my 2nd round interview at gericke and i got the job! praise the Lord! this job allows me to travel to countries in the asia pacific region... i eagerly await to see how this may help in mission...

i responded... what about you?

power of remembering

2007-04-10T01:51:00.000+08:00

bodyshop tea tree facial foam... woah... my brother sure knows how to pamper himself! haha... let me use just a little.. he wouldnt know... haha :P

smells very familiar... where did i smell this before... with a jolt [how B1 will behave will he ask if B2 knows what he is thinking], i remember the period of time where i attribute this scent to... it was about 4 years ago and my face was filled with acne... with the exception of my eyelids and lips... the rest of my face is.... *haiz* anyway the tea tree smell had brought back some memories that i had tried to convince myself as mere nightmare.... haha...

more than once, memories which i had forgotten, came back to me with the aid of certain smell, scent or even sights...

*axe brand medical oil in air condition environment reminds me of a time when my mum had motion sickness during a ride from pontian

*心太软 reminds me of my first puppy love from mayflower

*wen jiang reminds me of the sentence 'ellson, 你还要做christian吗?'

human beings are very prone to the illness called "out of sight, out of mind". that i believe is one of the main reason why Jesus instituted the Holy Communion. it is for us to remember of His Promise, His sacrifice and that He is coming back! preparing the Lord's supper is a form of SERVICE on to Him, sharing a word about it is WORD, partaking with brothers and sisters is FELLOWSHIP and committing our lives with it in mind is PRAYER... its a 4-in-1 ceremony. really glad to have the gift of Holy Communion to remind these simple yet important Truths...

so let us remember 20032007 as well.... :)

uni bro meeting...

2007-03-18T04:54:00.000+08:00

just came back... yeah... a little late in the night... but it was all worth it... i had a meeting just now... with WJ, ben, tim, weilong, jan and me... it was a wonderful time of open sharing and somehow, i felt that it is going to be the begining of spiritual revival in uni district... esp the brothers! we had discussed some things that can help the brothers to grow to become leaders in the future... this is afterall what God had in mind for man... man are suppose to lead as a shepherd, a watever L, a husband and a father... so brothers... be excited! be anxious about everything that is to come... revival is coming...

the sad part is that i lost 2X dota... haha... WJ & WL just like to gang me... :(

sabbatical rest

2007-03-16T19:43:00.000+08:00

today i had a sabbatical rest... a break from work and ministry... though i did played a game of dota... haha...

i went swimming in the afternoon and i totally enjoyed the experience! initially, i wanted to tan only... but i just couldn't resist gliding through the water... then i realised that i had gotten back my love for swimming...

due to a severe lack of stamina, i need to rest every 2 laps... haha... but this is how i had the chance to observe fatherly love in action. it was quite entertaining to see the father and the son playing together... they were playing this scissor, paper stone game underwater. who ever lose will have to stay submerged... haha... imagine you lose continuously for 5 times... felt kinda sweet and something that i would like to happen in my life... not that i want to play scissor paper stone with my father underwater... but i would like to have that kind of bond once again... this is something that i would rather die than to have in the past... but God changed me... and now i await to see miracles happening in my household... really hope that one day, i can sing this song

"as for me and my house, we going to serve the Lord"

thank God for today... that i can relax a little... be recharged for service tomorrow!

i shall continue with my sabbatical rest with some simple readings... tata~

water baptism 11th mar 2007

2007-03-16T18:55:00.000+08:00

*sorry this took a long time... blogspot was chu-ing pattern*
about 70 ppl obeyed the Lord on 11th mar 2007! it was water baptism ceremony! thank God for the convictions and courage that they are willing to take the plunge of faith!

church level events are always good for meeting people you dont usually see yet you want to see... here's my ex shepherd, lixiong!

that's jeff in the watery grave!

XC looks attentive while WJ is...

dun worry... its only 1.2m

erm... superman just flew past?

part of the NUS family...

from left to right:

jeff's cert, ellson, jeff's poster, jeff, jeff''s book, jan

stop hurting and start living

2007-02-17T21:56:00.000+08:00

i am one of those people that loves to take bus rides! haha... i really dun mind to travel long distance but i do hate changing bus haha... 165 -> 96... sianz! haha... anyway, there was a time i saw this eagle brand advertisement. "stop hurting and start living" it is pretty true isnt it. the heading is pretty self explanatory and i wouldnt write further...

last NUSA1 cg...

2007-02-02T00:30:00.000+08:00

sad but true... today we had our very last outing as a cg. we are soon going to be separated into 2 different groups... ellson, guan, ven and juan... dai, ruisi, kaili and GX...

just now, we went to tian quan there to eat zi cha. haha... got chiliy kangkong, spicy fish, butter prawn, JIA JIANG chicken, mushroom XIAO BAI CAI, TOU FU and TANG YUAN!!!

cg @ tian quan

pic with uncle ronald at serene centre

reverse-O, burnt caramel, teh tetrik, lemon, pineapple tart, chendol ice creams!!!

cg @ island creamy

juan eating dai!!! haha....

everyone wants juan...

if i cant have you in my group, i just have to eat you!

even the nice nice ven is torturing ruisi

Spiritual dumbbells

2007-01-29T22:24:00.000+08:00

"The LORD will make you the head, not the tail."
deuternomy 28:13

all Christians are supposed to live a victorious life... Pastor Jeff likes to say this, we should not in church 一条龙 outside 一条虫. How true... Many of us can pray, shout and roar like valiant godly warriors but AWOL when monday comes.

a close friend shared this to me, he said this friend, A who was HS baptised but was behaving as if he wasnt empowered by God at all. my friend was somehow affected by how his friend was living his life even though he is a christian and also having the ability to pray in the spirit. as taught, one reason why we want to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit is to be empowered by God. we need God's strength and power to do His work. my friend just couldnt reconciled this difference...

bible says, "...in this world you will have trouble..." God has made it so plain that there will be hardships and the christian walk is not a stroll in the park after meals but a marathon. but let us not forget about the extend of God's love for us.

* though in this world we will have trouble, take heart for our God has overcome the world

*a long gruelling marathon it may be but we have Jesus cheering and handing out powergel and 100plus

think about HS baptism as a gift. an ability to pray in a spirit. it is like a spiritual dumbbell. the more we use it, the stronger our inner man will me. and when we become stronger, we can ask God for more spiritual gifts. it will be like upgrading a 10kg dumbbell to a 15kg one. on the other hand, this ability can strengthen us only if we use it. a dumbbell will just be rusting away unless it is used for training.

all of us will have IPPT at the end of our times so let us train diligently with the dumbbells that we are given.

*side note*
cheese & egg prata, egg & onion prata and plain crispy prata! haha... i had these for dinner yesterday! it's been a while since i eat till shiok! haha... thanks, flince! for coming over to have dinner with me! :)

thanks, Dad... for the mulligan

2007-01-28T01:40:00.000+08:00

my first interview!

2007-01-28T01:32:00.000+08:00

i had my first interview on friday 2pm 26th Jan at a jap company called TLV pte ltd... it was my very very very first interview! the company was situated at sindo building in tannery road... since it was the first time i was there, i decided to take a cab there... i mean, you dun wan to appear sweaty and tired before the interviewer, right? and guess wat... the moment i got down from the cab... i got this nostalgic feeling... i think i have been here before but i just couldnt pinpoint when... anyway, i went to the company for the interview and he was very friendly and had actually drew me a map and taught me how to get to the nearest bus stop! woah! i would love to work with him! i really hope that i can get the job because it offers me a chance to travel overseas to places like china, japan, vietnam and many more! think about all the mission opportunities! woah! it makes me sooooooo excited just by thinking about it... anyway, as i left the building and followed his directions... i saw my landmark! haha... i was really here before! haha... when i was in the army, i used to come here to run errands... and i was particularly fond of a logistic building! haha. it had the name SYH logistic private limited... haha... coolz right? haha

SYH logistics... vision of my own company? haha.. hopefully...

heart of worship

2007-01-26T00:07:00.000+08:00

I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

worship is not restricted to worship songs nor praise songs... worship is more than music... it is our life... in the book of romans, it says "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." every little thing we do, as long as it is holy [biblical] and pleasing to God, it is worship...

"heart of worship", a song that was written by Matt Redman. there was a period of time when his pastor banned all singing in their services taught in church to teach them about the true meaning of worship and during this time, they learnt how to worship in other ways. this is what that inspired Matt to write the song...

heart of worshipp is a matter of the heart

"do not let circumstances tell you about God's love"

2007-01-21T02:39:00.000+08:00

"do not let circumstances tell you about God's love"

during the service, a sister named stefanie mentioned this in her testimony. how true it is... it is easy to love God when times are sweet... when life's filled with honey... when everything seems to go your way... but when things and circumstances are against you... it becomes harder... much harder to love God.

Joy is based on God's goodness and Happiness is based on happenings... cliche yet true... rick warren mentioned in his book [the "20 millions sold worldwide" book], that life is a test, a trust and a temporary assignment...

a test to gauge the authenticity of our love for God...
a time to build our trust in God
a time to build our character through temporal assignments to determine our heavenly standing

so let us not treat circumstances as a determinant to God's love but let the very fact of the demise of His Son prove His Love.... God doesnt owe us a living... we do... in any case, He already have rooms for us in the heavenly realm and we are going to stay there forever... what more can we ask?

some interesting stuff....

2007-01-17T00:41:00.000+08:00

this is one funny cat... it likes to sleep on top of my bro's fridge... haha... i think someone was disturbing it and it is trying to get back to sleep... cuter than jesse's baby! haha

this 2 chalets are at HOMETEAM NS... a funny location... it is just beside the golf course... if you want to get away from the city... this is the place... more ulu then aloha changi... sacarsms or compliments... you decide...

very sianz... i tot the mutton soup will taste as nice as it looks... but it is too salty... i dun dare to say it too loud though... in case the chef comes out with his chopper... i cant fight as well as zhang ziyi.... better keep it to myself....

my kid found this phone in japan airport... it is really a cool phone... wonder why you dun get these in singapore..... iphones come quick and deliver us!

kboxing [my 4th time]

2007-01-11T00:07:00.000+08:00

my girls [and ah gong] finally have the chance to witness their papa's singing powess... they must be applying ointment to their ears now... haha...

the group @ clementi Kbox

the only thing that can distract me from posing for pic... being totally engrossed in singing!!!

forcing ah gong to sing!!! haha....

i guess guan freaked out so much [by ellson's singing] that she is calling for help!

spiritual lag...

2007-01-08T01:18:00.000+08:00

lag... this is the most feared in gaming.... a split seconds or skipped frames can be a matter of death or wasted hunt... just now while gaming with the bros... little did i know... i was lagging... i had a tiny micro lag which i did not really feel it... all i can feel is that i am unable to last-hit the creeps... i din managed to have any heroes kill.... and whenever my team ganged, i always missed out on last hit... i had failed to noticed tha lag... the micro lag... feeling very noob and refusing to admit that i am one... i tried to explain the sudden noobness... i click my hero to go left... and then to right... I WAS RIGHT!!! my hero paused for a while before moving right! and then i began to adjust the way i play... by pre-clicking the position i need to go, i was able to reduce the effect of the lag... that's how i got my kills.... [hey hey... not excuses okie... really lagging leh... KC, you must believe me!]

this game and the current issue that i am going through struck me hard... spiritual lagging is something that we all need watch out... it is very easy to detect skip frame lag... but micro lag is something that is much harder to discern... whenever we are lagging from God, changes in our lives will happened... perhaps less patience towards others? less inclined in bible reading? or even worse... sinning against God! lagging can potentially turn any pro into a free frag.... i am no Paul nor Peter but ellson... already not pro... lagged even worse....

the bible says... just as you think that you can standing firm, be careful that you do not stumble... for lappie, defrag, scan for spywares and better ISP can solve the problem....
for us.... regular prayers, bible reading and reflections are the key....

听妈妈的话

2007-01-01T23:27:00.001+08:00

听妈妈的话别让她受伤

the first time i heard this was during one MACHO outing at botanical gardens... it was jasmine who was singing this song... she said she wanted to learn to sing it in order to connect with the younger generations. it was pretty amusing to see her singing secular songs... not that she sux at it but rather because i was more used to seeing her singing christian songs... above all that, i was truly touched by the chorus...

想快快长大才能保护他

the second time i heard this song was during my third visit to the KTV... i went there with huanyan, edwin and ceyang... this time, it was huan yen who sang this song... at that moment... as i saw the lyrics... and if not for the presence of the guys.... i would have teared like mad... the lyrics are so meaningful... and it fully expresses the love of a mother to her child....

美丽的白发幸福中发芽

the third time i heard this song was just minutes ago.. i got this song from a friend! thanks, shiwei... i had totally forgotten this song...
one that touched my heart [and tickle my funny bone] @ botanical gardens
one that made my heart ache during the ktv session
how we easily forget those that meant lots to us... be it ppl or songs...

天使的魔法温暖中慈祥

friends... whenever you felt that your mother's nagging at you again... whenever you felt angry at her... whenever you wished that she would leave you alone... do yourself a favour... listen to this song... i am sure you can identify with the lyrics... remind yourself of your mum's love for you... if you havent hug your mum, do so... if you havent say nice words to her, do so...

multiply this love by several fold and you get God's love...

my own company?

2006-12-28T03:19:00.000+08:00

recently, i have been asking God for a vision... i still am.... to a certain extend, i am unsure about the future and what i should do about it... the basic fundamental stuffs that i SHOULD do, i noe... but other than this, i am a bit blur...

something that pastor jeff spoke to me about when i was at kallang theatre struck me... he said, "ellson, what do you think of starting your own company? a decor or props company?"

hmm... my own company... this means i can have lots of fexible time to serve God... i can bless the church with bigger and better decor and props.... most impt of all, i can use my gifts to the fullest.... still contemplating about it... but it is something worth thinking...

carolling 2006

2006-12-26T02:20:00.000+08:00

last minute christmas carol rehearsal....

with a smiley soooooo big.... how can you dun smile!!!

carolling @ marina square...

carolling @ raffles city shopping centre

3 men... 3 sparkling juices...

machos of NUS....

some Christmas Decor Pic

2006-12-26T01:58:00.001+08:00

that's one gigantic door... guess wat this is!!! a lift... never use such a big lift before...

the giraffe legs... the actors are suppose to walk on stilts... *heng* the idea was thrown away...

ellson and his giraffe

this is a very dangerous act... kids do not try this at home.... SHU SHU YOU LIAN GUO

ma chiam like rein deers....

zebra crossings....

life's a play...

2006-12-18T12:11:00.001+08:00

can anyone rem this song? it goes "ren sheng ru meng, meng ............." haha... sorry i cant rem anything much more than this... but i believed it is by eric moo....

was reading a blog entry by liyan... it about was joshua harris's view that life is a play and God being the playwright... suddenly something struck me...

God is the playwright and we are the artistes, then....

^Jesus is the artiste nanny*

^Holy Spirit is the director

*artiste nanny is the one who fuss over us... checking our schedules.... making sure that our look their best.... the one who will stand by us no matter what....

unlike normal play.... we do not know the full story of the play... all we know is that it will be a WAN MEI DE JIE JUE.... due to our human limitation, we are unable to comprehend the full story at the moment.... we cannot "memorise" all the lines.... therefore, we will only know the current scene we are acting... this sense of uncertainity will of course pressurise us....

many will complain and say, "wa lau... how to act when i dun know the full story... i need to get into the mood to act..."

but the truth is... if we REALLY know everything... i think we will be too brothered by the sequence of happenings... the weight of memorising the whole script... worse still, we try to tell the playwright how to move from one scene to another.... then to act to the best of our abilities...

thus.... why not just believe in the playwright... this playwright is award-winning and has a track record of being the best.... if YOU do not believe... feel free to read his biography...

and now, on 1/8/2010...

i am reading that book which speaks of "a cast in rebellion"

interesting

a bit late, but interesting

sisters from HOPE KS

2006-12-17T14:47:00.000+08:00

thank God for the opportunity to meet up with Hope Christian from all over the world... i had the chance to meet up with:

^a group of Thai Bro and Sisters [only rem tony... haha.. am sure our NUS sisters can rem him as well... haha... am gald that we are still in contact...]
^a German Bro [Oops... cant rem his name...]
^a south african couple [Hendry and Lalendra*]
^a group of sisters from Hope KS [valerie, joyce, hui lee and huiling]

^valerie is the leader of the pack... young but serious about God
^joyce is the talented gal! can dance ballet, can play keyboard...
^hui lee is the aspiring church planter!
^huiling is the youngest but the most energetic... brought lots of laughter and joy through her child likeness

lunch @ kiliney

ellson, joyce, huili, huiling, valerie, liyan

pic @ orchard point

am always encouraged by the passion and the heart of them... on the last night that i met up with them, i spoke to hui lee... woah... she told me she is going to all the different service at nexus... saying that she wanna learn as much as possible... she is like a sponge... soaking up everything to make sure that her trip to singapore is as fruitful as possible.... really admire her spirit...

then it dawn upon me... if the PAP is so keen to make singapore an education hub for the world... we too can make Hope singapore a mission hub... a "recharging" hub... a rescource hub for the rest of the Hope counterparts.... pastor Ben always says that Hope has a church in singapore not by chance but by the power of God and that God have a purpose for all of us here... hmm... frankly speaking... at this moment in time, i do not know what to do about it... as in... wat is the next step... but i pray that God will annoint our leaders to bring us forward... towards the destiny that God has for us....

a few days after stand chart marathon...

2006-12-07T00:46:00.000+08:00

Praise You Lord!!! for you sustain me... just very happy that i ran faster than i had expected!!! though not very fast in the eyes of pro runners... like that Amos guy... but i met and exceeded my target timing...
i saw my pic online.. woah! there are actually ppl who wanna take picture of me... maybe they just know that i am a sucker and i will surely buy photos of myself finishing the marathon... as a matter of fact, i did... to inspire myself to run next year!!!

hey ppl!!! in case you din read the news, Hope Singapore came in 7th!!! woah X woah!!! last year we were 10th! thank God for all the runners... and thank God for sustaining all of us!!! let's improve the ranking and so that everyone will know that christians can run! haha... hmm... come to think about it.. got ppl say we cannot run meh? anyway... just wanna make a name for the church... bring glory to the church we all love sooooooo much!!!

i am running next year... are you?

it is done...

2006-12-04T12:45:00.000+08:00

"hey... who wanna join stand chart marathon? the 42km? we have to hurry to and sign up... before the early bird closes... "

"me... me... me... i wan to join 42km marathon..." as i keyed in the debit card number, i knew that if i want to finish the run with grace and dignity, i really need to train...

and trained hard i did.... as least for the first few weeks... i was very onz... i made myself a calender and a training schedule... about how much distance to cover per week and stuff... looked at website on running... bought myself a GT2110

then haze came... sigh... it turn the HQ into Genting... so foggy... haha.... it was actually quite romantic.... except for the smell... boy... was real irritated with it because i cant continue with my training... but it soon became convenient excuses.... anyway... the monsoon session took over and clear the sky of smog but filled it with rain.... again.. convenient excuses to skip training...

as days pass... i edited the countdown on my msn nickname... fear begins rises.... i had only cleared 19km during my so-called training... it is not even 50% of the marathon distance.... to make myself feel better, i said to myself... "at most walk lor... never mind what... can complete oredi an accomplishment" this thought actually calms me down! [it was a thought of defeat... a thought of giving up... bad thought!]

then came 2nd of Dec... the night where myself and Jan spent the night at zhengzhong's place before BIG day... ate lots of banana... drank lots of milk before sleeping... must be filled with carbo so that i will have energy to run... it feels kinda weird to sleep at 1230am... [for i have been sleeping at 4am lately] thank God that both Jan ZZ dun snore... haha... if not... how to sleep! haha...

at 4am... Jan's phone alarm rang... i opened my eyes... but i did not move a muscle... then i heard Jan turning off the alarm... silence... was expecting Jan to wake us up... silence... nothing happens... only the soft rumbling of vehicles in the distance.... i close my eyes.... expecting Jan to wake us a while later... maybe he just wan to snooze a little more...

420am... i woke up... the 2 are still sleeping... one of the biggest temptation revealed itself.... i want to give up... i just want to sleep in and then give the excuse that we over slept... it is not because of sleep... it is due to the fact that i know what is to come if i run the marathon... i can imagine all the pain... all the agony... the sweat.... the blistering sun.... the sheer torture.... i dun need to do that, do i? i am not obliged to run, am i? no one can force me to do so, can they?

i closed my eyes once again... suddenly... the story of Jesus praying in Gethesame came into my mind... Jesus being God... knows what is to come if He allows Himself to be captured.... i am sure He knows the physical pain... the insulting words from ppl... most impt of all... He knew that for a brief moment.... His Father will remove His Presence on Him... that perhaps is the greatest pain of all... but He remembered His purpose on earth... Jesus had volunteered Himself to save us... and i believe that had helped brought Jesus through... His sacrifice IS for the ones He loves...

i too remembered why i want to join the marathon... it is not the race that i am interested in... it is something that i want to do... i had lost the feeling of working hard for something... that persistence.. that determination... that spirit of wanting to complete something despite of hardship.... i had lost this feeling... i want to get it back... thus i prayed that through this physical breathrough... i too can have various breakthroughs in my life as well....

i am glad God reminded me of the story of Jesus's struggle as well... makes me feel at peace... that my God knows what i am going through and He had oredi set the example... :) anyway... if i dun wake jan and zz up... they will kill me as well! haha... most impt of all... i can never hold up my head if i were to give up...

oh oh... it was a spiritual breathrough because i prayed for 8km... haha.. at the 34km mark.. they actually ran out of DEEP HEAT! what is this man?!? no DEEP HEAT means that i had to endure the stinging pain in my right knee cap! how to complete marathon if every step i take is going to hurting like mad! but God somehow remove the pain.. and i was able to run and complete it... this dependence on God for comfort is in the physical sense.. but i know that spiritually and emotionally, God can provide the same as well!!!

thank God for the breakthrough... and i pray and commit my aching knee to the Lord... heal me and heal all those who suffered "marathonic" ailment. amen!

studyroom in the 1st week

2006-11-26T22:28:00.000+08:00

man's talk

2006-11-22T02:06:00.000+08:00

here's some pic i took just now. had a sakura dinner with kinwee...
it was $26 per person... i used to think that it is $25... haha.. anyway..
there's some of the stuff we ate...

chili flower crab... the sauce is nice... the crab is crap...

prawns... more prawns!!! i wan more prawns....

ice creams... the sweet corn ice cream is nice! very nice... i must get more of it...

Kim Chu is saving money for his laptop loan... that's why he did not join us for the buffet dinner... but he is loyal enough to come to meet us after our makan spree... haha... initially we wanted to get some beer from cold storage... but when we are there... our wallet prompts us to stop it and get something cheaper instead... tata~ thank God for 2 bottle for 1.50 promotion.. in the end we bought 4 bottles of fruit juice and went hunting for a place for our man's talk....

in the end we settled for the steps at "tuck tuck" there... quite a nice place... it was there where we shared our ideas about stuff... commenting and expressing views.... thought we are buddies, there are actually moments where gunpowder is in the air... but we managed to keep it under control. sorry, kw... haha should have been more sensitive! thanks kc... for being the faciliator! haha.... i really hope i can add to my intel attribute so that i can understand fully how you think!

frens.. wat are frens...
frens are ppl who wants to know more about you...
ppl who wants to tolerate you...
ppl who wants to understand you...
i cant say i totally know, understand and can tolerate kc & kw... but i wan to tell them that i want to! i WANT TO!!!!christian walk's made easier with you guys around! thanks!!!
better stop here... getting more and more DUAN BEI SHAN... haha.....

some random thoughts

2006-11-15T14:39:00.000+08:00

apologies to those who came to my blog and saw ZERO new entries... sorry... will try to write more often!!! hey.. encourage me with comments or tags k! thanks! anyway... here's just some random thoughts...

wanna thank God for keeping my ah gong healthy. went to his bday celebration last saturday. was a simple buffet and cake... but i like the gathering of extended family. i am glad that most of us managed to attend it... helps to keep the younger generation bonded.

wanna thank God for HT aka red bean and whoever that's not feeling well and yet still join us at ECP. ANGDAO was sick but he braved through the rain storm to meet us at the ECP hawker centre only to be trapped there. all of us are soaking wet and cold like siao lor but i guess that's shared moments! haha...

"do not put the Lord to the test"
what comes into your mind when you read this verse? dun test the Lord...
dun go jump down from building and then ask the Lord to send angels to catch you? dun disturb the gangsters and tell them to get lost for the Lord is with you?
actually i realised that it simply means... that we should not put ourselves in any situations that God has to come in and intervene to save our skins. it means that if we can avoid the situations ourselves, we should try to do it.
or in ellson's lingo
"wa lau. dun purposely do stupid things and then nag God to save you."
of course, we shouldnt go to the extreme and try to be self sufficient to the point that we do not need God. the fact is we do need God... but wat matters are the reasons and situations...

the asicence hair shampoo really works! everyone should try! haha... coupled with the conditioner and treatment! it rocks!!!!!

Age of Empire...
i cant say this game rocks.... but it is really nice.... i had this game like eons ago but never play it. was too absorbed into C&C, starcrafts, warcraft and stuff... actually, its the AOE picture that puts me off... before i even play, i oredi "hated" the game... haha... dun judge a book by its cover... dun judge a game by its picture! haha...

heaven's cheering again!!!

2006-11-05T22:52:00.000+08:00

on 04th November 2006

our ah juan mei mei accept* Jesus into her life...
[why accept*? there is a story to it... for more information, ask juan yourself... haha]

God not just save juan... but He taught me something as well... faith... let me share this story with you...

when i got the news that juan is coming for service, i wasnt happy... was stressed... was fearful... it was faithless-ness... i wasnt ready for another wasted opportunity... but during the PnW... it was different... all of the sudden, God reminded me of Chun... i rem that i kept praying for her during the PnW... during the service... [believed others prayed fervently for her also] and tata~ her heart was soften and she accepted Jesus...

Jesus is the same in the past, present and in the future... He is never changing and is everloving... if He can do the same in chun's heart, He can do the same in juan's heart!

and so.. i prayed and prayed... all the way till altar call... but when jasmine was asking the hope members to share the gospel to our non-believing friend... a sense of crippling fear strikes me... i recalled the many times she rejected the offer... i took a little peep at her... i saw her shaking her head when dai spoke to her... *faint* i wan to faint... the fear had taken shape... taken form... she really "said" no again... at that instant... a thought... a stirring in the heart came...

"ignore it... ignore it... just pray... do not be affected.. just pray"

instinctively, i covered my ear and pray... asking God to soften her heart... after the "sinner's prayer", i open my ears and i saw dai and juan hugging...
i was like... hug for wat.... never hug before meh... haha... hug because juan received Christ!!! before i can react... all the sisters are swarming over all... and i do mean SWARMING over her... juan cried... tears of joy came flowing down... wat a sight to behold... :)

i just patted her head and smile... i believe God had patted on mine too...
learnt an impt lesson... just pray and believe... do not let circumstance stop me from praying... no one... absolutely no one can stop us from loving God and no one can stop God from loving us...

love You lots, Abba... thanks for hearing not just my prayer... but many others who had prayed for juan... thanks...

PM came to HQ

2006-11-02T16:25:00.000+08:00

yupz! it's PM alright... a praying mantis!
wah... this critter scare chun to "death". interesting little insect... made me wanna youtube for it... i realise a shocking news... praying mantis actually eat mice! here's some pic of it...

Kan Jian Le...

2006-10-27T03:00:00.000+08:00

Saw 3 is coming!!!!

cool... do take a look...

GFG @ Botanical Garden

2006-10-26T03:12:00.000+08:00

Praise the Lord! really! cause He had stop the rain so that we can have fun... come to think of it... i think God send rain to clear the air of the filthy smog so that we can breathe better! haha... the moment all brothers reach the place, the sky began to clear and dada~ the rain stop! Thank you sooo much, Lord!

[on our way to the swan lake... the brothers actually go gaga over the 2 swan and one loser duck! really! the duck is very loser! it is a swan wannabe!]

[Fall in... reliving the army days... 1 2 3 4 5 6 and no blank file!]

[the losing team of the "dog and bone" have to prepare sandwiches for the winning team... hmm... putting burning coal on their head]

[playing ball in the field... need more explanation?]

[hang on, edwin... just hang on!]

[flince-terpillar will turn into a butterfly one day!]

[macho brothers on the trees... wonder where are our Janes?]

[the thinking game... this game reconfirmed that i am good only in chiong chiong games... just chiong, run and endure... any game that dun need brain and i will rock big time... but this thinking game... sobz]

[nope! your eyes din played a trick on you... our jasmine was there during the second game onwards... it was great to hear her opinions and views regarding BRGs...]

[the machos of NUS...]

bro... brother... brotherhood...

2006-10-21T00:34:00.000+08:00

today KC and kinwee came to HQ for dinner...[always KC around never kinwee] a pleasant surprise... haha... after dinner, we went to the brick staircase behind HQ and begin our MAN'S TALK... sharing about our CGs... and matters of the heart... not sure how long we were sat there... but i really enjoyed such fellowship... such is wat i call brotherhood...

pig trotter part 2...

2006-10-20T02:12:00.000+08:00

here are some of the pictures taken during the filming today... haha..

in case you are wondering why this tin is in the picture... this tin happens to be my co-star... mr tin has been with me through thick and thin... haha... and he is the "kopi-O ta bao"...

oh oh... i kenan worm again! this time at feng seng that side... found this "green wormie" in my ban mian... i think God knows that i need to extra protein...

pig trotter...

2006-10-18T13:52:00.000+08:00

Okie... can... i will meet you at 1pm at Yishun MRT... yupz... yes... i will bring another set of clothings... okie.. see you... bye

i argeed to be chun's lead actor in her video project! oh man! wat have i gotten myself into!! immediately, i can imgaine me doing all the NGs and stalling the progress of the whole film making. btw, chun is the newest sister to NUS family.

i am good... in fact.. gifted at making a fool of myself... talented at clowning around... "annointed" to make people laugh... but to be serious and act in front of the camera is different... the lens seem to have an invisible power that can make people make mistakes... haha... sorry, chun.. for the NGs...

just as i was filming yesterday... something hit me... *ping* *ouch*
comfort zone... comfort zone... the reason why i wanna hit myself in the head is i still hate to move out of my comfort zone. filming is new to me... esp acting with people with so much stage experience. [chun and her frens are involved in chinese drama. i had seen one of their performance... if not world class... it is durian class standard!] thank God that in the end i managed to do wat i was suppose to do...

i am going to film again on thursday... hope that i wouldnt create troubles for the editing crew... haha...

note:
1. shared moments
this few hours of filming... it brings me to chun's world. helps me to understand her better. do wat she likes to do. this experience is something we will definitely talked about and laughed about... shared moments are effective in fostering relationships... so brothers, we must have more of shared moments together... so that in reliving the memories, we can laugh at one another and remember that times that we spent... sounds mushy? k la. a bit...

2. christian walk is a duh.. a walk.. not treadmill... not jumping on the spot to reach God... a walk.. walk with God... there will be times where we had to step out of our comfort zones... it is not easy... but remember that whenever we step out with God holding our hands... we trust in Him more... we grow more...

father and son...

2006-10-16T10:25:00.000+08:00

a great story for:
it brought guilt...
it brought shame...
it brought realisation...
it brought inspiration...
it brought hope...
one day... i will tell a story. such as this...

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in
marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a
wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming
and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all inthe same day. Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back
mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.
This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when
Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him
brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.
"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life." Dick says doctors told
him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an
institution."
But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes
followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the
engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was
anything to help the boy communicate. "No way," Dick says he was
told. "There's nothing going on in his brain."
"Tell him a joke," Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns
out a lot was going on&n bsp;in his brain.
Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by
touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able
to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!" And after a high school
classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run
for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want to do that."

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker" who never ran
more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he
tried. "Then it was me who was handicapped," Dick says. "I was sore
for two weeks." That day changed Rick's life. "Dad," he typed, "when we were
running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!"
And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with
giving
Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly
shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.
"No way," Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite
a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For
;few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway.
Then they found a way to get into the race officially - in 1983 they ran
another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston
the following year. Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?"
How's a guy who never learned to swim and had n't ridden a bike
since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still,
Dick tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour
Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud
getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you
think? Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way," he says.
Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling" he gets seeing Rick
with a cantaloupe-sized smile as they run, swim and ride together. This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their
besttime - Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world
record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things,
happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at
the time.
"No question about it," Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century."
And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he
had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his
arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape," one
doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago."
So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.
Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in
Boston,and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass.,
always
find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and
compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this
Father's Day. That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really
wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.
"The thing I'd most like," Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the
chair and I push him once."

Here's the video.... Copy this URL into your browser
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryCTIigaloQ

heaven's cheering!!!

2006-10-15T13:12:00.000+08:00

2315hrs on 14th of october 2006...

a great cheer came from heaven...
a "boohoo boohoo" from chen xiang ann...

wanna give thanks to God
for bringing her to service
for touching her heart
for giving her courage
for saving her

Lord... we await to see more of You in her life.
transform this new sister's life and bless her greatly
amen.

in case you are still reading "WAN BAO"
she is none other than zhi chun aka cookie monster.
welcome to the family, sis. it is the greatest and best
decision you have ever made.

also wanna give thanks to zheng zhong and michelle.
learn a lot from them. thanks.

start with yourself

2006-10-15T12:51:00.000+08:00

friday i saw jun kee at the HQ... he gave me this look that says "man! wat are you doing here?" sigh... he is right... wat am i doing here! so old oredi.. still at HQ... anyway jokes aside.. i am now at the stage where many, the likes of alan, chek wei, hanhui, sijia and many others have been and crossed...

so... you might ask.. wat is this stage that i am at now? this stage is the point where i have only a few months left before moving on* [correct as of 12th october 2006] i am sure many have these in their minds...
1. wat are the areas that i can leave a print behind?
2. wat legacy do i wan to leave?
3. wat do i want people to remember me of?
4.or in army term: "last burst of fire!"

permanent contributions
the sermon titled "why do i work like a dog?" by Pastor Jeff struck something deeply in me.
why do people want to work like a dog... the only reason is satisfaction! satisfaction that comes are after completing something... closing a deal or something. but temporal success cannot satisfy us for we are beings with the concept of eternality placed. thus like the 1st sermon point, we want to make permanent contributions. to have a legacy left behind. not so much about people remembering who we are.. but rather people remembering what we had done and thus encouraging people to do the same in the future...
how then can i make permanent contributions?

survival --> success --> significant
we need to move pass "survival stage" and "success stage" before we can be "significant". when a person just joined a company, the first thing he needs to do is to build relationships in the company. mix well with the rest of the staffs and learning the ropes. the second thing is to start closing deals and show people "what he is made of". only then, can that person start to make an impact in ppl's lives. because he has shown himself to be credible....
in the spiritual aspect... it is the same... when a new believer first comes to know God, he must first be able to "survive" and fan his passion for God. [reasons for 24 hour CAPI, right]. next he should have some success under his belt. these success are the fruits of the spirit that became evident in his life as he grow in the Lord and they can be breakthroughs as well... like having a deeper trust and faith in the Lord. then he can influence ppl with wat he has learnt. even better is that he raise up as a leader and impacting even more ppl! extending his sphere of influence...
how then can i survive and be successful?

"you cant give what you dont have"
a simple truth... so simple that poeple will say "you been you dont know?" [ellson will say: "wa lau... so simple! you also dun noe meh!" the simplicity of the truth is often the reason why people are unable to live it out fully in their lives. this truth can be illustrated easily in quantitative sense like:
1. yeah.. i am free... let spend some time together...
2. no probs... i just got my salary... i can lend you some money...
however, when it comes to the intangibles... it is no longer that straight forward...
the intangibles.. things that cant be measured... cant be seen... such truth will escape under the mist of ignorance...

the reason people want to stay back to help out in student ministry or just to leave a biblical legacy behind is that they want to add value to the group. however, unless we have some valuables to impart, we cant add value to people at all... we simply cant give wat we dun haf...

i quote from John C. Maxwell's book...
to be a person that adds value to others, we need to
a. recognise our value
once, Gary Smalley ask his audience whether they want the 50 dollar note in his hands. all hands shoot up . then he crumpled the note and ask the audience. once again, all hands shoot up. after that, he dropped it to the floor and grind it with his shoe. picking the crumpled note up, he asked the question again. needlessly to say... all hands shoot up again. the value of the note hasnt change no matter wat gary did to it. like the note, we have values as well... we are valuable in God's eyes.. no matter how we or others look at others, the value remains...
b. accept your value
"acceptance" comes from the Latin ad capere that means " to take to oneself". this means, process of accepting others is the act of self-acceptance.
c. increase in your value
duh... no explaination needed right?
d. believe in your value
just like praying... we should believe and have faith in the prayer that we made before God. we should recognise, accept, increase and believe in our values...

i have been reading to add value to myself... so that i can add value to the group... wat about you?

[3 oct 2006] rem wat you are good at...

2006-10-15T12:42:00.000+08:00

while i was writing the previous blog... about the cg outing at botanical garden... something caught my eyes... a photo of ven holding her drawing... it was a pencil drawn picture of a fruit basket. hmm... suddenly i rem that i used to draw with pencils as well... [yes.. i draw with pencils... some use poster colour.. crayon... blah blah.. i like pencil!!] that thought brought me into "stand by room" state... i search high and low for pictures that i had drawn before... haha.... WANG TIAN BU FU YOU XIN REN!!! i found a tiny book that contains some of my drawings... hmm.. i think it rekindle my passion for drawing again... while i start to draw again... share with you wat i had drawn oredi...
rem wat you are good at... according to research... in US, nearly 85% of the people felt that they could work harder on the job. and more than half of them claimed that they could double their effectiveness if they wanted to... why you ask? it is because very few people are working in their areas of strength. who likes to work in the area of weakness.. duh! yupz... that's why we must always asking ourselves wat are our strength... wat are the things that we are good in.... and then to remind ourselves of it.. so that we can continuously improving ourselves in those areas!!

there are some of the strength my cg ppl possesses
jiadai - energetic...
guan - willingness...
eric - detailed...
gx - gifted in writings...
ven - simple child-like faith...
ruisi - dancing...
kaili - "can do" spirit...

we all have so much in us... so much that we can offer to God... wat's yours...
NUS100... you are with me?

[28th sept 2006] CG @ botanical garden

2006-10-15T03:32:00.000+08:00

clap clap everyone!!! this is our very 1st* cg outing of the "a cg outing per month scheme". haha... and the organisers are....... dai and si!!!!! clap clap! they really put in lots of effort in their planning and i believe that the ENTIRE cg is very blessed by them!!! thank God for you two!!! there's some of the things we did there!

if i can cook, so can you... not nice? too bad! eat everything!!
firstly, we have to randomly picked a person to bless him/her with a home made meal. and woah X woah! i am very impressed with the food that my cg came up with. they really took a lot of efforts in doing so. the love and the desire to bless the other person is sooooooooooo much that they spend a lot of time preparing the food. so sorry GX, i had made quite a lousy meal for you... haha... din realised that my house dun haf much things. sorry.. my bad!

me tarzan... you jane...
after that, we roamed around the garden.... and we found this tree that's very near to our pinic ground. haha... it was a cool looking tree [looks very much like the HAI ZI SHU tree] and we decided to climb it. you know something... when kaili told me that her frens called her xena... i din really believe her... i was like.. oh oh.. okie.. xena har.. okie lor.. but then... woah!!!! kaili climbed the tree like nobody's business. cant say that she did it with grace... but it was much better than most girls could havedone. oh great one... xena! i am not worthy!!! haha... sad to say... the tree wasnt very big... haha... and our dear GX had no more space on the tree so he did not climb it... but he made candid shots by pretending to support the tree. haha....

i tell you har... this one har... this is...
this activity requires us to bring something to show and to tell to the rest... thanks kaili for her wonderful photos... thanks ven for her drawing book... thanks jiadai for her musical notebook. thanks GX for his army pic. and shame shame on those who din bring anything!!!!! hahaha... ellson also din bring *shy shy* haha... but we made up with juicy stories and sharings!!! haha...kkk.. sorry that i din bring any stuff...

ready... get set... draw!!!!
haha... this is unbelievable... the whole cg then use crayon and water colour to paint pictures!!!! haha... it feels sooooo funny... feels like entering some drawing competition in primary school... thank God for you all!!! everyone had played a part in making it possible! btw.. GX and Ven... the next outing better be good! if not... if not... if not daidai will cry!haha....

[27th sept 2006] fun times at liquid kitchen

2006-10-15T03:21:00.000+08:00

it has been a long time... too long in fact... that i almost forgot how soothing and relaxing it can be.... just to drink and chat.. having some mindless stupid games with frens... it just did that... at liquid kitchen... the drinks and food are not exactly first class... but the friendship is the main dish... i totally enjoyed the time there with them...
the gang consist of myself, eric, edwin, nicholas, jesse and yi shyan. we played asshole-tai-dee [i think is spelt like this], piggy and truth or dare... some cliche games.. but it was fun! haha... anyway i was late due to tuition and then i had a conference call with ben and jan, thus i wasnt really connecting with them for about 50% of the time. haha... but i made up by making my presence felt for the other 50%. making fun of myself and others. most of the time others.... haha.... the rubber band joke on yi shyan... and the big mouth/ leo joke on jesse. haha... really really enjoyed myself... wonder if they enjoyed as much... :P
just as we are laughing at the dares and truths that we had shared.... suddenly... a question popped out! a question that is beyond the league of "truth and dare""ellson... how do you keep being focused onto God?"wa lau.... what kind of question is this? not really the kind of truth or dare genre... but i am glad that he asked me that.... it gave me a chance to share to people... a chance to be open to people.. a chance to build deeper relationship... a chance to encourage and hopefully inspire the rest... at least i hope that i did... :)
i believe God allow everyone of us to go through suffering... trying times... hardship for a reason... if not for reasonSsssss. when we had gone through it with Him, we grow stronger..we grew more assured of his Presence... we will trust Him more and more!!! and more importantly... we serve as living testimonies of His goodness and we will be encouragements to ppl around us.
will be looking forward to more supper/drinking times with ppl....

P.S. the singapore sling at liquid kitchen[serangoon] is not nice!!! dun order!

[5th sept 2006] steve's dead

2006-10-15T03:17:00.000+08:00

i was still watching his crocs files just weeks ago. this croc hunter... steve irwin was killed in a freak accident...he lost his life to a stingray... wat a way to die... i had always imgaine him being killed by snakes or croc... somehow it seems more honorable to him. now that he is really gone... i am stunned...
this million dollar questions come in... is he saved? wat are his wife and 2 kids going to do in the future? i think finance shouldnt be a problem for them as steve is quite freaky rich. but i am saddened by the fact that his kids will be without a father to guide them... i hope things will turn out well for them...
in the msn, i saw many frens putting (tu) on their nick... in memory of steve. that's how i noe about his death... so... steve.. i shall too put a (tu) on my nick... thanks for all the joy and laughter that you had brought me... the croc files... i wonder if mediacorp will still show them...

[1st sept 2006] standard chartered marathon 2006

2006-10-15T03:13:00.000+08:00

the map of the marathon route. i am training for it. it is really not easy. the mental and physical strain it has on the body... really hope i can finish it like a man!
the marathon is like the walk like God... this is a super over used cliche but yet... it is very true. in a race, we should never start fast... we should run slow and once we get the hang of it, we can increase the speed a little. but even so, we must keep checking our bodies. our feet, legs, heartbeat rate and etc.... if we felt that we had pushed too much, we got to slow down a little before the damage sets in. this may even force us out of the race..
in the run... in the marathon... the reason why we run is to complete the marathon... and if possible win the race. the reason SHOULD NOT be overtaking people. it MUST NOT be the reason. but while winning the race, we will of course overtake ppl. but we have to be careful and not keep pushing ourselves to overtake ppl and then in the end.. get burnt out... there are so so so many examples that we can see during races.
likewise, the walk with God is the same also. serving is important. but taking care of our spiritual health is just as important if not more important. let us not serve till the extent that the ministry becomes god and neglect our relationship with God. let us serve because of who God is...
i am going for my run le. bye

[1st sept 2006] my birthday presents

2006-10-15T03:10:00.000+08:00

these are the stuff i gotten for bday! a big big thank you to all who had blessed so much with cards, gifts and time... thanks!

test 2

2006-10-15T02:40:00.000+08:00

ellson isaac seet yong hwee

why why why

shingz dinner with dinos

一起走到

inspiration #2

and so it begins...

and so it begins...

inspiration #1

quotable quotes

CNY with sheep

stay tuned

random thoughts again...

a little gift from God

how great thou art...

gave and take away

the glasses on your nose; the spirit in your heart

inspiration #0

God is Grrrrrrrrrrrreat!

i am back!

my first day at gericke

bachelor of engineering... i have that... *sigh*

bangkok [day 02]

bangkok [day 01]

thai camp: mission heartbeat

power of remembering

uni bro meeting...

sabbatical rest

water baptism 11th mar 2007

stop hurting and start living

last NUSA1 cg...

Spiritual dumbbells

thanks, Dad... for the mulligan

my first interview!

heart of worship

"do not let circumstances tell you about God's love"

some interesting stuff....

kboxing [my 4th time]

spiritual lag...

听妈妈的话

my own company?

carolling 2006

some Christmas Decor Pic

life's a play...

sisters from HOPE KS

a few days after stand chart marathon...

it is done...

studyroom in the 1st week

man's talk

some random thoughts

heaven's cheering again!!!

PM came to HQ

Kan Jian Le...

GFG @ Botanical Garden

bro... brother... brotherhood...

pig trotter part 2...

pig trotter...

father and son...

heaven's cheering!!!

start with yourself

[3 oct 2006] rem wat you are good at...

[28th sept 2006] CG @ botanical garden

[27th sept 2006] fun times at liquid kitchen

[5th sept 2006] steve's dead

[1st sept 2006] standard chartered marathon 2006

[1st sept 2006] my birthday presents

test 2

bachelor of engineering... i have that... sigh