Langkawi!!!

Woohoo... at airport now... logging in to say "Langkawi... here I come!!" Hah.. this impromptu trip just sprang up from no where.... Marlene just calls one day and the next day we've all booked our tix for a hol at Langkawi... well.. who can resist free stay at Four Seasons? for 4 DAYS & NITES? Marlene's fantastic lobang - cos she works at Regent. & Vanessa is on the trip to... it's gonna be fun!

Looking forward to a great weekend ahead!

CIAO! ~ Sam

What to blog?

Today I logged-into blogger and got into my blog... but now that I'm here, I am at a lost of what to blog. I could talk about my day, my life, people, things, or events happening.. or dreams, thoughts, worries and.... really.... anything...

But maybe I should talk about my favourite topic again - Life.

Life is really fleeting. You can't grasp it. One day I feel the world is going great for me. Another day I am down with insecurities and fear. Another day I am disgruntled because I am disatisfied with things> Another day, I am confident because I feel good that day.

It's like... feelings.

Today I prayed to God - to show me a new direction for my life. This year is a time for rest and renewal for me... and perhaps also a time for new directions. :) I often tell God in my prayers that if I were to lose everything - job, money, people, anything... I will still serve Him.... but somehow there seems to be a weird atmosphere hanging in the air - it's like... the stillness before crunch time... stillness before a storm.

In any case, I don't want to sound so morbid.. .I am actually waiting on God to bring the storm - so that I can see a miracle - the calming of the storm - and a rainbow after it (Rainbow is the sign of God's promises to us).

Right now.... everything is placid - peaceful, but it's not that 'breakthru' kind of peaceful. It's more like... let me ignore the whole world and just remain in my box - kind of peaceful.

I wonder what I am really talking about.

Till later. Looking up to find more about my purpose in life.

Hearts on Fire: Now is the Time

The NUS Catholic Students Society's Youth Rally - "Hearts on Fire" - part of it's Catholic Awareness Week - was awesome. As Freddy says... in Singapore we say.. it's 'ok' but in the US they say 'awesome'. I'd say it was 'awesome'.

I remember really thanking the Lord simply because of the number of youths there.. 800+ youths just praising and worshipping the Lord. It's like watching your dreams come true. And this is just the beginning of what seems to be a start of a wonderful revival among the Catholic youths. Certainly much work needs to be done. But I am just encouraged and inspired.

This night.. I spend my birthday night with the Lord at the youth rally. There was the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament - where Jesus is present in the Eucharist and everyone kneels before Jesus in holy reverance. That moment, I was not thinking one bit on how long or tiring it was - i was just worshipping the Lord. I was simply in communion with Him... telling Him all my wishes, dreams and sorrows. I laid down before Him all my pride. I asked Him for Forgiveness. I prayed to know what His will is. I asked Him to heal my eyesight.. (though it didn't happen).. and I felt the Lord loving me and washing his Grace over me.

At the end... the youth group members at YAM prayed over me since it was my birthday too. I was even more touched. I felt love flowing from them to me... through their prayer, their words. I felt the peace of God and they affirmed me that the Lord is saying, "The Joy of the Lord is my strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). How true this is.. for I've often been just sad and moody - for no reason. My weakness. But the Joy of the Lord is my strength. And if I have Jesus, I am strong indeed!

See the wonderful rally...

Seminarians praying over someone...

Fr. Simon Pereira giving the homily... telling us that we have the Holy Spirit in us, sharing with us stories about the situation in the world today

Awesome Praise & Worship at the end, when everyone's more visibly hyped up.

PErfect Day - Josh Bates - Lyrics

Creation waits for Him to move.
The revelation of the truth,
Every eye will finally see.
The perfect day will come at last.
He will break the darkened glass.
With everyone on bended knee,
Maybe tomorrow, maybe in a hundred years.

Chorus:
The perfect day will come I know.
When I will dance around the throne.
With the angels, I will give Him praise.
I will finally get to meet the one who made joy complete.
The perfect One on the perfect day.
I am waiting for the perfect day.

Verse 2:
The world I know will pass away.
Only his love will remain.
All His work will then be done.
With his children gathered 'round,
They will make a joyful sound,
Giving glory to the risen Son.
I'm just a dreamer and I am dreaming of the day.

Chorus Again

Bridge:
I will keep my eyes focused on the prize.
I will run to the One who has called me.
Each new day begins singing songs to Him, hallelujah.
You alone are holy. You alone are holy.

His presence sweeter than before,
I won't be crying anymore.
More of Him is all I need.

Chorus Again

Outro:
You alone are holy. You alone are holy. You alone are holy.
Jesus, You are holy. You alone are holy. You alone are holy.
You alone are holy. You alone are holy. You alone are holy.
I am waiting for the perfect day.

2007 party, Art & Latest YAM session

IQPC 2007 Party - Last thursday 1st Feb, we had our annual party at Baize China one. It was yet again another fantastic dress-up party since our last Summer Party at Jitterbugs (Dance themes), with people this time in get-ups spanning from luminous orange oil & gas overalls to sports, oriental and even 'east coast' beachwear. But the best in my opinion, was still our marketing dept going "Back to School". Here's some pics!




ART - In the meantime, art class still continues. We're now going to paint landscape - in the style of the painter we like (aka van gogh style, or so on)... I'm going to do sunset - in style of Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 - 1891).

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) English most famous landscape painter. His use of brilliant bursts of impressionistic color (red and orange) in his paintings of the1830s and 1840s influenced the French impressionists movement led by Claude Monet some 30 years later.


The fighting Temeraire tugged to her last berth to be broken up, painted 1839.

‘… the only perfect landscape painter whom the world has ever seen’ John Ruskin, Modern Painters, I, 141

Finally...

YAM - We had our largest turnout at yesterday's session - 25 people in total! Amazing. I can only praise God. Where winter has passed, it seems now to be Spring and Summer all in one. More Spring - a season of Hope. We had 17 at marlene's house last saturday and this week there's 25. Certainly the Lord is adding to our number day by day! I just am so happy. Indeed, where we once complained to God becuase we couldn't see the future, it seems God is putting the pieces of the Jigsaw in place - at last I see something. part of something. Part of a greater picture. And i feel so blessed - that God is bringing new people in - with many new gifts and talents... to serve and to help this little youth group to flourish. I have great hopes ahead and I believe I will give my all to see revival take place. Then again, I am always challenged - what is "my all"? Is my all really this or can I give more? Look at the story of The Heavenly Man - this pastor Brother Yun gave his whole life to the point of death.. torture, jail... In the world today, how much am I willing to go for God? Could I stand up to even more things? such as rejection, trials, persecution? I tremble at the thought, but i know that with God in control, I have no fear. OR at least, I can rest assured that everything is in his hands.

Recently had a catchup with Camille. We talked about a certain point - that people who go to hell are really those who reject God totally - and in fact, the fact that they cannot go to heaven is because they do not love God one bit - so being in heaven would in fact be "torture" for them. It made much sense. N it was comforting --- to know that at least if we have one ounce of love for God, we have a hope to reach heaven... despite our sinfulness which will be purged at the state of purgatory.

We also came to a conclusion that there's no such thing as ghosts - which rather, are the manifestation of evil spirits designated to create fear, or propagate belief in a false doctrine, spiritism, and divinity.

See pics of our 25 people gathering yesterday! Awesome!!

Turn of Spring

You are my hiding place,
You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance.
Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.
I will trust in You.
Let the weak say I am strong in the strength of my Lord.

Last Saturday was a phenomenal session at YAM. I was so blessed by 17 people who turned up. 17?!?! The largest number ever! There were new people, people from other ministries, and old members who came. I see it as a turn of Spring for the ministry. Myself too. I feel often stuck in winter, but in fact, spring is just here. Marlene did a great sharing about Seasons.. which stuck in everyone's head... we shared openly about where we felt we were at - spring (hope, refreshment), summer (harvest, fruits), autumn (replenishment, re-fuelling) or winter (reflection, rest, waiting).

As for me? It's Winter Spring. The change isn't happening too fast, but then again, i can be glad that my winter hasn't been entirely that long.. 3 months of winter is just nice eh..? The only thing is that winter isn't all that depressive - it's simply a time where we should do less and just rest and wait upon the Lord. Tendency for people active in ministry is that we may take it as a setback, that we are not doing the things we should.. and get overly depressed over nothing.

So.. our seasons are wonderful. Not to mention a few weird El-ninos around.. i hope it's summer fast... Then again.. I like winter.. sigh..

Sidenote... had a awesome chat wif my ole friend Camille yesterday on all things JAP. We decided to go have a sake-session one day.. can't wait!! He suggested Jap karaoke.. hmmm I shall try.. wahaha.. its so funny!


Every Season by Nicole Nordeman

Every evening sky, an invitation
To trace the patterned stars
And early in July, a celebration
For freedom that is ours
And I notice You
In children's games
In those who watch them from the shade
Every drop of sun is full of fun and wonder
You are summer

And even when the trees have just surrendered
To the harvest time
Forfeiting their leaves in late September
And sending us inside
Still I notice You when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come
You are autumn

And everything in time and under heaven
Finally falls asleep
Wrapped in blankets white, all creation
Shivers underneath
And still I notice you
When branches crack
And in my breath on frosted glass
Even now in death, You open doors for life to enter
You are winter

And everything that's new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breathe
What was frozen through is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with You
And how You make me new
With every season's change
And so it will be
As You are re-creating me
Summer, autumn, winter, spring

DOWNLOAD MP3 - Every season