Lately

Lately, i don't know what to blog about... but maybe i shall just share the thoughts that fleet by randomly:

- I wanna watch my jap drama finish (stuck midway and always so late before i have time)
- I want 2 new pairs of shoes, one white one black...
- Need a new bag for work... the current's peeling out and wearing thin...
- I wanna practice Smetana and Dvorak on the Viola
- I've given up a quest for a viola. Last heard, a good one will cost XXXXX!! my budget was only $800. Rather save up for japan trip next year.
- I think i wanna go too many places: Sarawak, U.S.A., Germany, Japan, and new idea - Macau wif mum and dad.
- I love my colleagues
- I contemplate about my busy work at church whether it's for me or for God... the conclusion, is that if i can do something happily and cheerfully, it will be my gift to God and my way of loving Him. I don't need to worry about whether I will be rewarded for these efforts because the treasures are spiritual - in heaven, not on earth.
- I ponder about how people can ever believe in God. It seems like a fako... so distant from modern-day world. While I thank God for this belief, half of me says it is "inculcated" from young and if it is "inculcated" it can also be "denounced". Tempting thought eh.
- I wonder whether I will ever get married one day. I don't have any time.
- I await tennis next wednesday.
- I dread going to sleep as i wanna do so many more things tonight. It's 1:00am and I still wanna watch 2 episodes of Seigi no Mikata, and need to do up powerpoint slides for tomorrow.
- Tomorrow, is the night of prayer at olps. Ensemble is playing for it.
- I wonder -- i am quite self-absorbed after all... looking at these long list of thoughts all startin wih "I".

Sigh. :)

Life is like a boat

Today, listened to the whole lyrics of this song and somewhere, it really struck me. Ok originally, I already really like this pensive tune... feels like it describes - Me... - but today, i really reflected on the lyrics and it's meaning and it strikes a chord!

Well... it starts of "Nobody knows who I really am".... about one feeling empty. Yeah, sometimes, we want to ask this too -- who's going to comfort me? When I'm sad? When i'm lonely? But then you see as the song progresses, a 'journey' towards acceptance, healing.. and finally i like the last part -- when one can say "I want you to know who I really am" -- to me, that signifies a sense of self-growth, confidence, a repairing of self-esteem. To me, this is a song of hope, perseverance, and life. I really like this. When I think of how if we think of the "you" as singing it to Jesus... (if we refer to the Jesus walking on water amidst the storm in Matthew 14:22) it makes even more sense!



Nobody knows who I really am
I never felt this empty before
And if I ever need someone to come along,
Who’s gonna comfort me, and keep me strong?

We are all rowing the boat of fate
The waves keep on coming and we can’t escape
But if we ever get lost on our way
The waves would guide you through another day

tookude iki wo shiteru toomei ni natta mitai
kurayami ni omoe dakedo mekaku shisareteta dake
Translation:
I’m breathing in the distance, as if I’ve become transparent
It seemed to be the dark, but I was merely blindfolded

inori wo sasagete atarashii hi wo matsu
asayaka ni hikaru umi sono hate made
I offer my prayers and wait for a new day
To the end of the sea that shines vividly

Nobody knows who I really am
Maybe they just don’t give a damn
But if I ever need someone to come along
I know you would follow me, and keep me strong

hito no kokoro wa utsuriyuku mukedashiteku naru
tsuki wa mada atarashii shuuki de mune o tsureteku
People’s hearts move and want to slip out
The moon in its new cycle brings along boats again

And every time I see your face
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars, and soon
I can see the shore

Oh, I can see the shore
When will I see the shore?

I want you to know who I really am
I never thought I’d feel this way towards you
And if you ever need someone to come along,
I will follow you, and keep you strong

tabi wa mada tsuzuiteku odayakana hi mo
tsuki wa mada atarashii shuuki de mune wo terashidasu
The journey is still continuing, on the calm days, too
The moon in its new cycle begins to shine on boats again

inori wo sasagete atarashii hi wo matsu
asayaka ni hikaru umi sono hate made
I offer my prayers and wait for a new day
To the end of the sea that shines vividly

And every time I see your face
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars, and soon
I can see the shore

unmei no hune wo ko gi nami wa tsugi kara tsugi e to watashi-tachi wo shou kedo sore mo suteki na tabi ne, dore mo suteki na tabi ne
Rowing the boat of destiny
The waves assault us
One after the next
But that’s a wonderful journey, too
Any one of them is a wonderful journey

Prayer

"The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary.... The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back" (Isa. 50:4-5). Dear Lord, I want to be able to say the same thing Isaiah said, and mean it. I want to spend time receiving your instructions and wisdom through your Word, speaking with you in prayer, and hearing you through an open mind, willing heart, and listening ears. Please bring to remembrance your Word so that I may share it with the weary and offer them hope. Please hide your Word in my heart that I will remember it and not be rebellious, that it will be a constant guide in my daily walk. Thank you, Lord, for all your blessings past, present, and future. In Your name I pray, amen.

Music of the Spheres Concert!

Our First Public Debut!

I was really glad that we got this little opportunity to play.

Music of the Spheres was a "sacred music" concert, so what better to play than Taize songs? We therefore played 2 Taize songs: "Wait for the Lord" and "Bless the Lord", and our third song was "Holy Darkness", a beautiful hymn by Dan Schutte.

All in all, the experience was worth it. The ensemble was able to perform publicly for this first time, and because of this, we really worked together to practice - with a goal in mind. For some of us, this was our first public performance. For myself too, even though I have performed on stage before, this was the first time being in a small-ensemble scenario in a proper concert. And the pressure is even greater!

And so what I learnt from today is that certainly, with time, we are always brought into to new stages, new situations. That is when you are challenged to face up to the task, and it is also when you know you are growing.

And while I can complain forever about about how my last ending note was kinda "weak" with the violin not sounding out at that last bit (due to trembling hands!!!).... I just want to thank God for bringing the ensemble through all this while, for keeping us together and giving us this common passion to play music!

I thank also our four singers from the GII Choir and the St. Teresa Church: Melvin, Alvin, Dion and Delvinia, for lending us their wonderful voices which were an invaluable part of the whole performance.

Lastly, many thanks to Amanda & Han Oh for organising this wonderful charity concert for the Jesuit Refugee Services!

And so, it was really fun after all!


So now, what's next? We look forward to many other events like the next Parish Prayer Meeting at OLPS which we'll be playing at (31 October), the World Aids Day Mass on 29 Nov (only Elizabeth and Sam performing) and Christmas at the end of the year with the GII Choir!

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Group Shots taken before the concert...

BELOW:
Samantha (Violin), Richard (Flute), Delvinia (St. Theresa Church choir), William (Guitar), Melvin (GII Choir), Elizabeth (Guitar), Alvin (GII Choir), Dion (GII Choir), & Abigail (Violin)





And... After the concert!

Funny Bus Incident

Heh... today i was going home after the Japanese lesson. It was the test today and I think I will pass! I am pretty confident about it... hehehehe... ureshii desu!!

Anyway, yeah, on the bus,... a bunch of 5 boys sat near me and we were near the back row. They were laughing a lot and I got a bit irritated. And I was kinda getting judgemental... thinking things like - how come these boys can go out so late at nite no need to study ah... or see lah, laugh so much, that's why people may think "less" of them...

But in the end, the one who judges gets judged. I made a little prayer to god to say... God, how can I be so biased and so liddat... if you can do something, make me less "racist" (as you can tell, they are of a different "race" - i shall not mention which).

And the next thing that happened... one of them started telling his other friends about a song from "Princess Mononoke" and started humming it... albeit really loudly. But funny thing, it's my favourite tune too from that movie. The main theme song. And immediately I tell you... all my judging "MELTED" away. I was totally left abashed... stunned... in wonder... and almost wanted to break into a ridiculous smile.

Well, the next half of the ride, I enjoyed it a lot. Of course, that boy was STILL humming the tune ALL the way until his friend said something like.. 'boring la'.... but I was also humming it in my head and it was REALLY nice.

I thought - when you have something you love in common - e.g. music - or anything else - there is NO more distinction of race, colour, background, parentage, etc etc etc. You just blend together. You just enjoy the moment. You'd just love the company.

It's an amazing thought today.

I embed the song from youtube here: (English Version)-


Japanese version:

Noise Singapore

I'm excited. I submitted something in 2006. A poem to be exact. Got selected.
In 2007, I got scared coz so many people were submitting works. You could say, intimidated.
This year, I keep hanging around. Finally, I joined back again. Don't care. Whether I've got good bad or ugly works... I like Noise.

View my profile here >>>

Sushi Overload

Man i am so stuffed! We had a sushi (rolling) class today... haha.. not quite the full effect of it since the ingredients were all prepared - Just how to ROLL the sushi.. It's NOT Easy. I did it only 2 times and both didn't really look great.. so i gave up and it was more fun eating it....

The others Jezz & Colleen were much better at it though,... like experts.. they rolled out sushi twice as fast as me... hahaa.. it was fun!



More pictures with our teacher Ando Sensei to come... ;)