Define close friends.
Spent a significant amount of significant time with me.
Went through quite a few seasons in my life.
Consistently encouraging, and adding value to me.
Most importantly, tell me what makes me, me.

me, "Why do people throw away people (friendships)?"
chai, "Because they think those friends are not worth keeping. But they usually forget that those whom they throw away, might become good friends in the future."

The close friend whom you threw away might seem bad enough to be thrown away.
But who is worse?
The one who was thrown away, or the one who threw the friendship away?

Presuming everyone has a capacity to do good, if given the right amount of time and influence, would not that rather horrendous person turn good one day?
I guess that is why i don't throw people away.

me, "How do you feel about the list of close friends whom you used to care for but now you don't?"
jill, "I think it is my loss."

It will never be a one sided loss.
A friendship is always made up of two person, both will make losses.


Now ask yourself, why did you throw away those close friends whom you used to care?

If you are a really good friend, you would be patient enough, caring enough to bring the good habits out, and destroy the bad habits within that close friend.

God is never in a hurry.
He has all of eternity to shape us.
He never threw us away.
What then is your justification in throwing other people away?

I wont throw away people.
Simply because, every close friend is like a safe.
You deposit large amount of time and value into them.
Throwing them away, is like throwing away a part of yourself.

--

God and food

me, "God will we be eating in heaven?"
God, "Of course we will. I am the God of food too, (God of everything) and the food you eat will be ten times better than the favourite food you like."

I was thinking, there are some tastes where it takes 10 seconds for different flavours to unfold itself, imagine food in heaven.
It might take 100 seconds to produce 10 different tastes.
Like when you eat ice cream that has a lot of tastes in one flavour.
Banana, walnut, Mint....bla bla bla.

Ever imagined Hitler living in hell?
I think the thought of that really makes me want to go heaven.
Dont even consider having the devil around in hell.
Hitler is enough.

Ever imagined how long is eternity?
We as teens would think eternity is about another 60 years in heaven.
The truth is, we can not comprehend.
We never experienced it before.
We would simply call it infinite, but what is infinite?

If we are going to live for an eternity, does all the things we are doing, or buying, worth eternity?

--

Constant reason to smile.

I will always smile because Christ died for me.
Christ died for me, so i may live.
Live with a smile.

Christ died for me, so that i may enjoy God's love.
That is another good reason to smile.

In your sufferings, keep smiling.
Your sufferings will not change the fact that Christ loves you and died for you.

--

Keepmysmile.

This is a simple concept.
Yet i think most of us never took time to explore it.

If God is supposedly to be the first in our lives.
Meaning our best friend and all...
Then no one else whom we know must be closer to us than Him right?

Therefore i am technically right in saying that if we are this close to a particular close friend, God must be closer.
Therefore, if we want to get closer to our close friend, we have to get even closer to God.
We must at all times be closer to God than our close friend.

--

I need patience tremendously.
I realised i have grown so much that i am waiting for my peers to grow up.
I have seen so many kinds of people, i can instantly analyze all the behavior, character traits, attributes, and how much a friend of mine would have changed over time.
And i keep seeing people growing at a rather slow rate, relative to me.
This is horrendous.
I keep outgrowing my peers.
And i find myself running out of patience.
Even though i think i am rather patient compared to a lot of beings around this world, (My dad made me wait for him for 4 hours before, when he said he would take half an hour) i still am impatient.

--

God i thank You that when i prayed, you answered instantly.

Finally, some sense is starting to show.
Was wondering if i lost you.
I believe in you.
But i have faith in God, that the good work that was started through Christ in us, would be brought to completion.
Amen.

I am unique.

I am Joey Lam Zheng Yi.
I have yet to find another person with the exact same name.
I am from Innova Junior college.
I am a christian.
I have not found anyone living within those few exact conditions.
Therefore...

I am unique.
I am special.
And my existence is a proof of how awesome our God is.

--

It all goes back in the box - John Ortberg

The world portrays the ideal lifestyle as one that earns millions, live in a big house, drive a nice car...climb up to the top of the ladder.
But Jesus climbed down the ladder.
All the way down.
From God of the universe.
To a human being.
To a human being falsely accused of sin when he never sinned.
Hung on a cross.

He lived without a house.
He had no car.
He was definitely poor.
Was he contented?
Absolutely.

How many millionaires living across this world is contented?
Very few.
Think about it.
Their mind will be robbed by insecurities.
'How am i going to keep all the money to myself?'

Remember...its all stuff.
You come to this earth naked.
You will leave this earth naked.
Its utter stupidity to chase after things that is not eternal.
That will all be left behind one day.
Invest your time in people, in God, in your character.

Dont carve your name on marble, carve your name on people's hearts.

Climb down the ladder, and contentment is so much easier to gain.

--

In utopia, people measure your wealth not by the number of possessions you have, but by the number of friends you have.

Ever struck you, we, those living in the first world nation are the ones deprived?
Ever wonder why those living in a third world country, sleeping on the streets can smile, and we are always wearing a frown on our forehead?
They have nothing to lose.
They are contented.
Are we?

Aren't we just deprived?

--

Here s a trap of consumerism.
Prevent yourself from spending unnecessarily.
You will never bring along your possessions to heaven.
Keep that in mind.
--

Your life is limited, it is finite, it will end one day.
Every day is a gift from God.
Imagine, everyday God records your score down on a board.
Every time you make Him smile, the score goes up.
One day when you die, you reach heaven, God will say either one of the two following lines,
"Why is your score so low?"
or
"Well done, good and faithful servant."

--

One life,
Live it WELL!

--

If the devil cant make you do evil, he will make you busy.
Either way you would not lead the life God has intended for you.
Are you too busy for God?

I really pray you will never tell God you are too busy for Him.
I think you rather find an exit sign from heaven than say something like that to God.

Dont wait for things to settle down before you spend time with God.
One whole day with God.
Plan ahead, make that day free.

I do it by bus hopping.
Its when you are not restricted to reach a destination.
A sense of freedom will course through your veins.
When was the last time you felt freedom in your life?

We are called to live free. Not to be tied down by Have To Do things in our lives.

Its all a choice.
Freedom,
One of the greatest gifts God gave.

--

Today i let an old man sit my seat.
My score board number went up by one.
I implore you, make God smile.
Make yourself smile.

Live a life of significance.

One life, Live it Well!


Conflict

+ Love
_______

Growth


=)




This is alarming.
Another sign of end times.
Now we have the euro.
Next we have the AMERO.
Soon every continent will merge their currency.
And one anti christ will come in and rule the world.

Its sooner than i thought.
I still have a lot of things i want to do, but i cant at this current moment.

Any kids out there with parents or relatives investing in the US dollar, please drop it.

I bus hopped 66, 21, 67, 7, 75.

Nat said it is rather commendable how i kept my relations going this year.
How i merge my past and present together.
Its not something a lot of people can do.
After thinking about it, i kind of agree.

I think a lot of people dont understand the kind of social relations i have, since they never experienced something so drastic.

Deviant photos!
Will post them up when i have more time.


John Ortberg - When the game is over IT ALL GOES BACK IN THE BOX

You can make God smile.
Be rich towards God
By growing a soul that is increasingly healthy and good.
By loving and enjoying the people around me.
By learning about your gifts and passions and doing good work to help improve the world.
By becoming generous with your stuff.
By making which is temporary become the servant of that which is eternal.
By savoring every roll of the dice and every trip around the board. (In reference to monopoly)

Glad i can tick most of them.

I am only going to use the laptop under three conditions.

Talk to Candice over msn.
Use one whole day to stumbleupon.
And blog about something interesting i read.

If not this lappy is going to collect dust.

I will discipline myself not to use the lappy first thing in the morning when i wake up.
I will discipline myself to go and read books instead.
I will rather do bus hoping, do photoshoots, or exploration.
I need a human model!
Actually a group.

For those dying in front of the laptop.
Hungry for knowledge yet not knowing where to start with.
Go Stumbleupon.
Sign up.
And start stumbling.


I might consider learning how to write / design in different fonts.

I am not going to let this laptop waste my holiday away!
I think the laptop is crying now.

I have to go find tissue.

La la de la la

I think spending one whole day in front of the lappy is a waste of time.

I might just give up finding another anime to watch.
Too much of a hustle.

I will bus hop and spend time with people.
=)

--


I stumbled upon this photo in deviant.

Warmth.








And let me find another interesting photo...




Is the photo taken from the top of the escalator, or the bottom?
Hee...
The major clue lies in how the light falls on the escalator steps.

--

I have a fetish over chairs and couches.

I must make a public confession.
Rae's couch is the best my butt has settled on.
And Abel's couch the second best.
Both couches are nicer than my bed.

--

The best gift we can ever give to a friend is time.
Time for our friend to grow and learn.
If we dont give time, then we have given up that friendship.
Time is =)

The more i invest and bless others,
The more i am living my life.

Life is short.
We can either choose to be a candle.
Or a shooting star.

Its not the number of lives you've changed.
Its the magnitude.
And to end with that, it begins with obedience towards God.

--

There is value in time.
How you spend your time shows what you value.
The more time you spend in something, the more you value it.

--

I will do class hoodie next week.
Will link up with Le Joy and get sizes and la la li la la.
--

I am reading John C Maxwell - The Choice is Yours

And i hit the chapter regarding courage.
I think all of us are cowards to begin with.
I wonder if you live your life with courage.
It takes courage to live a life without regret.
Simply because you have to give everything you've got to the dream you are pursuing.
And that takes courage.

You run the risk of losing everything when you give everything for your dream.
But you run a greater loss if you do not even try to pursue your dream.
You run a great loss as well by easily giving up your dream after a few setbacks.
If it is your dream, you fight for it till it becomes a reality.
Then again, does your dream radiate with truth?


Here is what was written:

WE OFTEN THINK of courage as a quality required only in times of great danger or stress. But courage is an everyday virtue, needed to live a life without regrets.
Why do we need courage?

1. We need courage to seek the truth when we know it may be painful.
2. We need courage to change when it's easier to remain comfortable.
3. We need courage to express our convictions when others challenge us.
4. We need courage to overcome obstacles when progress will come no other way.
5. We need courage to learn and grow when it will display our weakness.
6. We need courage to take the high road when others treat us badly.
7. We need courage to lead when being in front makes us an easy target.

I connect the most with the first three.
And the first reason why we need courage seems to be the one that speaks the loudest.
In this world filled with many lies, what is your stand?
What you are holding on and believing in, is that truth?


Run in ONE direction.
Run with conviction.
Passion is the pair of shoes.
Discipline is the mindset.
Obstacles and resistance is the race.

But run on.
Run on because you live.
And if you stop, you died.
So keep running.

Run with such faith, that people know you are running to Jesus.

Run to Jesus.

I finished watching the entire shaman king.
=)

Two thumbs up.
Their tenacity, determination, how they held on to their dream, what they held close to their hearts, friends, and the number of twists in it was simply
Awesome.

When it comes to such things i am usually slow.

--

Spending time with some of my close friends the past few days was simply awesome.
Talking to God was =)

"I just want you to smile."

I smiled.

--

I embrace.

--

A lot of times we can move on in life without facing up to what hurts deep within.
We simply do that by ignoring the hurt and move on.
I may have taken a slightly longer time, but i know i faced it and i overcame it.

I think its detrimental when we fail to FULLY forgive someone.
We deny that friendship, we deny the blessings and love that we could have received.
You fully forgive someone when you rid yourself of a protective / defensive mechanism.
The mechanism comes around when we are deeply hurt, and we lose the ability to trust again.
What would Jesus do?

There is a difference in acknowledging an apology and forgiving someone.
Forgiveness breaks down the barrier to love.
Jesus forgave.
If he didnt, we would not be able to experience his love.

I guess most of us make that mistake.
Of moving on and not completely forgiving.

--

I've grown to realise how selfish and stubborn we can get.

--

I embrace, because i know i have God.
I embrace because i know everything will workout somehow.
I embrace because it makes me smile.

I embrace.

=)

Forgiving the unforgivable is grace.
Yet who is the one who defines who falls in the category that is unforgivable?

I dont bear grudges.
I am not hot tempered.
In fact i easily forgive others most of the time.
I think everything just ran a little too deep this time.

I think any friendship should only be given up under one condition.
A breakdown of morals.

I dont believe a person s frequency would change so drastically, simply because past experiences will remain as past.
It is already set in stone, recorded down in the memory bank.
Whatever event that happened in the past has had an impact on the present person you see.
Hence no change can be too drastic, unless one ignores / resist that change.
But what happened cannot be denied.

I really dont understand why sometimes we are just so impatient.
Unable to give ourselves the room and time to learn and grow.
I dont understand why humans can so easily let go something so precious just simply because it hurt.
What about its value?

Being hurt does not reduce the value of a friendship.
It is just an opportunity to learn and grow together.

I've given up a friendship i fought so hard to keep.
I have never fought harder to keep a friendship.

--

I give up because i was given up.

Yet to forgive is not to give up the friendship.
Simply because by giving up in totality, is to close all doors possible of a renewal on the friendship.

I can throw away the key, but i will throw away my heart that can love.

The nuances are really getting on my nerves.

--

To be forgiven is grace.

--

I will live a life of love.

God thank you for bringing me to the truth twice today.

Its highly interesting to note, that for the past 3 days, Adam Khoo s workshop consistently mentioned about breakups, when the theme of the workshop was peak performance for A level.
Today, he taught us how to rewire our brains, and turn all the bad memories into good ones, at least enough to pass off as laughable.
I have to admit, i tried it, and every time i recall that bad memory, i see colours, and feel good about it.

Chai mentioned about the book called Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult.
How coincidental.
Should we forgive an apologetic murderer?

And regarding facing the giants sermon, thank you.
I will keep in mind the 5 stones.
Especially the stone of persistence and stone of past.

My cell leader prayed that i will learn to let go of my past about 5 weeks back.
The prayer seemed rather insignificant then, but now it is one of the prayers that sticks to my mind and heart so clearly.
It is a prayer prayed, but not yet answered.

--

I wonder who should feel worse, the dumper, or the dumped.
Should the dumper be reeked of guilt and shame, or the dumped drown in hurt?

--

I think what was so difficult to let go is the fact that i am utterly disappointed.

I honestly dont care if there is any hope of anything in the future.
I am just seeking reconciliation over every single time i felt cheated.

The word selfishness kept popping in my head.
I am not out to sow seeds of guilt, but at least seeds of reflection.

--

God, one thing i need desperately, forgiveness.
If i dont get forgiveness, i am in trouble.
I will stop growing.
Hatred, pain and hurt will just bind themselves on my heart, and i will be left in bondage.
Its more than a prayer.

--

One more to add onto the list of things i will need to forgive.
Manipulation.

--

I am silent.
Yet my mind is swirling with words.

--

I will be dating myself next week.
I am not desperate, i just want to be alone.

--

God be louder in my life.

No matter how much i changed this year, i am contented with who i am.

I know one thing is for sure.
I rather have God, than not have Him.
Thats what changed a lot this year.
In terms of thinking, it just happened.
Interesting that my thinking has seemingly evolved even though I'm in a neighbourhood JC.

--

Wasted.

I think people (General reference) give up things too easily.
Where has commitment went?

I mean its simple.
If Jesus didnt give up on me, how can i give up on people.
For those close friends that i was so tempted to give up on but did not.
Look at the blessings that are coming out of it now.
Totally awesome.
For those who know who you are, please smile :D

Since Jesus did not give up on me, i can't give up on those who matter to me, even though i feel like they are just plain rubbish at times.

And where has grace went?
Jesus accepts all your brokenness.
I guess i accept many of my friends' brokenness and messed up ness too.
It isn't that easy, but the compelling death on the tree makes things look much simpler.

Who is perfect?
Are you?
If you aren't, then please dont live like your friends have to be perfect.
People make mistakes.
Accept them, since you make mistakes too.
Ever gave them a second chance?
Or however many chances?
No?
Look at Jesus, and you will know the threshold for forgiveness to another party.
He is the standard.

--

I smiled a lot today.
Today is just like any other day.

Smiles.

--

I just love my piano.

I blessed 4 lives today.
God spoke into their lives through me, and yeah i guess i made God smile all 4 times.


I am contented with God's love for me, and my love for God.
But i will ask for more, bit by bit.
There is no hurry, i will be loving my awesome God for an eternity
=)

I thought of coming up with a to do list for this hols and use my time wisely.
However, i think it would just create a race against time, and that s the last thing i want.
I think the best thing i can do is just to fall back into the loving arms of my God and spend time with Him.
Everything else will just fall into place.

--

I played lan with mr lin yesterday.
(Written for me to recall in the future)

--

Gary, one of Adam khoo s trainer spoke about how a girl would break up with a boy.
And every girl's pattern is the same.
First sign: She will say she needs to talk to you.
I cant remember the next few signs, but the last two is this.
She will say you are a very nice guy, and the problem lies with her.

Interesting.

--

I dont want to see a dream come crashing down.
But if it really does, and most probably it will, i will say, "God will give me a better dream."
If I've reached the lowest, there is only one way left.
Go up.
=)

--

Oh ya, Adam Khoo asked these two questions.
Que 1: Who love yourself?
Que 2: Who has high self esteem?

I confidently raised my hand for both questions.

I am beat.
I need space.
I rather miss my clique in school than get sick of each other s company.
But these bunch of people, really influenced my life a lot this year.
Especially in my speech.

This is one of the exhibitions from Biennale.
Got this photo from Gavin.
I love this exhibit the most.



It is actually 3 different screens.
And it shows these people dress in black, standing on a salt lake.
It has a lot of symbolism and cultural message which i know nuts about.
But it is one of the few exhibits which allow a lot of deviation from the message intended.
A lot of space for exploring new concepts.

I am tired, i dont feel like being near anyone.
I just want to be at home.
I half regret from my exuberant greed over a free course with Adam khoo, 3 days long, and totally paid by my school.

I feel enslaved, and i lost 3 precious days to something i might not gain much enrichment.

--

I just said this to a classmate.
I have too many friends.
Maybe even...too many close friends.

--

God be loud in my life.

I am ENTP.
P stands for perspective.
And people who are in that category, are slackers (according to Alex Tee),
are people who will only make decisions when they have everything mapped out in front of them.
Over so many years, i've learn to disregard the P side of me, as i see God's undying grace and unfailing faith work its way into my life.
Now there are many things i can easily leave it to the rationale that, For A God So Big, Why Not?
Note: I used the word many.
Complete faith?

I am glad i waited.
I obeyed, i disciplined myself.
I rid myself of impulsiveness.

--

The year is drawing to a close.
Its time we do some reflections about the entire year, and your entire life.
Compare and contrast the amount of change you went through this year, and from the past few years.
[
I thought i went through a lot in 16, i thought i learnt a lot in 16.
I was wrong
Utterly wrong.
Last year blown me away.
I thought i was done with all the sufferings from last year, and i would not be made to go through so many lessons in one year again.
I was wrong again.
This year was a mindset breaking, stereotyping breaking, socially exposing, faith challenging, grace exploring year.
My perspectives changed a whole lot, and i am fine with it.
Yet i feel dissatisfied to squeeze 3 years worth of experience into a few lines.
I belittled them.
]
My point is: Expect more from next year.
Most probably God will give you more than what you expect.

One important thing i learnt from life,
The lessons never stop.
Never.
It just cant.

Think beneath the words, there s more to it.

--

I love talking to people who tells me what God told them.
I love to see how God work in their lives.
For those who know you are in this category, you are greatly appreciated.
Its a bit like you are sharing my hobby, talking to God.

--

I am lazy.
I am lazy to pack my room, prepare for moving house.
Lazy to sit myself down and call people whom i know i should call, and have been delaying for so long.
Thank God i dont have a lazy God.

--

I woke up in the morning, opened the red plastic bag trying to find food, it shook.
I jumped back three steps, stared at the red plastic bag, wondering if i was hallucinating.
I asked my mum to check if there was anything in it. Ops wrong move...
It shook again, no earthquake took place and a big ugly monster erupted!
It did not eat my mum up, but she screamed.
The lizard dropped out of the plastic bag later.
I think she is still traumatised by it.
Kinda sad to put her through something like this before she bus off to church.

--

I have yet to step into the dimension of memories and explore it with God.
Maybe review is a better word.
If you let go of a memory, are you moving on, or are you totally forgetting it?
I cant fathom how you can let go and not run the risk of losing the emotion in that memory.
I guess i was fighting so hard not to forget memories, i know i have God to keep all of them, but its these past experiences that made me who i am today.
If i forget them, it would seem like i lost myself, like i dont know why i am like this today.
Its like these memories are a trail, and these trail lead to the beginning point of the whole journey.
I did willingly hurl away some memories, but for those that were significant and had a value, should i let go of them too?
Then again, maybe i should see a little further than that.
It was God, and will still be God whose the one that will make me who i am today, and tomorrow.
So i am not throwing the one who are creating these memories for me.
So i will still know who i am today, and tomorrow.

--

I tried mathematical linguistics yesterday. (Came up with the term myself)
It was nothing much.
Here goes.

Live free.
If the truth can set you free
And you apply the truth to your life,
Wouldn't you live in freedom?
Live free.

--

Contrive is the word.
Apathy, anticipation, anxiousness, might be other possibilities.

--

I am hungry.

I am undecided and i am still unable to come to peace with my past and present.
Though there are places where they are starting to intersect, but mostly its still separated.
[
Glad Car thinks Candice is nice.
For a first time dota player i think Car played really well.
Then again i was teaching her half the time.
But her simple obedience towards the most basic rules was impressive.
Yet to find a girl that can play as well for a first time.
]
God what should i say about the new found family and the old family left behind?
Both are families right?
Mm...
I guess people want to see my face every week.
I think it brings them comfort as they are accustomed to seeing my face every week.
When i removed myself from their presence, they feel disturbed?
They feel unsettled? [yeah thats a better word.]
Old family wish i am back there because i have been with them for so many years and now i remove myself for practical reasons.

I'll be honest, i never felt a sense of belonging when i was back with the old family.
I was tempted to leave.
And i left.
Now that i left, so many yearn for me to return.
Especially the little kids and josh.
Their words i will not forget.
Little kids,"When are you coming back? How come so long never come church already."
I wish i was able to leave properly.
None cried about my departure, but i know what s in their heart.
I guess i really made a huge difference in their lives.
Some even thought i backslided.
I dont expect them to understand.
Them wishing me back is something that both brings a smile but a sad one.
Josh,"What will happen to me? You are the one who brought me into superlife, and then megalife, and now you are laeving?!?"
[If i didnt remember wrongly, he initially knew no one but me in both super and megalife]
I guess i made the transactions between each milestone in his christian walk a smoother one.
Thank You God for using me.

Honestly again, i dont feel that i learn anything much when i am with the old family.
Many things said seems rather obvious?
I just know my season there is complete.
But the truth is, how can i leave the past behind, or even totally forget about it?
Because by doing so, i have denied who i am today.
The past decisions and experiences determines the current me.
I wonder if i have taken my father's trait.
Church hopper.
I quite believe the social circles and contacts he have are so highly diverse.

God i am torn.
Torn between two families.
I know You will find a way for things to work out.
For a God who used His fingers to hold something bigger than the sun i see everyday, this is something much smaller in comparison.
I have faith in You.
:D

I started off this wednesday, two days after OP, one day after handing in I and R, with a mini outing with cell members.
We met at Bukit Batok mrt platform. Hopped into a train and headed down to Bradell.
Under the guidance of Zhong Hwa, we found ourselves in a book sale, selling thousands of christian books. 30% off almost everything.
I bought three books.

Next i bused down to Khong Sheng s place, at Eunos.
Torrential downpour, and poor direction giving from him, okay not poor, inaccurate...caused much frustration within.
I dislike wasting time like this.
Thank God i had bus concession.
I like his house anyway.

Next we went to east coast park, to meet the rest of the class.
We ate at macs, and then played frisbee at the beach.
(At this moment i feel like i am writing at the standard of a primary 3)
At 5 plus, i decided its time to plan my time, meet up with Ian and Amanda, and prepare for Nat s birthday surprise.
Wayne left with me for a chalet at coasta sands.
Somehow i get the impression, Wayne has a lot of outings as well.

I reached Ian s place, Pasir Ris, at 6.40, took a shower, took a few photos and headed down to Aljunied.
The station we are stationed at.
Amanda and Ian were pretty amusing.
Ian called himself a loser papparazi.
He had 3 different cameras hanging around his neck.
From here onwards the captions will speak for the photos itself.
Before that, i highlighted at the stops i was in one day.
I met 3 social circles all in one day.
The day did not feel short, yet it did not feel long?
It just felt, that time seemed to moved at a slower rate, and each hour is lived differently =)

--

Read Nat's blog to get a hold on the situation.
But the brief summary is.
2 would be stationed at every mrt station, all the way from City Hall to Tampines, would hop onto the back of the train and give Nat happy birthday hugs, suprises and gifts.
We made a couple really annoyed.
So in total there was about 20 of us at the back of the train making Nat s night an unforgettably memorable one.


I will arrange them in chronological and logical order.


I took the following 3 photos in Ian s house.
I only thought of getting Nat something in the morning.









I look spas.
As usual.


We hopped onto the Back of the train at Aljunied.



Amanda came up with this line.
And Amanda designed the construction hat, which looks uber good.
I thought of the line, birthday criminal at first.
Amanda came up with something better.
That line impressed and amused quite a few people.



One stop right after Aljunied.
You see the black and blue shirt dudes facing the camera.
Yes they shouted across the cabin, "Nat, Nat where you are?"
And started singing a birthday song.
I guessed we either created a public nuisance, or brought a smile to many on the train.

At this point, Nat broke down and cried.
She felt super embarrased.
Sam later on told us that he dared Sherman and Yong Sheng to start singing 3 carriages down instead of 2, for 2 bucks.
Honestly, it was quite squeezy.
And they were rather soft from where they stood.
They had guts man.







You cant really see Nat crying, but yes she was.




Last minute preparation by Shawn Tan and Ming Wei.
They said it was bought at NTUC, and not shop and save.
They wanted to get vanguard sheet.
Ian had less than a few seconds to even do with aperture and shutter speed.




Nat was shocked beyond words.
Till her jaws dropped.



Even bystanders had to stop reading and looked at the celebration and surprises unfolded itself.
Even for myself, every stop was filled with joy, love and support.
The amount of effort the girls put in was just amazing.
When i saw Charm with the board.
I thought, Nat you are a superstar for the night, and Charm is here to support you!




Look at Nat's bracy.
Somehow it was sparkling that night.
Come to think of it, she kept smiling the whole night.




Check out the things in Nat's left hand.
And thats not even half the presents she received.
Imagine the board Charm made for Nat, and she had to bring that home too.




Yi hui came rushing in.
On the board was all the attributes that described Nat.



Oh ya, i stood admist all these friends and i thought, everyone was so good looking.
And on that night itself, everyone looked exceptionally gorgeous or handsome, simply because everyone radiated with a smile.
God made himself tangible in the presence of so many of His kids.
I mean we were throwing a birthday party for His daughter, how could He missed it?
So yeah, He didnt.







I thought this was an amazing shot.
Ian only had less than a second to conceptualise this, and the first and only clear literate statement that should hit your eye would be 3 SPECIAL DATES.
Awesome shot.



Look at the smile on Nat s face.
Contentment.
Heartfelt gratitude.




Nat had to stand in the train with those balloons tied to the strap on her bag.

I wonder why no one dare to stand near Nat.



I thought this photo was extremely cute.
Check out the expressions in the faces.



Ian made use of his tripod, for a group shot.
Noticed the back drop is a construction site?
Yeah Exactly, Nat works there!
Imagine squeezing everyone in this photo to the back of a cabin.
Minus Sam Yuan who was stationed at tampines with the cake, and Nah plus Issac coordinating the whole surprise three carriages down.



There was some cheeky thing planned by the group.
I think it was everyone wanting to push sherman...
and everyone else squat.
While i did something retarded like that.

Ian went into burst mode on the birthday girl.





















Nat decides to thrust the bouquet of flowers at the camera.




See the 3 books on Nat s lap.
I bought those 3 books, and Nat gets to choose one of them.

Some of us brought the presents back to Nat s house.
Anyway, Nat could not have brought the presents back home alone.


Photos alone was not able to speak how great the impact we made in Nat s life.
There were times when Ian was not able to take shots when he should have.
It was emotionally overwhelming.

Nat claimed she had a heart attack, and later on exclaimed you guys are the best.
So...we are the best at giving her heart attack?

Vanessa came up with a great excuse whenever Nat kept asking how many more stops,"Its on the way home what."

Halfway through the whole mrt birthday party, i felt God's presence, and i saw love poured freely to the birthday girl.
I thought to myself, though i am not the birthday boy, this is the best birthday celebration i ever had in my life.

And to Nat.
I am awesomely glad you are able to smile so much, and each of us were able to deposit a nugget of love into your heart.

...

To My Childhood Friend, For The 18th Time, Happy Birthday

:D

God made me smile.
A lot.

I would not share a large part of how it went, but i smiled, i am contented and i love Him.
For just being God.

I sat bus 66 all the way to bedok reservoir and back.
I somehow have a yearning to feel the east again.
Sense of place there is just serene?
Peace like?
Assuring?


I started reading Max Lucado's 3.16 Numbers of hope.
I found this short passage:



This may sound rather abstract to some readers...
BUT I AM LATE FOR MY FIRST DATE WITH GOD!

A date with God is a time where i set aside time to go find God.
It is something like quiet time, but i would go somewhere new, read a christian book, do prayer walk, something interesting?

Its the first because i never really like planned an outing with God inside before?
Like i could have used tonight for going out with another friend?
But i chose God?
So yeah i am kinda going out with God?
Okay i think its too abstract...

I am late because i woke up from my slumber two hours later than i planned.
But God said,"It is okay, even if you are going to spend only one hour with Me, I will wait."

:D

I am off now.
Yay!

--

As close as a Heartbeat, and more. says (8:28 PM):
have more than one date then (:

DONE with the chopping off links =)

Not done with the adding.
This will be a gradual process.
Will have to learn more CSS and whatnots.

I realised i am starting to get lazy to socialise.
Or from another perspective, just still away from people, from close friends, from gatherings, and find God =)
I have a free day. Today.
I was thinking of filling it up with company, ask one close friend whom i haven met for a very long time, but i decided against it.
I realised i wanted to make calls to certain significant people in my life, but i got lazy...because i just wanted time for myself?

I no longer feel the significance in the number of times i go out, or the number of times i spent with a close friend of mine.
I now prefer an outing that is memorable, a fragment that will be implanted to my memory.

I no longer find extreme significance in going to lan, pool or the things a teenage would do.
I find so much more significance, in sharing an exploration trip with a close friend, taking pictures together, sealing the time frame into our memory banks.

Even if i get to meet this close friend once this holiday, if that once is good enough to make me smile when i think about it one year later, I am Contented.

I said at the beginning of this week that i cant believe the year will end in less than 60 days.
I think too much has happened this year that i cant finish my reflections?
But one thing is for sure, i am going to start to prepare for Christmas really soon.
In the next 14 days it will start =)

Till then...
I wait in anticipation the time i will get to spend with God.

I am contented.

I am going to fix my links maybe today or really soon.

Quite a number of links will be chop off.
Those that retain are those that add value to my life, or i just like the blog somehow.
Or simply because they have requested me to link them.
The rest, bye bye...
I would most probably add links that bring you to interesting sites, or blogs that i dont even know the person.
As long as it adds value or colours my life, i believe it has the potential to colour yours.

I will not categorise my friends, because i have too many social circles.
The only person that i know can beat me on this would be Candice.

Her recent post makes her sound like some UN member?
Representing the SEA committee yes?

Anyway, i met 3 social circles yesterday in just one day. I traveled almost the whole of Singapore.
And I will blog about yesterday soon. Maybe tonight?



PW

is

OVER

.


.Awesome

It was a crazy journey.
I still thank God for my group.
I hope we get A.
As expected, we lived up to everyone's expectations.
God was really kind to us for OP.

And Zhi Hui s videos are two thumbs up.
I clapped after watching the third video for our presentation for the first time.
Its one of the few times i would admit i most probably would not be able to do something as good or better than what Zhi Hui did.
YT last minute photoshop skills saved the day for our done by slide.
We kinda made editions to our powerpoint slides more than 20 times.
Even on the day before our actual presentation, sunday, we changed one video, add a new one, and did the last done by slide.
Rehearsed till the point my classmates can recite to us what is on our presentation.
And i guess my efforts for making the whole powerpoint concise paid off =)

After handing in my I and R later (Insights and Reflections), i will be calling this (quoting from mervin)


A YEAR
.


No more academic stuff for this whole year!
No more.
Done.
History.
Untouchable.
Sealed.
Complete.
Finished.
It is Finished.

I just love cumulative list, with a sprinkle of hyperbole.

--

I dont know what to say about my life now.
I just know God is still with me.
Things are flying all over my head.
It TOTALLY does not feel like November, and somehow the year seems to ending much faster than i feel.

I just feel like i am about to draw a really impressive picture on a piece of blank paper.
I am sure of the effect i want to create, but not too sure what kind of image i want to portray.
Due to this, i am thoroughly confused where should i start drawing on the piece of immaculate paper.
Where should the first blot of ink begin.
I stare at the piece of paper and time continues to pass me by.
This is my current take on life.

I promised myself to spend more time with God this hols.
I will find a way to keep it.

--

Live Free
Dream Free
Stay Free
Fly Free

Even before the holidays begin, i feel it is ending.

There s so much i want to do.
But today i learnt, i just want to spend all my extra time in my hols with God.
This is love.
This is a relationship.
This is my Best Friend =)
You would want to spend almost all your time with your Best Friend right?
God s been waiting for you.
Answer the call?

Ever imagine God (Imagine He is a living human being), sitting at a cafeteria, looking at His watch, wondering what time you would arrive.
The Best thing is that He is willing to wait for years for you to arrive.
An extremely patient God.
Honestly, i have yet to find another god that is even willing to wait on their own creation.

The awesome thing about God?
Spending time with Him was never a ritual, it has always been built on love.

--

Instead of asking yourself what must you do to make your dream a reality.
Start asking yourself, what MUST YOU STOP DOING, to make your dream a reality.

Erase the word impossible from your dictionary, and soon you will be living your dream.

--

My generation, My responsibility

Be that world changer.
Be that light in that darkness.
Called to Scintillate.
Called to make that difference.

Be that +ve change.

Esther and Daniel brought hope to their nations.
They were teenagers.
I am pretty sure you are one too.

Whenever God is planning for a BIG project, He looks at the youth.
Ready to serve Someone Awesomely Huge?

--

me, "God why didnt you keep a debt of all the sins we commit?"
God, "If I kept all the debts of sin everyone committed, I did be a very poor God. That s why I give grace, to rid all the debts, so I will not be poor."
me, "Wont You be poor that way now? Since you keep giving grace to pay for all the sins?"
God, "My grace is endless. I am a very rich God. Even after giving everyone grace, I would still be rich in grace, a rich God."

Isnt God cute? =)

The opposite of sin is not good deeds, it is grace =)

--

I love it when God tells me where i placed my stuff.
I love it when God tells me if the bus is about to come.
I love it when i travel with God.
I love it when i stand on the overhead bridge outside my school looking at the cars speed pass, and God asks something simple, "Son how was your day?"
God is so much closer than i thought.
Every time i feel a tingling in my spirit man, that is Him speaking to me.
It does not have to be words, it just have to be conviction.

--

I am starting to REALLY love my cell.
We are a family.
That s what God implanted in my heart.
When was the last time you looked at another christian, and see a brother or sister in Christ?

An Yu (Cell member) lent me this album (Leeland - Opposite Way), just like that.
Finally some decent music to add into ipod =)

Absolutely love this music =)

Leeland - Count Me In

--

Stole this from Nats blog


I'm experiencing more grace, and more God than I've been asking for. So much more than I deserve, really. --

I feel You as i type this out.
Like sweetness flowing out from me.

--

If you smiled a lot while reading this post, God might be closer than you think or feel.

=)