haha... i'm giving myself 1 day off today, i think i'll give myself 3 days off total this june holiday. day off means staying at home doing things at my own pace, be it studying, or watching tv, or on the internet. EH? i think those are the only things i do at home besides sleeping.

sigh, i dun think i'm able to get the 3 days.

its certainly been a slow & sluggish start to the holidays. all the more theres so many distractions-French Open -this year they've extended the tournament duration by a week! and because of another distraction-World Cup (soccer). following that is Wimbledon.

sigh, need to mug mug mug. i also want to play tennis or squash sometime.

anyway, i've bought tickets to Asiad in December!! Goodness i'm amazed that i'm crazy enough to do so! whether i'm really going to attend is the question thats undecided yet. i wanna go!!! its gonna be spectacular i beckon.

gleefully awaiting
vin

during yesterday's farewell fellowship for Pastor Lin and family, i got to know about the work that Pastor Lin has done here in our church, certainly instrumental in spearheading the church. also learnt about his character from the testimonies heard, humble, doing things with direction from God, one who is well-liked and blameless amongst people that he had crossed paths with.

although the path ahead is gonna be difficult, but he is willing to take up the new responsibility. Pray that God will keep them, guide him and he'll draw strength from God above, that God will continue to use him for the advancement of the gospel.

many people are falling ill, pray for them too.
vin

Montenegro is the newest nation formed! which completes the disintegration of the Adriatic colony of Yugoslavia, which ceased a few years ago to Serbia & Montenegro.

i went Borders on Friday afternoon, was reading this tennis magazine about this amazing sportswoman, which happens to be one of the 1st players who inspired me to the game in the >decade ago. But her testimony after year these few years is more than a different inspiration. Coz she hit an emotional standstill in 2000/01, although she was winning matches and tournaments but she never felt happy but would instead break down and cry, there was this emptiness within her, coupled with personal problems she was facing.

Just when everyone was ready to write her name off the game, putting an incomplete and unknown end to her career, she bounced back fashionably last year, taking everyone by surprise. A transformed her can be seen visibly, a much happier, relaxed, confident, joyful, peaceful athlete. spectators fell in love with her.

Whats so inspirational: She has credited everything to God, redefining the purpose of her career on court. She tells of how God is so important and is the pilot of her life. God is seen in every aspect of her life, she enjoys reading the bible and this relationship with God that she values so much.

You know whats so heartwarming to me, she really glorifies God. People who see a different her will ask the whys and hows, and in almost every interview i've read, she will give glory to God, and she's not ashamed to speak of how God has changed her perspectives. i think some time back a speaker in church mentioned something like 'a Christian runner runs because he is able to experience God through running'.

i'll grab hold of that article k, and show you guys.

everyone loves Mary
especially vin

downed 4 plates of rice today, need to exercise some self-control, can feel the softness build-up beneath my skin.

vin

been hearing a number of problems people have been facing lately. really need to pray to ask God for wisdom to know how to rectify the problems & humility to settle our struggles within.

i'm also doing some personal reflection too. i realise i'm so sinful too, i just feel so guilty. i'm gonna do something about it. please God, help.

went for HC choir performance today to support Shao Ning at Victoria Concert Hall. i must say, its a first for me: 1st aesthetic production outside of the movies. The hall's architecture is so old-british style. their performance was decent, pleasing to the ear. well done Shao Ning :)
Oh, and the gals' dress bore my favourite colour, the guys looked like Waiters from China. ha... joking!! :)

i pray for a fruitful week ahead
vin

i'm perplexed. Arsenal lost to Barca. >0< i'm disappointed coz Henry wasnt gracious in defeat.

a bad omen i can think of is waking up coughing fits, like mysterious bugs feeding on my oesophagus. then received Geok's timely message. ha.. pooh.

then waking up for school, i feeling a lump in my throat, v painful when i eat or drink. scary hor?

thank God tomorrow's holiday.
vin

The camp i'd attended last week was really an intensive learning camp, i've gotta ensure myself that whatever i've learnt in the camp doesnt slip away. pray that God will keep it inside me.

preaching the whole gospel by whole people to whole person

Many times we present the gospel which in one way or another may stumble the person's thinkings or ideas. By not completing the skeletal structure of the gospel, and by improper explanation or by leaving out 1 part of the gospel, the gospel may be distorted. For e.g. many times Christians will only say God loves You, God is love, but also its important to establish that God is angry with us because we sin against Him.

sharing the gospel involves reaching out to the person's mind, will & emotion. i'm especially guilty of not being mindful of these aspects in my sharing, especially the will. i'm very afraid of getting the person's response, but i'm taught that some form of convict and challenge need to be made to the person, challenging him to respond to the gospel, coz it matters. another personal application is when i share about sin, i often gloss over it without making the non Christian realise that he had offended a totally powerful and holy God.

pray that i'll be a good testimony for Christ wherever i am, to live out the gospel. i'm so guilty coz i'm unwilling to let Christ settle into some parts of my life, pray that i'll be single-heartedly serving God. Change my heart O God.

I like what a staff said, she said something like:
we're called to glorify God, including sharing the gospel. Glorifying God can be done for eternity in Heaven next time, but sharing the gospel can only be done now, here, there's limited time to do so.

hmm... pray that i'll stay faithful in doing God's work. time on earth is short.

share more next time, time is short for typing too.

champions' league finale!!!! VV ssoonn..

vin

I'm ill today, ill through the night. i've long decided through the early hours of the night that i'll not be fit for school today. my ear pipes hurt, my head was feeling so light & sore at the same time, and lastly, a fever that was imminent. was so worried coz i was afraid i couldnt recover soon enough for chemistry prac exam (SPA) tomorrow.

but thank God i'm now more or less back to normal, though not 100 %.

my mum was saying 'y do u always fall sick after a camp'

its as bizarre to me as much as it is to her.

tell ya more about my takeaways from the camp next time.
gotta study

pray for me k
vin

Pray:
for Shao Ning's health, pray that she'll recover soon, heard that you're very sick, may you have good rest these days, knowing the intensity that's growing when the choir performances draws near.

Huey Fen's lower back. Was horrified to see her in such a state on Saturday. Comforting to hear its recovering.
thank God its not slipped disc.

Parents' Day 2006. Pray for good planning in the committee, pray that Youths will put up a good showing, parents who come may be able to establish good friendships with Christian parents. Pray the everything will go smoothly.

Met my area coordinator (YFC) yesterday. was so nervous, especially when i'm alone with 2 leaders. I presented my thorough plans for the school ministry. it was a very fruitful session. He told me that mobilization is a long, (and painful), tedious process, getting like-minded Christians who share the same heartbeat as us isn't easy, takes lot of time and the assessing which we may always be wrong. He challenged me to not be so myopic, but to think long-term, going through the long process to eventually achieve the desired outcome that we hope to see in students.

at night, was so so disappointed to come to knowledge of something, shocked. shant mention anything about it coz i havent heard anything from the leaders yet. Trust God in His plans.

won't go church this saturday coz of camp cya soon
jiayou parents day people
vin

happy:

Bukit Panjang SMC (PAP) won resoundingly, by a whooping widest margin :)
Hougang & Potong Pasir GRCs retained their MPs, serving as opposition wards
George Yeo (PAP) won Aljunied GRC

not that happy:

WP failed to win Aljunied GRC. argh. teether, 43%!!! they could have another 5 members in the parliament!

George Yeo rocks, too bad he's contesting in Aljunied

vin

WHOOOOSH!

THIS IS SO EXCITING!
LOW KHIA THIANG AND CHIAM WON!
oppositions' doing really well this year.
hope they improve even more in 5 yr's time... :D:D


- ning

i'm anxiously awaiting the General Elections results, which will be announced in just a short moment.

went for St. E today, met this totally hardened-from-outside-to-inside guy. At first he refused to tell me anything about himself, it was ok, i just carried on... Then he started rebutting at the start of the gospel sharing, he argued, rebutted, questioned, did everything he could to puncture what i was trying to tell him. He's a staunch believer in Science, i've never been fired so intensely before regarding Theory of Evolution & Theory of Intelligent Design. Good experience for me though. although all the while i was trying to conceal my fury by flashing a smile (showing teeth) and nodding to what he said. i had felt like literally throwing the gospel to him and say 'take it or leave it', i've told you the truth, if you persistently choose to disregard it, then the severe consequences you'll have to bear it, i'm not going to stand here and let you roll your eyes at me and absorb your sarcasm'. But thank God for reminding me that i'm supposed to be gentle, with love... At the end, i asked him again whether he's willing to tell me which school is he from, he told me softly 'RI' . u get it?

Church: the powerpoint slides today was immaculately done. everything flowed so smoothly, the backgrounds were beautiful too, well done PPT team! :) Cést Magnifique!

vin

have you guys been following the General Elections? i'm really into it, its really very exciting & interesting. My parents bolted out to catch the Workers' Party Rally at Yishun today. so i'm home alone. very very exciting, once in every 5 years the opposition can voice out publicly. can you believe it, my parents are privileged enough to vote in this year's GE, finally- 1st time is 20 years.

the following shows how deprived Singaporeans are of political battles.

u must click on this:
At Workers Party Rallies
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3307/2214/1600/docDownload.jpg
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3307/2214/1600/pic-581b.jpg
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3307/2214/1600/WP_Rally.0.jpg

Contrast those with PAP rally here
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3307/2214/1600/IMG_2696_hougang01May.jpg

quite amazing isn't it, Workers Party's got an army of supporters/listeners, drawing loud cheers from the raucous faithfuls throughout the rallies, stopping just short of violence. i guess citizens are sick of hearing the PAP at the monthly 'parliamentary sessions'.
Singaporeans are rarely given the mandate to come out of their nutshells, only when the parliament is dissolved every 5 years. so we'd better enjoy the remaining few days. :0

i'm gunning for Workers Party to win a GRC. they've got really humourous and capable and knowledgeable and credible leaders there.

no more apathy
V 4 Vin

aha! went for Da Vinci code evangelistic seminar today! the NUS speaker is rather good i think. hmm, coz i havent read the book, i actually know nuts about the Da Vinci code, except maybe a portion of my name is coded somewhere in between, maybe i have something to do with the controversies. hmm.. i can say i know a little bit about the story now, though i can't really learn to appreciate the issues the speaker addressed unless i go watch the movie or read the book.

anyway, i like his conclusions, dun react with anger when the issues are raised, but with love (and humour). coz after all its only a novel, cant learn history from a novel- so stupid. so i'll gleefully head to the screens to enjoy the movie :)

The evangelistic game - YADA! is so fun! haha... great and exciting tool to be used to share the truth. discerning truths and lies, and the thin line that separates them.

Glad to see so many familiar faces today- schoolmates, churchmates, people whom we collaborated with in our previous church mission trip.
AND and, i met my SJI-Capt! ha, so pleasantly surprised! haha, yeah, pray that he'll go for the RJ prayer mtg.

decoded
vin