First Day in KL

I'm in KL again, planning to visit my dad in Melaka by tonight. Now blogging using my bro's PC while he's gaming with his housemates somewhere in his house. As for me... I have good news but the news is not yet good enough to be announced. It's concerning my career pathway. Still in the process of negotiation. All I can say is God is my ultimate Provider and He will provide all I know... Listening to the song "To You" by Hillsong and also "Reaching for You"... I'm truly humbled by His grace in my life and how great His love for me that Jesus died for my sins.

It may sound a bit fanatic to some of you, but I saw Jesus speaking through one of my students when we discussed the meaning of being a Christian. The boy's name is David Tang, and when he spoke of the gist of being a Christian besides knowing the Word and the knowledge that Christ died for our sins... His face shone with peace... The gist is the experience of Jesus' love through the Holy Spirit, and how we have to seek forgiveness from Jesus always, pray always despite circumstances, because of His love. It is one moment that I never expect a Form 2 boy to be able to utter such wisdom in his words. And I truly cherish what he said, as though Jesus was telling me that this is exactly the experience that makes me able to acknowledge I'm a Christ-ian. Then as the days went by, I spoke to another student and he told me how he felt lost and away from God because of circumstances... Many-a-times, even young adults like me have the same problem to deal with... The moments of loss and confusion feeling as though the world is ending, and that's when I started doubting the love of God and His works in my life.

So I now choose to stand here and be amazed at His glory, looking at how the power of heaven reveals His purpose in lives, especially my own life, as I continue seeking His face in daily life. Love You so much, dear Lord!

MN Idol 2009

This year my school had the MN Idol 2009 in Putra Ballroom on 24 April 2009 morning from 8am - 12.30 pm. I enjoyed myself walking around talking to students, and taking photos and enjoying the music. Though we only have 200++ students, we do have untapped talents here... I'm impressed with the dance category (both groups were excellent, but I prefer Jazz fusion and originality of choreography). The band performances were great... Well, umm... Most of them, but the winner wasn't exactly as expected. Well, what can we do? It was voting system, as per American Idol. So basically who has more money, more influential to the crowd wins.

This year the categories included solo, group, instrumental solo, dance, and band. I didn't manage to take all of it, but these are some of them...

THE PERFORMANCES...

Clinton Liew's Solo Performance

Ripped Label Band Performance

Broken A & D Strings Band Performance

The Wonder Boys Dance Performance

The Beat Chess Band Performance

The Beat Sync Group Performance

The Chiz Family before the judges

The dance groups when announcing results

THE WINNERS and the kidz...

Backstage with the Wonder Boys (Winner for Dance Category)

Ng Shu Ci (Winner for Instrumental Solo). She played Canon in D. Lovely performance!

The Ferrero Rocher (Nazzeef and Fiona) - Winner for Group Category

The Talesweaver with Ms. Chong and myself (they didn't win the group category, but their willingness to participate amazed us all!)

THE LOVELY TEACHERS...

Ms. Chong and me

Ms. Zane and me

(L to R: Cik Siti, Pn. Noraineh, me, Pn. Marrlina, Ms. Wency)

That's it so far... Will update more later on. God bless & Pax et Bonum!

Satu Suara - Warisan Bangsa

Whoever who attended Lent Unplugged would know our theme song by Juwita Suwito. I had been thinking what to blog about since after Freedom Camp 2009. I wanted to blog about my experiences during the camp, but it is not the right time yet. So then as I chatted with my net friend, he showed the effort of Malaysian government to unite Malaysians via the song "Satu Suara", and it was then this song was brought to my notice once again. Yes, I pray that all churches in the world will be united as one voice in time to come. Amen! :)

From Tity's & Nova's Blog

And if the quiz is so true, I do hope I will be creative, be filled with visions and insights for God. So that I will be a part of this freedom to serve. This is a time of great awakening and changes are taking place even before I can spell "alleluia", and thank God for all these... Amen!

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Memo to Worship Bands

Hi readers, sorry I hadn't been updating diligently my blog here because work had been a bit overwhelming this week. Probably because my eagerness to spend time with people or laze around too much... So, prior to Freedom Camp, I came across an article which I'd like to share it here, taken from ChristianityToday with the title: "Memo to Worship Bands: Five Sound Reasons to Lower the Volume" by John G. Stackhouse Jr.

Can you hear me? You can? I'm sorry if I am shouting, but I have just spent half an hour in a church service with a typical worship band, and my ears are ringing. I'm sure to be fine in a minute. Or hour. Or day—I hope.

Why does everything every Christian musician performs nowadays seem to require high amplification?

I was at a Christian camp not long ago where we gathered to sing around a bonfire. Guitars appeared, but just before I could get nostalgic and suggest we sing "Pass It On," the microphone stands appeared, too. Apparently three guitars for 40 people were not enough. No, they had to be amplified.

I am not 110 years old, friends. I grew up in the 1970s with fuzz boxes, stacks of Marshall amplifiers, and heavy metal bands loud enough to take on Boeing 747s and win. I have played in worship bands for more than 30 years, and like lots of juice running through my Roland keyboard or Fender bass or Godin guitar. Furthermore, I'm a middle-aged man and my hearing is supposed to be fading. But even I find almost every worship band in every church I visit to be too loud—not just a little bit loud, but uncomfortably, even painfully, loud.

So here are five reasons for everyone to turn it down a notch—or maybe three or four.

First, I know it's breaking the performer's code to say so (the way magicians are never supposed to reveal a secret), but cranking up the volume is just a cheap trick to add energy to a room. The comedic film This Is Spinal Tap showed us all the absurdity of using sheer noise to compensate for a lack of talent. (The knobs on the band members' guitars and amplifiers were modified to go to 11.) Do not compensate for mediocrity by amping it up to MEDIOCRITY.

Second, when your intonation is not very good—and let's face it, most singers and instrumentalists are not anywhere close to being in perfect tune—turning it up only makes it hurt worse. If I hear one more "harmony singer" have trouble deciding whether to hit the major or the minor third and instead split the difference at a scalp-tightening volume, I think my head will split also.

Third, the speakers in most church PA systems cannot take that much energy through their small, old magnets and cones, especially from piano, bass, and kick drum. So we are being pounded with high-powered fluffing and sputtering—which do not induce praise.

Fourth, consider that you might be marginalizing older people, most of whom probably do not like Guns N' Roses volumes at church. And if you suspect older congregants may be secretly delighted behind their tight smiles, ask them. I dare you.

Fifth, let me drop some church history and theology on you. By the time church music matured into Palestrina and Co. in the 16th century, it had become too demanding and ornate for ordinary singers. So Christians went to church to listen to a priest and a choir.

The Protestant Reformation yanked musical worship away from the professionals and put it back in the pews. Luther composed hymns based on popular melodies, including drinking songs. Calvin insisted on taking lyrics from the Psalms. This was music in which almost anyone could participate. The problem today, to be sure, is rarely elaborate music. We could use a little more artistry, in fact, than we usually get with the simplistic and repetitive musical figures of many contemporary worship songs.

No, the contrast with the Reformation is the modern-day insistence that a few people at the front be the center of attention. We do it by making six band members louder than a room full of people. But a church service isn't a concert at which an audience sings along with the real performers. Musicians—every one of them, including the singers—are accompanists to the congregation's praise. They should be mixed loudly enough only to do their job of leading and supporting the congregation.

Now, I like Palestrina and I like good Christian rock. So, church musicians, if you want to perform a fine song that requires advanced musicianship, by all means do it. We will listen and pray and enjoy it to the glory of God.

But when you are leading us in singing, then lead us in singing. And turn it down so we are not listening to you—or, even worse, merely enduring you. I know that is not what you want to happen. But I am telling you that's what is happening.

Sorry, again, for shouting.

It's worth reflecting if we are actually worshiping God or hiding away beneath a masquerade.

God bless and have a wonderful weekend!

The Power of Love

Happy and blessed Easter to all of you!!! Today's topic is the Power of Love. What kind of love will I be discussing? What did the Archbishop say during his homily on Easter Vigil? Well, the love I'll be discussing is the scandalous love of Jesus for mankind. The kind of love that brought Him death, and death is not enough, but death on the cross. That's the most shameful way to die during the Roman empire.

Look at this image I found via Google search. The caption is "If you get wet, you'll get sick." I guess the Lord knows this much better than any of us, especially the getting wet, getting sick part. He chose to come down and live as man on earth. He knew of His mission of being on earth, living and preaching and dying. He knows He will suffer this death in order to grant us mercy. Knowing He'll go through all these, He still came. Knowing He'll be executed by dying on the cross, He still stayed at where He was, asking God to take the chalice away from Him. When God did not answer Him, Jesus stayed to face the death. How courageous is our Lord!!!

By His death, we receive life. By His grace, we receive love. Bishop, in his homily, started with a question: "What is the core value of our faith? What do we believe in?" Simple words, we believe in the power of love, and that's what the whole Triduum we had celebrated last week is all about -- Jesus' love that conquers sin and death.

In life, we often stop and ponder the same question: What's my eyes searching for? Where will my journey lead me to? What am I doing on earth? And Bishop's explanation is that people (everybody, including those we read in New Testament) is constantly searching for something. The Samaritan woman? The lame man at the pool? They are looking for something, but nothing can fill up that thirst they have, because that thirst is the thirst for the love of God. In the first reading last night from Genesis, man was created in the image of God, thus man will always thirst for God's love. Nothing can satisfy that thirst until we come to search for God. A quote from St. Augustine speaks of this: "Our hearts are made for you, O God, and they shall never rest until they rest in You." Bishop said that although we're constantly seeking for God, God is also searching for us in order to give us His love. He is also making that journey to seek us to offer us the love. The act of Jesus dying on the cross for mankind shows that God goes all out to give us the love.

One thing that made me pondered after mass was about our baptism. I wasn't baptised on Easter Vigil that time, but when Bishop directed the points specially for those who will be baptised, I felt touched by the hands of God. He mentioned that when we're baptised, the transformation occurs so that we can be changed and be the children of God. He specifically mentioned about the reading from the gospel of St. Mark about the resurrection of Christ. When the women went to the tomb, they did not find Jesus. Instead, they found a young man dressed in white robe sitting on the stone. He told the women to pass the message to the disciples so that they will go to Galilee, where Jesus will be there to wait for them. This event happened on the first day of the week, and Jesus has resurrected on that day. Thus, in our modernised concept, what I would summarise of Bishop's statement is that the beginning of new life for those who believe in Christ is the day after baptism where we're raised from the death with Jesus.

The second point of the Gospel passage was about the young man in white robe. Remember a young man who was following Jesus after He was arrested by the guards? The man who ran away naked when the guards seized him? This was the same young man dressed in white robe at the entrance of the tomb. This young man came back. So, the question is this: WHO IS HE? Bishop's explanation is that this young man is the newly baptised Christians. Before baptised, we run away from Jesus (just like how the young man ran away from Jesus) but now he's back and he believes in Christ. He has a message for all his disciples to meet Jesus in Galillee. The Lord had ever said that He will gather His disciples in Galillee and the mission to spread the good news started there. And so, us, as baptised Christians, we have already encountered Jesus and be transformed. And if we have been transformed, then we must begin to preach and bring this message to others.

We will have the faith if we have experience the love of God. How do we express our faith to God? My first thought when Bishop asked was "trust in God". But when he gave the answer, I begin to realize that I do experience what he said. Bishop said "GRATITUDE" has to be experienced if we want to know if we have that faith. All the love of God, after we experience it, will generate a feeling of thankfulness. And if we, at that point of time, have yet to feel thankful, we must then pray for transformation to change our heart of stone into heart of flesh. He cited the example of St. Paul (Saul of Tarsus) and how he had written about his gratitude to God when he felt like giving up. God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weaknesses..." (2 Corinthians 12:9) Indeed, it was because of that grace of God towards Paul that we have so many wise epistles and letters written by the intelligent apostle St. Paul.

Am I still making sense after such a long post, my dears? Last point of reflection whenever we renew our baptismal vows as a renewal of our faith is this: Are we at the tomb dressed in white robe? Are we thankful to God or not?

I am glad, I am thankful. Though I'm not perfect and never will be, I'm thankful He is with me.

Happy Easter once again. God bless.

Thy Will Be Done

How many-a-times we prayed "Thy will be done" and then fret over a matter that we've been praying? Me... Countless times!! How many times we complain how we're suffering? Many of us have at least one account to tell about how life made him/her suffer, but have we ever looked into the suffering of Christ before telling our sufferings? I've done many of the above mentioned, except looking deeply into the sufferings He bore for me.

During the Good Friday's homily, Archbishop John Lee was our celebrant and he shared deeply about Christ's suffering for us. All the three readings for Good Friday (Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9; John 18:1 - 19:42) spoke about how Jesus suffered for our sins. A question Bishop posted to us was this: Have you ever look at the face of Jesus? What kind of face that Jesus has in your life?

He mentioned that this face of Jesus during Good Friday is a face full of spittle, full of wounds, full of blood, crowned with thorns. He suffered so much because of our sins. Are we touched by Jesus for the sorrows of our sins? Lenten season is a season of conversion... "Have I come back? Am I touched? Are we opened for conversion? Are we coming back?" This is the day for us all to experience the saving power of God and we have to respond to the grace so that our sins will be wiped away. During veneration of the cross, we have to remember the sinful person we are and that's the cross Jesus bore for us. So if we embrace the cross, we'll be saved.

The highlight for me came at the point where Bishop touched on the issue of suffering and our attitude towards suffering. We should look at the faith that Jesus has during suffering. He did not give up even when He did not receive the answer from God when He cried out to God in the garden of Gethsamane, on the cross. He still responded with "Thy will be done", which is a total submission into the hands of His Father. All of us have sufferings even when we don't want it. We have pain, sicknesses, problems in family, etc. Many of the sufferings come from sins, but some are just there. Even when there's no answer from God, we have to look at what did Jesus do at the garden of Gethsamane and at the cross. If Jesus had waited for an answer from God and did not submit, there wouldn't be salvation in the history. Sometimes, we do whatever we can, but in the end, we have to say "Thy will be done" and that's when salvation comes. Truly, Bishop answered my question about how we should face sufferings in life...

Besides that, we must die because as stated in the bible, "Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." (John 12:24). It reminds me of somebody who ever told me about the parable of "The Seed". However, in this context, what I can understand is that the price of transformation is a total giving up of self to God and then only salvation comes and sweeps us off our feet.

Another part of Bishop's homily which made me pondered at that moment was when he mentioned about St. John's narration of the Passion in the Gospel of John. The phrase used by Bishop that really made me interested to continue listening was, "In St. John's gospel, by that passion of Jesus, He has the whole control over the whole economy of salvation and He showed His Majesty." (or something like that...) The economy of salvation... I hope I didn't get it wrongly, so people, if you were in SHC listening to Bishop's homily, correct me if it's wrong. He mentioned that St. John never narrated anything to see that Jesus isn't under control. St. John never mentioned about Jesus keeping silence, or supportive women... etc. But he mentioned about what Pilate written of Jesus' charge - "JESUS, THE NAZARENE, KING OF THE JEWS". It also showed the control of Jesus over the situation by stating that when Jesus has seen that all is done according the the scriptures, He said to the Father, "Into Your hands I comment my spirit. It is accomplished." Because all is done, thus the salvation through Jesus is completed. Jesus also gave Mary to John as his mother, and John to Mary as her son. It is, in fact, the first sign of community.

So, us, created in the image of God, should look at Jesus and ask Him to show His face to us. Besides that, we have to be grateful to the Lord and ask to be transformed to the way of God through the cross...

This is not all of what Bishop had mentioned during his homily, just bits and parcel of it. Especially parts that struck me hard. As I walked to the cross during veneration, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of man is this who had the strength to carry all the sins of the world. Imagine myself committing a sin, I'd have felt that tonnes of burdens on my shoulder already. How could this man carry the sins of the whole world, my sins in my entire life? But because Jesus is man and God, and His willingness to carry them for us all, He did it. And salvation was completed. The prophecy of old is fulfilled. Amen to the scandalous love of Christ! Amen to the salvation of mankind! Amen to our Lord who submitted and called out "Thy will be done!"

Lost & Found

What really struck me during Archbishop John Lee's homily last night during Holy Thursday mass was Jesus instituted the Eucharist before He died because He can continue to be with us through the Eucharist.

Besides that, here are some other points I managed to jot down last night:

• When we eat His body and drink His blood, we're in Jesus Christ. The church is the body of Christ, thus if we commit sins, we're kicked out of the body.
• Breaking the commandments of God is equivalent to breaking the relationship in the community.
• Yesterday's readings were taken from Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Bishop brought us to an understanding how these two readings are closely related. The reading of Exodus was about how the Lord instructed the Hebrews to prepare for the Passover meal prior to their flee from Egypt, while the reading by St. Paul to the Corinthians was about the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus Christ on Holy Thursday. The lamb in OT (Old Testament) was a symbol of Jesus, the Lamb that was killed in the NT (New Testament). The blood put on the doorpost & lintel in OT was the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross in NT. The people fleeing from Egypt when they were liberated was exactly how we are being set free from sins by Jesus who died on the cross.

• There was a prayer mentioned by Bishop that is to be said during Holy Week. After Google-ing I found that prayer in a Holy Week daily lent prayer website under the general intercession part. Here's how the prayer goes:

Let us pray to Christ our Saviour, who redeemed us by his death and resurrection:
Lord, have mercy on us.

You went up to Jerusalem to suffer and so enter into your glory,
- bring your Church to the Passover feast of heaven.
You were lifted high on the cross and pierced by the soldier's lance,
- heal our wounds.
You made the cross the tree of life,
- give its fruit to those reborn in baptism.
On the cross you forgave the repentant thief,
- forgive our sins.

• Bishop mentioned that by His death on the cross, we receive life. By the celebration of the Eucharist, He transformed the Passover into His own passover, which is the New Covenant.
• Another point worth mentioning which struck me was the reading from Gospel of St. John. The account of the Washing of Feet by Jesus. St. John focused on the washing of feet prior to the institution of the Eucharist. What Bishop mentioned was that the washing of feet is the real meaning of the Eucharist - the service towards one another which Jesus stressed so strongly at the washing of feet. So the consequence of receiving Jesus Christ through the Eucharist is service to others. Without the service, our Eucharist is without meaning at all. Thus, the love for one another is part of the communion. If we do not serve, we miss the meaning of the Eucharist.
• Bishop also mentioned that the Apostles had understood the meaning of the Eucharist wholly when Jesus instituted the Eucharist on the night before His death via their actions as found in the Acts of the Apostles to the early Christians. In chapters 3, 4 and 5 all accounted how the Apostles and the early Christians had lived a lifestyle of sharing and caring. Besides that, they served the people by healing the sick, giving to the poor and the needy. If the early Christians had followed the commandment of Jesus, so must we.

One thing that would relate the images together with Bishop's homily is this: the movie I watched (an old movie from 90's, starred by Kelly Chen & Takeshi Kaneshiro) is about people being lost in the world, seeking and searching for lost hope, while the other is a picture of a guy with a travelling backpack sitting on a bench with Jesus. Through Jesus, hope is found, love is gained. Through Jesus, the lost will be guided back to the right path and be found in communion with God.

One of my students told me that a non-Christian will know that we're Christians by our acts, not our words. The acts and lifestyle of a Christian will clearly proclaim the name of Jesus loud and clear, by portraying the compassion and love of Jesus to His people. So, in the midst of our fast & abstinence, let's reflect upon our lives, whether we have been seeking Jesus and following this path of compassion of Jesus towards the people around us. I know I'm still far behind track, but I also know I'm still on the right track now.

Thank You Jesus for Your love to the cross for us and our sins. Amen.

Lilo & Stitch (2002)

This is one of the lovely animation movie which I like a lot. Re-watched it just now over pasta dinner. My best loved image is this:

Even a "created" creature learns to love and care, even when got persecuted and disliked. I pray I can be more of Stitch each day. Are you loving enough today? If not, love more tomorrow.

100 Roses for My God

Cheers for my 100th Entry to Time Flees, Love Stays! And many words of thanks to my readers for still checking me out even entries become few for the past few months. And every single entry I want to present it to my God who allows me to have skills in typing, writing and thinking (oh... yeah... not forgetting teaching and nagging too... LOL!), and most importantly, a heart that still beats despite all that are happening in my life!

Why these two images instead of roses?
Why "Coyote Ugly" and "Nick Vujicic" at the start of my entry today?
Special reasons of course...
Now let me bring you into the pea-brainy thoughts of mine...

Firstly, Nick Vujicic was the highlight of the Lent Unplugged 2009 talk we had last night in Room F7, illustrations and further explanations given by Mr. Derek Chong. I'd say that the session was filled with 101 feelings for myself. But I was caught by the life of Nick. And obviously, about significance in life. Am I where I should be at this moment? This was the only question running on my mind these days, ever since the night I found out about how people may be less supportive when I'm not doing what they think I should do. But again and again, God affirms me and comforts me that He's in charge of my life. That's why this entry is dedicated to no one but You, Daddy God! Hehehe...

Let's see what else I have on my notes... Derek mentioned about Psalm 139, especially verse 14 which says this: "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well." What he was relating to is this: No matter how we are, how we looks like, how we fare in work or studies, how we relate with people, when God sees us, He'll always say, "You're simply great!" That's how important, how significant we are in His eyes. And praise Him for His love for us! Besides that, God is also not satisfied with giving us just good stuffs, but He wants us to have the very very best. From the videos about Nick Vujicic and Derek's talk, what I picked up from there are these: "There are so many reasons to give up, BUT, there are also A LOT OF REASONS why we should NOT give up." and "It matters not how we might fall, but how we finish it, whether we'll finish it strong." And God still sees me as "simply great" even I could be "simply the worst person ever alive on earth". And because of that, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Now, about Coyote Ugly... A movie I watched right before entering roman letters that eventually form words which will gradually form an article on my blog. This movie was made in 2000. Almost 10 years ago. It is about this girl from a small town wanting to be a songwriter in the big city of New York. Started out as someone who was nervous, low self-esteem, always saying "no" to things she could do but decides she couldn't do it before she even tried, to become a coyote who danced on the bar, singing with the jukebox, capturing crowds with her voice and dance and self. Seeing growth in a low self-esteemed individual to become a confident individual willing to step onto the stage to sing her own song to the crowd, and eventually getting her song sang by LeAnn Rimes.

Why am I talking about this movie together with Nick Vujicic? One is just a worldly movie with entertaining elements and fun, another is a pastor who motivates people with his life. Both shared the same element - the significance of life and the purpose of living it. The main character in Coyote Ugly lived out her dream by seeking it even when she got down-trodden. Nick Vujicic never gives up his life or be depressed having no limbs. It is an affirmation to me that everyone can live out their dreams, everyone has the equal rights of choosing the lives they want to live, and we are precious in the eyes of God. No matter what happens, God will cradle me with His fatherly love in the form of motherly hands. And He will never ever forsake His people. And He gave us JESUS to be the light of our world, the lamp unto our feet.

The Holy Week in the Catholic Church calendar starts from this evening, or tomorrow morning - Palm Sunday. As we prepare to experience the Lord's Resurrection in our lives through His passion as the week goes down to Good Friday, let us all reflect upon the love of the Father who gave us His only begotten Son because of the love He has for His people on earth, and anyone who believes in Him will not perish but may have eternal life (refer to John 3:16). Not only that, when Christ came with the mission to save us, He came with another mission so that we may have life, and the life given is to be lived to the fullest (refer to John 10:10). And so, all you who are reading, be happy that the Lord is our Saviour! Amen!