Driving

Even if you travel by car, it still takes a long time. That's the surprise conclusion i found out. Yesterday i had to return those costumes and i could only leave work at 7 and the costume shop closed at 8. I rushed back in a cab to get the car(i live at clementi) and that amounted to half an hour. I then sped all the way to church(jurong) to pick up the costumes and on the way to lavender, i passed my house(8pm). It took me another half an hour to reach lavender..and when i got home it was 9pm already! Can you imagine? 1 and a half hours just to do such a simple thing? (Go to church then lavender then home.) And that is when i was speeding all the way(my dad would kill me if he finds out i pushed his car so hard) after twice being on the wrong lane to turn right where i had to cross my fingers hoping the other drivers will be compassionate to allow me to enter their lane and after narrowly missing a bumper kiss which i avoided by swerving to the left. I know the angels were with me all the way.lol...but in the midst of all the driving, i told myself to not just look at the destination, but the journey. Considering that i was going to be half an hour late, it was tough but i tried. I reached the store with the doors closed and had to beg the lady for me to return it. Well, she wasn't the friendliest lady in the store so when she opened the door i was like "ok, this is going to be tough". But she allowed me in after me blabbering a few excuses(which were true). Met the counter lady which was the friendliest in the store and everything was smooth sailing from there. Now, i had to rush back for dinner as my stomach was growling. Got in the car and sped all the way to nicoll highway. Realised i was driving towards Kallang and i made a U-turn. When i did, i saw the city skyline, it was totally breathtaking. How could i have missed the city skyline when i was driving in the wrong direction? Maybe i didn't even look in my rear view mirror. Sped along towards AYE and shucks, got in the wrong lane again and had to make a left turn to harbor front. It's ok, i went along and found a relatively new expressway towards pasir panjang. It's those expressways that is above ground level and boy it was the best car ride i ever had in my life! It makes me feel like i'm in need for speed. Firstly, there were no other cars on the road and secondly the street lights just set the stage! It was all so surreal! I was driving at about 110kmh on the 3 lane expressway with minor bends here and there and it REALLY felt good! But i slowed down abit just to have more time to absorb the moments.hehe...that's my favourite expresswayat at night.

The great shopping trip

"The VCR is spoilt"...my dad said that to me 2 weeks ago. Urgh...and before that my mom and myself agreed to get a replacement tv AND a DVD recorder. Now that the VCR is spoilt, it's just one more to the list. Why are items spoiling when i've started work recently? I just hope to make it big one day(June 06) so that $$$ won't be a problem anymore. Well, it's not a problem now, just that i have to wait for next month or the following month to buy those electrical equipment. But seriously, what i care more right now is to pamper myself first before i pamper others. Already i'm planning to spend 1k on my shopping trip to bangkok this wed till sunday. Ok, it's not a shopping trip, there's an internet evangelism conference there but i turned it into a shoppping trip lah.lol. And the baggage limit is 15kg. And how am i going to bring back 1k of items!!?!?!? I'm doing a wardrobe overhaul and the wardrobe alone weighs 15kg!! ahhhhhhhh..i'm going paranoid. I need retail theraphy. Ok i better brainstorm my list for my trip.

Long sleeve office shirts: 5
Short sleeve shirts: 5
Dri-fit polo shirts: 5
Other polo shirts: 5
Long sleeve t-shirt: 3
Long pants: 4
Bermudas: 4
Jeans: 3
Polo Raulph Lauren Jacket: 1
Nike Sports shoe: 1
Casual shoe: 1
Teva sandals: 1
Sandals: 1
Slippers: 1
Slip-on shoe for office: 1 (my boss is implementing a no-outside-shoe-to-be-worn in the new office. This is because we want to keep the carpet clean when we move in october. So rather than being barefoot, i'll need some footwear)
Sling bag: 1
Luggage bag: 1

Just a rough list i came up with within 5 mins. The shoes are going to take up some space and the clothing is going to be heavy. Good thing i have faith,jeff and pastor kan going along with me so i can use some of their 15kg allotment..kekkee.

German Engineering, Arab technology

oh my this is just so funny.

costume party cum bday party

Ok just got back from a costume party. Was the first ever costume party ive been to and it was really a blast! About 30 of us turned up along with our costumes. Some rented the whole set(like me), some rented part of it, some bought and mix and matched. Well, i cant describe well so i will wait for the pictures to come then i will post it up here.

the week

ok havent been updatin for a long time. Ok let me try to do a summary.

Tuesday: Found a real nice online game called Rose online. Been playing it almost every night now and im at level 12!! Boon says the game is good on recommendation by faith and christon. Monsters are real funny. My favourite monster is the choropys..lol.

Wed: Went to a costume shop with jeff and jasmine. Initially we were half hearted about it but after trying out the costumes they had, we became hooked! It was so fun laughing at how ridiculous jeff looked in his costume. Yeah, im not revealing what we got since there will be some people reading my blog going to her party. My colleague suggested in the morning to get a jajabinks(is that how you spell it?) costume. That would be so cute but i guess i want my face to be seen and not hidden inside breathing stuffy air. The alternative was to get a 7 foot alien costume which i saw online but the shop did not have it

Thursday: besides work, at night went to orchard area to look for long white stockings for our costume. had a hard time finding them. I never knew shopping for socks could be so hard..lol..Combed far east and shaw house and finally found it at Taka. It was one of those shops selling japanese knee high socks. IOW, it was perfect!

dont worry im not coming dressed up as a jap girl.

Ok next thing i need to do is come up with a list of wat to get for my trip to bangkok next week.

packed!

Well my schedule is packed from now until i leave to Bangkok next wednesday. Urgh....it almost seems like i'll be gone from this world and therefore so many things are vying for my attention before i leave..haha. Today is monday and the day went well with some ups and downs. Ups because i had a nice lunch with an insurance agent. Yeah she had a voucher to this cafe and i had a free lunch. :)..later on, the worship team of youth alive 2005 had this wonderful dinner at Nooch and Hagaan Daz. Downs because i think i was kinda insensitive to some people, my colleague, my church friend and my outside friend..oh man..gotta watch that tongue of mine.

notebook

i got a notebook from junjie. Yup, the notebook computer, not the writing pad. No idea why he gave that to me. I was quite happy though since my current one is almost going to konk out. 2 of its letter keys are out and the speed isn't really to my liking. I opened the notebook case and when i took it out, it was really thick..oh my, i don't like notebooks which are thick. i prefer them sleek in design. It was thick and fat but the width was small. Anyway, i turned it on and i found out it wasn't using windows operating system. Oh man, no wonder i didn't find it familiar. Oh btw the notebook brand is called Jabb. I know you haven't heard of it before and neither have I. I think it's some brand from China or one of those developing countries. Well, it only has 512mb ram and 40GB harddisk. Not much better than my current one..urgh...it's not that much of a gift anyway. And then i woke up.

Me in jap costume

One of my favourite shots

the high life

It was a tiring day for me. Last night i had symptoms of a sore throat. True enough in the middle of the night i felt it. I was asking oh God why must i be sick now since i'll be meeting Andrew later on and it'll be the last meeting before his baptism. Thankfully i felt better when i woke up in the morning. It was a busy morning at work trying to tie up all the loose ends so that i can leave office at noon. Went to that studio and turned out that it wasn't the kind of makeover i was expecting. The main thing was just the photoshoot..shucks. I was expecting them to redo my hair, dye it and give me some suggestions on what clothes suit me and blah blah but none of this..urgh..but then again it was a good photoshoot and i'll post some of the pictures that were taken.
Anyway, at the end of the month would be a time to experience the high life. Yup, i'll be at Bangkok buying like crazy. My budget would be around 1k because my goal is to have a wardrobe makeover. Will get shoes, slippers, shirts, trousers, bags..i just hope i can figure out a way to bring all that stuff back..lol..anyway gotta start memorizing those lyrics AND chords for tomorrow's youth alive.

thursday makeover and photoshoot

In case you people haven't noticed, i've not been updating this blog regularly as i usually do. This is mainly due to my notebook where the h and g key are spoilt. Right now i'm using my trusty desktop while my notebook is beside playing MP3s. Currently i'm listening to Joe Satriani's Time Machine "CD". Well, i don't know what song is it on now since the whole CD is crammed into one MP3.

Anyway, i think there's going to be one change i'm going to do with this blog. I'm going to be share more about my friends and the inner workings of my mind. "The inner workings of your mind?" you say. In other words i'll be more direct and open in what i'm thinking. And with regards to stuff about friends, i tended to take the conservative stance in sharing about them coz i didn't want my friends to read and after whack me up because i spoilt their reputation. BUT, even after these changes, this blog will still uphold its initial purpose and that is to share "about life from a christian young adult". So i'll be talking more about my friends in my daily life and hopefully they won't mind. Of course i'll try not to spoil their reputation or what not. IOW, i'll be getting bitchier but not the negative kind. I like bitchiness but not the kind where you keep complaining about other people. To me, that makes the one who says that so low. Anyway, if you happen to see your name here and wish to remain anonymous or want to copyright your name, please tell me.

Last week i got an sms message from my mom asking me wanted a makeover. I was like "where did that idea come from?" She then said that she has a free pass to have a makeover and photoshoot at Naughty By Nature. And they even allowed her to bring her famiiy along. And this thursday i'll be going down with her to do my makeover and photoshoot. One thing i do regret is my current complexion and how it's still as bad as ever. Last week my face was awful but thank God the pimples went away in record time. Maybe they knew beforehand i was going for a photoshoot? So, my mom suggested to me to take half day leave on thursday so we could go down for that supposedly 2 hour session. Ok, i had to ask my boss and i asked him today:

Me: Boss, can i take half day leave on thursday?
Boss: This thursday?
Me: Yeah, thursday afternoon.
Boss: (his mind going through his schedule and mumbles something)Shouldn't be a problem. For what reason?
Me: Oh i'll be going for a makeover and photoshoot in the afternoon. It's worth $550 and they're offering it to me and my mom for free. My mom met them on the street while they were promoting.
Boss: Sounds too good to be true. What's the name of the company?
Me: Naughty By Nature
Boss: (laughs) That sounds so *says a word of which i couldn't hear but i knew it was negative*
Me: (shares in the laughter) Yeah i know. I guess it's a new company that's why they're offering it for free.

Later in the day i smsed Andrew whether he could meet up before his baptism.

Me: Hey Andrew you free to meet up on wednesday?
Andrew: Should be. I end at 2.
Andrew: O sorry it's 4 not 2pm.
Me: Oh that's too early for me as i'm still at work. How about thursday late afternoon since i'm taking half day leave?
Andrew: Yarp, what time?5?6?530?615?453?
Me: (i was sensing him getting into his cranky mood. I thought for a while and replied) ok let's meet at 547pm.
Andrew: haha sure, i'll study there first.

Ok so i set up an appointment with him. It will be the last time i'll be meeting up with him before his baptism. I thought i should since we haven't met for weeks! And perhaps, give him the idea that i am still his shifu...*ahem*.

The 10 commandments DID exist before Moses

(This is a response to this post)
I've heard many times people saying that the 10 comamndments did not exist before Moses. Nothing can be further from the truth. So i compiled some sort of model answer to this specific statement. Feel free to cut and paste.

The Decalogue commands men not to make idols, not to take God's name in vain, not to kill, not to stael, or commit adultery. Could we possibly bring ourselves to believe that such a code of laws was not in force before Moses? There are some things too incredible to warrant belief, and this is one of them. Nor do any of the leading denominations thus believe (see below).

Paul mentions that "Where there is no law, there is no transgression, ...for by the law is the knowledge of sin"(Rom 4:15,3:20). We are left in no posible doubt as to what law is intended for Paul adds later, "I had not known sin, but by the law: for i had no known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." Rom 7:7. And what law says, "Thou shalt not covet"? The 10 commandment law.

When James spoke of those who "you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers." he also left no doubt as to which law he meant. It is the law that says, "Do not commit adultery," and, "Do not kill." James 2:9-11.

There are those who say that sin is a disregard for some law, but not necessarily the 10 commandments. But that is not what Paul and James say. Furthermore, if you examine carefully, you'll notice that all sinful deeds of devils and ancient men can be judged and condemned in terms of the 10 commandments.

Having the 10 commandments codified and formally proclaimed does not mean that it wasn't in force before that. To take a page from history, England, for long centuries, has had what is known as "the common law".

common law
n. the traditional unwritten law of England, based on custom and usage, which began to develop over a thousand years before the founding of the United States. The best of the pre-Saxon compendiums of the common law was reportedly written by a woman, Queen Martia, wife of a king of a small English kingdom. Together with a book on the "law of the monarchy" by a Duke of Cornwall, Queen Martia's work was translated into the emerging English language by King Alfred (849-899 A.D.). When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, he combined the best of this Anglo-Saxon law with Norman law, which resulted in the English common law, much of which was by custom and precedent rather than by written code. By the 14th century legal decisions and commentaries on the common law began providing precedents for the courts and lawyers to follow. It did not include the so-called law of equity (chancery), which came from the royal power to order or prohibit specific acts. The common law became the basic law of most states due to the Commentaries on the Laws of England, completed by Sir William Blackstone in 1769, which became every American lawyer's bible. Today almost all common law has been enacted into statutes with modern variations by all the states except Louisiana, which is still influenced by the Napoleonic Code. In some states the principles of Common Law are so basic they are applied without reference to statute.

History tells us that a law need not be formally proclaimed or written in a book in order to be in force.
Even so with the moral laws of God and man. When Adam and Eve were created they were perfect and served God with a whole heart. Hence we properly conclude that they had the law of God written in their hearts. God also talked to them. For a lifetime of nearly a thousand years, they were permitted to pass on the divine instruction they had received.

The next question then would be why were the 10 commandments codified finally? Because by the time of Moses and the children of Israel, the knowledge of God and His laws had become so blurred in men's minds that it became necessary that a written revelation be given to the world. Coming directly out of Egyptian darkness, the Israelites were in special need of clear-cut declarations on the great moral precepts. For this reason God with His own finger carved in the everlasting stone the 10 commandments. No one need then be in doubt. The changing moral conceptions of those Israelites could ever be corrected by the unchanging words graven in the stone.


===========
Protestantism in general believes three important facts concerning the law
1) That the Decalogue is God's moral standard for Christians.
2) That there is a clear distinction between the Decalogue and the ceremonial and other laws of ancient Israel.
3) That obedience to the Decalogue is not to be construed as being contrary in any way to grace - that law and gospel belong otgether in the Christian life.
(see next post on The Foundation of Christendom)

THE FOUNDATION OF CHRISTENDOM

THE FOUNDATION OF CHRISTENDOM

The foundation of every Christian religion is the Ten Commandments. This is shown in the writings and doctrinal statements of the churches and their founders. No denomination would dare deny the authority of this moral law. Anarchy and crime would reign if they did so. Here are but a few of many statements which could be cited:

Southern Baptist-"We cannot conceive of an age when the moral government of the universe shall be changed, because we cannot conceive of God becoming different morally from what He is now and ever has been. . This Law of God is holy as He Himself is holy. . It is a universal law . . The Law of God is just and cannot be unjust-its justice is universal. . It is more than just; it is gracious. . It results in welfare, in happiness, in blessedness. . The Law of God is full of the love of God."-O. C. S. Wallace, What Baptists Believe, Southern Baptist Sunday School Workers' Training Course, pp. 80-83, 1934, Southern Baptists Convention.

Methodist-"The moral law, contained in the Ten Commandments, and enforced by the Prophets, He [Christ] did not take away. It was not the design of His coming to revoke any part of this. . Every part of this law must remain in force upon all mankind, and in all ages; as not depending either on time or place, or any other circumstances liable to change, but on the nature of God, and the nature of man, and their unchangeable relation to each other. "--John Wesley , founder of the Methodist Church, "Upon Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount," Discourse 5, in Works of John Wesley, Vol. 5, pp. 311-312.

Lutheran-"God threatens to punish all who transgress these commandments. We should, therefore, fear His anger, and do nothing against such commandments. But He promises grace and every blessing to all who keep them. We should, therefore, love and trust in Him, and gladly obey His commandments. "-Martin Luther, Founder of the Lutheran Church, Luther's Small Catechism, in Phillip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, Vol. 3, p. 77.

Reformed-"We must not imagine that the coming of Christ has freed us from the authority of the law: for it is the eternal rule of a devout and holy life, and must, therefore, be as unchangeable, as the justice of God, which it embraced, is constant and uniform."--John Calvin, founder of the Reformed Church, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists, 1949 ed., Vol. 1, p. 277, comment on Matthew 5: 17, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Congregationist - "Through the atonement of Christ more honor is done to the law, and consequently the law is more established, than if the law had been literally executed, and all mankind had been condemned."--Jonathan Edwards (Congregationalist), Works [writings] of Jonathan Edwards, 1842 ed., Vol. 3, p. 369.

Presbyterian-'The moral law doth forever bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof; and that not only in regard of the matter contained in it, but also in respect of the authority of God the Creator who gave it. Neither doth Christ in the gospel in any way dissolve, but much strengthen, this obligation. "-Westminster Confession of Faith, chap. 21, "Of the Law of God, " sees. 5,6.

Episcopalian-"We must understand that the Ten Commandments are just as binding upon Christian people as they were upon the Children of Israel. The moral law is a part of the natural law of the universe. . Just as a natural law broken in the material world brings it inevitable consequences, so the moral law broken brings its inevitable consequences in the spiritual and mental worlds.

"The Lord Jesus knew this. He knew it much better than anyone else who ever lived. Therefore He built His Gospel upon a firm foundation of moral law, knowing that such a foundation can never be upset. .

"Christ's teaching goes beyond the Ten Commandments, but does not thereby make the commandments of non-effect. Quite the contrary! Christianity strengthens the authority of the commandments."- The Episcopal Church Sunday School Magazine, June-July, 1943, Vol. 105, No.6, pp. 183-184.

Moody Bible Institute -"We have already seen that, unlike the ceremonial and civil codes which were given to Israel as the chosen people and holy nation, the moral law is intended for all mankind, and it has never been abrogated nor repealed."-William C. Procter, Moody Bible Institute Monthly, December, 1933.

Interdenominational -"The basic laws of morality, and particularly the Ten Commandments, remain until the end of time as the moral and spiritual foundation upon which the New Testament religion is built."-The Snowden-Douglass Sunday School Lessons for 1946, p. 279.

"These laws are what we might call universal. . These Ten Commandments are the codification of what governs man's moral nature; and they are right, and true, and abiding in every age for every race." Peloubet's Select Notes, for the International Sunday School Lesson for January 20, 1946, p. 35.

"While God remains God, His moral law will be binding upon all who would have any part in His life. God's moral law is eternal; it is an expression of His very being. As such it can no more be abrogated than can God Himself. "-Editorial, 'are Christians to Keep the Law?" The Sunday School Times.

"The law shows me what God demands of me, but what I cannot do by myself. It shows me what I am and that I am lost. It points me to Christ in order that by grace I can be what I cannot be under law." Alan Redpath, "Law and Gospel, " The New Century Leader, July 1958.

power

ok i thank God for helping me finish my project on time. I used ASP.NET for this project and learnt alot through these few days. It's a very powerful programming framework and i hope next time i'll be able to use it in ministry too. I still have the library application that is yet to be done. Maybe i'll implement barcode technology to minimise human error. I just realise how much power i have. I can buy books online for the library and knowing the power i have, i really can make the library a successful ministry in church...muahahhhaaa

I am 15% evil.




I try to stay away from evil deeds but succumb to temptation every once in a while. I'm not quite on my way to hell but I certainly have some explaining to do.


Are you evil? find out at Hilowitz.com


hmm i think this test is not really accurate..i feel im more evil..lol

freeze and melt

It's been ages since i've updated this blog. Ok, i just got back from Andy's birthday party at Hillview Green. He invited about 50 people from church, JC and SMU. One thing i notice about myself regaring the past few birthdays was that i didn't spend much time picking the gifts. No different for Andy's case too. In fact, i was wondering what to get for him and had to ask nic and cara for suggestions. Nic suggested a CD while Cara came up with the most interesting gift - samsui chicken. No doubt Andy loves it, as she says, but i suppose giving that as a gift wouldn't be that appropriate. So in the end after much thought i decided to get him something from the internet.Yeah , i guess i'm just tired at wrecking my brains about what to get for people because what i want to get must be special or innnovative or different or not commonly found. And since the internet not only provides a greater variety of gifts but a rich shopping experience,(yeah i'm a shopping fanatic) i guess i'll be settling on that in the future.
I was one of the few early birds there at 6pm. Dinner started almost immediately with his mom and his cousin serving us food. I was expecting food to be served only when everyone was here but then again, the bbq chicken was ready so they just gave us some. After that a whole bunch of them came at 645pm. And dinner commenced. The fun part for me was not the chatting in the function room but what happened after that. I was outside the room with andrew chatting and benedict, anlin, Nic and elaine came. Then Nic suggested to go to the playground. We did and that was when the fun started. I was reliving my childhood experience when we played blind mice. It's a game where the blind mice has to be blind and catch us. The thing is, the people being pursued cannot touch the ground. It was such a fun game and it was a test of our dexterity and climbing skills...lol. After 45mins into the game, Andy's cousins came and Cara and Zoe. His cousins are about 9 and they wanted to play freeze and melt. The game requires the catcher to freeze everyone by chasing after and touching each person. And of course, the others can melt those that are freezed. Too bad tonight i wore long pants so i was kinda impeded in my movements. I had played this game before when i was of primary school age but it was exhausting running so much. But still, it was a flashback into the past where once upon a time, little sean was running around and jumping around.
It was really fun.

i don't know what's been happening to me these few months. I find that i'm becoming more and more forgetful..from small things like not remembering people's names to things my colleagues tell me..arghhh...seems like i gotta do something about it. Perhaps if i were to go slow and not have too many things inside my head then i can focus. In any case, i gotta ask God for help. I hope this is not the first signs of alzheimer's.

Just read sometin cool..

When engaged in our daily labor, we may breathe out our heart's desire,
inaudible to any human ear; but that word cannot die away into silence,
nor can it be lost. Nothing can drown the soul's desire. It rises above
the din of the street, above the noise of machinery. It is God to whom
we are speaking, and our prayer is heard.

Prayer, p. 7.