Sun Breaking Through Clouds

At last, the sun has break through the clouds today..Exhausted for the past few days and now auf-wiedersehen dark clouds..off you go! Fully recharged today and I can bounce up and down like a yo-yo..wheeee..I have a few things that I would like to do: buy donuts for my mum, my sis’ birthday gift, cny shopping..haha lots! I’m now looking forward for cny especially my favourite, yummylicious pineapple tarts can’t wait to sink a bite and hopefully, really hopefully I don’t put on weight after all the crazy feasting..Whoa..Anyway, I am happy partly because I have written two conference papers and already submitted them..pray they will be accepted and yeah God says to me this week that life isn’t that bad after all..after all the bumpy rollercoaster ride that left painful bruises, He is in absolute control..went to worship practice yesterday and the worship coordinator and worship leader shared something which I felt God was with me this week…”hey, don’t fret anymore ben..rejoice and when you play the keyboard, smile and let my joy fill you up..”

Read this today which is so true: Focusing too much on your future only keeps you from appreciating where you are. Guess I have been spending too much time exploring other options..and been thinking a lot lately..hmm I guess I should stop for a while today and ask myself just what is so wrong with where I am now, who I’m with now, and what I’m doing now? The answer is obvious. Sometimes, focusing too much on your next steps in life only keeps you from appreciating where you are in the moment. Being content is not a sign of having no ambition. It’s a sign that you are wise and happy. I am happy right now after learning this

hurrah for the mighty Saviour King who saves…arise! arise! the sun has break through the clouds..the clouds are gone and though it may come again..the brilliant sun, we carry the banner of Jesus’ name, we are conquerors..we fight and we will win! I like the scene in LOTR2 the memorable battle at helm’s deep..things seem pretty hopeless, the army of darkness greatly outnumbering the good guys..many lives are lost..but hey..some brave warriors did hold on…hold on to what? they hold on to the hope that they will see the dawn break…they fought bravely..after three days..they saw the dawn break..light came..mighty help came…crushed the bad guys and evil has been defeated..arise! arise! the sun has already up..loud cheer from the people hailing the Lord of lords..King of kings..He is the Sun and the Shield, refuge and strength, glory to the heavens for He is indeed mighty to save!

J.Co Donuts

My recent favourites:

1. Heaven Berry -> combination of strawberry and cream, this is really superb! a must try..will try to take a photo on this yummylicious donut
2. JCrown Oreo -> bottom right..black glazed with white..true to its name, it will be a crown to your tastebud..

Tree of Life

Stop the chainsaw massacre! Trees bring beauty to life and like many city dwellers I feel drawn to lush countrysides by a yearning for an escapade from the grey concrete wastes.

Before writing further..here is a portion from C.S Lewis from The Magician’s Nephew:

“Narnia is established. We must next take thought for keeping it safe. I will call some of you to my council. Come hither to me, you the chief Dwarf, and you the River-god…. For though the world is not five hours old and evil has already entered it.”

“…a force of evil has already entered it; waked and brought hither by this Son of Adam.” The Beasts…. all turned their eyes on Digory…. And as Adam’s race has done the harm, Adam’s race shall help to heal it.” 55

“The witch whom brought into this world will come back to Narnia again…. It is my wish to plant in Narnia a tree that she will not dare to approach, and that tree will protect Narnian from her for many years…. You must get me the seed from which that tree is to grow.”57

Digory “knew which was the right tree at once, partly because it stood in the very center and partly because the great silver apples with which it was loaded shone so…. He walked straight across to it, picked an apple and put it in the breast pocket of his Norfolk jacket. But he couldn’t help looking at it and smelling it before he put it away.

“It would have been better if he had not. A terrible thirst and hunger came over him and a longing to taste that fruit. He put it hastily into his pocket….63

“I’ve brought you the apple you wanted, sir.” …

“Well done,” said Aslan…. For this fruit you have hungered and thirsted and wept. No hand but yours shall sow the seed to the tree that is to be the protection of Narnia. Throw the apple toward the river bank.”65

“… they saw a tree which had certainly not been there before. It must have grown up silently, as swiftly as a flag rises….

“Son of Adam,” said Aslan, you have sown well. And you, narnians, let it be your first care to guard this Tree, for it is your Shield.”68

“Aslan, sir,” said Digory, turning red. “I forgot to tell you. The Witch as already eaten one of those apples…..”

“Child,” [Aslan] replied. “That is why all the rest are now a horror to her. That’s what happens to those who pluck and eat fruits at the wrong time in in the wrong way. The fruit is good, but they loathe it ever after.” 68

“Oh I see,” said Polly. “And I suppose because she took it the wrong way it won’t … make her always young and all that?”

“Alas,” said Aslan, shaking his head. “It will. Things always work according to their nature. She has won her heart’s desire; she has unwearying strength and endless days like a goddess. But length of days with and evil heart is only length of misery….”

Tree of Life? A fabled story of eternal youth and living forever? Let’s look into Genesis and you will find the Tree of Life is a tree planted by God in midst of the Garden of Eden, whose fruit gives everlasting life..alongside with the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It has always been a sad ending for those who seek with selfish gains…Look at the consequences of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden apple..what happened after that? How about the Witch in the Chronicles of Narnia? (*hint: you can find what happened in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). Now the question is are we still seeking the tree of life? Strangely, the tree of life is being mowed by the bulldozer aka modernism: C.A.R.E.E.R, M.O.N.E.Y, and other lucrative patterns of the W.O.R.L.D

Look at the picture above..are we the avid band of supporters to protect our tree? The message of salvation falls deaf for those that seeks the world. Let’s us all be faithful and abide in Christ for His plans are far beyond wonderful compared to the worldly schemes. Do not let the bulldozers to shake our faith but persevere on..at times when we feel like on the verge of giving up..“Hang on there..” The sufferings are all worth it..Although the sounds of the bulldozer can be pretty loud and terrifying..again I’ll say, “Hold on!” In Him, we have the true tree of life, redeemed and saved by His great acts of love on the cross. God is mighty to save and indeed He is! He will never fail us because He loves us so much

Building Castles In The Air

A bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived man wishing for his bed to zoom into the picture and provide him an unperturbed bliss of rest..lots of rest! what a high-pace week and I’ve been running around like a mad squirrel probably tired from thinking too much and it’s time to turn off that active brain and to focus more on my physical well being.. how wonderful if Starbucks can provide me a lifetime membership card since I rely heavily on caffeine for energy boost to kick-start my day and awaken my senses. By the way, back to the post..a “castle in the air”, is used to describe a futile flight of fancy, thinking or daydreaming about something unattainable..Why of sudden castles be a sudden of interest? I used to be idealist and been dreaming a lot since childhood days..Yeah I don’t think driving Jaguar and living in a huge mansion in the outskirts of the city would be coming true after all..Playing violin in an orchestra still seems far stretch way to go

I’d really like this quote by Napoleon Hill, which says:

A goal is a dream with a deadline.

That’s the difference of achieved goals and dreams that are still yet to be hatched.

Below are 15 dynamic principles by Craig Lock to help to realize your dreams:

1. Discover the Awesome Power of a Dream.

2. Your dream must be backed by ACTION

3. Develop a ‘God Consciousness’

4. Develop your desire to see the dream come to fruition.

5. Develop a Success Consciousness, that you will achieve your dream one day.

6. Don’t surrender to negative assumptions.

7. KNOW that there is a God, a Supreme Being

8. Have a dynamic positive attitude to life.

9. Really BELIEVE that things will work out for you.

10. PERSIST

11. Be patient.

12. Be open and flexible in your strategies to achieve your goals, your dream(s).

13. Review your strategy and progress from time to time.

14. Listen to others, really listen, instead of thinking what you are going to say next

- It is important to share your dreams with your close friends they are your great motivators to encourage and cheer you on..

15. Never Give Up on the Core of your Dream. Never!

What is your dream?
DECIDE IT, DECLARE IT, SHARE IT

Achievers are believers: they believe in themselves and in life.

“If you can believe, all things are possible to those who believe.”
- Mark 9:23

Hate U, L.O.V.E U

A sleepy day to be reckoned with..I’m like Garfield who hates Mondays..yawn! Had a tiring and busy weekend, leaving me all exhausted and worn out. A brand new week has arrived leaving me hardly enough time to recharge fully. Low battery? Haha, I don’t need energizer but just need a couple good hours of rest. A brew of starbucks won’t be much of a help today..But on the good side, a flash of inspiration struck me dead on my tracks to slumberland..hehe what does “hate U and love U” mean? I just don’t know why of late I enjoy a lot listening to Korean/Japanese music more than modern English songs..Gone were the days of boy bands and Spice Girls, goodbye and good riddance to all those junkies! Haha..no offense ^^ Previous post was about Anyband and now it is a band called “SuperJunior” Hate U and Love U is one of the track on their 2nd album and the title has lots to say since it has quite a paradoxical meaning…Example, I hate yellow colour because it is too bright, but I love yellow daffodils, sunflowers parading in the meadows; hate loud music rockers, but I simply love orchestras, Korean/Japanese music although at times they can be much louder..kinda perspective and that’s why I’ve inserted a picture below to show two bricks to describe more blatantly on these two abstract feelings..at one point you can actually see “love” at a direct angle but if you look sideways, you will see “hate”..it is all depends on what perspective you want to see and what you want to feel..What is hate? What is love? Do you hate to love or love to hate?

Anyband – Talk Play Love and Promise You

Anyband is a promotional Korean group formed by cell phone giant Samsung’s Anycall to promote their latest product “AnyBand” new cell phones. “AnyBand” consists of BoA, Xiah Junsu of TVXQ, Tablo of Epik High, and jazz pianist Jin Bora.

Great Expectations

A new year, an esprit of brand new adventures in store not forgetting also unpleasant surprises or setbacks…2007 has been pretty fast forwarded that you don’t really realize it is already the beginning of a new year I’ve been somewhat expecting lots of good things to happen in 2008 but also dread of possible responsibilities of what to come and certain paths that I need courage to take. Remember a saying, Ben Parker used to say: A great power comes with a great responsibility? Yeah..I guess it is true: but I like this particular quote from Anne Frank which says “And whoever is happy will make others happy, too. People who have courage and faith will never perish in misery!’

I have lots to achieve and lots of places to run to and fro: great expectations from myself and from others. It will be a total madness to rely solely on my limited strength. Guess what? I have always asked God: how enough is enough to find favour in you? How big or how far should I go to realize my dreams that I can deem myself successful before you? I am not like Moses who is a great leader, nor David, a man after God’s heart, or Apostle Paul, courageous leader in the new testament, a man of grit and determination..God where am I in your eyes? This is what He answered:

“Why do you stay doubtful of the things I have done. 2 Cor 9:6 Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. In verse 7, Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

God has been so good and faithful that he has send various people to speak and encourage me throughout 2007. Living in abundance and more joy, let the truth sets you free from doubts was His message. I guess he wants me to be happy in what I am doing and not wanting me to compare and measure my success to a scale of how others define what is success.

Another thing is that no man is an island. We are all living stones in Christ and Christ is the capstone that holds us together. One stone or a brick is not enough to build a house and therefore, God gave me another message is that our efforts are never enough, we need to work together and more importantly, we must be God-focused because Christ is the capstone/centerpiece of what we are doing. In a bigger picture, we are doing all the things that we need to do, not because we have to, or being forced to, or merely to fulfill our duties as Christians but we do it because we love God very much as He has loved us at first place that He has send his one and only Son to die for us.

2008..here I come and these few aspects are the areas I need to work on:

• Determination

• Organization

• Maximation

Lastly, I just want to be happy and delight in every opportunies God will open for me in the year 2008.

Happy New Year and let it be a year of fruitfulness and a start of many exciting adventures!

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce