A Walk In The Park

There is something about Punggol park that attracts me to it. I went to Punggol Park the other day. The park was simply awesome and surpassed many of my expectations of a quiet walk. Everything I expected and failed to see at Fort Canning Park I saw there. The palm trees just seem to give you a standing ovation when you entter or when you leave and I didn't know any park in Singapore could have a pool that big.


I gotta go fishing there sometime! Anyone care to join? Maybe SF can go for a fishing outing here? Just to get a literal feel of the name 'salted fishers' someone get the salt!! Then again we have the nearer Bishan Park to go to and some of us don't have the patience to just sit down by the edge of the pond and wait I suppose. There also some frightful moments, I was walking along the above cattails when all of a sudden there was a huge "SPLOSH!!!" Which scared half the life out of me haha. I also found the remains dead fish. cause of death: unknown(head is severed)

It seems to have had its head bitten of by a predator and since this headless fish is quite large, it makes me wonder: just what type of ferocious huge fishes live in those murky waters....

Aside from that I found some strange pinkish stuff on the stem of the cattails. Anyone care to explain what they are?

All in all it was a pleasant experience going to that park and I learnt a few things too. I highly recommend anyone trying to find some peace and quiet or just looking for a place to do quiet time or bible study to visit this park.

Humaneity

I was watching a program on NatGeo today about a serial bomber that detonated at least twelve bombs over a span of 20 years killing many people. One of the description they used for him was 'inhuman'. This got me thinking, is it really "inhuman" to kill sadistically? Inhuman is made up of 'in' and 'human' meaning 'not human'. Don't get me wrong, I'm not promoting crime, but isn't it perfectly "HUMAN" to kill, steal, lie, lust, to step on others and to exalt oneself above others? On the other hand, it is 'inhuman' to love all peoples unconditionally, to give without expecting return, to always tell the straight truth, to think of others before self. What person do you know does all the positive things I list without fail? Yet it is impossible to find a person who have not lie and lust, in fact the one who says he have never lied is the biggest liar of all. Ironic isn't it? That is why Christianity to me teaches us to be 'inhuman' bu rather to be "godly". Because only God can do all the "inhuman" things without flaw. Let this be our goal to rid ourselves of our old sinful human nature and follow Christ who though became human, preserved his purity and innocence in him.

I've Read Finish The Entire BIBLE!!!!

It is a journey that started a year ago at the prompting of a speaker named Victor Tan and today is finally completed. The arduos journey of reading the entire Holy Bible, Book by book, Page by page, chapter by chapter, you get what I mean. When I look at back, I still can't believe I have read through every page and processed every word in my head. It has truely enriched my soul and increased my faith. The journey was definitely not easy and it required me to set aside a portion of my day everyday to read at least 3 chapters of the Bible. Granted there were days I just was too busy(i.e. lazy) to read it but I some how managed to pull through! All by the Grace of Christ. This calls for a celebration!! I strongly encourage Christians who have not read through the whole Bible at least once to take up the challenge of reading it through. You can follow my method of 3 chapters per day for an entire year or follow your own study plan. It will benefit your walk with God substantially. Dun tell me it's impossible or you're too young you knw it's a lie. And don't even start saying you are too busy cause if you are abll to read books on vampires(as if there aren't enough bloodsuckers in real life), over-dramatic romances, secret societies and/or people waving wands around while shouting words that sound like "asparagus", you have time read the Bible. Of course, I'm not forcing anyone, do it at your own free will.

I wonder what I'm gonna do now that I've finished. Ok then, ONE MORE TIME FROM THE TOP!!!

Everything is crashing down~crashing down~crashing down.

Lately life has been very hectic. Economy crash, Market crash, Plane crash, Car crash, Relationship crash, the next thing to crash is this world. Amidst all these it's very difficult to smile isn't it? I'm sure everyone has experienced some type of crash. Most critical now is the worldwide market crash(fancy a 15 yearold talking about it). My mother works in DBS bank, fortunately due to God's grace and her hardwork, her possition is still quite stable despite people being retrenched all around her. The other day she was just joking with me about the news which showed protesters holding sing boards saying "DBS Bandits" scratching away the word 'Bankers'. This psalm came back to me:
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7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

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Indeed, my mother stood firm in God and did not fall, yet she observed all the "wicked" bankers, those who invested their client's money unwisely, fall away. Surprisingly the Bible only mentions the word 'crash' 2 times but one of it really struck me as applicable throughout this age of crashes.

Matt 7:26-27:

26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great CRASH."

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It is a familiar verse but few realize that this verse is applicable outside the church and our faith. Houses are things that makes us feel secure, safe and protects us from the harsh elements .We are all building 'houses', be it in the next investment, exams, relationships or even literally houses. The same thing applies: Are you building your house on the Rock? By following following Jesus instructions in everyday matters we are infact building our 'houses' on His strong foundation. Yet there are those who cut corners in building their houses thus metaphorically "building a house on quicksand" It may be easier to build a house on sand, that is to cheat, cut corners and/or not follow Jesus' instruction, in fact such houses are faster to build and look prettier but they do not last long and ALWAYS end with a CRASH. Remember the Si Chuan earthquake? The school that collapsed and the school that stood, what difference did they have?

So how have you been building your 'house'? The only way to protect yourself from this age of crashes is to firmly establish your foundations. Please do not think this is childish, it is quite true indeed.

The other use of the word crash is quite interesting. It seems to foretell of a market crash.

Zeph1:

10 "On that day," declares the LORD, "a cry will go up from the Fish Gate, wailing from the New Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills.
11 Wail, you who live in the market district; all your merchants will be wiped out, all who trade with silver will be ruined.

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but I certainly wouldnt say that this is a prophecy about the market crash haha.

AGS

Bali Trip

I just went to Bali recently and it was superb! The Beach was sandy white, the waters were crystal blue, the scenery was majestic, truly one of the places you can go to to experience God's majesty and glory(You DON'T HAV TO WORRY ABOUT BOMBINGS). I cant exactly remember the sequence of events but this is the hazzy outline of it all:
Day 1
Arrived at Niko Hotel.The buildings here arre only one floor high due to cultural reasons so the hotel had to be build downwards down a cliff(The view was fantastic)!
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So it will go 1, B1, B2, B3, B4 so on and so forth. I didnt take any pictures of the hotel tho... WARNING do not go there if you're afraid of insects! There are no bugs in the rooms but since it's beside a cliff the open air corridors have quite a number of bugs. I got out one morning and found a huge praying mantis, I took a picture of it but it was so blurry I deleted it...Other than that the hotel was fantastic, had a huge pool(I dun know why you would swim in a pool next to the beach tho) and you could got to the beach anytime
Day 2
The highlight of the day was watching a Balinese dance called Barong. It was a Balinese equivalent of a lion dance and of course with the captivating movements of balinese dancers

Day 3
We visited the Seaside Hindu temple which name escaped me(IOW I forgot). There were many Hindu pilgrims there and they gathered beside the beach and worship towards the temple which is build on a large rock separated from the beach. They also worship a "Holy Snake" there which lived in a cave. They allowed us to enter the cave for free. I went in and found out that the snake lived inside a hole and when I saw it, it was smaller than what I expected. It was a banded black and white snake(they even alloowed you to touch it!)
Day 4
We took a glass bottom boat ride(There wasn't much to see at the bottom unless you're interested in rocks and kelp) to a turtle farm and this part of the trip I truly enjoyed. I finally met up with my own kind(for those who understand what I'm saying, keep it to yourself)! It was an effort to save the sea tutles in Indonesia not to eat the turtle if that's what you're thinking. They allowed us to carry some of the smaller turtles, which were not so small(They were heavy!), feed the larger turtles in the pond and for those who could, carry the large turtles!

arriving there on the boat

The one on the right is me


turtle soup....

bite the kelp not me!


These group of aspiring weight lifters attempted at the large turtles(poor turtle>.<)

Besides turtles, they also had other animals there such as Hawks, Iguanas and most prominent is the fighting cocks(don't think dirty, or should I use the rooster insteead?-_-"). We even got to see the roosters in action!

A mighty hawk!perched on its, well, not so grand wooden stand it surveys the curious tourist. the term lack of privacy comes to mind

the woman must be thinking "EEEK! a demoralised, most-of-the-time-caged iguana that's supposed to be twice my size but over here I'm twice the size of!" just kidding

These guys have to caress the roosters repeatedly to rouse them to fight(again, DON'T THINK DIRTY, this blog is still to glorify God you know...)

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

For dinner we went to Ganesha Restaurant(for those who don't know Ganesha is the Elephant headed god of Hindu). We were literaly dining on the beach with the crashing waves a few steps away and the food was oh so gooooooooooood.

Pardon my smug look I had no idea about it

The view from the restaurant, you might want to give glory to God right about...NOW!

Day 5
I'm not sure if it was today but I think it was a sunday and we attended a balinese church there and it was not as I expected. They were singing "Friend of God" need I say more? but it was meaningful to know that even in the place you least expect it, there is a group of saints not so different from yourself. Sorry no pictures, hey when you're worshiping, you dun take pictures of it.
After that it was a complete day of beach games! We went to jetskiing and it was FUN! When I was jetskiing it was truly an amazing experience. The ocean was so borderless and wide. Eventhough it was so exciting and bumpy, I could not help but feel very, very small in such a vast ocean. That was when I really thanked God for being so big. For those who have never tried jetskiing before, I highly recommend you to try it out and if you're worried about safety, there's a staff sitting behind you to make sure all goes well.

After that we rode the stingray, a sort of float that is pulled through the air by a speedboat.

coming back from the stingray

in the background you can see another stingray if you're interested to know what it's like


Day 6(my last day)':)
On the last day, We left Niko hotel and went to visit BVLGARI resort, not to stay but just to experience high class lodging(yes we're that sad...). If you ever go to Bali I STRONGLY encourage you to stay at BVLGARI resort if you have money to burn. you don't stay in rooms but personal mini villas and you are driven all around the resort in a go-kart! These are just SOME of the views there




The swimming pool is facing the ocean so it feels like you're just floating away like a jellyfish



those are not huts you see at the bottom right but the villas to live in

That's the cafe

And then it's time to say goodbye to Bali a really lovely place shattered a few years ago by the horrible bombing. but today it is still as beautiful as ever and truly one of the most beautiful places in this world. Bali is truly a side of Indonesia I never knew for the 9 years I lived there until this trip.

I'm Back!

Wohoo!! Finally, the exams has ended and I'm back. Though my results were less than spectacular, I THANK GOD I topped my class for English! Haleluya! Ok so moving on, Here are some of my very first pop-arts, feel free to use whichever you like: Haha this is my very first Christian pop art. It's the result of minutes of fiddling with my calculator(maybe this is why I failed my maths-_-")

That's supposed to be a zombie if you dun know. Yup I enjoyed the word play:D For those who know, I actually based the zombie on an emoticon I once saw.

This is the First of my chinese figures series. As a Chinese myself, I wanted to get in touch with my own culture abit more andwhat better way? haha the second of my Chinese figure series. It's the same Living water theme as the first but I like it:D
The Third in my Chinese figure series I think someone took this Idea before but I can asure you I made this myself.
So far perhaps maybe my cutest work, I spent 3 hours on it! It maybe cute but there is much meaning behind it. This unfortunately, is how a lot of people picture the devil. It may be tough for us to imagine the devil in this modern world but his power has not waned at all. He is still dangerous and cunning andif we are not careful he CAN cause us to fall. The only way we can protect ourselves is to put our faith in God's strength and live a life of obedience to God. So stop thinking that the devil is an obese guy with horns about to die from stroke at any moment okay?

Well that's all my pop arts for now. I'll create more over these two months. Hope you enjoy them! Pls comment kay?