Went back to adjust my braces again today. Yay they're orange now!
Anyways I finally got all my teeth braced up. Before this, two of them were left free cuz they were kinda in a tough spot. My teeth should be quite straight in two months time. But before those two, months, GAWSH, it's tough to chew. Apparently, the dentist inserted some kinda cement like thingy on my upper back teeth so I couldnt bite together and interfere with the movement of the two teeth I mentioned earlier.
The dentist said that I might experience some slight "discomfort"
Now we come to what seems like the favourite phrase of the entire medical community, "slight discomfort". sounds harmless enough, like sensation of sitting on a remote control. I will now demonstrate to you how to use this phrase as the professionals use it.
"Mr Henry, I'm about to insert a 5 cm thick tube up your rectum and swirl it around WITHOUT using anaesthetics. You might feel some slight discomfort,"
"Ms Erika, we will have to bash you repeatedly on the head with a sledgehammer until you recover your memory, you might experience a slight discomfort"
Safe to say, the last time experienced such "slight discomfort" involved a hammer, a nail and my thumb. So anyways, I cant bite properly now and I have constant "slight discomfort" that feels like ten thousand miniature people ripping my gums appart. So I'm just on cloud nine right now=D
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Home
What is the function of the Christian Christian church and who is it made for? What do you think? There are some who say that the church is only for holy people who live good lives to attend to meet with their holy God. Others think that it is a place for silly and cowardly goodie-two-shoes people to go to to avoid the harsh realities of life. And yet others think it is a place for deluded people.
Well amazingly, none of these are true. So what is the church for?
The church is not a place for holy people.
Here is the criteria for people who the church was made for, let's see if it's made for you:)
1 you have lied(white,grey or black) at least one time in the past seven days
2 you have stolen things before(this includes watching pirated DVDs and downloading music online)
3 you have had sexual fantasies/immorality and/or indulged in pornography
4 you have been jealous for other people's popularity/status/belongings/etc
5 you have been so angry you abused someone verbally or physically
If you have fulfilled the even one of the criteria above, congratulations! The church is made ESPECIALLY for YOU and you have an exclusive invitation given out personally by God.
I'll tell you who the church was made for, it was made for sinners. That means you and me.
Just as the hospital is meant for sick people, the church meant for sinners. It was never intended to be a place for holy people, they don't exist. Jesus said
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
The church was build for those who are broken-hearted, those who know they have no hope, those who cry out at night but nobody hears them, those who find no meaning in life and in themselves, those who are weak and tired, those who are plagued with fears they dare not face, those who are haunted by the past and have nowhere to run, those who have hundreds of winning medals but are still a losers in their mind, Those who have everything but know something is missing, those who are constantly surrounded by people but know they are lonely inside, those whose friends have left them, those whose loved ones have been taken away from them, those who are grief-stricken, those who can't seem to stop doing the wrong things, those who ashamed that they are downright filthy inside. Those who want to be truly changed from their current state.
Those who know that they are sinners
These are the type of people that Jesus came to save and the type of people that he built the church for. To give hope to the hopeless, to comfort the broken-hearted, to grant rest to the restless, to give strength to the weak and courage to the fearful, to complete those who are incomplete, to give love to all those who need it.
To grant forgiveness to the sinner. He will heal you and transform you from the inside out
That is what a church is and is for. So if you fulfill the criteria for going to church, what are you waiting for?
Well amazingly, none of these are true. So what is the church for?
The church is not a place for holy people.
Here is the criteria for people who the church was made for, let's see if it's made for you:)
1 you have lied(white,grey or black) at least one time in the past seven days
2 you have stolen things before(this includes watching pirated DVDs and downloading music online)
3 you have had sexual fantasies/immorality and/or indulged in pornography
4 you have been jealous for other people's popularity/status/belongings/etc
5 you have been so angry you abused someone verbally or physically
If you have fulfilled the even one of the criteria above, congratulations! The church is made ESPECIALLY for YOU and you have an exclusive invitation given out personally by God.
I'll tell you who the church was made for, it was made for sinners. That means you and me.
Just as the hospital is meant for sick people, the church meant for sinners. It was never intended to be a place for holy people, they don't exist. Jesus said
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
The church was build for those who are broken-hearted, those who know they have no hope, those who cry out at night but nobody hears them, those who find no meaning in life and in themselves, those who are weak and tired, those who are plagued with fears they dare not face, those who are haunted by the past and have nowhere to run, those who have hundreds of winning medals but are still a losers in their mind, Those who have everything but know something is missing, those who are constantly surrounded by people but know they are lonely inside, those whose friends have left them, those whose loved ones have been taken away from them, those who are grief-stricken, those who can't seem to stop doing the wrong things, those who ashamed that they are downright filthy inside. Those who want to be truly changed from their current state.
Those who know that they are sinners
These are the type of people that Jesus came to save and the type of people that he built the church for. To give hope to the hopeless, to comfort the broken-hearted, to grant rest to the restless, to give strength to the weak and courage to the fearful, to complete those who are incomplete, to give love to all those who need it.
To grant forgiveness to the sinner. He will heal you and transform you from the inside out
That is what a church is and is for. So if you fulfill the criteria for going to church, what are you waiting for?
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Beautiful in it's time
Beautiful in it's time
~
There is a time
to laugh and play.
There is a time
to weep and pray
There is a time
to keep silent
and there is a
time to speak
~
However I know
above it all
My Father, my God
Is at His work
Always bringing
much good
Unto all
who love Him
above it all
My Father, my God
Is at His work
Always bringing
much good
Unto all
who love Him
~
During the times
That I received
It's different from what
I had perceived
During the times
there is no answer for
"why must this occur?"
~
However I know
above it all
My Father, my God
Is at His work
Always bringing
much good
Unto all
who love Him
above it all
My Father, my God
Is at His work
Always bringing
much good
Unto all
who love Him
~
Perhaps,
I don't understand
what is this that I
am going through
Even so,
I know this for sure
My Father's love will
ever endure
~
I will
surrender all
my anxieties
unto you Jesus
Because,
I know this for sure,
All things will become,
beautiful in its time
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Life by the river Chpt I
Waddle-waddle-waddle sit!
"hrmm... so this is my new home?" thought the duck
He got back up on his feet and waddled along, observing the calm river.
"hrmm..." he thought to himself "not bad, this river is quite clean and it's cool and breezy too! I hope I can make a good living here, the other residents here seem quite ok."
It was migrating season and all the creatures of the woodlands were finding a new home. This particular river was one of the many places the creatures checked out. It was quite a small river or it would be more appropriate to call it a stream. It was tucked away in a quiet corner of the woods and was rather remote, not the most happening place definitely. But that was enough for Bill the duck, his previous home was no better than this. So he was waddling down the stream checking out who his new neighbours might be when suddenly....
"Quack! what's that?" He squinted to get a better look. It seemed like a large stone but with perculiar markings on it. "It's moving!" he thought to himself. So he waddled closer towards it, taking care to keep his distance, but without warning! It turned around and a head came out of the stone.
"Quack! Well, it turns out to be a box turtle. He looks... quite fierce, I think I'd better stay away from him..."
So Bill carried on with his tour when a large mother goose swooped down onto the soft grass and with her loud voice called out
"AHEM!! ALL CREATURES WHO HAVE JUST RECENTLY MOVED INTO RIVER DIVAN PLEASE ASSEMBLE BY THE APPLE TREE QUICKLY FOR A QUICK TOUR OF THE RIVER SQUUAAAWWWK!!!!"
So all the creatures of the woodlands came hopping, scurrying, crawling, gliding and of course, waddling to the apple tree. Then the mother goose started counting all the creatures.
"Squaak! Everything seems to be in order, come let us proceed with the tour!"
Bill waddled along with the entire group. They went to many of the landmarks of the river, there was the field of clovers, the great oak tree, the crystal fountain and many other charming features of the river. Then, the mother goose led them to the eldertrees where the history of the river was carved on the trees for all it's inhabitants to see. Mother goose puffed up her chest, brimming with pride as she started speaking about the history.
"Now, this river is a relatively young river, only 100 years since it's formation when the rocks of Rush mountain burst forth and......" Now it just so happen that Bill was standing quite close to the turtle he had seen earlier. He kept his cool but in his heart he kept wondering what it would be like to live with a brute such as him. He observed the turtle from the corner of his eye but the turtle did not even notice him. Bill had nearly calmed himself, listening to the mother goose's tale when suddenly the turtle remarked quietly,
"This is so depressing....."
Bill giggled quietly, "well THAT was unexpected!" he thought "Looks like life by the river is going to be truly exciting and hey! It's only just begun."
"hrmm... so this is my new home?" thought the duck
He got back up on his feet and waddled along, observing the calm river.
"hrmm..." he thought to himself "not bad, this river is quite clean and it's cool and breezy too! I hope I can make a good living here, the other residents here seem quite ok."
It was migrating season and all the creatures of the woodlands were finding a new home. This particular river was one of the many places the creatures checked out. It was quite a small river or it would be more appropriate to call it a stream. It was tucked away in a quiet corner of the woods and was rather remote, not the most happening place definitely. But that was enough for Bill the duck, his previous home was no better than this. So he was waddling down the stream checking out who his new neighbours might be when suddenly....
"Quack! what's that?" He squinted to get a better look. It seemed like a large stone but with perculiar markings on it. "It's moving!" he thought to himself. So he waddled closer towards it, taking care to keep his distance, but without warning! It turned around and a head came out of the stone.
"Quack! Well, it turns out to be a box turtle. He looks... quite fierce, I think I'd better stay away from him..."
So Bill carried on with his tour when a large mother goose swooped down onto the soft grass and with her loud voice called out
"AHEM!! ALL CREATURES WHO HAVE JUST RECENTLY MOVED INTO RIVER DIVAN PLEASE ASSEMBLE BY THE APPLE TREE QUICKLY FOR A QUICK TOUR OF THE RIVER SQUUAAAWWWK!!!!"
So all the creatures of the woodlands came hopping, scurrying, crawling, gliding and of course, waddling to the apple tree. Then the mother goose started counting all the creatures.
"Squaak! Everything seems to be in order, come let us proceed with the tour!"
Bill waddled along with the entire group. They went to many of the landmarks of the river, there was the field of clovers, the great oak tree, the crystal fountain and many other charming features of the river. Then, the mother goose led them to the eldertrees where the history of the river was carved on the trees for all it's inhabitants to see. Mother goose puffed up her chest, brimming with pride as she started speaking about the history.
"Now, this river is a relatively young river, only 100 years since it's formation when the rocks of Rush mountain burst forth and......" Now it just so happen that Bill was standing quite close to the turtle he had seen earlier. He kept his cool but in his heart he kept wondering what it would be like to live with a brute such as him. He observed the turtle from the corner of his eye but the turtle did not even notice him. Bill had nearly calmed himself, listening to the mother goose's tale when suddenly the turtle remarked quietly,
"This is so depressing....."
Bill giggled quietly, "well THAT was unexpected!" he thought "Looks like life by the river is going to be truly exciting and hey! It's only just begun."
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Racial & Religious harmony, often misunderstood themes
Okay since today is racial & religious harmony day, I'd like to blog some of my thoughts and feelings about it. Now I am aware that this is a sensitive subject and discussing it is like skating on thin ice but don't worry, I don't intend to be arrested or to start a riot or to get my tagbox being filled up with curses therefore, I won't say anything that may be offensive.
Okay, I'll start off by saying that I cannot begin to express how important racial and religious harmony and tolerance is in a society. why do I say these two themes are often misunderstood you may ask. Simply because, many Singaporeans think that racial and religious harmony is one and the same thing. While it is true that in Singapore, most of the adherents of a certain religion are mostly from one of the major racial groups (e.g. Chinese and Taoism/Buddhism, Malay and Islam), it is not true that the entire race is of that religion.
For example, I know a Chinese man who happens to be Islam and quite happy to be so; and there are other examples too but I will not state them here. The strange thing about racial harmony is that racism takes place even within the confines of a religion, for example the racism that happened previously in the Christian church of the west where, the blacks are segregated from the whites. Remember the Chinese man I spoke about earlier? I heard that when he attends the mosque, while most adherents are friendly towards him, some still look at him in bewilderment as to what a Chinese man is doing in a Malay majority place.
As the races in Singapore become more and more united, such things will definitely occur and we must be ready for it. More people will be interested in the other religions and may decide to even join them, although I doubt any major conflict of racism within a religion will arise here. So we should really take off the stereotype that a religion is designated only to a certain race.
I too have experienced this stereotype. Because I take Malay as my second language despite being Chinese, some people mistakenly think I was Islam. Although it gets tiring explaining the reason as to why I take Malay despite my race, I must admit it is fun watching people's bewildered expressions.
Moving on to a deeper misunderstanding that unsettles me though, there is something I must say. This next line may or may not offend you but if it does, before you release a zoo into my inbox and call the cops on me, please read my explanation first.
Religious harmony is important, Religious integration is a joke.
What I mean by this is that yes, while it is important having the adherents of different religions living side-by-side in harmony, there is no need to bring it a step as far as integrating the religions. I have heard of some people and organizations which try to merge all the major religions and create a universal doctrine or religion.
This is a flawed concept as anyone who puts weight into their religion knows that it is not possible to merge their own doctrine with that of another religion because that would involve perverting and compromising the authority and integrity of the doctrine. A similar problem is in saying that all religions actually worship the same God/s but in a different form or in different ways. This is untrue because the perception of God/s in the different major religions are often too different to be reconciled and integrating the dieties of the different religion will also involve perverting the religion.
This is true for all major belief system making them mutually exclusive. In other words one cannot say, "I belief in Jesus' teachings but I also belief in Buddha's teachings" at the same time because both their teachings are essentially different from the other. You can't have your cake and eat it.
Now don't get me wrong here, I'm not trying to say who's wrong or who's right.
It is similar to an arithmatic question, you can't decide to have two solutions to the same question; you have to choose one and stick with it, unless of course, you change your mind.
However, just because we have different beliefs does not mean we can't respect one another. The key is to be understanding and patient with one another, forgiving a person if he unintentionally does something that is offensive against your belief. We also have to make a concious effort to learn about the religion of others' and respect them for what they believe in, afterall, we are all human and no one is inferior or superior just because of what they believe in.
Love, the universal principle
All major religions teaches love and the other basic human morals. Love is the universal principle. Anything that teaches otherwise, that is to teach one to hate another human, are false and are destructive and potentially deadly. Maybe a good example would be the Sarin gas terrorist attack in Tokyo. Love is the only principle where all major beliefs can find common ground.
Therefore, let us honour our own beliefs by loving each other and living in peace with each other.
Happy Racial and Religious Harmony Day=D
Okay, I'll start off by saying that I cannot begin to express how important racial and religious harmony and tolerance is in a society. why do I say these two themes are often misunderstood you may ask. Simply because, many Singaporeans think that racial and religious harmony is one and the same thing. While it is true that in Singapore, most of the adherents of a certain religion are mostly from one of the major racial groups (e.g. Chinese and Taoism/Buddhism, Malay and Islam), it is not true that the entire race is of that religion.
For example, I know a Chinese man who happens to be Islam and quite happy to be so; and there are other examples too but I will not state them here. The strange thing about racial harmony is that racism takes place even within the confines of a religion, for example the racism that happened previously in the Christian church of the west where, the blacks are segregated from the whites. Remember the Chinese man I spoke about earlier? I heard that when he attends the mosque, while most adherents are friendly towards him, some still look at him in bewilderment as to what a Chinese man is doing in a Malay majority place.
As the races in Singapore become more and more united, such things will definitely occur and we must be ready for it. More people will be interested in the other religions and may decide to even join them, although I doubt any major conflict of racism within a religion will arise here. So we should really take off the stereotype that a religion is designated only to a certain race.
I too have experienced this stereotype. Because I take Malay as my second language despite being Chinese, some people mistakenly think I was Islam. Although it gets tiring explaining the reason as to why I take Malay despite my race, I must admit it is fun watching people's bewildered expressions.
Moving on to a deeper misunderstanding that unsettles me though, there is something I must say. This next line may or may not offend you but if it does, before you release a zoo into my inbox and call the cops on me, please read my explanation first.
Religious harmony is important, Religious integration is a joke.
What I mean by this is that yes, while it is important having the adherents of different religions living side-by-side in harmony, there is no need to bring it a step as far as integrating the religions. I have heard of some people and organizations which try to merge all the major religions and create a universal doctrine or religion.
This is a flawed concept as anyone who puts weight into their religion knows that it is not possible to merge their own doctrine with that of another religion because that would involve perverting and compromising the authority and integrity of the doctrine. A similar problem is in saying that all religions actually worship the same God/s but in a different form or in different ways. This is untrue because the perception of God/s in the different major religions are often too different to be reconciled and integrating the dieties of the different religion will also involve perverting the religion.
This is true for all major belief system making them mutually exclusive. In other words one cannot say, "I belief in Jesus' teachings but I also belief in Buddha's teachings" at the same time because both their teachings are essentially different from the other. You can't have your cake and eat it.
Now don't get me wrong here, I'm not trying to say who's wrong or who's right.
It is similar to an arithmatic question, you can't decide to have two solutions to the same question; you have to choose one and stick with it, unless of course, you change your mind.
However, just because we have different beliefs does not mean we can't respect one another. The key is to be understanding and patient with one another, forgiving a person if he unintentionally does something that is offensive against your belief. We also have to make a concious effort to learn about the religion of others' and respect them for what they believe in, afterall, we are all human and no one is inferior or superior just because of what they believe in.
Love, the universal principle
All major religions teaches love and the other basic human morals. Love is the universal principle. Anything that teaches otherwise, that is to teach one to hate another human, are false and are destructive and potentially deadly. Maybe a good example would be the Sarin gas terrorist attack in Tokyo. Love is the only principle where all major beliefs can find common ground.
Therefore, let us honour our own beliefs by loving each other and living in peace with each other.
Happy Racial and Religious Harmony Day=D
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Capek...
Shalom!! Gue kan blog dalam bahasa indo yarh? Kalo gak tahu cemana baca yaaa.... Kasian de lo! hahaha.
Yah, akhirnya abang gue pergi ke auzzie. MERDEKA!!!! Kamar jadi milikku!! haha s'karang tilamnya mau ku buat apa ya? haha gurau aja deh. Tahun depan sudah giliranku untuk pergi. Tadi saya lihat rombongan farewell untuk abang sih, sedih juga yar, giliranku harus lebih meriah! Tapi, untuk sekarang gue mau rayakan merdeka gue dulu haha PARTY!!!! Makasih yar kor, selalu tolong saya=D
Minggu ini agak sebelin deh. Belum belajar benar-benaran lagi. Minggu depan sudah stel, harus belajar dengan sungguh-sungguh. Mate saya sudah mahu mati ini. aduh sebel amat. Saya cuma boleh bekerja keras dan berdoa supaya Tuhan bantuin saya, kalo ngak, dah bables saya. Capek bener, gak dapat tunggu sampe boleh pergi ke gereja.
Yesus, tolong bantu saya lebih rajin dan berdisiplin. Saya telah bertekad untuk membuat hidupku sebuah persembahan yang harum bagimu. Amen
Yah, akhirnya abang gue pergi ke auzzie. MERDEKA!!!! Kamar jadi milikku!! haha s'karang tilamnya mau ku buat apa ya? haha gurau aja deh. Tahun depan sudah giliranku untuk pergi. Tadi saya lihat rombongan farewell untuk abang sih, sedih juga yar, giliranku harus lebih meriah! Tapi, untuk sekarang gue mau rayakan merdeka gue dulu haha PARTY!!!! Makasih yar kor, selalu tolong saya=D
Minggu ini agak sebelin deh. Belum belajar benar-benaran lagi. Minggu depan sudah stel, harus belajar dengan sungguh-sungguh. Mate saya sudah mahu mati ini. aduh sebel amat. Saya cuma boleh bekerja keras dan berdoa supaya Tuhan bantuin saya, kalo ngak, dah bables saya. Capek bener, gak dapat tunggu sampe boleh pergi ke gereja.
Yesus, tolong bantu saya lebih rajin dan berdisiplin. Saya telah bertekad untuk membuat hidupku sebuah persembahan yang harum bagimu. Amen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
