To start off a blog entry it's always appropriate to start with a greeting, eh? I wish you guys a Happy Lunar New Year 2009!
It's just crazy this season. We started off 2009 on 1st January with an economic downturn, and now people are complaining about the high prices set during the Chinese New Year season. Still, monetary crises aren't gonna stop us from celebrating - life still has to go on. At the very most, we don't celebrate New Year with that much goodies this year.
But for us Christians we have much more reason to celebrate, amen? Pastor Bennett made a very good point over why the streets are red in colour - the red signifies the blood of Jesus shed for all mankind, bringing a new meaning of which it means Christians ought to celebrate more during this New Year season - we rejoice over this gift of salvation that God has given to us, the same thing that money cannot buy, nor can be earned by any means of human effort.
Then again, if salvation could be earned through human merit, Christ wouldn't have had to die on the cross for us(Galatians 2:21)!
Slept at 2.30am last night, why? Mom came home at 10pm, and went to the night market to grab whatever's left of the freshest choice meat, veg and other quality food, getting ready for a reunion steamboat today, and I was to be there to lend my hands for that. By that time, I was dead tired, but thank God I'm doing this for Him - wasting no time in waking up early and going to church with one sole purpose of singing praises and thanks to my Lord and receiving His word of the day.
Of course, I can't please everyone by going to church during this season, so I'd rather please my God than please men. Makes things more convenient - pleasing one God with one complete and wonderful purpose for my life versus pleasing many people with many conflicting ideas.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
About high time
So, it's been a long time since I last wrote anything on this blog. A lot of things have been going on recently, such as trying to get over the natural disappointment and the occasional chide of me getting bad O Level results. Well, at least I've made it to a junior college(JC) - that's what everyone is trying to tell me.
So, how badly did I do? An L1R5 score of 15, how's that for a start? It ain't bad, but it ain't good either, so I'm stuck on no-man's land: Out of all the JCs of choice, only 6 are available for me, and only Meridian JC and Tampines JC are at East Singapore, nearer to where I live. To be honest, the only problem that stands before me is the problem of transportation.
They say that taxi drivers' children get free transport to school everyday. I think not - Dad's always too busy out there at work, trying to make ends meet. Thing is, I think he's only trying to make HIS OWN ends meet instead of contributing money for family expenses. So far, only Mom's giving me pocket money because he's always not at home - see the problem there?
Not that I'm deprived of fatherly love or some sort of mumbo-jumbo - I have learnt to draw strength from my Heavenly Father, so who's to say that I'm not having a Father who cares for my every need in my life?
Results and family matters aside, it's finally good to go back to school again - no more crappy lifestyle of being a couch potato, and freedom to roam around Singapore as and when I have the time. Meanwhile, things that the Lord have taught me during this few months of free time have begun to make a lot more sense by the day, and someday I might just share them right here - my blog - so stay tuned!
So, how badly did I do? An L1R5 score of 15, how's that for a start? It ain't bad, but it ain't good either, so I'm stuck on no-man's land: Out of all the JCs of choice, only 6 are available for me, and only Meridian JC and Tampines JC are at East Singapore, nearer to where I live. To be honest, the only problem that stands before me is the problem of transportation.
They say that taxi drivers' children get free transport to school everyday. I think not - Dad's always too busy out there at work, trying to make ends meet. Thing is, I think he's only trying to make HIS OWN ends meet instead of contributing money for family expenses. So far, only Mom's giving me pocket money because he's always not at home - see the problem there?
Not that I'm deprived of fatherly love or some sort of mumbo-jumbo - I have learnt to draw strength from my Heavenly Father, so who's to say that I'm not having a Father who cares for my every need in my life?
Results and family matters aside, it's finally good to go back to school again - no more crappy lifestyle of being a couch potato, and freedom to roam around Singapore as and when I have the time. Meanwhile, things that the Lord have taught me during this few months of free time have begun to make a lot more sense by the day, and someday I might just share them right here - my blog - so stay tuned!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Greenhorn fisherman
Been taking up time trying to figure how to fish since the January 2nd. It's a really cool thing, I tell you. As for how I took up this new sport, it's quite peculiar actually.
Since last year I have been hearing Uncle Daniel and his two kids Theudas and Thaddeus talking about the big fish they caught at a kelong(offshore fishing village) and the details were enticing. After that I was telling Uncle Kelvin whether we should join them and take up fishing. To make things better - the new fishing equipment store that took up residence beside my mom's workplace - the furniture shop - sparked my uncle's interest. Along with Uncle Steven's fishing history, we had a 3-man team among us. One with money, one with experience and one with brains, so to speak.
Then on 2nd January, Uncle Kelvin woke me up in my 12-hour slumber to tell me of his plans to go fishing that day. At first I thought he wasn't serious: normally he would try to find some excuse to get me excited about the day and get out of bed whenever he could help it. So, I went along and saw them going to Changi Village to get the equipment. We got fishing lines, rod and things like floats and weights, and so we set off.
"I'm still waiting for the fish!"
After buying the fishing equipment, we went ahead to fish, first at the nearest known place possible - Pasir Ris beach. Bought large earthworms for bait, only to find that there wasn't anything there at all. Except for this little bugger below.
I don't know what kind of fish is this bugger over here, but it's my first catch. In fact, the only catch that I got on 2nd January. Wasted a whole load of bait just to catch this bugger that was less than a handspan. Don't get tricked by the zoom - this is just a small fish.
It soon dawned on us that the fishing hooks that we got off the fella at Changi Village was too big to fish such small fry in Singapore. After that we went ahead to try our luck on Sunday, 4th January.
"Fisherman's Paradise. Quick, get me the camera so I can take this down."
And so we went for the Bedok jetty, near Carpark F1, East Coast Park. See the crowd - there must be some big fish or pretty good catch that day, so we settled for a whole of 5 hours. And sure enough, God made sure our patience didn't go to waste - we caught a dozen fish, without any bait, just some fluorescent nylon string tied onto the hooks so that it looks like small fry for the fish to take the bite.
As for how we got the small baitless hooks, we saw an old man beside us shaking his fishing rod up and down. For a while we thought he was trying to be funny, doing such rigorous movement. After we saw him dragging a big catch of 2 to 3 small fish at a time we went ahead to ask him what kind of bait he used. Interestingly enough he showed us his small fishing hooks, so of course we asked him where he got the hooks from. Kind, respectable uncle sold us 2 sets of fishing lines, ready-made with nylon "bait" and small hooks, with weights.
So, just as we were trying to use mealworms instead of earthworms for deep-sea fishing, we found that we needed no bait - and boy, the catch was exciting every time there was a big tug. To keep a long story short, we got to keep our good catch.
"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime."
Count it, there's 12, no doubt.
Of course, God was with us the whole of 4th January. First it was the Covenant service that we had in the morning to renew our covenant with God for the new year, and in the afternoon, we went fishing, which of course beats wasting their money on tombola trips periodically every week, which I reckon is technically gambling. At least fishing gives experience and fish - it's a win-win situation everytime.
And did I mention that after fishing, we couldn't find a seat at all at the nearby hawker centre? God gave us a seat at one of the barbecue pits within sight of the hawker centre, so we were able to settle down there and eat. With char-siew noodles, sliced fruit and quietness beside the shore for a decent dinnerplace, what more can we ask for?
Since last year I have been hearing Uncle Daniel and his two kids Theudas and Thaddeus talking about the big fish they caught at a kelong(offshore fishing village) and the details were enticing. After that I was telling Uncle Kelvin whether we should join them and take up fishing. To make things better - the new fishing equipment store that took up residence beside my mom's workplace - the furniture shop - sparked my uncle's interest. Along with Uncle Steven's fishing history, we had a 3-man team among us. One with money, one with experience and one with brains, so to speak.
Then on 2nd January, Uncle Kelvin woke me up in my 12-hour slumber to tell me of his plans to go fishing that day. At first I thought he wasn't serious: normally he would try to find some excuse to get me excited about the day and get out of bed whenever he could help it. So, I went along and saw them going to Changi Village to get the equipment. We got fishing lines, rod and things like floats and weights, and so we set off.
"I'm still waiting for the fish!"
After buying the fishing equipment, we went ahead to fish, first at the nearest known place possible - Pasir Ris beach. Bought large earthworms for bait, only to find that there wasn't anything there at all. Except for this little bugger below.
I don't know what kind of fish is this bugger over here, but it's my first catch. In fact, the only catch that I got on 2nd January. Wasted a whole load of bait just to catch this bugger that was less than a handspan. Don't get tricked by the zoom - this is just a small fish.
It soon dawned on us that the fishing hooks that we got off the fella at Changi Village was too big to fish such small fry in Singapore. After that we went ahead to try our luck on Sunday, 4th January.
"Fisherman's Paradise. Quick, get me the camera so I can take this down."
And so we went for the Bedok jetty, near Carpark F1, East Coast Park. See the crowd - there must be some big fish or pretty good catch that day, so we settled for a whole of 5 hours. And sure enough, God made sure our patience didn't go to waste - we caught a dozen fish, without any bait, just some fluorescent nylon string tied onto the hooks so that it looks like small fry for the fish to take the bite.
As for how we got the small baitless hooks, we saw an old man beside us shaking his fishing rod up and down. For a while we thought he was trying to be funny, doing such rigorous movement. After we saw him dragging a big catch of 2 to 3 small fish at a time we went ahead to ask him what kind of bait he used. Interestingly enough he showed us his small fishing hooks, so of course we asked him where he got the hooks from. Kind, respectable uncle sold us 2 sets of fishing lines, ready-made with nylon "bait" and small hooks, with weights.
So, just as we were trying to use mealworms instead of earthworms for deep-sea fishing, we found that we needed no bait - and boy, the catch was exciting every time there was a big tug. To keep a long story short, we got to keep our good catch.
"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime."
Count it, there's 12, no doubt.
Of course, God was with us the whole of 4th January. First it was the Covenant service that we had in the morning to renew our covenant with God for the new year, and in the afternoon, we went fishing, which of course beats wasting their money on tombola trips periodically every week, which I reckon is technically gambling. At least fishing gives experience and fish - it's a win-win situation everytime.
And did I mention that after fishing, we couldn't find a seat at all at the nearby hawker centre? God gave us a seat at one of the barbecue pits within sight of the hawker centre, so we were able to settle down there and eat. With char-siew noodles, sliced fruit and quietness beside the shore for a decent dinnerplace, what more can we ask for?
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year resolutions, anyone?
Well, we can't run away from it. It's already here, so might as well decide for ourselves what we want to be accomplished this year while it's still new eh? So, I've come up with a list of what I want accomplished this year:
1) Keep up with entertainment news.
2) Spread God's word to the ends of the earth - or at least to the ends of whatever school I end up in this year.
3) Learn the art of diplomacy.
4) Learn better time management as I go along.
5) Write a few songs.
1) Keep up with entertainment news.
2) Spread God's word to the ends of the earth - or at least to the ends of whatever school I end up in this year.
3) Learn the art of diplomacy.
4) Learn better time management as I go along.
5) Write a few songs.
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