Sunday, December 28, 2008

If

A nice poem I came across, by Rudyard Kipling.

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas

Yes, Christmas marks the time when Jesus first came down to earth 2000 years ago. But it also seems to me like a heart-warming festival that rounds off the end of the year nicely and ushers in the new year. I haven't been this happy for a long time. A very very very very long time. Perhaps this is why everyone looks forward to Christmas - a time when everyone just forgets their troubles, put aside their differences to embrace a positive spiritual atmosphere.

I loved the endless post-A Level class outings and hosting the Christmas party at my place. 6E has been a wonderful and admirable bunch of people I've had the honour to serve as class rep. I hardly found it a chore over the past one year. With smart, driven and enthusiastic people, I can say with all confidence that this is one of most high-achieving classes in the whole level - both in terms of academics and CCA. I experienced great spirit and friendship which I have never seen before within the class and I'm sure everyone will go very far in life, no doubt about it at all.

I really enjoyed hanging out with E222 just now. What a delight it is to have fun with great people whom you can regard as brothers and sisters in Christ, all the more during Christmas Day itself. Whenever I'm feeling very down, you guys cheer me up somehow. In a sense, you all can be described as the candles that shine so brightly in my darkness. That's why no matter what, I always try my best to join fellowship. That's why I feel so at ease when I'm with you all, because I can trust you all so completely for some reason I cannot understand. Thanks for all you've done for me. Whether it's the incessant chatter that gets on my nerves or the countless personal conversations I've had with some of you that readjusts my direction in life. Indeed, this spiritual family is something I cannot do without. Please, continue to love each other with the unconditional love of God. It's not ignoring each other's faults, it's simply looking beyond our differences. It's what makes us special and attractive.

Of course, to my family and God - the unshakable pillars of my life - thank you for the unwavering support and encouragement through the little ups and big downs in my life. :)

18 years have passed, and really, life has only just begun.

Friday, December 19, 2008

funny church signs











Haha these are pictures of church signs I got off a website called Divine Caroline. I think they're really funny. I know I'm a Christian and all, but here's to a good laugh.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Friday, December 12, 2008

I'm happy!

You know, now that I've finally realised what I want to do with my time, life's never been so good! I love it. I've never been so relaxed in a long while. Anyway I'm reading. :))

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Incapacitated

Urgh I'm sick. After goodness knows how long (I can't remember the last time I was sick, or at least had such a painful experience) I finally fell sick again. Bah. Actually I was supposed to go for basketball with my class, then to the library and then shopping with my mum. Here I am resting at home for the entire day, and using whatever little time when I'm awake to blog.

I think I had stomach flu or something last night. I didn't go to the doctor, but hell, it was very, very bad. Stomach flu sounds deceptively trivial and at most mildly annoying but I think it can be compared to the most painful of ailments. Oh my gosh I didn't sleep for 4 hours or so and vomited twice, had breathing difficulties and my stomach was so bloated. In short, painful and traumatic. Somemore I had my parents staying up together with me, sigh.

I don't know I think it was either the Japanese food I had on Saturday night, or the extra oily combination of fried chicken and kway chap yesterday. Thank God I'm much better, and I need a full recovery please.

Boredom

I haven't been this bored for the past year, which has been 365 days or 8760 hours, if you like. I've never been so unoccupied to the point that I'm forcing myself to watch the most meaningless stuff, through the most meaningless channels, on the most meaningless invention in the history of mankind. (Alright, at least in our modern context - with computers and cinemas, who really needs television anyway. Or perhaps it's just me sulking at having no cable TV.)

So, I really need to get out, hang out and chill out. Whatever it is, I don't want to stay in. My life for the past two years hasn't been much of a life at all, I want to make up for lost time! After all, enlistment is just round the corner AH.

Monday, December 8, 2008

The world and God

My life is Your song
To You my heart belongs
Let all earthly crowns fade in the shadow of the cross ...

In the beginning, God created the world and He created people last. So He created the world for people to live in. Despite what's going on in this world right now, if we think quietly in solitude, it remains a beautiful place. What a blessing to be alive.

But let us ask ourselves, are we too entangled in this world to reach out to God? Are we too caught up with building our relationships and pursuing our aspirations that somehow God fades away as a scant memory? There's so much to see and so much to do that there's seemingly never enough time for everything. I always wish for more time to think, to read, to study, to write. I also want all the time in the world to hang out with friends and family. It would also be great if I had lots of time to serve the community. Ah, God - can I have less time with You, so that I have more time for other things? I'm already short of time here, You know. Oh, and I'm so tired too...

What benefit is it to a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul? Alas, one can only know when he has lost his spirit, just as one can never comprehend hunger unless he is hungry himself. There is nothing to be gained, but a complete sense of lack. Yes, we all do need God to live, to fill our lamp with oil and keep it burning bright.

It's time to lay aside our earthly crowns and turn back to God, seeking refuge under the shadow of the Almighty.