Kosong

What to blog about ah?

The King of Pop

Well this is a tiny tribute to The King of Pop himself.

I remember the first music video i saw from him was Black or White. I think that was when i was in kindergarten or primary. But his kind of music, with soul energy and full of beats and rhythms caught my ears. And i enjoyed listening to most of his songs ever since. Moonwalks, high pitch screams, the Glove, military suits, curly hair, smooth dances. Attributes of Jackson that will go down in history as one of the best performing artists' of all time.

The one thing that stands out is that his music is still as current and as relevant till today as it was since the 70's when "ABC 123" and "I Want You Back" kicked off a world wide craze. It just never dies. Not being biased or critical but the music industry has yet to see music that can survive and STILL be alive in 3 decades. We can have great singers, but can we have great singers AND smash hit songs? I personally dont see any current music produced by any artist which can have the same impact in 30-40 years time. Maybe we need another reincarnation of the young Jackson 5 to see talent that is an almost similar MJ style.

Till then, Michael Jackson is still the King of Pop. The Most Successful Entertainer of All Time.

Sadly my kids wont be able to see him alive. Just show them vids of him. But i think they will like it. =)

Condolences to the Jackson family
Tribute to the King of Pop
Legend
1958-2009

About time

Yes its about time i blogged. Well cause its 3.30am and i am not sleepy yet in my cozy home. =)

I just read this "LOVE IS SUGAR SWEET".

It got me thinking, if that was the case, all the couples in love/married must be having diabetes type 2 by now. Kidding.

In all seriousness, to say love is sugar sweet puts a really thick layer of coating on the real image and "taste" of love. I know now why so many get it so wrong about this meaningful four letter word. They didnt get the real meaning. Thats why.

I want to dare anyone of us here, reading this blog of mine, does anyone of us REALLY know what love is? Does any of us know HOW to REALLY love someone? You gotta really come clean of yourself and seek deep down in the heart. If it was me, id honestly say no. I dont know. Its not because im not attached/hooked/married yet. That be the lamest excuse. Its also an excuse to say because one is in a relationship one knows how and what love really IS. It be same as, i dont know how to sleep because i dont have a bed or i know how to sleep because i have a bed. Not and excuse or a reason.

I think love has been really over-coated by lots of Korean/HK/Japanese/Western drama and also those forwarded emails that contain story after story of heart-wrenching teary heart tearing stories of love marriage and etc. Its really sad that this gets so easily into our minds. Its very easy coz we seem to need the REALISM in these stories. But in the process we are getting the WRONG kind of reality. NOT ALL you see and read are true. Thats why people say often "The sky is blue and the roses are pink when love is around".

Lets just wake up and smell ourselves for a while.

Lets take a walk back in time a bit to our mom's womb, where we came from. That was love right there. Not the process. But the existence, the product, the outcome. Us. We were because of love. But it wasnt all sweet and rosy pink. Ask your parents what love is. It was just getting us up and big and happy at the expense of theirs. There is some EXPENSE. That dont usually go well with most of us.

Just a few days ago, dad talked to me about really serious life issues. Life planning, my inheritance, his life plans, his past, his regrets. He poured onto me the life he had lived for the past 57 years. I nearly teared on the spot. He gave me something valuable time and time again. Not my pocket money, but love. I saw in his face the 57 years as he talked to me. I looked at him dead in the eye. I saw blood, sweat and tears. His greying hair, his older looking face, his back problem. He talked how even though we were in "cukup cukup makan" or Just Enough To Survive life, he did all the best he can to save up enough money for me and my bro for studies. He barely took a single cent each month. I only KNEW exactly what was going on in our family financially for the past 20 years at this very point. And then i looked at myself. I was his proud son no matter what, as long i did my best as long i lived an honorable value clean righteous life. I did. And the more i saw that this was all because of the real love my parents have been pouring out.

And his love paid off, praise God. God rewards those who have run the race, faithful to their commitment. Now I can say we are financially better off, at least. 5 years ago dad cudnt even afford to treat us to anything more than KFC or McD or PizzaHut. Now he has the liberty to ask me, when ever we go out together, "What do you want to eat?". That sentence to 90% of us is taken for granted. We get to choose. To my dad its a reward for all the hard work of 30 years, what he could not ask before, what he could not enjoy before. My dad loves tasting new food. But for many years he had to skip it. To me its even more meaningful. We didnt even want to get Streamyx up till late last year. We have never really had a life MOST of you all now are living so wonderfully. Its a good thing for you all. But lets not forget where it all came from. Love of sacrifice.

My dad told me "There is a big difference between NEEDS and WANTS". "And it can be very dangerous with the WANTS we want". "Occasionally its ok, but not on a regular basis". I kept thinking about my stuff, that actually wasnt paid with my own money. It was either indirectly from my parents or relatives. None actually was ever really mine. So should i thank my parents. Yes. Definitely. My bike, my PC, my shirts, my tickets, my whatever-that-has-made-me-happy most of the time was a direct result from my parents. If they havent paid for my college fees and bring me to KL, i wouldnt have met 50% of you all now. If my parents havent put me in school, i wouldnt have met the other 50% of you now.

It all has one origin, love. And it didnt come cheap and easy. Im not saying love is always hard. But im saying love has a more deeper significant than JUST being sweet to the taste.

There is a big difference of "Being in love" and "Staying in love". The latter is always the hardest. All married couples will have the same agreement. The former is always the easiest, in every way. Easy to crumble and easy to go far. So those who are already bf/gf? I pray u all made right decisions based on really solid reasons and after much consultation.

When i see the whole picture, from every angle that i've seen time and again, i see that love isnt sugar sweet after all. But it doesnt mean it is bitter and sour. I dont see love as the one where happiness shows. I see it in the PRODUCT, OUTCOME, EXISTENCE because of love. Which is basically what happens next after you poured out so much love. Not because your holding love in your hands. Love is the petrol. You hold it in your hands, it will evaporate. Many people are holding love like that.

Like my dad, he uses the love as his petrol, to drive his engine which is his heart to keep my family alive. Only NOW i see a small aspect of love.

The one thing Jesus is different is that He IS that Love. He is that petrol that drives. Which is why I find my strength and my power in Him always. Jesus is one Love that never evaporates. Coz its already said He is The Beginning and The End, Alpha and Omega, First and Last, Author and Finisher. Jesus showed love wasnt sugar sweet. But He showed that when you use love correctly, you will see the fruits of love, sweeter than anything.

I believe my parents does see it now. Both their sons are growing big, smart and doing well. We are beginning to have our own lives. When they are gone, we are to continue what they have started, pouring out love. Jesus also poured out His love, Himself for us.

I also dont mean to say love will mean more tears and grief. It does happen sometimes. But my parents wud have had that as well in the course of their marriage. Would that mean they stop pouring out love? No. They kept going. We all need love. But love doenst grow on trees. It has to come from somewhere. Many say its from our hearts. True. But where does our heart connect to to get that love?

Answer : Love <--- Heart <--- Spirit <--- Jesus <--- God

Many stop at the heart, but not see whats before the heart, the spirit. But the spirit has to originate from somewhere. God is the One Spirit who can give this to us.

Now that is why some dont understand love. Because they dont understand that God is Love and He gave Love (Jesus) to us. In love there will need to be Giving and Sharing, and at times no Taking. The real Love is when one knows Jesus Christ personally, and then shares it with others, not because of the sweet tingling feelings we get, but purely because, we all need love whether we deserve it or not. Thats what God has been trying to tell us. He wants to give us Love whether we are rich or poor, smart or dumb, sick or healthy, gay or lesbian, master or slave, ruler or servant, sinner or righteous. He wants us to know Him, know Love first hand on a real scale. Many times we tell ourselves "I need love more than others" rather than saying "There are others who need as much if not more love than i do". Love not in hugs and kisses or holding hands or chocos n flowers. But love as in giving the entire heart, soul, mind and strength to see a change in someones life, to make another life more meaningful, thats more worth to live, to care for the uncared and love the unloved.

This I will say is Love.

"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13

God Bless

Run - Hillsongs

From the 2008 album This Is Our God.

Enjoy and God Bless =)

Busy Bee

Hey loyal and faithful readers of my blog....

1000 apologies for not having any updates. Im currently in the midst of some reshuffling of sorts. And plus the fact i've shifted to a new house with no internet makes my online life down pretty much most of the time. Hopefully to be back online ASAP. Now all i can do is watch from the sidelines on all the action (cybercafe).

Anyway love you all and miss u all much.

Church Camp 2009

Something i will always cherish for the rest of my life..... =)

Interstate 2009 Seremban – Gemas – Gunung Ledang – Melaka

Hello everyone! Probably some of you have been waiting for this post of my experience for this years Interstate Ride by PCC. No doubt theres a lot to talk/share for this round of 3 days all out ride and I think it wont disappoint you all. So enjoy my story if you don’t mind the length of this post. Pics btw will be posted later on as it is being processed.

Day 0 (April 30th)
Having just finished my last exam paper in the morning, now I can look forward to IS09. I had lots of time to pack and think what to bring along. I brought mostly what I brought last year, but somehow my heart told me to bring along the black duct tape. Hmm. I wonder why. So I just chucked it into the list. Finally getting sorted by 10pm. Now all I had to do was wait for Adrian to come pick me up. I must really thank him a lot for being kind enough to give me a ride to the start point in Seremban. We’ve made arrangements and discussions about a month earlier. But finalized it on Tuesday night during the pre-ride briefing/number collection. Really thanks lots to you Adrian. =)

Day 1 (May 1st)
OK. Big day is here. I just waited on my bed for Adrian to arrive. We planned to leave from KL at 3.30am so that we take a slow drive down to Klana Resort in Seremban where the flag off will be. Adrian arrived spot on time, and we packed and racked all our gear in his little Kancil and drove straight to Seremban. Adrian is really a nice guy in person, and this is only our second meeting. Haha. Facebook does wonders sometimes, doesn’t it?

We had nice solid conversations along the way. And before we knew it, we were in Seremban, wayyyyyy ahead of time. We arrived at abt 5am. With 2 hours to spare before kick off. So, apa lagi? Pegi makan la! (We went to eat roti canai). Being my first time to Seremban, it reminds me of Ipoh coz of the one way roads. Nice town actually. We managed to find Klana resort and got all our stuff n bikes prepped up. Most riders came in last night and slept over in the hotel. Some others arrived just after us. First time I will be riding my Look for 3 straight days, so its going to be interesting seeing its performance. Ride starts at 7am and by 6am activity was buzzing all around the resort. The cool bikes are out, the cool bikers are out, the cool babes are out. My legs were cool too. Its been 3 weeks since my last ride. Yes, haven’t ridden in 3 weeks due to my exams. And the last 2-3 months my riding was really really irregular. I was prepared to suffer all the way for the next 3 days, and maybe go up support car if I have to. All I can pray is God sustain me during this 3 hellish days. Weather forecast was wet for 3 days. Maybe that be better coz it will slow down the pace a little so that I can follow. XD

Adrian was busy prepping his bike as there were some technical issues. Met Vincent Lim in person finally after only communicating tru Facebook. Told you Facebook isn’t that bad after all. Meeting two new brothers in Christ is a good thing indeed =)

I tested out my bike after 3 weeks of not touching it. My ass tried to get used to the saddle again. And I was hoping there will be no technical issues. I also hoped that my messed up biological clock doesn’t affect my ride. For 3 weeks I’ve been sleeping in the day and awake in the night. The last thing I want is falling asleep at the handlebars doing 40kmh.

Loaded my luggage into the luggage truck and now waited for the start proper. Among the friends I see this year were Clarence who is joining his 2nd Interstate after last years participation with me. Jon wasn’t here, banyak alasan till cant make it this year. Bahri my good friend is making his debut Interstate. And he looks excited indeed. Alwin Rahman also was here for his debut. He was the one who gave me a lift back home to Powerman in November. Many other people like Mac, Adeline, Joanne, Lim, the usual suspects were in this year. A total of 198 participants are here today, including support car drivers.

Finally 7am. Chief marshal cars got ready to lead us out. After another short briefing by Ivan Chan (President of PCC) and James Bak, we got underway to our first day of riding. I don’t know to feel happy or feel nervous. Todays distance is 134km to the little town of Gemas. Wonder whats coming ahead today for me. Hope it isn’t something I will regret.

We exited Seremban town, lead by the chief marshal car for the first 10km. After that it was all on our own. I started near the front trying to follow the first peloton. I tried to push and catch up but they instantly went to 40kmh. Err….sorry guys, cant follow you this time around. And Lim (who rides for LeTua team in TdL this year) brought his Scott Spark fullsus mountain bike with 2.1” tires. And he was FAST. =.= Malu nye….. that MTB beats most of the roadies.

The road was basically nice and flat and smooth. The first 29km was okay for me. I already made up in my mind to take my own sweet time this year. Im not going to push nor am I going to bother following a peloton I cant keep up with. Constantly checking my tulips for the directions and I soon got to a nice kampung road. And this road eerily reminds me of last years first day Interstate. It had the same cow dung smell, the same kind of orchards. Then I got caught by Elaine Boey’s little group along with Boon Foo. I rode just behind them for a while. And THEN………I saw infront. Our first climb. And it was ALMOST the same as last years Bukit Putus. Gosh, why so nostalgic? Anyway, we all puffed up this steep hill. I stood on the pedals pushing hard. And just as I thought we were reaching the summit, coz it seem flat ahead with a few support cars waiting, suddenly around the next right hand corner, the most monster climb ive ever seen in my life. It’s a monster when 90% of the cyclists were pushing their bikes up.

I was thinking, “Shit!” Why did I stand up and push so early. Now im in deep shit myself. Well that’s my luck I guess. Im on my 39x27 gear, the lightest gear. And I STILL had a major problem pedaling up! I could feel my lungs and heart wanting to burst. And for the first time in my cycling life, I got down the bike, and pushed the rest of the way up. Yes. That’s right. Shocking, no? Well I haven’t been training so not surprising anyway. Some of the more powerful riders rode up, inch by inch. Vong Vong came from behind pedaling slowly. Even Hsing Ling pedaled up. I looked up front and behind. Almost everyone was pushing their bikes up this monster hill. This hill was much much steeper than Genting’s notorious final 4km. MUCH harder. Its like really going up a vertical wall. And pushing up wasn’t easy as well. Some riders were snaking up.(Termed as such because they would ride in S directions like a snake. Reason is to ride as flat as possible across the gradient, not straight up it, though this means u travel more distance. Now WHY didn’t I think of that previously….)

I got to the top, with much huffing and puffing. Some rested at the top catching their breath. I decided to just sit on my bike and coast the way down the other side. At least im on the move. That hill really killed me for the rest of the ride. And this was just only the first 40+km. We haven’t got half way yet! The roads were winding and lonely. I was alone for a while not seeing any riders in front or behind me. Later a few over took me. And then as I was slowly pedaling, suddenly something poked my ass! I almost jumped out of the bike. I turned and it was Alwin. And he was laughing so hard seeing my reaction. I wanted to curse and swear at him. But I was tired so I made a few death threats instead. He accompanied me for a while. Then 4 more other riders caught us and drafted behind us. We cruised for a while at abt 30kmh. Before long I got tired again and I told them to go on. From this point on I was practically alone for the rest of the journey. No one followed me nor could I follow those who passed me. There was a nice food stop at abt 52km but I went on coz I wasn’t really hungry. Many riders stopped there though.

And now with abt 50++ km done in about 3 hours, the sun began to beat down on me. The next 30km of roads were really flat open roads with some undulations. The hot sun sapped energy from me as each passing km went by. I constantly looked at my meter. And psychologically that made me more tired having thinking I still got to cycle at least another 70 80km. Many times I was riding below 25kmh. Which is SLOW. Sometimes 18-20kmh. My thighs were already hurting. The little undulations in the road may seem tiny to the strong riders, but to my legs they were like mountains. Sometimes I even cycle at 11kmh up those tiny things. Sigh. So much for suffering. I was already burnt on my skin. And my ass wasn’t any better. Many times I got up to relieve it. Then when it sat back down on the saddle, I had to find the exact same spot it sat before. =.= Picky ass.

I really needed to go to the toilet badly. And what most cyclist would do is simply stop by the road side and pee. Well, erm, I wanted a nice spot to pee. And for 20 km I couldn’t find one. Yes I know, JUST STOP AND PEE! Im a little conservative. Lol. Finally at abt 85km I found a nice malay stall with some food. I was hungry and needed to refill water. AND pee. After satisfying myself, I continued on. A few groups passed as I was eating. Then I saw Ivan and Annie taking a break by the side. Well it was a tough day.

At 91km I saw Vong’s group stop for water. Well they waved at me so I thought, stop again lor. Haha. I was happy to stop every few km. And I wanted to get 100Plus to drink anyway. Everyone was looking beat down. And I got my refreshing 100Plus. Sat on the little stool. Then I looked at my shoes. And to my horror, THE SOLE SPLITTED!!!! OMG!!! I didn’t realize it the whole time! It was fine in the morning. Its like a crocodile yawning now! I showed to the guys and they were all amazed to see it. And immediately they commented “You are too powderful la……” (Actually want to say powerful but put it comically). Well, Vong suggested I get superglue right away, and I did. Luckily the shop we stopped at got sell. I got a tube and quickly glued my shoe. I hope I can last till the end. NOW I was wondering if my shoes can handle another two days. So much for my 5 year old pair of cycling shoes. My one and only. Time for a new pair I guess >< I guess they split when I was climbing the monster hill coz it took lots of pulling on the shoes. =P No wonder I felt weird when I pedaled for the last 60km! =.= Zha dao…… This is ONLY day 1.

After our stop we continued on. I could only follow Vong’s train for a while before I dropped again. Really no form at all to even keep up at 28kmh. Even Ivan dropped. Well we are almost done with 40km to go so I will take it slow. Even I pedal at 20kmh I will reach at most in 2 hours. Its only about 11.45am. Hotel rooms will be ready by 2pm so take my time lor. Finally I touched the 100km mark. And then 110km went by. 120km also went by slowly. At 125km I got tired again and I decided to stop under some trees for a while. Its only 10km more. A very looong 10km it will be. Slow and agonizing. After about 5 minutes rest I made my final push to Gemas. After about 20 minutes I finally reach Gemas and the Tropicana Hotel. *phew*. 134km in 5hours 50minutes excluding stoppage time. Not too bad. I arrived at about 1.30pm. All burnt from the sun, and my legs were really flat out of energy. Gemas is a really small town. So our accommodation had to be split. Some stayed at the Gemas Rest House while some at Tropicana. I stayed at the rest house. Didn’t care if it was a run down place, I wanted a bed to rest on.

A very grueling first day. And once we all got together for the photo shoot, we all talked about the first day’s ride. Lots and lots of stories going about here and there. And then Vong came to me abt my shoes, and he suggested I use duct tape to tape it up. AHA! Just when I was thinking why I brought the black duct tape along. Thank God! Adrian and co came in at about 5pm as they rode really slow. Maybe I would have been better off following them. The dinner was nice. Not the best but like everyone knows, im not a picky eater. As long got food, I makan. After the dinner + briefing for day 2 , I went out with Bahri, Clarence , Mac n Adeline for a drink. Then came back and first thing was to tape up my shoes. Used a generous amount of tape to make sure it doenst come off again. The super glue did hold it in place well. Then after that it was time to sleep. I had two roommates, Kevin and Dennis. Interesting people I must say. Day 1 done. Time for rest. And the magic deep heat from Indonesia was really burning my thighs! Btw, Don Chan our road marshal said that today was the 2nd toughest day. Hmm…….that aint good.

Day 2 (May 2nd)

Got up at about 5.30am for breakfast. Ate fried rice at Tropicana. Then geared up for day 2 of riding. Todays distance is 126km, 8km less than yesterday. Our stop today is Gunung Ledang, the famous mountain as depicted in Malay literature. My legs felt fine. Today also I just want to survive the day. As long I reach the Gunung Ledang Resort I will be happy. Today I wore my TdF Yellow Jersey to show some color. Hehe. I was the only one wearing the yellow this year. Last year we did have one guy wear it. Now its my turn.

Ride kicked off at 7am as usual, following the chief marshal car for the first 10km. Today I managed to keep up with Vong’s train for the first 30km. We were actually in Johor as soon we exited Gemas. First time being in Johor. Today we passed a lot of little towns. And lots of flyovers and main roads. We came into Segamat fairly fast in our group of 15-20 riders. The thing abt Segamat is this. LOTS of traffic lights. We stopped about 6 times in the space of 5km. That was good in a way, coz get to rest for abt 70seconds at each stop. Hehehehe. Today Bahri said he would be driving the support car. So we saw him often along the way waiting to support riders.

After we exited Segamat, we were out in the suburbs and the roads had lots of medium rolling hills. And then I couldn’t keep up with the group. Actually I could have followed and catch the KOTRT group ahead. The KOTRT (Knights Of The Round Table) are from Penang up north. They had a team of abt 10 came to ride this year. Anyways I left Vong’s train and slowly went up the rolling hills at my own pace. I didn’t want to burn out again like yesterday , so better I reserve my strength. Behind I saw Adeline and Mac closing in. So I waited a while and followed them. Then we arrived at the critical junction which will take us into a rubber plantation at 49km. It’s a small tarmac road just enough for a car. The road was really nice and shady and cool. Feels like classic off road trails just that its paved. A few ups but manageable using momentum from the downhill. Saw Clarence stop to help with a flat tire of another rider.

After a short 3km trough the shady estate, suddenly I turned behind to check, and I saw Bahri riding again! He waved at me in such a manner that I wanted to whack him nicely. But I shook my ass at him instead. I asked him what happened, so he said Patrick cannot tahan anymore so he went up support car and drove. Well Bahri was more than happy to cycle. But having start 49km later his meter wasn’t in synch with the tulips. He has to stick with me now or he will get lost. Actually there were plenty of signage so even u didn’t have tulips, you will be fine. Its just preferable to have backup. We came to a junction with some shops and everyone stopped there. We joined along to eat and refill. I had my morning bath there too……I think it was only about 9am and already we did 50km. Today was quite fast paced.

After that short rest me and Bahri rode slowly together enjoying the scenery along the way. We came into Labis town together with Team Mayhem from Australia, where also lots of riders stopped to eat. We weren’t so hungry so we pressed ahead on our own.

After Labis town, the roads were also pretty flat, lonely with plantations on each side, and mountains on the far end of the horizon. It is a very nice cycling road actually, if there were not so many cars. I told Bahri I needed to go to toilet. And THIS TIME, I wasn’t hesitant to just stop by the road side and pee. Luckily I had some bushes to hide abit from. Yay, I was peeing out in the open with cars passing by. Up ahead Vong’s group stopped coz of a puncture. They were ok so we continued anyway.

Before long we made good progress and reached 90km. We were now looking for a place to stop and rest and eat. We found a petrol station so we decided to stop there. A few riders were there as well. Then shortly Vong’s group came. Not bad catching up with us. Took a good 15 minute rest. Up till now my legs were relatively OK but still not really in any shape to go fast. As soon as we left I once again tried to hang on to Vong’s group, but then my legs couldn’t take it anymore so I let them go. Bahri went on with them. So here I am all alone again. Well its another 30+km so it wont be for too long. My ass again………..hurts.

From KM100 the road was super hilly! Lots and lots of rolling hills. One after another. There were at least 10 of them, 1 hill per km. zzzzz. This was really really tough on my legs. I went at a snails pace up each hill. Sometimes I even saw 7kmh on my meter. That bad. I even saw some of the riders stop by the road side to have their power sticks, aka cigarettes. Oh well, just hang on and pedal as best I can. And if that wasn’t enough, after this section of rolling hills, came the section of small undulations + heavy traffic + head winds. =.= A few thoughts of regret started to fill my head…… Well sometimes I wonder why am I so stupid and crazy to do this thing. I think if a video camera were to record my face at this point, I might look like a zombie just pedaling the bike.

The final 10km was another tough one and I crept slowly. I manage to catch one rider infront who was also pedaling as slow as me but I didn’t want to overtake him. Just follow his pace a few meters behind. To my delight after much suffering, I saw the final right hand turn into the Gunung Ledang Resort. It’s a waterfall vacation spot actually with some chalets and rooms. Lots of people vacationed there as it was the weekend.

Finally got to the finish point in good time. About 5 hours 30 minutes of riding. Todays weather luckily was fair and I didn’t get roasted. But still no rain. The weather prediction seems wrong. It was still early but many riders have already arrived. Its like about 1pm only. Got my bags and went to my room. Funny enough, my roommate today is Alwin. This is going to be interesting……. Adrian had to be driven in by support car later in the afternoon coz too far behind time.

Since we were early, me and Al decided to dip in the pool for a while to cool off. A few other riders were in there as well so we joined along. Our half naked bodies showing all our tan lines in the pool. Now I know why the two girls at the other end were staring at us. Probably they haven’t seen so much contrast on the human skin in their lives. As we were dipping and settling in, one guy decided to play water polo. We got a ball, but we only had 5 people. We kept ‘ajaking’ others but all didn’t want. Then I came up with this idea. Why not we do penalty shoot out. Their eyes immediately sparkled. So we took turns being the keeper and the err……shooter. And no one can score a goal. THEN another guy suggested, why not we splash water at the keeper to add some difficulty. Well, the first person managed to block, only because the splash was like rain drops. When it came to my turn, I got a snow barrage. I couldn’t see clear and the shooter scored a goal. They all laughed, and I said not fair coz I got more water than the previous guy. Then when Alwin and Daniel came we all splashed so hard at them they even can block the ball. Hahahaha. =P

After 30 minutes or so we got tired and got out. Me and Al went back to bathe then we went to one of the stalls to eat. After that a nice nap. At about 6.30pm I got up for dinner. I was a little groggy still as I walked to the dinner hall. Then I saw a table where PK Yeoh and a whole bunch called me to sit down immediately. They were laughing, for what I don’t exactly know. They sort of wanted to interview me abt something.

Finally its regarding a few ‘SPECIAL’ people in our Interstate. Ehem, this is one of those off the bike tales where it just gets funnier the more we talk about it. The subjects we talked about were referred as No 1 and No 2. Now, Bahri and Clarence had the most luck to encounter No 1. And I didn’t know I already encountered No 2. Lol. As we talked and Bahri shared his hilarious story, we all couldn’t help but make lots of jokes and talk lots abt these interesting subjects, esp No1. Now for safety reasons I shall not mention here. If u are interested to know, ask me in person. XD. The quote of the day is “I can tell u what happened in 20 minutes in 2 hours.” Hahahahaha. They kept saying that they sacrificed a lot for the entire Interstate. And we owed them. LOL! I can see why…….

After dinner, most of the riders went into the bike storage area to check and tune their bikes. Also my chance to do the same thing to my bike. And at the same time got to see some bike porn. Lol. I noticed there were only a handful of Pinarello’s this year. Less than 5. Last year we had like 10. But lots of BMC, Specialized, Scott, Cervelo, Merida, Look and Trek. I didn’t even see Bianchi, Giant, Orbea, Willier, Cannondale, BH. There were only 2 Colnago’s. Well, at least Im the proud owner of a Look so, hehe, part of the majority too. Wakakakaka. Saw some really cool wheel sets, esp lots of Zipps, Campy’s, Lightweight and Reynolds. No one seemed to use the Mavic Cosmic. In fact I think none at all. There was a Zipp 808 on a Cervelo SLC. That was Daniel Lim’s bike. *drool drool*

And then Lynn came over asked my about some bike stuff. She’s Joanne’s friend, quite a cute character too and just met at the briefing. She really needs to change bike coz currently she uses a Trek 2100 size 50 traditional frame. And for her 150cm height, that’s a wrong AND HEAVY frame to be riding. But shes pretty strong for her size. Salute her. =)

After much googoogaga over the bikes, I went to join PK’s table again for another round of erm, story telling. Then it came to say goodnight to Bahri. Yeah, GOOD night. Lol. What happened later was hilarious. Too hilarious to tell here. =)

I too went to my room to rest n try to sleep. Well I turned on the TV to see if there was anything nice to see. Watched James Bond till 12am then slept. Final day is just around the corner. So fast 2 days of Interstate has gone. Well im just as eager to finish it.

Day 3 (May 3rd)

Yes! Last day of Interstate. And I plan to take today’s 102km slow and easy. Nothing to rush about. We started at 7.30am since it’s a short distance. Leaving the Resort we went out into the open roads with some drizzle. Finally a wet day? Nope. For a while only. Today , being the final day, I tried once again to follow the first peloton. I had to do some overtaking though on the outside lane. And I got a small warning but well, who hasn’t eh? Well my 40kmh effort didn’t last much though. These guys were just too tough for me.

Mac was suppose to drive support car today. But then when I saw him overtake me , I saw Alwin in the car! I was thinking why is Al in the car when he rode this morning from start line. Its either bike problem or leg problem. Hmm….I wanted to find out later.

I dropped back and let many more riders over take me. After 14km the right turn that leads to the little town of Nyalas was a little bit undulating as well. But its more of open kampung roads. Nice and quiet. I passed the little village of Nyalas. Many locals were out standing in front of their house to see us. I guess after the first 2 groups went by, they waited for more. Lots of kids waved at me. Shouting at me. And I just waved back.

PK’s group caught me. Razali , Bahri, Chin Hoe, Clarence, and a few more others were in here. And I guess they wanted to have fun today being the last day. So lots of attacks came. Well it was so tempting not to resist, so I joined along. Attack after attack. Then I managed to pull away for a while with Clarence on my wheel at 48kmh. Fun. Then we all basically reached the first stop at km 50. A nice row of food stalls. Many stopped there. We stopped almost 30 minutes. And it was only about 9am. Another fast paced day. I saw Al and Mac and I quickly asked Al whats wrong. He said his shifter cable snapped and didn’t have spare cable. Well I did, just that it is in the luggage truck on the way to Melaka. So that’s Al’s Interstate. Early end for him. But I think he’s even happy to sit in the car and see others suffering.

I left together with PK’s group coz usually PK’s group takes things relatively easy. Even so sometimes I felt like leaving the group and go alone again. Well today I tried to hang on. I was still OK and my legs haven’t reached their max limit yet. Though the sores are there. And the ass just keeps killing me. We went through more undulations. And then it was a flat stretch after leaving most of civilization behind. At 67km we stopped coz someone needed water. We took a nice rest under the bus stop. Lynn and Vincent Lim came up from behind after they split from the group. Then CC Wong also came up with Roger. And they even had time for their powersticks. Lol.

Continued our journey soon after. I went ahead for a while. Then some small rolling hills greeted me but today my legs felt pretty good. I managed to handle them at abt 20kmh. And it sort of got real good to me how my legs felt. Then I saw this long winding flat stretch of road in front of me. My legs felt good, so I thought lets see what I can do here. I got into a TT position and rode steady 35-38kmh for the next 5km or so before I let off the gas. Roger caught behind me and the PK train was just behind me too. At abt 80km we saw Daniel Lim’s dad by the side of the road with his bike on the ground. His tire exploded and needed help. So we stopped to wait for support cars to pass by. Thankfully a few came to our aid and one of them had a spare tire. Changed in like 5 minutes and we were off again together slowly. Just 20km to go. And then JUST before the 83km right turn, Chin Hoe hit a pot hole and had a flat, so………stop again lor. Everyone was happy coz we stop so often. Haha. Flat fixed and we took it slow.

Headed towards Bandar Melaka. We soon reached Bandar Hilir Melaka which was at about KM93 and then guess what? We stopped again! For water and food! This day was the most stops I did through out the entire Interstate. Day 1 I stopped 3 times, and Day 2 I stopped 2 times. Today already 5! Well, happy bikers we all were.

Then Terry came in with two other riders, one of them has already bonked and hit the wall pretty badly. When a cyclist hits the wall its pretty bad and can get dangerous. Dehydrated and overheat are main causes. Severe fatigue also is another cause. We keep cooling him down and tell him to drink water. I poured a good amount of water on him to cool him off. Luckily its just a short ride to the Baba House Hotel from here. Terry had to push him much of the way after this.

We were underway ourselves. 95km done. 7 more to go! I was about to reach this traffic light in front when I saw 2 motorcyclists rode rather close to each other. I thought they were friends playing around, but soon I realize it was a fight. Obviously the solo ride was not happy with the other ride with a pillion. They even exchanged kicks and nearly crashed. I quickly laid off the pace and rode a good 15 meters behind, watching as drama unfolded. I hope nothing bad happens. At the traffic light they went separately, luckily. Even PK’s group saw what happened behind. I was a little nervous as well at that time.

Well that being over, we all just wanted to reach the hotel! Now we were all told that Day 1 was the 2nd toughest and Day 2 was the 3rd toughest. Today the toughest? But it didn’t seem tough at all since 0km till now. That was until after we passed the Melaka Prison and up the Bridge to Masjid Tanah. The headwinds were FANTASTIC. My bike kept going side ways the entire time. Up the bridge was even worse, its like a hurricane up there. So bad were the winds we dragged at 20kmh. Going up a bridge with wind pushing you back down is hard. Thank God it wasn’t head winds for 100km. That be really my day.

We followed all the signs and at last, we reached the Baba House Hotel. The Interstate has ended officially for me. We did the 102km in just a little over 4 hours. We all shook hands. I congratulated Bahri on completing his first Interstate. Vincent Lim also. We were all smiles. I thank God I made it this far. Checking my meter, my total trip distance was 366km. Its 100km less than last year, but still a tough ride. With out wasting much time, everyone wanted to go eat, and suggested cendol. Well, after all the hard work, we deserve some sugar don’t we? We went to the famous Donald and Lily stall just 100 meters from out Hotel. The Baba House is actually just located behind Jonker Street and near to the Clock tower and A Famosa fort. Tonight we are definitely going to party! And the weather predictions were out the window, no rain at all for 3 days. Never bother to trust the weather man anyway these days.

Adrian’s slow group came in at abt 3.30pm. I happen to be at the hotel balcony when they came in. And they were also happy to have done the Interstate in one solid piece. There was a tandem with a guy and his young (approx 12 year old) daughter. I think she rode the whole journey too. Not bad at all, a new star in the making. And the high fives broke out everywhere.

My second Interstate completed in succession. I didn’t have to go up the support car. I nearly wanted to give up, but I didn’t. That’s will power I suppose. Some might say Im strong. But I will reserve all the praise to God for sustaining me these 3 days. The final dinner we were treated to Melaka dishes and it was nice. Melaka people love hot spicy food. Lol. And as every dinner we had the past 3 days, there were photo presentations of the days ride’s. My face came up a few times.

After the dinner me and Adrian and co went out to Jonker Street for a walk. Ate the local satay celup which was interesting. Then had the local ice kacang. This was way different than KL one coz they put really lots of “stuff” in the ice kacang. Nice. After some walking about we went back to the hotel and I wanted to sleep. Just watched some shows on TV before I turned off the lights.

Day 4 (May 4th)

Got up at 7.30am for breakfast. Nice western breakfast. Then Adrian and me n the gang went out to A Famosa for pictures and a walk. Then I tried the famous Melaka chicken rice balls. The rice is rolled up like balls. And it tastes really nice.

Today also I got to know that a few guys (namely Vong, Elaine Wong and Adli Dahlan) will be riding back to Klana resort in Seremban. Salute them man. Though its abt 80km ride, I wasn’t interested to follow at all. I’ve had enough already. They left at about 8.45am. So hopefully will get to see them in Klana together.

I got back to the hotel at 9.30 and packed my bags and bike. The bus will pick us at 11am so we all were busy packing. 2 buses came at 11.20 and by 11.50 we were on the way back to Klana Resort, Seremban. About 30 of us took the bust home. Most riders went back the night before or early in the morning. In the bus were some interesting conversations, Japanese fetish for used ladies underwear and nude public baths. Hmm, made the ride home interesting. Hsing Ling was also in the bus. She was supposed to ride back to Klana but decided not to. Had to handle the other 3 fella’s luggage instead. Reached Klana Resort at about 1.20pm. And just the right timing, Vong, Elaine and Adli arrived together. They even got warning from the traffic police for riding too fast. Zzzz. Now that’s something new. Well after unloading all the bikes and bags we all headed home. Adrian sent me home. I got home by 3.30pm. I basically just chucked my bike and bags one side and had a loooong sleep. I was really really tired.

Even as of today (May 5th) lm still feeling the tiredness. Well the butt sore is gone but the thighs are still a little tender. And of course, I get the lovely tan lines as a permanent souvenir. Washed my bike this morning and now I look forward to more rest. Btw thanks to Interstate for helping me reset my biological clock back to somewhat normal. At least I get to sleep in the night and wake in the morning.

As for the technical review on my bike, I find that carbon frames are indeed comfortable on long rides. I didn’t really get tired due to road vibrations. Mostly was due to my under preparation. But all was smooth with out any hiccups. However, this frame, as I have mentioned, does have substantial amount of flex in the chainstay area. I noticed that I needed to put in a bit of effort to sprint and get up to speed. Maybe high profile rims would help. Going down medium hills wasn’t much of a problem. Well, now I know at least what I should be looking for in my next bike, which will be like another 5 years away at the very very least. =P. The ’08 Mavic Aksium wheels were good and stiff. Nice handling. My new Wireless Cateye meter worked flawlessly. Oh and my shoe’s managed to hold together till the end, thankfully. Really going shoe hunting after this and need to save up on $$$. Many riders also asked me to refurbish my paint work. Well it is really in dire need of a face lift. But doing airbrush work costs a bomb. Doing it at the car spray shop would be cheap but not as good in quality and they mostly wont do decals in detail. =( . And I found a few nicks in the paint work, probably from the fall my bike had on day 1 when I parked in on the fence. =(( Oh well…….

So there you have it, my 2009 Interstate. Its nothing short of pure suffering for me but I managed to complete it, even though I didn’t train at all for it. Also I once again would like to really say a big thank you to Adrian for the carpool and everything else. God Bless ya bro! =)

As for next year, I will see if I am able to join once again. Maybe be a support car driver this time after doing twice as a rider. =P Till next years Interstate, see you there and then!
Cherio.

Playing badminton with lemons =)

Life loves us so much it wants to let us take away something. Something we wont forget, hopefully, forever. It is either something good. Or , bad. Its easy to take the good, but how u take the bad along with you?

I just got into lots of recent experiences where life seemed to literally fire cannonballs of lemons to everyone I see around me. Im no exception as well. So in all this chaos and uncertainty, insecurity, doubt, hurt, etc........what should we do?

I love badminton alot. Ive been playing it since i was like 10 years old. And with my dad, i was always at his mercy of shots. Those days when i was young, inexperienced with my racket, i dont know exactly how to handle my dads shots. Its like suddenly i thought a soft slow shot will come, suddenly he whips a fast backhand smash at me. Not 1 2 or 3 times. At least 30 of them. Now i know he was training me (and at times i do get frustrated not able to return the shot). But i WANT to return the shot PROPERLY and with EQUAL venom and PURPOSE. What should i do? The obvious answer : TRAINING. After somany years at the receiving end, i think it was time i did something about it. I had to ACT.

I always used to react by simply TRYING to hit the shuttle back (with my low skill level) but often either I :

1) Miss the shuttle
2) Hit wrong direction
3) Hit back tak cukup kuat
4) KENA hit by the shuttle
5) Just move out of the way

All this had one root cause, i was simply REACTING to the shot. Not ACTING to counter it and turn the situation around. In essence, i was unprepared.

After good training for abt 5 years (this is a once a week training plus playing games in between) and till now as present, I can firmly say I am now ABLE to ACT on any shot I want. Now playing with my dad its no longer me reacting to his shots, but rather me acting to get back at him. With my wisdom, my knowledge, my abilities, my skill all from which based upon hours of training. And I am now much much better at playing a solid decent tactical game.

In life it applies exactly the same. You need to tackle life tactfully. Not by merely REACTING to the situation at hand, but ACTING appropriately as best as possible that benefits you. In the game of badminton, it doesnt matter what happens to the opponent. If he initiated an attack, and u managed to control and defend well, its your advantage. You can control the game BETTER. You might even win. You just need some training!

Countless times we are let down by those close to us. We be nice and all, but others are plain mean and superly not understanding. Some even cant see pass the cornea of their eyes. Hypocrites. Judgemental. Hot tempered. You-get-in-the-firing-line-innocently. We deal with lots of issues everyday. Then what do we do? Retaliate? React and right away figth back blindly? Since he is cruel, i be cruel too? He wont apologize, so I wont as well? He ignores me, so i ignore him?

Thats the FIRST ReaCtioN everyone will do. Its usually what comes first to the mind. We let out our full blown barage of attacks and replies. @#^!!!!%$*^*@$^(* we all usually say. Perfect thank you gift.

There must be an equal solution(s) to all this. And fortunately there are many solutions to handle our dissappointments, differences, disagreements. One of them is being meek.

Meekness is a great asset. Now in contrast to popular modern culture, being meek doesn mean being quite, kept to ownself, submissive or retreat. Meekness if properly understood means "Power under control" - as used to describe how wild horses full of energy are tamed to be of better use for their master. This also means u control yourself and your "power" to control the situation.

We all must agree this : Life isnt perfect. Not even God said that we will not face any problems at all (Christians and non alike!) Some people cant live up to our expectations. And we cannot possibly please everyone. There are pitfalls in everyone. So the best solution is simply learn and TRAIN ourselves to love and be gentle, tender heart and teachable. Not pointing fingers at others sins/inequities. Not laughing at others failures. Not bursting out in anger. Not lashing someone with a whip and a sword. Not engulfed in flames of fury. And sometimes we have to admit we can POSSIBLY be wrong due to our own actions. In short : Control yourself as best as you can.

A great test of maturity is how one can handle irritating, disagreeable, contradictory, argumentative, quarrelsome people. I am aware NOT ALL can do it. But it has to start somewhere. Or else how are you going to ACT upon the situation? Will you be in control? If you dont train to control yourself , your actions be going way out the window. If u said "He/she is making me mad/angry/upset!" , it simply shows that you have already let your feelings come under control/influence by other people. Remember, the control is yours. No one can dictate how you control your own emotions and feelings.

In badminton you are not supposed to let your opponent dictate the way you play until you fall into his trap. Do not let him make you play the shots he wants you to play. And then when you lose, you blame him yet not examine yourself. Get your play right first!

Heres one useful tip. If the situation gets out of control, dont let our emotions and actions get out of control as well. Dont start a nuclear war when already half the world is gone.

If you take the time to study the REAL essence of it all, it its purely out of love. Why again i emphasize love? Simply because if the purpose wasnt love, it be a total waste of our time to even bother relating with anyone.

God never ever set a standard for us to reach. If that happened we be the most bottom of that level. An impossibility to reach. A simple example for all of us : Who can undoubtly say he/she has never sinned in their life time? If you dare to answer yes , you should not be reading this nor should you be here on earth anyway. Want a much more simpler task : Love everyone equally. Can we ever love anyone 100% equally? No. We cant even reach perfection to love ourselves 100% what more those around us. But this is the amazing thing, God can love us 100% and we just need to accept it. All we need to do in return is love back God as we are. And in the same way, we love those around us as we are.

So life isnt a difficult place once you grasp the understanding of what love CAN do. The key to overcome anything has always been something out of love.

Meekness is a power controlled by love.

"Blessed are the meek for they shall be in control of the earth." Matthew 5:5

Wedding Bells =)

Today was a huge day for WHC in terms of the "size" of the event. Non other than Pastor Jason Wong and Pastor Jadeline Lee's wedding day.

Past few days were really sleepless and tiring for many of those involve in just making sure the wedding runs smoothly, including myself. You could say i held one of the most responsible tasks : Song playback. Well if i screwed up the march in song i would have killed the atmosphere.

Anyway the wedding was nothing short of beautiful. From the time Jade walked into the hall for the wedding ceremony (to huge applause) till the final tea ceremony, everything was just wonderful. Yes few things not perfect but its not a major deal. We made it happen. The message by Pastor Lim (Jason's uncle) was inspiring. Basically was about a testimony involving John 3:16 from the bible. The most famous verse in the Bible. =) He even candidly said that now the Triple J relationship is in motion - Jason Jadeline Jesus. J3. Lol.

Jason looked stunning in his 2 piece white suit which goes excellent with his type of character. Jade's simple yet elegant wedding dress complements her wonderfully. To me they both hold a special place in my heart. I was once Jadeline's cell member and section member. Now im Jason's cell and section member. It has been a blessing indeed to be under their guidance and care and to share lots of fun stuff with them over the years I've been in WHC (3 years).

Photo takings a plenty by our very own WHC photography gang , Dawson Chrysler and Wei Jie. It was also a time where i caught up with some old-havent-seen-in-a-long-time faces, especially Isaac Lee. Its been like a year almost since i last saw him before leaving for his job training stint in Tioman. I was so happy to see him. Yes a little chubby but still the same Isaac ive grown to love and respect. Miss this guy who used to be my cell leader. Great fellowship always with him. Happy to see faces like Gary, Satesh, Thomas, Princeton, Lau who are my very own section members. They kinda went "missing" for some time.

Glad to see Canny Har there as well. Havent seen her in 1+ years as well. Only recently started Facebook-ing with her. Everyone basically looks faboulous today. Girls were elegant and guys were on their best. The relatives of the bride and groom were many as well. 60 odd i guess.

Oooo yes! Got to see Pastor Kenneth and Pastor Sharon with little Sofia too! Since they moved to Penang i havent seen them. They really have lost weight. But with God's providence they will get through. Ps Sharon even remembers she still wants to KickMyButt. Zzzz......but I love her still =)

Ps Dennis from Singapore who was speaker at last years WHC Church Camp came all the way here the nite before. With his family. Many pastors and people from outside came too just to see Jason and Jade.

Andrew Tan (yes the Malaysian Idol finalist, who is Jason's close friend since school) gave a really short lovely speech. Shared his experience when they were little and how they have grown together, both as pastors children and both as good friends serving God with all their hearts. Andrew even performed a song with Jason later to dedicate it to the new bride. And for the first time Jason had the jitters singing to just one person, not a whole congregation. XD , Cute.

Pastor David and Pastor Gloria (Jason's parents) were all smiles for the whole day......proud parents since their first son is now a grown man able to take responsibility and make the covenant of a married life.

The newly weds will head for a 5 day honeymoon to Phuket this week, so all the best of fun and romance to them.

The end of one chapter gives opportunity to start another. Their lives are now heading towards more special things and more new things.

My prayers for them is that God upholds their marriage in peace, love, faith and hope. Nothing seperates them for God has said nothing can separate what He has joined together. I pray for lots of wisdom, favour, understanding, opportunities, blessings and strength to be upon them. And may the light and love of God shine in them and through them to others as well. Amen.

Now...........we wait for......... Jason and Jadeline Jr's. ^^

Boy Girl Relationship - Is God in the picture too?

This was from the seminar in which Pastor Gloria Wong talked about regarding boy/girl relationships from her own experience and also the Word of God. Material is based from the outline and also the understanding in which she has give to all who attended. Before i proceed I would like to clarify that I am not trying to spiritualize this BGR topic but it is as with reference to God's very own Words. The things presented are very general as its too big a topic to talk about (let alone blog about). I will hereby blog from my personal understanding as i heard the preaching.


Alrite.....may i have a show of hands (if any), anyone single? Anyone married? Anyone in a relationship? Whoever raised their hands, this is all for you. =)


Firstly lets get this straight : MOST of us are single and available yes? And we sort of have this inner calling to get hitched one day. Meaning we need to find someone to fill that gap. But some others however choose to stay single. They dont seem to have that desire to find a life partner. As we go on we will see more details. So lets start with the very BASIC of questions first :

1. WHAT and WHOM to seek?
In 1 Corinthians 7:27 in the Bible, this part talks about "seeking". If u are married thats good. Then dont seek to get out of it. But if you are single, dont SEEK to find a wife. In this context "seek" meaning run after. We should not run after marriage OR run after to catch a girl like a lion would chase a zebra.

We have desires and feelings to find a life partner (gf, wife) and that is normal, healthy feelings for every human. BUT dont rush. At all costs. Why?

Turn to Adam in the Bible and u will read that he did NOT run after Eve. Eve came when he was sleeping (ea Relaxed). God provided Adam a helper and wife without Adam having to lift a finger.But does that mean we all go to sleep and not do anything? Waiting for God to just drop a wife on us? NO as well.
Proverbs 18:22 says those who can find a wife is a good thing and obtains favour from God.

But you see the word FIND here in context means not searching. Rather, it means DISCOVER along the path of your life. You dont focus so much on the searching and get all tired coz of one perfect girl/guy u trying to locate with your poorly built internal radar. But when u are walking along the path of life, along the way you will discover many potential people sometimes by the most surprising of ways. And better still, IF you were doing the things of God and you found someone along the way, thats great.

Single life is actually a special time when u can give your whole entire self and being without any distractions to God. Seriously. But that doesnt mean when u are hooked with someone you should pay less attention to God. No.

NOTE 1 : Before you ask God for someone to take care for, firstly take care of God Himself. Meaning love and serve Him. Loving God increases ones ability and capacity to love people, especially those closest to us. Also if you cannot learn to love God who created us, how are we going to love the people He also created?

NOTE 2 : Do not seek contentment in a love relationship. Get contented with God first. Give all your struggles (sexual, relational, emotional, feelings) to Him first and let Him check those things in His list. He will provide those u gave Him back to you in a right way.

NOTE 3 : Do not get into a relationship just because u feel lonely, u need someone who understands you, peer pressure, or pure desperation. Love relationships are not the key to inner contentment. Having the love of Jesus is. Why? Simply because no possible human can possibly satisfy all the needs of another soul. If you cannot attain contentment as a single individual, you will never reach in in a relationship and even in marriage.

Only God can fill the deepest longings of the human heart.

2. WHAT to DO while waiting?
i)Commit to personal growth
I find this very practical indeed. Since we are still waiting n got nothing better to do, why not try to make ourselves ready before others so that when the right one comes along, we are in the RIGHT zone to handle. And people who commit to personal growth will live by God's Word and seek a godly lifestyle. Who wouldnt want someone who is truly essentially good as a whole being? I can tell you this as much : MEN/GUYS should live a correct good Godly life if you really want to be ablle to attract the opposite sex. Vice versa as well. A good example would be ready to admit mistakes, be humble, be honest and truthful, willing to receive and give help, seeking God's help for change etc. These are just basic things men n women SHOULD have always.

ii)Develope healthy self-esteem
A person with low self-esteem gleans a sense of worth from people they are with. They want attention and often will resent or get jealous when their mate is interacting with another person. Therefore they try to get attention and love in order to feel secure and feel needed. But always they will feel insecure very easily. Eg : Girls, when ur BF talks to another girl. How would you feel?
On the other hand, a person with high self-esteem loves others because they are secure about themselves and can love and be loved very easily. This is when the person realized that it is God's love that is far more important than anything else. Simply because God IS Love and Life springs forth from those who genuinely loves.

iii) Develope positive attitudes on life
Your not going to grumble and rant , self pitty, regret about mistakes u've made in the past are you? Come on. Put the past behind. A good sense of humour is a good positive attitude. Not judging others and not being too critical. And dont hold others responsible for your own happiness as if they owe it to you! No one owes us love. But we always owe to love others as ourselves.

iv) Be mature, truthful and responsible
Let yourself be able to handle things with FULL responsibility. Taking care of yourself is a good way to learn how to be responsible for yourself. And maturity will follow suit. Maturity doesnt really come with age these days. You can be a 40yr old baby. However u can be a 20yr old man. Maturity comes with the ACCEPTANCE of responsibility. Which is why i will say this again, most young relationships (under 18yrs old) are NOT suitable to be continued simply because the amount of responsibilities are too much to bear at this stage in life. Anything can happen. It takes time.

Also ask yourself : Do I respect other's feelings? Do I do the right things that im supposed to do (eg study and work)? Do I avail and take responsibility rather than make lame excuses? Am I truthful?

Aspire to be someone whose actions match your words. Even if its a small action, matching it word for word makes people see that you are able to hold responsibility and be trustful. And it clears alot of misunderstanding. Also please put all your egos and pride aside. This is not the place nor the time to be someone you are not.

3. Good Dating Philosophy Ideas
i) Keep your motives in check
You have to be real honest and ask yourself these few questions : "Why do i want to date this guy/girl?", "Are my motives selfish or loving?", "Is it just coz im lonely and i want company?" , "I want to prove that i can go out with the best looking person?" , "I want a free meal and gifts always?". Ultimately please ask yourself , "WOULD GOD AGREE WITH THIS GOAL?"

Honestly if u seek for a perfect wonderful has-it-all-in-my-checklist girl/guy, do you think for one minute, that if you are not up to his/her standard, you really think he/she wana go out with you? Surely they will want to find an even better or same quality person. No? Its just not right to ask something like that. Be humble, and have a right mind.

ii)Dont date for the sake of dating!
Your purpose to date is not to impress or feel good. Dont feel pressurize to date and DONT pressurize others to date as well! Men, guys when you are alone with a girl eating together u may think its a normal meal kinda thing, but she MAY think otherwise! So be careful. Please let your intentions be known. If its just socializing and fellowship, do go in a group.

iii) Date those who have Jesus at the center of their lives
Well this may be most applicable to bros n sis in Christ. Simply coz in 2 Corinthians 6:14 it says do not be unequally burdened for what has lawlessness have to do with righteousness and what has light have to do with darkness. Now I am absolutely not putting any unbeliever down. But the central core of it is that it is quite impractical to have two people of two totally different beliefs to date each other (Let alone get married). I can testify that with my own family but not here and not now. Will you compromise God for the sake of a girls/guys heart? Has God ever compromised to love you? So beware when being romantically involved as there are possibilties of your walk with God cut shorter. You must be able to know, "Is this relationship helping me know and grow closer to God? Or otherwise?" , "Is it distracting me or encouraging me spiritually?"

iv) Give up your rights to sex n marriage
Yes you heard me, give them up. But to God of course. Let God take control of your sex life and marriage. Guys we are guys. We know what we go tru everyday. Im one of you, okay? No matter how hard we try, its very tiring. Giving it to God and let Him take the control puts our hearts and emotions at rest at least. Girls same as well. We give all our appetite to God and He will give us the fulfillment back in a good proper way.

The one reason why premaritial sex is so prevalent nowdays is because couples in a relationship dont submit to God. Dont get me wrong, sex is good and healthy and intended by God as a fullfillment between MARRIED couples. Only married couples should enjoy sex as it is the only feeling in the world that brings us intimately closer to our spouses. It is suppose to be special that no one else has it. Random free meaningless sex just takes away that privilege and spice of love.

v) Take your time to develope non romantic relationships
Like i said earlier, take your time to discover the many potential people around you. Dont rush and dont be worried that the one that u like may be robbed or taken away. If you rush to get/find that perfect person your going to be dissapointed.

If it has happened its ok. God will help u find a suitable one for you. He is afterall the Creator. Friendships should come first. Coz then u will see and discover the good and bad sides of a person in a less akward and more relaxed way. Be available to friendship but keep urself purely for your spouse ONLY. Guys and girls, its okay to have more friends of the opposite sex.

vi) Determine to please God in all your relationships
When u can please God with your relationships with others, automatically others will be pleased with you as well, plus blessings flow for all parties.

vii) Get your life straightened out as much as possible first
If you cant handle and iron out all those things which make u tumble and always emo in life, how would you expect to handle the even more unironed out things in a relationship. Out of the pan and into the fire. Seek God for healing and renewal and restoration from all past hurts and sins.

When u have managed to iron out as much of your life and be right with God and be right with yourself and others, you can be able to tackle most other things. Being prepared is important. Of course no one can be 100% ready for anything, but thats why God is best included in the picture to help. Dont be surprised there will be a line of girls lining up (or vice versa) when ones life is truly on the right track and according to God's guidance.

Finally,

4. SUGGESTED Dating progression
Step 1
Be honest to yourself if u have romantic feeligns or intentions. Dont hide from yourself and others by claiming to be "just friends".

Step 2
When u realize step 1, seek God FIRST! Submit all your feelings, love resume's, etc to Him and let Him check your homework. Do not wait till u two are tangled in the relationship and too involved to hear a clear NO from Him if He wants to speak to you that way. It is best to get a proper guidance from God's Word on relationships first.

Step 3
Always have Jesus at the centre of your life. He gave it all for us first. Stop being an emotional prostitute (Falling in love with everyone you date). Always keep emotions in check with God.

Step 4
Communicate or let someone higher than you know of your feelings and intentions. For Christians do consult your cell leaders, church elders, pastors etc for clarity and guidance. They will be glad to help and cover you in prayer. For others u may approach someone who is already married or in a good solid long term relationship. Christian relationships are often a good place to start coz chances are they followed most of what I said in this blog.

Another reason is coz a higher rank or third party person can help you to keep things in objective perception. Once ur in a relationship, somehow the ability to see things objectively is blurred a little. Sharing with others also brings the relationship into light where everyone can help out, instead of being in the dark and directionless and preventing from temptations+confusions. Do not be shy about the relationship. We need all the help we can get especially if it comes to a life partner =)

After the 4 steps above are done, ONLY then proceed to step 5.

Step 5.
Communicate/Tell/talk with the person about your romantic feelings to him/her.

Yes, this is by right the last step. Though many will take this as the first step to do, sadly. Doesnt anyone remember , "Save the best for last"?.

Ask God for the right timing to tell/express your feelings. Be careful not to frighten the person. By right men should lead the way and innitiate. And therefore dont drag your feet into it nor dont be too serious as well and make it sound like the world is ending. Be clear and always be relaxed about the whole thing. God is in control. Communicate unselfishly and wisely. Dont use God's name as an excuse that you two are meant to be together. God gave a freewill to choose and decide. The most He can do is give you signs and signals.

Guys also please do give the choice and liberty to the lady to opt out of the relationship if she doesnt feel like being in it. If it is really God's intention for this relationship to go on, you can always count on Him to help. If its not, why go into deeper unnecessary trouble?

Be respectful to one another and always keep the relationship well defined. Reveal and talk constantly about the progress and direction on the relationship as time goes by. When to get married? Careers? Children? Etc. Always keep them updated with one another to eliminate and prevent feelings of doubt and insecurity.

Lastly I would like to mention, should any of you want to be single for the rest of your lives, it is also a good thing. But dont let it be out of fear or hatred or other negative motives that u dont want to be in a relationship with another person. The main reason should be that u are all out ONLY for God and to be purely for Him. You dont want to be distracted or tied down so that u can further expand His kingdom and do His works. God did say blessed is he who is single but also blessed is he who has a wife. So its all good in the end.

With that the seminar ends. I tried my best to depict as much as talked by Ps Gloria, but its just too much. I had to shorten this down, but essentials are in here to check on BGR's should any of you feel like getting into or progressing further.

So the answer to the heading, should God be in the picture too on your courtship/date/wedding? Yes with a capital Y. For certain of course.

May this bring more understanding and clarity to all.
God Bless You

Always - Hillsongs

Forgiveness - Luna Halo

It felt like rain
That fell again
Down on me
It felt like rain
That touched my face
And I can't believe it
Like rain
I can't believe it
No I can't believe it

The things You said
Seem to find their way back into my head
And I regret my ways
You never left
Remind me once again so I won't forget
You're never far away

It felt like rain
That said again
That it's okay
Pale like white
I close my eyes
'Cause I can't believe it

I can't believe it
The way You forgive me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttJQY9WWbZk

But what about Evil?

Many will ask me, "If God is Love, why in the world does he let evil enter at all?". The more extreme notion would be "God created love AND evil at the same time".

Here is what is fundamentally known and already declared affirmatively by God Himself:
God is Love. Yes.

Here is the expression of Gods love :
He gives YOU the choice(freewill) to love and live.

Here is the reason :
If God created humans like robots to ONLY obey and love, that is not authentic relationship and true affection and love. It is love by force and by law, therefore nullifying the former statement God is Love.

What does this do? :
Humans that choose to love grow stronger and closer to God. They experience an authentic relationship. Those who choose the opposite (evil) will not experience God's love. Rejection. The byproduct is suffering.

Where does evil come in? :
Because God allowed freewill, He allows love. But He must also ACCEPT THE FACT if He does so, He must be aware that some might choose evil. And because He already said He is love, He has to respect the choice. Therefore it has to be allowed. Love in essence is also based on respect. If God didnt give us the choice to choose, we would not be able to fully have OUR OWN capacity to choose and experience love.

Essentially, Evil doesnt exist just like that. Evil simply means not choosing love. Evil was not created. It is the lack of love. As similar to heat and cold. Cold is the absence of heat. Cold did not exist just like that. It is the cause of the lack of heat. Evil in the same way is the lack or absence of love.

Having said all of this, God DID say evil will be punished. Evil will not last forever. God does not hate the person doing evil. He just hates evil. God does not hate sinners. He hates sin.

Ultimately the choice was ours.

We just chose.

God waited for our answer.

God and Suffering

Todays world view of God as the all loving all mighty all saving Hero and Defender of the poor and helpless seems to have , if not, totally is questionable by all accounts. If God was here and He existed, why are there so many children dying in Darfur? Why the wars and political uprising? To some they say God is not fair. To some God doesnt exist because if He did, there shouldnt be suffering. Right?

One day, a customer walks into a barber shop. Gets his regular cut. And the customer and barber starts having a conversation, which eventually points to talking about God and world suffering. The barber then says , "God doesnt exist. If he did, abandoned children wouldnt be on the streets. The beggars would not be on the streets. Violence and racism would end. But it hasnt. They are getting worse. Definately God does not exist."

The customer politely just listens and not make a response. Just listening tentively.

After he's done, the customer walks off with his new hair cut. As soon as he walks out the front door he sees and old beggar, with long messy hair, unkempt beard and large moustache.

The customer walks back in and tells to the barber, "You know, barbers dont exist at all. They dont. Because if they did exist, there wouldnt be people like beggars with long messy hair or with long untidy beards."

The barber replies , "Ah......thats because they didnt come to me in the first place."


Do you see where this is pointing? Its not God didnt exist. Just that we didnt go to Him. Just as simple as there would be no suffering if someone actually started to approach God first to find a fix.

To 100% deny God means to 100% know Everything in this universe. Because to declare a universal negative, you must be universally knowledgable. Absolute. Can we ever say that we know even 10% of the unseen universe? Or even 1%? Something beyond the knowledge that we know? Can we really declare a guaranteed yet unknown doubtful universal negative as oppose to accept what is an affirmative existing universal positive? Basically to know God exists you dont need to know everything. You either just have to know Him personally or be aware of the evidence that establishes His existence. To know God DOESNT exist is the exact opposite.

The Universe is a wonderful thing. How it got here is either by two ways, Creation or a really fantastic accident. Why?

Matter + Energy + Information (With Intent and Purpose) = Concept and Design (creation)
Matter + Energy + Time + Random Chance = Apparent design and Complexity (incredible accident)

To say that there was nothing before the Universe existed, not even the first proton, electron and quarks is like saying there was no Thomas Edison before the light bulb. Nothing cannot beget something since there is nothing to work with in the first place. IT had to start from something with someone behind the scenes.

Stones

Im 101% sure that none of us has never had stones in our lives. Well some may have had boulders. The more serious ones have mountains to climb. Burdens.

Burdens are gonna be part of our lives till we leave this earth. And that is some really long times to have stones clinging to our butts every time we walk and drag our feet getting about life. And lets not despise those who seem not to have burdens at all. Actually we all do. Just that some dont realize the burden simple because its small and negligible. There are good burdens and bad burdens. Good burdens like always caring for others and constant support of loved ones is alright. Coz these burdens do not tie one down to the ground till he/she can move an inch.

Few of my biggest burdens include my financial status of my family, pursuing my education, dreadful exams, my relationship with others, finding a GF, keeping my family in one piece......ok ok i think i overshot a FEW to MANY. So u see.........even i have my own burdens dragging me all over the place.

Others? Well i can see some have emotional burdens (anger, hatred, prejudice, mockery, insult, heart broken etc) , some have material burdens, some have........gosh......just burdens everywhere.

Sometimes we cant just seem to be able to escape. Actually we cant. Burdens just keep on coming. Its like someone bus all these burdens all over us.

Some love to just dwell and sink in these burdens.......literally. I would say it isnt healthy at all....and it definately isnt going to bring them anywhere except nowhere or backwards. Probably even drown. With a stone attached to your feet and thrown into the sea......your gona drown good. And even if your stupid (no insult intended), your logical mind will tell you to try and RELEASE your burden and kick FREE to safety. At least your try to swim up to get a breath of fresh air. Thats whats happening to humans all over the world. We are drowning from our burdens and trying to get air but its always so hard coz the burden is always greater tying us down.

Even a donkey with stuff on its back wana let go. Even a dog with on a leash would wana let go. If animals with the basic instinct to live knows how to let burdens go, what us humans with the intelligence greatest in this solar system? Why are we still clinging to our burdens? Or should i say, why some of us keep ADDING burdens to ourselves? Its really getting out of hand.

I mean we can let go our burdens to anyone we want. Problem is.....will the people we let go to be trustful enough that he/she wont drop the boulder clumsily back on us again? Time and again it is very obvious we cant simply let go 100% to anyone. And definately not any human. Why? If i gave u everyday a stone to carry.......after 100 days.......can u still carry all those stones and not drop it? Humans were never meant to carry such load. Never. We have to accept the fact we are limited. If not we will just be kidding ourselves. Lying to ourselves. The phrase "Yes we can" is purely motivational. We shud be asking "Yes we can, but in who?"

If I were to say "Just let it go"...... sounds wayyyy to easy right? The fact is it is THAT easy.

If I said i knew of a way.....would you wana try it after other ways failed?

If I said that someone that I know wants to take away all our burdens just because he just wants to set us free..... would you give it up?

If I said that there is no other pre requirement, no questions asked, no qualification..... just give your burdens away......would you do so?

I met someone by the name of Jesus Christ not too long ago. His name is pretty cool, awesome in someways coz His name literally means "The Saviour".

One of His most favourite stuff to do is carry peoples burdens away FOR them. In His words of comfort "All those who are burdened and troubled come to Me , give all your burdens to Me and I will give you rest" - Matthew 11:28 . Its interesting to note He said "All who are". Meaning you, me, my parents, your parents, my friends, your friends, the beggars, the sinful, the unworthy, the sick, the poor, the President of the United States. All.

Jesus is the only one who transgresses communities, races, traditions, societies, cultures and laws to just come and ask this simple thing from us : Give Him our burdens when we are tired of it.

So i say this to you my dear friends. If you have already reached your most troubled life and burdened till you are drowning, the good news is Jesus has already prepared His arms and back to take your burdens.

He carried the sins of the world. He can carry your burdens.

He doesnt ask anything in return.

He just hopes you will visit Him more often and tell Him about your burdens.

I've given mine to Him. How about you? =)

God Bless
=)