my sister's ipod and i

this little pink device reminds me of those songs,
the songs i used to listen to.
it's like a memory being played back at me.
i never knew i had an influence on the songs she listens to.
or was it the other way round.

the songs i used to hear.

my sister gave/ lent me her ipod. =]=]. gone are the days of listening music with just one earpiece. excluding that fact, i really loved my mp4.
i used to have conversations that go like that.
"what's this?"
"oh. it's my mp4."
*friend tries to slide open my mp4, but to no avail. then brings up my little silver rectangle up to his nose and examines it, in hope of finding a clue of how to operate it.
"is it touch screen?"
*friend then leaves his fingerprints on my mp4's mirror like screen.
"how does this work?"
*laughing, i'd point to the buttons that they always fail to find.
my classmates, the schoolmates, churchmates...

funny conversations.

my little device was like a puzzle to many.

anyways, i'm trying to figure out how on earth podcast from mars hill church, desiring God sermon Audio got into my sis's ipod. i erased everything... maybe it's God. now i'm listening to one of it.

this speaker's talking about John. =]

i thought i once again heard the sound of Haydn's symphony,
the seriousness of the bassoons together with the violins and cellos,
the merry dancing of violins once the slow intro faded away,
it feels like it was music class all over again.
how i missed it.

the class where we never did homework and always got away with it
where students were always ever punctual
while our dear teacher would saunter in an hour or so later.
this was the best class of my schooling days.
although it was delivered the worst grades on my O's cert.

all the rice with "zhap" (and stinking up the band room)
clock watching was our favourite pastime
when dear teacher fails to come when it turns 4
we disappear. (to play lan and arcade or just go home)
the delaying of exams by 2h (we were hiding in the classroom)
talking during the exams (despite the presence of the invigilator)

it was sometimes lonely though, being one of the three writing major students,
and not to say the only writing major student in the entire school,
i was honoured to have the whole examination hall and 3 wonderful invigilators
to conduct my O levels exam. as though i had any chance of copying...

The best two students were two very different people.
firstly, one was a girl and the other a guy.
next was the stark contrast in class attendence.
the latter was hardly seen attending class,
while the other had near perfect attendence.
what's the point of lessons i wondered?
they shared a similarity though, (they were from the same school)

unlike the sciences, being good with theory was utterly useless.
you could get the top grades in music theory
but if you cant play music, you've just chucked your A grade in the bin.
what's music you would say, it's organised noise.

welcome to my music class memories.

not to forget (Mark this is for you)
Mouths AGAPE.

Father God, just for today.
help me walk your narrow way.
help me stand where i may fall
let me listen to your call...

may my steps be your worship
may my thoughts be your praise
may my words bring honour to your name

~ Father God by unknown

Today's service was a bilingual service. Somehow i always enjoyed listening to a bilingual sermon. =]. was about tidings, or more of the kind of wealth that God wants us to have. pretty apt for me when i've just started working and wonders what to do with the money other than cover my daily expenses. compared to some of my friends, i'm much better off. i dont have to worry about my survival in the sense of paying my rent or buying my food. tidings apparently needs much courage. i remember how i first learn about giving the tenth to God in NCC. the analogy was when you have ten one dollar coins, all nine goes to you and one goes to God. doesnt seem that bad right. you're just having less candy and maybe eating bread for one recess. but as you grow up, you earn let's say 10 000. and you give God 1 000. that makes you think twice right. that 1 000 means you have less money to spend on perhaps clothes or to get that watch. (so on and so forth). many a times, we would think about what we can do with the 1 000 we give God. be it shopping, paying your tuition fees, buying presents yada yada yada. i guess we forget that what God can do with that mere 1000 is much greater than what we do with the 9000 that we would have. we would think of that tenth we give to God and forget to think of the portion that we're gonna be having...

thank God for his faithfulness, even to the unfaithful.

oh. happy cny and happy valentines day. @-/--

last year i attended two camps. one was about being set apart for God and the other was about friendship. from the latter camp, i came to a realization of one of my childhood christian songs. the one about a wise man and a foolish man and how they built their houses? well... i searched for the lyrics and came to find this paragraph that i dont remember or was not taught. i really think sunday school should have taught this part. (dont underestimate the mind of a little one. they learn faster than you can blink. =] ) So here's the lyrics of the song.


The wise man built his house upon the rock
The wise man built his house upon the rock
The wise man built his house upon the rock
And the rain came tumbling down
Oh, the rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
And the wise man's house stood firm.


The foolish man built his house upon the sand
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
And the rain came tumbling down
Oh, the rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
And the foolish man's house went "splat!" [clap hands once]


So, build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
And the blessings will come down
Oh, the blessings come down
As your prayers go up
The blessings come down
As your prayers go up
The blessings come down
As your prayer go up
So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ.

~ by unknown writer.

Anyways, i wanted to say in life, we dont know whether we are the wise guy or the foolish one. but i would say since God is the rock, build your house on it and you're the wise man. =] does that make any sense? And as always, to God be the glory great things He hath done. =]. I guess the last paragraph that i have no memory of learning shows what the lyricist was thinking about when he talked about the rock and sand.

Lord Jesus Christ is the rock.

I always needed time on my own
I never thought I'd need you there when I cry
And the days feel like years when I'm alone
And the bed where you lie is made up on your side

When you walk away I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now

When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok
I miss you

I've never felt this way before
Everything that I do reminds me of you
And the clothes you left, they lie on the floor
And they smell just like you, I love the things that you do

When you walk away I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now

When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok
I miss you

We were made for each other
Out here forever
I know we were, yeah
All I ever wanted was for you to know
Everything I'd do, I'd give my heart and soul
I can hardly breathe I need to feel you here with me, yeah

When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok
I miss you

~ When You're Gone by Avril Lavigne.

yes, this is like a super old song. but somehow the last part of the chorus keeps ringing in my head. i dont know why. but it does. imy. i thought for a while before realising where that line belongs to. this is still on my playlist in my mp4. (yes that funny little shiny gadget that looks like it can open but cant iy hh sx tried to open it hehee...) but the song of today was you were there.
ong: call me now.... before you disappear.

I wonder how it must have felt
When David stood to face Goliath on a hill
I imagine that he shook with all his might
Until You took his hand, and held on tight

'Cause You were there, You were there
In the midst of danger's snare
You were there, You were there always
You were there when the hardest fight
Seemed so out of reach
Oh, You were there, You were always there
You were always there

So there he stood upon that hill
Abraham with knife in hand was poised to kill
But God in all his sovereignty had bigger plans
And just in time, You brought a lamb

'Cause You were there,
You were there
In the midst of the unclear
You were there, you were there always
You were there when obedience
Seemed to not make sense
You were there, You were always there
You were always there

So haven't I learned that my ways
Aren't as high as Yours are
And You alone keep the universe
From crumbling into dust
You are God and though we would
Not have understood You
There You were

Hanging blameless on a cross
You would rather die than leave us in the dark
Every moment, every planned coincidence
Just all makes sense
With Your last breath

You were there, You were there
During history's darkest hour
You were there, You were there always
You were the Victor and the King
You were the power in David's swing
You were the calm in Abraham
You are the God who understands
You are the strength when we have none
You are the living, Holy one
You were, You are and You will always be
the Risen Lamb of God

You were, You are and You will always be
The Risen Lamb of God

~You were there by Avalon

Funny how I got to know this song. From Tim. He was trying to sing it during the only SIBI lesson I attended. Well... there was no guitar/ instrumental in his singing. but really liked the front part of the song. =]=]

Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just talk
Smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
She goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
pray to God he hears you
And pray to god he hears you

and Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours, grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life (x2)

How to save a life (x2)

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life (x2)

How to save a life (x3)


How to save a life by the fray

the discovery

i finally understood why i couldnt play my violin the way that CD did...

the instrument was a cello.

I was a little girl alone in my little world who dreamed of a little home for me.
I played pretend between the trees, and fed my houseguests bark and leaves, and laughed in my pretty bed of green.

I had a dream
That I could fly from the highest swing.
I had a dream.

Long walks in the dark through woods grown behind the park, I asked God who I'm supposed to be.
The stars smiled down on me, God answered in silent reverie. I said a prayer and fell asleep.

I had a dream
That I could fly from the highest tree.
I had a dream.

Now I'm old and feeling grey. I don't know what's left to say about this life I'm willing to leave.
I lived it full and I lived it well, there's many tales I've lived to tell. I'm ready now, I'm ready now, I'm ready now to fly from the highest wing.

I had a dream

~Dream by Priscilla Ahn.

A single thread in a tapestry
Though its color brightly shines
Can never see its purpose
In the pattern of the grand design

And the stone that sits on the very top
Of the mountain's mighty face
Does it think it's more important
Than the stones that form the base?

So how can you see what your life is worth
Or where your value lies?
You can never see through the eyes of man
You must look at your life

Look at your life through heaven's eyes
Lai-la-lai...

A lake of gold in the desert sand
Is less than a cool fresh spring
And to one lost sheep, a shepherd boy
Is greater than the richest king
If a man lose ev'rything he owns
Has he truly lost his worth?
Or is it the beginning
Of a new and brighter birth?

So how do you measure the worth of a man
In wealth or strength or size?
In how much he gained or how much he gave?
The answer will come
The answer will come to him who tries
To look at his life through heaven's eyes

And that's why we share all we have with you
Though there's little to be found
When all you've got is nothing
There's a lot to go around

No life can escape being blown about
By the winds of change and chance
And though you never know all the steps
You must learn to join the dance
You must learn to join the dance
Lai-la-lai...

So how do you judge what a man is worth
By what he builds or buys?
You can never see with your eyes on earth
Look through heaven's eyes
Look at your life
Look at your life
Look at your life through heaven's eyes

~ through heaven's eyes.

you are my adversary, but you are not my enemy.
for your resistance gives me strength,
your will gives me courage, your spirit ennobles me.
though i aim to defeat you, should i succeed,
i will not humiliate you, instead i will honor you
for without you, i am a lesser man.
(Adversary)

Strength is measured in pounds
Speed is measured in seconds
Courage...
You can't measure courage.
(Courage)

To be a giant.
This has forever been our passion
this desire to be a giant
Not to stand on one's shoulders or have one for a friend.
Those may be fortunate things.
But to be one.
Giants step over barriers that seem never ending
They conquer mountains that appear insurmountable
Giants rise above fear
Triumph over pain
Push themselves and inspire others
To be a Giant
To do Giant things
To take Giant steps
To move the world forward
(Giant)

When you smile, I smile, that's the deal
I'll not walk passed you, and not look you in the eyes, and not acknowledge you
Instead we'll pass each other and say hello
Not without words, they're not the same, but with our faces
I need you and see there's good in your eyes
There's passion in your heart and there's a friendly hello in your smile
And for the first time we can relate and appreciate each other
That's all it takes
That's where it starts
Because I know that you'll smile and I will smile
And all the rest is easy
(Smile)

i know Olympics is long over. anyways, just thought that these were inspiring. reminds me of how sports were meant to be. less about the competition, more about the friendship.

i saw this picture and thought it's so cool. This is not an abortion. it's just about how a little infant before he is born is having an operation. so it's kinda having a premature operation?? well i'm not too sure. but here's the story of this picture.

"During the surgery on little Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger.

The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander
Armas, who is being operated on by a surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby
was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his
mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in
Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing
at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these
special operations while the baby is still in the womb. Michael Clancy, working for USA Today captured the surgery on film.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a
small incision to operate on the baby. During the surgery on little Samuel,
the little guy reached his tiny but fully developed, hand through the
incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. The photograph captures
this amazing event with perfect clarity.

The editors titled the picture, "Hand of Hope." The text explaining the
picture begins, "The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas
emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as
if thanking the doctor for the gift of life."

Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture.
She said, "The photo reminds us my pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person" "The Hand" of the fetus. You can see the actual picture, and it is awesome...incredible.

God made only mankind in his image. We are uniquely singled out bearing the image of God above any other creature. He is the sole object of Christ's redemptive love. Christ went to the trouble of dying for our transgressions against God by becoming a human first. He went through the process of being put in a womb and being there for 9 months like any other, then born under the human conditions (without sin). Certainly The preexistent Son of God was a person, and he was a person in the womb."

that's the story. i think abortion is just a substitute word for fetus murder. it's illogical to use your own standards to determine at which stage the baby is considered human when the standards are flawed in the first place. it's like hypothesis testing where you set your own level of significance to state what is true.

thank God for life.

i wonder.
why do i love to collect memories?
is it human nature?
should i just forget about doing that and concentrating on getting the most of the moment?
is there a biblical answer to this?

COMPANY
525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure,
measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In
inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes - how do you
measure a year in the life?
How about love? How about love? How about love? Measure in love. Seasons of
love.

SOLOIST 1
525,600 minutes! 525,000 journeys to plan. 525,600 minutes - how can you measure
the life of a woman or man?

SOLOIST 2
In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried. In bridges he burned, or
the way that she died.

COMPANY
It's time now to sing out, tho the story never ends let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends. Remember
the love! Remember the love! Remember
the love! Measure in love. Seasons of love! Seasons of love.

i heard this song quite a few times. but never really got to find the lyrics. I could never remember the no. somehow. they would just slip out of my mind. anyways. mugging time is here.

Somethings we dont talk about rather do without, just hold a smile. Falling in and out of love. Ashamed and proud of it. Together all the while. You can never say never, while we don't know it. Time and time again, younger now than we were before. Don't let me go.

Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle you'll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who you're making me
Somewhere in the middle you'll find me

Just how close can I get Lord to my surrender
Without losing all control

Fearless warriors in the picket fence
Reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end
We are caught in the middle

With eyes wide open to the differences
The God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for his
Or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle

Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat on the crashing waves
Somewhere between a whisper and a roar

Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle you'll find me

Just how close can I get Lord to my surrender
Without losing all control

Fearless warriors in the picket fence
Reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end
We are caught in the middle

With eyes wide open to the differences
The God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for his
Or are we caught in the middle

Fearless warriors in the picket fence
Reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end
We are caught in the middle

Lord I feel you in this place
And I know you're by my side
Loving me all even on these nights

When I'm caught in the middle
Caught in the middle

~sang by casting crowns (somwhere in the middle)

when you're at the crossroads of life, what would you do?

emotion is my enemy.

bad teachers insists; good teachers show; exceptional teachers are.

the three kinds of teachers. i think i've met all three kinds. but the bad teacher for mine wouldn't be insists. my bad teacher sleeps as in literally sleeps in class. i've met many good teachers fortunately. for exceptional, i would say that physics professor that my physics teacher looks up to and some of my sports coaches.

reminds me of my shuttling days. the 3 kinds of trainees. 1. an athlete 2. a self motivated athlete. 3. an excellent athlete. something like that. the first just does what is told to him. the second trains hard within the allocated training time, does some extra physical. the last eat, sleep, trains badminton, asks all the questions to better understand what he is training, to train himself, in other words to be a coach to himself. guess that's what coachie meant when he said he's training us to train. so thus we're labelled trained to train athletes. but lazy me and my injured thumb have yet to pick up my nano/carbon to train, my rackets are still dangling on the wall, my shoes are hidden in some cupboard, my weapons are rusting. hopefully, my trained to train mentality is still somewhere in my subconscious.

this can also be parallel the the kinds of christians. 1. the church goer. 2. the believer 3. the Christ-centered christian. then again,the question what exactly is a christian would arise. the difference between having christianity as your religion and a true christian.

thank God for sports.

Wake up to the sunlight
With your windows open
Don't hold in your anger or leave things unspoken
Wear your red dress
Use your good dishes
Make a big mess and make lots of wishes
Have what you want
But want what you have
And don't spend your life lookin' back

Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
Let it all out
You won't regret it
Lookin' back from where you have been
Cuz it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you live

So go to the ballgames
And go to the ballet
And go see your folks more than just on the holidays
Kiss all your children
Dance with your wife
Tell your husband you love him every night
Don't run from the truth
'Cause you can't get away
Just face it and you'll be okay

Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
Let it all out
You won't regret it
Lookin' back from where you have been
'Cause it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you live

Oh wherever you are and wherever you've been
Now is the time to begin

So give to the needy
And pray for the grieving
E'en when you don't think that you can
'Cause all that you do is bound to come back to you
So think of your fellow man
Make peace with God and make peace with yourself
'Cause in the end there's nobody else

Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
Let it all out
'Cause you won't regret it
Lookin' back from where you have been
'Cause it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you live

'Cause it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you live

~ how you live by point of grace.

sunny days and starry nights
and lazy afternoons
you’re counting castles in the clouds
and hum’ little tunes

but somehow right before your eyes
the sun fades away and
everything is different
and everything has change

if you feel lost and on your own
and far from home
you’re never alone, you know
just think of your friends
the ones who care
they all will be waiting there
with love to share
and your heart will lead you home

funny how a photograph
can take you back in time
to places and embraces
that you thought you left behind

they're trying to remind you
that you're not the only one
that no one is an island
when all is said and done

if you feel lost and on your own
and far from home
you’re never alone, you know
just think of your friends
the ones who care
they all will be waiting there
with love to share
and your heart will lead you home


there'll come a day when you're losing your way
and you won't know where you belong
they say that home is where the heart is
so follow your heart know that you can't go wrong

if you feel lost and on your own
and far from home
you’re never alone, you know
just think of your friends
the ones who care
they all will be waiting there
with love to share
and your heart will lead you…

if you feel lost and on your own
and far from home
you’re never alone, you know
just think of your friends
the ones who care
they all will be waiting there
with love to share
and your heart will lead you
where you belong
i know
your heart will lead you home

~your heart will lead you home by kenny loggins

this was the song i remembered that sweet little voice sang. anytime everywhere. memories + photographs. maybe that's how cameras came about. once there was a dude who was a blur sotong. so he decided, he should try to stop time or at least slow down time so that he could see clearly what was happening and not be the blur sotong anymore. he tried all ways to stop time. from chasing after it to travelling faster than the speed of light, he experimented all. but failed. depressed dude. so he bought a bird and watched it fly around in its cage hoping that somehow he could figure out how time flies. then he realised. no matter how much the bird flew, it was unable to leave its cage. there was only one conclusion. TIME NEEDS TO BE CAPTURED. then ta da... the rest is history. so that's how cameras came about. photographers are people who tried and have suceeded to capture time with their delicate instrument-camera. =]. then again. just maybe.

thank God for cameras.

so here's a photograph.