highlights of an otherwise mundane week

Exciting event No. 1: I cut my hair!!
Haven't had a haircut since i came to UK. heh. It's getting so long (duh) and messy i decided to fianlly cut it today at the only chinese hairdresser in town. There was only 1 hairdresser (His name is Simmy i think. heh. And his hair was tied up in a ponytail) So was quite apprehensive when he was cutting my hair. Not the most gentle of hairdressers and i felt my hair being ripped off while he was combing my hair... But turned out pretty alright i must say. My head feels much lighter now :)

Exciting event(s) No. 2: I'm cooking!!
I'm staying in a self-catered flat now so that means I gotta cook for myself. Have tried cooking tau-geh 3 times and it tastes either raw or overcooked... bleh. Anyone has got the recipe for stir-fried tau-geh? Tried cooking fish with soya sauce as well. Ended up flaky and in tiny pieces (in an attempt to ensure it was cooked) but tasted not too bad lar. I've got a 'cooking partner' as well! You should see both of us in the kitchen, it's chaos. heh. But can be quite hilarious and fun as well... So far haven't gone too adventurous but have got some up on my list i wanna try:
1) Fish/ chicken baked rice
2) Hainanese chicken rice (yes!! i'm gonna try my friend's recipe)
3) Bak kut teh
4) Fried rice

Yep. Rather uneventful week so far other than these 2 things. Have to get down to mugging for exams. =/ One and a half months more before they start..

FFH - Lord Move, Or Move Me from the album Found a Place

I can't find the words to pray, I'm a little down today
Can You help me, can You hold me
I feel a million miles away, and I don't know what to say
Can You hear me anyway

What I need is for You to reach out Your hand
You have taught me no matter what You'd understand

Lord move in a way that I've never seen before
'Cause there's a mountain in the way and a lock on the door
I'm drifting away, waves are crashing on the shore
So Lord move, or move me

I've looked everywhere to find a simple peace of mind
But I can't find nothin' on my own
So I gotta leave myself behind, take up this cross of mine
Give away everything I hold on to

Lord, I know the only way is through this
But Lord, I know I need You to help me do this

Out of this place of complacency
To a place of fellowship with thee
'Cause I am weak, but Lord, You are so strong
And You know it's been way too long
It's been way too long

on Spring Harvest (21/3 - 26/3)

i realised fewer and fewer people read this anymore... Well, for those still reading, thanks. :) And here's an update of how the past week went:
Spring harvest was great, in terms of seeing so many of God's people coming together - old, young, students, working adults, retirees, church workers, the deaf, lame, mentally handicapped - worshiping, loving and learning about God. About 10,000 people in all. I must say everything went VERY smoothly despite the vast numbers of people in terms of organization, all thanks and glory to GOD!
My schedule for each day was a morning service then break for lunch then workshops/seminars on various topics (e.g. prayer, godly living, church, ministry, post-christemdom, homosexuality, judgement, etc.) in the afternoon followed by dinner then night service. Very packed and tiring. But some very solid teaching as well. And it was all worth it. Theme of the conference was on 'Singing God's song in a foreign land' focusing on the book of Daniel. When God's people (Israelites) lived in exile (Babylon) yet how Daniel stood firm in His beliefs, and how it reflects how christians live in a 'foreign land' on earth right now, with values different from that of the christian faith and how we should and can stand firm and not compromise, yet still love and live amongst others who might not know/ believe in Jesus our God and Saviour. Basically it's about living out the christian faith in a secular world, yet not living in a 'ghetto' or segregating ourselves from the rest of community/the world.

Learnt many things and can't share everything here so i'll just share what impacted me most:
1) In whatever circumstances God has put us in (consider that Daniel was in exile), He can use us if we are WILLING.
2) God can turn the hardest hearts to Him (consider King Nebuchadnezzar who was a proud king who worshipped many gods) NOTHING is too difficult for Him.
3) Many times we expect people to come to church, but it is when the church comes out into the world that people can truly see and experience God. Wherever God has placed us (in our family, school, workplace, etc.) we can be witnesses and bearers of His love.

okay, i better cut this short soon. Yep, 3 main lessons i took away. Now, for the rubber to hit the road. Not by might, nor power, but by HIS SPIRIT. His strength in our weaknesses. All glory and praise to Him alone. Amen!

P.S. Happy Easter to all! And remember easter is not about bunny rabbits or chocolate eggs. But God's son, Jesus Christ who was crucified for us, and is risen today! God bless my friends all over the world :)

spring harvest

Hi all,
i've moved into my new room! It's smaller than my previous room but it's nice and cosy. :)
Will be away for a week at a christian conference in Skegness (a seaside town in UK). Praying for renewed love, revelation, hope and a fresh touch from the Lord. Pls pray with me if you can. Thanks my friends... Will let u guys know how it goes.
Oh, also went for a walk in the peak district (the hilly region of UK) last sat, here are the pics!
http://community.webshots.com/user/pphor
God bless you all and have a great week ahead!

6 and a half months... and going!

Another term has passed, and easter break (1 month holiday) is here... Time flies so fast, yet when i wish i were back home and see certain people again, time seems like a standstill.
Helping my friends pack, and hearing them talk about going back home this easter kinda makes me envious sometimes, but i know my time will come :) And i'm not regretting my decision to stay on here either. It's been a great experience here so far, people always say there are both good and bad sides to studying overseas, but i guess the good side eventually wins, in the long run... Done and seen (dont start imagining things, heh) many things i wouldnt do/see back in Sgp. Some things have changed for me, yet others have stayed the same. hopefully i'd have become a better person by the time i get back!
Moving out of my room AGAIN (we are kicked out of halls during holidays cos they assume we all go back home) but thank God for a friend who lent me his room (in an apt) to stay while he goes back to sgp. Not many things planned this holiday. Only thing up for me is a church conference (for those who want to find out more, the website is here: http://www.springharvest.org/wordalive.html) pretty much like a church camp i'd say, just more free and easy... yep, the rest of the hols SHOULD be spent studying for my exams in May. But i might decide to do some travelling in UK in between.

Anyway, thanks for keeping me in prayers as you remember me :) Take care and God bless my friends.
In Christ's love, pam

waiting upon the Lord

I'm reading a book entitled "If you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat" by John Ortberg, there was a part on Isaiah 40:30-31
"Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint."

The author says:
We must live these words - soaring, running, and walking, - "one line at a time".

Sometimes you will mount up and soar on wings of eagles. Sometimes in your life you will be in an era of spiritual soaring. You find yourself simply borne up by God's power. God is answering your prayer with extravagant generosity, using you in ways that leave you astonished.... etc. Be very grateful. Do all you can to stay in the stream of the Spirit's power - be very obedient as the Spirit guides you. Keep praying, and don’t assume you are soaring on your own strength.

However, sometimes we are not soaring, but we are able to run and not grow weary. Your life isn’t feeling effortless. You do not see a lot of miracles. You have to do some flapping. You feel frustration, but you also feel God's pleasure in your obedience. You need to keep running - faithfully obeying, serving, giving, and praying. Do not compare yourself with someone who is soaring right now. Your time will come. Just keep running.

Then. There comes a time where we will not be soaring, and we cannot run - because of doubt, or pain or fatigue, or failure. In those times all we can do is walk and not faint. All we can do is say, "God, i'll hang on. I don’t seem too fruitful or productive, and i don’t feel very triumphant. But i won’t let go. I will obey you. I'll just keep walking." Sometimes walking is all we can do. But in those times, walking is enough. Maybe it is when life is the hardest, when we want so badly to quit, but we say to God, "I won't quit. I'll keep putting one foot in front of the other. I'll take up my cross. I'll follow Jesus even on this road." Maybe God prizes our walking even more than our soaring and our running. Sometimes walking is the best we can offer God. He understands all about that. Walking counts, too. And one day liberation will come. So keep walking, because what we wait for is not more important than what happens to us while we are waiting. Now it is just a matter of time.

london trip

Hi guys! Just came back from my london weekend trip. Was great =) Ate lots of food... the best roasted duck in london, beef hor-fun, chinese buffet (with at least 20 different dishes!), sgp laksa, hainanese chicken rice and nasi lemak!! haha. Stuffed myself like anything... don't get much chances to get these in nottingham. But eating this food with fellow singaporeans made me feel almost like i was back home :) Spent a lot of time walking and talking as well... prob walked more than i've walked here in the last month or so. haha.
But the highlight of my trip was the message preached in church on sunday. Was preached by a pastor from Singapre called Kenny Gan, who's also in 'Overseas Mission'
It was about the greatest and most important commandment in the bible, loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Many christians, even myself, only love God with our heart/soul, we 'feel' we love God and we say we love God. We sing songs of love to Him, only to hurt Him cos we don't do what we say. We go up to the altar over and over again, cos we don't do what we promised Him we would do.
We fail to come to the second step of loving God with our mind (that is, our will) We have to consciously will to love God, despite of our circumstances and how we feel. And last but not least, the most crucial yet most difficult part is loving God with all our strength. That is when we get up and do it! The pastor mentioned about waking up early and spending time with God. And how often we succumb to our flesh and rather spend that 30mins or so getting more sleep... That's me many a time. I know i can force myself to get up if there's sth important i have in the morning. But if it's QT, i give second thoughts... that's just one simple example. There are many others, like giving up our careers, dreams, will to God and submitting and surrendering our ALL to Him. I guess loving God is somewhat like loving the person you love the most here on earth. If you would sacrifice/do sth for that person, we should even more so do it for God. Love is not a feeling, it truly is an action, will and commitment. 'inspite of'... and not 'because of'...

So may times i fail Him, i submit to my weaknesses time and time again. Yes, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. But we shouldnt just confess about our weaknesses, but we also should not give in to them. And when we don't have the strength to love Him, He promised us that if we wait upon Him, he would renew our strength. Also, if we embrace ALL of Jesus, He will provide and be ALL that we need. (see luke 18:18-30)
Yep, a challenge for me and christians to respond to... May our Father in heaven grant us the grace and strength to follow Him every day. Amen.

Weekend has passed so fast, back to school now. bah. Another week before Easter break!!! yay.

Psalm 39:6-7

It's been some time since i put a psalm up, so here's one: ;)

"We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in
nothing.
We heap up wealth for someone else to spend.
And so, Lord, where do i put my hope?
My only hope is in you."

Amen.

end of week... at last

Phew. Finally. My last assignment for the term is over! whee. I'm so relieved. Been staying up till 2am or so this week doing reports, etc. Could have been worse, but with God's grace, i managed to do would i would normally take ages to do :) And. today was the first time i walked out of sociology seminar NOT ANGRY. yea. not overjoyed either though. Just relieved i said something during the discussion, and it's the 2nd last one of this term. Didn't want to think about it so spent the next hour or so tv surfing in the language centre (the benefits of during a language here) Watched 'spongebox square pants', 'mr bean the cartoon', other random cartoons, cooking sessions, chinese news (which i probably understood only 10% of it. gasp. my chinese has become so pok now.).... i just realised i haven't watched tv for soooo long! what more cartoons. heh. I like cartoons :)

Walked out of class today and memories of JC came back. In uni we don't greet our teachers when we go into class or thank them when we end class. No more class going "goood mooorrning Ms/Mr ____" together in a monotonous tone. i kinda miss that. heh. jc was crazy and tiring, not the best of times. but there were always certain memorable things to it, such as my wacky class and hockey training sessions. Well, guess we'll always be reminiscent about everything. We can only look back, and smile.

Will be spending the weekend in London. going to shop and have good food! Will be meeting up with justin as well. Different kind of busyness from the week. But it's better than stoning in my room, and i'm looking forward to it :)

islam meets christianity

Went for an event organized by the christian union and islamic society in the university.
A christian and a muslim had 20mins each to present respective views on revelation and after that subjected to questions from the floor. The christian presented the gospel, emphasizing on Jesus Christ and how the OT in the Bible pointed towards His coming and His work for us on the cross. The muslim talked mostly about the validity of the Koran, as well as some Islamic views on christianity and the bible. Learnt a lot of stuff, about islam, and how muslims view christianity. There are actually a lot of similarities between christianity and islam. Probably the 3 closest religions in the world are christianity, islam and judaism, yet they are all fundamentally different. And it is these core differences that cause so much conflict between the Islams, Jews and christians today. This is just my own persepctive of course.
It was kind of an informal setting and there were round tables where we sat around. There was a fair distribution of christians and muslims at each table so we could discuss our views and ask questions about each other's religion after the talk. The discussion at my table was very exciting. I didn't say much (in fact, i didnt say anything, as usual =/) But there was a christian and muslim at my table who were intensely discussing about the similarities, but more importantly, the differences between christianity and islam. Thank God there wasn't any heated debate or theological arguement but everything was spoken on a friendly and open level. I felt she (the christian girl who was speaking at my table) did a great job. =) I personally learnt a lot myself too, and i pray that this would give me more confidence to reach out to muslims as well. I feel that's what's seriously lacking in sgp. Though singapore's supposed to be a religious tolerant society, we don't really make an effort to know more about each other's beliefs and guess that's why there's such a big barrier between christians and non-christians.

My head is spinning now. Happens especially when I want or need to focus, and have to force intruding thoughts out of my mind. Tiring =/
But thank God i've finished most of my assignments i have to hand in by this week. Just one more sociology seminar to go on thurs (which i am seriously dreading) and most of the week's burdens are over! Then it's off to London for me :)

cornerstone church website

Anyway, for those interested in knowing about the church i go to here, here's their website: http://www.cornerstoneuk.org.uk/

They have lots of resources about questions such as the existence of God, the reliability of the bible and other tough questions non-christians might ask. As well as testimonies of christians. Might wanna read if you have some time to spare. Pretty interesting and useful.

BEWARE!

it’s gonna be a long entry tonight. A rambling brainless one also actually.

My blog has become my friend whom I talk to at night, other than my diary =)
I’m a loner by nature but sometimes I just have so many things to say but don’t know how to say it. So I write or type it down.
Today has been a totally unproductive day for me, I prob only spent one hour working (that’s very little for my standard la) considering how much of a mugger I am, and I feel guilty if I don’t study everyday =/
The rest of the day was spent on the computer, or walking around my room (which is about 4m by 4m including furniture). Managed to play some tennis in the afternoon to kill my boredom, hailed in the middle of the game (!!!) And it was so cold my hands become numb… I wear like 3 layers (top) plus 2 layers (bottom) and I’m still freezing. Don’t know how I’m gonna ta-han Singapore weather when I get back. Heh.
Dinner was tasteless pasta, whom my thai friend commented tasted like salt water, only worse. I thought it was pretty alright though. Or maybe I’ve just gotten use to the food here. Standards have dropped. *gasp*
Supposed to work on my lab report which is due this week but wasn’t in the mood so watched ‘Gladiator’ instead. (Can’t believe I’ve not caught the movie yet, or have I? It seemed so vaguely familiar while I was watching it) Well it was a good movie anyways. Intended to start work after that. BUT. Got distracted again. Visited an old friend’s blog (I say an old friend cos I haven’t talked to her for almost a year already.) Sometimes I wish to get back in touch but I don’t know how to and I’m afraid if it’ll just be weird. Sigh…. ) I hope she doesn’t mind me reading her blog though. Her blog’s really nice to read. Light hearted, innocent and real. Something I find really hard to do. My blog has gone through a few major changes (though it might not be noticeable) not physically. Started out to update friends away from me about life here. Then became a thought blog, as an outlet for my feelings. Then now… I don’t know. You decide for yourselves I guess. Anyhow, I don’t know who reads this though I know a few who will definitely read.
She was talking about her little mouse… it’s down with cancer now =/ I was thinking, maybe I should get a pet here, can’t keep a big one though, maybe a hamster? But it’ll come with responsibilities and all…Will I be able to love it? I wonder how my hamster at home is now…. Maybe it died already. Sigh. I’m such a terrible master. I don’t think I should get one.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately. Or rather all the time. Seems like a endless world for me. Sometimes I wish I would just be normal and not think so much. Kills the soul. Kills the simplicity within me. And every night I have to find it back. I wish I could laugh about the things I used to laugh about. Not to strive so hard about everything.
Think I shdn’t go on, or it’ll go onto one of those depressing posts again. Anyway, for those still reading this, thanks so much (: If I were you, I’d prob have stopped by the first paragraph.
Like I said, a random, pointless entry. I shall lay my head to sleep now. And let my mind rest. I hope i don't dream tonight.

Pressing in

A song which i have held dearly to my heart till now...:

We Press In
Like the woman with the issue of blood
We press in, we press in
Like a blind man waiting patiently
We press in through the crowd

And suddenly, a touch from heaven
Jesus came, and rescued me
And suddenly, a touch from heaven
Jesus came and set me free

A short and gentle song, yet powerful at the same time. Lyrics courtesy of Matthew ;)

"... Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks." Luke 11:9-10

Whether we are praying to God for an answer to a question, for deliverance from an illness/sin, for revival, for a loved one, or for the lost.... keep on pressing in, don't give up, Jesus sees and will reward our persistence and faithfulness. Let us press in. Till we receive His touch. Amen.

random post

For macademia nut/ walnut... (you shd know who you are;)) In response to your last blog post:
Chris Rice - Clumsy
From the album Deep Enough To Dream

You think I'd have it down by now
Been practicin' for thirty years
I should have walked a thousand miles
So what am I still doin' here
Reachin' our for that same old piece of forbidden fruit
I slip and fall and I knock my halo loose
Somebody tell me waht's a boy supposed to do?

I get so clumsy
I get so foolish
I get so stupid
And then I feel so useless
But You're sayin' You love me
And You're still gonna hold me
And that You wanna be near me
'Cause You're makin' me holyYou're still makin' me holy, yeah

I'm gonna get it right this time
I'll be strong and I'll make You proud
I've prayed that prayer a thousand times
But the rooster crows and my tears roll down again
Then You remind me You made me from the dust
And I can never, no never, be good enough
And that You're not gonna let that come between us

From where I stand
Your holiness is up so high I could never reach it
My only hope is to fall on Jesus

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For people who are free/bo-liao.... this is quite fun! P.S. thanks EJ ;)
http://avatarmaker.abi-station.com/index_en.shtml#02