God of all my dreams

Yahweh, You're the maker of the universe...
And You've called me Your own,
You're the God of all my dreams.
The world may call me crazy,
but You alone read my heart....
Thank You Lord for giving me the freedom to dream in You,
for holding this fragile heart in Your hands.
Everything I want to be
is found in You.

In the name of Your Son, Yeshua
Amen.


Who You Are (by Natasha Poon, Gateway Worship)
==============================================
Chorus:
Because of who You are
I can live with hope
Knowing that You'll always be
God of all my dreams
Everything I want to be
Is found in You

Bridge:
I can live I can dream
You are all, all that I need
Jesus You're everything
My life belongs to You

Yvonne's Wedding

It's been a pretty busy and intense weekend...just packed to the brim. Yesterday was Yvonne's wedding....she's a dear friend from sec sch. I was one of the sisters in her entourage, so I had to wake up at freaking 5.45am for the traditional sabo-the-groom-games and tea ceremony!! (Michelle has never woken up that early since JC days mind you) And we had to follow the bride until 11pm at night.

A pretty tiring day, but it was quite touching as it was a celebration of love not just between the wedding couple, but between generations of family members, and between friends (feels very 'Love Actually!). We were exchanging smses, and I told Yvonne that it's been 14 yrs of friendship already. Wow! :) She was saying that she really appreciated our help and company through the wedding...and that 'friends make all the difference'. I couldn't agree more. :)

Some things never change though....when we arrived in her hotel room, the first thing that came out was "DUDDDDDEEE, you're getting married!!" Which was received with an enthusaistic "Yeah, DUDDDEEE is getting married!!" haha! (Amazingly, this bride was running around in some football jersey and camo berms just before her make-up session, to sneak a quick meal of chix tenders at BK. We offered to buy for her, but she just couldn't wait. haha! It's just so typical Yvonne.)

Chilling out in the pretty changing room at Chijmes.
L to R: Yvonne, Lynn, Lishan

Yvonne looking warm n comfy in my white shawl

The complete group shot of the gang!

Anyway..that's not the end of my weekend. Today I had classes as usual, and a band meeting with Jon, Nigel, Oli n Jason at Timbre. The band playing at Timbre was unbelievably bad...I dunno their name, but it was just super zao sia, loud and nasal singing...or rather screaming. :( Michelle was traumatised to bits. The look on Jon's face was quite priceless....I've not seen his eyes so big and his jaw drop like that before. HAHA! Yeah, we should hv gone to the Art House branch where E.I.C was playing.

Tmrw (Sun) is the BMI zoo outing!! So look out for more pics i guess. Mon is the start of a brand new term....God grant me strength!!

"I throw my life upon all that You are...."

Where the Love Lasts Forever (by Joel Houston)
======================================
Chorus:
So I throw my life upon all You are,
‘Cause I know You gave it all for me,
And when all else fades,
My soul will dance, with You,
Where the love lasts forever.


Bridge:
And forever I will sing,
Lord forever I will sing,
how You gave Your life away,
Just to save me, Lord You saved me.

Written on our hearts....

This week has been a bit of a mad ride....we were rushing out the new manuals for the new term which starts Mon. Berno, Abi I were editing and re-editing countless times...until we were quite blind to any mistakes. Haha! On Thurs nite...we were just going "Oh wow...so pwettty!" at the new manuals. Yeah, we were just totally useless incapable of spotting anymore errors.

Some other stuff happened at work...which wasn't very pleasant. Got frustrated with myself for making those mistakes, but well....I guess it's a learning experience. Yes...Michelle needs to get it together now.

On a happier note...it was presentation/sharing week for the students, which is always very ministering and encouraging for me. Somehow, the students always cheer me up when I get down. :) Their sharings of life stories, growth and breakthroughs really remind me that no matter what shit I go through personally, it is all worth it to see them connect in a deeper manner with God. The worship that took place in class was very heartfelt and moving....prayers of intercession and songs full of earnest desire for God filled the air, and tears flowed freely in some classes as God's presence just saturated our classroom. Thank you God!

One particular 15 yr old boy left a really deep impression during his presentation. He started out really reserved, quiet....feeling inferior about his voice. In terms of vocal power, he was really soft too, which frustrated him I could see. But this young boy had a really pure, earnest desire to serve God as a vocalist in the music min. As the months passed...he grew slowly but surely. There were many periods of difficulty and frustration for him...but God's hand was clearly upon this child and he overcame both emotional and technical obstacles.

His growth exploded this term.....it was like his voice got unlocked, and he started to develop newfound confidence and determination. He won a 'Best Solo' award in his school during a Talent Show, and he shared with me excitedly about some original songs he wrote and is in the midst of recording. :) He actually met with some car accident (but he's safe) and some other interruptions to his schedule on the way to the recording studio. But he said that it only made him more determined to get the music recorded. I'm so proud of him. :)

As he sang his presentation song in class, it was clear that he was ministering with the power of the Holy Spirit. I've heard many students sing....but there was something deeply special about the anointing that this child had. It reminded me of how God used Samuel, a young lad and unlikely candidate, to prophesize to Israel. It was truly a God moment, as this humble child led all of us adults into stirring worship. As his voice soared, so did our spirits. Thank you God. I really believe in the importance of building up the next generation....and it's a privilege to be part of this work.

"You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; you are manifestly an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart." - 2 Corinthians 3:3

"What is it?" day @ BMI

May came down on Weds with a box of mysterious snacks for us....usually, I can label my blog posts pretty clearly (eg. Muffin Day or Donut Day @ BMI). But this time...everyone was stumped. The snacks came from "Chewy Junior" (Yeah eh??)....and everyone was gathering around the box, asking "What is it??"

Abi soon found the promotional flyer for Chewy Junior pinned on the board behind her. But it only told us the flavours....eg. Oreo, Coffee Muesli etc. We still couldn't figure out what it was exactly. I guess its a puff that has a chewy, biscuity texture....and it kinda looks like a donut from the outside. Hehe! It was quite funny...Thanks May for the mystery snacks!

Abi trying to identify the flavours with the flyer in hand.

Jaymee reading out the instructions on the box. Yes, there were instructions!

Apparently, there's some hole in the middle of the thingy...which we should be careful of. Cos cream might ooze out from it.

Love must be perfected

This took my breath away.....

"Love is one, and love is changeless.

For love loves unto purity. Love has ever in view the absolute loveliness of that which it beholds. Where loveliness is incomplete, and love cannot love its fill of loving, it spends itself to make more lovely, that it may love more; it strives for perfection, even that itself may be perfected- not in itself, but in the object. As it was love that first created humanity, so even human love, in proportion to its divinity, will go on creating the beautiful for its own outpouring. There is nothing eternal but that which loves and can be loved, and love is ever climbing towards the consummation when such shall be the universe, imperishable, divine.

Therefore, all that is not beautiful in the beloved, all that comes between and is not of love's kind, must be destroyed.

And our God is a consuming fire."

- 'Unspoken Sermons' by George MacDonald (1824-1905)- Scottish Congregationalist pastor, novelist, myth makers, and poet. MacDonald had a profound influence on C.S Lewis. Lewis said that MacDonald's 'Phantastes' "baptized my imagination."

Fuzzy Wuzzy Penguins & Bears

God must have been in a fuzzy, wuzzy mood when He created these Emperor Penguin chicks and Polar Bear cubs. :)
===================================================================
[ I just came back from watching 'Arctic Tale' with Berno. Do the right thing, save the polar bears. If not, they'll all die by 2040. Boohoo!]

"Love where is your fire?"

" If what we call love doesn't take us beyond ourselves, it is not really love. If we have the idea that love is characterised as cautious, wise, sensible, shrewd, and never taken to extremes, we have missed the true meaning. This may describe affection and it may bring us a warm feeling, but it is not a true and accurate description of love.

Have you ever been driven to do something for God not because you felt that it was useful or your duty to do so, or that there was anything in it for you, but simply because you love Him? Have you ever realized that you can give things to God that are of value to Him?"
- Oswald Chambers, 'My Utmost for His Highest'

Scofield

Well, there comes a time when a girl is finally done with Felicity, Alias and Lost 2. And well, she has to find something else to move on to right? J.J Abrams has pretty much entertained me with all that he can serve up.

So now I blame Abi for my latest obsession. She introduced me to Prison Break....and trust me, I started out as a cynic, skeptical over all the hype that surrounded this TV series. In fact, I had a book by my side that I was intending to read as I sat down to watch the 1st episode. But the writing is really genius ...and it gripped me from the first second (the book stood no chance). The suspense drives me nuts, and of course....what's there not to love about Michael Scofield (played by Wentworth Miller)?? *sigh* (yes, Abi...I know you're nodding furiously in agreement)

Michelle went berserk when Scofield broke down in an episode in Season 2. Scofield is a fugitive on the run at this point....and he risks making a call to Sara Tancredi (the prison doctor/his love interest). In a rare moment of vulnerability, he cries and desperately tries to convince her that "what we had was real"....but Sara doesn't believe him, and thinks that she was just a pawn in his plot to escape from prison. Oh man!!!! Poor heartbroken Michael!! He really loves her!!!


Ok yes...I'm done with my insane, emo outburst. hehe! This is what May has to put up with at night over msn. Random Prison break comments. teehee! But well....I listen to Jet talk about his knives, and May talk about her camera lenses although I have no idea what they're talking about. It's our circle of obsessions. Teehee!

So if I don't reply your msn msges late at night, you know why....

Donut Day @ BMI

Check out the beaming faces! And why are Jasmine and Abi so happy? Cos it's DONUT DAY!!!!!
Abi kindly sponsored donuts from Donut Factory (yah the famous one at Raffles City Basement). Her friend lined up for an hour to get us this box!

These babies were fresh out of the oven and they smelt amazing!
Top row: Original glaze and Apple Cinnamon
Middle row: Choc Raspberry, Choc Peanut Butter and Choc Mint
Bottom row: Almond Coffee, Double Choc and Blueberry

Abi attacking the remains of her Choc Raspberry donut, and totally ruining her appetite for our Tom Yum Ban Mian dinner. :) After all that excitement, we started making plans to fly to Bali to eat Krispy Kreme donuts, and to drive to JB to hunt down Ramlee burgers. haha!

Bizarre conversations

Mich: *eating something at her desk* (can't even rem what it is by now)
Abi: You're eating XXX. I can smell it from here!!!
Mich: And then??
Abi: [pause] And then...nothing happens.
Mich: !?!?! (my Abi is freaking funny)

====================================================================
Jet to Mich online: Hey so I'll talk to you later....I've got some knives to tend to. And it's gonna take quite a while.
[A long time later....Jet and Mich start talking again online abt some random topic.]
Jet: So can I tell you about my knives now??
Mich: *amused* I'm sorry, I had no idea that you were waiting to bring up that topic. Please go ahead. :)
Jet: *launches into a passionate discussion about how many knives he had to clean/polish, how much they cost, and how he had to keep them properly.*

[These statements, if read out of context would be deemed rather scary. But those who know Jet, will also know that he is a cook. :) So the world is a safe place once again.]

====================================================================

Bernice@ 10pm: *walks around gleefully after her classes* "Do you want milo? How about Marks & Spencer high-class biscuits??"
Mich: *a bit wrapped up with work, busy amending the new manuals* "Yes please!"
Bernice: *helps Mich fix a cup of milo...then proceeds to walk around the office gleefully*
Mich: *a bit confused, cos Bernice normally rushes to clear her grading after class before going home* "Do you have work to do or are you just walking around eating biscuits??"
Bernice and Jasmine: *burst out in laughter*
Bernice: I just need to chill out after teaching 5 classes! haha!
Mich: Oh....just clarifying. Cos i wasn't sure if you were waiting for me to finish my work. hehh!!

"Take these broken wings and learn to fly...."

Blackbird (by The Beatles)
=========================
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.

"Stir my affection for You...."

I am very grateful for the fellowship of the musos in my band, who are just so in love with God. :) Last nite, I had a very heartwarming online chat with Nigel, our guitarist. We were sharing about how we should meet up more as a band to just worship together (technicalities aside)....and to make it a priority especially when we're busy. He shared his original songs with me (which I totally appreciated), we talked about the possibility of writing songs together as a band, and even leading worship in his house church. We talked about bringing in more keyboards to diversify our sound...haha! (Ok, that came from me, the Corrinne May/Brooke Fraser freak)

I felt extremely encouraged from that little talk...and my heart just came alive. It was like long lost dreams were being resurrected from a not-so-distant past. And I'm sure that God was winking at me from up above. :) Something is stirring, I can just feel it.....songs are waiting to be birthed from the depths of our souls. It's exciting, and it's such a beautiful avenue of release and expression for all of us. But most importantly, I'm so glad that we're resonating with a common heartbeat.....to see hearts connect to God. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about.

Thank you God for the music. But more than that, thank you God for the fellowship that You've blessed us with. We need each other in this body of Christ, to press on in our journeys on earth. May faith arise. Stir our affections for You.

================================================================
"Chapter One" by Shane and Shane

(based on John 1:18)

stir my affection
stir my affection
stir my affection for You
for You're my only hope

You Yeshua
explained the way He moves
as just an ordinary man
then again, You're the first, Jesus
and by Your hand we move
You're the image of the invisible God
You are God, You are God

bring fascination
bring fascination
bring fascination of You
for You're my only hope

"Five loaves and two fishes" (by Corrinne May)

There are days when I feel really small...like I have nothing much to give. And as the song goes, "I worry that the work I do means nothing at all." But this song is just brimming with hope, and it's been brightening up my day. :)

"Take my five loaves and two fishes
Do with it as you will
I surrender
Take my fears and my inhibitions
All my burdens, my ambitions
You can use it all
No gift is too small

I trust in You, I trust in You."

Listening in the darkness....

"Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops" (Matthew 10:27)

"Sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him. Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and God puts us into "the shadow of His hand" until we learn to hear Him (Isaiah 49:2). "Whatever I tell you in the dark..."--pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are there. "
- Oswald Chambers, 'My Utmost for His Highest'

Bring me the moon

Look at our new toys!! Danny literally brought me the moon!! :)

Well...its one of those kiddy tap-lights in the shape of a moon. heh! And its stuck to the side of my office cubicle now.

And this is the view from the other side...haha! How cool rite? The cow jumped over the moon! There's like a little story going on. Wheee!

And Danny gave Berno a star! :) We have a silly new game, where we will randomly switch on/off our lights to 'communicate' with each other. We're sitting opposite each other. We also use it to 'summon' Danny if he's nearby. haha!

In honour of....

In honour of our most popular (and coolest) student....the folks at BMI are naming our spanking new HP colour printer- JET! *ta-dah* Sorry dude....we can't have a statue of you at the entrance, but we CAN name our printer after you. haha!

Check out the size of this fella....kick-ass!

And in case you haven't figured it out by now....it's a laser jet printer. :p
And Jet works better with Macs, not PCs.

Fly Away

I wish I could fly away
Get away from this hurried city
My soul longs for space and time to dream,
For lifesongs to be written and sung
For unspoken words to be articulated....
Release. Rest. Stillness.

"No matter the distance, I'll stay on the road to Your heart."- Corrinne May

Pianoforte

I miss having a REAL piano to tinker on....we sold my Yamaha mini grand piano when we shifted house. *yeah...ouch!* The silly Yamaha PRS 290 keyboard that I have in my room hardly comes close. haha! Ah well....just a random outburst. :)

Muffin Day again!!!

I was quietly doing my work in my cubicle, and listening to music with my headphones on....when I heard LOUD squeals of delight. A familiar (yummy!) aroma whiffed into the office....Yes, it was Muffin Day AGAIN @ BMI! :) Muffins keep us happy. haha! Sorry that Marcus, Muffin Boy had to miss it again. Your timing is just plain unfortunate lor! :p

A gorgeous sight....Choc Chip, Banana Walnut, Cheese & Cranberry muffins! :)

Our usual practice....'choping' the muffins that we want. Thanks Dorcas for sponsoring the delightful muffins!

And guess what? Come 23rd Sept, Sun....we're having an excursion to the zoo!!! Yayyyy!! :)

"Let it go, let it be..."

I really can't play this game very well....and I don't want to.
Don't suck me into this web of confusion and pretense.....
you're turning me into someone I don't recognize.
I'm sorry, but I can't mask my emotions. I'd rather keep it real please.
I'm going to lay down my pride, and I'm gonna stop keeping score.
It's time to let it go....and let love rule.

===================================================================
L E T I T G O (by Corrinne May)
-------------------------------------------------

I think we've been here before
I recognize this place
I've seen the marks of confusion
wipe out a single sign of grace
And I don't want to play anymore
Not when the stakes are so high
So before we circle round once more
I'm gonna lay down,
Lay down my pride

Let it go, let it be
Don't waste all your emotion on this
tit-for-tat machine
Let it go, let it be
Let it go

Don't go wasting your emotions
No one wins if we keep score
Let it go, let it be
Let it go

Music & Lyrics

Jason, Mich, Jon, Oliver & Nigel

It was a breezy night by the river....in the blessed company of wonderful friends. :)
As the music filled the air, my soul found its release once again.
To those who came down, thank you for being a part of that special experience. I was SO happy to see each of you there! To those who couldn't come down, but sent your smses/prayers with well-wishes, thanks for remembering!

If you want to view the full online photo album....ask me for the link personally. Sorry, but I won't post it here.

Here are some moments from the day....

It's a tough job that Jon has...he writes, sings, arranges the songs, coordinates the event, and he even has to give massages to Nigel, the guitarist. haha!

Friends make all the difference....

Desmond FINALLY made it down!!!

Jason, Jet and me. I was just incredibly happy to see Jet there....look at him showing off his funky non-threadless t-shirt! (apparently he's SO OVER Threadless.)

Jason, bassist boy...who kindly allowed us to terrorize his house for rehearsals.

Members of the supper club:

Marcus, Muffin Boy!

Audrey yakking on her hp

Jet, who is always way cool, scrunging up his face.....yes, he's the only one with a sub-title to his name in the supper club gang. haha! "yeah May, I'm not so sure adding in Pandan cake to your tiramisu was such a good idea."

Jason in chill-out mode

Jet in supernerd mode: "Yo dudes, check it out!! My watch has a calculator"

"I'm going to calculate how much each of you owe me for supper..."

"Eh wait, press wrongly!"


"Fierce hor?"

And of course, May was present too...but behind the lens. She did an awesome job with the photos! :)