You Came To My Rescue....

I cleared my work last nite (well, cleared FOR NOW)after slogging the wkend away. So, I chose to wake up luxuriously late this morning...erm afternoon (so late you don't even want to know the exact time). Decided to reward myself by going shopping before class.
One of the things I really wanted to buy was the new United Live CD. Esp.after Andrea posted some really brilliant lyrics from tt album on her blog. haha! Anyway, I've been hunting for it, but they ran out of stock at the Junction 8 Life bkshop.

I found it at CD-Rama at Popular. When I got back to the office, i realized, HEY!! BMI IS SELLING IT! (stock had JUST arrived). Nehneh! Warrau, felt like an idiot running abt town. haha! Oh well....but it felt wonderful listening to the CD...cos I had sung a few of the songs on the album while I was visiting Hillsong Church in Sydney.

I remember one of the songs that really touched me and renewed my passion for God, for worship was "Came To The Rescue". It's very simple, but it brought much needed comfort, and assurance during that time of 'spiritual drought'.

Came To My Rescue
===================
(Marty Sampson, Dylan Thomas, Joel Davies)

Chorus:
I called, You answered
And You came to my rescue
And I want to be where You are

Bridge:
In my life, be lifted high
In our world, be lifted high
In our love, be lifted high

-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the song that Andrea posted on her blog, which made me want to run out and buy the album immediately. :) Was quite impressed by how Joel Houston's song-writing has matured yet again. Wisdom beyond his years man. This song reminded me why I'm in my job in the first place....to (re)ignite that passion/ life-style of personal worship. Like the song says, it starts from the 'inside out'. It's truly a privilege to serve God in this position.

Last nite, I witnessed many goose-bumpy moments in class, when students were moved to tears because of some very touching songs/sharing/ bible passages. It's not just about an emotional high though....I believe what was triggered in that classroom, will melt their hearts, refresh their understanding/view of God, and cause a transformation in their life-styles. :)What one student wrote in her feedback form really blew me away, "this course has helped me love God more". What more can you say to that? Wow.

Finally, the song captures the state of our human frailty/brokenness so well. As humans....it's in our 'DNA' to screw up. But time and time again, God has caught us with His grace, whenever we stumble.

From The Inside Out
====================
(Joel Houston)
A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains
Should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in Your grace

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise

Pre-Chorus:
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

Chorus:
In my heart, in my soul
I give You control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Bridge:
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out

C.S.I @ B.M.I

Time of deed: 11.30pm
Location: B.M.I at International Plaza
Name of suspects: Aaron Goh, Bernice Loh and Michelle Choy
Name of accomplice: Isabel Lin
Name of victim: Danny Sum



It was a late night....3 of us were feeling so stressed out, and in tt cranky, loony mood, we thought it wld be a hoot to tape up Danny's table with yellow 'C.S.I' tape ('Crime Scene Investigation', a lil souvenir from AXN). We would hv made a bigger, entangled mess, but we ran out of tape. haha! So this will suffice I suppose. Let's hope Danny doesn't kill us tmrw....

Someone to sit with....

I met up with Lishan again over the wkend. We watched a movie at the Arts House (only abt 7 pple in the screening rm. haha! cool!), then went shopping and had dinner + drinks at Emerald Hill.

It sounds like a very ordinary day I suppose. But it reminded me of this one impt fact: I always feel that the best/closest friends one can have, are those whom you can just sit quietly with....without any awkwardness whatsoever(of course it usually takes time for a friendship to mature to that level of comfort).

In their company, you can just chill out over a beer, stone,stare at the sky/trees, read a magazine/ newspper (without being accussed of anti-social tendencies), sulk, cry, laugh for no rhyme or reason....
At the risk of sounding bim/cheesy, I have to confess that I'm reminded of that Ronan Keating song, where a line goes
"you say it best, when you say nothing at all." haha!

Thank you Lord for these precious friends.

We all need someone to sit with...

"Let me be your shelter"

I'm glad I could be there for you Andrea.:)
BIG HUGS and a listening ear are available anytime.
I know I posted this chorus before....but I really love it so much and I want to send it out to Andrea, and the rest of my dear friends out there.

You know who you are....
You're in my thoughts, my prayers,
and I hold you dear in my heart.
Love you. :)

"Just call my name
Let me be your answer
It hurts me to see you this way
I wanna ease your pain
Help me understand
Let me be your shelter, my friend."
- 'Shelter' by Corrinne May-

p/s: since we're talking abt friendships...its funny how we have this whole telepathic 'vibey' thing going on. On quite a few occasions,when I'm thinking abt Audrey/Pam etc...they wld be thinking abt me too at that exact moment, n we'd msg/call each other.

I know its nothing new...but it still blows me away each time. haha! Esp. when it occurs at a serious moment of need. I know sometimes it's God prompting us to pray for/ call a friend....how cool is tt? :)

"A Remembrance Of Things Past"- Marcel Proust

I am in deep trouble...work is piling up....i have 17 classes to grade, so far I've only completed 1. And all I can physically muster now, is to space out at the comp screen. Perfect.

While re-reading my Taboo (Part 2) post...{which I'm so glad tt Pammy loved), the 'Chai Tau Kway' comment by Wilson caught my eye. Somehow, it reminded me of the lovely day in Dec that Pammy, Aaron, Desmond and I went to watch 'The Chronicles of Narnia' at Orchard Cineleisure.

We only had 10 mins left before the movie started...but Aaron was craving for the Chai Tau Kway at the cineleisure fd court. It was a mad rush, but the 4 of us managed to chomp down a plate of it before the movie started. Afer that, the crazy pair, Pammy and Aaron, STILL wanted to buy a gigantic tub of popcorn. haha!

Think the guys thought the movie was too cutesy/ kiddy...but I really enjoyed the movie! Journeying through the kingdom that the imaginative C.S Lewis created, and seeing the mythical creatures emerge brought such magical feelings of child-like delight and wonder! I was rivetted and gasping (quite loudly) at every turn.....talking beasts, dwarfs, fauns, centaurs!! And it was so cool having Pammy next to me..sharing those funny moments. She would grab my excited arm, laugh, and try to calm me down by saying "yes yes, i know!":)

One fuzzy memory that still sticks in my mind is this....when the polar bears emerged, I instinctively went "*gasp* POLAR BEARRRRRRRR!!!!" (i can't help it...i adore them). Then my dear Pammy whispered, "they're evil my dear!" (the polar bears were pulling the Witch's sleigh u see). Teehee!

Brilliant Pammy also fed me some movie trivia....when the lion popped up, she whispered to me "the lion has 3 million hairs!" Apparently, her bro told her so. It really tickled me...cos each time Aslan appeared, I wld be transfixed on his '3 millions CG hairs'. haha!

Oh, since we're talking abt the lion, I heard from Pammy later...that Aaron who was seated next to her, had a hard time concentrating on the movie. He had 2 excited kids and their mum next to him. The mum mis-informed her kids that the lion's name was "Narnia". So you can imagine, each time the lion appeared,the over-enthusiastic kids wld cry out "NARNIA!!!"....much to Aaron's annoyance. All he wanted to do was yell bk "It's ASLAN lah!!!!" haha! That's hilarious man.

Taboo Nite (Part 2)!!!

At the end of the night, the final score stood at 75 to 71. The gals (Miriam, Bernice, n myself) won again against the guys (Aaron, Wilson, Daniel Wilson and Danny). Notice how they had 4 members??
But it was a close shave this time. Too close....hmmm...we need reinforcements! ANDREA!! WHERE ARE YOU??? :)

"Previously, on Taboo Nite (Part 1)": http://jazzymoo.blogspot.com/2006/03/taboo.html

Highlights:
=============
GUYS:
------
Danny: It hops!
Wilson: Kangaroo!! (he kept repeating this word the entire nite. seems like it's one of his favourite words. haha!)
Danny: Another word for frog...
Wilson: GRASSHOPPER!
Danny: *shocked, confused expression...followed by brief silence* Can you not say such things? (Danny is shocked cos he hasn't played with Wilson before)
* hysterical laughter from everyone*
(Answer: Toad)

Danny: Mystery writer...same period as Agatha Christie...bald old guy...
Wilson: Frankenstein!
*Wilson seems to like green objects*
(Answer: Alfred Hitchcock)

Wilson: er ok ok....the word...
Aaron: BIBLE!!
Daniel Wilson: Newspaper, magazine!
Wilson: *laughs hard* no no....where Pamela is right now?
Guys: Australia! Sydney!
Wilson: Yah..another word?
Guys: Er, Down-under?
Wilson: Yah yah....another word? It's at the what of the earth?
*by this time, Bernice, Wilson's 'squeaker' (she buzzes him when he mentions the taboo words on his card), has officially turned tomato red, and is laughing so hard at the absurdity of things, she is wiping tears from her eyes*
(Answer: BOTTOM)

Aaron: *just about to give clues to his team*
Daniel Wilson: *quietly hovering over Aaron's shoulder, staring at his flash-card*.
Aaron and Mich, his 'squeaker':*staring bk at a clearly sleepy Daniel Wilson*.
OEI!!! What you doing??
Daniel Wilson: Oh sorry sorry! *scoots over to the opposite side*

=================================================================
GALS:
---------
Bernice: Er....you know 'yoohoo'?
Gals: Eh? WHO?
Bernice: 'yoohoo'! it's what?
(Answer: Superglue...she meant 'Uhu'. Classic case of mis-communication. haha!)

Miriam: you can cook this in stew...
Gals: Beef? Mutton?
Miriam: yes, wot else? Erm...it's got the ears...
Michelle: EH? whose ears wld i put in a stew? (weird pic of an elephant forming in my head)
Miriam: Long ears! Fluffy!It hops!
Michelle: (before Wilson can shout Grasshopper or Kangaroo again) BUNNY!! Huh? Bunny Stew?
Miriam: yes, another word...
Bernice: Rabbit!!!
Miriam: Yes...another word!
Michelle: Hare!
(correct answer...finally...after tt bizarre turn)

Michelle: famous hollywood actress...
Miriam: Julia Roberts!
(Correct answer. Female intuition returns again, to exasperate the guys)

Miriam: if you're in the Olympics...you can get disqualified because of...
Gals: STEROIDS!!
(Correct answer. Guys were baffled though...cos the first thing they thought of was 'cheating'. haha!)

Bernice: yellow...another word for yellow?
Miriam: Red? Blue? Green?
Bernice: *laughs* no...*stumped*
(Correct answer: Carrot. she wanted us to say 'orange'. but cldn't say rabbit/ bugs bunny etc)
Wilson: you should have said 'chai tau kway' (does frying action)
Bernice: *laughs* (actions are not permitted actually)
Miriam: we can use such colloquial words?
Aaron: Can! Eh, last time you all said TAU HUAY and CHAR SIEW ok!

Bernice: that guy is such a....
Miriam: *quite excitedly* LOSER!!
Mich: *looks a bit worried at the unhealthy influence she may have imposed upon Miriam, since the last Taboo game. recall the words tt i used like 'jerk'/bastard'?*
Bernice: you're not creative, so rigid....you're a...
Mich: Bore!
(Correct answer)

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

Lesson of the day: Wilson's default answer to most clues is either grasshopper or kangaroo. haha!

God loveth adverbs

Taken from Philip Yancey's "Rumours of another world"...which I am desperately trying to finish. Yes, I am committing myself to ONE bk for a change.

This passage has helped me to refresh my view of the mundane things I do each day, as part of my job....the vocal exercises, the grading, the manual amendments, the e-mails, figuring out chords, sourcing for songs etc. It's all worth it in the end...

"Only one life, 'twill soon be past
Only what's done for Christ will last."

Andrea: think u'll enjoy the last paragraph abt finding God in 'English Composition 101'. :)

====================================================================
"The Puritans had a saying, 'God loveth adverbs,' implying that God cares more about the spirit in which we live them than the concrete results. They sought to connect all of life to its source in God, bringing the two words together rather than dividing them into sacred and secular....

I heard one clue from the Lutheran professor and author Martin Marty who described his professional life this way: 'I go to work because I have a job that's part of a career, which is part of a profession that I do because of my vocation that is the shape of my life.' Marty had grasped the big picture, his calling, which put everything else in place. Somehow the daily tasks required-in his case, grading papers, lectures, committee meetings, writing, and research- fit together as rungs of a ladder leading all the way up to a VOCATION, a word taken from the Latin for 'calling.' Marty went on to say that a sense of calling may be the most important step for any who seek fulfilment and meaning....

My friend the late Lew Smedes tells in his memoir of being introduced, in a class in English Composition at Calvin College, 'to a God the likes of whom I had never even heard about.' This God, says Smedes,

'liked elegant sentences and was offended by dangling modifiers. Once you believe this, where can you stop? If the Maker of the Universe admired words well put together, think of how he must love sound thought well put together, and if he loved sound thinking, how he must love a Bach concerto and if he loved a Bach concerto think of how he prized any human effort to bring a foretaste, be it ever so small, of his Kingdom of Justice and peace and happiness to the victimized people of the world. In short, I met the Maker of the Universe who loved the world he made and was dedicated to its redemption. I found the joy of the Lord, not a prayer meeting, but in English Composition 101.'

I too have learned that my work, in all its tedium, matters to the Maker of the Universe. God loveth adverbs."

Fragile Vessels

"Perhaps, I thought, while her words still hung in the air between us like a wisp of tobacco smoke- a thought to fade and vanish like smoke without a trace- perhaps all our loves are merely hints and symbols; a hill of many invisible crests; doors that open as in a dream to reveal only a further stretch of carpet and another door; perhaps you and I are types and this sadness which sometimes falls between us springs from disappontment n our search, each straining through and beyond the other, snatching a glimpse now and then of the shadow which turns the corner always a pace or two ahead of us."
- Evelyn Waugh

"The human being is constantly straining towards this infinity," concludes Vanier: "a thirst to be filled, to be recognised in one's uniqueness, a thirst to be free, to be loving, to be a source of life for others...Our thirst is infinite but it is carried in fragile vessels." - Jean Vanier

"It is precisely because of the eternity outside time that everything in time becomes valuable and important and meaningful. Therefore Christianity...makes it of urgent importance that everything we do here should be rightly related to what we eternally ar. 'Eternal life' is the sole sanction for the values of this life."- Dorothy L. Sayers

"Munich"

"An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind." - Gandhi

I spent the afternoon watching "Munich" at Lido tdy, which was a pretty refreshing and rare treat.

Try and catch it before it ends it's run in the cinemas. It's not often that a movie as powerful as this comes along. It's one of those films that really RESONATE. For me, it reminded me of "Schindler's List" (also by Spielberg)....which really scared me to death (how can humans be so cruel???), but I think it is a 'must-watch' because it really gives us valuable lessons from history.
[btw, i know some of you out there have still no idea what the 'Holocaust' is about. Honestly, it's appalling!! Pls go read up!]

"Munich" was incredibly intense, brutally harsh, and thought-provoking for me....in fact I was so disturbed after that, I was half-wondering how to go to class and teach.

Here's the basic plot: During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, eleven Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of Mossad agents to track down and execute those responsible for the attack.

"Munich" will challenge your idea of morality, humanity, cause you to question the thin line between justice and vengeance, and the cost of 'righteousness'. At the same time, it also interweaves themes such as the vicious cycle of unforgiveness, the idea/ reality of 'home' and exile (interestingly, which i researched for in my honours thesis), the sacredness of life, and the basic human need for safety and love.

After a while, the truth that really hit home, was that we are actually more alike in many ways than different. It's easy to point fingers and accuse the 'enemy'....but when we realize that we are mostly all driven by the same causes/ needs (eg. for our own 'land'/ home, for respect, recognition,out of self-defence, by insecurities, pride etc)...it can become dreadfully frightening. It's easier for us to 'cross the line' than we think. Hence, we must not forget the lessons from history.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

It's been quite a wkend I must say. Started off pretty rough (it still is sometimes)...I was going into my 'Ee-yore' phase: "nobody loves me, everybody hates me, i wanna eat some worms". But God wldn't let me mope for too long....He heard and answered my prayers, HE SANG OVER ME :)...and He unveiled Himself through many of you ard me.

Thank you Jesus! All in all, it turned out to be a pretty amazing wkend. :)Allow me to get all messy and mushy here as I appreciate my frens, and thank God for placing them ard me.

My sweet, wonderful friends in Australia....sigh....I dunno wot wld happen to me without you!!Seriously! You put up with so much from me.

Pammy: I love and miss you so much it hurts. Thank you for being such a sweet, endearing, supportive fren. Even though you're so far away, it seems like you're my most constant and concrete form of comfort and love. :) Yes, fuzzy fuzzy, spongy spongy. haha!

Audwee: I'm so glad and touched that you called on Sun!!! It was great to hear your voice, to be able to laugh together and have our 'random' conversations again. Thanks dear for EVERYTHINGGGGG!!!

My JC classmates- May and Rie: Dinner and coffee on Fri was mad, and really fabulous! It was a great stress-reliever meeting up with u gals. Thanks for always caring.

Lishan- my friend from PL...we've known each other since we were annoying kids in Primary 2. We were best friends for ages, but grew apart for a while. Recently though, we've been reconnecting again. I met her on Sat, and we had such fun. It felt very comforting to be able to whine to her things like "Lishannnn....when we grow older, I want to stay in the same apt blk as u, so I can pop by everyday and bug youuuuu!" (Lishan whinges and goes 'warrau, nightmare ah!' hehe!), or bug her to hold my hand (she humoured me reluctantly, for all of 7 secs). haha! I'm glad to hv her back in my life again. :)
Ironically though, I'm growing distant from another PL friend....oh well, you can't hv everything i guess.

Candy- my cousin from Sabah, who's in town looking for a job. I met her on Sun to bring her ard. We went to the Esplanade and the Singapore Art Musuem. I was never really close to her, but I suppose her being in Spore and all, gave me a gd chance to know her better. I truly enjoyed chatting with her on Sun (and for me, when its family, that bonding is even more special)...and we had a stimulating, sublime time at the Art Museum too! (the current exhibitions are really gd...one of which is Cubism in Asia. I felt so refreshed, and inspired! Made me miss studying Art History in NUS all over again).

Teck: Ah Bu, it was gd to have tt little sms conversation with you.It's been too long since we had a proper talk. Well, thanks for remembering Moomoo. But you still owe me beer at Timbre!!!

Yinshian: I'm sooooo happy that we're bk in the same church again!:)Congrats on ur proposal. Hee!