A Lesson in Humility

When God wants to give you something, you will get it no matter how badly you screw up.....
In such a situation, you know that it's totally orchestrated by the hand of God....and you just can't take credit for any part of it.

And now, it's time to let it go (the screwing up bit).

"No Net Below"

"No Net Below" (by Jonatha Brooke)
================================
It's that I leap and then I look
At all the chances that I took
Feel the air, miss the catch
Then I have to swing back

My timing's all wrong
And the ladder is gone
And all I can do, is
Swing 'til it's all net below
All I can do, is
Swing 'til it's all net below
And I can let go

I am not faint of heart
But I get weak in the knees
I am tired for the world
For the wind in the trees

But we'll still find the song
Though the ladder is gone
It's all we can do, is
Swing 'til it's all net below
Swing 'til it's all net below
And we can let go

And I'll still look you in the eye
It's the longest goodbye
I'll feel the air, make the catch
But I won't swing back
My timing is clear
And I'll never fear

I'll swing 'til there's no net below
Yeah, I'll swing 'til there's no net below

"My Grown Up Christmas List"

Corrinne May sang such a memorable and heartfelt version of "My Grown Up Christmas List" last year during her Christmas concert at the Esplanade...it brought me to tears. So as that time of the year approaches again...this song came back to my mind. The lyrics are really quite meaningful.:) We all need to 'change the world' in our own little ways yeah?

There is no recording of the song by Corrinne May, so Kelly Clarkson's version will have to suffice. I've also added the Christian version of that song by Plus One, "A Prayer for Every Year". haha! You can find these songs and more on my Multiply site: http://jazzymoo.multiply.com/music

Check out the other Christmas selections too. Listen to how Third Day, Kutless and Building 429 rock it out on some familiar carols ( i love it when musicians take a risk for musical arrangements)! For those who prefer something more traditional or serene, check out Matthew West's jazzy, swinging rendition of "Let it Snow", Chris Tomlin's "Angels we have heard", and Sixpence None The Richer's "Christmas time is here".

Finally, give a listen to MercyMe's "Joseph's Lullaby". It's such a beautiful, touching original composition. :)

"My Grown Up Christmas List"
=========================
Do you remember me
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you
With childhood fantasies

Well, I'm all grown up now
And still need help somehow
I'm not a child
But my heart still can dream

So here's my lifelong wish
My grown up christmas list
Not for myself
But for a world in need

Chorus:
=======
No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown up christmas list

As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree

Well heaven only knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal
A hurting human soul

Bridge:
========
What is this illusion called the innocence of youth
Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth
(there'd be)

"My Little Corner of the World"

I'm too tired to be literary this evening....so here's an update on my week in plain English. Heck it..I'm gonna do it in point form! hahaa!

- I'm starting to really enjoy the supervisory/mentoring aspect of my job. :) Its just so rewarding and fruitful seeing my junior coaches growing week by week. And knowing that these are skills that will see them well through life too. I'm enjoying how our relationships are acquiring more depth too through the sharing of lives. :) Yay!

- These few weeks, I've been spending more time with my Aunts and cousins who are visiting from Sabah. It's been really nice hanging out with them...they never fail to crack me up with their amazing sense of humour. Our times together are always filled with that comforting sense of familial warmth. Like how Sabrina (now 16) and Aeron (now 22) will give me silly, random pokes or hugs. heh! We were at Vivocity where they had this Christmas fair in the atrium. I caught sight of some super cute stuffed toys and ran over to the shelf. Aeron and Sabrina followed me, rolled their eyes and said, "What are you? 7 years old?" haha! Ok, so apparently I'm 7 yrs old. C'mon, let's all embrace our inner child! Never lose the wonder I say! haha!

I ended up buying 3 of these soft toys..and I gave the mini unicorn to Berno, cos I have the bigger one!. Check this out....awwwwww!

"One of these kids is doing his own thing, one of these kids is not the same..*La la la*"
Try and see who's the odd fella out, the one who's trying desperately to fit in. hehee!

- I had a belated bday celebration with Audrey on Sat...we had a late lunch at Thai Express! How many times can I say this? MICHELLE LOVES THAI FOOD! haha! And of cos we ordered our fav Tom Yum fish soup. Can't get enuff of that. :) We had fun just catching up, shopping and ooooh, she got me such a cool pressie- a Choc Fondue Set!! Wheeeeee!! Yes, u guys can come over to my place for more fun dinner parties!

- It's been a blessed Sabbath indeed. :) My mum attended service with me today!! (she didn't make any decision yet, but I believe that the seed has been planted.) Nick Vujicic was speaking at Riverlife this weekend. He's a 25 year old Australian born without limbs. But despite the obvious obstacles in his life, he's totally living life to the max and is now travelling around the world, reaching out to people and impacting them with the message of the love and hope we have in God. And he's just such an inspiring, endearing and authentic speaker. I was incredibly touched and blessed through his life story, and the joy of the Lord that was just overflowing from his heart.

- This afternoon, I met up with a bunch of sec sch frens at The Straits Kitchen, Hyatt Hotel for a buffet lunch. Yvonne, who only recently got married, is moving to Beijing with her husband for 2 years. We had a fun time catching up and eating so much till our brains went numb. haha! I don't think I deserve to eat for the next month!

You know, I think this is the best buffet spread that's available in S'pore right now. It's all local food but the spread is impressively extensive, and the quality is just excellent every time I go there. It's amazing how every dish is good man! I particularly enjoyed their Indian food. Fantastic stuff! Lynn, Lishan and I were quite horrified at how much Yvonne ate. She had 2 bowls of prawn mee (with diff types of soups), 2 bowls of Laksa, and 1 plate of chix rice, on top of the other stuff we ate like popiah, rojak, bbq chix and stingray, carrot cake, char kway teow, otah etc and erm...I better not start on the deserts. haha! How is it possible that one small girl can stomach down so much food??!?!

You pay about $38++ but it's quite worth it for the variety, quality and level of service. :) If you're keen to check it out, u better make a reservation early, cos they're always fully booked. haha!

Yeah, so that is how my week has been. I'm sure I've missed out some stuff...but my eyes are closing involuntarily now. So I shld watch a bit of Prison Break and get to bed. haha!

Exceeding Joy

"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or
guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us
around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within
us." - Ephesians 3:20 (The Message Bible)

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us."- Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV)

This is the song and bible verse of the season for me....
Lord, remind me daily that You are a God of abundance.
Teach me to walk in Your freedom.
My times are in your hands (Psalm 31:15)
I'm here, laying it all down...
I'm embracing the power of the cross.


Exceeding Joy (by Miriam Webster)
===============================
I have found exceeding joy,
Jesus answered when I called
this Name that has saved me,
pure love that embraced me.

Mercy, grace, eternal life.
Bought from darkness to His light.
While lost in my sin, He
raised me and made me live.

Chorus:
My soul magnifies the Lord,
my heart joys in God my Saviour,
for He lifts the lowly,
He's done great things for me.
I will sing, praising evermore,
He is mighty and Holy is His Name.

I will lift my head up high,
praising Jesus through each trial.
Though I have not seen Him, 
I love Him completely.

Salt and Light

"The house of God is the hope of the world."
- Bill Hybels, Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, Illinois

The Birthday Party 2007

I had the immense blessing of celebrating my birthday last Sun in the company of some close fwens. :) They came over to my house and we feasted, chatted, laughed and played Balderdash (who knew we were so capable of smoking crap? haha!). It was altogether a warm and cozy affair....more than anything, it felt like a celebration of friendships. :) Thanks guys for taking the time out to celebrate my bday, and for all your wishes, gifts (& food...we sure had a lot!), hugs & love. :) I love ya all!

Jason was the man behind the lens, and he did such an awesome job of capturing the fun and the warmth of the evening. And true to the tone of the event, the photos turned out remarkably colourful! Just as each of you fwens add such colour to my life. :) Thanks Jase for making my fwens (and our stuffed toys) look so beautiful in these shots!

Below are just some of the photos from the evening...to view the full album go to:
http://jazzymoo.multiply.com/photos/album/17/Birthday_Party_2007

The pretty cupcakes that Abi ordered.

Danny and his E bow action had all the guys transfixed. Musos! haha!

Marcus, Muffin Boy

Abi, my zany partner in crime

Danny & Marcus' Leemao.

The OTHER party that our stuffed toys had in their own little corner. Teehee!
L-R: Jordan's Mini Ji (the pink cat), Berno's Hug, the bear, Jet's green lizard, Cokehead (the polar bear) & Mumble (the penguin), Marty Joel (the dog), Poof (the pink dragon) all mine....Jason's Jiggy (the blue dragon) & Marcus' Leemao (the yellow caterpillar in front).

Some of my fav pple- Berno and Henry! :)


Mr Potato Head, my pressie from Jordan & Marcus

Mr Potato Head goes Indian!

Jiggy & his pink partner, Poof

Jiggy in disguise?

Jordan concentrating hard during Balderdash

Cool Jet

Glenn having a laugh at our incredulous answers during Balderdash

The colourful group shot:
Back row (L-R): Jason, Marcus, Jet, Glenn, Henry, Danny
Front row (L-R): Abi, Berno, Mich, Jordan

In our more natural state. Check out how Abi is trying to look like Mr Potato Head.

Time to say goodbye! See how Mumble looks like he's waving?

Post Birthday antics@ BMI

Seriously, I have the best colleagues/fwens in the world. :) After a fun and cozy birthday party with them last night, the celebration/madness carried over to today as well. (photos for that will be coming up soon!)

Ok, this series of photos made me laugh SO HARD. haha! Most of you know, how me and Abi love Scofield rite? Well, I commented on how Danny's grey-blue cap made him look very Scofield Season 2 (Scofield is a fugitive on the run after escaping from jail, so the cap makes him look more inconspicuous). And Danny promised to wear his Scofield cap for me during my birthday party. But he got held up in church, and didn't have time to go home and grab his cap.

Anyway, I was teaching in class...when I saw this black figure lurking outside my room. Threw me off for a while, then Danny peered in my window with his CAP! haha! I tried not to laugh in front of the students, and carried on teaching. But after class, I made him pose properly with his cap. And these are the results...

The shot that failed. Too cheery and original Danny. haha!

Danny looking increasingly shady...

"If you see any suspicious characters please inform our staff or call 999."- Abi

Scofield Season 2....the man that Danny was trying to imitate...

And yes, we have the winning shot! He looked shady, intense and broody all at once. Abi's direction to "look down! You're a fugitive on the run!" helped. This is hilarious! I love love love this shot. hahaha! The boss actually walked by and went "ehhh?" as we took the photos. Brilliant!

My gals Abi and Berno were soooo sweet to fold me paper cranes! Abi did the big one, and Berno the 21 small ones. So cute rite?

My dear Berno even got the gals to dress in purple today, my colour! We look like the Lilac gals there....in order of graduating shades too. Thanks so much gals!

Sweet Priscilla's gift to me....a cheery sunflower that came along with a long note that filled me with the warm n fuzzies. :)

WWSD Day!!! :)

Today was the grand day when Abi and I proudly wore our "What Would Scofield Do" t-shirts! For the uninitiated, Scofield is the lead character from Prison Break. And yes, we're avid fans of the show. :)

When Danny saw me coming through the office door, he shook his head. haha! Cos he had earlier seen Abi in hers too. We seriously had a lot of fun wearing those t-shirts today. What a conversation starter! Abi came up with the design and we printed it ourselves. Only 3 exist in the world today. haha! Andrea is the owner of the third WWSD t-shirt..and that rounds up the exclusive circle.

The sane, pleasant shot. That text is in the official Prison Break font by the way...and we chose prison grey as our shirt colours. How fitting eh?

Is Abi trying to pick a fight with me?? Anyway, those are not real tattoos on her arms in case you're freaked. She's just trying to be cooler than me, by wearing her long-sleeved tattoo shirt...cos well, Scofield has tattoos in the show.

The super emo shot!! I love this. Glenn said I totally failed if that I was my emo look, but I wasn't even trying seriously. I'll leave that to Abi, the expert. haha! Just imagine her flicking her hair like that in the classroom (she's a guitar coach now), and saying to her students, "Give me a C." How emo lah! Hilarious! haha!

"I'll surround you with love at every milestone"

Just so you know....I'm keeping all you dear fwens in prayer. You're thought of more than you know. :) We might all be walking through different seasons and journeys....but yeah, I like how Corrinne May phrases it, "I'll surround you with love at every milestone." :) *big hugz*

"Just call my name
Let me be an answer
Cos 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