Journeying

Without God we cannot. Without us God will not.

Pastors that have preached before told us, when you travel with God, you travel First Class.

A friend of mine wanted to go to church, but could not do so as it was too far away from his home. I really could not find a solution. Yet today at church, right in the Faithcomm booklet that they give to church goers every Sunday, there's a page filled with thumbnails of satellite neighbourhoods that enjoy a shuttle service too and fro the church. God has thus answered this problem.

After service, my cell group couldn't decide where to go for lunch. Most of us went to Changi Airport in the end, and after lunch I remembered that a bus drives from Changi Airport directly home. That sounded easy, but I had to ask myself, 'Where's the bus stop ._.?' The airport isn't just a playground. I whispered a quick call for help from God, and just as I was wandering along some bus drop-off depot, I saw this old man.

"Erm sorry. Do you know where the public bus stop is?"

"Public bus? SBS?"

"Yeah."

"Turn right, go down one level, and follow the signs."

So I did as he said, and got down to B1. Quite an unlikely place for a bus stop to be at. But there were signs that read "Bus to City". Following the signs, Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' played through the speakers. From all that I know, Lady Gaga is rumoured to be a satanist whose songs have devilish, satanic connotations. But in any case, the bus stop signs were clearly placed, and I found the bus terminal.

On top of that, the bus I was waiting for was parking at the parking space, as though waiting for me to board the bus.

Something told me that I should sleep. And I did. I was also assured that I would wake up by the time it's my stop. So I slept. Sure enough, at 2:26pm, I just snapped out of sleep and pressed the 'Stop' button.

Do you believe that all these happened to me?

Or would you just dismiss them as mere coincidence?

Such small yet significant acts showing us that God loves us.

In any case, when you travel with God, you really travel First Class.

Gifted Education

Just as bad as me missing the offerings session during church service, I regretted coming so late that I missed the entire holy communion session as well. The Merlion Park band performance yesterday, atop other activities, wore me out so so badly.

The pastor was speaking of the 4th Dimension, and made the sermon more engaging by performing three versions of a magic trick to demonstrate the 4th Dimension. Pretty cool. He spoke of the way we have to think, the way we have visions and dreams, the way we must have faith, and last but most importantly, the way we used words.

And while emphasising on that final point, Snr Pastor went on to talk about speaking in prophecy. My parents, particularly my father, have always opposed of such charismatic acts. Speech is a rudder of a large ship, so small yet so impactful. He told us to give up on our rational thinking.

God's thinking is not 'irrational', it's 'not rational', operating in the 4th Dimension that we, as humans, cannot use our 3rd Dimension thinking to reason through.

Simply put, to speak in the supernatural. In order to operate with God, we have to operate in the 4th Dimension. Speaking in prophecy - something we can't make sense of nor reason through - but it just happens. And so he said, 'I'm urging all those, all those who have yet to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, to step forward now.'

Mattheus accompanied me there, with Daryl and En Jie.

Then again, my father's words resounded in my head, as though something was flying in my ear canal. And time and again, the pastor's words moved me, sweeping me wave after wave of convincing and persuasive words.

For the first time, I felt that he was speaking to me. Personally.

With much withheld anticipation, I left my seat.

I had no idea how this was to be received. My jaws were trembling violently, just like the anxiety you would get before an examination. The church sang a song of beckoning as my three friends escorted me to the front of the stage. I was afraid. And just as I thought I was afraid, the pastor said, 'You must not have fear'.

"Open up your heart for God. Give up ALL YOUR RATIONAL THINKING."

I didn't know how, but just somehow, I did. My teeth then started trembling. But I wasn't afraid. The senior pastor made a prayer, and it's the most powerful prayer my ears have ever heard, drowning out all the skeptical uncertainty. All of it.

"AND now, in the name of God and the Holy Spirit, SPEAK! SPEAK!"

A slow, flickering wave of tremble shifted away from the jaws and the teeth, with rather uncertain vibrato. The pastor's words resounded again and again. The church was still singing. I held my palms out as a sign of receiving. I had no idea what was going on.

And like a rising sun, the energy lifted, gradually and warmly.

I had received my gift.

Ehh Dad, I don't see anything wrong with this present.

Fourteen Dollars and Ninety Cents

Surely you have received a birthday present before.

Surely you wouldn't know the pricetag of such presents.

Today, my brother insisted that he be dropped off at a Popular Store to purchase something that was meant to be a 'secret'. Well you could have guessed it by now, yes, he painstakingly used the savings from his weekly allowance to accumulate sufficient cash to buy me a movie, 大兵小将, or "Little Big Soldier".

I thought that this movie really fits my bro and myself. ._. somehow.

But surely I didn't anticipate that he use his savings not for stuff like cherry credits, but for a movie because he wanted to give me a surprise.

Alright.

Maybe you have received birthday presents from your family, and your siblings.

But surely, surely you have not received a birthday present from your younger sibling, who just so happens to be sharing the same birthday as you, only two years apart.

27 inches

Wei Jie, Yue Jun and I signed up as a team of three for a competition organised by Nanyang Polytechnic named 'iCode', which challenges us to code an iPhone web app. The competition is confined within the secondary school circuit.

Funny thing is, how are we supposed to present an application, when we don't even know how to code it? The organisers gave us an answer when they organised a 2-day crash course to iPhone Web app coding. Due to a council commitment, I could only attend the second day of the course.

Well firstly, the venue alone is hard to find (not sure if it's entirely correct): Nanyang Polytechnic, Block L, School of Information and Technology, Level 6, Lab 6.25.

I walked out of the lifts and made a right turn towards the labs.

I saw 30 27" iMacs lined up neatly in front of me in the first lab. Wow.

I felt ancient.

The course went on fine.

I finally know how to code iPhone web apps! HAHA! Well, actually I didn't understand anything much. But Yue Jun did. He re-coded our class radio into an iPhone app: iRAdio

And so, I left the course feeling accomplished that I have finally used an iMac after 8 years. 8 years ago, it was those transparent-backed desktop computers in my childcare centre. Those were awesome too.

As I tucked in my chair, I felt great, and thanked the wonderful piece of technology in my heart.

Contact Time

I have been attacked with fever three times recently; the latest being yesterday.

At night, I was saying a prayer. And ever since I started attending church, I acquired a newer, more elaborate way of praying.

I was half awake.

I'm not too sure about the words I said, but the replies I got were undoubtedly true.

"Dear Heavenly Father, please bless me with your Holy Spirit. Help me recover from this fever. Thank you for having given us all that you thought we deserved. Thank you for giving us today. I pray that all my loved ones and I will sleep safe and soundly tonight. Help me recover from this fever."

"I hear you."

I got stunned. I mean, I've never got a verbal reply from Him before.

"Give me your life, and I will give you your rest."

Whenever you had a fever, your fingertips and toes will be freezing cold, while the rest of your body is boiling hot. I got His instruction to "Place your hand on your forehead."

I did just that. I felt blood rushing to the fingertips and toes.

"Rest well, my child."

I kept on repeating "My faith is strong in You", "My faith is strong in You".. until I somehow fell asleep.

Guess what?

My fever's gone.

Thank you, FCBC. Thank you God :D

Sailing in the Bermuda

Over the weekends, I went down to ION Orchard and Ngee Ann City for a Service Learning Project's Street Sales. Have you been in one of them before? I just did, and it wasn't the least bit easy.

Standing outside 313@Somerset was a great idea, as we got many people's attention, and our sales were great, for a while. A security guard with straightened hair and a seasoned uniform approached us and demanded that we (I was with another guy) produce a licence for checking. Thankfully, we had ours. He then told us that we had to stay away from the mall's entrance to sell our goods. Through street sales, you can really meet people from all walks of life.

There were several other schools doing charity work and sales.

The best part of the street sales? We met people we know. Hey, it's Orchard Road on a weekend. We met Mr Tan Choo Kee, a Hwa Chong teacher. I also met Hwa Jin with three of his friends. There was also Jonathan Koo with his brother and mother, Terence Neo with his flag day donation box, and Goh Dai Mei, my ex-classmate now in Nanyang Girls, helping the Children's Cancer Foundation. All of them obliged to buy or donate to our cause. The street sale slot lasted from 1.30pm to 5.30pm.

Now onto another topic.

Have you always been waiting for someone, just like how God awaits His children to acknowledge Him? Or like how you await your loved one for a safe return trip?

I've been exploring into many situations I've never been through before.

Do I know how an only-child feels like? Lonely?

Do I know how having a sister feels like?

No I don't, No I don't.

When did we last meet?

No girl's too beautiful unless she's beautiful in the heart.

You're beautiful in the heart.

Imma in love with God.

Just can't spill it, for I am waiting.

Marlboro Nomads

I admire courageous people.

I enjoy the sunsets from the LRT Station.

I also see many people getting into relationships.

Recently, a senior councillor from AMK Secondary School asked me what I thought of girls as in general. I didn't know what to say, and therefore conveniently changed the subject. Now rethinking, I must say that girls are friendly, caring, fun-loving, and understanding. Girls aren't easy to understand and comprehend, but they are smart, creative and bright. Imagine the world with only one gender - we'd be just like the smurfs.

Then this councillor asked me if I had a girlfriend.

Haha, obviously not.

She didn't believe me.

No girl is beautiful unless she has a beautiful heart.

I've been addicted to facebook lately. I've also been addicted to coffee lately.

We know what Marlboro is.

We also know what a nomad is, don't we?

Or do we not?

Aren't we just like nomads in love?

Have you ever been addicted to someone?

And now you don't? Infatuation.

Trevor told me that people change.

We must acknowledge that Trevor is very knowledgeable.

Every girl is precious to at least someone.

Harm her not, for you'll offend that someone.

Even if she doesn't have an earthly family,

God finds her precious.

Offend God not.

Marlboro is addictive. Nomads never stay at one spot forever.

What's the use of getting into relationships, when you know that you will break up someday?