Sunday, November 27, 2005
Today's message was on the Passion of the Christ. Nope not about the movie, but about the passage found in Isaiah 52:13-53:12. (Go to http://www.bibleontheweb.com to read the passage)
The book of Isaiah was written 700 over years before the birth of Christ and is liken to be a condensed version of the Bible. It is separated into 2 sections with the first 39 chapters similar to the Old Testament and the next 27 chapters similar to the New Testament.
Chapters 52 and 53 are about the life of Christ, especially that of the hours leading to His death. I did not watch the movie, Passion of the Christ, but I believe with a rating of NC16, it must have been filled with blood and violence. So much so that some who watched it cried, or walked out of the cinema for it was too much for them to take. Perhaps certain scenes were exaggerated to appeal to the cinematic audience, but we must never make light the pain and suffering Christ, our Saviour went through for us.
Please take time to read this: http://1stholistic.com/Prayer/A2004/hol_passion-medical.htm or http://www.ldolphin.org/kwells9.html (more detailed without graphics)
- A modern medical perspective of what Christ endured in the last 12 hours of His life
Everytime I am reminded of how much Christ had endured for me, I never fail to get all choked up. Once, I truly broke down and cried. Who am I? That He, who is perfect and blameless, had to suffer for MY sake. All the while, He was humiliated and mocked at. He died the most painful death imaginable. And not once did He retaliate, or speak up for Himself. Like what the scriptures said, "He was like a sheep to slaughter". The most amazing thing was that His last words were,"Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing." How many of us can ask for the forgiveness of those who put us to death?
To non-Christians, the gift of eternal life through the death and resurrection of Christ sounds too good to be true. I understand that it is extremely difficult to grasp the concept of simply believing that Christ died for you and all your sins are forgiven and you will live happily ever after in heaven with God. Even fairy tales do not get this good. I think that perhaps the physics behind how God holds the whole universe together or created Earth and all its life forms would be easier to understand than God's love for us. All I can tell you is that God loves us more than we love ourselves and that is why He was willing to send Christ down for us. BUT God is not just love, He is also fair, and for those who do not accept Christ as their Saviour, they will be judged for their sins. Eternal life in heaven or second death in hell, its your choice to make.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
I got myself a pet. Even after telling my bro how childish he was to have one. =P Anyway, I chose the hedgehog/porcupine because I haven't seen anyone with one yet, and I think it is very cute. Prickly and sensitive. Somewhat like me =) I named it sniffles because it seems to be sniffling the ground all the time. It could have been green, but since it would be plain weird to have a photosynthetic porcupine, I guess I better stick to a safer color. Call me boring, but I think my brown porcupine suits me just fine, and at least it will never go out of fashion. Anyway, double click on it and it will roll into a ball, click it once and it'll jump. Nothing much, but if anyone of your plan to get a virtual pet like me, I promise not to call you childish. =D
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Went for my medical check up today. Doctors can really really earn a lot. All they did was take a picture of my face and an x ray of my chest and I had to fork out $63. Ask some questions, squeeze my arm, hear a few heartbeats and poke at my tummy - $47. All this so that I can get my visa, which costs another A$420 (SGD 540) to apply. To date, I have spent an amount at least 3 fold the amount I managed to save the past 19 years, on my application to Flinders. I really shudder at the total amount my parents would have to spend on me if I do not get the scholarship.
My friends all say I should not have any problem getting the scholarship, but most of them said the same thing regarding my previous choice of study - medicine. Guess no one can be sure of what the future holds, except God, and this time, I better be more humble during the interview as arrogance was probably the reason for my downfall.
Btw, my nails are now in a barbie-doll pink color. I think its one of my few fashion mistakes, but it looked quite nice on the fake nail, only to look too cute on me, giving my nails a very fake look. However, I can't really bear to remove the polish as my nails were done by a manicurist, all buffed and filed. After I did my nails, I had high-tea with my ex-classmates at Hilton. Sounds tai-tai-ish to you? Well the manicure was because I had $20 worth of vouchers, so I decided to just give it a try. Overall the experience was not too bad, just that I lost one of my favourite earrings there. Walked to and fro Suntec and couldn't find it. Sad... And, the high tea was my friend's idea. I wasn't too keen as I fancied it was too ex, but since I haven't seen my friends for so long, I decided to oblige them.
After high tea, my friend wanted to drive us to Marina South but the sky threatened to pour, so we sent some back to NUS hostel, where we took a look at her room. Cosy but a tad small, making me hope that my place in Adelaide will be nice too. Downloaded my timetable, no free day, but relatively relaxed as compared to JC life. Ha! Can't wait to go... Although I will miss all my friends. But dun worry, I'll try to blog as often as I can and chat with you all online =)
Thursday, November 17, 2005
What Scent Are You?
Your Scent is Rose 
Delicate, feminine, and soft
Your personality is fresh and understated
Your Element is Water 
Your energy: deep
Your season: winter
Like the ocean, you evoke deep feelings and passion.You have an emotional, sensitive, and spiritual soul.A bit mysterious, you tend to be quiet when you are working out a problem.You need your alone time, so that you can think and dream.What Element Are You?
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
I named this post mixed feelings because that is the state I am in...
I am happy because I finally got my notebook after so many months.
BUT
I am frustrated because my notebook's username is stuck at AdminNUS and for me to change it, I would have to go all the way back to NUS because it is too complicated for a computer idiot like me to do it on my own, without the risk of permanently damaging my brand new notebook.
I am having second thoughts as it seems my notebook was not such a good deal after all. Acer has a model like mine, but cheaper. Many people claim that IBM is the best brand around. So where does that leave my Fujitsu S7020? I guess only time will tell...
I am relieved that Meichin's sister wants to buy my facial sessions as now I need not worry about the wasted money.
BUT
I am afraid she might change her mind last minute.
I am delighted because my complexion is finally improving thanks to the new facial treatment and products which I paid a lot for.
I am torn over having to choose between convenience & comfort (staying at home to watch TV) and going out of my way to accomodate others (heading all the way to Clementi at night for a meeting because everyone is not free in the afternoons, missing one my favourite TV shows)
I am glad that I did not give up when the going got tough (I initially wanted to quit the a capella team as I felt my pitching was horrible, it really is, even after 8 years as a chorister. I lose my note easily and since in the a capella team its one to a part, that happens very often. Cannot make it right?) However, I realized that all the more I ought to rely on God instead of running away. I was given the part for a reason and although now I am still not perfect, things are moving more smoothly. Thank God for His grace.
With so many things occuring at the same time, I think the only way not to go crazy is to commit everything to God, which is what I plan to do, even when times are good! Because only He can always be my rock, my refuge and my strength.
Friday, November 04, 2005
It has been more than a week since I last blogged, been wanting to but either could not find the time or had nothing to blog about.
I am blogging today because I am not in a very good mood. Why? I DO NOT like spending money, and I have just been coerced into buying some expensive milk cleanser and refreshing wash for my face. No, they did not use a knife or a gun. All they did was simply to say if I do not use their products, my face will get worse. You see, I have already spent an obscene amount of money on my face, only to realize it has not helped very much. And when I went to another facial salon, I was told the treatment I had was not suitable for my skin. In fact, it has caused my skin to become sensitive! Great, I just finished 20 sessions of that treatment and when I still have 12 more to go, I went ahead to buy 5 more sessions from this new salon (If you are wondering why on earth did I buy so many sessions for, its because I was told that I needed at least 30 sessions to get flawless skin)
Yes, I am more gullible than I appear to be. But behind the naivety, is my innate desire to have a good complexion. Not that having bad complexion is detrimental to my self esteem, but I believe that every women wants to look her best. However, my dad will never understand such logic and I shudder at the thought of him knowing the amount I have spent on my face.
I did consider the fact that I would be leaving in a few months time, hence I will probably never get to use those 12 sessions (thus I am trying my best and praying very hard I can sell it away). I did hemmed and hawed a mighty long time till they had to send in another consultant to tell me the natural disaster that would occur if I did not sign up for treatment with them. So eventually, I gave in to that little hope that they could cure my face. Perhaps it may sound pathetic to some of you, especially those who are blessed with good skin. But for those who are in a similar predicament as I am, you would understand how it feels to exhaust all your choices, looking for THE solution, often falling into the traps of the commercial world. Maybe someone should tell me its time I should just accept the fact that I do not have good skin, however I am one who will not give up without a fight. And as long as I have the means to do so, I will do my utmost to get my skin cleared.
Thanks to all the blogs i referred to (countless) for html code help :) (esp. cyn' and sixseven)
Adobe Photoshop Elements for supernatural abilities
