Posts Tagged: God

update — 1 Comment
11
Jan 10

The New and Last Semester in NUS

So it’s a brand new semester all over again. But this time, it’s gonna be the last semester (I HOPE SO!).

With tears trickling down my cheek, a small grin on the face and a raised eyebrow to confirm the fake tears, I start reviewing the courses I take this semester.

I’m glad, after all, knowing that this might be the only semester in which most, or maybe all of the modules are not forced towards me, but what I actually like.

  • PC1327/GEK1519 Science of Music
  • GEM1501 Problem Solving For Computing
  • CN5181 Computer Aided Chemical Engineering
  • CN4120R Design Project

But it’s not all dancing in the clouds too as there are some sacrifices that I have to make.

One of the hardest decision is to take Computer Aided Chem E which schedule is Friday night, meaning I have to miss almost every single NUS-ISCF fellowship sessions.

I am sure that I will never forgive myself if I do not give my best from the very start to the very end for all these modules.

Well, I also need to come to school almost everyday. And, I’m gonna force myself to stop being too comfortable at home, away from school, studies and the society. I just need to fight these well, and end it well too.

Yes, I have my ups and downs all four years in NUS. And I fear the outcome of this 4 year study. Will I graduate and make my parents proud? Will I get a job after graduation? Will my university time be marked as “failed” by myself, or friends, or family? I really don’t know. As all these thoughts race all over my brain, I calmed myself down and reminded myself that I should let go of the past, the complacency, the disappointments and failures. After all, I’m not working hard to serve men, myself, parents’ expectations or what others think about me, but God and God alone. I commit myself this last semester not only to fight hard in my studies, but also to depend hard on Him.

Ah, and I get stressed out extremely easily with little things and I get sick easily with big things :P Those that know me well, know that I have those tendencies. I used to see that as one of my weaknesses. For now, it’s still my weakness, but I would like to see it this way too: I am granted the stress and the sickness such that I stop being ignorant, not responsive or plain negative when problems come. I’m kinda forced to learn to respond not only in the right way, but also at the right time (which means as soon as the problem strikes). I guess if whenever problem comes, I stay lazy, unresponsive, using stress as my excuse not to do anything and even if I later on ‘learn’ and get back on my feet. I’ve basically never learnt at all.

And lastly, I think I should start being more organized. Starting with the little things.

Great, a rather positive post to start the new semester!

    bible — 2 Comments
    1
    May 09

    Not as unwise but as wise

    It’s strongly amusing, sometimes disturbing, how certain Bible verses that you’ve read over and over again and even considered it as ‘what a cliche!’ can at times bring a deep rebuking towards yourself. As if the words are not immaterial, not dead, but speaking to me in different situation and period. Waaa. Well, no surprise, isn’t that why it is called the Word of Life?

    Today, it’s Eph. 4:15-17

    “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

    Since I’ve just finished my ‘exam’ and I have trouble sleeping, I have decided to, yea you’ve guessed it, wallpaper it!

    So grab it here, only 1280×960 available though…

    Preview?

    bible / music — No Comments
    23
    Mar 09

    …

    Our God, our help in ages past,
    Our hope for years to come,
    Our shelter from the stormy blast,
    And our eternal home.

    bible / photoshop / thoughts — No Comments
    19
    Mar 09

    Another one…

    Sometimes in life we get too excited or even overwhelmed with our daily activities, doing the things we love, the things we hate, getting busy all day and it’s just as if doing nothing is a huge crime. Somewhere along our day to day activities, we lost sight of why we are doing all those, why are we working so hard? why do we aim for good grades? why are we earning so much money? or why do we JUST have to do something? It is a terrible ignorance to brush these thoughts off by saying “I’m just doing for the sake of it”. People need to think and reflect on their lives lest they grow old, look back and regret. The point of no return.

    Yes, I am refering to myself here. I need to stop and relook at my original motivation in doing things. Why is doing things so important to me. Along that line, I remember this verse from the Bible. It may be a cliche to most Christians, but maybe it is the least understood, or the hardest to obey.

    So, along that line again, I made up this simple wallpaper, clearer on full view, and as usual 1280*800 and 1280*960 for widescreen and non-widescreen. I love how mac comes with a desktop where we can have changing wallpapers for a specified time without any additional programs and stuff, this makes me even more motivated to make more wallpapers. I hope with this we can all be reminded of what is supposed to be our “aim” in life.

    Download (Right Click, Save as):

    bible / photoshop — No Comments
    17
    Mar 09

    2 Timothy 2:1

    Quoting Spurgeon in his Morning and Evening, March 15, Evening:

    CHRIST has grace without measure in Himself, but He hath not retained it for Himself. As the reservoir empties itself into the pipes, so hath Christ emptied out His grace for His people. “Of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.”

    A special wallpaper inspired by this passage, available in 2 sizes, 1280*800 and 1280*960. Full view please. For more sizes and colours,  please request in the comment section, or talk to me directly. Thanks.

    A quick slideshow for an idea about the colours

    I’ve also managed to create the iPhone wallpaper version for this in four colours: red, blue, green and of course yellow.

    And a quick horizontal slideshow:

    Download here (right click save as):

    Red

    Blue

    Green

    Yellow

    music — No Comments
    8
    Feb 09

    Bless the Broken Road

    Hehe, so my friend was looking for this song and I happen to have it. I used to like this song a lot. Haha reminiscing times.

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    I set out on a narrow way many years ago
    Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
    But I got lost a time or two
    Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
    I couldn’t see how every sign pointed straight to you

    Every long lost dream led me to where you are
    Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
    Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
    This much I know is true
    That God blessed the broken road
    That led me straight to you

    I think about the years I spent just passing through
    I’d like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
    But you just smile and take my hand
    You’ve been there you understand
    It’s all part of a grander plan that is coming true

    Now I’m just rolling home
    Into my lover’s arms
    This much I know is true
    That God blessed the broken road
    That led me straight to you

    That God blessed the broken road
    That led me straight to you.

    music / thoughts — No Comments
    2
    Feb 09

    Still, still with Thee

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    Still, still with Thee, when purple morning breaketh,
    When the bird waketh, and the shadows flee;
    Fairer than morning, lovelier than daylight,
    Dawns the sweet consciousness, I am with Thee.

    Alone with Thee, amid the mystic shadows,
    The solemn hush of nature newly born;
    Alone with Thee in breathless adoration,
    In the calm dew and freshness of the morn.

    Still, still with Thee, as to each newborn morning,
    A fresh and solemn splendor still is given,
    So does this blessèd consciousness, awaking,
    Breathe each day nearness unto Thee and Heaven.

    So shall it be at last, in that bright morning,
    When the soul waketh and life’s shadows flee;
    O in that hour, fairer than daylight dawning,
    Shall rise the glorious thought, I am with Thee.

    Harriet B. Stowe, the author of this hymn, rose each morning at 4:30 to meet with her Lord before the day began. She enjoyed watching the sunrise, listening to the birds, and sensing the all-encompassing presence of God. She was meditating on Psalm 139:17-18, one day, and was inspired to write this beautiful piece of hymn.

    “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them
    If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.”

    The tune is by Felix Mendelssohn called Consolation. A very peaceful piece that in my opinion really captures and represents the lyrics of the hymns. It’s as if it’s consoling us that even in this fallen, sinful world, we will always be able to see the beauty and awesome creation of Our Maker. And even more, that no matter how ugly the world has become, it is still upheld by Our Creator’s hand. And most of all even when all that fails, we may only be comforted by the fact that we are still with Him.

    This tune is usually used as the quiet time tune before church service starts in my church in Singapore. I love the tranquility that it brings, the moment of solemnness when each and everyone of the congregation keep still and prepare their hearts for their Lord. Really a tune that reminds us that He is still with us and will always be with us.

    I actually wrote my comment about this hymn before elsewhere, but I think since I miss this hymn so much, and it really describes what I am experiencing right now, I guess it’s just appropriate that I post this here. Anyway, comparing the experience almost 2 years ago and now, I think the hymns has more impact for me now. Probably even more in the future (:

    Life has not been smooth and straight. That’s just how it is supposed to be, else how can we ever learn to live? But I am glad, that in whatever circumstances, whether I am healthy or terribly sick, whether I am joyful or in sorrow, and when all else in the world fails, there is One that never changes.

    Thank be to God

    bible / thoughts — No Comments
    28
    Sep 08

    About Pain

    How many times in our lives have we complained about the problem of pain.. or sometimes known also as suffering?

    Be it to our friends, loved ones or even to God (if one believes there’s a God).

    And…

    How many times in our lives have we wished “if only I can live without pain!”. How easy our lives would be?

    I would like to share something I learnt today that hopefully can change our minds, even a little bit, about this “pain” problem.

    Have you ever seen someone with leper before? In Indonesia we called it penyakit kusta.

    I saw people with leprosy since I was a child. They were the ones who begged for money outside schools, outside the shopping malls and… maybe almost everywhere near traffic lights where cars would stop.

    Have you ever thought why such terrible deformation of their limbs can happen?

    Very little was known about the true cause of leprosy deformities. It was generally believed that the hands and feet of infected people simply disintegrated or rotted away as a direct result of the disease

    http://www.tlm-ni.org/images/Brand_large.jpg

    Dr. Paul Brand

    However, what Dr. Paul Brand discovered later on is this:

    He pioneered the startling idea that the loss of fingers and toes in leprosy was due entirely to infection and was thus preventable. Because leprosy attacks chiefly the nervous system, resultant tissue abuse occurs because the patient loses the warnings of pain – not because of inherent decay brought on by the disease.

    Continued by

    Paul Brand discovered the gift of pain, claiming that because leprosy destroyed the sensation of pain in affected parts of the body, pain-deprived people inadvertently injured and destroyed themselves.

    On one ocassion, he even mentioned that if only he could give the gift of pain to those leprosy affected people, maybe things will not turn out so bad for them.

    Eventually, it was those pains on our skins, felt by our nerves that tell us we should avoid putting our hands into boiling water, or slamming our hands onto a durian skin. Physically, we should be very thankful for those pain sensors… that have saved the shape of our fingers, toes, limbs, everything the way they are.

    How about those “pain” in our lives, emotionally, spiritually, or whatever-ly?

    Isn’t it just necessary? Do we really wish to be that emotion-less? Let us all think again and be thankful for however we are created.

    Thanks be to God who has made us the way we are.

    For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
    Psalm 139:13-14

    bible — No Comments
    23
    May 08

    cry

    For He shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. (Psalm 72:12)