makan...

Just came back from the first night of Festival of Praise 2010 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Planetshakers and Don Moen were there to lead the songs.

It was a great time watching how the band play and all. Good loud music!
And it was such a pleasure to be able to see Don Moen live on stage though he played a piano by himself without a band. I've sung many of his songs since the age at which I hadn't understood what I was singing. Yes, I grew up singing Don Moen's songs in church many times not knowing they were actually written by him.

Anyway, it was nice.

Why the title? Makan is in the Malay language meaning eat.
Both before and after the event this evening, I was eating.
The significance of my meals today is that I did not eat alone! Feels so good to dine together with friends. Now I start thinking, how sad are people who plenty to eat but no one to share with; it is also not good that one should have little to eat buy many to feed. So I see an apparent solution found from the Book of Luke chapter 3 verse 11, to eradicate such contrasting phenomena: “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same”, says John the Baptist.

It sucks eating alone, although you may spend less as you only have your own mouth to feed. I am very happy to have friends to share food with!! Appreciate the time and company for makan...
Few is better than none. =)

Asked and Given

When I was younger I was taught "ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened for you", till now what I was taught still applies. The Children's Bible Club didn't lie to its children.

How good indeed, is a promise, it is good when the promiser keeps his or her promise; however there may be devastating effects on a promisee if the promises were empty. I am blessed to be found in the earlier now.

I remember vividly, a year ago praying for a bursary for my studies. Financial assistance was and is a must as the living cost in Singapore is so high. I remember many tears in those prayers. I remember unfortunately having no guts to pursue this dream as it was a bet. And my life went wrong, turned upside down as a result of lack of faith.

Then a second chance came, I prayed the same prayer again- asking for a bursary. Lo and behold I am now awarded one. In fact, there was not much feelings of surprise when I learnt of having gotten it. In my heart I knew I would be provided for, one way or another. God chose to answer yes to my prayer, and I am more grateful than shocked. Grateful also for all the good things in my life, especially people. It is just amazing how this life is although it sometimes(many times) sucks.

I asked for bursary, it has been given unto me.
Thankful, am I. Now to learn how to be a good steward of it.

Foto Friday

Check out my dinner table

one day 

when I decided

to be stingy

Expiry dates!

Why must this natural world cause things especially food to denature? The food we buy always have a timeline in which we must consume it before it turns bad.
I bought some food in the past two days, began to start thinking to myself in the bus on the way home. "I'd better finish this by when; better eat that up by when...", saying in my heart. Otherwise the food I bought would go to waste unless I am prepared to take the risk by eating stale food.

• The loaf of bread expires on July 24;

• Two cups of yoghurt I bought, each expiring on the 29th.

• Instant noodles? Nah, shouldn't worry too much about that!

• A tin of milk powder, remembered the importance of a good bone density to prepare for old age. Expires in August next year but still not sure if I have the ability to finish it by then.

• Bus concession, though is not a food item, expires by the end of the month too. Should I opt for concession next month too? Going for attachment, not sure if it is still worth taking up bus concession.

Even manna could expire, why should I or anybody complain about expiry dates? Earthly things come and go, I'm learning to live with this phenomenon.

Speaking about expiry dates, I remember once writing something called Expiry Date.

Your Failed Investment

I wonder why

and I wonder how

you could do this

Stepped in like a loving family;

stepped out like passer-by

My life: your failed investment

the withdrawal

ended it

that you nurtured

Like a pearl being crushed

by its own mollusk

Your helping hands

the warmest pair

drew far from me

revealed a cold heart

I, your eyes could no longer see

Then your absence so prevailing

struck me like a whip

able to save me

when I dangled on a cliff

I remember your good words

and my good deeds

spoken and unspoken

and I remember

all done with expectation

of nothing in return

So why must I yell and wail

when you pulled out from your investment?

Broken promises turned daily bread

and past memories fill the atmosphere

Why should I keep this wound opened

and put the blame on you?

When love was given

in unconditional

you do as you wish

as you always have

and I, shall never hate you

for this

© Joel Yap

Too late again

This might be helpful.

Took an 8.30PM bus to Singapore this time. Unfortunately I was curious about where the bus would continue going, beyond Kranji MRT station where most passengers alight. So I stayed in the bus and kept going but soon regretted.

Ended up at some LRT station so I waited for the train to come to bring me to the MRT. Finally got onto the last train to Ang Mo Kio, again! Like the last time I boarded it, there were no bus services to my place already. And I was unwilling to pay a taxi fare, so decided to sleep at McDonald's.

Well, did not sleep afterall as the World Cup 2010 finals was on. Many were there cheering for their favoured teams. It was my first time watching a World Cup match this year, and it was already the finals. Boring game, so many yellow cards were shown.

Went on to hop onto the first bus after the soccer game.
Overslept as a result.

Saving a taxi fare cost me an absence for a lesson today.

Foto Friday

I became more shocked

than when I once was shocked

before

to learn that landlady

prepared dinner for me

Guess we've made peace

hope we can

glad if we have

Small computer

Some thought I got the netbook while going through the Malaysia-Singapore borders! Sorry for bluffing, blessed are the gullible. Hehehe...

The first netbook my fingers touched, a white little Asus. Borrowed from a kind soul who made the offer, whilst giving me lots of help through many ways, when I needed help most.


This machine met my needs when I had not a laptop yet. Though very limited in its functions it allowed me access to the rest of the world. However bad the battery life might have been, the power cable was always long enough to reach a source if there were one. In fact, there was always more than enough when it came to the length of that thin white wire.



Now that I have a HP notebook, now that the owner of the Asus a.k.a. a benefactor of mine is around once again, I returned the machine. And remember the blessing.




Erm.... Netbooks suck, by the way. Only use them for convenience purposes.

Gandhi

Oh now I know, his name is Mohandas K. Gandhi. Mahatma means great soul, what others called him.

I wanted to make better use of my NYP student card, went to the library indecisive of what to borrow. All the shelves and shelves of uncountable books....well, they looked Ok.. Hahaha! Sorry, not for me yet. So I recalled friends borrowing movies to watch, thus made my move to the DVD's.

There were some nice movies there but I didn't know what to watch. While browsing through the stuff there a particular title caught my eye- Gandhi: His triumph changed the world forever.
At that moment I knew I would be taking it home to find out who actually is Mahatma Gandhi. Have heard about him freeing India and so on, but did not really read up about what he had done actually. Next I began to search for documentaries on Mother Teresa in the same section but found none. Never mind, one DVD will do.

Watched the winner of 9 Academy Awards at least twice to date, might watch again before returning it to the library next week.
So inspired to the words Gandhi had spoken. He must have been an excellent writer and leader.

An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind.

I specially respect Mahatma for his belief in nonviolence, ready to fight and die for a cause but not prepared to kill. Salute!