Day Trip to JB (29 Jun 2008)

What a great time we had with 5 families.... here is a photo slide show....
Click here for larger pictures and you can save them on your PC for prints...
Watch the fun...

Click here to download the video for your mobile in 3GP
Click here to download for your PC in AVI format
Breakfast place...
Restaurant Ah Koong Sdn Bhd
266, Jalan Sutera, Taman Sentosa,
80150 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.
Tel : 07-331 3621
Business Hour : 6.30am to 11.30pm
http://www.ahkoong.com/

Seafood...
http://www.senibong.com.my/
Senibong Village Seafood Lot 1055, Kg. Senibong,
Mukim Plentong, Johor.
Tel: 07-338 1188 Fax: 07-338 1133
Business Hours 11:00am-1:00am

Click here to view/download all Videos

Trip to Colmar Tropicale & Malacca (100608-130608)

Our first stop... for breakfast at Gelang Patah

Almost reaching Colmar... stopover for lunch... The 3 ladies... We of course can't do without some entertainment.... who else but our very own Winlin Ng... you'll see a snip of her lovely husband David (trust me you won't miss him.. he is the good looking one!)

Having a great time at Genting....

the aftermath...
Boys Will Be Boys!
album slideshow here Click here for larger pictures and you can save them on your PC for prints
If you're looking for "Restaurant Capitol Satay"... here is a map... We had a wonderful lunch at a Chinese restaurant, sorry no pictures... here is the address:
Bei Zhan Restaurant
16 & 18, Jalan Melaka Raya 23, Taman Melaka Raya,
Melaka 75000 Melaka, Malaysia Tel: 06- 281 2684
Here is a review by another blogger - http://nicolekissdiet.blogspot.com/2008/05/bei-zhan-melaka.html

Click here to view/download all Videos

Go-Karting

Hello... good morning!

For those going you may want to pickup a map for directions just in case...
Address:

From Causeway (JB) to Permas Jaya:

If you have a GPS receiver... here are the entries to the location:
Lat = 1°29'42.85"N
Long = 103°48'9.68"E

Website - http://www.permasgokart.com/#

Hear Our Praises

Psalm 8
A psalm of David.
1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies,to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:
7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Here is an acoustic version of it -

Lyrics: Hear Our Praises (Cover by Daniel Choo)(Reuben Morgan/Hillsong)
May our homes be filled with dancing
May our streets be filled with joy.
May injustice bow to Jesus
As the people turn to pray.

From the mountains to the valleys
Hear our praises rise to You,
From the heavens to the nations
Hear our singing fill the air.

May Your light shine in the darkness
As we walk before the cross
May Your glory fill the whole earth
As the water o'er seas.

hallelujah, hallelujah
hallelujah, hallelujah
hallelujah, hallelujah
hallelujah, hallelujah

Download Song Sheet (with guitar chords)

A worship song by Hillsong. In Psalm 96:1-4, the psalmist writes, "Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods."

You, Finances and Your Parents!

Was reading this article in the ST on 23 June 2008 about "How Financially Savvy Are Youth Today?"
Here is the link - http://www.asiaone.com/Business/My%2BMoney/Opinion/Story/A1Story20080624-72643.html

Download a copy of "How Financially Savvy Are Youth Today?"it here

Here is a quote from the article....

Is ignorance or materialism to blame?

REPORTS of people chocking up credit card debt abound and poor financial literacy has been blamed.

Maybe the problem stems from greed and the tendency of those in debt to live beyond their means.

When given a choice between a Mercedes and a Mitsubishi or a condominium and an HDB flat, many would probably go with the first and more glamorous choice.

They measure their quality of life from the things they own. It becomes a problem when, in trying to 'show off', people end up with irrecoverable debt.

Instead of teaching financial literacy, perhaps we need to examine the root of materialism in society.

Ng Yixun, 19, is a pre-university three student at the Millennia Institute.

Another quote....

You can't learn it from a textbook

IF SUCCESSFUL financial management could be learnt from a textbook, I dare say Singaporeans would be millionaires by now.

Introducing financial management in schools may seem practical, but in reality, it is only useful if one has already made a commitment to be financially aware.

It is a process that starts from a young age, in which parents play a fundamental role to teach and reinforce concepts like a budget and the value of money.

However, the final step lies with the individual's choice to make such a mindset a priority in life.

Melissa Khong, 21, is a final-year music student at the Manhattan School of Music.

I was browsing the Guitar4Christ forum and came across an article written by one of the members...

Here is the link to the article - http://www.guitar4christ.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=76

Download is available here

I'll quote a few paragraphs, cause it's quite a long article....

How should we see finances according to the Word of God? In the Parable of the Talents, God wants us to be wise with our money. There is nothing wrong to try to earn more money - God is not against us having wealth. But God is against wealth having us. God wants us to be good steward, good manager of finances. But God doesn't want money to control the way we live. I have seen people, Christians, living their life under the constant fear of not having enough. Their time, commitments, strengths, are all channelled towards earning those extra bucks. No energy left to serve God or to worship Him. They would miss church services, cell group meetings or seminars (opportunities to strengthen their faith by the Word of God) just so that they can do OT, or take up extra jobs just to boost their income.

The Bible says "What profits a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?". It is possible to gain the whole world, the finances, the money, the prestige, the honor. But at what price? That you lose your relationship with the creator God, that you lose the love for people? Unfortunately, you can't just have it both ways - the Bible says that "..you cannot serve mammon(money) and God.." at the same time. There can be only one Lord and one all-consuming passion, and that's Jesus Christ our saviour. Money is a tool, not your life.

The Bible says that when we need to honor our father and our mother, we will "eat off the fat of the land" (i.e., becoming prosperous). There is no doubt in God's mind that He wants to be filial and honor our parents. God is the one that put our parents over us. We definitely didn't choose our parents - God did. Love God, and love His decision. Whenever you feel frustrated over the relationship with your parents, bring your grievances to God and He will comfort you.

Sorry for the long post, but I felt the articles affect us (youth and adults). I'm concerned because of my experiences with situations like this and I pray that our children are guided by the fear of the Lord.

Americans believe in miracles, heaven, power of prayer

News @ AsiaOne

Americans believe in miracles, heaven, power of prayer

A third of those who pray regularly say God answers their prayers at least once a month. -Reuers

Tue, Jun 24, 2008
Reuters

WASHINGTON, US - AROUND three-quarters of Americans believe in miracles, more Americans believe in heaven than in hell, and nearly six in 10 pray every day, a report based on a survey of 35,000 United States adults showed.

Of those who pray regularly, around a third - 31 per cent - say God answers their prayers at least once a month, and one in five Americans said they receive direct answers to prayer requests at least once a week, the report by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life said on Monday.

Seventy-four per cent of those surveyed for the report, called the US Religious Landscape Survey, said they believed in heaven as a place where people who have led good lives are rewarded, while only around six in 10 believed in hell, where unrepentant evil-doers languish in eternal punishment.

The report reflected the changing face of the US religious landscape and also the diversity of belief among Americans, Pew researchers said.

'Once upon a time, belief in heaven and hell were very closely related and in many people's views were two sides of the same coin,' Mr John Greene, a senior research fellow at Pew, told a telephone news conference.

'That does not seem to be the case any more. Many more people believe in heaven than believe in hell,' he said, surmising that Americans today view God as 'someone who is merciful, generous and forgiving' rather than as 'a judge who punishes people'.

Nearly eight in 10 American adults (79 per cent) believe that miracles occur, the survey, conducted between May and August last year, showed.

But perhaps most striking in the report was the near unanimous belief in God, held by more than nine out of 10 Americans.

'While this survey finds that more than nine in 10 Americans believe in the existence of God or a universal spirit, it also shows that there are considerable differences in the nature of this belief,' Pew research fellow Greg Smith said.

'Six in 10 adults believe God is a person with whom people can have a relationship, but one in four, including about half of Jews and Hindus, see God as an impersonal force,' he said.

Oddly, one in five of those who identified themselves as atheists in the survey said they believe in God.

'It may very well be that they don't really know what atheist means. It sounds good so they answered it; we call that measurement error,' Mr Greene said.

'But this also shows us the complicated way that people think about their faith. Many people who identify as atheists may not be telling us they don't believe in God, but that they don't like organised religion,' he said.

'In addition to having atheists who say they believe in God, we have people who say they are very committed to a religious tradition but don't believe in God,' he added.

'There is a lot of complexity in American religion,' Mr Greene summarised.

The survey also showed that religious affiliation tends to translate into social and political leanings.

'Mormons and members of evangelical churches tend to be more conservative in their political ideology, while Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and atheists tend to be more politically liberal than the population overall,' the report says.

As the United States gears up to elect a new president in November, that translates to the simple fact that 'there are votes to be had by the Democratic and Republican candidates by making appeals to religious groups', said Mr Greene.

Pew issued a first report, based on information gathered in the survey, in February this year.

That report, which focussed on the impact of immigrant flows on the religious landscape of the United States, predicted that Protestants would no longer be in the majority in the United States by the middle of this century.

'While native-born Protestants outnumber Catholics by two to one, among immigrants, Catholics outnumber Protestants by the same ratio,' Mr Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, said when the first report was released.

'So even though immigration is by and large confirming the Christian social nature of the American people, it is helping to tilt the balance towards Catholicism,' he said. -- AFP

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/World/Story/A1Story20080624-72515.html

The following was reported by AP - "Religious Americans: My faith isn't the only way
" - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25334489

Quote:

America remains a nation of believers, but a new survey finds most Americans don't feel their religion is the only way to eternal life — even if their faith tradition teaches otherwise.

The findings, released Monday in a survey of 35,000 adults, can either be taken as a positive sign of growing religious tolerance, or disturbing evidence that Americans dismiss or don't know fundamental teachings of their own faiths.

Among the more startling numbers in the survey, conducted last year by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life: 57 percent of evangelical church attendees said they believe many religions can lead to eternal life, in conflict with traditional evangelical teaching.

Hati Hamba (Servant's Heart)

I was listening to one of my friends YouTube channel from City Harvest and he was singing this in English, as well as Bahasa Indonesian.

It is also in Japanese - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwJ4jtV0hP4

I thought if the English version really touches my heart the original Indonesia version would do likewise for any of your Indonesia friends....

Jenn, I'm sure you'll agree.

Lyrics: from this website - http://thetans1.multiply.com/journal/item/71 it's a direct translation, but the City Harvest translation into the song is different, but the meaning according to Willy Joe (http://willyjoe.blogspot.com/2008/05/hati-hamba.html) is close.

KU TAK DAPAT LUPAKAN (I can't forget)
KEBAIKAN YANG KU T'RIMA (The goodness that I've received)
PENGORBANAN-MU YANG MULIA (Your noble sacrifice)
JADIKAN KU BERHARGA (Made me worthy)

KAU TULUS MENERIMA (You sincerely accepted)
AKU APA ADANYA (me just as I am)
KEKUATAN KASIH-MU NYATA (The power of Your love is so real)
MEMULIHKAN HIDUPKU (that revive my life)

REFF:
KAU BUKAN TUHAN YANG MELIHAT RUPA (You are not God that look at outward appearance)
KAU BUKAN TUHAN YANG MEMANDANG HARTA (You are not God that look at wealth)
HATI HAMBA YANG S'LALU KAU CARI (a servant's heart is what you keep looking for)
BIAR KAU TEMUKAN DI DALAMKU (Let it be found in me)

S'LAMA KU HIDUP KU MAU MENYEMBAH-MU (as long as I live, I want to worship You)
S'BAB ENGKAU SANGAT BERARTI BAGIKU (Because You are so meaningful to me)
YANG TERBAIK YANG ADA PADAKU (The best that's in me)
KUPERSEMBAHKAN KEPADA-MU (I give it unto You)
YESUSKU (My Jesus)

Hati Hamba (English+Bahasa)

Download Chinese Lyrics
Download English Lyrics

A Chinese Song at COOS from YouTube

this was from a youtube video of someone called "Kelvin" singing at COOS sometime back in 19/20 Oct 2007. Not sure about what the title is, maybe Winlin knows...

Enjoy!

Father's Day (15 Jun 2008) @ COOS

A Father's Day song (Jesus You Are My Lord) presentation and some "Fatherly" advise from Pastor Daren Tay.

Jesus You Are My Lord
Jesus you are my Lord
Jesus you are my everything
Jesus you are my Lord
You are all to me

Jesus you are my God
Jesus you are my everything
Jesus you are my God
I give you my all

I will worship you
I will lift you up
And I will sing to you
Of your majesty