LiVE LiFE LOUD

2010-12-21T00:59:00.002+08:00

A moment ago - I happened to "bumped" into a very old "Jesus" movie (black & white version).

In this movie, as I watched the part where Jesus went to have meal with Matthew; the tax collector; Jesus received a lot of criticism and have angered many people.

We assumed that the criticism were from the religious priests but in the movie, it shown that the people whom have put their faith and believe on Jesus also felt angry and criticized Jesus.

We as believers may at times also react like the Pharisees or the Sadducee when we encounter such scenario.

We criticized when we see our fellow christian friends went into a casino, drink at pub, eat with "immoral" people, yelling at people, etc ...

Criticism is always number 1 in our list.

2010-12-07T01:18:00.003+08:00

Summer is here and some people enjoy a very unusual "bloody" hobby - hunting.

Gun sales were advertised openly in the newspapers. Some use for hunting animals and some for killing humans - cos the guns are so cheap.

Maybe that's what a human life cost this day. How dangerous and sad.

2010-12-07T01:05:00.002+08:00

Been working thru' some working interviews and getting a feel of "work-for-ppl" in these couple of weeks .....

Sometimes, choosing a job is not easy as it may seems.

Encountered the following:

1) A fancy cafe, meals presentation are appealing, varieties of menu to choose from but the boss is stingy.

2) A "china man" cafe, meals presentation are just okay but the boss said, "Eat & drink whatever you want".

Both offered same salary, same area, but the 1st cafe work lesser by an hour.

Which one offer would you accept ?

2010-11-25T09:24:00.002+08:00

If someone says something about you behind your back, it hurts. It's not fair, especially if what's said is untrue.

You have a couple of choices... you can get back at the person by spreading your own negative comments, confront the person, give the silent treatment, or simply let it go.

The choice you make says a lot about who you belong to: Christ or the world.

Jesus Himself was the victim of slander, injustice, and persecution. He knows what it's like to have friends and neighbors betray Him and say hurtful things. And yet, Jesus never struck out in anger or tried to get revenge.

Instead, He asked the Father to forgive them, and He taught His disciples to do the same.

2010-11-25T06:42:00.002+08:00

Here, we got to watch Christian sermon on TV. Speakers like Pastor Joyce Meyer, Pastor Peter, Pastor Bev, etc..

Weekdays from 6:00 am - 6:30 am. and weekends 5 am - 10:00 am.

2010-11-25T06:18:00.000+08:00

The size of a mosquito ....

2010-11-25T05:35:00.002+08:00

Dear friends ....

Would you like to have a car as a gift under a Christmas tree ?

.... wow - of course !! Where & which Christmas tree then ?? Answer: Sky City Tower ... hanging ... hahaha ....

2010-11-22T06:51:00.001+08:00

shared an article:

Ask In Jesus’ Name And Receive

John 16:2323“… Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.

Do you always end your prayers with “in Jesus’ name”? Maybe your Sunday school teacher taught you to do this, or maybe you have heard church leaders and other believers utter it at the end of their prayers.

I used to say “in Jesus’ name” very quickly as if those were magic words that would get my prayers answered.

Then, one day, I heard the Lord asking me why I was doing that.

The Lord wanted me to realize that whenever I pray and say “in Jesus’ name”, I am putting my entire faith for my prayer to be answered not in who I am or what I have done, but in the person and name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and what He has done at the cross!

Whenever we ask God for anything in Jesus’ name, Jesus says to us, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.” This means that in your prayer for healing, when you say “in Jesus’ name”, healing comes over your sick body because it is by His stripes that you are healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

In your prayer for protection, when you say “in Jesus’ name”, you are kept safe because the blood of Jesus protects and delivers you from evil. (Exodus 12:13)

Beloved, the good name of your family cannot save you. Your pastor’s name cannot save you. Even the name of the latest medical breakthrough cannot save you. Only one name under heaven can save you — Jesus!

And the good news is that His name in Hebrew, Yeshua, means salvation — healing, preservation, wholeness, wellness, provision, prosperity, safety and deliverance for you and your family!

So these days, whenever I pray, I slow down at the end of my prayer and say, “Father, I ask all this not based on what I have or have not done, but based on Jesus and His finished work at the cross. I ask all this in Jesus’ name. Amen!”

2010-11-22T05:39:00.000+08:00

一名成績優秀的青年去申請一個大公司的經理職位。

他通過了第一級的面試，董事長做最後的面試，做最後的決定。

董事長從該青年的履歷上發現，該青年成績一貫優秀，從中學到研究生從來沒有間斷過。

董事長問，你在學校裏拿到獎學金嗎？該青年回答，沒有。

董事長問，是你的父親為您付學費嗎？該青年回答，我父親在我一歲時就去世了，是我的母親給我付的學費。

董事長問，那你的母親是在那家公司高就？該青年回答，我的母親是給人洗衣服的。董事長要求該青年把手伸給他，該青年把一雙潔白的手伸給董事長。

董事長問，你幫你母親洗過衣服嗎？該青年回答，從來沒有，我媽總是要我多讀書，再說，母親洗衣服比我快得多。

董事長說，我有個要求，你今天回家，給你母親洗一次雙手，明天上午你再來見我。

該青年覺得自己成功的可能很大，回到家後，高高興興地要給母親洗手，母親受寵若驚地把手伸給孩子。

該青年給母親洗著手，漸漸地，眼淚掉下來了，因為他第一次發現，他母親的雙手都是老繭，有個傷口在碰到水時還疼得發抖。

青年第一次體會到，母親就是每天用這雙有傷口的手洗衣服為他付學費，母親的這雙手就是他今天畢業的代價。

該青年給母親洗完手後，一聲不響地把母親剩下要洗的衣服都洗了。

當天晚上，母親和孩子聊了很久很久。

第二天早上，該青年去見董事長。

董事長望著該青年紅腫的眼睛，問到，可以告訴我你昨天回家做了些什麼嗎？

該青年回答說，我給母親洗完手之後，我幫母親把剩下的衣服都洗了。

董事長說，請你告訴我你的感受。

該青年說，第一，我懂得了感恩，沒有我母親，我不可能有今天。第二，我懂得了要去和母親一起勞動，才會知道母親的辛苦。第三，我懂得了家庭親情的可貴

董事長說，我就是要錄取一個會感恩，會體會別人辛苦，不是把金錢當作人生第一目標的人來當經理。你被錄取了。

這位青年後來果真工作努力，深得職工擁護，員工也都努力工作，整個公司業績大幅成長。

假如一位孩子從小嬌生慣養，習慣了被人圍著寵著，什麼都是“我”第一，父母的辛苦都不知道，上班後，以為同事都應該聽他的，當了經理後，不知道員工的辛苦，還要怨天尤人。這樣的人，會有好的學校成績，會有得意風光的一時，但社會上的這類人，都不能成大事，都不會感覺到幸福，都要跌跟鬥，那父母是愛孩子呢還是害孩子呢？

你可以讓你的孩子住大房子，吃大餐，學鋼琴，看大屏電視，但你在割草時，也要讓你的孩子在大太陽下拔拔野草，你在吃飯後，也要讓你的孩子洗洗碗，不是你沒有錢雇人，而是你真心愛孩子。你要讓孩子知道，即使父母掙不少錢，但早早的白髮，和那位洗衣服的母親沒有本質的差別。但更重要的是，要讓你的孩子學會感恩。

2010-11-22T05:33:00.003+08:00

Please read and ponder:

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.

He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the last decision. The director discovered from the CV, that the youth's academic result is excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never has a year he did not score.

The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarship in school?" and the youth answered "none".

The director asked, " Is it your father pay for your school fees?" the youth answered, my father passed away when I was one year old, it is my mother who paid for my school fees.

The director asked, " Where did your mother worked?" the youth answered, my mother worked as cloth cleaner.

The director requested the youth to show his hand, the youth showed a pair of hand that is smooth and perfect to the director.

The director asked, " Did you ever help your mother washed the cloth before?"

The youth answered, never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books, furthermore, my mother can wash cloths faster than me.

The director said, I had a request, when you go back today, go and help to clean your mother's hand, and then see me tomorrow morning. T

he youth felt that its chance of landing the job is high, when he went back, he happily wanted to clean his mother's hand, his mother feel strange, happy but mixed with fear, she showed her hand to the kid.

The youth cleaned his mother's hand slowly, his tear drop down as he did that.

It is first time he found his mother's hand is so wrinkled, and there are so many bruises in her hand. Some bruises incites pains so strong that shiver her mother's body when cleaned with water.

This is the first time the youth realized and experienced that it is this pair of hand that washed the cloth everyday to earn him the school fees, the bruises in the mother's hand is the price that the mother paid for his graduation and academic excellence and probably his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother hand, the youth quietly cleaned all remaining clothes for his mother. That night, mother and sons talked for a very long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the director's office The director noticed the tear in the youth's eye, asked: " Can you tell you what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?" The youth answered, " I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes'

The director asked, " please tell me your feeling."

The youth said, Number 1, I knew what is appreciation, without my mother, there would not the successful me today.

Number 2, I knew how to work together with my mother, then only I can realize how difficult and tough to get something done.

Number 3, I knew the importance and value of family relationship.

The director said, " This is what I am asking, I want to recruit a person that can appreciate the help of other, a person that knew the suffering of others to get thing done, and a person that would not put money as his only goal in life to be my manager.

You are hired.

Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates, every employees worked diligently and in a team, the company's result improved tremendously.

A child who has been protected and habitually given whatever he did, he developed "entitlement mentality" and always put himself first.

He is ignorance of his parent's effort.

When he started work, he assumed every people must listen to him, and when he became a manager, he would never know how suffering his employee and always blame others. For this kind of people, he can have good result, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel sense of achievement, he will grumble and full of hatred and fight for more.

If we are this kind of protective parent, did we love the kid or destroy the kid? You can let your kid lived in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV.

But when you are cutting grass, please let them experienced it.

After a meal, let them washed their plate and bowl together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a right way.

You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parent are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person.

The most important thing is your kid learn how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learn the ability to work with others to get thing done.

2010-11-19T07:46:00.001+08:00

Planted the strawberry plant almost 2 months ago, now it starts to bear fruit .... hahaha

2010-11-19T07:19:00.000+08:00

An ungrateful person focuses on what they don't have and
is unhappy, discontent, and reluctant to help others.

But a grateful person is happy, content, and generous.

2010-11-19T05:08:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, I go around our house 7 times praying in tongue.

I am not sure why but there was a prompting that I need to do it. Our new puppy Bishon followed me around.

The 1, 2, and 3rd round were okay, but when it came to the 4th round, I felt a bit lazy and tired, the 5th round was walking very slowly even the puppy is getting tired ... hahaha, at the 6th round I was feeling a bit silly but anyway I finished the 7th round.

As I recalled the moment, I imagined how the priests and the armies were feeling when Joshua commanded them to do so under God's instruction ?

The size of our house is nothing compared to the huge castle during Joshua's time. I am sure some of the people were tired, doubtful, felt silly, complaining, etc ...

God gave Joshua the victory and I received the victory yesterday too.

(The puppy .... resulted from walking with me for 7 rounds - dirty feets & tired .... hahaha)

2010-11-19T04:46:00.003+08:00

One day, a woman received a phone call, "Hi, I am Jesus and I am coming to your house for dinner at 6 pm today".

So the woman busy preparing the dinner to welcome Jesus. As she is preparing the dinner, there is a knock at the door.

A poor woman with a child at the door, begging for food. The woman said that she is too busy preparing dinner for Jesus and has no time for this poor woman.

A few minutes later, a knock at the door, this time is an old man, he wore torn clothing and asked if she has any used clothing to give away.

The woman harshly chased the old man away as she is busy preparing dinner for Jesus.

Later, came at her door is her neighbour little boy. He accidentally locked himself outside and he asked whether he could use her phone to call his parent.

But the woman said that she is very busy preparing dinner for Jesus and asked him to wait outside his house until his parent come back.

Sometimes, we are so busy or too engulf with own things that we "forgot" how to care for others.
We forgot what matter most in life.

This could happen in our serving in church. We are too engrossed or taking "pride" with our leadership roles that we ignore and brush off peoples needs. We lost the caring heart.

May we have a heart to discern. Humble - Stop - Listen - Care.

2010-11-17T19:52:00.003+08:00

I am trying to catch my breathe cos time fly too fast. Every day passes by so fast and with a blink - it is another day !

I remembered a story that I read ... when we were very much younger, we wish that the time would pass faster so we could grow up faster to "conquer" the world. But when we have grown up, we wish that the time would slow down for us to take a short breathe.

I felt that the time passes by too fast that I don't have the time and energy for my Devotion Time.

Each day passes by and so does the Devotion Time with the Lord. It became "out of agenda".

It has becoming a norm not having a Devotion Time, which is dangerously hazardous in our walk.

I am so afraid that I lost "sensitivity".

2010-05-09T16:42:00.002+08:00

"You think the guest need a hot drink? What do you think ?" and later 5 minutes later "Think it is good to give him a hot drink" ... (waited for a respond, no one respond ... so walked away doing nothing).

Been thinking, is this how people responnd to someone's need? You see the need but unwillingly to extend your help but trying to "incites" other people to do it.

The Bible has a story for it .. "The good Samaritan".

I am not making a judgment but made an awareness to myself - should I see a need of someone or church ministry, do it without any complaining or murmuring or incites others to do it.

2010-03-19T07:45:00.000+08:00

Read this article:

Hackers have flooded the Internet with virus-tainted spam that targets Facebook's estimated 400 million users in an effort to steal banking passwords and gather other sensitive information.

The emails tell recipients that the passwords on their Facebook accounts have been reset, urging them to click on an attachment to obtain new login credentials, according to anti-virus software maker McAfee Inc.

If the attachment is opened, it downloads several types of malicious software, including a program that steals passwords, McAfee said on Wednesday.

Hackers have long targeted Facebook users, sending them tainted messages via the social networking company's own internal email system. With this new attack, they are using regular Internet email to spread their malicious software.

Facebook could not be immediately reached for comment.

McAfee estimates that hackers sent out tens of millions of spam across Europe, the United States and Asia since the campaign began on Tuesday.

Dave Marcus, McAfee's director of malware research and communications, said that he expects the hackers will succeed in infecting millions of computers.

"With Facebook as your lure, you potentially have 400 million people that can click on the attachment. If you get 10 percent success, that's 40 million," he said.

The email's subject line says "Facebook password reset confirmation customer support," according to Marcus.
-Agencies

2010-03-17T14:01:00.000+08:00

Read this article recently:

Our relationships are vital to our mental well-being. However, toxic relationships can really do a number on our happiness and outlook on life. As a result, it is important to look for individuals who possess qualities that allow for healthy relationships. Although, once again, not an exhaustive list, the qualities listed below are those that should be at the very heart of a healthy relationship. And, just as you would expect your friend, family member or loved one to display these qualities, it is just as important to reciprocate.

Loyalty: Whether it's in friendships or in family, loyalty is truly important to maintain a healthy relationship. All of us are guilty, at one time or another, of making mistakes, having ups and downs, and even displaying some behavior that we may not always be proud of. When we find friends or loved ones who can forgive us and stand by us…even during our worst moments…we should be especially grateful. That said, loyalty should never be taken for granted and we should always be deeply appreciative when it comes our way.
Respect: I once knew an individual who was very opinionated about political topics. She would talk down to people who disagreed with her and would be very disrespectful. Not only did she make people feel stomped on, but she left many disinterested in friendship. Treating others with kindness and the respect they deserve is important in gaining the respect that WE desire. It never feels good to be taken for granted, judged or used and it doesn’t feel good to be talked down to or treated rudely or inappropriately. There will be times that we may not always have full agreement with our friends or loved ones, but respecting them along the way is a must.
Unconditionally There: There is nothing worse than having someone always resurface in your life when they are in need, are looking for something or need a favor. In a culture of “you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours,” it is somewhat rare to find those “who just scratch your back,” period. Finding individuals who want you in their lives just because…and not because they want something in return is refreshing and worth holding on to. Those who are generous of heart are to be treasured!
Trustworthy: I once worked with a woman who, within my first week on the job, felt the need to tell me all of the intimate details of the various extra-marital affairs that had occurred with the management of the firm. She was supposedly friends with these people and I have no doubt, was told this information in the most strictest of confidences. How she felt it was appropriate to divulge this information to a new-hire like me, I still have no idea. But, it was her nature to gossip about everyone and everything. If you share something in confidence, you should be able to trust that the information will remain that way.
A Genuine Sounding Board: Taking a genuine interest in what others have to say and really listening to someone is important in developing solid relationships. Letting go of the “me, me, me” and focusing on the other person not only makes the other person feel valued and appreciated, but they feel that they can really talk to someone who cares. Those who take the time to really listen to our thoughts and feelings, and then help us work through difficult times and situations, share our lives at a much deeper level than those who don’t. These are individuals worth hanging on to.
Dependability: I had a friend who frequently would RSVP to small gatherings and then would never show. They never explained…never brought it up…and never apologized. Although this example is somewhat trivial, it still makes the point. Obviously there are times when things come up that prevent individuals from following through on what they promise, but if a friend, co-worker or family member perpetually drops the ball, they may be sending you a message. If a friend says they are going to do something or be somewhere, you should be able to count on them. And, in reciprocation, they you.

2010-03-12T11:57:00.002+08:00

Read this article:

" ...Same-sex prom dates and cross-dressing are new issues for many high schools around the country, said Daryl Presgraves, a spokesman for GLSEN: Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, a Washington-based advocacy group.

"A lot of schools actually react rather than do the research and find out what the rights of these students are," said Presgraves, who was preparing to facilitate a discussion about anti-gay bullying at a National Association of Secondary School Principals meeting.

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., said a bill he's introduced in Congress would protect students such as McMillen. Polis said the measure would make it illegal to discriminate against gay and lesbian school students. He said his bill is modeled after similar laws in at least 10 states.

"This situation with the prom is a perfect example of why we need to protect students from discrimination. In this case it's a prom. It other cases, it's getting beaten up or killed," Polis said.

Polis said he was "dismayed" by the school board's action.

"They ruined the prom, not only for this young woman, but for all of the straight kids at the school," he said.

The school district had said it hoped a privately sponsored prom could be held. McMillen said if that happens, she's sure she'll be excluded.

"It's a small town in Mississippi, and it's run by an older generation with money. Most of them are more conservative and they don't agree with it," she said. ... "

Wow ... the "wrong" is right and the "right" is wrong.

2010-02-18T15:43:00.003+08:00

While sitting "blur-blur" at the wifi petrol station cafe, two kids were running around and one of them was shouting annoyingly.

Yet the parents just sit there and do nothing to reprimand him for the misbehaviour.

As I observed, I get annoyed but at the same time having the attitude of "Don't care !!".

Irritating + don't care blended together and it really made me very confused.

2010-02-17T08:11:00.001+08:00

Read this article on the star online ...

Sin Chew Daily reported that the price of electricity is expected to increase in March. Quating Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui, the daily said the matter would be discussed in the weekly Cabinet meeting today. “The rise in price of natural gas and charcoal had affected the operating cost of TNB. “The tariff rate should be looked into if the price of these two items had changed,” he said.

2010-02-04T12:41:00.003+08:00

Love covers multitudes of sins.

How true is the verse.

Someone asked me whether I get angry when my girlfriend said or do things that really made you mad ?

My answer is "Yes" but at the same time or sometimes a day later - I would forget about it. I said that my love for her is too deep and great that it covers all the mistakes and shortcomings.

Recently I read a book "Christian Husband". It has brought godly insight.

2009-10-13T13:24:00.004+08:00

Love Your Wife Sacrificially So She Blooms as God Planned

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; 26 that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.

Eph 5:25-27

The lesson that every husband should learn ... especially for me ...

Introduction
Several years ago, the Saturday Evening Post published an article entitled “The Seven Ages of the Married Cold.” It revealed the reaction of a husband to his wife’s colds during their first seven years of marriage. It went something like this:
The first year: “Sugar dumpling, I’m really worried about my baby girl. You’ve got a bad sniffle, and there’s no telling about these things with all this strep throat going around. I’m putting you in the hospital this afternoon for a general checkup and a good rest. I know the food’s lousy, but I’ll be bringing your meals in from Rosini’s. I’ve already got it all arranged with the floor superintendent.”
The second year: “Listen, darling, I don’t like the sound of that cough. I called Doc Miller and asked him to rush over here. Now you go to bed like a good girl, please? Just for Papa.”
The third year: “Maybe you’d better lie down, honey: nothing like a little rest when you feel lousy. I’ll bring you something to eat. Have you got any canned soup?”
The fourth year: “Now look, dear, be sensible. After you’ve fed the kids, washed the dishes and finished the floor, you’d better lie down.”
The fifth year: “Why don’t you take a couple of aspirin?”
The sixth year: “I wish you’d just gargle or something, instead of sitting around all evening barking like a seal!”
The seventh year: “For Pete’s sake, stop sneezing! Are you trying to give me pneumonia?”
The decline of marriage as seen through the common cold. A funny look at a not-so-funny reality.
When I first heard that story, I laughed but at the same time it struck fear in me. We have this image of love that lasts a lifetime. But, I’ve been married eight years, and while I certainly haven’t accused Lori of barking like a seal, I have seen some changes in our marriage and not all of them for the better.
Are you still treating the woman you married the same way you did when you were dating or when you were first married? I hope so, but in case you aren’t, I want to share with you what I have discovered recently about love and marriage.
This is a hard lesson to share because it is so personal and it reveals my weaknesses. It shows where I fail. But I share it because I know others may be going through the same things. If you are, you are looking for answers. I think I’ve discovered one answer. So let’s look at it.
The answer comes in a rather cryptic picture of marriage—one that has puzzled many people and sent some down the wrong path, but it is a great model for building and growing a marriage. We will see that there is an exhortation, an example and an expectation for us to follow. Let’s take a look at Ephesians 5:25 to discover the model for genuine love that lasts a lifetime.
Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; 26 that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.
Love Your Wife Sacrificially So She Blooms as God Planned
Love your wife (25a)
Paul begins with the statement, “Husbands, love your wives.” It sounds like such a simple statement, but what does he mean? What does it mean to love?
I was asked this question the other day with reference to my wife, and my answer was that I wanted her to be happy. Imagine my surprise when a few days later I read the following quote from C. S. Lewis: “… by Love … most of us mean kindness—the desire to see others than the self happy; not happy in this way or in that, but just happy.” He goes on to say that God is not like that. “God does not govern the universe on such lines. And since God is Love, I conclude that my conception of love needs correction.” (The Problem of Pain, p. 40.)
My concept of love was wrong. I thought that loving your wife meant sacrificing yourself and your desires to make her happy. It’s true that true love involves kindness and sacrifice, but it doesn’t stop there.
Then how do we determine what love is? Let’s read on and see what Paul says. He has given us the exhortation to love, and now he gives us the example of love.
Paul says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” From this example of Christ, we can draw our second point.
Love your wife sacrificially (25b)
When we think of Christ’s sacrifice for the church we immediately think about the cross. He died for us. If that is our example, how do we apply that? I doubt if any of us will ever be called to literally die for our wives, so how do we sacrifice?
I think the key is understanding what it means to sacrifice. First we see what sacrifice is not.
Sacrifice is not just acts of kindness
Too often we read verse 25 and immediately jump on the sacrificial part and come up with a list of things we can do for our wives. In fact, I went to a Family Life Conference this last year and that is exactly what they did. The speaker asked the audience for examples of sacrificial acts of kindness that we could do for our wives. One guy yelled out, “Do the ironing!” Another yelled, “Do the dishes!” Then some wise guy said, “Change the oil!” Anyway, the list can go on and on—wash the dishes, clean the bathroom, iron, give up Monday night football, etc. Most of us are challenged by such lists because there is usually something on the list that has been forgotten. People like lists. They like steps and procedures. Why? Because they feel like they are in control. If you do those things then you have fulfilled your obligation and your conscience is pacified. But is that what it means to give sacrificial love?
What happens if we follow these steps? The husband gives up golf or hunting or Monday night football. He does all the chores around the house. He says, “I’ve got an attitude of sacrifice.” But his attitude might be self-centered. Maybe it is nothing more than working up Brownie points. He expects to be paid back. If he doesn’t get paid back, he stops trying.
Maybe the question to ask is, “What is the motivation?” To put it in the terms Larry Crabb used in his book called The Marriage Builder—is the motivation manipulation or ministry? If it is manipulation, then the husband is doing it because he expects his wife will be happier and treat him better. Most people have the idea that marriage is a 50/50 relationship. That is manipulation. If he is doing it out of the idea of ministering to her then he isn’t doing it for his own benefit. He is doing it for hers.
I read The Marriage Builder before we were married, so I knew this stuff going in to the relationship. I used to struggle with these ideas and what my motivation was. I was always very helpful around the house. I don’t leave my clothes on the floor, don’t watch football, I do wash dishes, and iron regularly, etc. But things did not remain the same as when we were dating or first married. Lori did not respond to me the same way she used to. That’s not meant to be a criticism of Lori because as I’ll explain later, there was nothing to respond to. Anyway, I continually told myself that I was just supposed to minister to her and not manipulate her. So I sometimes felt like a martyr.
Does this mean that Larry Crabb is wrong? No. I just misunderstood what it meant to minister to your wife. I only had a vague and negative idea that ministering was performing acts of kindness and not expecting any results. Christ will fill up your void, etc. Do you know what my idea of ministering was lacking? My ministry lacked direction. I had no goal. But I think I’ve finally discovered what it means to minister to your wife, and it comes in the next two verses.
Sacrifice is risking emotional pain
You may not believe it but sacrifice really involves risking yourself.
When you look at Christ’s sacrifice you understand that His death was not just an act of kindness. It was the pain of rejection when He entered our world to call us to Himself. Before we can begin to understand this concept we must recognize the motivation. We can never comprehend why God did what He did, but I think we can get a glimpse of the motivation which will help us as husbands see what our goal is supposed to be.
What is our purpose as husbands? What do we expect to happen? What is the expectation of Love?
Love your wife sacrificially so she blooms as God planned (26-27)
The purpose of love is the perfecting of the one loved.
The next two verses have three clauses in them that show the purpose of Christ’s sacrifice and love. I think having the same goal as Christ is the key to loving. So what is His goal?
Christ’s first goal is that He might sanctify her
To sanctify means to set apart. When you marry someone you set them apart from the world. They are set apart for special protection, special care, for special attention, for a special purpose.
When you get married, that is what you have done. You have taken her out of the world and set her apart because you want to devote special attention to her. What is the goal of this special attention?
Christ’s second goal is to present her in glory having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing
Christ’s third goal is that she should be holy and blameless
Christ loves the church and is committed to removing all the blemishes so He can present her in all her glory and beauty to Himself. This is the purpose of love. To bring about the perfection of the beloved.
This is not a new idea. You might recall Ephesians 1:4 which says, “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” This illustrates how God’s love is directed towards our improvement and making us beautiful.
If you remember earlier, I quoted C. S. Lewis as saying that love is not wanting someone else to be happy. He says later on in the same book when commenting on this same verse: “Love demands the perfecting of the beloved; that the mere ‘kindness’ which tolerates anything except suffering in its object is, in that respect, at the opposite pole from Love.” (Larry Crabb, Bold Love, page 184-85.)
So the goal of love is not just kindness motivated by a desire to make your wife happy. The goal is to build her up to bring about God’s purpose in her.
How do we know what God’s purpose for her is? 1 Peter 3:7 says “Live with your wives according to knowledge…” In other words know her. Know what she needs. Know what she is good at and what she is not so good at. Know her talents and help her develop them.
How do we get to know our wife? By involvement. Do things together, talk about significant things, etc. If our goal is the perfecting of our wife, there are going to be times when we need to confront them and deal with a problem. There’s the rub.
So, we now know the goal—to build up your wife and help her mature. So what is the problem? Fear of confrontation.
True Love involves confrontation. The purpose of speaking the truth in love in Eph 4:15 is maturity in the one spoken to. It often involves confrontation and correction, but that can only be done properly in love.
Confrontation has always been hard for me. I am not very quick on my feet in a debate or argument so I always feel like I lose. Over the years I have developed the attitude that I must have all the right answers before I dive into the fray. Whenever there is a disagreement with anyone, I usually back down.
I also feel like I have no place confronting someone else when I don’t have my act together and might be guilty of selfishness or something. But that can also become an excuse for never moving forward into someone else’s life. If we wait till we are perfect, we will never move forward. Those verses about judge not lest you be judged and take the log out of your own eye before you try to take the speck out of your brother’s eye need to be followed, but not used as excused to never do anything.
I think the biggest reason we don’t confront is self-protection. If I don’t have all the answers and I am not sinless, then my wife may become defensive and begin to lash out at me. It will hurt when she does that, and so we protect ourselves from that by retreating and never dealing with problems. That is where the sacrifice comes in. Sacrifice is risking life and limb to move into your wife’s life even though it means you are going to get hurt in the process.
Application: How Does That Work?
Sacrifice means I’m prepared to do those acts of kindness like watch the kids, clean the house on Tuesday and Thursday. That may free her to pursue things outside of our relationship like having her own business. That will help her grow in ways I couldn’t. She will encounter new challenges and encounter blind spots in her life that I don’t even see. She will have confrontation among her peers that will be different than what we experience within the marriage.
Sacrifice means I’m prepared to risk my feelings and the pain of rejection.
Sometimes it may mean vulnerably sharing your deepest concerns and feelings.
When problems come up I need to face them head on and not wait until I have all the answers or am blameless.
Can we put all of this together in a scenario?
Example: The other morning, I woke up late, went in and had a bowl of cereal for breakfast, and when I was finished I rinsed it and put it in the dishwasher. I noticed the kitchen was medium messy and thought I didn’t make the mess, so I headed back to the back of the house. Lori called out from the laundry room and said, “Where are you going?” I said, “To get ready for work.” She said, something like, “Aren’t you going to clean up the kitchen,” or “Why don’t you clean up the kitchen.” I don’t remember the exact words. They weren’t particularly nasty, but they were said with a demanding spirit. She was under a lot of stress to get some things done before some lady came over to the house. So what did I do? I went and cleaned up the kitchen.
Why did I do that? She shouldn’t have spoken with those words or that tone of voice. Why didn’t I confront her? I could have said something like, “It sure makes me feel like a little boy when you talk to me that way.” Why didn’t I do that?
1. Because the natural response from the person you confront is defensiveness and return accusations.
2. Because as I told you before I’m not quick on my feet. It took me two days to come up with that response.
3. Because I was wondering if perhaps I should have jumped right in there and cleaned the kitchen when I noticed the mess. I was not blameless in the situation, so I knew that any return accusation that she made would have some basis of truth. I knew I was going to get hurt if I entered into the fray. That scared me and so I didn’t venture forward.
When I finished the kitchen I went and got dressed and went to work. I never said anything about it to her until the next day when all of what I’m telling you today in this lesson came together in my mind. But there was no fellowship between us in the meantime. And she had noticed that I was out of sorts.
I share this example because it shows what happens when we retreat and don’t communicate with each other. Lori does not want to treat me disrespectfully. She didn’t recognize the way she said what she said. And even if she was defensive at first, she would want to know. When we discussed this situation later, she said “The truth is hard to take, but I’m glad you told me.”
It is better to make a 1000 little mistakes moving toward your wife than one big one retreating. I’ve been retreating for eight years. I made the comment earlier that Lori didn’t respond to me the way I wanted. The reason was there was nothing to respond to. I’m always retreating. I don’t take the lead and initiate the relationship like I should. I finally recognized it. It’s scary but I know what I’ve got to do.
Conclusion
The Exhortation Is to Love Our Wives
The example of love is Christ’s sacrificial love for the church. We saw that sacrifice doesn’t mean just acts of kindness that end in self-centered martyrdom. It involves giving up your patterns of self-protection.
The expectation of love is the perfecting of the beloved. We want to be God’s instrument for building up our wives. The only way we will be able to do that is if we sacrifice ourselves and are willing to be hurt in loving involvement in our wife’s life.
Wives can apply much of what I’ve said today because we husbands are not perfect and there are hurtful things that we do that need to be brought into the open and dealt with, but …
My dad once said to me that 85% of the time problems in marriage can be traced to the husband’s fault. I’m sure that was not a scientific measurement, but it made me realize that in the vast majority of cases that’s the truth. As we have gone through this passage, I have discovered that he is probably right. There is a great deal of responsibility placed on the husband for the maturity of the woman God has brought into our lives. So love your wife sacrificially so that she blooms as God planned.

2009-09-10T11:12:00.002+08:00

'I was punched, kicked and forced to strip'

2009/09/10 By Rita Jong and Jennifer Gomez (News Strait Times - Malaysia)

SHAH ALAM: A witness yesterday raised doubts over claims by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission that suspects were never beaten. To the contrary, he gave a blow-by-blow account of how he was tortured.

T. Sivanesan, 22, was a suspect in a graft probe last year and was detained for five days where he was allegedly beaten and stripped and even had an ice pack put in his underwear.Days after his release, Sivanesan lodged reports with the police and Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) and also took his complaints to non-governmental organisation Suaram and Public Complaints Bureau chief Senator Datuk T. Murugiah.In earlier proceedings, four MACC officers had denied that they had used force or threats when questioning witnesses or suspects.

But Sivanesan, an assistant manager with Puncak Rezeki Makmur, told the court yesterday how he was punched, kicked, blindfolded and forced to strip when he was called in for questioning for five days at the Selangor MACC office in Plaza Masalam in September last year.The witness also named four officers who he said took part in torturing him when he refused to sign a confession.

He named them as Khairul Nizam, Mohan, Raymond and Ashraf.Sivanesan, who was called to testify by counsel Gobind Singh Deo, said three plainclothes officers came to his house on Sept 4 last year and asked him to follow them to MACC office to facilitate investigations into a graft case.

"I knew one of them as Zulkifli. Later, I learnt that the other two were called Ashraf and 'J'."

When he arrived at the office, he was taken to a room. Another officer, identified as Mohan, came into the room and threatened him in Tamil."He said if I did not tell the truth, this place would be hell."Later, three officers brought a letter and tried to force me to sign it, but I refused."

Sivanesan said he was handcuffed from behind and left in the room for about four hours. He said he was taken to his house where MACC officers conducted a search. He was then taken back to the MACC office.

"I was taken to a room where I saw a tall bespectacled man wrapping an iron rod in newspapers. He slapped my cheeks five to six times."He told me to sign a confession letter but I refused. He said I was stubborn and forced me to strip down to my underwear."

Sivanesan said 10 to 15 people then slapped, kicked and punched him."The man who earlier slapped me came back and began beating my buttocks with the iron rod. They attacked me all at once."

Ashraf slapped me more than twice and shouted profanities at me."I tried to fight back but was overpowered. Ashraf cuffed my feet and when I was on the ground, he hit my private parts and the soles of my feet with a cane. I was also blindfolded with a white towel with the letters 'MACC' emblazoned on it."

He said during that time, he heard one of the officers, whom he identified as a "deputy director", instructing the other officers to continue what they were doing."There were about 15 people in the room. I know some of their names and I can identify the rest as I will never forget their faces."Sivanesan said he passed out after that.

When he regained consciousness, he was still in the room and there was an ice pack in his underwear.He said the "torture session" resumed the following day when the bespectacled officer slapped, punched and kicked him for about 20 minutes. He claimed there were three other officers who stood by and watched. He said the officers left him alone after the second day when, unable to endure the beatings, he signed the confession.Sivanesan said he was released on the fifth day and was warded at Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang for four days.

"I also took pictures of my injuries."Sivanesan's testimony went uninterrupted for more than two hours, during which he took out an underwear from his trouser pocket.He showed a tear in the white underwear which he claimed was due to the beatings he endured.

Sivanesan also produced photographs of his injuries which he took himself before he lodged the police report.Gobind tendered the photographs as evidence.

2009-08-18T23:38:00.001+08:00

Petrol price will be going up comes September 01, 2009.

From RM1.80 to RM2.00. The excuse given - environmental friendly !!

2009-07-22T23:26:00.000+08:00

2009-07-15T10:18:00.001+08:00

Nechayev, a 19th-century disciple of Karl Marx who had a role in the assassination of Czar Alexander II, wrote: “The revolutionary man . . . has no personal interests, no business affairs, no emotions, no attachments, no property, and no name. Everything in him is wholly absorbed in the single thought and the single passion for revolution.” Although his motives and goals were wrong, Nechayev’s statement shows the singlemindedness of commitment.

Jesus wanted true commitment from His disciples. In Luke 14, we read that large crowds joined Him as He traveled toward Jerusalem (v.25).

Perhaps these casual followers considered themselves to be His true disciples, but Jesus taught that following Him was more than just knowing facts about Him.

He explained what it really meant to be His disciple when He defined the cost of discipleship: Nothing, not love for father or mother or even one’s own life, was to take precedence over loyalty to Jesus (vv.26-33).

His disciples (then and now) must acknowledge that if God is to be primary in their lives, possessions and even social relationships have to be secondary.

2009-07-15T10:11:00.002+08:00

2009-07-15T10:02:00.000+08:00

2009-07-09T15:46:00.007+08:00

Would you continuing doing your wrong doing or off track schedule for the sake of "aiyah ... already do, never mind lar. Can start tomorrow wat !!"

I am currently on diet-plan since 2/7/2009, and the above thought came into me when I ate a "bit" more than I should yesterday evening.

Said to myself, "Hey .. you are on diet and here you are eating away - better stop man !!".There was another voice that said, "Hmmm ... it's ok, you can restart tomorrow. Anyway - you have broken the "sin" by eating."

In our lives, we may also fall into this trap. Trapped in "already happened, never mind lor" but there is another choice that we can take - STOP !

Well - I managed to take the former choice rather than the latter one.

Though it may just a simple diet plan, but it is also a good example to be illustrate in our walk with the Lord.

We may stumbled here and there, but our Lord is full of grace and forgiving. HE is ever ready to accept us when we return to HIM.

Each time when we off-track, we need to re-track and come back to the path of righteousness. To continue the off-track = deceiving + excuses.

2009-07-06T12:55:00.000+08:00

Found this article from yahoo ... hope it is helpful.

Here, 6 simple swaps that will help you lose a little water weight and keep calories in check:

1) Season Food Without Salt
Smart Swap: Add zing to your meals with salt-free seasoning blends such as the Original and Italian medley Mrs. Dash instead of salt, salt-based seasonings, and highly processed foods. The reason? You may be attracted to your saltshaker, but water is, too. When you take in higher than usual amounts sodium, you’ll temporarily retain more fluid, contributing to that sluggish feeling, a puffy appearance, and extra water weight. Yuck.Get your sexy summer body and your confidence back!

2) Thirsty? Stick to plain H20
Smart Swap: There's nothing like a nice cold carbonated beverage when you're hot and thirsty but plain old tap water is a better way to stay hydrated—those tingly bubbles just end up in your belly, causing it to puff out more.
Try these simple, belly-flattening beverage alternatives

3) Up the protein, lower the carbs
Smart Swap: Use one slice of whole grain bread for your sandwich at lunch instead of two, and swap snacks like pretzels for nuts or seeds. At dinner, try to stick to lean protein sources and, if you must have a carb, try something made with whole grains like quinoa or brown rice. Unless you’re running a marathon this weekend, loads of high-carb foods like bagels, bread, pasta, pretzels, and cereal will just boost bloat. The science-y reason: as a backup energy source, your muscles store a type of carbohydrate called glycogen, and every gram of glycogen is stored with about 3 grams of water. But unless you have a vigorous exercise routine, you don't need all this stockpiled fuel. When you decrease the carbs, you'll temporarily train your body to access this stored fuel and burn it off. At the same time, you'll drain off excess stored fluids.
Get loads of healthy warm-weather recipes and meal ideas!

4) Cook your veggies
Smart Swap: Eat veggies, just eat them cooked—steaming is quick and easy. Fruit is gorgeous and plentiful right now so indulge in moderation. When you’re trying to watch your weight it may be temping to fill up on a grapes, but if you want a flat belly filling it with all that volume is counter-productive: A half-cup serving of cooked carrots delivers the same nutrition as one cup raw, but it takes up less room in your GI tract. The same goes for fresh fruits: Compare the size of a few grapes to a few raisins. Big difference! While you’re at it skip those notorious gas-causers like broccoli and cauliflower and cook up green beans, mushrooms, and squash—which is bountiful right now anyway.

5) Season food with belly-friendly flavors
Smart swap: some people love their food four-alarm spicy (I’m one of them)! Feel the heat for one night, then lay off the barbecue sauce and garlic for a few days while debloating. Give dishes a flavor boost with in-season fresh or dried herbs like dill, basil, mint, sage, tarragon, and rosemary. You can also use curry powder, lemon or lime juice—all perfect with fish or chicken. Try to avoid Black pepper, nutmeg, cloves, Chili powder, hot sauces, onions, garlic, mustard, barbecue sauce, horseradish, catsup, tomato sauce, vinegar; Spicy foods can stimulate the release of stomach acid, which can cause irritation.
Spice up your dinner with these delicious, 30-minute chicken recipes

6) Satisfy an oral fixation with seeds, not gum
Smart Swap: If you chew gum by habit or just like to bite down on something crunchy, reach for some nuts, like roasted or raw unsalted sunflower seeds. You probably don't realize this, but when you chew gum, you swallow air. All that air gets trapped in your GI tract and causes pressure, bloating, and belly expansion—none of which are swimsuit-friendly

2009-07-03T19:35:00.004+08:00

"Don't love someone too much cos' when she passed away, you may not be able to withstand the grief"
It is hard, isn't it ?

But how would one not to love someone too much when relationship is birth from love ?

2009-06-25T13:36:00.001+08:00

THERE is a Chinese quote which says: "To understand your parents' love you must raise children yourself".

Some of us must go down that road to know what it's like to understand the trouble our parents have gone through to raise us

2009-05-24T23:59:00.002+08:00

My church started the Project 100 (15 minutes of daily prayer) last year and from April 2009 onwards, the participants were given a Prayer Record Booklet and the team leader would sms daily to remind us.

The 1st month was not easy and "forgetful" hahaha ... sometimes the prayer finished in just less than 2 minutes and sometimes 0 minute (tak ada buat lar).

As I started to build on the P100 (Project 100), I realized that I spent 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 55 minutes and at times 1 hour and 30 minutes !!

The Lord continues to reveal deeper matters to pray and it had really expand tremendously.

Sometimes, I would continue my prayer while driving to office or place of appointments.

Not only it had changed my life but also to my dear ones.

2009-05-22T15:28:00.001+08:00

Had my car brake pad changed 3 weeks ago. Imagine how thin and wear out it is compare to a new set.

2009-04-28T18:52:00.001+08:00

What is swine influenza?

It is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A strains of the influenza virus. It regularly causes high flu outbreaks in pigs but with low death rates. There are four main sub-types of the virus, but the most recent isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses.

How does it spread?

Swine flu viruses do not typically infect humans though they do occur through close proximity or contact with infected pigs or contaminated areas. Cases of human-to-human spread have been documented.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms are similar to those of regular flu:
- Fever
- Lethargy
- Runny nose
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Lack of appetite
- Vomiting and diarrhoea in some cases.

How common is swine flu infection in humans?

In the past reports of about one human swine flu virus infection had been received every one to two years in the United States. From December 2005 till February 2009, 12 cases have been reported.

Has this strain of flu been seen before?

No. Flu mutates constantly, so it is common for new strains to emerge. Pigs can also be infected with both human and avian influenza, and the current circulating swine flu strain appears to contain genetic elements from all three.

Can swine flu be treated with antiviral drugs and flu vaccine?

The swine flu is resistant to two common drugs – Amantadine and Rimantadine. The H1N1 swine flu viruses are very different from human H1N1 viruses. Therefore, vaccines for human seasonal flu would not provide protection. However, a “seed vaccine” has been specifically tailored to this swine flu and will be manufactured if officials deem it necessary.

Can people catch swine flu by eating pork?

No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 70ºC and above kills the swine flu virus.

How long is someone with swine flu considered contagious?

People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic; possibly for up to seven days following the onset of the illness. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

What can I do to protect myself from the swine flu?

There is no vaccine available right now to protect against the swine flu.

However, you can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza by:

- Covering your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or handkerchief when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the waste basket after you use it.

- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also helpful

- Try to avoid close contact with sick people. - If you get sick with influenza, stay at home and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

- Consult your nearest healthcare facility if you think you have any of the symptoms.

Which countries have had cases of the swine flu?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed human cases of swine flu in Mexico, the United States, Canada and Spain. Only Mexico has reported deaths from the new strain.

Are there any travel restrictions or advisories for Malaysians?

The Health Ministry on April 27 advised Malaysians against travelling to certain places in the United States, Mexico and Canada which have been affected by the swine flu.

What precautions are in place in Malaysia?

- The Health Ministry’s operations room in Putrajaya has started a 24-hour monitoring of the situation. The public can call 03-8881 0200/300 for enquiries.

- Those returning from Latin American countries and found to have flu-like symptoms will be quarantined.

- Health Ministry officials are conducting health screenings on passengers arriving from the United States.

- Thermal scanners will be placed at international airports to speed up the screening process for swine flu.

- Public and private medical practitioners have been instructed to report to the district health office any patient with influenza-like illnesses or severe pneumonia symptoms and who had travelled to the affected countries after April 17.

- Owners of the 797 pig farms nationwide have been ordered to immediately contact the nearest Veterinary Services Department office or the Animal Disease Control Centre if their workers or animals show symptoms linked to the swine flu.

Where can I get more information?

For more information, go to the Health Ministry (www.moh.gov.my) or call the Ministry's hotline at (03) 8881-0200/300.

2009-04-27T23:15:00.000+08:00

- Do not respond to any request for your login ID, password or PIN over the phone, through fax, email or pop-up messages.

- Take down the name, phone number and any other information you can from the caller who asks for the information

- Call your bank if you are not sure of the authenticity of a call, SMS or email. ATM machines also provide numbers that you can call.

- You can also call the Association of Banks in Malaysia's toll-free hotline at 1300-88-9980 and Bank Negara's at 1300-88-5465.

- Always enter the Universal Resource Locators (URLs) directly into the web browser. Avoid being redirected to the website or hyperlinked to it from an email or another website.

- Ensure that you are in a secure website by checking the URLs to ensure that it begins with "https://'" instead of "http://'" and look for a display of a closed padlock symbol on the status bar of your browser.

- Protect your personal computer from hackers, viruses and malicious programmes.

Source: Bank Negara corporate communications director Abu Hassan Alshari Yahaya

2009-04-25T10:13:00.000+08:00

Saturday April 25, 2009 (The Star)

‘Park at own risk’ sign no shield from liability

By PRISCILLA DIELENBERG

GEORGE TOWN: A “Park at your own risk” sign does not excuse an operator from being liable for items stolen from cars parked in the area under his care.

Yesterday, a magistrates court here ordered a car park operator to pay lawyer John Heah Wee Theng RM1,668 for items stolen from his car parked at an open air car park near Komtar two years ago.

The items included a compact disc and cassette player with a CD of a compilation of Neil Diamond’s songs, an amplifier, and a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses.

In his statement of claim filed against Timur Car Park Sdn Bhd, Heah said the notice board at the entrance to the car park stating that the defendant was not responsible for any loss or damage did not absolve the defendant from its duty of care and from liability.

In its defence, Timur Car Park argued that the notice board at the entrance meant Heah had clear knowledge that he was parking his car at his own risk.

The company added that it only provided a parking facility for the public and not a security service to prevent theft or trespass, and did not have duty of care.

It said Heah could have failed to lock his car and activate the alarm system, or failed to ensure that the alarm system and the locks of the car doors were all functioning well.

Heah said he parked his Kenari at the former open air car park next to the Traders Hotel at about 8.30pm on Oct 20, 2007.

When he returned to his car at about 9.40pm, he found the door on the driver’s side unlocked and the items missing.

He said he paid RM2.40 to the company as parking charges for the duration, and the company had a duty of care to watch over the vehicles parked in the car park.

Heah said he parked in a bright spot near a lamppost, adding that there were only 50 to 60 cars there at the time when the car park had a capacity for about 250 to 300 cars. He also said one or two of the car park’s workers were patrolling the area on motorcycle.

Magistrate Mohamed Aznin Mohamed Ariff allowed Heah’s claim for the sum, with interest and costs.

Heah was represented by Tan Beng Hong while Su Tiam Leong appeared for Timur Car Park.

In October 2007, the car park ceased operations and piling works began at the site for the construction of the 11-storey 1st Avenue Penang shopping complex which is scheduled for completion later this year.

2009-04-09T22:50:00.001+08:00

THE NAJIB ADMINISTRATION 2009

Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak

Deputy Prime Minister
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin

Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department
Tan Sri Datuk Dr Koh Tsu Koon (Unity Affairs and Performance Management)
Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz (Justice and & Parliament)
Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop (Economic Planning Unit)
Maj. Gen (R) Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom (Islamic Religious Affairs)

Deputy Ministers
Datuk Liew Vui Keong
Senator Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim
Datuk S. K. Devamany
Ahmad Maslan
Senator T. Murugiah

Finance
Minister: Datuk Seri Najib Razak
Minister II: Datuk Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlan
Deputy: Datuk Chor Chee Heung
Deputy: Senator Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussein

Education
Minister: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
Deputy: Datuk Dr. Wee Ka Siong
Deputy: Datuk Dr Puad Zakarshi

Transport
Minister: Datuk Ong Tee Keat
Deputy: Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri
Deputy: Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew

Plantation Industries and Commodities
Minister: Tan Sri Bernard Dompok
Deputy: Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin

Home
Minister: Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein
Deputy: Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop
Deputy: Encik Jelaing Mersat

Information, Communication, Arts and Culture
Minister: Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim
Deputy: Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum
Deputy: Senator Heng Seai Kie

Energy, Green Technology and Water
Minister: Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui
Deputy: Noriah Kasnon

Rural and Regional Development
Minister: Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal
Deputy: Datuk Hassan Malek
Deputy: Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun

Higher Education
Minister: Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin
Deputy: Datuk Dr Hou Kok Chung
Deputy: Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah

International Trade and Industry
Minister: Datuk Mustapa Mohamad
Deputy: Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir
Deputy: Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan

Science, Technology and Innovation
Minister: Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili
Deputy: Fadillah Yusof

Natural Resources and Environment
Minister: Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas
Deputy: Tan Sri Joseph Kurup

Tourism
Minister: Datuk Ng Yen Yen
Deputy: Datuk Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abdul Taib

Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries
Minister: Datuk Noh Omar
Deputy: Datuk Johari Baharum
Deputy: Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim

Defence
Minister: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Deputy: Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad

Works
Minister: Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor
Deputy: Datuk Yong Khoon Seng

Health
Minister: Datuk Liow Tiong Lai
Deputy: Datuk Rosnah Rashid Shilin

Youth and Sports
Minister: Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek
Deputy: Datuk Razali Ibrahim
Deputy: Encik Wee Jeck Seng

Human Resources
Minister: Datuk Dr. S. Subramaniam
Deputy: Datuk Maznah Mazlan (Senator)

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs
Minister: Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob
Deputy: Datuk Tan Lian Hoe

Housing and Local Government
Minister: Datuk Kong Cho Ha
Deputy: Datuk Lajim Ukin

Women’s Development, Family and Community
Minister: Senator Datuk Shahrizat Jalil
Deputy: Datuk Paduka Chew Mei Fun

Foreign
Minister: Datuk Anifah Aman
Deputy: Senator A. Kohilan Pillay
Deputy: Datuk Lee Chee Leong

Federal Territories
Minister: Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin
Deputy: Datuk M. Saravanan

2009-03-01T22:06:00.003+08:00

When facing difficulties - don't give up.

A lot of things I learned from my life-partner. She is a very strong person. The LORD loves her alot and always by her side in every situation.

2009-02-13T12:53:00.003+08:00

This morning Our Daily Bread message is lovely.

"God's love is a fabric that never fades. No matter how often it is washed in the water of adversity."

Tomorrow is the Valentine's Day, let our love for each other would not fades when we go through whatever adversity that may come along.

Let the love of God covers all of us.

2009-02-12T15:43:00.002+08:00

I attended a Christian Seminar a few days ago.

The way the speaker shared the Bible verses are really an eye opener ....

Sowing and reaping: When I sow 1, it doesn't mean I get 1 but may reap in hundreds or even thousands.

Su Mor Kong told me long time ago about the concept of sowing and reaping. She has been doing that for a very long time.

2009-02-05T17:15:00.005+08:00

I am now at the most famous cake house in Melaka called Nadeje Cafe at Jalan PM3; next to Jonker Hawker Centre, that is next to Mahkota Parade.

It is famous for it's chocolate layer cake. Hmmm I could see why ... cos' everyone here seemed to order either chocolate or cheese layer cakes.

2009-02-03T16:15:00.003+08:00

Read this article from newspaper:

AFTER saving for almost a year, Adam and Aida have finally saved enough for the down payment of their dream home, a freehold double-storey old house but very well-maintained.

What really attracted them was the close proximity to Adam's parents' home. Besides, there's also a hypermarket, a school, hospital, a playground and shops located nearby.

The owner originally asked for RM350,000 but after much negotiation and bargaining, they finally settled at RM325,000. They paid RM25,000 as down payment and took out a loan for RM300,000 for 30 years.

As Aida is working in a bank, she was able to arrange a staff loan facility at three per cent per annum, which works out to a monthly repayment of only RM1,300, instead of the initial budgeted amount of RM2,000. This was a huge saving.

With a home of their own comes along additional expenses, like utility bills, quit rent, property assessment, home insurance and occasional maintenance and repairs. Adam and Aida have now created a liability for themselves in the process of financing it through a home loan. In essence, they do not own the home until they finish paying off the loan. Meanwhile, it would be wise for them to cover that liability with an insurance programme should something unfortunate happen to either of them.

Most often, banks would recommend taking out a Mortgage Reducing Term Assurance (MRTA) which may be the most affordable option. However, we can also top up on our personal life insurance programme to cover for such liability. Adam and Aida decided to increase their personal insurance coverage by RM150,000 each as this would give them greater control and flexibility. Barring all this in mind, they felt it was necessary to come up with a new budget.

From their revised budget, they were still able to have a surplus.

Now that they have their own house, they felt it's time to start a family. All this while, they were unsure if they can afford to start one but after having reviewed their budget, they felt that they could manage.

Before you embark on your journey to parenthood, you might want to consider some of the following issues:

- Are you ready for the ride? Having children do not only involve financial adjustments but also emotional.

In fact, your whole life will change and once you decide to take this journey, there's no turning back. Many couples become parents by default or by accident (in some cases) but may not have taken a course in parenting or at the very least learn some basics of parenting via "on-the-job" learning or with some "mentoring" from their own parents. You have to get yourselves physically, mentally, emotionally and financially prepared for this parenthood adventure.

- What are your Childcare Plans? If you are planning to return to work, it is a good idea to make plans for your child well before he or she is born. Childcare centres often have long waiting lists. Consider your options: at-home care in your home, home-based childcare in another home, or traditional childcare centres.

Be sure to visit many places and get referrals from friends and families. When visiting a centre, talk to parents and, of course, find out the costs. However, if one of you is planning to stay home full-time to care for your child, there will be more adjustments to be made.

Yes, it may not be easy to survive on a single income for most urban families nowadays, but these are some of the sacrifices that you'd have to make. Decide on who's going to stay home and who's going to bring the money. This is a choice that only both of you, as a couple can make and know best.

- Review your monthly budget, or create one. Life will never be the same again and so will your budget. Having a baby will normally add to your monthly expenses.

For example, diapers and baby formula alone can cause quite a dent and you'll see increases in miscellaneous expenses too, such as napkins and laundry detergent.

Of course, one of the best ways to save on baby formula would be to breast-feed your child but it requires a lot of determination and sacrifice.

Other than that, your utility bills will likely to increase as you'll be home more often and have more laundry to wash. Medical expenses, including visits to the pediatrician, can really add up, especially over the baby's first few years.

And if you're planning to return to work, the cost of childcare can add several hundred ringgit a month to your expenses.

The key is to know how your money is being spent now and to plan for how things will change once the baby arrives.

- The most crucial thing to remember is financially, any expenses or future expenses can be managed with a budget that has been predetermined and the commitment to make necessary adjustments to your lifestyle when the need arises.

Can we afford a child now?

This question is often very subjective and rather personal. Couples should discuss and plan objectively to make necessary adjustments to their lives to welcome their new family member.

2009-01-30T17:12:00.001+08:00

Malaysia battling worst-ever dengue outbreak

Malaysia said Friday it was battling its worst ever outbreak of dengue fever, with 14 deaths and some 5,062 cases of the mosquito-borne disease so far this year.

The crisis, which is centred on Kuala Lumpur and populous Selangor state surrounding the capital, compares to just five deaths and 2,855 cases in the same period a year ago.

"This is the worst outbreak ever but this is not just a Malaysian problem, but a global problem," health ministry director-general Ismail Merican told a press conference.

Ismail said that despite the crisis, householders were refusing to allow local authorities to enter their premises to conduct pesticide "fogging" to kill the aedes mosquito which transmits dengue fever.

He urged residents to keep their environment clean and remove rubbish and pots that collect water where mosquitoes can breed.

"It is important for the public to come together to destroy the mosquito breeding grounds," he said.

Malaysia's health minister has warned that the dengue outbreak could damage the economy by discouraging tourism and lowering productivity.

Dengue fever is endemic in Southeast Asia and cases in Malaysia have surged since 2003.

Last year there were 49,335 cases in Malaysia with 112 deaths, compared to 48,846 cases with 98 deaths the previous year.

2009-01-19T18:04:00.003+08:00

Dear friends,

For the longest time - I did not know that C.N.Y preparations was so tedious and demanding !!

Not only physically and monetary value but mentally as well.

Though I am not .... yet .... married, but in these past few weeks, I've learned a few. Some from friends and my family.

After going through with them, I really, really appreciate and treasured the effort and time people put in to prepare this CNY.

Chores like:
- Cleaning up house
- Repainting
- Re-dust old stuffs
- Redo garden
- Slicing & Frying "ngar ku"
- Shop for new clothings for kids or self
- Shop for restaurant to eat during the CNY eve
- Making decision type of the dishes
- Shop for gift to parents, in-laws, immediate uncles & aunties
- Gifts to neighbours
- And .... preparing "angpows"
- Angpows for parents, in-laws, own kids, other people kids, sometimes others' others kids that accidentally bumped into ... wat lau ... like a multi-level marketing liao ...
- And ..... as a host, preparation food snacks & cleaning up
- And .... a driver to send parents or kids visiting almost all the uncles & aunties houses
- And ... some others little, little things that may took whatever time that is left.

So dear friends .... appreciate peoples' effort. All these CNY things really tensed lar !!

So ..... support and love your partner/parents with all your heart !! They sacrifices alot more than you think.

God bless you !!!!

2009-01-09T15:20:00.003+08:00

Year 2008 brought progress and maturity to me personally.

Learning how to cook dishes, think of others more than self, train to be more like a "family man", read alot of books, no T.V programs, and of course pray alot, I mean ALOT !!!

In all these, I experience God's grace, mercies and blessings upon my life, especially in the area of relationship.

I thanked the Lord for HIS grace & blessings upon this relationship. Thank you LORD.

Please continues to pray and uphold us both physically & spiritually.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2009-01-09T15:16:00.003+08:00

The days of 2008 has ended 9 days ago and we are embracing a new era, a new season, a new challenges for a new 2009.

Where would we be heading to ?

One advice that I received from a good spiritual friend ....

"Trust the LORD with all your heart. Lean not in your own understanding but in everything acknowledge HIM. For the LORD shall not forsake nor leave you."

2008-11-26T10:31:00.001+08:00

Saw this huge hand-painting of The Last Supper on the wall in St. Barnabas Church, Klang. So awesome !!

2008-11-25T09:24:00.003+08:00

Went to a hypermarket in Klang to get some snacks and what I've found was really "unfounded" .. hahaha ..

Thought that when you buy in bulk, the cost of a product should be cheaper, but not this hypermarket !!! ...

1 pack = RM0.30 sen
10 packs = RM3.35 sen = RM0.35 sen per pack.

Better buy 1 pack at at time .. hahaha

2008-11-20T09:42:00.003+08:00

Assume monthly basic salary is RM4,000.

- If your monthly EPF contribution is 11% ( RM440 ), taxable income = RM3560
income tax payable = RM77 .

- If your monthly EPF contribution is 8% ( RM320 ), taxable income = RM3680,
income tax payable = RM109 .

Conclusion : If you choose to contribute 8% , you will end up paying more income tax.

Finance Minister Najib said this measure is meant to boost up the slow-down market, but from this example wee see that the money does not go into the market.

Instead the money goes direct into the government's pocket through the greater amount of income tax that we will have to pay.

Obviously this measure does not help the market at all.

2008-11-17T15:49:00.001+08:00

Some of the fake RM50 notes ....

2008-11-17T09:07:00.005+08:00

This morning - took out my guitar, played a few chords, read Our Daily Bread and trying to pray. Finding hard to pray this morning ... "Lord, are you here and do YOU hear my prayer and heart cry ?"

I could not proceed further with my prayer in known language, what I could do was to pray in tongue. As I prayed, something just pop up into my mind - hey I have not read yesterday Our Daily Bread article ler ...

As Jacob did in Genesis 28, I like to remind myself each morning when I awaken that God is here, “in this place,” present with me (v.16). As I spend time with Him each morning, reading His Word and responding in prayer, it reinforces my sense of His presence—that He is near. Although we do not see Him, Peter reminds us that we can love Him and rejoice in His love for us with “inexpressible,” glorious joy (1 Peter 1:8).

We take the Lord’s presence with us all through the day, blending work and play with prayer. He is our teacher, our philosopher, our companion—our gentle, kind, and very best friend.

God is with us wherever we go. He is in the commonplace, whether we know it or not. “Surely the Lord is in this place,” Jacob said of a most unlikely spot, “and I did not know it” (Gen. 28:16). We may not realize He is close by. We may feel lonely and sad. Our day may seem bleak and dreary without a visible ray of hope—yet He is present.

Amid all the clamor and din of this visible and audible world, listen carefully for God’s quiet voice. Listen to Him in the Bible. Talk to Him frequently in prayer. Look for Him in your circumstances. Seek Him. He is with you wherever you go! — David H. Roper

Oh, how oft I wake and find
I have been forgetting Thee!
I am never from Thy mind;
Thou it is that wakest me. —MacDonald

Our greatest privilege is to enjoy God’s presence.

Wow !! So fast that my God answered my prayer !!!

The 1st person that came into my mind to share this great experience was to my life partner. I hope with this sharing, she also be encouraged.

2008-11-15T18:15:00.003+08:00

Celebrate my mom & niece birthday.

2008-11-05T20:34:00.002+08:00

Wow ... news do travel very fast !! Just less than 1 hour after my car got banged from behind, my friend from Muar, Johore gave me a call.

Muar also knew about it ... hahaha..

Anyway, thanks for the concern - no bodily injury.

2008-11-05T19:51:00.005+08:00

This is the 2nd time I received email from this so called "online banking" user id & password verification !!

I know it is a fraud cos' I am not even a an account holder for that bank !!

Anyway .. just play along to see what happen !!

After click the link, it brings you to the "bank" web site. But look very closely at the url address ...

Everything looks so real, but wrong or fake url address (http;//) !!!

As you enter your user id and password, the fraudster will capture them and login into your banking and transfer out all your money in a matter of seconds !!

You may not realized that you been hit - soon after you press submit, it will link you to the real website and you will never notice what had happened !!

This fake website had been reported as forgery and many people already "kena" by it liao ...

So be careful !!! Don't get cheated !! So many bad people out there !!

2008-10-28T13:14:00.002+08:00

2008-10-22T17:34:00.000+08:00

2008-10-11T23:31:00.001+08:00

2008-10-11T23:29:00.000+08:00

2008-09-23T21:42:00.007+08:00

LOVE is the most powerful, magical force in the universe, and there is nowhere it displays its beauty and wonder more than in the intimate relationship between two people.

LOVE enables us to grow into a better human being and reassure us that although love challenges and blesses each of us in unique ways - we are never alone in what we go through.

Sometimes LOVE is in what is said, and sometimes ....... what is not said but deeply felt.
Sometimes LOVE is in the obstacles we must face together.
Sometimes LOVE is in how the joy we feel with our partner.
Sometimes LOVE is in where relationship takes us inside ourselves ..... places we would never go willingly, but for LOVE, we will do anything !

There is no miracle greater than LOVE.
It is God's most precious gift to us.
May our lives always be blessed with LOVE.

2008-08-11T22:02:00.004+08:00

It seemed that each time when I am doing the fasting & praying, my house be filled with great food !!

Yesterday afternoon when I got back home, I saw nasi lemak, fried eggs & "u char koay" - my favourites !!

This afternoon I received a phone call from my "fasting & prayer" my friend telling me that she is passing by a lorry carrying lots of durians ... my stomach begin to make funny-funny sound ... hahaha ...

2008-08-03T22:35:00.004+08:00

In 1 hour and 25 minutes, I will enter into a new age !!! hahaha...

Just I was about to write this entry, I spent a few minutes of worship & prayer. Thanking God for the ups & downs, good time & hard time, pain & joy that I've gone through.

May I end this entry with the words that I sms her on July 17, 2008:

As a huge oak tree provides
shelter and protection for all living things
that nest in its branches,
a strong man provides
security and comfort
for every members of his family.

I want to be that huge oak tree that provides security, comfort & true love to her and "people" that are dear to her heart.

May the LORD's blesssing and HIS love & harmony fill us all from now and forever.

2008-07-29T14:30:00.001+08:00

"When you really want to do do something, but fear and
uncertaintly are holding you back, you should just "jump and
develop your wings on the way down."

That's exactly the kind of thinking that makes
for huge entreprenurial success.

2008-07-28T12:45:00.002+08:00

Received this email from a church friend (Vincent Lim):

Happy moments - Praise God.
Difficult moments - Seek God.
Quiet moments - Worship God.
Painful moments - Trust God.
Every moments - Thank God.

2008-07-27T13:43:00.004+08:00

Love gives hope, strength and purpose !

2008-07-26T15:19:00.002+08:00

Was shocked !!! .... 984 unread mail messages ??!!!

So ridicules !!

2008-07-24T18:23:00.006+08:00

When I started to design & managing the church website - I had this "wild" & great dream ... to use the web as a tool to spread gospel & be a place where people would come in to receive & to give knowledge.... wow !!!! Wild, right ??!!!

Haha .. the world has became smaller and distance had been shortened. There is no barrier in the world of information sharing.

People are connecting with each other instantly !! You could be having a dinner-online-chat with someone who is brushing early morning teeth at the other part of the continent.

While there is no barrier "online", we need to guard ourselves with the wickedness that are crawling into it.

Just this morning, I added an unknown msn-chitchatter upon request and shocked to find out that the contact was a porn chitchatter !!!

This person displayed pornographic photo & talked "dirty" things.

I was really caught off-guard with such thing. This is the very first time that I encounter with such thing !! Firmly - I delete and block this contact.

There is no reason for us to linger with such influence. Do not play with fire for you will surely get burned.

Only this morning, my "arm-mor-mor" personal consultant advised me .... 3 things to beware when I am dealing with my web design business:

1- Separate Personal with Business
2- Continue to be faithful with God's ministry
3- Do not involve with illegal business & she specifically gave me an example, porn-site. And just less than 2 hours, I encountered such "porny-msn-chittchatter" !!!

Her fore-warn is so timely !!

Dear online friends, do what is good. Do not conform to the world's standard but be transform into God's standard.

It may be hard at 1st, let us press on .... the reward is eternal life.

2008-07-20T18:22:00.003+08:00

On this day July 20, 2008 - the Pandamaran Chinese Methodist Church had its groundbreaking ceremony for the building of a new church - "Gereja Methodist Bukit Tinggi".

The ceremony was officited by the CAC president, Rev. Boh Che Suan.

Let us all arise & build this new church . Let this church be a lighthouse and shine forth the love of God to the lost souls and a center point of great evangelism to all the people.

Thumb-up for the Kingdom of God ! Come ! Let us be united and with one voice building up HIS Kingdom !!!

2008-07-16T22:52:00.001+08:00

Was shocked when I received the Telekom house phone bill, owing them RM451.80 !!! How could this happened?

Did someone tapped into my line or what?

Went to the Telekom office and the person in charged just wrote a new figure of RM167.40 to pay. No new bill generated. Asked him why such thing happened? A very blunt answered ... technical glitch .... hmmm .... very lame answer.

2008-07-14T21:44:00.004+08:00

I re-read a book title "Men of Character - Joshua". You may wonder why ?

In these recent months, I have been reading devotional book, listening to sermons & attending Bible classes and one common words kept popping up .... "Do not be afraid, be strong & of good courage for the Lord your God is with you ..."

It sounds very familiar until I searched my bookshelf and I found this book....

It talked about how Moses, the great leader passing the baton of leadership to Joshua. For Joshua it is an awesome task & yoke to bear.

The measuring yard-stick of leadership is now on his shoulder.

Will share more details from time to time.

Prelude:
Joshua was a leader - and so are you. When you became a Christian, you inherited a leadership role. You may not be president of a cooperation or a pastor of a church, but you are a leader in God's great army of believers.

For a starters, you are called to model Jesus Christ and that's leadership.

2008-07-14T10:30:00.005+08:00

Watched a 11:00 pm "HellBoy II" at a cinema yesterday night and end at 1:05 am ... Had not been awake so late since 3-4 months ago . . .

The show was fulled of actions & great sound effect .... but the most enjoyable part for me was when the "HellBoy" & "Abe" the fishman sung "I can't smile without you" by Barry Manilow.

. . . . . my heart melted when I listened to the song .... as it described my heart when I could not see her ...

You know I can't smile without you

I can't smile without you

I can't laugh and I can't sing

I'm finding it hard to do anything

You see I feel sad when you're sad

I feel glad when you're glad

If you only knew what I'm going through

I just can't smile without you

You came along just like a song

And brightened my day

Who would have believed that

you were part of a dream

Now it all seems light years away

And now you know I can't smile without you

I can't smile without you

I can't laugh and I can't sing

I'm finding it hard to do anything

You see I feel sad when you're sad

I feel glad when you're glad

If you only knew what I'm going through

I just can't smile

Now some people say happiness takes so very long to find

Well, I'm finding it hard leaving your love behind me

And you see I can't smile without you

I can't smile without youI can't laugh and

I can't singI'm finding it hard to do anything

You see I feel glad when you're glad

I feel sad when you're sad

If you only knew what I'm going through

I just can't smile without you .....

2008-07-12T23:20:00.001+08:00

DNS
202.188.0.123
202.188.1.5

mask
255.255.255.0

DHCP
192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.200

2008-07-12T23:08:00.005+08:00

- Dream vs Reality.
- Don't float but MUST DIVE in to search the precious treasures.
- Likened to a dart hitting the centre point (bulleyes) of a dart board - FOCUS.
- "Mah si i, tha si thern"

2008-07-12T20:23:00.002+08:00

Received a SMS telling me that I won the Digi's contest which carries RM15,000 .... .wow !!!

Could you believe it ??!!
Well ... I could not because I am not a Digi subscriber and look at the phone number this "knuckle head" asked me to call ..... don't know which country or planet !!

2008-07-11T18:18:00.002+08:00

The day PET.exe met me ..... destructions and chaos!!!

PET 'killed" me silently. So much destructions had been caused by it !!!

PET.exe is a computer virus. It jammed up my Oerating System (O/S) and no anti virus nor spyware could stop its evilness ..

The very last resort - format the whole hard disk. Lucikly, the data were stored in CD or else .... my brain needs to over-clock to recall my previous informations & quotations.

Beware !! Don't simply let people plug into your system !!

2008-07-11T13:37:00.006+08:00

Received a SMS from don't-know-who telling me that I won a lucky draw from Caltex. Thought it was another scam and don't really excited about it.

Anyway, since my car low petrol signal is blinking - might as well go to Caltex and check it out. And true enough, I won a car boot organizer !

Now I am running for the grand prizes draws !!

2008-07-09T08:00:00.003+08:00

The story contents:

vv1: King Assyria sets his army to capture Judah.

vv 2 - 6: Hezekiah prepared the city of Judah for the battle.

vv 7-8: Hezekiah gave words of courage -
Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him.

With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles.

vv 9 - 17: King Assyria create doubts into the people of Judah

vv 18: King Assyria create fears by making loud noises.

vv 19: King Assyria spoked against God of Jerusalem and other gods

vv20: King Hezekiah & prophet Isaiah prayed

vv 21 - 22: The LORD sent an angel and destroy the whole army of king Assyria. King Assyria returned to his own place shamefully & was killed by some of his offspring.

In our journey of life, we face many "king Assyria" and we can easily lose our focus or who we are.

We are so bogged down with the troubles, pressures, demands that we float with the current of destruction and dismay.

The fear, doubts and dismay have distracted our focus.

Would the fuel price-hiked, the higher inflation rates, the higher dairies costs, streets demo, bickering of political arenas distract us of what we should be doing?

We are now in the midst of building up a new church in Bukit Tinggi. Would we be able to say like what Hezekiah had said ... be encourage & do not be afraid nor be dismay?

Or would we focus on the troubles or the inflations and stop building or doing what is right in God's sight?

My GF just told me that, I am not focus, that I am floating on the surface and not diving into the deep.

I recall a story told by a deep sea diver, he said that when he dived deep - he could see and experienced great wonders of sea creatures. The deepness beauty was extra ordinary.

Don't go for snorkeling - go for diving !!

2008-07-08T21:44:00.001+08:00

Latest attraction in Melaka .. RM10 per ride on the revolving tower which lasted around 10 minutes or so.

2008-07-08T21:40:00.000+08:00

Captured from the plane ...

2008-07-08T21:29:00.001+08:00

Selling durians in Chiang Mai .. hahaha ...

2008-07-08T18:13:00.003+08:00

A stupid trouble that I brought to myself .... fixing an internet setting which has nothing to do with me at the 1st place.

Now - I have extra unnecessary burden or work to do - being too clever for my own !!! Already having own projects/plans and now .... cehhh !!! Have myself to blame for it !!

Getting irritated and upset over it and it somehow affected my mood for the rest of the evening knowing that there is a problem hanging to my mind.

Hope this be a lesson to be learn not only for me but to all the people out there.

2008-07-05T19:20:00.000+08:00

Great place for shopping of clothings & souveniers and also for food ....

Learnt a few famous sayings while shopping with some of the auntie-2 ... "ah swee" , "ah pihh" & "lau yeh .. hor dui" ... hahaha !!! (very beautiful, very cheap & old man (husband) .. pay money) ..

Their husbands are likened to a walking money Auto Teller Machine (ATM) .. hahaha.

It's alright .... Tho' I am not yet marry, if my wife is happy - I also happy. That 'moment' is precious and could not be repeated and even if it is repeated, it's not as umppph as before.

The auntie-2 also understand the condition of the A.T.M capacity ....

The walking ATM machine is so small, how to feed in more notes ?? It's not because the "ATM" does not want to put in more ... but there is no space in the ATM to put more ..... not their fault actually .. hahaha ...

2008-07-05T19:03:00.003+08:00

Just back from Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand ....

2008-07-05T18:48:00.002+08:00

Went for a special prayer service around 2 pm a few weeks back. Praying for a friend who is having terminal illness called cancer.

The medical report & tests have shown that the tumor had actually expanding from 16cm to 21 cm and to make matter worst, there are 2 additional growth.

What can we do .... except prayer & believing that God will do miracles and having His purposes been reveal to this sick friend.

God's ways & thoughts are higher than human beings. We could never understand the 'whys' but one thing that we can for sure know - that our God is love and He will never leave nor forsake us.

He shall not put us to shame and shall deliver us from the net of the evil ones.

As I reflect this matter, I was asked by my personal friend not long ago while we were having ODB, what had I been giving her that she had "fallen" for me ?

I said, "Vitamin P" .... "P" for prayer !!

It is the truth.

Only through prayer especially praying in tongue - as the Bible said, we are fighting not with the flesh and blood but with the power of principalities, the spiritual realms.

Looking back, I realized that my prayers for our relationship is not confined only to morning devotions but during meals.

Instead of a quick and short prayer to bless the food, now I also included our relationship matters, business, "family" matters into it. Something that I never do or ever thought of doing.

I believe that God is changing me and she from inside out .......

2008-06-29T23:26:00.005+08:00

What can we say to a person whom we know is having a short moment to lives ?

Would we "lied" and said 'O you are going to be well', 'You look fine', 'Don't worry - everything will be ok'

Would we cry with him or would we laugh with him?

Today STAR newspaper published an article about a young mother/wife who had just passes away at the age of 42 due to cancer. This is what she wrote as she took her last breath :

I have fought a good fight

and now ... there is waiting for me

a prize of victory,

awarded for the righteous life,

not only for me but

for all those who wait with love.

She had battled with the cancer for the past 11 years but she had never complained about her illness and was always loving, laughing and often being funny.

In her early years, she fall into depression when she first got the bad news. The cancer cell attacked from her breast to her hip and to her brain.

She said, "Hearing that you have breast cancer is awful and hearing that you have secondary cancer in your hip is terrifying. But to hear that, after all that, you have brain tumour - that's about the only thing that could be worse".

Her husband said,

"She would want them to draw strength from the fact

that she did not only 'survive' breast cancer for 11 years,

but during that time she lived life to the fullest

and found pleasure in the simple things

that so many people take for granted.

I never took for granted the time I had with Jane and,

if there is one thing that can be drawn from her life,

it is that everyday is a blessing"

2008-06-26T22:12:00.003+08:00

Yesterday night Uncle "W" told me that he had exchange some Thai Baht for the ChiangMai, Thailand trip.

I asked him why he exchanged so early as the trip is on 11th. He told me it is next Tuesday (01st) ... huh ???!!!

This morning, when I met with Uncle "B" & Auntie "P", they also exchanged the Thai Baht and quite excited with this trip. Another auntie exchanged RM2,000 for this trip.

Oddly, I don't feel excited about it although this is my 1st time going there ... actually almost forgotten about this trip.

There is no "hoohaa" as I always did when I about to travel. Like my last trip to Swiss Garden Lumut, almost the whole church knew about it and I keep on talking about it for weeks... hahaha..

Already feels like wanted to quick-quick come back ... aiyoh .... not even go yet lar ...

2008-06-23T08:31:00.002+08:00

Used to dislike Mondays !!! .... not anymore cos' everyday is made by God & everyday is a blessed day.

Commitments, mission, vision, purpose and above all ... LOVE = driving force.

2008-06-15T21:57:00.000+08:00

2008-06-15T21:53:00.003+08:00

Last Wednesday was the first time I fill up petrol in the new increased rate (RM2.70) and it really had the different .. not in petrol power lar !! but the agony of the price hike !!!

Can really feel the wallet shrunk just to fill up full tank !!!

Guess I need to change to a super bike like .....

2008-06-15T21:47:00.002+08:00

At 08:45 am, people are already queuing up at the post office to get the RM625.00 in cash rebate for cars that are 2000 cc and below.

The post office only opens at 09:30 am but people are too anxious to wait that long. Anyway, for car road tax dued on April & May 2008 can now claim the RM625 on the month of June. For June & July - would be able to do the claim on July 2008.

Better take the money & lari kuat-kuat caused nobody knows when the government going to change its' mind again.

2008-06-05T21:38:00.002+08:00

Blood donor ... suprisingly my blood pallette index is at 16 points .... too much liao ... so it is good to donate blood more..

2008-06-04T12:25:00.001+08:00

Had Korean BBQ at Bukit Tinggi last Tuesday nite.

The BBQ pork & beef were very nice .. especially wrapped around with vegetable. We ordered kim-chi and some other vege stuffs...

Brought a red wine for celebration .... what is the celebration ??? Forgot to ask my friend ... hahaha..

The total costs for 2 person was RM101.80 excluding the red wine !!! Wow ... not cheap ler ...

Anyway ... I thanked my friend for the generosity and kindness.

2008-05-24T20:32:00.002+08:00

Today's jogging/walk seemed to be more 'heavy' than usual. The route seemed longer and deserted.

The mind is really absent from the body. It's like body here, mind somewhere else.

As I walked, the subconscious mind was taking over. Conscious mind was totally dead. The mind cannot capture details or images of what the eyes are seeing.

2008-05-15T10:13:00.003+08:00

Today is my last day of fasting but not praying as praying is likened to the air that we breathe.

The day we stop praying is the day we stop breathing.

Through these 15 days of fasting & praying, I have moved from self centeredness to selfless prayers.

Turmoils, conflicts, misunderstanding, frustration, doubts, jealousy, suffocation, food temptation, restlessness, tempers - behaving very childishly.

At the same time, I experienced cares & concerns from friends, patience, be faithful, submission, learn to give and encourage others tho' I feel 'weak' and 'lack', persistent prayers, learn to trust God & to love.

The fast & pray also affecting some of the church members.

After seeing & knowing what I've been through, they are encouraged & my neighbour decided to fast & pray with his entire family !!

Wow !! Isn't God amazing ??!!! He works in way we cannot see or comprehend.

I like to thank a friend whom had supported and encouraged me all the way through.

I like to break my fasting with a bowl of instant noodle .. hahahaha ... so simple, isn't it ?

Yes !! Because I am a simple person.

2008-05-11T17:52:00.001+08:00

Wishing all mothers - Blessed Mother's Day.

May the peace from the LORD be with you always.

2008-05-09T19:48:00.002+08:00

For the few days, I have turned into a monster !!

Something that I myself could not imagine could happenned.

So scared and lonely.

2008-05-09T19:47:00.000+08:00

A story:

My wife and I were stopped at a railroad crossing to allow a train to pass. As we waited in the line of cars, the driver next to us suddenly darted through a nearby parking lot and headed in the direction of the next available railroad crossing.

I turned to Marlene and said, with some righteous indignation, “Look at that guy. He’s trying to get around the train instead of waiting like the rest of us.” As soon as I said those words, the man, camera in hand, hopped from his car to take pictures of the oncoming train. I had judged his motives, and I was dead wrong.

Although we can observe behavior and outward appearance, only God can see what’s in the heart. That is one reason we all need the Word of God so desperately. Hebrews 4:12 says, “The Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

When we find ourselves ready to judge another person’s motives, let’s pause and remember—only God can see the heart, and only His Word can expose its motives. Our responsibility is to let the Lord and His Word convict us about our own hearts.

2008-04-30T07:02:00.001+08:00

Captured this nice view during my jog in Botanic recently. A very calm and serene except for the mosquitos.

2008-04-25T22:45:00.000+08:00

Somehow I realized that I tend to be very anxious when coming to lead songs.

Tonight, I was asked to lead the combined CG praise & worship .... man ... was so 'kang cheong' that I went to the church at 6 pm to choose and practice my songs.

By the time when the clock reached 7:05 pm, I have only one song !! I have 2 more songs to go. Really tension .. hahaha..

Get worse if song leading on Sunday, stay up until 4.30 am !!!

Want to sleep, then suddenly got things to say about the song. Too worried about it.

So much of tension & worrying. Worried that I give wrong signals to the musicians, worried that I go in too fast or too slow, worried that church members don't know the songs, worried that the songs I choose are too 'bored' songs. Just like tonight, old songs.... hahaha.

As I am searching for songs and read the "puporse driven life" at the same time (multi-tasking brain .. hahaha), I came across this statement which said that God wants for you to act first. Don't wait to feel powerful or confident. Move ahead in your weakness, doing the right thing in spite of your fears and feeling.

This is how you cooperate with the Holy Spirit, it's how your character develop.

Wow ... take about timing !! That's what I needed ... hahaha..

All these were done not for my fulfillment or my interest but for God fulfillment .... if only I can remember this .... everything will be alright.