FACTS

If you are also concerned about the casino initiative in SG, then head over to take a look.

This is an online petition to stop it.

http://www.facts.com.sg

Sharing your Digi photos

Sharing what you have snapped is so much easier thanks to digi cams.. :-)

I have some photos
http://www.photoforums.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=3210&password=&sort=1&cat=513&page=4

Main site
http://photoforums.com

Just found out abt this, Club Snap forums (also has lots of reviews on which shop is good for photo development)

Interesting spikey caterpillar
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=106032

Main site

http://forums.clubsnap.org/

Auto-complete technology

Yahoo auto completes email addys, now Google does it for search terms. (with no. of hits too)
http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=1&hl=en


Btw, more news aggregators to try out here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_aggregator

GO KAYAK ~~ GO BLOG

Just surfing online when I encountered some interesting BLOGS..

Wondering how Christmas looks like in Richmond, USA?
GO KAYAK ~~ GO BLOG

See a new oil painting a day, since 3 Dec 04
An oil painting a day

And in case you wonder how I found these, I was looking for a news aggregator for blogs, RSS (so I can keep up with posts from you guys.. haha)
Try out Bloglines which can be accessed online and also has a "notifier" program to prompt when new posts arrives.

End of reservist

Life is good when one can finish 2 weeks of reservist (which is stay out)

And get to have a nice time of rest! :-)

IPPT result

Yeah.. Cleared it with SILVER last Tues! :-)

2.4Km timing is 11:06 mins.
SBJ = 243 cm
Situp = 39
Chin up = 10
Shuttle run= 9.8 s

Swimming & going for course

Life is good when one can still swim 60 laps without substantial rest. It was a nice warm afternoon for a good swim and I was pleasantly surprised to be able to do 60 after a long break.. :-)

To carry on my blog' s original intentions, going for course is another cause to rejoice that Life is Good! A nice break from routine work and a chance to pick up new skills.. A project' s success - on time delivery and on budget is most dependent on quality of project manager, amount of buy-in of senior management. (as polled from 365 leading CIOs in big fortune 500 companies)

I'm enjoying my course currently at NUS' s ISS which is a moderm institute with nice environment and good facilities for conducting IT courses..

November busy, busy

Quite rush this Nov, after the Deepavali holiday then Hari Raya Puasa, then 16-19th on course..

It' ll be quite an interesting course which hopefully gives good insight into Project Management.

Course detail (CITREP-endorsed)
http://www.iss.nus.edu.sg/iss/course_detail.jsp?artid=18&cd=S-PMIS

Then it' s 2 weeks of ICT! Will try to clear IPPT with SILVER.

Then it' s Youth Camp 6-10 Dec 2004.
http://www.geocities.com/bfc_swat/bfc_webbie.html

IPPT targets

My aim for the coming test in Nov:

• Sit up ( > 38) = 5
• Standing board jump ( 234) = 4
• Shuttle run ( <>
• Chin up ( 8 ) = 3
• 2.4 Km (11:40 mins) = 3

For SILVER standard.

Hope to make it first time round. Can re-test as many times as u want, my test window ends Jul 05.

Bangkok vacation - international school

I had a chance to visit this International School in Bangkok called Siam International School. It had full boarding facilities for students who wish to experience boarding school life.

Bascially a beautiful campus filled with language labs and computer labs, art studios, sports facilities. It' s meant for Thai students (aged 6 to 15) who wish to master English to learn from their teachers who are mostly from UK or US.

The interesting thing is the children all speak very good Thai but not English.. some are Chinese from Taiwan who also speak good Mandarin and have local Thai friends but all dun really speak Thai.. Once again it shows how easy children will pick up a language when young depending on their exposure.. In this case, these children are encouraged to speak English.. (their parents want them to..) and there are "fines" - 10 Baht for speaking Thai.. But they have to try harder to make the effort to learn English and use English..

I had fun learning Thai from a 7 yr old and I guess she also had to "try" to understand my English / Singlish as that is the only language common to us both..

Bangkok vacation - photos

Some photos from my trip
http://travel-travel.blogspot.com

Bangkok vacation

First off, sorry for the inactivity.

To continue on this theme of "Life is Good".. My vacation in Bangkok is an eye-opener. The people are warm and friendly, the food is not all that spicy (though the tom yam is) and the shopping is good (if you know where to shop).

Though this trip did not involve going to some more interesting sights (like the floating wet market, other ancient ruin cities, etc.) I saw a side of Thailand which I cannot read or hear about from books or other people. All things are in Thai naturally.. from their PC magazines, the TV shows (they translated Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Thai- imagine that!), to their uhmm.. pop songs, MTVs, etc. They are going through the same kind of westernisation the rest of Asia or even the world is going through.. Yet, things still seem more practical, more user-friendly..

Take for example their eating places, little hawker stores (on boats, in Rang Sit) , cafeterias (in tourist locations like Pattaya) all have this little tissue dispenser on each table. These little dispensers are for customers to freely use of the tissues and I do think it is a nice little thought which Singapore should also adopt.

Gotta go.. more updates soon!

Badminton breakthrough

Wonder if there' s a day for everyone? As in "today' s my day" when the unexpected and perhaps unimaginable happends for you..

Well, last nite was finally my day.. when I beat my colleague KR in a singles rally.. 15-8.. Needless to say I had been losing to him almost every single encounter.. :-)

Birthday celebration

Note:
This post goes out to all 27 year olds who did not know they turned 27 till dat very day..

Thank God for 27 good years..

Simple reasons why I forgot:
1. Past mid-twenties, uhmm.. in late twenties so, not really looking forward to it.
2. Too bz with work, was rushing mad with tight deadline even on birthday
3. U mean I celebrated my 26th birthday?

Life is good

For the clean swimming pools I get to swim in (Keppel club, Hougang swimming cplx)

For badminton and table tennis sessions with friends.

Why is life good?

A new series I am starting, kinda validating the existence of this Blog.

Well, for one thing, life in Singapore is much much better than in most other Asian countries. Sure we may know it.. Our parents had told us about it, but do we really acknowledge and realise it?

I know for sure if I had lived in a rural village and sleep every night on a dirt floor, then even the smallest/ least renovated 3 room HDB flat with a sponge mattress is a luxury. (this is something we may never think abt)

June camp food

Funny how the food looks different with swarms of houseflies bussing around the dinner table.. Not exactly a yummy sight to behold.

Well, I went, I saw, I ate, and thank God, no stomach-upsets to follow..

Come to think of it there' s the decent mutton curry/ fried chicken.. and salad.. :-)

There was more spiritual food anyway!

Marriage Seminar

~~ Short post ALERT!! ~~

Dr. Brinney, "If you find that your communication is getting natural.. then something is wrong. 'Cos blibical, spiritual communication is never natural.. "

You have to work for it, you have to purposefully try to crawk under the skin of the other person you are communicating with, to gain their perspective!

Thank god for bible conferences

Was not really sure how to spend Vesak Day until last Sun when I realised my church is organising this bible conference. The theme will be the Holy Spirit with some sessions on it..

I hope to be able to absorb much truth and gain practical applications from these sessions!

Preparing for June Camp

Let's see.. 1 week more to go and have to ensure everything is properly settled b4 I go.. My backup has to be briefed on what to do.. My users were mentally prepared for my leave.. My superiors asked me if I am contactable via HP (got auto-roaming?)..

Quite a lot of things to settle.. But hopefully all can be well while I am away..

Thanks to Pastor - Seeker Sensitive Movement

Subject: The Seeker-Sensitive Movement

The Seeker-Sensitive Movement

by John MacArthur


What exactly is the seeker-sensitive movement? In a nutshell, it's the
push within churches across the country to make worship services more
"relevant" and therefore more attractive to the world. It's the driving
force behind the marketing ploys and high-tech entertainment gimmicks
churches use to promote growth.


As you read this, you may be asking, "What's so dangerous about trying
to attract unbelievers to your church?" It certainly sounds benign.
After all, what's wrong with making church a more inviting place for
unbelievers to visit? Where's the danger in spicing up worship services
to keep people interested and, more important, coming back?


But the seeker-sensitive movement is anything but benign. In fact, it
can be deadly for any church that falls under its influence. Let me
share a few reasons.


One of the most common-and most alarming-characteristics of a
seeker-sensitive church is in the way it minimizes and downplays the
teaching of God's Word. In seeker-sensitive churches, where the goal is
to bring people in and keep them there, Bible teaching is cut short or
worse, cut out. Why? Because advocates of the movement believe people
today are too busy to sit through lengthy expositions of God's Word.
Their attention spans are too short to hold them through a long sermon
without becoming bored.


Sadly, the content of the message is cut short as well. Visit a
seeker-sensitive church and you won't hear a lot about sin or judgment.
You won't learn much about the holiness of God or the importance of
obedience, either. You're more likely to hear a sermon on human
relationships, success in the business world, or how to make your life
in this world more satisfying. That's because if a church's primary
focus is to encourage unbelievers to attend, it will invariably soften
the truth to make it more palatable. It will skirt the hard teaching of
Scripture on matters of repentance and the cost of discipleship,
choosing instead to focus on God's grace and how easy it is to become a
believer.


Another area that suffers when a church adopts a seeker-sensitive
approach is the tone of the worship service. To appeal to a broader
audience, many church leaders are taking their cues from the world.
They're adopting the same entertainment and marketing devices the world
employs. Film clips, skits, comedy, pyrotechnics, light shows, and an
over indulgence in music are just some of the trappings of the
seeker-sensitive church. God is no longer the center of
worship-entertainment, "felt needs," and fleshly desires reign supreme.


The effects of seeker-sensitive methodology on the church are tragic
because they undermine the very purpose the church is supposed to serve
in believers' lives. According to God's Word, when His people gather, it
should be to worship Him, hear His Word, and encourage one another.
Sunday to Sunday, the meeting of the church is the context in which sin
is exposed and forgiveness is found. It's where believers engage in
biblical ministry and exercise their spiritual gifts and where Christian
men and women form the relationships through which they exhort each
other toward greater Christlikeness.


But when churches sacrifice substance for style-when even well meaning
pastors soft-pedal the gospel to keep people in the pews-churches
stagnate and eventually die. Instead of being a place where men and
women grow spiritually by coming under the influence of God's Word,
seeker-sensitive churches become mere shells filled with false converts
and malnourished Christians. Once a church exchanges its God-ordained
mission to preach the Word, which is the only source of spiritual life,
for a marketing manifesto to fill pews, it surrenders its claim to
divine power along with its effectiveness in the world.


I wish I could tell you that the seeker-sensitive movement has affected
only a handful of churches, but the truth is far worse. The movement is
currently sweeping through the evangelical landscape, threatening
churches in communities around the world. Perhaps you find yourself in a
church that's tinkering with it even today. Or maybe you're looking for
a church or you know someone who attends a seeker-sensitive church.
Whatever your situation, the seeker movement is so pervasive that you're
sure to encounter it sooner or later.

Wonderful wedding .. :-)

Benjamin & Weifang, now Mr and Mrs Soh ' s wedding was a wonderful event on 29 and 30th May 2004. It was a blessing to be serving on their wedding team as usherer and "montager".. :-)

Shocking news and rethink of life

One PSA colleague just died suddenly this week (at age 33). It was not due to an accident nor a terminal illness.

I only just got to know who he is the week before his death so this is really shocking as he looked fine and all..

This kind of thing really shows truth in what the bible says about how we should treat our short life.
--- from the bible ----
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that."

James 4:13-15 (NKJV)

Lunching out..

When it is approaching lunchtime and you din really know.. Time really flies by on a busy work day..

Chenji hands over a gift..

"Lawrence, I know u like this... So, for you.."

-- it' s Lao Si Chuan Ma La Niu Ruo Pian (Old Si Chuan Hot and Spicy Beef)

It' s really good if you ever tried it! :-)

Chenji says "Shut up.."

*shhhggghhh*

It' s Chenji' s FAULT

He made me create this blog! :P

Wedding Montage

For Benjamin and Weifang and I' ve never done this b4..

Had some fun doing it though, just hope they like it.. :-)

First posting

Well, here goes my first posting..

I was once here b4 but lost track/ interest/ energy/ time to continue.. So, they deleted me and here I am.. back once AGAIN! :-)