First Update of 2013

  Howdy fellas!

  It's my first post of 2013 and yes, I do know it has come more than halfway in the year. I've been really busy with homework, church stuff, and etc. But nevertheless, it's better to be late than never. 

  So much has happened these eight months. Beginning with music, I must say that my guitar skills have improved tremendously since I picked up the instrument over nine months ago. (Time really flies) Regarding the issue of me getting a new guitar, I got it on Christmas Eve last year, so it isn't really "new." My guitar is an Ovation guitar, which is unique, considering the position of the sound holes and the presence of a round back made of some sort of fiberglass. It looks real beautiful too and I've been calling it my GF (guitar friend, although you may use the other meaning of GF :P). I've been practicing and I can say that I'm the best cell-member-guitar-player in my cell (even my cell leader says so).

  Besides guitar, I have also started on my Grade 11 A Beka syllabus, although I kinda prefer BJU more. I miss Mr Harmon's funny science lessons. XD

  And I have been helping out in church more. I went back to serve in UrbanKidz in June and I'm gonna be on the worship team as a guitarist. The children are real cute although they can really drive you nuts with their hyperactivity. However, it is actually such a joy to be able to take care of the children and watch them worship. In addition, I've also taken a more active role as guitarist in my cell.

  I hope the year will continue smoothly and I look forward to the day where I can look back on 2013 and say that God has helped me through this year.



  

It's the End of 2012, Not the End of the World

  Hey guys! It's already December! Time really has wings. It seemed only yesterday when I celebrated New Year's Day at the beginning of the year. Christmas is coming so fast that I was shocked when I looked at the calendar today and saw that it was 13 December! Besides signaling the near coming of Christmas, this date also has special meaning for me. 13 December is the birthday of my late cousin and I haven't gone to Mandai for quite a while to visit her. I just want to wish her a great birthday and I know she's having a great time in heaven right now.

  But Christmas isn't the only thing about to happen this period. I'm gonna get my new guitar soon and I'm very excited about that. I've been practicing for a few hours every day since I picked up guitar a few weeks ago. Although I'm not very good yet, I can say that I've made considerable improvement. ;P In addition to that, my long-awaited holidays are knocking on my front door! They start from next Monday and end on the 2nd of January 2013! I know it's only a little more than two weeks, but it's better than nothing anyways. :P During that time, my dad plans to do some revamp-work on the house. I'm helping out and I'll try to post pics of the progress!

  I just wanna thank God for helping me get through this year. Yes, it was filled with ups and downs, but I know that God will always be there for me and for you too. I hope you have a great Christmas season! Always remember that Christmas is mainly centered on these two things: Jesus and giving. :)

  And before I sign off, I'm going to say something. On January 1, 2013, I'm going to watch 2012 and laugh. I know this is quite an old joke but anyways... #JustSaying

Updates!

  Yes, I know. It's been ages since my last post. I'll have to say this: I had absolutely NO IDEA what to post about until now. Also, I've been very busy. Today, I'm just going to focus on two topics: the John Baty-Raffles Debate Academy workshop that I just participated along with some of the homeschoolers the previous week, and something else you'll find out as you read along.

  Firstly, let's concentrate on the debate workshop. It was held at RI/RJC, and I have to say, that place is humongous! We had a bit of trouble finding our way around on the first day, but directional signs pointed us in the right direction (thankfully). The instructor was a Canadian guy named John Baty (surprise surprise) and he's quite a funny guy.

  I had a great experience at the camp (namely getting to know school people from different schools, learning stuff about debate, etc). Surprisingly, the lunch food was much better than expected. We even had different food everyday! After all, what do you expect from Raffles? :P

  After all the teaching and learning, we all had to put that into practice. So we had debate rounds on the last day, which was on a Friday. Least to say, my teammates were fantastic and although we did not win all the rounds, we still managed to get something out of it. If I had the opportunity to go for a similar debate workshop, I would pounce for the opportunity!

  However, life is not all sweet and happy. Bad things happen too. Recently, my cell member's aunt died. I could tell he was quite devastated (apparently, he had been close to her). As I comforted him at church on Saturday, I realized that I understood his pain. I realized how similarly I reacted when my cousin passed away. Although we are good friends, I've never felt closer to him before this.

  This whole incident also showed me how a cell should be like. My cell rallied around my friend, prayed, and comforted him. We supported him emotional and spiritually. This was something I have rarely seen and this has convinced me that my cell is progressing forward.

  Coincidentally, I found my late cousin's blog last week too (finally!). All this while, I thought I was close to my cousin. (I even switched clubs from Chelsea to Manchester United because of her.) However, reading her blog made me reconsider. I didn't even know all those things were going on in her life, and I didn't go and find out. Lesson learnt: loving your loved ones goes beyond just treasuring them.

  That's all I have to say today. I don't mean to be morbid but that was the lesson I learnt this past week. I hope I have more so I can post more often! :P

"Summer Break" Summary

Yes, I know. Two other blogs are also talking about this right now (summer break)... But anyways...

It's always hot ol' summer down here in the equator. So "summer break" should not be the right word. However, I'm just too lazy to make up another word...

I can't really say that it has been a true summer break. 80% of the time was tedious work with a church camp, debate camp, youth camp, cell outings, DNA labs, weekly soccer training sessions, ICC, etc. to break the monotony. The work and the activities were an inordinate burden and I still have backlog! Grrr...

Besides all that, a few things made it a bit more interesting, namely taking my Grade 8 piano exam on the 10 September. I don't think I did too well, though. I feel that my lack of preparation and my nervousness let me down there. Gah... I just have to pray that I'll pass. (It was that bad.) But I guess I learnt a lesson though: practice properly!

Lord of the Rings made a comeback in my life this month. (I had neglected it for a few months) For some reason, I'm crazy about it. I've spent hours doing research on the history of Middle-Earth, the Valar, etc. I've reread the books many times too! I even downloaded a Tengwar transcriptor! Hehe!

Now "summer break" is officially over (to me, it didn't quite exist in the first place). I've started an Advanced Composition course with Potters School and my classmates seem to be a chatty, interesting, and fun lot. I normally don't say this, but I'm looking forward to the "new school year." I just need a few improvements. To be specific, time management, attitude, responsibility, and a hunger for learning. (My parents will give me a pat on the back for saying that!)

Yeah, things may get hard along the way (especially the increasing workload), but I know that God will help me get through!

Hopefully, this "school year" will one to remember!

Ending once again with a Tengwar Quenya phrase. It means: to a good school year!

Wake-Up Call

  It's been a long time since my last post and I suppose you must have wondered where I had gone to. Well, I've been quite busy of late (with extra-curricular activities and homework). With no further ado, let's get on with the post!

  Many a times, we "fail" in our tasks. For example, I had a recital on the 25th of August and I messed up my piano piece terribly (to myself, at least. I think those present at the recital could affirm that). I admit that I had an attack of the nerves, and that made my fingers even more sweaty than usual. My fingers were cold too and were stiff so I could not play as fast as I usually would. I couldn't forgive myself for a few days after that and when people approached me to say that I played well, I sort of told them that my playing was actually horrible.

  Now that I reflect on it, I actually think that the recital was a blessing in disguise. Before the recital, I was quite complacent in my practice and the recital actually motivated me to practice harder for my upcoming Grade 8 piano exam on the 10th of September. I experienced a change in my playing and now I'm glad that I messed up in the recital! If I didn't, I wouldn't have experienced the wake-up call and probably would still be slack in my practice. Definitely a NO for somebody taking his Grade 8 exam in a few weeks!

  I haven't taken my piano exam yet, so I don't know what my score will be; but hopefully, I can get at least a merit.

  I would end with a quote in Tengwar Quenya (Elvish language in Lord of the Rings)

It means, "Failure is the mother of success."

What's The Best Choice?

 Heellloooo there! It's been quite some time since my last post! Yeah, sort of busy with work and the like right now. Finally managed to set aside some time for this post!

 It's sad to say that my lovely Sony Ericsson W995's screen has spoiled and I've been stuck with my lousy old phone for quite some time. Thankfully, I would be able to upgrade on the 17th September 2012! Yay!

  I have already narrowed down my search to a few phones. Mainly Sony and HTC phones. Of course, each phone has its own advantages and disadvantages. There's a phone that is even waterproof! I have done plenty of research on the respective phones, but I just can't seem to choose an exact one yet. (Yes. I know there's plenty of time from now to then; but at the end of the day, I will be stuck with that phone so I want to make the best choice.)

  This situation reminds of our everyday lives. We all have to make many choices everyday. Whether its choosing to read a book or watch television, eating meat or vegetables, etc. Just as the Bible says, "Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial." The question we should ask ourselves is: what is the best choice. Sure, there may be good choices, but remember that the enemy of "best" is "good." 

  One of the good questions to ask yourself is: What would Jesus do if He were in this situation? What would He choose? (I know this doesn't really apply to my phone choice, but anyways...) This is a great guideline as Jesus is perfect. He can't make a wrong decision.

  To conclude it all, let me finish with a Bible verse. "Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive." 1 Corinthians 10:23.

A Temporary Assignment

  Today I just read Chapter 6 of "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. It's an extremely good Christian book and I really recommend it! Anyway, the main theme of Chapter 6 is "Life is a temporary assignment." Here are some things I got out of reading:

- Life is a temporary assignment.

- To make the best of life, you mustn't forget 2 truths:
  1. Compared with eternity, life is extremely brief.
  2. Earth is only a temporary residence

- Earth is not your permanent home or final destination. You're like a foreigner passing through.

- Christians should always remind themselves that our citizenship is in heaven.

- Your identity is in eternity and your real home is in heaven. When you grasp the truth, you won't worry about "having it all" on earth.

- Christians are supposed to be like God's ambassadors to earth. Sadly, many Christians have betrayed Christ and His kingdom. They have foolishly concluded that because they live on earth, it is their real home. IT IS NOT!

- God warns us that we shouldn't become too attached to worldly things.

 - The fact that earth is not our ultimate home explains why as followers of Jesus, we experience difficulty, sorrow, and rejection in this world. In order to keep us from being too attached to earth, God allows us to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life -- longing that will never  be fulfilled on this side of eternity.

- Realizing that life on earth is just a temporary assignment should radically alter your values. Eternal ones, not temporal ones should become the deciding factors for your decisions.

- It's a fatal mistake to assume that God's goal for your life is material prosperity or popular success, as the world defines it. The abundant life has nothing to do with material abundance, and faithfulness to God doesn't guarantee success in a career or ministry. Never focus on temporary crowns. Of course, this doesn't mean that getting material possessions is bad. Just don't get too caught up with acquiring temporary things. Matthew 6:19-20 says,  " “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."


- In God's eyes, the greatest heroes of faith are no those who achieve prosperity, success, and power in this life, but those who treat this life as a temporary assignment and serve faithfully, expecting their promised reward in eternity.

- After death, you won't leave home, you'll go home.

Question to consider: How should that fact that life on earth is just a temporary assignment change the way I'm living right now?