Thinking Aloud

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

Just wanna share how encouraged I am with the God has been providing for me. How everything just falls nicely into place. How I see His guiding hand amidst the turmoil of graduation and change.

This verse is just so ALIVE…

I just found a place to stay when I move out of hall. I couldn’t have asked for more…

I really need to have better categories. Since I’m tied to technocrati, I might as well use tags that are popular. For starters, putting Daily thoughts as a category is plain lazy. Should at least try to be more descriptive.

Sorry for the lack of enthusiasm in the posts lately. More pics and stories to tell later.

I just got called for an interview for a teaching post I applied for in Republic Poly.

Of course I’m happy.

Do pray for me yah, would appreciate it very much. Just hope that I’ll do my best and not be too nervous. Here are the details.

Time: 1000
@: RP campus, Woodlands. Urghh….
Date: 5th April 2006.

Quick thanks to Dawn and Wai Kit who accompanied me for supper in NUH last night.

We had a good time.

Really appreciated your company. Thanks.

Gosh, why am I feeling depressed all of a sudden!?!?

Dazed and confused look. So many things to think about, so much damn issues to think about.

Everybody needs some fish in their life. As they say, “Behind every successful man, is his mama that feeds him cod liver oil every night.”

But there’s a real story behind these stamps.

I needed to post something and went out to the post office to buy stamps and post the letter at the same time. I grabbed my keys (always do that if your roomie is in, he may just lock you out) and headed off.

Upon reaching the post office ( near YIH) I realized that I…

… didn’t BRING MY WALLET!

Oh gosh, how careless can one be…

Second, Paul is showing that we never “get beyond the gospel” in our Christian life to
something more “advanced”. The gospel is not the first “step” in a “stairway” of truths,
rather, it is more like the “hub” in a “wheel” of truth. The gospel is not just the A-B-C’s
but the A to Z of Christianity. The gospel is not just the minimum required doctrine
necessary to enter the kingdom, but the way we make all progress in the kingdom.
We are not justified by the gospel and then sanctified by obedience, but the gospel is
the way we grow (Gal.3:1-3) and are renewed (Col.1:6).

-Tim Keller, in one of his ‘lecture notes’ available by following this link.

No I don’t know Tim Keller and I’m sure he doen’t know me. But I’m posting this up here because… this is some blardy important things to know.

A short announcement:

My honours oral presentation will take place on the 24th of March 2006, at Colloquim Room B.
Time: 12-1 pm.

I’m the first one leh….

Wahlau.

Oh must as well be first, get it over and done with and concentrate on making sure I get an AAA in all my examinables.

Now is the time. The time for us to be in the zone. I will be needing all the juice that this fella can pump out.

This must be one of the more noisiest birds around.

To bad I don’t have a higher zoom, which will allow me get a closer shot. Am still wondering how those pro photographers manage to get the shots they get.

(stupid question, yes I know)

Hmm…since pictures started appearing here, I’ve noticed that my postings have become shorter and less regular.

*Edit: Dawn has informed me that the bird in the picture is a sulfur crested cockatoo.

The sign means no entry. It could also mean stop.

Sometimes I really need to stop and think. Really think.

This photo was taken while I was taking a walk. This time with the camera accompanying. I found this scene kind of cute, with the tall stop sign juxtaposed with the squat red fire hydrant.

Once again, the day passed uneventful (which is a good thing) save the swimming trip with some friends. Other than that, I finished FLCL (thanks Gary!).

I was trying to read something up on Lie Groups, and was struck down halfway by my ignorance of manifolds. God help me! I don’t realize how much trouble I’m wading into.

That’s why I need to stop, ponder and think….

I remember saying to Joshua, ” This is what makes working my ass off during second year worth it.”

I can’t recall how many times the view from this window has saved my sanity. Through the stress, broken hearts and mind blowingly difficult (maths) problems. Armed with my trusty cup of milo, 92.4 FM and this view of the night, a tried and true way to unload.

The night time is the part of the day I look forward to. I don’t sleep early, and I prefer to do mathematics at night. I like chatting with people at night, though not all the time lah. And the feeling of sinking into my pillow when I’m dead tired….oooh…heavenly.

Even if I don’t manage to earn a million bucks, or drive a BMW or travel the world. I only ask God for one thing, a restful night’s sleep.

Say hello to today. Spent the whole afternoon running through some of my FYP stuff. The formula’s I proved are darn mechanical. If I was more hardworking, would have written up a computer programme to implement the algorithm. But I’ve forgotten my programming already. Haha, dumb.

The weather’s not too hazy today. Which is always a good thing.

Tummy’s grumbling. Seriously. I get hungry too easily. Sigh…

It’s easy, in a way to totally bury emotional scars so deep inside. Just interact with people at the surface. Just be content to meet once in a while. Throw a little sympathy now and then.

Hmm…what say you? True, not true?

It’s great that there’s no classes tomorrow. Sweet. So what do I plan to do tomorrow.

1) Look up the recruitment websites for NTUC and Republic Poly.

2) Finish up my homework. (Important!)

3) Read.

4) Browse around in the library.

5) Sleep…

Sometimes I wonder how everyone else is doing? Everybody seems so busy and so distant. Is this the way hall life is? Or is it just me?

Turning 21 is hazardous. It seems that you just can’t have your cake and eat it at the same time.

No thanks to people like this.

Just poised before the act that would turn our dear Wai Kit from this

Happy birthday Soo Wai Kit.

And it had to be hazy today. It was hot, dready but windy. I didn’t even close the blinds. Let the door open and the wind blow the haze right through. Smelled terrible.

On a more serious note, I seriously have to buck up for my Logic module. I’m leaving a very bad impression with A/P Yang. I don’t hate the module, just like I hated Discrete Optimization, just that….sigh. Let’s just say, when you find something easy, you tend to take it for granted. Although I didn’t blog about it, CA last Friday left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Even watching Yeo Huan play couldn’t clear it.

Anyways, my sister did quite well in her maths subjects, 2 for Matematik and 6 for Tambahan. Something to praise God for. Now she’s off to NS, hope that she’ll get some inkling of what she wants to do with her life when she comes back.

Oh yah, her NS is in Sabah.

The few of us decided to pamper ourselves to ice-cream at the F4 kitchenette. And I decided to try out my new camera. Try to guess whose hand is that scooping out the ice-cream. Hint: It’s a he.

The guy beside Ching Mien is Zhi Yang, and incidentally is his neighbour as well. Joined us for prayer meet today.

Back row L-R: Ching Mien, Zhi Yang, Front row L-R: Faith, Joanna.

Is Wai Kit haunted by his evil twin? Look closely, you’ll see something superimposed on his face. And its not photoshop.

L-R: Zhi Yang, Ching Mien, me and Wai Kit.

Thanks Dawn for reminding us that the ice-cream was hiding away in the freezer. It’s better that we eat it rather than a kitchen thief.

L-R: Joanna, Faith and Dawn.

I know the title sounds cheesy, but hey…

The scribblings on the paper actually means something, and yes, I use my mouse as a paperweight sometimes.

Not much to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon, perhaps to play around with my newly acquired digicam. This is one of the shots of my working desk. Hopefully, will be able to add more pictures to this otherwise “wordy” blog of mine.

‘Till then, chiaos…

I was surpised to see purple roses at John’s wedding today. Purple roses are so rare. It’s a very nice touch.

But perhaps the most meaningful part of the service was when Pastor Chris Chia wonderfully tied in the mystery of marriage with God’s plan for the universe. How he managed to share a gospel message within a marriage sermon.

And I’ll remember the food as well….

Indeed it is a long, long journey.

A journey from Calvary to eternal glory is long. You greatest gift to me so far has been Jesus. Yes you have given me many precious gifts, but it is always Your Christ that was ultimately behind it.

I cannot see past my weaknesses, this loneliness I feel is a shadow of the estrangement from You, this burden is a burden I cannot carry alone, but You carry for me.

…

Excerpt from my private journal.

Here’s something that really struck me.

Open my eyes, O Lord, that I may see my self-serving and hypocrisy in the name of serving you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, that I may not offend you in the name of serving you. Amen.

-excerpt from Journeying with Christ to the Cross, Daily Devotions for Lent 2006.

Something to think about yah…

A grasshopper decided to share my room.

It’s green and huge and makes little girls scream.

Somehow it just won’t go away. Gah….

I’m going to sleep.

I haven’t done this in a long time, but I’ll run through the day.

1. Woke up and had breakfast. Met June, Dawn and Yie Hui.
2. Wash up and QT. I guess you could say I met God.
3. Tried doing tutorials and headed of to class. Met my classmates and Prof Berrick.
4. Came back and continued on tutorials. Met my roommate? But I hardly talk to him.
5. Had dinner alone.
6. Finished typing out solutions for some question and took a nap. But I didn’t meet anybody in my dreams.
7. CG time. Met Joanna and Annie there.
8. Played computer for a while.
9. Studied a bit. Met Auslander, Reiten and Smalo.
10. Now really going to sleep….

Z.zzz….zz……

Did you know that I like to iron my clothes…

…when I’m in the mood to do so lar, which is not very often. And so not very often, I realize something that is worth blogging down.

I have people on my ‘hate list’. It’s not something I’m particularly proud about, but its true, I do hate people. Not the ‘irritated’ or ‘annoying’ type of hate, but the really, really malicious hate. The kind that Jesus would condemn as murder.

It is worth pointing out that the reason why I hate them is because subconsciously, I recognize some character trait that I despise. And the catch is, that in my more vulnerable days, I become the person that I despise. Talk about hating the image you see in a mirror. Talk about hating yourself. Talk about hypocrisy…

It seems to me that we can’t be too smart for our own good. Self-justification is so very blinding, and by the reasons stated above, so very dangerous.

Chasing the minutes before midnight…

Might as well blog something down before it turns 1200.

Just came back from the EF Block supper. BBQ and as usual, the chicken wings turn out burnt or else uncooked…

Perhaps one day we will be able to find out one way to cook the perfect chicken wing.

Actually, chicken wings should be spitted and held up by a bonfire. The BBQ grille is good for patties, steaks and seafood actually.

*fantasizes about having that ultimate BBQ*

Sigh…LKC library has been locked down to students. What more can I say, …

Anyway, I finally submitted the first draft of my thesis for grading. Hopefully, just so hopefully, the examiners will not deface it too much. I spent a lot of hard work in it leh…

Continuing to pray hard and trust my future into His hands.

Today is Ash Wednesday.

The start of a 40-day journey to the cross. Meet you there at the throne of grace.