..my battle stance..

Wah.. long time never talked about the movies I watched. And sista's movie website has also been in hibernate mode for some time ^^ Hmm.. let's try to trace back: - Bodyguards and Assassins: testosterone-charged movie. for lovers of chinese movies, it's fun to watch. great actions, and lots of stars taking part. - Avatar: Great movie, good story, awesome imagination. Live up to expectation - Storm Warrior: I am a great wuxia fan but I think they could have made a better story for the movie. - Couple's retreat: Not my type somehow.. the lines are so typical at times I could imagine coming across such line on a typical Christmas drama at Church. - An Education: My type somehow.. Can be boring at times but have some good lines and morales there. Do I miss any movie in between?

yeah.. i am in the mood for writing. it's year end. even though i don't suffer the dragging-my-feet-to-office syndrome, or the why-is-it-monday-again sickness, but still.. i am experiencing the feel-like-pampering-myself symptom. i suppose that's what you feel when it's year end sometimes. but well.. for some reasons.. i do feel like writing. by the way.. i guess i have broken my own post record this year. never had we gotten so many posts in one year time. it reflects the goodness and happening-ness (no such word in actual) of 2009. all in all.. God has really provided.. true to the verse that I got for this year. the verse that is now still hanging on top of this blog. all in all.. I have tried to initiate good gesture now and then.. not enough but.. well.. this selfish guy is trying. next year gotta be better. all in all.. I've learned to acknowledge the fact that I am just a flawed man, I have neither the right nor the time to spend on judging others. Learned.. ...

Another random post. Just read forum at salary.sg And found this thread where people talk about how to get rich (I suppose that's like the number 1 topic for those in their 20s and 30s.) And just randomly took one sharing by a forum reader there. - How did you make your first million? Made my first million i think around 30 or 31 years old. Graduated from uni in 1999, started own business in 2000 and have been running it for 9 years now. Am 34 this year. My family saves a lot. We save about 80% of total annual income. - How long did you take? About 6 years to make the 1st. 2 years for 2 second and 1 year for third. Make about 1M per year now. Probably can increase it to 2M per year over the next 5 years. It is very true that the 1st is hardest to make and the subsequent easier. - If you were to do it again in today's context, how much time do you need? Would you do it differently and how? Well, i make my money mostly from company profits and pay. My 1st company took 5 years to ...

When I came to Singapore 13 years ago.. I had one thing in mind. To look for Noriko Sakai's CDs and photo albums. She was still quite popular back then, though not the most popular one. She never was. Although she had quite a number of faithful fans. Like me. And today.. the only thing you hear about her... is the news that she is jailed, for using drugs. Sigh.. how things change. And then there is this not-so-famous singer-actress Stella Ng. I think she made it into some movies few years back. And was in the videoclip for Meteor Garden's OST (by Harlem Yu). Today? The latest news is that she is being sued for bankruptcy by Awfully Chocolate. But no need to pity her.. because she is not a bankrupt at all. Her 'Black as Chocolate' cake stores are doing great in Taiwan. She is most likely a millionaire now. Found her news here Not bad at all.. she wouldn't have made that much if she were to stay with mediacorp, competing with Jeanette Aw, Felicia Chin, etc. Noriko Sak...

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! Habakkuk 3:17-18

We are going to enter the last week of 2009. While the year.. overall.. has been great.. beyond words.. the last few weeks have been challenging. It is as if.. 2010 has begun. the year that will bring life-changing revelation.. and following it.. freedom. freedom from what used to be our 'world'.. our 'paradigm' and 'borders'. and yet.. there is price to pay. and there is refinement to take place before that. so.. here we are. doing our best, hand in hand, to walk on. and as things get wrong, we would fix it, by God's grace. so that.. we would close this chapter, this year, with a glorious last paragraph.

I am still young and inexperienced. I will still learn a lot and see a lot more. But so far.. I have drawn a conclusion that I kind of believe.. will remain true till my last breath. That.. it's all about and because of grace. I used to think that NCC put too much emphasis on grace but then.. Now I begin to see that.. you could never put too much emphasis on grace. Because without grace, none of us would have what it takes to stand before God. Some jobs.. like mine, and also those in the banks probably.. allow you to meet many kind of people from all kind of background. and you get to see how these people deal with the one thing that.. is probably the biggest challenge to our character: money. and you realise that.. whether or not they are Christian.. sometimes has little to do with their wisdom, character and integrity. the only saving grace that we have is.. the grace of God.

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls. - Mother Theresa

Another interesting mystery recently here And previously, was a story of a missing Indonesian lady who was then found dead- the lady was the sister of our friend's makeup artist. And before that.. was the guy who died on the day he got married. And tracing back further.. was the death of David Hartanto. Hmm... mystery..

Peter fairly exploded with his good news: "It's God's own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you're from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open. Acts 10:34-35 How much do I.. want.. God? How ready am I to do.. what.. He.. says?

on the pulpit we say "God loves you for who you are" but after the service.. we are back to our judgmental self towards people. we should have said.. "God loves you for who you are... I don't"

Just randomly picked a new anime to watch. Tegami Bachi- Letter Bee caught my attention. I guess I like the drawing style.

Maybe I say too much at times.. because often I don't know whether I have done enough.. to let you know that no matter what.. I will always want the best for you- and I will give anything for that. I still want to walk the next millions steps in this life with you.

It's always the living ones.. the noisy and annoying ones. the death is lying peacefully down there. and yet.. the living ones.. they are noisy. they are noisy coz they have yet to understand. they would have stayed peaceful and serene had they understood.

'the message' version of the bible has a wonderful introduction on the book of Acts. written by Luke, the same doctor who wrote the Gospel of Luke.. it was really a continuation of the story told in the Gospel.. as if it carried on to the book of Acts without interruption. there is a reason why the book was found right after the Gospel. so that we do not merely become in awe of Jesus' wonderful works and stop at that. so that we know that His apostles did not stop at the point of believing. they acted! acted on their belief and love for Christ. "we can't stop TaLking about what we've seen and heard".. that's what the book of Acts was about. for me personally, it's a challenge to come to this point.. and yet.. I understand now that no matter how much I think I love him.. if I don't speak of Him enough.. if I don't act upon his words, upon my faith in him.. i simply don't love him enough.

Arrghh..... this is arghhh.... Liar Game Season 2 is out!! One of the brilliant doramas that opened up my mind ^^ Hope the sequel live up to the hype

This is novena. And they are playing macarena. This is velocity. And in front of me, a cup of spinelli. Well.. It's not difficult to make words rhyme. But.. What about souls? How do they bind?

I am praying that God would teach me how to look positively at people whose characters I have difficulty to appreciate. and how to believe to its utmost best the intention of people whose behavior I have difficulty to approve. not sure how long it will take to learn those.

I saw God before me for all time. Nothing can shake me; he's right by my side. I'm glad from the inside out, ecstatic; I've pitched my tent in the land of hope. I know you'll never dump me in Hades; I'll never even smell the stench of death. You've got my feet on the life-path, with your face shining sun-joy all around. - Acts 2:25-28 (The Message)

yang terhilang dan menanti di ujung sana..

those who want to be popular.. cannot hang around with the absolute truth. those who want to stick with the absolute truth.. cannot be popular. well the above two lines have little to do with the japanese dorama that vivy successfully recommended to me actually. i just felt like starting with those words. the dorama was about a kindhearted teacher who could kill with a touch of his hand and a mysterious death-row prisoner who could heal any kind of wound or sickness with a touch of his hand. those who watch Inuyasha would notice the resemblance. i don't see too much of a problem with a guy who could kill by touching. maybe because we grow in a country full with stories of some witches who could kill from afar. but it's definitely problematic when you have someone who could heal with his touch. the world would bow down to him.. there are people who would do anything, including killing, to be healed. and i like how this dorama, like some other japanese serials, fleshes out the ug...