..my battle stance..

things did not start off right with Seoul. insadong did not impress me much. neither was I in love when I visited myeongdong for the first time. but i slowly develop a genuine love for this city. well.. I like it enough to make me feel like going back there as soon as spring. or maybe I just can't believe that I did not get to see Park Shin Hye :D thanks to rimbun and bombie who got us through with their survival korean language skill. as well as the sim card with unlimited data. plus GOOGLE MAP. the trinity that ensure that we will never be lost. so here are the things about Seoul that left memorable impression: 1) stairs: #@$@#%%^@ seriously.. my eternal enemy. they are everywhere. most subway stations are on B3 or even B4. and you either take stairs or the rarely seen lifts. no escalator. but seeing how only the elderly take lifts, pride took over and I took stairs. 2) cafe just like the stairs.. they are everywhere! love the fact that instead of ...

A blog being what it is.. a log. Let's do a 2015 log. Started off with an Europe trip, and wrapped it up with a trip to Seoul. not bad indeed.. 2015. above many things, I love and come alive breathing in different kind of air under different part of this vast sky. the scent.. they are different whether you are in Singapore, Jakarta, Oslo, Zurich, Prague or Seoul. All my life I have been asking myself if I can handle winter. with allergy that I had ever since I was a little boy, I was never good with cold weather. This year, I got the answer. Thank you Jesus :) turn out.. I survive it. and I love it. the refreshing air of near zero degree winter. and love the fact that I would not have guessed that I would go to those places two months before the trip. again.. I thank God for all these surprises. there were six of us that went to Seoul. that was a surprise team formation too. well.. 2015 is quite an irony tho. this year is rewarding and challenging in equal measure...

On my way back from Seoul, I decided to watch Bridge of Spies. I seldom sacrifice my sleep for anything other than Arsenal games. but it was worth it. the movie is, simply put, a masterpiece. The Russian spy, Rudolf Abel, was truly a memorable character. The first part of the movie tells the story of the court proceeding in the US against him. It was a staged court whereby the judge, the jury, and basically all the Americans want him dead. Except James Donovan (Tom Hanks), who was being asked to be his defendant lawyer. The second part of the movie was about the negotiation for prisoners exchange. Towards the end, Donovan realised that the Russians didn't really care about Abel's life. They only wanted him back to make sure their spy didn't spill any bean. And upon receiving him back, they might actually kill him if they had reason to suspect that he was no longer 'their man'. It felt like yet another calamity at the other side of the bridge. There m...

it feels awkward to read our own old post. like this one . yeah that was the first audrey that i knew. she was from Ursula, a famous all girl school in Jakarta. the year was 1999. Hand phones were not that smart yet. and it's freaking expensive to call someone from your hand phone.  so i would go to wartel (public phone er.. warong?) to call her. that was my first uni day crush. and then i came across audrey hepburn at NUS. she was unforgettable in My Fair Lady. a classic movie which I think every human being should watch at least once. so 'audrey' has been my favorite name for a while. but recently i find that hillary is very wonderful name too. no I have no friend with that name. i had a prospect property buyer with that name though. and coincidentally, she is quite sweet. but engaged. i guess we can and will change. the person and name which means nothing a year ago could mean something now. or the other way around. it's remarkable the differ...

this life is a series of bouts. endless one. which is exciting if you think about it. we do not always win. inevitably we will lose. and it sucks to lose. but here's the thing. we do not have to win all the fights. in fact.. we do not have to fight all the fights. in obsessing over the trivial losses (and most of them are trivial in the end).. we lose our focus on the few fights that really matter (only a few of them really matter in the end) all it takes is that one clean hit. the only thing i have in mind is that one strike. there is only one fight that matters at one time. that is the present. you may have lost countless bouts before. but this one fight, this one win- it can change everything. and after that.. you start all over again.  because there are still thousands bouts awaiting you.

In the midst of  'Our Times' fever (the OST in youtube has hit close to 30million viewers), I thought I would like to pay tribute to Crescendo instead. It's our local drama production. Oh my I just said 'our'. Yeah I love 93.3, I love TCS, and I love Mediacorp, as well as 8 Days! So Singaporean.. For sure Singapore's production can't quite match up to their Taiwan counterpart in many ways. To begin with, Taiwanese accent is just .. ugh. And of course, they have strong pedigree in romantic comedy genre.   But.. I love that flawed, homemade effort that is apparent in our local production. Sometimes they try too hard and that kinda turn me off. Like a singer trying to hit the high note and fall flat. But at times, they hit the balance right. Between playing safe and pushing a little bit beyond the boundary. Crescendo is one fine example. The senior actors have solid acting and poor singing (which is funny coz they are supposed to be som...

tried to download tinder recently. been hearing a lot about this app from friends. a friend got to know a guy from this app and they got on quite well. and another friend.. now this one is weirrd -__-" his brother one day suddenly sent him a girl's phone number and asked him to chat up the girl. a total stranger. turns out that  this older brother went on tinder to look for a girl for his single younger brother. this is matchmaking in 2015. it was quite fun initially to swipe left and right. and occasionally you spot your own friends heh. but after a while it just feels pointless to me. or rather.. there is not much feeling to it. it feels like job application to me. except the 'No One Night Stand' warning. which is always amusing :D tinder is one of the things that highlight the irony of today's generation. this generation which uphold 'do not judge' philosophy is also the very generation which judge too quickly, too superficially. not t...

you made me glad.. Adonai :)

There is something about November that make you feel .. good. Maybe coz its the thanksgiving mood. maybe its like prelude to a holiday season. but then again I was not a huge fan of Christmas. Well.. as of now, we have decided to move on. To a new house. Bigger, nicer, but much much further from town @_@ Try not to think too much about it. Hope we get along well with the new housemates set up. I hope by the end of our lease at this new home, which is May 2017.. I would have something life changing to report here. Not that life is not changing now. Yeah.. rough sea. But this boat is sailing on like a good old Thousand Sunny. Have booked tic for an impulsive trip in Dec. Oh my.. I also do not want to think too much about it now. Seems that I can't escape winter, ever missing out on autumn. there is a reason for everything eh? I did say that this year.. I wanted a trip to an Asia country after my Europe trip. And I even stated the country I wanted to go to. But a...

'the guy with the most freedom in this whole ocean is the Pirate King !' - Monkey D Luffy, One Piece This manga is about one thing. Race to the Grand Line, where the ultimate treasure called 'One Piece' is hidden.  All pirates understand 'Pirate King' as the one pirate who manages to get to the treasure first. Well.. almost all. Because there is Luffy who seems to care nothing about the treasure's content. For him.. the man with the most freedom in this whole ocean is the King. How true it is. I think the happiest man in this world is indeed the man with the most freedom. And such a man is truly a king. In another manga, Naruto, there is an excellent character named Itachi. A smart, kindhearted boy with an immense burden he was destined to carry. Well.. he could have chosen to be selfish and follow his heart desire. And no one would have blamed him probably. He chose to carry the burden though. And with that, he compromised his own freedom....

cute is always always better than pretty. just saying. “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” ― Louis L'Amour so yeah.. even a random statement is good for a start. speaking of L'Amour, I never knew this guy before. Turn out he is quite a good writer! “The Apache don't have a word for love," he said. "Know what they both say at the marriage? The squaw-taking ceremony?" "Tell me." "Varlebena. It means forever. That's all they say.” ― Louis L'Amour , Hondo     How about that? I do think that 'at the marriage' is probably the first time we should attempt that word.. forever, that is.

'Christmas song? Like now?' 'Yeah.. it's October now.' 'Oh.. yeah...' 'Fast huh?' 'Extremely.' 'So what do you say?' 'about what?' 'shall we end this year with a bang?' 'it deserves nothing less..'

in life, in games, in wars... sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. we go from battle to battle in life. and at any given time, the only battle that matters is the one ahead of us. i once read a gem titled 'the present', written by the author of 'who moved my cheese'. which is another gem everyone should read I think. the message of the book is simple. the importance of being 'in the present', no matter what season of life you are at. no matter how bad or great your yesterday was, or how exciting or frightening your tomorrow seem to be. nothing matters more than to be in the present. that kind of discipline takes years and years to master. still learning.. keep failing.. but it does help when you are sitting in front of your laptop, inside a cosy and spacious JW Marriott hotel room. feels like staycation. though I am here only for a friend's wedding. in less than a week, attended two weddings in JW Marriott hotels.. One in Jakarta an...

So today is the first day I try Batik Air. The full fledged flight version of Lion Air. After finding myself stranded at Changi Airport last week for four hours (initial departure 9.20pm, eventual departure 01.40am) I vow to always avoid budget airlines to the best of my ability. Well.. sometimes u just have no choice. I end up booking Jetstar for my upcoming flight to Surabaya from Singapore. What can I do? The non budget flight are not feasible either due to the timing or the price (twice Jetstar's price). Back to batik air. Few things that matter when it comes to flight experience 1) seat comfort and leg space the seat is so much more human than Lion's. I always end up with neck pain every time I take Lion Air (and that's for a less than 2 hour journey from Sg to Jkt). As for Batik Air, the angle for the head rest part is comfortable enough. leg space is also good enough. 2) food! sadly, you can give their food a miss. they had choice of nasi goreng o...

actually I never really knew her. but she used to be in the same church with me for a while. so somehow.. I know her. somethingg like that. its somehow entertaining to watch.

"do you know what this means? it means you completely expose your throat to someone you can't trust, yet you have no way of avoiding it." - Mr Xiang indeed Mr Xiang, indeed.

Heaven will solve our problems, but not, I think, by showing us subtle reconciliations between all our apparently contradictory notions. The notions will all be knocked from under our feet. We shall see that there never was any problem.  - CS Lewis, Grief Observed yesterday was a problematic one. What could go wrong did go wrong. But hey, I am still in one piece after all. and there are still ways to solve the 'problems'. So it's not so bad. And did something for the first time in my life too. Attended the young adult service hah. today I did another, Attending Stephen Tong gospel rally. The very same rally that my mom went to as a teenager :) forgetting what lies behind, straining forward to what lies ahead. (Phil 3:13) she never forgot this verse spoken by Stephen Tong. probably 40 years ago? looking back there were many things I wish I had done differently. or wish I had made a different choice. 'if only I didn't go that way, I would not...

Came across this drama on TV. Half willing to watch as the title is just too.. discouraging. Not a fan of tragedy love story. But Chen Qiao En is one of the few actresses whose acting I enjoy watching a lot. Can't believe she is 36 @_@ And Huang Xiao Ming is just good at playing a badass like his character in Cruel Romance. I suspect these two's love story will end in the most cruel and tragic manner hah. Oh crap.

first of all.. i have won free tics from this lovely website for the 3rd (or is it 4th?) time! halleluyah! I won free screening for some artsy French movies before. this time tho, its a rather mainstream K-movie. see you tomorrow Jeon Ji Hyun! You gotta love that sassy girl. Thank you God ^__^ Been thinking about being happy. or the ability to make someone happy. how important is it? In this life.. you will meet someone with whom you feel deeply happy about. that someone without whom you suspect you will no longer know how to be truly happy. that very someone you wish you can bring happiness to. you wish you are that person's greatest source of happiness. because that is exactly how you feel about that person. but as fate will have it.. you will come to learn a precious lesson. you don't get to control much in life. inevitably, you will learn that no matter what you do, you can never control another person's heart or happiness. and similarly, y...

"you must be very upset then?" she thought for a while. "not really. I just felt drained ." i find myself nodding in agreement with her. that is quite a trouble. more troublesome than being upset indeed.

yeah thank God! we just managed to get an 'Option' for my listing at CCK. ^_____________^ It was not easy. we took months. the market was not in our favor. neither was time. we raced against time, in fact. and I feel sorry for my friend who has entrusted me to help him with this. but we finally got our buyer two days ago :)) The process is still ongoing. Not fully completed yet. But just like before.. we commit this to our Lord Jesus. He is always, always.. our very present help in time of need. for many years I have mostly been doing private sales. I had my doubt when my friend asked me to help him with marketing of his hdb flat. and I openly admitted to him that CCK is not exactly an area I was familiar with either. but I knew that God is with my friend, and He is with me. So yeah.. let's do it. I thought. And after working on this listing.. suddenly I start getting friends who ask me to help marketing their hdb flats. This has not happened for the...

so after JP spoke about the year of restoration, today Mr Ocampo shared about the prophetic claim that this is the year of divine reversal. that certainly sounds great.- the divine reversal. I don't want to be too much into the numbers thing. but spiritually I do sense that it's true. that this is the season of restoration. and by faith I see that it is happening. the thing is I am not even sure how much was stolen from me. all these years. but i know that I have lost much. far.too.much. so.. there you go. counter attack time. Over to you.. Lord of hosts.

September marks the beginning of the -ber months. The origin of the word is Latin word for seven. So.. here's to the realisation of a perfect and wholesome restoration in Jesus. Still proclaiming by faith that this year is the year of restoration. Here's a faith that refuses to 'get real'.  Oh yeah!    

Today is one of those days. Incidents with some people. A graphic designer who doesn't give a damn to send me the AI file of the design work I paid for. (after ignoring my email for weeks) and her boyfriend who, in the most Indonesian way, tell me politely that he is not interested to do my business. A client who said I told him a different story about my commission rate. I thought basically he just wanted to negotiate for a discount. (thankfully, I emailed them as written record of what I said over the phone four months ago.) and last night, an email from mall management to deny us the right to add more menus to our outlet. the reason? some bullshit that was also, very Indonesian. hah. yeah.. as long as we live, we will never run out of this kind of incident. or people. and to look at it from different angle.. I have been an asshole client to the designer. Now blacklisted by the graphic designer and her bf as one of those small time but troublesome clients to avoi...

'the person is the reward'. that is not a quote from somewhere. this I said one. (in Singlish tone) Well.. after contemplating between a few options, I think this principle should be the first one. In fact it should probably be lesson no 0. Do you realise that assassination does not demand spotlight in its execution? In fact, diversion is created so that the assassin can be out of spotlight. And upon execution, the assassin does not even think about the monetary reward. She can't afford to. She only can focus on one thing. And that is the person she intends to kill. That person is the one and the all. No spotlight, no recognition, no carrot. The only thing that matters is the person. I find that whenever I am in the process of clinching a deal, or when I am helping a client.. the same principle applies. I can't afford to let myself be distracted by stuff. Be it the monetary reward, or the risk of failure, or the unethical agent that I have to deal ...

I don't usually share other blogs post. but I think this little girl is rather impressive.. especially of course if you consider the 'parents' she was talking about. Read her post here it's both blessing and also a nudge whenever you see a youth who so passionately follow Jesus.

Today I watched Paris Holiday. A chinese movie. And the light story is actually not bad! Simple yes.. but it does have things to ponder on. And I just have that super soft spot for Taiwanese accent. you little Amber Kuo! So...  I don't know whether to laugh or to sigh at this too predictable thing. But you know.. I am a bit concerned with my conclusion. I am now convinced that no one is an angel in this matter. we are all culprits. we are all devils. in one way or another. at one point or another. his tear is not any more meaningful than hers. or any less. so yeah.. I am kinda done with trying to believe that there is an exception out there. and to my (young) friend who told me.. "i wish we can be mature and just do away with playing games".. well..  I am sorry to disappoint you but.. that is just not possible. not even for you. it has nothing to do with maturity. it's just the way it is. this is not what we are primarily born for anyway....

I remember my first swimming lesson. I was thrown into the deep water just like that. Not even knowing how to stay afloat. Maybe you had the same kind of first lesson too. The instructor would teach us how to move our hands and legs. again.. before even knowing how to stay afloat. we would frantically move our hands and legs so that our body would move towards the instructor. that bloody instructor who would slowly take a step back, and another step back.. and then another.. but always seemed close enough for us to reach. on and on.. and before we know it.. our body somehow already know how to stay afloat. just like that. and it will never forget that ability. I thought it was magical. and the same principle applies to our life too. sometimes we find ourselves suddenly thrown into a deep mess. or a deep sorrow that just keep on pulling us down. there is simply no way and no point trying to figure out how to solve this crisis. the only thing we can do is to do ...

you know this one. the golden quote from cinderella movie. i thought it was a typical disney message really. but come to think of it.. kindness is profound. really. it's certainly more than just about how you do random act of kindness towards strangers. well that's good too. but kindness is much more basic and yet more challenging than that. kindness is much 'closer to home' than that. kindness is about how you treat the most annoying members of your family. and that mother or father who drives you mad somehow after every one minute of conversation. or those irritating siblings you swear could not possibly have shared the same genes with you. it is about how you handle betrayal by your closest friends. and how you react towards those bitches and jerks around you. it is about how you treat people who are inferior to you in your circle. most annoyingly, it is about how you treat people who don't bloody deserve it! when nobody sees and nobody car...

of many things that is crucial, there is one thing that can never be substituted by anything else. and that is intent . as abstract as it sounds, intent is actually very real, very tangible. and the good news is.. intent is also something that can be trained. now.. there are times when we can have a particularly strong intent effortlessly. whether it is driven by passionate hatred, love, or maybe extreme hunger. our subconscious mind is at a state where it is extremely focused towards a subject/goal. naturally the rest of our bodies are also responding to that intent. our muscles become more alert. our concentration intensifies. our pupils dilate. we are hitting the top gear. but there are times when such passion and intent are absent. most of the times they are absent. in our daily routine lives. that is when we need to use the conscious part of our mind to work. train our mind to have strong focus. focus is everything. focus is energy. start with daily stuff. like...

So here is the deal. You just got yourself a shop space. In between two other shop spaces But you were not aware that.. All the three of you are selling the same thing! Fashion & apparels. And they got a head start. They opened before you did. The one on the left has put up a banner "Lowest Price!" The one on the right: "Best Selection!" Now.. what is your move? "Lowest Price Money Back Guaranteed!" Will you get into price war? What will be your tagline to differentiate yourself? Well.. this person decide to put up this banner: I am pretty sure his business will be damn good! Heh Anyway, that was taken from the slide of a speaker, who I believe also took this material from another place. Guess the morale of the story is.. There is always the bright side of life. There is always.. always.. another way of looking at things. And comparison or competition are not necessarily the best ways to go about it.

I just got myself a new iphun 6! as we all know, S6 made a mess so obvious that I just can't give any justification not to switch from that Korean brand. Oh well.. we are breaking up, android. Moving on is tough ya. Decided not to install twitter, fb, path, and even Line on this phone. So far I survive. Only whatsapp, IG, and other useful stuff like dropbox and evernote. It feels so peaceful. No constant notification. And I become less aware too of the ongoing social media 'exhibition of good life'. social media is not the best place to learn 'gratefulness'. you know what i mean. at this phase of life, it is natural that we start taking stock. so I do too. often. especially at night. in physical and worldly sense, i suppose i only got five loaves and two small fishes. certainly won't die of starving on my own. but to meet the need of everyone and everything that matters in my life? and there are also the issue of 'comparison' and ...

for the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10) It is interesting that Maclaren 's exposition of this verse starts with statement that Judaism is a religion of gladness. It really is. Even the weekend of Jesus' crucifixion was a festival weekend.  Our faith is really not that kind of solemn, zen, ohmmm.. faith. Our faith- the Subject of our faith, is one which is full of gladness. We revolves around this God who dances and sings over us! Oh.. and not only that. He could have just appeared with all this glory and battalion of angels before us. Surely we would have believed. Yet He chose a different way. He chose to woo us. Quite a Lover. We have every reason to be flattered, to have that silly smile on our face at any random time at any given place and situation whenever we think of this God of us. And yes.. Jesus. This Savior of us certainly has a thing or two for party. His first miracle was at a wedding party. Something to do with treating every...

lately i have been getting this dat$ng app$ mail. i think it is one of fb early day apps. been like... what? 10 yrs? so sometimes they will send you a random matching suggestion, and you can click 'yes' if you find the person interesting. and if both parties choose 'yes' then they will hook you up. of course i will normally just ignore all those emails. i just find this particular 'smart pick' quite.. er... smart, indeed. the tone of both photos just somewhat match. her height and hobby sounds right too heh. how did they do the algorithm ya? im curious.

Please try reading "Mere Christianity" by CS Lewis. This book is NOT Complicated. It is not straightforward, I admit. But there is never simple, straightforward answer to life biggest questions anyway. You may not find this book useful or important. But I promise you one day you will. I was astonished by so many deep and yet most basic truths that CS Lewis shared inside. He came up with the content during world war 1? And I felt as if he just wrote that book a few years ago. Towards the end, he touched on sexual issues, on marriage, on faith and our salvation, on grace vs work. So many relevant topics. The ingenuity of the thought.. it can only be the Holy Spirit that revealed to him. I read some of the chapters multiple times. And I tell you I almost never do that. I feel like I want the book to never end. Almost never feel that way too for other books.

:)

There are a few things that I constantly dream of. Say.. my dream of becoming a wuxia author. Or my little dream of penning songs like this guy. I lied on that 'penning songs' thing. Not too confident to admit that actually.. I want to be up there on that stage. Like him. haa.. But well..whatever it is, all those involves one little requirement. The language. So I guess I have to master this after all. Never too late, so they say.

I thought this song is cool somewhat! And the singer's (alto?) voice reminds me of our very own Reza. well.. turns out its the OST of this drama . Its "let's not be friends" soundtrack song is bloody toxic. Maybe will try watching if I got time. Like Ruby Lin a lot, even if she has grown old. She has that typical Taiwanese feel.

Just came across a new knowledge. To me at least, since I am not married yet. Lately people have been getting into prenup agreement prior to their marriage. And I took it for granted that for a country like Singapore prenup agreement is something the court will acknowledge. Singapore is a first world country with rather high divorce rate after all. So I thought. But it seems that under Singapore's law, the court is bound to follow the Women's Charter (under the British law) above all else. Prenup agreement is something that the court may refer to but not compelled to follow. In short, it is not legally binding. Apparently this scenario actually gives the women a better protection. (this statement is on the assumption that in majority the men will be the ones with more or most asset) Read here for more: http://singaporelegaladvice.com/prenuptial-agreements-singapore/ So we have Women's Charter, Prenup Agreement, and the Wedding Vow then. Which one is the weak...

When I first saw this quote, I thought it's really ironic that the person who posted this was the person with whom I had the most severe misunderstanding with. I am not sure if the two of us will ever truly come to common understanding one day. I too, have given up on trying to go the distance and 'fix it' in many occasions lately. When it seems that there is misunderstanding.. And it seems that the other party has decided on taking whatever action he/she deems fit, I just let it be and shrug it off. Don't be too virtuous, and don't be too wise. Why make yourself miserable?  - Ecclesiastes 7:16   So don't be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? (NLT) I never forget this verse from the first time I read it. But it takes me so many years to finally agree with it. Now. Jesus spoke of the weary who carry 'heavy burdens'.. I guess this is one of those heavy burdens we are not meant to carry. It's not our job to fix all the bro...

but it isn't, it seems.

July 1st.  On this day, the regret of the year before is  as far away as  the hope for the year to come.  But as far as the present is concerned,  we are entering the second half of the game. What is 2015 to you?  To me it's game time.  And more importantly.. It's, I believe, the year that answers. Or the beginning of the years that answers. Betting everything on God, making no provision for failure, .. my battle stance ..

These songs are really good companion at night. I fell in love with fairy tail when I came across the anime. It was hilarious. And I love Rave too. (same mangaka) But then I read One Piece. Suddenly Natsu felt like a poorer version of Luffy. Because their personality are somewhat similar. And unfortunately, there is a similar feel to both manga too. But One Piece and Lufffy are simply head and shoulders above everything else. Sigh.. such a great writer. So I was a bit halfhearted when I started reading the manga last week. But slowly I come to realise that Fairy Tail has its merit. To begin with.. as Budi my otaku housemate pointed out, There is no equivalent of Erza Scarlet in One Piece. Such a character is just unique. Heroic and fragile.  and yeah.. she is definitely every fan boy 's dream heh. but what I love the most about this manga is its touching moments. this particular scene is just so memorable if you read the manga.

yeah we're a train wreck. and it doesn't sound like a destination. but do we really fall in love so that we will arrive at something in the most expected way? or do we fall in love and get lost together in a journey that ends at nothing?

the inn is situated next to the town's famous bridge. the bridge of east wind. certainly not the most fortunate name. across the road from the inn is something that is even more famous than the bridge. the scarlet fairy brothel. this is certainly not the best place to open your inn. especially if you are a young, innocent maiden. but she is not just any young, innocent maiden. she happens to be the owner of the brothel too. she is very much respected in this town. but the brothel is despised in equal measure. of course there is a reason behind such a strange situation. but that is not the only strange occurrence there. he patrons the scarlet fairy every 28th day of the month. he will spend two to four hours every time. coming out half drunk, he would walk across to the inn. and spend the night there. every time. no one knows who he is. except her. no one understands his action. not even her. naturally there is a reason behind his action. but the greater...

San Andreas - entertaining. but mainly it's about the almighty Dwayne Johnson. The Spy - "I'm the person who's going to cut your dick off and glue it to your forehead so you look like a limp-dick unicorn. That's who the f*** I am.". McCarthy is a comic genius indeed. Jurassic Park - one helluva ride. wow!  Tenkaichi (wagyu buffet) at Keypoint Beach Road-  OMG! The fatty wagyu @_@ if you love wagyu it's absolutely worth it. If you don't, no point coming here. Hoshino coffee - old stuff I know. but I never had a chance to try it. Fuwa fuwa souffle was GOOD!   Angelina @ Capitol City Hall- Nice spot for tea time date. Pastries are good but not worth the  $13+ price imo. But then again I'm not a big fan of mont blanc that tastes like high end ling yong bao's content.

true assassination usually involves a hunter and a superior prey. and thus it involves intent, intelligence, and strategy.  if you carry a gun to a school and start shooting at weaponless students, that is not an assassination. that is plain massacre. but if you devise a plan to kill a U.S. president while he is watching a play inside a theater, that is probably an assassination. well.. not that I intend to kill someone. but as far as 'killing' is concerned, we are dealt with various situations where we need to make a killing, so to speak. and our target could often be superior to us. in fact, if we find ourselves dealing with inferior opponents most of the times, it probably means we have been living in our comfort zone for too long. the assassination classroom manga often use exams as metaphor. in a way students need to devise study plan and even tactic in solving questions to make a killing in their exams. in our adult lives, instead of exams we face things ...

with the Egyptian chariots behind, and the Red Sea in front of him, there was no such thing as plan B. Moses could not afford to think that the sea would fail to part. He had to believe that the sea would part. He had to believe that God would deliver them. Such is faith. with every step that he took David was drawing closer to Goliath. his brothers and the Israel armies stood behind watching. he had neither retreat route nor ally to fall back on. so David could not afford to think that his sling and stones would fail. He had to believe that the giant would fall. He had to believe that his Lord would win the battle. Such is faith. God of Jacob, my soul's refuge, my hiding place, even as my heart flutters, pocket me beneath your faithful, soaring wings.

this is my prayer in the harvest when favor and providence flow i know i am filled to be emptied again the seed i received i will sow. - desert song (hillsongs) there are times when it seems like this life doesn't make much sense. things falling apart. or just don't work out no matter what. and you wonder if there is truly a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. or if that pot of gold is truly worth waiting for after all. like now. and i ask God.. what to do with this chaos? it seems though that His solution is always counter intuitive. in the end, all I can do is to worship Him. and somehow, worship recaptures the wonder. the wonder and beauty of God himself. worship shifts my focus from my worry to his glory. and so God.. in this season, I pray that You will strengthen my conviction. and You will give me an undivided heart. that all I see is You. Just like Uriah. Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my comm...

They say all is fair in love and war. Until the moment they appear to be on the losing side. Well.. in the end it all seems very simple. If you do not like getting hurt, if you do not like the possibility of being led on in a wrong way, do not get involved at all. Whatever your gender is. Because once you are in this game, you are responsible for your own safety. As the bible says.. guard your heart. It is nobody else' responsibility but ours alone.

One of those random thing. I want to talk a bit about my hairstylist. Whom I have not seen for over a year. For a few reasons. So this is her. Caely of Shunji Matsuo at 313 Somerset. Now I know that as far as hair goes, I barely pass the grade. But that has more to do with my laziness and my damn stiff hair texture rather than my hairstylist shortcoming. I promise you she, in fact, is very cute good. Especially if you are really into styling your hair. For me, I am super boring and simple and lazy. A waste of her talent really. You can search for 'shunji matsuo caely' on google and you will find some blog posts related to her. For example this blog. When I first met her she was a senior stylist I think. At Atria. And I found it really strange that from time to time her fee just kept on increasing. And before I knew it she was already an international director at Shunji  Matsuo. I couldn't believe it. And my wallet hurt. But happy for her too.

The woman in this clip is Barbara Yung (7 May 1959 – 14 May 1985). Please remember her. :) She is a special one. Maybe I am not being objective here. But to be able to appreciate the ancient clip above while enjoying Taylor Swift or Sistar's songs all the same, I guess I am really privileged to be born in the 80s. Wouldn't have it any other way. Legend of the Condor Heroes/LOCH (1983 version) was the first wuxia series that I watched on RCTI. Bloody hell they dubbed the series into Indonesian. The only good thing that ever came out of their dubbing was the voice actor behind Yo Ko & Kotaro Minami. That man's voice was memorable. LOCH aired every weekday night at 11pm. I painstakingly negotiated with my mum every night to let me watch it. Now that I re-watch the movie stills on youtube, I thought these 80s wuxia shows were really something. There is an aura of legend in them. Even this song.. if you are a self respecting wuxia lover, you will know this s...

sometimes i really...

Been an exhausting one, for sure. But plenty to be thankful for too. Joined FA Blessed on Friday. After twice joining them I can now conclude that they've got a remarkably brilliant leader in Yoga. He is really gifted. Intelligent. And has great discernment too. And Fa Blessed will always be Fa blessed it seems. It somehow feels like home. Sat was work. while getting caught in the rain. But somehow I felt that something is coming. Even if my mood was a mess in the evening. Sigh.. Anak galau. And for whatever reason, ended up at Brewerkz with Kim Yam buddies. Bloody expensive beers. But they treated me hah. Thank you! Well boys night out with biz talk was good for the mood. And today.. wrapped up nicely. from Novena to Tanah Merah, Sengkang, Hougang, CCK. I covered the island liao. Seems like something is really coming. We'll see :) Why do I bother to write all these? I dunno. I guess it helps me relive the days and thank God for His loving kindness. A...

This sermon was preached in 1871!! http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0976.htm “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding.   ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply.   Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”- Matthew 22:11-14 I have read this passage many times. And not really sure what the context of that 'proper clothes' is. but lately with my new approach to reading bible, i made many interesting discoveries. Somewhat reminds me of Yohanes Surya's quotes on his book, 'Physics is fun!'. With some animal cartoon drawing in it. But his Olympics qualifying test was BLOODY DIFFICULT and not fun at all.  I digress. Last night I came across Spurgeon's sermon in my search f...

this is also one of the things I read from 'that' manga. 'The suspension bridge effect happens when a person crosses a suspension bridge and he sees someone of the opposite sex. his fear of falling down causes his heart to pound. He then mistakes that for the heart-pounding feeling felt when falling in love with the opposite sex. In short, when the other party is in a state of fright and he see you, he will fall in love with you. Psychologically it would work, but probably not in practice' - explanation from urbandictionary.com that's why i thought 'jurit malam' was really one of the most interesting parts of any retreat heh.

this is just a random midnite whatever. it is fiction by definition. radio talk by genre. One of my fav songs on radio when I was back to Jakarta recently. wise words there. But you know.. a dying man in 'Emergency Couple' said to his son, 'if you love the person, let that person go.. such things.. I do not believe in them.' I think that was way cooler :D Well.. not sure if there is right or wrong move in this. it was silly for sure. but being in love in the silliest way possible, that is one of our privileges while living on earth. so..  why not? and btw how do you get a vocal like Mr Big? would of given anything for that. at the end of the day, we are cool this way. some stories are meant to end abruptly. and then some perfect finale might blossom just as abruptly. ah right, coming up is a write up on assassination lesson. learning some nifty stuff from that manga. ansatsu kyoushitsu. starting to love the idea of assassination ^____^...

The painted boat is punted in to where the flowers are thick. Fragrance floats round golden cups, Mist and rain are so, so fine, In a snatch of pipes and song I drunkenly return - Ouyang Xiu they certainly don't understand the thickness of the forest, the depth of the coffin. if only they could see it they will know that you couldn't even move an inch.

among several memorable birthdays that I had, there was one that kinda stuck in my mind as far as friends are concerned. tried to look for the photos. finally found it. and so happen. it was 2005. been a helluva decade, I guess! :) yeah, some things never change. my horrible hair. the messy room. and these people.. their preciousness in my heart,  but some things.. change. our then and our now. inevitably. naturally. :) and here we are now. 2015. two persons were ever present thru out. well done dian & rimbun! this kinda post is so not me. but once in ten years time is okay rite? :)   there are so many stories within these photos. so much smile and silliness. and while i am at it, allow me to be thoughtless. once in ten years time. that year, 24 may 2005, i also planned the birthday surprise for a certain someone. my favorite person of all time. it was a birthday surprise. it was a farewell too....