Happy Mothers' Day

Happy Mother's Day Mummy!!

Thanks for everything.
For giving birth to me,
For giving me food and drink,
For giving me a roof above my head,
For supporting me through my education and tkd,
For being my listening ear (Enduring my endless complains)
For knowing about this blog but pretending that you didn't know...
I appreciate it.

Thanks for giving me half of your genes.
Because now I am sure that I have:
The ability to care
The ability to work
The ability to do housework
The ability to cook
All written in my genes.

Thanks especially for pointing me to God whenever I am troubled.
And for helping me find back my self esteem (still a work in progress)

Love you loads!!

And a miracle is born

Dear Lord,

Thank you so much for blessing Gwen with a smooth delivery.
Thanks for creating such a beautiful baby Leonard
And blessing him with such a good family.

Please bless my sister and her family.
Please look after them and keep them safe and happy.
Please guide Gwen in her path in a good mother
And give Kia lih the wisdom to be a good father and husband.

In Jesus's name,
Amen

Blog

Has God changed?

No.

Have I changed?


No. You have always been like this.

Have my mind changed? I feel obviously much less grateful and thankful than before, have I grown into a monster?

Denise... Who can smile in the face of adversity... and give thanks for the pain and suffering... the humiliation and heartache?

Only Jesus...

Yes...Only Jesus... And yet, you are trying so hard to do it all by yourself... Something that is impossible for man to do...

I am disappointed and angry with everyone...

You have good reason to feel this way... After all, if man was all that perfect, Jesus wouldn't have had to die on the cross... You have good reason to feel the rage and disappointment...

I feel lost and guilty for allowing my heart and mind to be filled with rage, hate, anger and disgust...

You don't have to feel this way... You tried your best to be a good person... I know you did... Now, just stop punishing yourself and embrace the new chapter of your life...

I feel tired and drained... the pain I feel is a constant reminder that God has failed me... He has allowed for my nose to be broken...

Denise... You did break your nose... but there was no blood, minimal swelling and bruising and within two days the pain was almost gone... Don't you see what a miracle that is? You think this is normal? Most people bleed and bruise badly... You are a walking testimony of healing...

But I am disfigured...

Be patient... See what the doctor says on Monday... Have faith... The path of the righteous shines brighter and brighter... You can only grow more beautiful... Have faith...

My friends and family - they do not care for me... I feel estranged and hurt...

So do you prefer that they pause their lives and rush into your home to comfort you? Everyone is facing their own little crisis... You know it... You used to be able to see it and sympathize with them... But now you are blind... with your own suffering and grief.. too overwhelmed to have compassion for them... But Denise, trust me... Don't be too hard on them now... For when you are well, you will regret it....

What should I do? I need comfort.

You have the holy spirit... you have the word of God... You have this blog... Do what you do best... Blog...

Forgive yourself

If one can forgive himself, he will be able to bear with all the punishments and persecutions that come as a consequence of that mistake. No one can bear the mental torment that he exacts upon himself. It literally opens the door to all sorts of self-abuse including working too much, depriving yourself of family time, belittling yourself, allowing yourself to be bullied by others, allowing disease to ravage through your body. Forgive yourself. Love yourself. Resist all the evil that is falling upon you.


There were many cases in which pastors were called to minister to patients who were ravaged by cancer. Many of these patients were due to die in a matter of months. When the pastors spoke to these patients, they realised that many of them were struggling with issues of forgiveness. Most of them found it hard to forgive their parents, their spouse or other people who were mean to them.

But most commonly, most of them found it hard to forgive themselves for some mistakes that have made in their lives. Strangely, not all these mistakes were theirs. In fact, they noted that women and children especially had the strange ability to blame themselves for everything including, their parents’ divorce, not performing as well as their siblings academically, they blame themselves for not trying hard enough when a relationship fails, they even blame themselves when they are being abused. Many rape victims begin to convince themselves that they deserved it. And they begin to hate themselves. This constant admission of fault, followed by blatant unforgiveness eventually leads to them adopt the following mentally:

“I deserve everything bad that is happening to me. I deserve it. So if I do get cancer, just let me fade away. I am scum and I do not deserve to live. If people insult me or abuse me, I should not defend myself. Because, I deserve it.”

But the truth is: You don’t deserve it. Let’s face it. No one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has fallen short of perfection. This is precisely the reason why Jesus had to die on the cross for our sins. And yes, what he did on the cross was a finished work. ALL your sins are forgiven; you do not have to punish yourself anymore.

Well, if forgiving yourself seems like the selfish thing to do, let me inform you that we are all programmed to treat others like we treat ourselves. The more unforgiving and judgemental you are to yourself, the more unforgiving and judgemental you will be to all those around you. Think about it, forgiving yourself is the kind thing to do, not only for yourself but for all those around you. You must first love yourself before you can love others.

I used to be just like that. I did have my own share of bad experiences. And because no one was there to tell me that it was not entirely my fault and that this mistake was perfectly normal for people my age and that I did not deserve all the abuse that was given to me, I just started to believe that I deserve to be treated badly. Everyday I repeated to myself. “Stop complaining Denise. You deserve it. God is punishing you for your mistake. Be humble and accept it.” And that really poisoned me.

My skin was really bad. Did I do anything about it? Consider seeing a doctor or changing my diet? No. When I was required to lose weight for competition, I simply stopped eating. I was so weak I couldn’t perform during the selection. And after that, I was so weak I couldn’t climb up the stairs to my place. I literally had to crawl up the stairs that day. Did I feel guilty for neglecting my health? No. When people spoke mean things about me right in front of me, did I stand up to defend myself? Or perhaps just made a joke of it and laughed about it with them? No. I took all these as ‘deserved’ punishment. And you know what, this just opens the door to more abuse. People dislike people who do not love themselves. It will just open up the door to more abuse and lead to a downward spiral of torture in your life.

The turning point came when a group of people entered my life. These people showed me that I was deserving of love and happiness. And that I am equally deserving of being happy as everyone else around me. That those who abuse me were always in the wrong and that I didn’t have to tolerate any of this abuse any longer. I started to forgive myself and to resist every bad thing that was happening to me. And from there, I started loving myself and taking better care of myself. After which I developed additional capabilities to be a blessing to those around me. It seems that once I started to resist whatever evil thing the devil throws at me, I begin to get better. My mentality changed from:

“I deserve it” to “I know I deserve it. But Jesus has already paid the price for my mistakes on the cross. So I no longer have to punish myself for it. And you, who are equally sinful, who are you to be so self righteous? Who are you to exact this abuse on me? I resist it in Jesus's name.”

Forgive yourself. You are not only doing yourself a favour by learning how to really live life the way God intended for it to be but also making yourself a blessing to all those around you. Forgive yourself.

And you know what happened to those terminally ill cancer patients after they forgave themselves? They got better.



Dear Lord,

I know that I have made mistakes.
But your grace is larger than all my mistakes put together,
and the blood of Jesus is more powerful than the sins of all the world.

So dear Lord, I thank you for your forgiveness of sins
and forgive myself for all the mistakes I have made thus far.
I take comfort for you have said:
"My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in weakness"
Thank you Dear Lord.

Because of Jesus's blood,
I deserve to be loved.
I deserve to be happy.
I resist every evil thing that is happening to me.

In Jesus's name,
Amen

Food for the spirit (Please eat slowly)

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want
-Psalm 23:1

Better a little with the fear of the LORD
Than great treasure and trouble therewith.
-Proverbs 15:16

Labour not to be rich:
Cease from thine own wisdom.
-Proverbs 23:4

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
-Philippians 4:13

Building

For every house is built by some man, but he that builds all things is God.
-Hebrews 3:4-

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And now I say unto you,
Refrain from these men, and let them alone:
For if this counsel or this work be of men,
It will come to nought:

But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it;
Lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.
-Acts 5:38-39


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Dear Lord,

I can invest all my emotions, sweat and tears into building,
but if it is not in your will, it will not succeed.
For you build all things.
Similarly, you who are able to create the heavens and the earth,
What is too difficult for you to build?
I firmly believe that with your blessing,
Anything is possible.
Therefore, I am letting go.
Please God, help me forget myself.
Let me forget myself.
Free me from this self obsession that I might be less self conscious and more bold
Bold to do the things you have set in my heart to do.
Bold to be an empty vessel for your works.
I am currently so self-obsessed.
Obsessed with my own goals, values and illusions of security.
None of which matters without your grace.
I seem to be living life, running through a checklist of things I must accomplish.
But that is not healthy at all.
It is a selfish kind of existence which will lead to depression and destruction.
I am no longer of any use to you when I am so filled with myself.
So dear Lord, empty me this day.

In Jesus’s name,
Amen

Gravity (retouched)

I touched on this topic a couple of times over the last two year. Here’s a summary of the previous entries(to help you better understand the following entry):

Why does the moon revolve about the earth?
Why do the earth and all the planets revolve about the sun?

There is a universal law that governs the movement of bodies. Low mass objects are attracted to higher mass objects. As the theory suggests, the earth, having a higher mass than the moon, exerts a greater gravitation pull on the moon. The moon is drawn into the gravitational field of the earth and the two bodies begin to spin about each other.

The earth, the higher mass body, spins about a much smaller circle; while the moon spins about the earth in a larger circle. From an outsider’s point of view, the earth appears to be wobbling, or even motionless, while the moon travels a massive distance about the earth.

The same theory can be applied to the sun and her planets. The sun has the highest mass in our solar system and thus all the planets revolve about it.

In the entry ‘gravity’, I likened this gravitation pull to the social pull we humans have on each other. If you are popular, good looking, intelligent, powerful and influential, you exert a higher gravitation force on all those around you. Surrounding lower mass bodies would be inadvertently attracted to you... Like slaves, they helplessly revolve themselves about you...

Therefore, when you intend to forge any real relationships (real as in – friendship, BGR), it is wise to find people of equal influence... In such a relationship, the two of you revolve about each other like bipolar stars, both parties contributing equally to the relationship.

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Gravity (retouched)
Though the moons are greatly affected by the motions of the earth, they too exert their own impact on the higher mass bodies. A good example would be the tides resulting from the moon’s gravitational force. You may imagine that this is a rather miniscule effect on the earth and is nothing compared to the large excessive effort the moon has to expand to rotate about the earth, but please do not underestimate its effect. Disturbance in the moon also has the effect of creating catastrophic tsunamis and weather irregularities.

Moral of the story? If you really are a high mass body, you will be wise as to which moons you choose to capture. As insinuated, the effect is very much subconscious... Many of these moons will very helplessly lodge themselves to you if they get within a close proximity...

Solution – keep a distance from those moons you do not wish to capture. This sort of explains the aloof and distant character of some celebrities. Well, I guess we can better empathise with them now.

Let’s extrapolate this theory a little further and not confine it to the realm of human relationships... Have you noticed how we, as human beings, so helplessly revolve about the things we place central in our lives? I have heard of housewives getting stressed over their children’s PSLE results, working adults plunging off buildings after losing their jobs, athletes sabotaging each other to secure their place in the sport. From an outsider’s point of view, all this erratic and extreme behaviour may seem awkward and even crazy on many levels. What happened?

The housewife has placed her children in the center of her life. She’s the moon of her children. Small hiccups in their lives lead to great disturbances in her life. The same is true for the working adult with regard to his job, the athlete with regard to his sport. They have all become the moons of the objects, ideas, power they obsess over. It is a dangerous life to lead, considering that none of these are stable and life itself is unpredictable and unstable.

The solution – find the right object to be obsessed over. It should have the following characteristics:

1. Stable
2. Permanent
3. Treasures you equally

What is that? Or rather, who is that? Jesus. Be obsessed with Jesus, he is stable, permanent and he loves you more than you can ever love him. Best of all, his love is constant. You will never have to suffer moments of neglect, moments of doubt, and you will never have to earn or fight for his love. As a result, you will find your life alot more stable than the people of the world, who obsess over transient things like ideas, values, money, recognition, power.

Proverbs 16:3
Commit thy works unto the LORD,
and thy thoughts shall be established.

A list of activities to cheer yourself up

1. Cook a simple and healthy dish - It may even be as simple as a smoothie but trust me, the satisfaction that comes from it – priceless.

Check out http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food for inspiration. Just browsing through this chirpy website will make you a lot happier. (Try cooking for some friends to double/triple the joy)


2. Blog – Trust me, no one knows what advice you need better than yourself. Besides, if you really need to complain, this is a very good avenue. It is absolutely judgement-free and it gives you 100% of its attention 24/7.

You can complain for as long as you want and guess what, when you return to the start of the entry to read your own complains, you can see very plainly how irrational some of your concerns are. Either way, it is a good way to trash out your thoughts inconsequentially. Just make sure you don’t publish that post.


3. Buy flowers for yourself – Trust me, something in the genetic structure of women make us genetically predisposed to liking flowers. Just a simple stalk can brighten up your day. To double the joy, when purchasing the flower for yourself, buy another stalk for a friend or colleague. It works wonders.


4. Clean up your room – First, split the room into small manageable bits (eg. Study table, dressing table, wardrobe). Focus on one bit at a time. Get a gigantic trash bag and ask yourself this question – “Will I miss this when its gone?” If the answer is no, trash it. Of course, for the things that are still usable, you may want to consider giving them away.

You may work on a few bits a day but at the end of a week, you will find your living space a lot less cluttered. (Trust me, just sacrifice 15 minutes of that facebook time to clear your room, you will feel the difference)


5. Make someone else’s day – Proven fact, that nothing comes close to the satisfaction derived from helping someone. Anyone. It can be as simple as buying three packets of tissue from the lady on a wheelchair (when you have no need for tissue paper), all the way to helping your parents with the housework or purchasing gifts for your friends and family. DO THIS and you’ll cheer yourself + someone else up. Joy to the world.


6. Try something new – Make it a point to eat something different everyday. It may not have to be something exotic and completely different from your usual preference. You may still eat at the same place but please just try ordering something different. There are people (points to myself) who can settle for eating the same dish at the same restaurant for years. Remember that variety is one of the keys to having a good diet.

Of course, trying ‘something new’ does not cover only the narrow sphere of eating. You can also trying wearing something new – Never worn skirts/boots/heels/makeup before? Perhaps you could try it today. Never tried taking this particular bus home before? Try it. Never bought this brand of perfume before? Try it. Never shopped at this mall before? Try it. Self-banned horror movies from your life? Try it again. Never tried clubbing? Try it (just make sure you go with trustworthy people). Never tried speaking to that cute guy/girl at the bus stop? Try it.

You will find that you do not have to make many changes to reap so much more from your daily life. It is man who subjects himself to routine that ends up reaping the same harvests over and over again, subjecting himself to suffocating monotony. You don’t have to live like that. Try something new.


7. READ THE BIBLE - You will find that the bible can really provide everything you need in life.

If you need a role model, there’s no better role model than Jesus (Mark, Matthew, Luke and John).
If you are in need of human wisdom, there’s proverbs.
If you are in need of sympathy there’s David’s Psalms.
If you are in need of love and encouragement, there are the stories of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, not mentioning the beautiful stories of Ruth, Daniel, David, Joseph).
If you are facing some trials in your life, there’s Psalms and letters of Paul (eg.Galatians, Corinthians, James).

Just a small verse is sufficient for you to feed on and to meditate on for an entire day. The beautiful part about the human mind is that it can only focus on one thing at a time. If you are so preoccupied meditating on the word of God, all your problems, pain and complains will just fade away.

Dead

Every morning, I am greeted by the lovely sight of tomb stones. There are Christian tomb stones and Chinese tomb stones, and underneath these tomb stones are the peaceful bodies of the dead.

Jesus has died your death on the cross,
As he is so are you in this world.
You are now dead to this world.
The principalities and powers of this world no longer has power over you.


I remember that Pastor Prince once said something of the following effect:

“Visit a cemetery, observe the dead. Praise them. Observe, do they smile and shout for joy in their graves? Now, curse them, shout all kinds of mean, nasty and vulgar remarks at them. Observe, do they cry or shudder with rage. No, they do not move. Similarly you my child, are dead to this world. Why do you let their words of judgement affect you? These people know not the grace of God and they do not know enough to judge you. “

I endeavour to be like the dead – with regards to praises and criticism of the world. For all these things do not matter. If God loves me and values me enough to send his beloved son to die on the cross for me, how can your words (you who hardly know me, you who do not love me) change my value?

I choose to define myself based on the price tag God has placed on me. How much is Denise worth? The blood and death of Jesus. You might think I am a betrayer, liar, f**king piece of shit. You might think I am ignorant, proud and nothing but an emotional piece of trash. But think and say what you want, because you know what, you cannot remove the price tag God has placed on me.

Lady Gaga's meat dress

Time to reveal a small truth about me – I am a Lady Gaga fan. Yes, just like so many others, I am attracted by the strange, horrifying and unnerving. I enjoy so terribly the sensation of being shocked and surprised. And you know what, no one else does it better than Lady Gaga. It is one thing to stop and stare at a lady who is beautiful and another thing to have your eyes helplessly glued on an object that is just screams out for attention.

Lady Gaga’s meat dress... Need I say more? It’s the talk of the town... No one else is talking about any other dress... Lady Gaga has this amazing ability to absorb all attention on herself... Why? Because she is unpredictably predictable... Pardon the oxymoron, I just couldn’t help myself... I mean, we are all looking forward to be surprised, to be unnerved and were we ever disappointed? Not at all... She outdoes herself every time. There is just something so crazily bold and magically outrageous about her.

While most ladies in the music industry are like sweet romantic movies gliding down the red carpet, Lady Gaga is a one of a kind horror, apocalyptic thriller that commands your attention... And you, being so unnerved and frightened, obey that instruction... While the sweet pandering ladies walk by vulnerable and needy for your attention and praise, this is one lady who screams out “I don’t care what you think about me. But you know what, I know you know that I am going to get all your attention ANYWAY.”

Absolutely brilliant!! Lady Gaga, you make me proud!!

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PS. All that aside, I just couldn’t help but wonder how the dress must have smelled like... Being the cleanliness freak I am, I would probably soak myself my in the bath tub for hours after going near a dress like that, let alone wearing one... Just send chills down my spine... Lady Gaga, I salute you for your courage!!

Endangered Koala

Read on yahoo news a few days back - regarding how one must register with the authorities if one wishes to blog about politics and religion. I guess, I do fall into that category.

Sadly, I do also fall into another category - the majority of society who, out of sheer laziness, would blatantly defy the regulations as long as they can. As long as there are no IMMEDIATE consequences. Yes, we Singaporeans can be quite a bunch of complacent buggers.

With that said, if you should ever discover that my blog has gone missing, do not be surprised that I am also a few hundred dollars poorer.(Singapore is a fine city)

Well, I will continue to blog for as long as I can!! Thanks for supporting me all these years. I am not sure if I really do have a readership BUT for some queer reason, in April this year, my blog was listed as one of the top christian blogs in another website. So, I guess I do have some kind of readership.

Either way, the primary purpose of my blogging is not to be famous or to get attention on myself. It is more of a means for me to organise my thoughts and do my bible study. If God wishes for this blog to be used in other ways, then its purely his perogative and I thank him for it.

It's always good to be used as a vessel for good works.

PS. God, if I ever get fined, please bless me with the resouces to pay the fine. Thanks :D

James

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.

Trials and Temptations
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance.Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave in the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all he does.

The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. l but the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits to all he created.
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Taming the tongue
3 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brother, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as example. Although they are so large and are drive by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

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Two kinds of wisdom
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.

Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual and of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

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Submit Yourselves to God
4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgement on it. There is only one Law giver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you – who are you to judge your neighbour?

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Boasting About Tomorrow
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

Some Psalms

The word of God is life to all those who find them:

Psalm 147:10 – 11
His pleasure is not in the strength of his horse,
Nor his delight in the legs of a man;
The Lord delights in those who fear him,
Who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Psalm 146: 7-9
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
And gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
The Lord gives sight to the blind,
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
The Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the alien
And sustains the fatherless and the widow,
But he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

Psalm 138: 6-8
Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly,
But the proud he knows from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
You preserve my life;
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,
With your right hand you save me.
The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me;
Your love, O Lord, endures forever –
Do not abandon the works of your hands.

Salt

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Matthew 5:13
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The beautiful thing about salt – in and of itself, it really stings. Just grab a pinch of salt and throw it on your tongue and you will understand what I mean. You will be greeted by the aweful stinging intensity of the salt.

With that said, being a food scientist and a fond lover of food and cooking, I cannot help but preach about the benefits of salt. Though in and of itself, it can be quite repulsive, when it is combined with other foods such as meats and vegetables, it serves to bring out the flavour of the food. What used to be plain and tasteless suddenly becomes a delicious dish. With all the modern condiments and sauces, we tend to forget how powerful salt actually is. It has been the principle condiment in many cultures for thousands of years.

Therefore, when God says that we are the salt of the earth, it really is a compliment. It basically means that we are people who will bring out the best in all those around us. We are sent to wherever we are schooling, working, training and to our families for a reason – to bring out the beauty in them.

Well, sometimes, we can be quite repulsive and stubborn, but I believe that if we persevere, we will achieve what God has intended for us to achieve.

Not forgetting other uses of salt:

1) As a preservative
2) To treat injuries

Something to think about eh?

My short holiday

Just got back from my three day holiday drive to Malaysia... It was a drive to Port Dickson and KL (for shopping)... On the way back, we dropped by Malacca for a fantastic peranakan lunch and heavenly chendol...

I must say... It felt much longer than three days... Maybe it was because I was doing something completely different from my usual routine.... For the past three months, my weekdays have been dedicated to work and taekwondo and my weekends to taekwondo and church... Pleasant as that may be... It can get a little draining and monotonous after awhile... But the holiday... introduced a completely new rhythm to my life... For one, I haven’t had 10 hours of sleep for ages... I haven’t NOT exercised for three days in a row for months... I haven’t eaten so much sinful and absolutely delicious food for years... Lastly, and most importantly, I haven’t travelled overseas on a trip that didn’t require me to look out for small kids in such a LONG time...

Finally, on a trip where I am the youngest and people are looking out for me... Can’t imagine how comfortable it feels not having to be on my guard all the time... It is just blissful...

Really need to thank my sister and her boyfriend for involving me on this trip... Haven’t had so much fun in ages...

Denise's Movie Reviews

Inception
It has been some time since I spent so many brain cells on a movie. Nonetheless, any movie that can make you think so much is a movie worth watching. But I guess I had better warned you before you enter the cinema expecting this to be some feel good chick flick or perhaps some feel good messiah style Matrix movie.

This is not a feel good movie!! In fact, you might feel a little unnerved from watching it. Nonetheless, as I have mentioned earlier, it would make you think. And in a world where everything moves in predictable fashions, it is good to be shocked and surprised once in a while. (Which is probably why Lady Gaga sells – another topic for another day).

Surreal. Yes, the best word to describe a movie about dreams – surreal. At some points of the movie, you will find yourself pondering if the lead (Leonardo) is in a dream or in reality. Even his reality holds some dream like qualities. Nonetheless, this is the theme that carries through in the entire movie.

Finally a script that is so brilliant that it keeps you lifted off the ground, in some state of confusion and anxiety. This of course has the effect of keeping you at the edge of your seat and keeping your mind working at all times. A tactic that is, if I might add, absolutely intelligent. (Just a minor side track, perhaps, this may be why a certain level of confusion and anxiety is healthy in any given relationship – Some food for thought.)

Definitely the best movie I have watched this year. It was almost as unnerving as ‘Dr. Parnassus Imaginarium ‘but intelligent enough to sedate all uneasy feeling by directing all the energy to your brain to figure out exactly what is going on.

Of course, I would not even endeavour to compare it with ‘Eclipse’ which belongs in a totally different class of movies.

Watch inception and have a fresh understanding of what creativity actually means.

The sorcerer’s apprentice
Definitely a feel good movie – the sort of film you would take your date for on your first date. Good, healthy, feel good, happy movie. But I guess, just calling it a feel good movie does not quite do it justice does it?

At some levels this movie really spoke to me in a far more matured and intelligent way. I guess it speaks to the ‘loser’ in all of us. How the hero of the film was the classic ‘loser’ with no real talents besides being unnaturally great passion for Physics. How this hero eventually realises that he was ‘the one’ and how he got the girl of his dreams.

Besides all that, it is also safe to say that the movie has a really hearty sense of humour that will keep you laughing till the end of the film. Definitely a good movie to lift your spirits after a hard day of work/school.

Despicable Me
Officially my favourite animated film of all time... After Ice age... and maybe Shrek... Ok, I have too many favourites. The thing is, this movie really exceeded all my expectations. It is clever, witty, humorous and so bloody enjoyable.

It is a movie for both children and adults and... all those in between...

In fact, it is nearly impossible for you to not enjoy the movie... unless of course, you are the rare few born without a sense of humour.

This is a must watch!!

PS. Watch out for the minions – they are SOOOOO cute!!!

Corrupt speech

I have been blessed with a cubicle that is comfortable and reasonably large. It gives me the privacy and security I need to work well. Also, it gives me sufficient ‘wall’ space to pin up my favorite bible verses.

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Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,
But that which is good to the use of edifying
That it may minister grace unto the hearers.
(Ephesians 4:29)

Whenever I am tempted to complain, or to speak harshly to my colleagues, I just have to look at this verse. It says very clearly that words that should proceed out of our mouths should only be for the use of:

1) Edifying – instruct or benefit
2) Minister grace

Nowhere in this verse does it say, use your words to:

1) Point out the flaws of others
2) Complain
3) Speak maliciously about others
4) Make jokes about others

Well, I am not perfect. And I do complain sometimes. But at least now I know that these are my moments of infirmities. God does not condemn me for these infirmities. I am only human and humans are imperfect.

However, God would really rather prefer that I not complain and become fault finding and narrow minded but rather, gracious, thankful and helpful.

Give thought to your ways

A wicked man puts up a bold front,
But an upright man gives thought to his ways.
(Proverbs 21:29)

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I often reflect on this verse when I am being confronted with opposition. I admit that I am a rather proud person, and most of the time, I do feel that I am right. However, before doing or saying anything that I might regret later, I'ld rather take some time to think about the following possibilities:

"What if I am really wrong? What if neither of us are wrong? What if we are both right? Should I fight this out? Or is it better to just walk away?"

NO ONE is always right. Spend some time considering that you might be wrong. Perhaps, that would be your judgement alot better. And more importantly, it is the mark of humility, to always think in the shoes of the other party - Even if he happens to be your opposition. His actions might be wrong; they might be hurtful, but you must consider the possibility that these hurtful actions are a result of some deeply rooted misconceptions. Always attempt to dig deeper. See beyond the surface.

Thanks God!!

Received quite a pleasant surprise yesterday...I don't understand how it actually happened but when I went back, people were so much nicer to me. It's like, they actually appreciate my presence... But I didn't do anything for them the past two months!!!

Perhaps, in my absence, they have forgotten what a pain in the neck I could be... Always complaining, always crying, always ordering them around, always unable to tolerate kicks but still kicking people hard... Really quite a nuisance...

Well, whatever happened, I am truly grateful... Perhaps God really did work his magic... When I rested, he worked.. =)

Thanks God!! Really... I do not deserve any of this... Thanks for making me feel accepted and part of the team...

Heartache

After 9 hours of cold-medicine induced deep sleep, I woke up this morning feel logical enough to examine myself as a medical subject... More than an emotional, feeling precious child of God... And that gave me perspective...

Travelled the 2 hours of work feeling a pulsating pain on my chest - heart ache... This must be a heartache. Though I do not remember the exact cause of it - one more advantage of having hypothyroidism... slight loss of memory.. Helps me forget unhappy things.. But as it appears.. What the mind forgets, the heart remembers...

But quoting the wise words of my uncle (whom I hardly get the chance to meet more than once a year) - what's meant to be yours will be yours.. It is a very natural thing.. There is absolutely no need to force or press forward to get it... Just relax...

AND LET GOD DO HIS MAGIC (added by me)