Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Concept of House 1

Concept of House:
(no, not the critically acclaimed Hit TV Series starring the ever talented Hugh Laurie)

Specifically, what I want in our home.

1) Simple and open Design (Not clutered. Minimal)
Helps save money, space and well…. I like it.

2) Wooden / pine look with pastel colours.
To give the cozy warm feel.

3) Flat screen LCD TV
To be able to connect my PC into it and for friends to come round to watch Movies and play Playstation games. Yes, my sinful indulgence is playing Naruto 3 and Bleach on the PS2. In my defence, I’m catching up on my childhood, and it builds character.

4) L-shaped couch
Nuff said

5) Café Concept
So that friends can come for a chat and even be a conducive place for Bible Study.

6) Lots of Board Games!!!
This is my main indulgence for this week, (not counting my new bike, which I love, and the bike I got for luzanne. For those who want to know, I got the ‘Boulder’ and ‘Boulder DX’. Matching his and her’s bikes)

A few years ago, me and luzanne decided that we wanted to have a home where people can call home also. That we want to allow our house to be a fun place for friends and family, to give a safe haven in our home.

We then envisioned that our home have a board game café concept. So that started our boardgame collection.

For the last few years, I was really to busy with school and campus crusade, and I was really poor, so we hardly bought or tried out any games.

Our collection stagnated at :
-Hello Kitty Uno
-Game of Life
-Kaboodle
-Taboo

Nothing too spectacular, but when we did play them with friends, it was really fun.
But now that I have started working, I have started to buy a whole lot of other games.

New additions to the collection:

1) Blackmail (http://www.vanderveergames.com)
A must play game!!! Really Fun. Played with friends from 11pm all the way to 5am in the morning. Made in Singapore some more, local product!!! Must support!!!

2) Munchkin Fu (http://www.sjgames.com/munchkin/fu/)
Paradoied card game. Haven’t tried it out yet, but its really funny to just read the cards and look at the illustrations. Wanted to buy Original Munchkins as opposed to this variation, but they were out of stock. Decided to buy this one then.

3) Space Munchkins (http://www.sjgames.com/munchkin/starmunchkin/)
Another variation. Thing is that this was more recommended than Munchkin Fu, which make me buy it. However, bought the Munchkin Fu because I thought that Chris would appreciate HongKong KungFu paradies more.
In any case, the 2 sets can be played as one set, so no worries

4) Settlers of Catan ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Settlers_of_Catan )
Man, this game is the best. I played it once with the Crusade Servant Team, and the staff in crusade are really crazy about this game, and I can understand why.
No one game is the same cos the map is random which totally throws any pre-meditated strategies out the window. A game of wits and guts. Totally worth the cash.



To end of this post, yeah, I’m going to go semi broke after saving the cash which I have to save, but in the long run, its worth it.

2 more games which I intend to buy:

1) Original Munchkins, with all the expansion packs finally (hopefully)
You really have to read the descriptions and the illustrations. Its really a collector’s item.
http://www.sjgames.com/munchkin

2)Bang! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang! )
Another card game I played with my disciples from temasek poly. Yeah, in case you guys didn’t know, I’m taking 2 guys for bible study and discipleship. Really nice guys, but I digress.
Yes, Bang! Another award winning game. I give it 4 stars. And guess what. The game as well as Original Munchkins are sold out when I got to the shop yesterday, and to let you guys know how crazy I was, I braved the rain to get there.

Signed up for membership so they are going to inform me when the stock arrives.

Yes, I know, money is flying (those games aren’t cheap!!! Imported mah… what to do?)

However, as a collection, and when you play those games with your friends. The fun, the laughter, the interaction.

Let me tell you this, its worth it.

PS: All are welcome to come and play boardgames with me now and esp when me and luzanne get our house! Just give us a ring, and we set things up!

Of Houses and Answers

Man, God has been really good. (whats new?)

Have been quarrelling with luzanne again and again over the house and the cost and about working. Sheesh, there really has been very little peace in our relationship whenever we talk about these topics. Its like a nerve which when hit, starts a catastrophic chain reaction of ugliness, and that applies to the both of us.

But at my breaking point, I prayed to God and asked him to close the door, which He doesn’t want me to go through, and then like on express delivery, I got my answer.

I received my ballot number for my flat and when I saw the number, I knew.

If anyone wants to buy 4D (which I do not advocate, but well, just for argument sake), please buy 1083.
That’s the ballot number I got. Out of 5000 plus applicants, only 1200 of them will get ballot numbers for the house, and of the 1200 people, there are only 600 flats to choose from. So, out of 5000, we came in at 1083.

In an academic sense, I still scored an A1, but that was the answer I needed. It was a closed door. The option of that house has closed on us.
And when I saw the number, I was not disappointed at all, but I felt such an assurance and relief. I was not going to go for that flat. It has ceased to be an option. I was actually glad that I didn’t get what I want.

I find it weird, but yet, it felt right.

And when I told luzanne and she told me that there were executive flats in Sengkang at a price which we were comfortable paying, for once in a very long time, we were agreeable and excited together. And that is the word. Together.

Fighting again and again with your other half or loved ones for long periods of time is never worth the quarrel which started it. (If it’s about God, then I would agree that we have to stand our ground, but in love everything in love). The amount of pain and strain put on our relationship was never worth the house. A valuable lesson I’ve learnt.

And we agreed to buy a vehicle and the concept, which we want our house to go.



So to end it off…
1083 ok!!!! Must BUY!!!!

(Again, just to cover my butt, I do not advocate buying 4D and gambling.)
=P

Monday, November 20, 2006

The Good Old Days

I'm posting this post for a few good reasons. Seems like i have young readers for my blog and i want to say a big HI!!! and do read this to understand how my childhood was like.

Had a dream, dreamt that i was in my younger days, still in secondary school. Even thinking about it now makes me feel all sad yet happy inside. Its a feeling of longing and nostalgia.

My youth, those were suchh happy times.

And reading the below which was posted in my mail, made me feel all warm inside again.
So here's to share with all of you. The mail is titled, the "Good Old Days".

This post is specially to Sylvia, the one who i spent and shared the most impactful 4 years of my youth with. Thanks for being a dear sister always.

Enjoy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



The good old days...
For those who born in the 70s and 80s. Fond memories.....

1. You grew up watching He-man, MASK, Transformers, Silver Hawk and Mickey Mouse. Not to forget Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony and Smurfs too

2. You grew up brushing your teeth with a mug in Primary school during recess time. You will squat by a drain with all your classmates beside you, and brush your teeth with a coloured mug.The teachers said you must brush each side 10 times too

3. You know what SBC stands for

4. You pay 40 cents for Chocolate or Strawberry MILK every week in class

5. You watch a very popular Malay dubbed Japanese drama on RTM1 about choolgirls who possess powerful skills in volleyball called Meoro Attack

6. You find your friends with pagers and handphone cool in Secondary school

7. SBS buses used to be non-airconditioned. The bus seats are made of wood and the cushion is red. The big red bell gives a loud BEEP! when pressed. There are colourful tickets forTIBS buses. The conductor will check for tickets by using a machine which punches a hole in the ticket

8. Envelopes given to us to donate to Sharity Elephant every Children's Day

9. You've probably read Young Generation magazine.You know who's Vinny the little vampire and Acai the constable

10. You were there when they first introduced MRT here. You went for the first ride with your parents and you would kneel on the seat to see the scenery

11. Movie tickets used to cost only $3.50

12. Gals are fascinated by Strawberry Short Cake and Barbie Dolls

13. You learn to laugh like The Count in Sesame Street

14. You longed to buy tibits called Kaka (20 cents per pack), and Ding Dang (50 cents per box), that had a toy in it and it changes every week.Not forgetting the 15 cents animal crackers and the ring pop, where the lollipop is the diamond on the ring

15. You watched TV2 (also known as Channel 10) cartoons because Channel 5 never had enough cartoons for you

16. Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, The Three Investigators, Famous Five and Secret Seven are probably the thickest story books you ever thought you have read. Even Sweet Valley High and Malory Towers

17. KFC used to be a high class restaurant that serve food in plates and let you use metal forks and knives

18. The most vulgar thing you said was asshole and idiot and THE MOST EXTREME WAS 'super white'... you just couldn't bring yourself to say the hokkien relative

19. Catching was the IN thing and twist as the magic word

20. Your English workbooks was made of some damn poor quality paper that was smooth and yellow

21. CDIS were your bestfriend

22. The only computer lessons in school involved funny pixellised characters in 16 colours walking about trying to teach you maths

23. Waterbottles were slinged around your neck and a must everywhere you go

24. Boys loved to play soccer with small plastic balls in the basketball court

25. Teng-teng, five stones, chapteh, hentam bola and zero point were all the rage with the girls and boys too...

26. Science was fun with the balsam and the angsana being the most important plants of our lives, guppies and swordtail being the most important fish

27. Who can forget Ahmad, Bala, Sumei and John, eternalized in our minds from the textbooks. Even Mr Wally & Mr. Yakki. What abt Miss Lala??? And Zaki and Tini in Malay Textbooks?

28. We carry out experiments of our own to get ourself badges for being a Young Zoologist/Botanist etc

29. Every Children's day and National day you either get pins or pens with 'Happy Children's Day 1993' or dumb files with 'Happy National Day 1994'

30. In Primary six you had to play buddy for the younger kids like big sister and brother

31. We wear BM2000, BATA, or Pallas shoes

32. Your form teacher taught you Maths, Science and English

33. The worksheets were made of brown rough paper of poor quality

34. You went to school in slippers and a raincoat when it rained, and you find a dry spot in the school to sit down, dry your feet, and wear your dry and warm socks and shoes

35. School dismissal time was normally around 1 pm

36. There would be spelling tests and mental sums to do almost everyday

37. Your friends considered you lucky and rich if your parents gave you $3 or more for pocket money everyday

38. You see Wee Kim Wee's face in the school hall

39. You freak out when the teacher tells you to line up according to height and hold hands with the corresponding boy or girl

40. Boys like to catch fighting spiders

41. Collecting and battling erasers was a pastime for boys

42. Autograph books were loaded with "Best Wishes", "Forget Me Not", and small poems like "Bird fly high, hard catch.Friend like you, hard to forget"

43. Class monitors and prefects loved to say "You talk somemore, I write your name ah

44. There were at least 40 people in one class

45. Large, colourful schoolbags were carried

50. You brought every single book to school, even though there was one thing called the timetable

Spread this heart warming message around, you don't get something like this very often. ;)

Monday, November 06, 2006

Who I Am In Christ

Who I Am In Christ


I am accepted...


John 1:12
I am God's child.

John 15:15
As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1
I have been justified.

1 Corinthians 6:17
I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.

1 Corinthians 12:27
I am a member of Christ's body.

Ephesians 1:3-8
I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.

Colossians 1:13-14
I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.

Colossians 2:9-10
I am complete in Christ.

Hebrews 4:14-16
I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.


I am secure...

Romans 8:1-2
I am free from condemnation.

Romans 8:28
I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.

Romans 8:31-39
I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22
I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
Colossians 3:1-4
I am hidden with Christ in God.
Philippians 1:6
I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.
Philippians 3:20
I am a citizen of heaven.
2 Timothy 1:7
I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
1 John 5:18
I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.



I am significant...
John 15:5
I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.
John 15:16
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
1 Corinthians 3:16
I am God's temple.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
Ephesians 2:6
I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
Ephesians 2:10
I am God's workmanship.
Ephesians 3:12
I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

New Phase of Life

As usual, I have left my blog dormant for so long, I wonder if anyone has read it, and well….. apparently there are still people faithfully checking my blog, which both amazes me and touches me without measure.


Ok, quick recap:

  1. Got a job, Its quite well paying for my standards.
  2. My HASA Bike got stolen !@$~!$~@#~!@#
  3. I bought a GIANT BOULDER Bike which is way better and with money given by my company. =)
  4. Church is tiring… I need people my age.
  5. Daniel has left THCC. =(
  6. Janice is still staying. =)
  7. Applied for the Design and Build Scheme HDB flat opposite my current residence. And for everyone’s info, it costs a bomb. A $380 000 bomb to be exact. Bleah!!!!
  8. I feel weird with my bank account having more than $20.
  9. I’m applying for multiple credit cards just to get the benefits, as the first year subscription is free. Man, I never thought I would have one, but now that I do, please pray that I have self-control and common sense, which is altogether not as common as conventional wisdom would have thought.
  10. THCC is finally getting a cell group!!! YAY!!!
  11. The cell is in pungol… =p
  12. I have a prayer group in the company. YAY!!!
  13. They start prayer at 8.20 in the morning… =p

That’s a brief gist of my life at the moment. Looking back, I really see God blessing me, but on the other hand, I don’t have much of a walk left to talk about. Sigh.

I was talking to luzanne about it. I think the past and current disappointments and the utter lack of fellowship is taking its toil on me. I feel very alone, isolated and hungry for God. But yet the dysfunctional side of me wants to push God away.

And to be frank, typing this out about my walk, might get people going, awwwwwwww…. Glenn backsliding. And to be honest, I really hate people judging my walk, and me, especially when I’m in a bad patch now. So please, sigh, don’t judge me, just pray for me. And be my friend, not me counselor.

I think I’m single handedly destroying my own walk, while I think that God is the only want holding on to me. Sigh, the curse of the sin. And the apathy of glenn.

I really need Jesus in my life, I really want Him back, but yet, I’m tired of making promises that

I will not fall back into sin. I’m tired of walking alone. I’m tired of being judged and for myself judging me.

Just tired.

But resting won’t do anything. I tried.

What I need is Jesus. And people who can help me and remind me, and encourage me towards Jesus.

I want my joy back, I want my life back.

And something happened last night.

I worshiped the Lord. And my heart could pour out to Him.

A trickle… …

But that was enough for a start.

That was enough for a start.