My 2007

My 2007 will generally be that of a typical A level graduate. This means working for the first semester of the year, then going for a vacation before university starts in August. Nonetheless, I am glad and thankful that God has blessed me with something normal. At least I can share my joys and woes with other people.

Here's just a little update on what I have and will be doing. I'm currently learning Music Theory from Livia Gho and learning how to play the violin. I'm taking the Grade 2 violin practical next July and Grade 3 theory examination on November 3, not mentioning a competition for the school's students. Imagine competing against the kids! My teacher commented that I can even win the competition! Because kids 'play the G string (first string) like cows being slaughtered and play the E string (last string) like chickens being killed'. Haha.

I suppose some people would raise eyebrows at my reading of music at such a late age. I lose years of potential which could have been discovered and developed at young age. However I gain so much more in return. I gain the motivation, interest and initiative to practise because I read music on my own accord. I gain a love for sports since I wasn't interested in serious music-making in the past. This saves me from becoming a totally unfit and flabby person. (Sorry that was my past impression of a no-sports person haha.) Plus, I get to skip grades!

Thank you ACJC choir. All that laying of musical foundation through sectional meetings, rehearsals and fast-speed learning sharpens my musicality, not mentioning the ability to skip grade 1 and 2 for theory! Haha. What I need to do is to incorporate the violin into a part of my body, and figure out how to play like I sing. That is tricky but I'm excited to learn.

And then there's the relief teaching. So, I realised I'm teaching Secondary 3 Social Studies, not Geography, because they only teach the latter in the second semester. : ( It's no fun without having rocks and rivers around. I never liked Social Studies. Thanks to God my Combined Humanities Grade jumped from a C6 during the prelims to a B3 for the O's. I suppose I'm beginning to rediscover North Ireland and the social segregational problems. It can be very interesting, especially when I relate it to war literature, economics and geography. What I need to do is to convey to the students that what we learn is very relevant. How many of us realise that only after we stop studying a subject!

The staff at CTSS is very helpful - they remind me of the madams back in the ACJC office, who are always so willing to care and go the extra mile for an anonymity over the phone. One of my English Department colleagues was from ACJC Class of 1994. Another one is the sister of Jamie, that tall badminton guy from 2SC9, my year. There certainly is a feeling of connectedness and intimacy when I know that I have friends who are connected to AC in one way or another. My mentor is Mrs Chua, the English HOD, a tall madam who likes to laugh and joke, babysit me and my fellow relief teachers, remind us that we work not for money, giving us commitments as if we're permanent teachers, and can fall asleep during long talks like any one else. Her humble character teaches me that her status does not make her someone different. She's just like anyone else! That's why we treat her with respect, sincerity and honesty in return.

And I did mention before, June is for the North Thailand trip. Is the college choir going on tour next year? If they are, I'll consider going too. That would make a two-trip vacation that should occupy the whole month!

And I shan't forget that 2AA3 will have gatherings (definitely more than 3) scattered over the calendar. Right? Haha.

A Trip to Our Neighbour's Land

Malaysia is just across the causeway and I thought any trip there would be normal and not worth mentioning.

Except for the food of course. My camera is spoilt, so I've no pictures to offer. Haha.
Should you go to Malaysia, enter via the Causeway so you can taste the delectable, crispy peanut pancakes sold by the street. Get across to the Mobil station via the underpass (only when it's lit) or jaywalk. Left of the petrol station is Restoran Lucky. In front of it is a roadside stall that sells thin crispy peanut pancakes at 2 for RM1.00 and closes at 9pm.

The pancakes taste tons better than the ones from Dover Pancake. They are made the traditional way, using a paintbrush to slowly and evenly spread the dough over 8 metal pan-like depressions. Then, coarse-grained sugar and peanut bits of a size easy to eat while maintaining the crunch are spread over the pancakes. If the uncle makes them, he'll add butter to give the taste a fuller body. Somehow, he will know when the pancakes are done and skilfully lifts them out.

I personally prefer the auntie's version because with no butter, the taste is simpler and the food doesn't go soggy for a long time. Oh, and the crust is thinner than 0.3cm and the bits don't fall out! I like to have 2 each time, but for guys, 4 would be nice. : )

Who can not equate Malaysia with shopping? Lots of street clothes (Haz, you'll love them!) at pseudo-Level One innercity, City Square Johor Bahru, with prices comparable and even cheaper than those at Bugis Street. We shopped like mad, but I think I can go madder. Haha. And I thought our class was supposed to go for a trip there? At least the girls.

What amused me quite a bit was a hawker centre called Restoran Lian Boy, whose oxymoronic name is supposed to mean Lion Boy. LOL. That kind of reminds me David Charles, whom Geoff said was called Ah Lian in ACSI. LOL for the second time.

Oh, and I saw a landslid site! All the related geographical terms, concepts and diagrams came to my mind's eye at that instant. You could actually see the successive minor scarps and the smooth arcuate scars. If I took a picture of that for the Geography assignment, I'm pretty sure my group would have gotten a perfect score. But 9 is great too. Haha.

I am extremely looking forward to my backpacking trip to North Thailand. I can almost imagine the scenery, food and clothes beckoning me already, save the mosquitoes and the flies that don't get shooed away despite desperate hand-swatting.

But before that, I'll have to earn my keep by teaching Sec1 English and Sec3 Geography at Clementi Town Secondary. Shoe selling at Level One gives you a $1350 pay per month, but it's too late to back out. Haha. Teaching and shopping, here I come!

A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23

Well here's another update : )

I finished reading my second book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23.


If you are looking for a Christmas present for a dear Christian friend, I would recommend this book. The bonus is, it costs only $6.50. At least in the bookshop in my church.

One who is familiar is sheep-rearing would understand that in Psalm 23, David employs a first-person point-of-view aligned to that of a sheep and talks about the geographical journey a shepherd and his herd makes in a sheep year. The sheep stays on the home range till v4, where the journey up to the grassy plateaux of the mountains after snowmelt takes the reader to the mesa, the tableland, where God prepares a feast for His sheep in front of the aggressors, the wolves, coyotes and cougars. As the snowline drops in autumn, the herds return to the home range in v6. And this cycle is repeated every year, and each cycle represents a sheep year.

In the light of this, Keller expounds on the psalm by breaking the 6-verse poem into a 12-part analysis. He makes clean-cut implications on the Christian through his experiences as a shepherd who lived in East Africa.

One of my favourite parts of the book goes:

'The moment I deliberately do something definite
either for God or others that costs me something,
I am expressing love.'

page 68

A shepherd loves His herd, just as how Jesus is willing to lay his life down for us. The shepherd's love is exemplified in the pain he takes to cultivate lands into meadows (grassy plains are not usually present, as opposed to popular belief!), the numerous trips to the mesas to survey and clear the land of aggressors and toxic plants, his constant alertness to fend off aggressors, keep the sheep together and ensure their health from flies' eggs that can attack the brain upon hatching, making sure no lone sheep is cast. (A cast sheep, in old English terminology, is to have its four legs up in the sky. It can die from paralysis or attack.) And mind you, there are thousands of sheep in one herd! The shepherd has to do these alone, personally, at most, with the help of a dog and a few companions. All these chores are done at the cost of the shepherd's own comfort, energy and recreation.

Likewise I know that if I want to love, I have to be willing to expend the price of love. I have been reading Matthew 5:38-48 for my QT, and I learnt that in order to be willing to expend this price, I need to let go of the self. As the fundamental assumption of Economics states, and still holds, Man follows the principle of Each To His Own. Every man follows but his own interests, good or bad. When I give up my self, I will not act according to my self interests and will not harp on losing out because I am the one sacrificing. I am the one who is paying the price of love.

Of course, paying the price of love to someone who reciprocrates by paying his own price for you means an offset, in mathematical sense. It is so easy to love one who is loveable, meaning one who is favourable in terms of appearance, achievement and background. But the true meaning of love holds that the one who loves is able to transcend above these superficial and worldly credits and give the same amount of love in opinion, attitude and action towards those viewed ugly, average, useless, harmful by the society. These include the chicopeks that seem to always looking at pretty girls, the classmates who talk to you with sarcasm and mockery, the colleagues who use politics to land you in trouble, the family members that love to regard your life with contempt. When you love these people, which are not loveable by human nature, you are paying a price. This price can be the price of a cold, angry or hostile response that hurts your feelings and dignity. But when you overlook the ME which life often revolves about, you overlook your own feelings and your own dignity. When this obstacle of self is overcome, it is easy to love. Look at Jesus' life on earth and you will get the idea.

In practical ways, the giving of sacrificial, unconditional love exemplified by God can be followed. The very basic action being that of prayer. 'Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.' Luke 6:27 My brother is not loveable by human nature and is often treated not goodly (ie: without love) by his peers in school and in church. What I now do is to abandon all the instinctive emotions of anger and despise arising from unfair treatment for prayer. I pray that God will give the malleable, half-mature minds of his peers time to mature spiritually, and be merciful unto them in the meantime. 'for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.' Matthew 5:45 We, being the children of God, should take up His character of mercy.

In my church, people know the Bible well. I grew up in an environment that places importance on knowing what God wants us to do through His precious Word. Now, it is up to me, with the help of God's staff, the Holy Spirit, to live out what He wants me to do. A brother-in-Christ coined up a term for this, called living the Word. And yes, this is what I will seek to do more, one of which, is to love.

Give Me Oil in My Lamp

'GIVE ME OIL IN MY LAMP

Give me oil in my lamp

Keep me burning,

Give me oil in my lamp

I pray, (I pray)

Give my oil in my lamp

Keep me burning,

Keep my burning till the break of day.

Sing 'Hosanna'

Sing 'Hosanna'

Sing 'Hosanna' to the King of Kings

Sing 'Hosanna'

Sing 'Hosanna'

Sing 'Hosanna' to the King of Kings!

I never realised that this kiddy kiddy song would have such a profound meaning now that I'm older. We used to chant the chorus and sing it loudly with gusto, not really understanding what it's about. I suppose I should really check up the passage and the references to the parable of the virgins and the lamp waiting for the bridegroom, but tis getting late. =)

How we need Him to give us oil in our lamps and keep us burning! The metaphor of the lamp functions on a few different levels, I expect.

On one hand, lamps provide a source of illumination and light in order for one to see-- it serves a self-serving purpose of facilitating vision. Without light, the person holding the lamp wouldn't know where he's putting his foot, and it probably wouldn't make a difference since he would only be tripping and stumbling all over the shop. Psalm 119: 9,11 says "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your Word... I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You."

Secondly, light from a lamp provides light for others, and works as a means of illuminating someone else's path. A passerby may not have a light of their own, but because of your light, they may see clearer and thus journey safer. Lights from lamp serve the purpose of illuminating the pathways of others. This is what Jesus meant when He said, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden," in Matthew.

Thirdly, light from a lamp provides a means of being spotted from a distance by a distant traveller, and functions as a beacon similar to a lighthouse. Because of our light, we are able to mark our identification and association with the traveller, and one day when He arrives, He'll know that we are His if our light is burning for HIm to recognise us. Christ talked about the tragedy of coming to Him when HE comes again, and saying, "Lord, Lord," but He will say to them, "Depart from me! I never knew you!" Let us not be one of them whose lights grew dim-- our lamps should always burn brightly for Christ.

Let us pray that our lights will keep burning, for Him. Even as we were called out of darkness to be a people of light, we who once wondered in shadows and night have seen a great light, and our eyes are now transfixed and living in the glory of that same wonderful illumination. And today, we ask GOd, who gives all good things, to keep our lamps burning with the oil that He provides-- may He give us what we need to burn for Him and His glory. Hosanna, My God Saves!'

Courtesy of Caleb : )

Reading

Reading is a pastime that I have forsaken for studies and play for 6years, but thanks to God and Joyce, I have re-acquired my passion for reading. Boring as it may sound to some, I am very excited about all the books I can peel my eyes to at home, on the bus, before and after church and carolling performances and rehearsals.

I finished Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom, the author of The Five People You Meet in Heaven (in two days! something I hold a bit of pride in). Save the part about religions, I love how Albom uses chronological flashbacks whose timeline becomes eventually blurred with the present and the (imagined?) future, while keeping each chapter short and concise, visually reader-friendly for modern people.

I learnt quite a lot from the book too, one of the more prominent ones being the tension of opposites. It is a conflict between what one wants to do and what one has to do. I was reminded about being true to oneself, building my own little subculture.

'The little things, I can obey.

But the big things - how we think, what we value - those you must choose for yourself.

You can't let anyone -or any society- determine those for you.'

page 155

Morrie's emotional strength, which includes admitting that he griefs over his increasingly wasted body in the morning and becoming joyful after that, is something I need to learn to grasp. Simply because I am one who can dwell on something sad and pretty trivial for days. I have this bad habit of switching off and entering my self-enclosed during gatherings. Morrie says this is wrong. We must spend time with people around us, because love is cultivated as a result, and Man needs love to live. To invest in the human family. At the beginning and the end of life, we need others to survive. But Morrie says.

'But here's the secret:

in between, we need others as well.'

page 157

After all that giving of his philosophical outlook on life, it's hard not to have a lump in your throat and shed tears when he says goodbye on his fourteenth Tuesday with Albom.

I just went to the library and borrowed four books from a collection of Hans Christian Andersen Illustrated Fairytales. I don't believe in multiple book reading because it impairs my ability to fully appreciate a book. So, I shall finish my current book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. Thank God, my investment in Christian literature so far has brought me unexpectingly rewarding returns. For example, I never knew that a shepherd carves his own unique mark onto the ear of his sheep so that his herds may be identified from that of another shepherd's. When the mark is made, 'there is pain for both sides'. Similarly, when we accept Christ, we bear the mark of the cross, and have to take up the the burden of the cross and follow Him. Christ's pain was borne during His descent, notably on Crucifixion Day, and ours will be borne in our lifetime.

Thick or thin, colourful or black-and-white, long or short, pick books that you like! Even if it means going to the Information Books (12 years old) section to get them. : )

Finally

Finally it's over.

All that prom shopping at Centrepoint, Paragon, Bugis Junction,
Far East, Causeway Point, Wisma, Takashimaya,
Scotts, Chinatown and Lot 1 is finally over.
Same goes for the countless mass text-messaging to numbers
long memorised and remembered.

Finally, PROM IS OVER.
So are all the camera flashes that leave stars in your eyes,
And the sights of people that became unrecognisable at first glance,
And the plates of food that were piled up on tables and turned cold,
And the touching-up in that wonderful restroom of the Ritz Carlton.

All that balancing on two alien-looking blocks familiar to women
(called heels) is finally over.
All the struggles to stay awake all night are gone.
So are the endless pre-dawn chats that are much relished and remembered,
and the comfy beds that lured the weary in heart and body to take refuge in.

What are memories?
Memories fade, so do faces, and people.
But they make the past a little livelier,
a little more colourful and a little more meaningful.

Handel's 'Messiah'

Hi,

I just got back from the Esplanade, where the concert, Messiah, was held. The Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hallelujah Oratorio Society and the Singapore Bible College Choir came together to make music. The soli were soprano Fu Shang Chen, alto Anna Koor, tenor Ndaru Darsono and bass, Eng Meng Chia.

On the whole, the concert was good. Good in the sense that it enhances aesthetic appreciation for music-making, or 'musicking', as Mr Sum put it. I was reminded that word-painting is very important in order to effectively convey a message. Same goes for crisp pronunciation, exemplified by Darsono, and body language, best done by Fu. And the way the string players moved and played taught me that I still have a long way to go to play the violin decently. There comes a stage where musicking is beyond technicality, and generates from the mind and the heart.

Darsono sounded very much like a Filipino singer and possesses a distinctive tone that is powerful. I figured out that he did not use vibrato liberally as conventional opera singers do, but used the energy to pronounce the words more clearly. This means singing the spoken consonants, such as l to luh and n to nuh, and articulating those that are unsung, such as s, f, th, with extra effort.

And yay! Another concert coming up tomorrow night. It will be THREE by the SYC Ensemble Singers, Gaia Philharmonic Choir and Ateneo Chamber Singers, a transnational concert to celebrate the International Day of Choral Singing on December 10. Looking forward to it too. What a music-filled, arty-farty month!

Carolling Schedule

Ahh, I finally found my schedule list. So here is it:

DECEMBER

1 FRI OCBC Centre (Chulia Street):1215-1245h
8 FRI OCBC Centre (Chulia Street): 1215-1245h
15 FRI Ocean Building: 1225-1305h
Ocean Towers: 1320-1400h
18 MON UIC Building: 1245-1305h, 1315-1340h
One Rochester (Ensemble): Evening
19 TUE Equity Plaza: 1240-1320h
One Rochester (Ensemble): Evening
20 WED Keppel Bay Tower: 1240-1305h
21 THU UIC Building: 1245-1305h, 1315-1340h
22 FRI Keppel Towers: Lunchtime
Esplanade Concourse: 1845-1915h, 2000-2030h
23 SAT Esplanade Concourse: 1845-1915h, 2000-2030h, 2100-2130h

Come and hear us sing!