Christmas!

The performance was great! I mean... Though I made a few mistakes, it was still great! Hahaz. It sounded much better than the time I first rehearsed. Alot better. The whole Youth item was cool.. I'd better let the pictures do the talking now... They speak better than I do...

Before The Song Started....


I was too focused playing the song...


Another one of the pics taken while performing...

Blogger sucks at uploading pictures... It takes a damn long time to get these three up. Boo... Anyway...

And Thanks To All Who Gave Me Christmas Cards! So sorry that I didn't prepare any gifts to you.... =(

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Events....

Full dress rehearsal number two today.... It went pretty smoothly, but I'm still going to practise for the actual day itself. A strange thing happened today... While I was strumming the chorus for the song, the "E" string of the church guitar snapped. Halfway through the song too! I was shocked... I didn't anticipate that. Although I felt really guilty about it, I think it's really cool..... This means that we practise hard. Lolz. I hope the christmas performance goes really well.... Things are looking good for us. So.. I'm gonna let the pictures do the talking (It's just one picture, taken from Junwei's blog)




Presenting the musicians for christmas performance
(Me, Nicholas, Junwei and Frederick)

Another Attempt At Writing Something Deep...

I got this inspiration from today's church service. Pastor Geoffrey asked us what does christmas mean to us. I'm surprised that my answer was "Presents, Holiday and computer time" . Is there more to christmas than just "Christmas Presents" and "Shopping"? This sets me thinking. Surely there are much more meaningful things which defines Christmas. The answer appeared to me after I came back from church today.

There was a prophecy made by the Prophet Isaiah in the Bible which says, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. " That child was later known as Jesus Christ.

From that moment on I realised that the true meaning of christmas is not presents you receive or the food you eat, it is the celebration of one of the most holy and important dates in history, the birthday of Christ. A picture of Christ's birth was forming in my head. I could imagine the scene in the manger where Christ lay, innocent and pure, with no knowledge that he will be the one which will bring salvation to mankind. There he lay, with Joseph and Mary around him, staring in awe at the baby boy who was manifested with the holy spirit, so diviine and innocent....

Meanwhile, three men arrived in the manger, men who were strangers to Joseph and Mary, men who may be strangers to this whole new place. But they are here, witnessing the birth of christ by a brilliant star which appeared directly above the place where Christ was born. They believed that something phenomenal will happen at the place where the star is shining upon. They too, saw the birth of Jesus. And as they see him lying in the manger, they too, watched in awe upon seeing the son of god, not as a greater form of being but just as a baby boy.... They feel blessed by God, like Mary and Joseph, to have witnessed this scene right here....

Shepherds who were guiding their sheep back home in order to rest for the day were surprised when they saw an Angel Of God who appeared to them, inviting them to witness the birth of christ, the sight of Baby Jesus lying in the manger... They too, arrived in the manger moments after the Three Wise Men. The shepherds, even though they were placed in the bottom level of the social hiearchy, they were invited warmly to witness the birth of Christ.

The people in the manger were joined by the Angels of God, who also came down to witness the birth of Jesus. A warm feeling spread throughout the manger, the people in the manger feels blessed, privileaged and most importantly, Loved by someone no other than God himself. They sang this song up to the Lord in rejoice! Words of praise filled the air.


The song that the people sang in unison touched the heavens, and the angels of God sang along with them, all dedicated to this little baby boy who was lying in Mary's arms. The people cried tears of joy, joy of knowing that their messiah has come, one that will save them, one that will teach them the word of God and most importantly, one who will love them and teach them how to love. The Prophecy has been fufilled, "Rejoice! For this moment is to be remembered and celebrated always throughout history and for eternity!" The people of Bethlehem raise their hands up to the Lord, and each felt the Holy Spirit bless them. "The Lord is with us", not in a form of a divine creature or being, but in a form of a baby. The stars shine exceptionally bright that night, music never seemed to stop in the manger. The Baby Jesus had never looked so peaceful....

That was what I was thinking when I watched the skit. This sudden, so-called "vision" actually touched my heart. All this while I was unaware of the true meaning of christmas, which involves doing something as simple as just lifting your hands onto the Lord, and offer your day to him, thanking him for that little baby boy who eventually died for us in order to bring us salvation. It's something more meaningful than just presents and Santa Claus, for on this day some two thousand years ago, the saviour of mankind was born, and the whole world, regardless of those who may be rich or poor, sang songs of praise to the Lord in unison, and touched the heavens with their joy.

So.... Take some time this christmas to speak to the Lord, let the Lord bless you and welcome you to his family. Christmas is a good time to accept the Lord into your life, and feel the joy which many people felt thousands of years ago. Who knows? Somewhere way up there.... Someone will be watching. And that someone will make the stars exceptionally bright that night, as if it resembles a candles on top of the birthday cake. People regardless rich or poor can be touched by the Lord and celebrate christmas, for it is a day truly worth rejoicing and also to give thanks. Love and be loved!

Well, that's what I wanted to say for christmas... It may not be really good again, but please please please tag or leave comments!

You'll know the Title When You Read The Post

You all may be wondering why I said that... because I'm going to talk about a very very very sensitive topic (Maybe not to you, but to me it is one). I'm going to talk about something called Love. I may not be the right person or in the right position to teach you or tell you how to love someone or something correctly, but I just wanted to share my views on Love. You'll disagree or agree with me, but it'll be good if people who read this can give me some comments.

I'm sure that many thoughts came into your mind (or at least my mind) when you first see the word "Love". Let me share with you about something I read in Paulo Coelho's book, "The Pilgrimage". It's a very good book. I'm recommending everyone to read. There is a particular chapter which gives a pretty interesting explanation on love.

In the book, they talk about the three forms of love, namely "Eros", "Philos" and "Agape". Stranger to these words? These are the three greek words which represents Love. What I'm about to say is mostly lifted from the book, I am not so smart to write that myself.

They say that Eros is the love which exists between two people. The feeling of love which exists in couples and maybe teenage crushes. The face of Eros is never the same between two persons, and Eros can go both ways. The people in love can either feel that they have something special between them, and they feel that together they can build something special and meaningful. They believe that their love will grow and even though they have arguments or troubles, they will never be unhappy.

On the other hand, the love between a couple can go a completely different way. The guy will miss having relationships with other woman and the girl may also feel the same. They may also feel that they have given up their successful career and future to be together with a guy. They begin to feel robbed of their ability to express love. In this case, Eros, the spirit which joins them together, is the same spirit which will tear them apart and transform into hatred and unhappiness.

Another point that the book says is that when a couple do not let themselves to be affected by hypocrisy and external factors, they begin to look like working people. hunger and need have required them to work together and they find the power of love in the work they do. It is then that Eros shows its most beautiful face, as it is united with the face of Philos, love in a form of friendship, the love between friends. Philos is what brings people together when the Eros between couples stop burning. Friendship+Love.... Hmm...Something that I'll be reflecting and thinking about.

The thrid and final form of Love, Agape, which is described in the bible as "Self-Sacrificing, active and thoughtful love". The book says that Agape is the highest form of love, the love which consumes. The Love which consumes makes everything else lose their importance. People who experience Agape lived just to be consumed by their Love. When people love and believe from the bottom of their hearts, they feel that they seemed to be stronger than anyone in the world, and they feel a serenity that is based on the certainity that nothing else can shake their faith. This is what we experience everyday. Whether the love of doing something or achieving something, to the feeling of Loving someone else, we all feel that we can do everything, anything so that they can feel our love. We feel that we are ready to sacrifice anything to succeed, even our money and time, which can be a precious thing to many people nowadays. We are consumed by love and nothing else is important to us except the love which burns inside us and also the love which the guy/girl has for you.

Well, that is the end of the quotes from the book. If you take note and observe carefully, the three forms of Love revolves around you everyday. Like the sacrifices you have made for your friends, your work, or everything you do. As they alway say, " Love is all around". Maybe we just fail to notice it when we become too involved in our busy schedules. Take some time off to reflect on the things which happened to you. Sometimes you can actually see that the bond you share between your friends is actually the most beautiful form of love which exists between people. Maybe that makes you treasure your friendship even more.

Love is a beautiful thing, and it definately involves something more than just "liking" someone. So... spend some time everyday to think and give thanks for the Love that you have between your friends, families and teachers. You may just see things from a different and a more positive point of view after some time. Remember, Love is all around you, take some time to notice and feel it. The world could just be a better and happier place for you. Thanks a lot for reading this!

Life Is Amazing With You On The Ride

I'm back from church camp. Honestly the Youth Retreat was great! I learnt so much about my church friends and also learnt loads about God. I realised that ever since I came to church, I met lots of good friends who really encourages me and helps me whenever I'm in need. I'm not saying that I don't have friends like that in school, but basically in SJI our class is very political and there are loads of people who backstab you either for fun or for some other reasons.

Whether you guys know it or not, you have made a change in my life. Ever since I knew you guys, I have became a more confident person, with a higher level of self-esteem. I know the following statement that I'm about to make sounds really erm... mushy, but Thanks A Lot for helping me out when I'm in church. I hope that we can, and we will become lifelong friends!

Ok, that's all for church camp. Now I'm busy preparing for our christmas item. So... off to practise!

Untitled

We had a full-dress rehearsal for our christmas service today. I was playing the guitar on our youth item. Honestly I think that I didn't play very well. I mean, everyone else worked so hard and wanted to give their best performance... But whoops I had some troubles with the chorus. Playing in a band was so much more challenging than I thought. Must follow the drums and the bass....

I really want to play well and I really don't wanna disappoint all of you... Just give me some time to get used to it. It's my first time playing in a band. Looks like I have to practise like hell next week.

Another thing is my Rubik's Cube. It is like a freaking vampire la... Sucking my energy and brainpower. Everytime i solve it I feel so darn exhausted. Looks like I have to stop for a few days.

It's Not Over: Secondhand Serenade

It's Not Over by Secondhand Serenade album: Awake (2006)

My tears run down like razorblades And no, I'm not the one to blame It's you or is it me? And all the words we never say Come out and now we're all ashamed And there's no sense in playing games When you've done all you can do But now it's over, it's over, why is it over? We had the chance to make it Now it's over, it's over, it can't be over I wish that I could take it back But it's over I lose myself in all these fights I lose my sense of wrong and right I cry, I cry It's shaking from the pain that's in my head I just wanna crawl into my bed And throw away the life I led But I won't let it die, but I won't let it die But now it's over, it's over, why is it over? We had the chance to make it Now it's over, it's over, it can't be over I wish that I could take it back I'm falling apart, I'm falling apart Don't say this won't last forever You're breaking my heart, you're breaking my heart Don't tell me that we will never be together We could be, over and over We could be, forever I'm falling apart, I'm falling apart Don't say this won't last forever You're breaking my heart, you're breaking my heart Don't tell me that we will never be together We could be, over and over We could be, forever It's not over, it's not over, it's never over Unless you let it take you It's not over, it's not over, it's not over Unless you let it break you It's not over

New Skin

I've got a new blogger template.

"Unique is the new trend".
Haha.

ATTENTION EVERYONE!!!

Alright people! Listen up! Today is a very special occasion for me... Why?

Because after 4 months of repeated unsuccessful attempts, I, have finally solved one of the most fustrating puzzles in history.

I have finally solved.... *drumroll*




THE RUBIK'S CUBE!!!!!!

A big big thanks to Pogobat from Youtube. I love your video so much! WOOHOO! *Pops champagne*

Now I can finally convince my Dad to buy the Rubik's Revenge (4x4 cube) for me!

Couple of Nice Songs....

Patience by Take That. Beautiful song+Great Vocals.



"Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx. Really old song but I still love it!

Pick yourself up Jerry

I can't believe school is starting again soon....
And I'm still very HK sick!
As the title goes... Pick Yourself Up Jerry!