Breaking the Silence…

For an entire week my company’s unsecured gateway has been down *grrr…*. After being silent for a week, I’m about to go on a blogger’s diarrhea:

1. Should I get Streamyx?
Hrm… let see, another RM77 to add on to my monthly budget. After a full day of facing the computer screen, do I really want to spend after-office hours doing the same? Err… think the cons outweighs the pros. *Sigh…* Please forgive me if updates are slow. Practice a little grace, k? *insert sweet smile*

2. Carrie Underwood wins American Idol
I’m still a little bummed cause I was rooting for Bo Bice. Throughout the entire competition, Bo was having the upper hand until the last round where I think his concentration was a bit off. There’s this “explosive presence” as he takes command of the stage; as if he owned it. Of course, his plus points were a charming personality with a good looking face to boot. But most of all, I fell in love with his VOICE; the songs that left a lasting impression was, I’ll Be, Heaven, For the Love of Money, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me, I Can’t Get No Satisfaction… err, actually the list goes on.

3. Malaysian Idol has started
I wonder… I wonder if anyone I know went for the auditions this year? I’ve gone to a couple of places down town with a live band and all… and they’re pretty good. They had impressive vocals and attention-grabbing entertaining skills. The Introduction to Malaysian Idol last week showed that many of the finalists had gotten some kind of a record, commercial, or acting deal in the entertainment industry. I thought that the Smart Tag commercial Zamil did with Abang Roslan was really funny. Abang Roslan was on this old Volkswagon and Zamil rode past smirking in a shiny sports car. At the toll booth, the Volkswagon slowly waltzed through as the sports car got stuck at the Cash lane *hahahahahah!!!* Perhaps this year, we might be able to gather more enthusiasm from the public.

4. Social revolution through the Internet
I received a pleasant surprise in my mailbox last Tuesday. Previously, I blogged about a song from Morsekode. The composer of the song actually dropped me a line. How’s THAT for social revolution? *wink!*

5. Update about Video EZ rip-off
Somehow, as the time wears on. I’m not as upset about it anymore *grin*. A friend from the Star submitted my complaint and said that The Star will publish it if I were to reword my letter. They cannot publish complaints when there are actual parties involved, but the article may serve as a warning to others. If I wanted to pursue this I have to go to some “Consumer-something-something Association” to pinpoint the actual culprits. *giggle* I cannot believe I actually forgot what the Association name was. Sigh… proves that I’m blessed with a very bad memory. Guess I might as well just “forget” about the whole thing and practice a little forgiveness *nods*.

6. My car ended up in the workshop for the 4th time in 4 weeks
Perhaps I should write a detailed blog about this entry. I cannot believe that so many things are happening simultaneously. The latest would be the financial rut that I’m in. If the Almighty is trying to teach me something, I hope that at the same time he tunes my wisdom up a notch. Cause I’m clearly not getting it *shakes head*.

OK… I think that’s enough diarrhea for a day. Each point could actually take on a main topic and a life of its own. Ahhh… now I feel much better… *rubs stomach*.

CLGC’s first church camp (Part II)

Note: There's Part I & Part II so the blogs aren't too long, else readers might fall asleep :P
God is faithful. I can always count on Him to show up when I need Him. These were a couple of things I gathered from camp:
1) Authenticity of Church
There is a time and season when God will speak to us; times when his anointing is especially strong. For example, there are times when we experience trembling, express songs, words of encouragement or prophecies. Such times will pass and He will allow the idea to sink in as we are being molded. Do we continue to tremble/ continue to prophecy / continue to speak or sing words which are NOT from Him? Many times in Worship, we hype and create an “ambiance” which is not from Him. Imagine the Lord peering down from above, go “Huh?” and then leave saying, “Fine… seems that you don’t need me anyway…”. How authentic is our worship?

2) Authenticity of who we are
Since we were on the topic of authenticity, I began to think how authentic we are in church. Has our church matured enough to accept the authenticity of the people coming? If a girl dressed in a very short skirt and blouse enters the building, will she be rebuked or asked to cover up? How will our response be when a drug addict enters the building? Can we BE OURSELVES, dress however we want, not ashamed of whom we are and worship God together? Must a church-goer esthetically be an exact Photostat copy of the next to be truly accepted? Or can we embrace and be comfortable with people different from us?

3) A picture of Priesthood of Believers
Gosh! I’ve heard of it happen… but this is the first time I’ve experienced it first-hand. No worship agenda. Stripped off all worship instruments. No “Let’s choose love songs and build it up towards ‘Rededication’ as our theme”. Worship was opened to the floor. Songs of praise, songs of worship, prayer, words just came forth from people seated all across the sanctuary, right at their places. One person would start singing, and the people around him/her will join in and soon the whole congregation would catch on. The focus was not to the front (stage), but upwards to the Heavens. Tears swelled up as I felt the stirring within me. Our Papa must be gladly enjoying the simple yet sincere offering. No hyping… pure, authentic worship from the heart, just enjoying being in His presence.

4) What is means to be people of His presence
Books like Purpose Driven Life (one of my favorites), paints an idea that our time on Earth is short and we have to make every single second on Earth count for something. Then, we get little pangs of guilt as we take time off to enjoy doing stuff which are not considered “kingdom works”. Having a plate of Maggi goreng at Jelutong with friends instead of being at FNS. Cracking jokes with uncle Steve on a Sunday morning instead of being at a service. Taking a walk at Kiara Park or a swim at my condo on a Saturday morning instead of going to church for singing class.

Being people of His presence and Worship does not happen when we are DOING something for Him. I remember the scene in Kingdom of Heaven when the people was defending the fort from its enemies. And Orlando Bloom said, “It’s not these stones that we’re protecting. It’s the people. The Kingdom is not here (the place)… it’s in our minds and our hearts. They can never take THAT away from us” Whenever and wherever we are, we are able to live a life of Worship (I’m NOT in any way saying do not go to church). But if I’m enjoying a cup of limau ais with my friends but having Him in my heart (in turn, affecting my response and conversation topics), THAT in itself is an act of worship and being in His presence.

5) Retro night
Retro night on the ‘already-shortened’ time at camp? What? And miss an ‘oh-so-important’ session with guest speaker Malcolm Du Plesis? Gahahahhaha… what a revolution!!! It was so much fun having everyone dress up according to the 70’s theme. Big Alleycat hair, mini skirts, extra JANG-colored shirts , polka-dot dresses and gypsy robes. Not forgetting ‘Let’s do the twist!’ ‘Everybody loves Kungfu fighting!’, ‘Dancing Queen',and ‘Limbo Rock’. Gosh, some of those oldies can really shake their bon-bons! *grin!* What a sight! *darn. I really need to learn how to upload pics*

Lastly, the final message from Malcolm…

6) Our response to Offence
To take offence towards another is like taking offence towards God cause God had allowed the offence to happen in the first place. Wow! I never saw it like that *very deep ar...* Really, it struck a cord when Malcolm said, “If you allow the offence to take root, you will find that your negative response/events that follow is even worse than the incident that has caused it.” Such an offence was allowed to happen in order to shape and mold us. In the times of stress, we find out who we really are. How true… I remember the times when I get hurt and I just allowed the hurt turn to anger and self-righteousness instead of allowing forgiveness to flow forth. Sigh… it actually takes up more energy staying angry than letting go *am truly humbled*

Above all that has been spoken into my life during Camp; most importantly I had a fresh encounter with Him. I’m excited over the changes that are about to come to CLGC. Truly, these are exciting times. Well, till my next blog. Juan. Outttttt!

CLGC’s first church camp (Part I)

Mixed feelings brewed as camp drew near. Excited and happy as I thought about all the fun I knew I was going to have; the whole 70’s theme, getting to know people that I generally just smile to on Sundays, and as always, a new breath of fresh air in my walk with Him. At the same time, I got a sinking feeling as I made travel plans with my new cell members; this year, most of the people I cared for the past three years would not be at camp with me *huge sigh…*. I couldn’t help myself, but feel crummy, helpless and lost on Friday.

In the span of a year since last year’s camp… so much have changed. I miss being in a joyful, vibrant church; its innocence has been lost. I miss my cell group; especially sis. I miss seeing her twice a week just sharing how the week has been; in the midst of being buzy it’s tough to set time aside. I cringe thinking of the times I have to explain to my non-Christian parents why us siblings now worship in different churches. I am saddened by insensitive remarks and assumptions people reason why I stay in church. Really, is it so difficult to believe that I’ve NEVER thought of leaving cause in my Spirit I have not been released to do so? My seven-year relationship ended. I was plucked and thrown into a different working environment...

It would’ve been SO much easier for me to just quit. But then again… how could I? How could I disappoint Him? He who has been with me every step of the way. My Rock… the only solid foundation when all has failed. Took half-a-day off to go for a good lunch and some window-shopping to feel better; but alas it didn’t work. Yeah… I guess this is the time to own up that the reason why I wasn’t in church for the first session wasn’t because I was working; but wallowing in self-pity at home watching American Idol reruns on 8TV *so pathetic*.

Sighh.. the two things that SHOULD’VE changed but DIDN’T are (1) the kilograms on my hips and (2) my empty bank account *chuckle *.

Life after Star Wars

Last night, Star Wars was great. It was very amusing when the crowd broke into a cheer as opening song started *grin*. Apparently, a friend of mine who went on 18th May saw some people ACTUALLY dressed according to the characters. *wow!* That would've been fun. Thoroughly enjoyed the space battles, limp-cutting fighting actions, reconfiguring of Darth Vader's face, zing-zing of light sabers and err... the wooden acting of Hayden Christensen *gaahahahahaha!*

Check this out: http://www.storewars.org/flash/index.html . The spoof captured the essence of the show perfectly *grin*. It's where:

• A bottle of nuts was C3PEANUTS
• A slab of tofu was TOFU D2
• A cannoli was Obi Wan Cannoli
• A cucumber was Cuke Skywalker
• A russet potato was Lord Tader
• A head of lettuce and two donuts as Princess Lettuce
• A slice of ham as Ham Solo
• A head of broccoli as Chewbroccoli

The Star Wars merchandise in the market is simply amazing! We find posters, figurines, CELCOM pre-paid starter packs, *heck!* Twisties pack was giving out little sticker cards. But I still think there's more exploits to be done:

5) Princess Leia Organo for Marie France Bodyline
We see Princess Leia amidst pillows on ground, legs stretched out with bun-like hair wearing a golden bikini. *drools...*

4) Chewbacca for Pantene shampoo
Bright sunny and windy day at the beach. We see Chewbacca running beside waves, silky hair bouncing with each step he takes. *pauses* Gives a BIG ROAAAAARRRRRR!!!!

3) Master Yoda for Health Ministry trying to get kids to eat more vegetables
Tagline: Take the advice of our little green friend. We then see Yoda holding a piece of brocolli saying, "Eat your vegetables, you should, my little padwan".

2) C-3PO for Waxstation car wax
We see C-3PO bump around clumsily like he ALWAYS do. *pauses, picks up a bottle of wax in one hand with the other doing a thumbs-up* He says, "I use Waxstation. It get rids of all the horrendous scratches to my golden body and gives me a perfect SHINE".

*drumroll...*

1) Darth Vader for Coppertone suscreen
We see Darth Vader in full costume, holding up a bottle of sunscreen saying, "Use sunscreen. Else, you would turn to the DARK SIDE..." *insert sound of Darth Vader breathing*

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

*chang chang chang CHANG CHANG CHANG chang chang chang*

19th May! Finally! The third and final instalment in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, sealing the fate of the Old Republic. Wheeeee!!! I'm like... SO totally unable to concentrate at work just thinking about the movie tonight. I honestly don't know how we pulled it off, but 48 of us are watching it together. Organizing this made me feel like a race horse bookie *grin*. Kudos to our buyer's charming smile and amazing good looks; else the ticketeer at TGV would never allow such a major degree of ticket hogging :P

So, exactly what am I looking forward to tonight?

• No movie love scenes. Who could ever forget the scene in Attack of the Clones where Anakin went, "The sand here is smooth and soft... *voice trails off while he strokes Amidala's back* .... like your skin." *bwekkk!* OR when Amidala strongly refuses the advances of Anakin. Then split second in the next scene, they were rolling around on the grass like some ga-ga lovebirds from a Hindi movie. *rolls eyes*
• Darth Vader reconfigured. We saw his burn scars in Empire Strikes Back and Return of Jedi. I'm looking forward to see his disfigurement process.... muahahahahahahha! *call me a sadist, I don't care*
• The Jedi wipe-out. New Hope tells us that Darth Vader killed the Jedi. AOTC showed us that there were children in the Jedi Temple. Anakin in AOTC killed Tusken women and children. This wipe-out is gonna be gory. *nods in anticipation*
• Young Chewbacca. Was a bit bummed when he didn't appear in AOTC. Hey... I used to have a Chewbacca soft toy when I was 4. My sucking post and sleeping buddy for 2 years until mum threw him away whilst I was taking a bath. Tried to lie to me that little Chewwy ran away. Then she came clean and said, "Too unhygienic!" *grrrrr...*

Lego Star Wars- Revenge of the Bricks: http://www.lego.com/starwars/default.aspx. Check it out. Tickled my funny bone and reminded me of my childhood watching Transformers and playing with Legos.

The Jedi knights uses the Force responsibly through inner peace. The Siths, however taps into the power of the Force through extreme emotion. There is a common misconception that Siths accesses the Force by being evil or doing evil deeds. Nope... by letting feelings like anger, fear, hatred, happiness, sadness, jealousy or even love grants Siths access to the power. They are motivated by PASSION. Siths are evil because they are blinded by their passion and do whatever they want simply because they can. I'll leave you with this. The Sith Code:

Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The force shall free me.

Same lineage. Same force. Same power. Different approaches. Different heart beats. One to do what is right... the other to fulfill inner wants irregardless of consequences. Whose side are you on? The DARK... or the LIGHT? ZING ZING! *sound of light saber swishing*

Unbelievable! There's a song for SAP!?!?

Dumbstruck, I sat glued to my chair as I listened to the tune of The ERP of this Century by Morsekode. Why would anybody in their right mind waste a couple of hours of their life writing about it? *scratch head* For those who's not in this industry, you wouldn't be able to make head or tail of this. But for my comrades in crime, enjoy!!! It cracked me up BIG TIME!!!

Check it out: http://www.morsekode.com/SAP/

Chorus:

S A P

We’re gonna be

The ERP

Of this century(repeat)

A little initiation

An account with no inflation

It’s the break down of creation

And the state of the SAP nation

In April 1 of 1972

Five crazy cats sprung the rung from the big blue

It all started with finance

Made some cash, made you dance

Grabbed some focus like a trance

Eventually you’d do business in France

And the rest of the world, one by one,

Knockin’ ‘em out, until it was all done

R/2, R/3 and now we’re talking mySAP

What’s next? What will it be?

Chorus
It’s a new crew at the top but stop and don’t drop

The lead that succeeds from the seed of 72

Not talking to me, but you know I’m talking to you

Now we got Suites, xApps, Manufacturing and Analytics,

Taken business mobile and still wowin’ the critics

Yo, back to that Suite, you got the beat under my feet

CRM, PLM, SCM, and SRM – heck you got more M’s than Eminem

And now your strivin’ to be thrivin’ with a

Win in the SMB

Yo, SMB, whatchew gonna be?

The next hit, the next r/3?

And NetWeaver, you best believe ‘er

She’s bringin’ it together cleaner than Beaver Cleaver

Chorus
All right, let’s get real about how we really feel

That Oracle deal, a big spin of the wheel

Like Russian roulette, Larry took a big bet

And now it’s Peoplesoft and JDE that the world’ll forget

Jetzt ist sie weg

Und wir sind wieder allein, allein

Sie ist weg

Yeah, whatever Oracle

We’ll take care of your peeps over here

Chorus
One last thing, a little shout out

D’ you think we’re gonna leave our friends in HCM out?

Naw, yous the grooviest bunch of cats in the hat

And the ‘kode thinks your phat, and we like it like that

Yo, SAP, we be hipper than Flea in the Peppers of Chili

We can take the load, just give ‘er to the ‘kode

And together we’ll watch your new business explode

Peace, from Morsekode

Can you escape?

Have a shot trying to escape the Crimson Room:
http://www.fasco-csc.com/works/crimson/crimson_e.php

There are 13 items hidden in this room in order to let you get out of this room. If you find:

• 0-6 items, your IQ is very low
• 6-8 items, Low IQ
• 9-10 items, u r normal
• 11-12 items, your IQ is high, above the average.
• 13 items found and get out of the room, there are less than 4000 people in the world can do it.

I don't wanna reveal too much, else the game won't be fun for you. However, I think I need to say that the combination code did not work at first. Just refresh the screen and it was alright.

Try the Viridian Room next. I found it to be a greater challenge *smile*. The roadblocks were (1) figuring out the combination of the lock, (2) the beer needed to be cold in order for the the whole ending to come together.

Blue Chamber is a short one meant to be played on a mobile. So, it's quite simple.. just one small roadblock trying to locate some cash...

Top 5 road antics that makes me go, “Whaaa???”

5) Hit and run motorcyclists
This incident JUST HAPPENED this morning. Caught in the never-ending parking spaces of NKVE Plus Highway, this ‘#$%@^#& excuse of a road user on 2 wheels’ decides to give my Waja a new look by giving my precious a couple of wrinkles to her beautiful body. To top off the new look, the rider then decides that precious’ side mirror would look more attractive dangling by her side. For this adjustment, the rider then whams right into it and speeds off before I could appreciate precious’ impromptu remodeling.

4) Religious car stickers
Why bother telling everyone tailing you that you’re a religious person if you’re going to drive and break the rules like the devil? It’s like saying, “Look world! I’m a believer of xxx and I park on yellow lines, double-park, and sometimes triple park. Absolutely LURVE the rush of beating traffic lights. Look! A Kancil… THAT’S a spot to cut in and show who’s the boss. Ooooo… and do ya like my green Carlsberg sticker right next to my ‘I’m a fisher of Man’ sticker?” Please, take the car sticker off and do God a favor. Else, clean up your act and become a better testimony.

3) Impatient queue cutters
Open up your eyes and see that the rest of the world is lining up. Why bring curses upon yourself and your family? *enough said*

2) Road hoggers
First type of such drivers are those who cut right in front of you and decide to slow down immediately once they’re in place. *makes me wanna jump right out of car and pull a couple of punches to their brain*. And there’s this second type of drivers – the right lane road hoggers. I understand there’s a speed limit. But sincerely, I really don’t know if these people are law abiders or simply not paying attention. "Oi! Tune down your radio, look into your rear view mirror and note the car behind flashing and honking la."

*drumroll…*
1) Proton Satria dressed with Proton GTI baju
Top of the list is just a question I’ve wondered for a very long time. Why? Why? Why? EVERYONE knows it’s a Satria cause there’s only ONE car exhaust.

*Juan is still fuming from having to fork out $$$ for the damage, so please forgive her display of sarcasm and anger*

SAP Project Signing Ceremony

Workplace setting: Bayu Project Room @ Alam Flora Sdn Bhd, Glenmarie
Incident date: 12th May, morning
Note: Initials are used to ensure confidentiality

Today’s an important day. Media coverage, champagne toasting, my director’s here, Alam Flora’s CEO is here… ahhhh. The whole team was excited about the kick-off. But this had to happen:

Company director: It’s 10:30. Let’s go.
*all of us got ready to go*

Manager 1: So, who’s coming along?
Manager 2: Just the three of us (referring to director, manager 1 and manager 2).
The rest of the team: ????!!!???!?

*11 a.m. Manager 1 called JT on his mobile. All of us thought, “Ahhh… asking us to join them liao*.
Manager 1: Hi, can get RL to come?
The rest of the team: Uh-huh...
Manager 1: We need him to come and take pictures for us.
The rest of the team: ???!!!???!?

*12 a.m. Directors and Managers return from the signing ceremony*
Me: Boss, all of us are very sad.
Manager: Why la?
Me: Number one… we were not involved in the signing. Number two… in the end, we got involved because you needed someone to hold the camera :P

Sigh… remind me to appreciate my subordinates as I climb the corporate ladder. *nods* After what happened today, I’m DEFINITELY getting off work before six *chuckle*.

Working past six is a brain hazard

Workplace setting: Bayu Project Room @ Alam Flora Sdn Bhd, Glenmarie
Incident date: 11th May, evening.
Note: Initials are used to ensure confidentiality

LL: JL, I didn’t drive today. Can you drop me off at D.U. after work?
JL: Sure.

*fast forward to 7 pm*
JL: Hey LL, faster la. Time to go… time to go…
LL: Wait … wait…
*LL searches through her stuff frantically*

JL: Why? It’s getting late. Quick! What are you looking for?
LL: I cannot find my car keys!
*momentary silence from JS as realization hits LL*

LL: Oh yea hor…. I didn’t drive today……
Hahahahahhahahaha!!!! *packs stuff and leave project room*

LL: Wait!!!!!! * pause*
JL: ????!!!???!

LL: I forgot my handbag……. It’s in the project room….
*Hahahahhahahahah!!! wipe tears from eyes*

1 Tim 5:22

Warning: Heavy blog item
1 Tim 5:22 – Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.

I cannot remember when I was directed to this particular verse. I remember being taught that I should be careful with the laying on of hands (praying for another), cause the sins of the receiver would be upon me. Similarly, the transferal principal would apply to my sins being upon the receiver. I think it was a sermon built toward ‘there is a need to constantly reflect on self’… something like that la.

As I’m studying the book of 1 Tim, I realized that I’ve gotten it wrong. Paul wrote the letter to Timothy who is leading the church in Ephesus. In the context of the entire book, zooming into 1 Tim 15:19 onwards, verse 22 was actually referring to the “appointment of elders” rather than just a general idea of “laying of hands”. The crux of the verse is that we should be careful when appointing leaders, else the fruits of character / sins of the leader will be upon the church.

Read through the whole chapter and be set free if you’ve been taught differently.

It’s because of such instances that I kick into “on-guard mode” when a preacher / teacher presents his materials through topical teaching method. Topical teaching is when material is prepared as per a certain topic (for example, topic: faith) and verses are simply plucked out from all over the bible. But then again, I do not refute the effectiveness of this teaching method, should the need arise. I guess in the end, it’s our responsibility to know the background of the book, to whom it’s directed to, and to read the entire book so that standalone verses are not understood out of context.

Car upkeep: Double Whammy!

Car mileage: 40,000 km
Car bought: January 2003

On Friday, I had my car serviced for RM 359.39. Service price included rear brake pad change (extra RM75), but excluded the engine oil (saved about RM150 from the servicing). Worked in Petronas ma… I still have lots of engine oil stocked :P Then, I had my first refuel after the petrol price hike. RM77.12 for 50.734 liters of petrol!

So, let me figure this out:
Petrol - RM77 x 4 weeks
Servicing - RM450 / 4 months

I’m paying about +/- RM400 a month on car maintenance?!!!???!!??

*groan* I should downgrade my Waja to a Kancil *chuckle*.

Questionaire

Give some thought to answering before looking at my response.

1. Do you believe in ghosts? If yes, what are they?
2. Have you ever encountered a ghost before? If yes, can you describe the experience?
3. Are you afraid of ghosts? Why?
4. If you are so afraid of ghosts, will you still go to watch ghost movies? If yes, why?
5. If ghosts exist, are they friendly or dangerous?
6. If ghosts are dangerous, how do we protect ourselves from them?

A friend sent me this questionnaire. Took me 3 minutes to fill it up but thought it was kind of interesting. Interesting enough for me blog about it *wink!* My response is as of below:

1. Yes. Ghosts / Spirits are from the Enemy of Christ that confuses / deceits; whose main purpose is to draw Men away from God.
2. The recent incident was when I moved into my new apartment about a year back. Lying half-awake at night, I heard evil laughter followed by voices calling out my name. Not too sure if they were spirits, but if I were dreaming… the dreams were very frequent. I’ll have you know that I prayed in tongues throughout the entire time until the laughter and voices stopped…brrrr.
3. Yes. It’s an automatic response to feel afraid at the very instant during an encounter.
4. I stay away from ghost movies, which the reviews say are highly disturbing. When I was about 5, I couldn’t sleep the whole night after watching Exorcist. However, I DO enjoy a few scary movies once in awhile – just for kicks.
5. Anything that draws us away from God is dangerous; be it ghosts or not. The ‘Casper the Friendly Ghost’ concept or ‘familiar spirits’ were created by the enemy to confuse us that ‘It’s alright to befriend Spirits’.
6. To awake from state of initial fear by having the assurance that God is with us; By knowing our identity in Him as children of Light; By prayer (Mark 9) as ‘He that is in us is greater than he that is in this world’ (1 John).

Being a Christian, the idea of Spirits / Ghosts isn’t foreign. After all, I do believe in God, Lucifer is a fallen angel and became Satan. There were other fallen angels. So, that’s where we get ghosts / spirits. However, I do wonder what other people of different faiths think about this. Hrmmm…

Petrol price hike

Darn. I really need to get a raise on my mileage claim entitlement. I’ve been getting RM 0.50 per kilometer since I joined the company 5 years ago!!! We’ve had numerous price hikes since 5 years ago; it’s about time we got a raise! >:-(

I called up my manager and said, “Boss… petrol price shot up again wor. How ar?”
And he answered, “Sell car la….”

Sighhhhh…. so much for being in a diplomatic country where the people’s voices are heard *groan*.

VideoEZ ripped me off!

I received this e-mail from VideoEZ (yeah, I’m a member), having a promotion. Buy ‘Meet the Fockers’ VCD for a 50% discount of a normal room rate voucher at Colmar Tropicale Resort Pahang. These were the rates on the voucher:

• Superior Twin/King; RM400 for published rate; RM200 for discounted
• 1 Bedroom Suite; RM600 for published rate; RM300 for discounted
• 1 Family Room; RM800 for published rate; RM400 for discounted
• 2 Bedroom Suite; RM900 for published rate; RM450 for discounted
• 3 Bedroom Suite; RM1,300 for published rate; RM650 for discounted
• 4 Bedroom Suite; RM1,600 for published rate; RM800 for discounted

Let me point out some of the terms and conditions on the voucher:

• Surcharge at RM40 net per room per night is applicable on Saturday, Eve and Public Holidays.
• Room rates are inclusive of breakfast for 6
• Room rates are inclusive of government and service tax

I thought, hmm… the published rates are absolutely crazy! The discounted rates seem a bit on the high-end, but still affordable. So, I decided to purchase the VCD. I called up the Bukit Tinggi Sales Office and asked about the package for the 3 bedroom suite without any mention about the VideoEZ voucher. And guess what????

The rates offered were exactly THE SAME! Can you believe it? ON TOP OF items already mentioned within the voucher, the normal package would include 6 entrance tickets to the Colmar, Japanese Garden and Rabbit Farm. I couldn’t believe my ears! Oh yes, the other ‘unclear’ item was on the surcharge. Apparently, the RM40 surcharge was for PER ROOM and not per item as I assumed. So, I would need to pay a surcharge of RM120 if I were to book the 3 bedroom suite. Sigh… I never felt so ripped off before. Anyway, I have sent an e-mail to the VideoEZ Sales Representative to complain about this. I’ll keep you posted on their response.

Mothers Day is this Weekend!!!

I have many friends who absolutely detests special commercial days such as these – Mothers Day, Christmas, Secretaries Week, and *drumroll…* Valentines Day!!! The general views are, “I appreciate my girlfriend every single day… not just only Valentines Day. It’s over-rated – prices of chocolates, flowers and dining spots sky-rockets!”

Personally, I just love these special days. Maybe it’s because I absolutely enjoy picking well-thought presents, spending quality time and basically just pampering my loved ones. Somehow, doing something special on these special days just adds on to the warm, fuzzy feeling inside *smile*. A few weeks ago, Shireen (sister) and myself had a brainstorming session. What do we do for mummy on Mothers Day? Some of these ideas came up:

• A sit-down dinner with the whole family – Bah! How boring. Besides, with my dad’s picky taste buds we’d most probably end up going to some new place but eating the same sort of foods :P
• A romantic Gemini cruise for mum and dad – At least I ‘thought’ it was romantic. Until mum said, “What so nice about cruise? Just sleep and have breakfast, pre-lunch bites, lunch, tea-time, dinner and supper. All I get is a bloated stomach!”
• Tickets to Broadway show ‘Sound of Music’ - Mum enjoys shows such as ‘My Fair Lady’, ‘Annie’, ‘Oliver’, ‘King and I’… stuff like that. Then I remembered 2 years when I spent RM800 for tickets to ‘Fame – the musical’, my dear daddy decided to forgo his RM200 ticket and stayed home to watch Piala Thomas finals….grrrrr…. terfikir also marah!
• A relaxing massage come facial at a prestigious spa – Sis and myself thought this would be the winner. Aihhh…. I sure could use a massage myself *hint hint!* After some deep thought, I’m thinking, “Err… I don’t think my 60-year old mum would be comfortable getting naked and let some stranger rub oils all over her body…hahaha.”

*Drumroll……..* We finally decided that the best gift for mum would be a short holiday for the entire family. Honestly, I don’t even recall the last time our family actually went for a holiday. I remember when us 3 siblings were younger, we would go for short trips to Penang, Langkawi, Pangkor, Club Med, Frasers Hill, Camerons, Genting… the list goes on *nods at happy memories.* After all of us started working, sis and bro got married and have lives of their own… somehow, the holidays stopped.

So, this Saturday morning, the Bear family (btw, did you know that my surname Yoong written in Chinese is ‘Bear’?) is off to Colmar Tropicale, Bukit Tinggi Resort. My process of booking the place… well, I’ll leave that for tomorrow’s blog entry *smiles* What about you? How are you treating your mum for Mothers Day?

Will I have enough TIME?

My ex-LF members and I drove down to Malacca on Labour Day yesterday. Not for a holiday, but to spend some time with Lavender and her family. Her dad passed away on Saturday morning after an unsuccessful operation. It was shocking news... just about a few weeks ago, he had a fall. First, the bone specialist thought that the little buldge at his spine was caused by the fall and he underwent bone theraphy. A week later, after consulting another specialist, they realized that he had colon cancer. And now... he's gone.

As I was at the funeral, I was reminded that our life here on Earth is so short. A perfectly healthy man, in less than a month has returned to his Maker. Praise God, her whole family is already saved. But as I pondered over the salvation of my whole family, sighh... at this time, I just wanna trust God's promise that my entire household WILL BE SAVED. I really cannot imagine life in Heaven for eternity without the people that I love.

These days, I thank God that there is a change in climate within the family. Previously, with mum saying things like, "Don't tell me anything about God!!" to "Mother's day is coming soon. Anything special happening in church?". These recent years, they've been more open and actually have started to ask mind-boggling questions like,

• If God is good... and God created Earth. Why are there so many bad things happening in the world?
• I believe that I am a good person, I don't rape, I don't rob, I don't steal. I believe I deserve to go to Heaven. Don't ya think?
• I work hard for the money I have lehhh.... the church is out to gain from its people. Be it power, money, or recognition. So howwwww?

Well, the question and answer sessions have gone on well. Bless the Holy Spirit for the help *smile* I can sense that they're receptive and enjoy the conversations. But yesterday, as I sat through the funeral... I wonder if the progress is happening too slowly. Will I have enough TIME? I understand all is accomplished in His timing. But I can't help myself but worry a little.