Life, Travel, GRACE

According to Heng Hua's custom, when a baby reaches the age of four months old, he/she shall be donned with black attire. This is in no way an act of protest or whatsoever. Just a tradition, which is believed to ward off mosquitoes.

When you have a notable director Yasmin Ahmad (our condolences to her family) making a commercial ad for a Malaysia's emerging airline company, here's what you got...

There's a need to get a zoom lens ....

We often heard about success stories of someone else; someone who has succeeded of course. Then we also heard successful person went through some rough paths or difficulties. Often time we don't comprehend why failure occurs albeit with all the necessary preparation done. Like God of Job, He won't tell us why is this happening. But in long run there is goodness, which we may not see it now. My second attempt on a scholarship for post-graduate study didn't end up well. The first time I didn't fill up the form properly. This time I got through until the interview stage. Unfortunately it's a no. Talking about failure story, a friend of mine who attended an airline interview months ago, all the way in Singapore, ended up with the same fate. Again, God of Job won't oblige to give explanation. SY gave a hint: Look at Israelite. God provided manna but they have to go out to get it. They need to work. So it's not too bad actually. Probably God of Job is doing someth...

Watch this movie and you'll know what it's called acting. A very good acting by Sean Penn. Yes, he deserved the best actor award in numerous film awards. This is a movie about Milk who tried to get elected for city supervisor in order to get the rights of gay community sanctioned. You may disapprove gay behavior at some point or another. Again, all men are made in the image of God. So what went wrong here? Let's not be judgmental. At this period, there could be at least 2% of the population involved in same-sex relationship. Are same-sex partnerships a biblical option? There are three considerations to view: the distinction between sins and crimes, the distinction between preference and practice and the distinction between casual and committed. What seems as sins might not be illegal in law (in certain countries). What seems to be "being" might not be same as "doing". What seems to be casual act might not be a personal commitment. Key stories from the Sc...

We were in Surabaya for a brief stay. Then traveled to Mount Bromo and Kawah Ijen. From the most eastern side of Java we made through to Yogjakarta. Definitely lots of traveling. Met mostly Malaysian and French people. Felt cheated by an Indonesian. Lost a pair of sunglasses. Lost a pack of "sportswear" and sunscreen which were tucked in my backpack (must be stolen by Indonesian worker in Yogja's airport). Don't understand why such theft happened. But then, they have a beautiful place such as Bromo and Kawah Ijen. I would say Mt Bromo was the highlight of the trip. By the way, they have their own 100plus . I felt in love with it. And I snapped almost 500 photos during the trip. Can't believe I did that.

The film won the Best Foreign Language Film catergory at the 2009 Oscar. This is the story of a cellist who ended up as "coffinman". Well, the job required involvement in ritual ceremony for the deceased which included cleansing and make up. While he had to face the new challenge of the job, his wife disapproved the profession. Like other jobs in the world, some people show disapproval by distancing themselve from the workers. What amazed us is the content of the work - benefitting to the community while bringing self satisfaction. The film however failed to protrait the significance of work in God's eyes. At the end, what matter most is the recognition of family, his father.

The MU students had a training program session in Bukit Tinggi last month. With collaboration from Boulder Nav of the US, 8 Americans arrived in Malaysia to experience and serve God. The training program was aimed to equip the students with some basic knowledge of the bible, quiet time, Christian life and evangelism. We were urged to forget our glorious past and be prepared for the next springs. As Israel had successfully left Egypt, God reminded them that He was doing a new thing. 18 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18-19) Indeed, there are some signs of spring. This year alone few students pledged to be with God, as promised through Isaiah 44:1-5: 1 "But now listen, O Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen. 2 This is what the LORD says— he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and ...