bloook!

ashlee's apparent plastic-surgery makeover

2006-07-04T23:24:00.000-07:00

I was reading 8 days when I came across the article talking about ashlee's simpson apparent plastic surgery. Although she didn't deny or admit to the claims, I think she did go for a nose job. Because, I was comparing the photos and my sister said her nose really did look kinda differnet. Not so sharp. I think she look so typical now, not as original as she looked when she had her black tresses. Plus, this shows that plastic surgery is not just a tool to correct physical "flaws". In this time and age, plastic surgery has become a trend. And maybe a dangerous one as that. Even people who are thought of as pretty are going for plastic surgery! Which I don't understand whyyy....I guess for them, it isn't enough to be just pretty, they have to be picture perfect. And this notion of being picture perfect is quite an elusive...illusion rite. Plus, going through all that plastic surgery is so painful! My thoughts after watching Extreme Makeover where all the patients looked half-dead being wheeled out of the surgery room. All the shoving of silicon into your body and breaking your nose. Ouch, that must hurt. It's a bizarre world out there. Unless there's really a need, I think human beings are perfectly fine with 2 eyes, a nose and a mouth. =)

Mag

Brokeback Mountain

2006-06-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

what a fantastic story! i read the book during deaf camp (which is life-changing. the camp that is.) and why is it that when i tell people that i have read BM, they ask me if the book describe the sex. erm, yes. but only in one incident. but they described quite a significant number of incidents of foreplay. then again. u shouldnt be reading this book because of the sex, u crazy person.

such a beautiful book! i love the beautiful buildup of events, of language (minus the ridiculous constant cursing of 'jesus christ'. seriously, why those words?!) and of the emotions shared between the two men. i know yes yes gay is wrong. yes and i totally agree. however, the book describe the 'love' in such a way, that you will feel that their 'love' is a binding kind of, never disappearing, cannot help themselves love. but but but. i still dont approve of their r/sp. i mean, its quite ridiculous for them to be so lonely, they abandon the sheep 50yards away to have sex in a tent. what?!?

oh. but i must give credit to the ending. its the perfect ending. one of the best closures to stories i have ever read.

anw, on a different note. deaf camp was life changing. and yea! i know sign lang pretty well! can ask me or cathy! well, i described it as life changing because of the talk by Adrian Yap. he was from a primary sch for the deaf, learnt lip reading (which is SO NOT EASY!) went to Ahmad Ibrahim Sec Sch, followed by NJC (took fm! and scored 4As!! and merit and dist for Spapers!). subsequently, he was awarded the PSC scholarships ( all the RJC students at the camp were dumbfounded when they heard that la!). and u know what? he is hearing impaired. he lip reads, he cant hear what you are saying. but he knows. what a amazing guy! i used to think that the smartest and most capable people are those who score like UNBELIEVABLY well for their exams. now, i think that the most remarkable people are those who overcome physical limitations, and BE NORMAL people and do better than their peers who are not limited by disabilities. and! and! and! he sailed the Clipper0506, rep Singapore. (JAW DROP!)

another incident that almost brought me to the brink of tears is my group member. jack. this silly guy is hearing impaired. but he doesnt know sign language. but but but! he can lip read!! (so smart!) i asked him why doesnt he want to learn sign lang, and he said 'i want to be normal' (or was it 'i am normal') anyhow, he is such a funny guy! its so interesting to communicate with him cos he can lip read. hahahahaa.

such a good experience. but i am still sore about not being able to eat the chengting during dinner. long story. ugh. wah. but every meal was a buffet. i was so well fed in the camp!! yes, i live to eat.

eunice.

p.s. the previous post on 8simplerules is by me. sorry forgot to include my name. anyway, its quite obvious which is my post and which is mag's. usually, those without names is by mag. hahahaah.

8 simple rules for dating my teenage daughter

2006-06-08T03:26:00.000-07:00

i finally found these 8 rules to one of my fav shows last time on starworld '8 simple rules for dating my teenage daughter'. what a laugh! plus, this is such a breather from the usual crappy email stuff u read abt on 'how shld a boy treat a girl ' like what utter rubbish on calling her everyday (pls do the world a favour! get a life!) ah yo. thats so lau tu.

Rule One: If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure as heck not picking anything up.
Rule Two: You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them.
Rule Three: I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don't take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to assure that your clothes do not, in fact, come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric staple gun and fasten your trousers securely in place around your waist.
Rule Four: I'm sure you've been told that in today's world, sex without utilizing a "barrier method" of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate: when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I WILL kill you.
Rule Five: In order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is "early."
Rule Six: I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.
Rule Seven: As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process which can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don't you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?
Rule Eight: The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places lacking parents, policemen, or nuns. Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka zipped up to her chin. Movies with a strong romantic or sexual theme are to be avoided; movies which feature chainsaws are okay. Hockey games are okay.

Once Upon a Time in China 2

2006-06-01T00:56:00.000-07:00

"Once Upon a Time in China 2" is the obsolete title of one of Wong Fei Hong's movies. Sheez,I remember my dad used to bring us to the theaters to watch these gongfu movies. And at that time, kids could still sit at the steps of the theater to watch the show. Now, probably not. Or it's too unglam to do so now. Anyway, it was one of those late night chinese movies that they show on channel 8 that I really do enjoy.=) What really struck me was this scene when Wong Fei Hong was in chapel, and the stained class depicting a cruxified Christ was shot from feet up, and he asked, "Why do you cruxify your God?". I didn't really think that much about it until worship in church next morning. It just kinda floated in my mind. I didn't have like a definite answer but it got me thinking. But one thing I know though, is that He could have choose not to be cruxified, but he did because of us. It was a poignant moment on a Sunday morning. A reminder of the basic truth.

a little cry

2006-05-16T05:45:00.000-07:00

maybe this is a deja vu of sec4 days. U, God, keep taking things/ppl, stuff that matter to me, away. all away. I trust You so much. I put all my faith in You. Yet, You took everything away from me. i guess like last sunday's speaker. i am Job. yes. i am job. i cant lift up my head and say 'oh yes. i am busy busy busy. God has great plans for me! i am gonna buy some wood and get my sons tgt so that we can fulfill God's great plans and build a huge ark.' i can only walk down silently on the streets, emotionally bankrupt, fatigued, in my torn shirt and a pair of eyes dry of tears and say..'i dont know. i dont know why is this happening to me.i was faithful.i was trusting.and yet.all these happened.but one thing i am sure. my Redeemer lives.'
maybe what God took away from me is just a tiny tiny thing.perhaps He has a greater plan. january, he took something away from me. feb, he took sth away from me. march, he took sth away from me. and this went on. i kinda suspected and told cathy that even if i lose this, nvm. today, i think i lost my fight. its as if, Job was torn repeatedly, again and again. why? i trusted You, You know?
even Rachel Joy Scott trusted God's mighty plans. even Job in the Bible kept faithful. yes I will Lord. i promise You. I will be Your Job. i dont know why You wanna do this to me (and yes. if wd help if u make things a lil clearer to me) i dont know what You are thinking. but i trust. i trust that You have a wonderful plan for me. and i will lift Your name up high. that one day You can tell me. well done, my good and faithful servant.
thank you Jesus. i know that You know what is going on. i know that You are in control. His grace is perfected in my weaknesses. i am just tired. let me rest

eunice.

Silas Marner

2006-05-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is a bit like cheating cause I am doing this book for literature, so it's kinda of convenient for me to blog about it. But, I really do like this book and the way Silas is portrayed in the book.
"Silas Marner" is a realist(as said by my teacher) novel about a weaver in Raveloe who losses his bags of gold and finds a baby girl in return. In the beginning of the novel, it tells the reader how Silas was so wrongly accused by the people of his hometown, Lantern Yard that he was forced to leave with a broken heart. After the incident, Silas moved to Raveloe and there, he immersed himself in work so as to numb himself to the pains of betrayal and falsehood. However, by an unexpected turn of events, he finds a baby girl at his fireplace shortly after his loss. He adopts her and his emotional wounds are gradually healed by the fruits of fatherhood .
That's the gist of the novel in a few sentences. I really like the character Silas in the novel. Because there's just something about his naive and innocent personality that makes u wanna reach out to him. and there's this sentence which he uttered that totally squeeze all the sympathy juices out of me. It is the part where he said he will try to find his money even though it had obviously been stolen. Hahaha. I am a supporter for the underdog!=)
The novel also talked about the rigidity of religion how what we have is not faith per se but blind faith. Hmm, doesn't feel much for that. Not that I am apathetic but maybe my passion is not there/that. But it does remind me that we should be passionate about our walk with God. Am reading the purpose driven life book now. And one thing that I hope to do is to love and know God just a little more each day, as said by Rick Warren. Alrighty, back to the books. As in textbooks. UrGH.

Mag

The outsider by Albert Camus

2006-04-15T05:28:00.000-07:00

This is not to be mistaken with 'The outsiderS'. =)
The Outsider by Albert Camus is a 'deep' book about existentialism. u see, mrs chong gave us a list of philosophy/philosopher and told us to stay CLEAR from existentialism. like all humans, forbidden fruit appeals to me. so, i decided to read about this book which is abt existentialism.
The Outsider is about this protagonist who kills a stranger. His thoughts about life, reflections about his feelings (or lackthereof) were captured within the 4 dark walls of his prison cell and sparked when a volunteer came to talk to him about God.
Prior to the shooting, the protagonist's gf asked him to marry her.
conv went like this.
she: will u marry me?
he: erm. okay.
she: do you love me?
he: no.
she: then why are you marrying me?
he: because u asked me.

ugh. apathetic, indifferent, insensitive, heartless, cold men like these should be slapped so hard, they end up flying from orchard road to the keta in east coast (where lowell said all the human sh*t from singapore is discard at and apparently, last yr we used to cap a lot there until lowell said that)

sorry. back to the philo aspect of the book.

its a narrative book so there is MUCH MUCH MUCH times 18467206837 to infer from the book. the protagonist is a really weird guy who is super depressed. ugh. he is so weird.
anw, the book got me thinking.
we tend to (i am not saying always) remember the happy memories of the past, more than the sad ones. The sadder memories, on the other hand, avalanches to a exaggerated pictorial of chapters which our brain links together to basically, form a sad picture (which is often distorted). We are so trapped in the past that we cannot be happy about the present. Cannot appreciate the present. Take for example, when i first joined rj. I was quite upset because i missed my nj days. Yet, i forgot the much unhappiness i had when i was there. nv good enuf for the team. weird teachers who think i am a bimbo. endless physio because i injured every part of my left leg. My heart can only remember the team spirit (and come to think of it, i was not even THAT close to the team) and good food ( i live to eat). Now, after I have come to terms with the unusual way our brains are wired, I begin to appreciate where i am. to love who i am. to cherish my sch days in rj.
as i sit in my own 'prison cell', I know that there are people out there that I want to love, memories out there i want to claim, and seconds out there i want to cherish.
mag was right. we ought to stop wallowing in self-pity.
perhaps i need to stop being apathetic, indifferent, insensitive, heartless, cold. or risk being dumped in the keta.

eunice

Knowing that the end is worth the pain

2006-04-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Here's what my history teacher once said. We have to have a aim that is worthy of the pain that we have to go through to get to it. Because that will spur us on towards it. This week, my dad finally told us that he has accepted Jesus into his life. I was like totally"WOW-ed". My dad can be a hard nut to crack. But his acceptance reminds me everything is a possibility with God. And more importantly, it is like finally being able to make sense of the pain that I felt these years. And this is probably only a part of the big picture. Plus, it's all the more meaningful considering that this week is the holy week. And it's all worth it. Because our final destination is definitely worth the pain.

true love

2006-04-03T18:17:00.000-07:00

i shall copy from my journal.
i am a cynic of true love. nv believed in it. always wondered how 'so called' great is God's love. so how much love is love? stories on how God so loved the world were theories/history stories to me. I am such a cynic of true love that I cannot love and be loved in return. I am such a cynic that I wrote about how true love is non-existent in my ELit Olevels (and many thanks to my fellow true love cynic marker) , and scored a decent A1.
Until I realised how much I fell in love with my kiddoes from sunday school. they can be notty but they are so innocent! I dont know why I feel like that. But I love them and I know this is love. I once commented that Debby's squeaky shoes sounds like an angel's footsteps; Joy's meticulous artwork can colour heaven; Madeline's smile is so sweet; Adelle's liveliness will dot the world with happy noises; Gabriel's inquisitive nature will illuminate heaven.
I love the SS kiddoes so much and if this is such great love I feel for them, I cant imagine how much greater God loves me.

eunice

Being nice is not synonymous to being good

2006-03-15T03:04:00.000-08:00

That's a common fallacy, don't you think. When someone comments that you such a nice person, you tend to feel that, "Hey, I should be a pretty good person for that person to say that.". At least that's how I feel. I've come to realise that while niceness is a person's opnion of you, and it varies with your treatment towards the person, goodness is absolute. Beside the Bible says everyone have sinned and nobody is good. So anyway, goodness is define in accordance to the moral scales stated in the Bible. Yes, that's my opnion. I feel that all this nice comments about me being nice gets to my head sometimes. It kinda of makes me feel that "I'm alright." even if I know I am not, and especially my walk with God is not. So my conclusion would be, being nice is just a judgement made by another human being. It's nice to be thought of in that way but that does not define the alright-o-meter that you are at with your walk with God. And that's reminder to myself.

The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom

2006-02-26T03:38:00.000-08:00

this is such a good book. (easy read too! i love easy reads.) story is abt: Eddie dies. and he goes to heaven. meets 5 ppl there who will tell him why he lived and what he lived for. i dont wanna be a spoiler so i will try not to disclose too much.
touching and sad book. as he meets each person, the author draws the readers back to a scene of his birthday (from young, to teen years, to young adult, to thirties, blah blah...until he is really old) each birthday is celebrated in a rather normal/mundane way. yet, each birthday signifies a chapter in his life. fighting the war, being with the person he loves, being an old man - all alone, being a young kid, etc.
"all endings are also beginnings. we just dont know it at the time..."
yes. all endings are beginnings. just when we are ready to give up sth, (hence, ending) its just the start of a beginning. and we wont know it. until everything is over...
life is about learning to grow, to love, to give, to age. i think it will be interesting to meet my 5 people in heaven. i wonder, in my lifetime, what have i lived for. who have i lived for. i guess i really wanna know...

i like the story. love the way it is crafted. love the way the reason for eddie's existence on Earth is narrated. and surely, our existence on Earth has more than just exams.

shu.

(actually spend one hour typing abt the ppl i wanna meet in heaven, to tell them why they lived for and what they lived for. but i figured i shldnt disclose too much personal stuff here. plus in comparison to mag's entries mine are like thesis. and i guess u ppl have more than enuf gp stuff to read. so shall not exhaust ur brains here. so i deleted that part in the end.)

i kissed dating goodbye

2006-02-18T03:37:00.000-08:00

this is my review for i kissed dating goodbye by joshua harris.
its true. ikdg and boy meets girl are kinda a sequel. still, i rather do a separate review on each of them. they are quite different in a sense.
ikdg discuss abt the dating game we see today. going thru that rollar coaster - up down up down. is it all worth it? some ppl say, we shld begin with the end in mind. so whats ur end for whatever r/sp u are in now?
i think the story that jh shared is really really very thot-provoking. the story began in a dream...
...
the bride has walked down the aisle. the groom reaches out to receive her hand. suddenly, a few women from the audience stands up and walks towards the groom - and holds his hand.
Anna felt her lip begin to quiver as tears welled up in her eyes 'Is this some kind of a joke?' she whispered to David.
'I'm...I'm sorry Anna' he said, staring at the floor.
"who are these girls, David? Whats going on" she gasped.
"they're girls from my past," he answered sadly. "Anna, they dont mean anything to me now...but I've given part of my heart to each of them."
"I thought ur heart was mine," she said.
"It is, it is," he pleaded. "Everything that's left is yours."
....
i agree with mag. our generation is a sexual bunch. the word 'love' is totally belittled. kissing is just part of every r/sp. blah blah blah. but we think abt it, in FRIENDS (oh pls tell me u know this show), when Mike told his parents that he loved Phoebe, she was taken aback. when Ch told the gang that he was in love with Monica, everyone was shocked. even the kters from FRIENDS were careful with the way they used that word. what more, we? and mag (hahahaa), thats why i told u before, i will nv tell anyone 'i LOVE blah blah blah blah blah' or i will nv say the word 'love' to someone (in that usage) unless i can really mean it. so meanwhile, the only ppl i love is my family and mag and my sunday sch kids. yes. thats all.
another aspect of the book is that it discuss how to use singlehood wisely. i will like FOREVER remb what amos (my cousin) told me last CNY. he said that the opportunity cost of being in a r/sp is WAY too high. (clap clap.) i totally agree. just for ONE person, give up so much time. time for God, studies, blah blah blah. sure, ppl always say 'oh. but the guy/girl can spur u on and encourage u mah' ha-ha. then cannot remain as friends meh? i guess at this age, the only thing we shld be spurring our friends (guys and girls) on towards godliness. spur them on to love God. and definitely not distract them.
and for those who claim that 'the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak' (or whichever order is it suppose to be in), there is a section in the book about how to fight pollutants of lust, infatuation and self pity. good stuff.
after reading the book, i decided to stay off bgr until after my As. i just dont wanna be distracted and stuff. not being in a r/sp is distracting enuf alrdy. (reread the previous sentence.) whats more when u have 60kg (or possibly 70kg) of excessive baggage emotionally, physically, mentally strapped onto u. sorry la. i dont have so much muscles. oh. and did i forget to mention, one of my resolutions (after reading the book) is that i will nv kiss until my wedding day. basically, my first kiss will be at the altar.
ok. i shld explain myself. no, the Bible doesnt say that u shldnt kiss. or whatever. just that i dont wanna reduce kissing to some cheap sport or 'harmless recreational activity' nono. that shldnt be the way. u know, when i told my friends abt this resolution, i can practically hear a resounding 'WHAT??!?!' which might be heard from changi airport to east coast sailing keta (which is rather noisy considering those noisy planes) in their hearts/minds/brains/kidneys/lungs/feet. guy friends especially, didnt react too well upon hearing my resolution. (u shld see some of their expressions. lol) i just think sexual intimacy is really like a whole package kind of thing. besides, whats the motive from all these? i wont judge ppl i see. cos i think i am too conservative alrdy and in fact, its really difficult to keep up with my resolutions (kissing and the other resolutions which i made and prolly only mag knows and has conveniently forgotten cos the both of us have brains smaller than that of an ostrich.) so i wont inflicit my beliefs on them. still. back to my pt. mrs chong said that she had 2bfs in jc. but in the words of Bethany Patchin, who wrote 'Dont Kiss Me' (u can get the article from me), i will say...I am a yr2 student in jc with virgin lips. a few weeks before my seventeen birthday, I vowed to keep my "bow" tied until a man promises to commit himself to the whole package. My first kiss will be from my husband on our wedding day. Yes, that's quite a progression, from an inexpert kiss at the altar to the complete unwrapping of the wedding night — believe me, my friends have pointed that out. Then again, Adam and Eve managed to figure everything out in a day.
oh mag. i cant believe i am saying all these stuff on our blog. i mean, stuff i usually keep between us cos i find it so hard to tell the world. but oh crap. alrdy typed so much. very painful and wasted to delete la. but think abt it, if Bethany Patchin can write an article abt it, and JH can write books abt this, why shld i be ashamed. in fact! our readers (or lack thereof) can help me keep accountable! =)
(i nv intended to say all these to make our readers pledge against premarital kissing. My challenge is that this generation of Christians would take a deeper look at something we treat so lightly. or even if u dont wanna take a deeper look, okay lor.)
so, after reading this review, hope everyone will go grab a copy of ikdg (or borrow from me. but i gotta lend sophia first. so wait wait. or can get it from mag/david (2B)/simon(yf) thats all the ppl i know who have this book) and i will be praying for u!! that someday, u will be wrting a love story, you'll feel proud to tell.

eunice.

I kissed Dating Goodbye cum Boy meets Girl

2006-01-24T03:54:00.000-08:00

Hi there. Finally my internet connection is back to normal. Anyway, as u can see(from the title), gonna do a book review on I kissed Dating Goodbye and Boy meets Girl. As the two books are closely related( Boy meets Girl is the sequel to IKDG), I thought I'll just do a "2-in-1". Both books share a common theme, which is how we can have a relationship with the opposite sex that is pleasing to God and more importantly, sexual purity. I think it's more applicable to read IKDG for teens than Boy meets Girl because Boy meets Girl talks about Joshua Harris's life after marriage. Though there are still relevant bits in there. IKDG talks about how our focus in a relationship should shift from "dating" to "courting". The main difference being "dating" refers to one being in a relationship for the fun of it while the latter has marriage in mind. sounds extreme huh. Especially for the generation of today.I was talking to Shu yesterday and I was saying that the generation of today is a highly sexual lot. Or perhaps, we have a environment that tempts us, what's with rampant pornagraphy etc.
Ok, here's my few cents worth on the topic.( did i get the saying right? anyway) I agree with most of what Joshua.H said about the book. So yup, I am in his camp! But my sister was telling me that there are other books which talk about sexual purity and relationships, but don't exactly agree with some of what Joshua Harris said. As for the titles of those books, check amazon.com cuz I don't know. But point being, it's not about religiously following what is being said about those books as there are just mere guides. More importantly, we have to know that we are accountable to God. Ta dah, and that's the summary of the book in one sentence. Till then, cherrios =)

Performance Addiction : The Dangerous New Syndrome and How to Stop It from Ruining Your Life

2006-01-23T04:43:00.000-08:00

Performance Addiction : The Dangerous New Syndrome and How to Stop It from Ruining Your Life by Arthur Ciaramicoli
this is a fantastic book!!! well, i borrowed it cos it was NEW. but the content is good stuff. sigh. dont u feel as if u are always doing things because of performance addiction? so that ppl will 'approve' of u? the image love, relationships, lust for glamours, climbing the coperate ladder.
really useful book for those who need to find a sense of satisfaction in their lives. solutions for questions like do you achieve goals without feeling fulfilled? Do you think your hard work will win you love and respect? Do you feel as if you re never doing well enough? dude, all there man.
i admit i suffer from performance addiction. i am a slave for performance addiction. doing what ppl tell me to do cos i think its the RIGHT thing to do since ppl say so, and not doing what i wanna do. (crap. this reminds me of kelvin david again.)
why cant i just be me? erm. but what is me? (oh yes mag. here we go again. although this time, much milder. its just a random thought.)
and again, this is a easy read. plus, ADMIT IT! u, all of u!! suffer from performance addiction too!! addiction to outdo yourself!! to prove ur parents!! to reign victorious amongst ur peers!! admit it!!
although i am a rather bo-chap person, i really have quite a performance addiction problem to do well to please ppl. ah. snap.
one of the thinking processes in the book was: so what means most to u? and what gives u the most happiness? are they the same? why not? can u make them the same?
-ha.-

eunice

Chronicles of Narnia- The Magician's Nephew

2006-01-23T04:19:00.000-08:00

many thanks to bryan for lending me the book!
its an easy read. =) hmmm. but i feel that lion witch and wardrobe has a stronger Christian theme. ah wells. but anyone who went to watch the movie shld go read Magician's Nephew! otherwise, u have no idea why is lucy staring at the rather ordinary (yet not so ordinary) streetlight. hahaha! i read it in 3hours!! (thats so random)
anw, i enjoyed reading it. its such a breather from my interference-macro-ordinary differential eqns notes. love reading! totally transports u into a different world- the Narnia world!!! wooo~
i like Narnia. but wont be crazy enuf to invest $$ to buy the books. i dont really buy books anyway. usually borrow them. hahahaaha. now, i go the the rj lib at least twice a week to borrow books. and the auntie always STARES and me and my ezlink card and go 'shi ni mah?' (is that u?!?!?) hmmmmm. thank u for appreciating my bronze tan.
and eunice, u gotta stop digressing. and stop talkin to urself. =)
okay. (ah yo. i read the book so long ago. i cant remb it well already) i like narnia books. like CS Lewis. good stuff. so go read it. the font is big anw. i like BIG fonts. =)

-okay. this is a lousy review. someone just spoiled my day. officially. 2minutes ago.

eunice.

Kelvin David

2006-01-23T04:03:00.000-08:00

hmmmm. a friend of ours, kelvin david, passed away on 13jan2006.
i never really knew him-only saw him once. and that was during mag's baptism ceremony last year.
this is the first time, someone i know went back to the Lord. (wonder if u understand what i mean by my statement) i remb the first time i saw him during the ceremony, i was rather frustrated that he was laughing and giggling away. so when mag came back to her seat, i asked him why that guy was so noisy. and mag just said he is like that. and after the service, she explained that he has cancer.
i was like WOAH taken aback.
i really dont know him that well. but i just gather bits and pieces from what i hear. he is such a noisy person. cant keep quiet during service. (my observations from the both occasions i went to mag's church) and yet, he really showed me what FAITH meant. although he knew that he was dying, he just kept thanking God. I can nv find another person whose life is (i prefer to use present tense) so meaningful. my first impression of him is like 'one of those ppl who come to church to network' but after i read his article in mag's church's newletter. i felt so inspired.
do u know? the truth behind a meaningful life? its not abt the Spapers, or the As or the beautiful resume, or what not. all these are just a vapour. and kelvin's life and smiles will forever be etched in mag's and my heart.
one week after his death, kelvin's departure is still slowly being digested in mag and my life. i may not know him personally, but his life has inspired me. and yes, he is there, with Our Heavenly Daddy.

http://www.kelvindavid.blogspot.com

Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

2005-12-16T20:22:00.000-08:00

Their Eyes were Watching God is a very soulful book. yupp. few books can exactly be considered 'soulful'. its about a woman's quest in seeking spiritual self-fulfillment and love. this aint a Christian book but we can learn a lot from it. about women of colour and how they struggle in a society where a woman's sole purpose for living is to give birth. how very sad. anyway, Oprah considers this book as 'the greatest love story of all time'. so those romantic arty-farty people shld go read this. =)
this book would be quite an enjoyable read if not for the african-american slang that they use. like 'dis boooook ie difficult toe reed cauze of de weeeird slang dey use'. almost the entire book is like that la. i almost died reading it. took me so long to complete the book!
on the whole, the plot is good. the story line is okay. and the meaning behind the book is splendid. so if u have nothing to do on a lazzzzzzy saturday afternoon, and dont wanna die of lack of oxygen in those crazy MANGO sales (those queues are nuts! and the clothes arent even THAT nice. just a over sensationalised big hooha event of the year.) go read this book!

HI THERE!

2005-12-16T07:01:00.000-08:00

Hello! Yes, after a long break( spent in malacca) I am back in sunny Singapore(ok, I know that's a super over-used phrase to describe Singapore) and am typing the next book review. Except it's not really a book review. I want to share about Psalm 23.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in pathes of righteous for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for You are with me;
Your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodnes and love will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I hope this psalm will be a constant reminder to me throughtout the next year, year 2006. I hope that I can remember the essence of it in words and actions. To trust my Protector.

Rachel's Tears(part 2)

2005-12-03T07:40:00.000-08:00

Hi people. Here's part 2 of Rachel's Tears' s review. But I shadn't dwell too much on it. Just some thoughts and comments. This is truely an inspiring book. You can read it over and over again and still gain new insights or be reminded to re-evaluate priorities in life. I think there's quite a bit of stuff to reflect and digest in there. So my suggestion is to take your time to read it. Like how you would savour a good piece of cake(yummy!). Don't gobble it.

The Miracle Box

2005-12-01T07:21:00.000-08:00

review by eunice. she thanks the webbie she koped part of the review from.

hmmm. I didnt intend to write any movie reviews in the blog. neither did i intend to watch this movie. but i think God had His plans.

The Miracle Box
this movie is about 2 hk Christian doctors.
-i kope from a movie review online. which i feel best translates what i feel abt this movie.-

Though based on the life of self-sacrificing doctor Joanna Tse and her work during Hong Kong's tragic SARS crisis, the main focus is on Tse's loving relationship with her husband Albert. Those familiar with the real-life story may already know the outcome of this touching biopic and will perhaps be more able to comment on the film's authenticity. Nevertheless, from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with the real lives of the two doctors, it is the cinematic quality that I find myself commenting on.
After passing her medical exams, young student Joanna Tse enters the profession while also keeping in contact with her former tutor Albert Lai. Though Lai is seen as a laconic figure, he nurtures a heart-felt love for Joanna - a feeling that she happily returns. Their courtship advances and the two eventually marry, blissfully happy with the direction their lives have taken. Tragically, Albert's previous battle with leukaemia is again resumed as the doctor finds himself facing up to the return of this devastating illness. Returning from her prestigious post in an Australian medical institute, Joanna resolves to nurse her husband back to health and do everything she can to devote her life to helping others.
n trying to summarise the synopsis, it's difficult not to reveal what happens to both characters. Obviously, those familiar with the people who inspired the film will already know the ending, but for everyone else it's important to give away as little as possible. Suffice to say, this is a sentimental, yet occasionally very powerful drama that offers insights into love and sacrifice. While many may be uncomfortable with, what could be seen as, a saccharine-coated drama, there's an undeniable resonance in the storyline. Though 'The Miracle Box' doesn't tackle terminal illness as successfully as 'Funeral March' or 'C'est La Vie Mon Cherie', any realistic tackling of leukaemia is bound to have an emotional punch, while the deep scare that SARS left in the Asian consciousness is still very much in evidence. The fact that this is inspired by real people does mean that comparisons to the aforementioned films is pointless, of course.
The relative box-office success of 'The Miracle Box' is perhaps due to the fact that, at its core, this is an optimistic production. Though the strong religious faith of the central characters is put under immense pressure, this is a story where any tragedies are courageously faced. The illnesses that are faced are also not allowed to take over from what is essentially a traditional love story between two people who clearly adore each other. It is therefore more than just an extended medical drama or melodramatic biopic; though there are theatrical moments, the film mostly deals with genuine emotion and a welcome dose of subtlety.

-end of koping-

and i kope from the email i send to sean recommending him this movie. (which is not really kope. cos i typed it! its my intellectual property!!)

-starts to kope-

ahhh. i just watch on channel 56 (or is it 62?) a fantastic movie. its a hk movie. abt this two Christian doctors. who are married. (like, to each other). and how they were like AMAZING doctors. and the guy died cos of loo-key-mia (and i am not a doc, so i cant spel.) and he told the girl to live her life committed to be a mission for God. and after his death, she cried and cried, saying 'Where is God?' cos she really loved that guy. and yea. God kinda took him back to heaven. and u can really see the love they share. and the next morning (after the crying), she saw the rainbow (their common 'love')..and blah blah..(link to God's promise thru the rainbow) and she got back on her feet as a fab doc again. then SARS came, and she vol to help those patients. and in the end, she died. according to my sister, its a true story. wow. i was like crying buckets la.

-end of kope-

aside from that 'where is God?' question that joanna tse asked, i was deeply moved when they kinda flashback the scene of exchanging marriage vows. cos they did away with the typical 'do u blah blah..take blah blah as ur blah blah and from blah blah love blah blah, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, blah blah blah blah blah, till death do u two part?' (i am not a minister. so pardon the sloppyness.) instead, they replaced with 'i, joanna tse, blah blah blah, from this day forth, commit my life to serving God with albert lau blah blah blah blah to love and to cherish blah blah blah blah blah...' and i dont have crazy memory so i dont remb what she said. its basically along those lines of, we-love-God-so-we-say-we-serve-God-tgt-first-then-
blah-blah-blah-blah-love-blah-cherish-blah-sickness-health-blah-blah-blah.

-and shu swings her hands to conduct the crowd with a resounding ...awwwwwwwww-

so what u waiting for? go the nearest ka-li-pok chinese vcd shop and buy this movie!!! esp, if u wanna enter med. and u are a Christian. oh man. this movie gonna melt ur heart into a pound of (trans-fat-free) butter.

Rachel's Tears by Beth Nimmo and Darrel Scott

2005-11-29T22:04:00.000-08:00

Some people cry out to God in prayer. Others reach out to God through singing, playing music, or creating works of art. Rachel Joy Scott did all of these things, but more than anything, she poured out her heart to God through writing in her journals.

She wrote in her diary in which she prayed continually to God to be used by Him as an instrument. To use her to touch others. On April 20, 1999, at Columbine High school (I am sure u know about this high school shooting. yea. its a real story. not fabricated by gp tutors to teach about gun control and mass media.) , she was killed for her faith.

(the following koped from the book)

...

At that point, Harris (the gunman/murderer/idiot) reportedly grabbed Rachel by her hair, held her head up, and asked her the questions: "Do you believe in God?

"You know I do," replied Rachel.
"Then go be with Him," responded Harris before shooting her in the head.

...

Rachel's Tears is about Rachel's life, death and faith as seen through her family, friends and through her writings, drawings and poetry from her journals.

This is the first Christian book I read (not including the Bible). As I read this book(kindly loaned by Mag at that time), I really couldnt stop my tears from streaming down. She knew that she was gonna die. "This is the my last year Lord. I have gotten what I can. Thank you." (excerpt from Rachel's journal) And with that, she was determined to live it for God. Rachel struggles with issues that you and I struggle with everyday. School, family, friends, bgr, projects, church, wondering every other day if God cares and if He is there, serving God, strugglin to be an instrument for God amidst people who 'frown at music'. (u know. instrument. music. hurhur)

I think this book is great! For pre-believers and Christians alike. (for prebelievers, if not reading to find out more about Christianity, at least to pacify your gp tutor.) It taught me to pour out to God. to write in journals.

eunice.

p.s. Mag might wanna do a part two on this book since she read this book too!!

The Case for Faith (student edition)

2005-11-28T23:00:00.000-08:00

HI!(again)
Here's the first book review from me(mag) and also the first book review publish on this bloook.( Hahaha shu, I beat u to it! And no, it's not The Screwtape's Letters.)
The Case for Faith is written by Lee Strobel, "an award-winning journalist with the Chicago Tribune and a spiritual skeptic until 1981". In this book, Lee Strobel examine the many questions that Christians are often plagued with. There are six chapters in total, excluding the introduction and conclusion. Each chapter examine an objection about Christianity in a systematic way. If you want answers to your doubts on God, Evolution and Jesus being the Only Way to God, this is definitely the book for you. However, the student edition is only the condensed version of the orginal "The Case for Faith". So you might want to check out the latter for more detailed arguments.
Now, about my personal thoughts on this book. my favourite chapters are '#5: A Loving God Would Never Send People to Hell" and "#6: I Still Have Doubts, So I Can't Be A Christian". Chapter 5 has this fantastic transcript that records Lee's conversation with his friend. I like it because Lee dosen't hold back on his questions. He really search for the answers to his questions and doubts. I guess it reminded me that I shouldn't be ashamed that I have doubts about my religion. And more importantly, I shouldn't not just brush it aside, hoping that somehow I will forget that these doubts actually existed. Chances are that won't happen unless you suffer from amnesia or you just aren't bothered enough.
"When you look for me with all your heart, you will find me"( Jeremiah 29:13 NIrV) . Ya, so to end off, Christianity is not just a religion, it's a relationship. Don't be afraid to put it under scrutiny.
CHERRIOS!

mag's intro!

2005-11-28T02:30:00.000-08:00

HI!
This is mag(as u can see from the heading). A joint partner of this bloook blog.=D Hope you will have a good time reading the entries, which we will try to make them as interesting as possible. Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments. As Eunice(aka Shu!) have said, this blog is not a publicity for our lives. Ok,till my first book review,
BYE!

eunice's intro!

2005-11-27T04:22:00.000-08:00

this is eunice's intro. this bloook wont be about my lamentations or whinings; not about my life or my whatsoeverotherreasonsblogsexist. its about books! (adjusts specs) totally inspired by oprah's book club and mag and eunice's love for books!! sadly, i dont really have that much time to read THAT much. so, i will try and post reviews as often as i can! (mag! u do ur part too!) or, i will just dig up old books that i have read before and bloook about them! enjoy!