parangtoh

Nathan accepted by NJC!!

2011-09-05T05:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a great weekend!! of the many good things that happened, we received a confirmation from NJC that Nathan has been accepted by NJC through DSA, PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Frankly, people asked what did Nathan get into NJC? Did he get NSW high distinctions, Math Olympiad medals, plays tennis with his left hand or swim with his feet tied up? The truth is that he has none of these qualifications nor talents. This to me, was a miracle and indeed God's way of "sayang" his beloved.

Thank the Lord, he's been really good!!!

Support my friend's new shop!

2011-01-27T00:10:00.000-08:00

My friend has just started a Corporate gift company, please approach him if you have any needs for Corporate gifts!

Apple Productions Pte Ltd
http://sgcorporategifts.com/

Contact him at
Apple Productions

You are what you think

2009-07-01T01:29:00.000-07:00

I was just having tea with an old friend and he made this comment that people think bad things about themselves all the time. It gets me pondering about that for a little while...

In my line of work, people often think of the "worst case scenario". It must be a job hazard because after awhile, everyone thinks the worst all the time - to the work, to their job, to their family, to their life.

I'm sure this is also true for most people - you think of what if I lose my job tomorrow, what if I get the H1N1 virus, what if the kids don't grow up well. The fact of the matter is that by thinking negatively about these things, it won't help in the situation but instead weighs you down further.

I'll leave that thought with you and share with you this verse from Philippians:

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8

The NIV version says "if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things".

Here's song I'll leave with you, God bless.

Zech 4:6

2009-06-26T05:47:00.000-07:00

"Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts" - Zech 4:6

This verse has been my guide since my younger days but often times, I need to be assured again and again to completely trust in the Lord, even more so at these troubled times.

In the context of the verse I quoted, the Israelites were given a vision through Zechariah to assure them that all the difficulties they are facing with building the temple shall vanish, and all the objections will be gotten over. Faith will remove mountains, and make them plains.

It is my sincere prayer that everyone of you will see the light at the end of the tunnel and that God will carry you through this troubled times. If you have a prayer request and is in need, put your requests in the comments and I will pray along with you.

God bless and may this song blesses you as you ponder upon God's promises. Commit unto Him...

Poll - place for BHWS gathering

2009-06-23T22:51:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

Instead of writing multiple emails and getting everyone's response, I thought it would be "easier" to just poll which place you guys prefer.

Please state your preference using the poll box below:

Where shall we go for our next P6 gathering?

Guitar - Simple Alternate tuning

2009-06-23T00:26:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting with various ways of tuning the guitar and most of them requires you to learn a new way of playing the chords - some drastically changes the way you play and requires a lot of re-learning.

I recently tried this out just by tuning the 1st string (high-E, 1st counting from the bottom) to a D and the effects were great!

If you were to tune it from the top, it would look like this:
E
A
D
G
B
D

This tuning sounds great if you are playing chord progressions to the keys of C, D, and G.

here's an example of how I play it in D... try it!

Father's day...

2009-06-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

Whenever it comes to Father's day, this song comes to my mind - "Cats in the cradle" by Harry Chapin.

This song needs no introduction, the lyrics speak for itself - you sow what you reap. As I passed another Father's day, I recommitted myself to God that I will be the father He wants me to be and be a good steward to the children He has given me.

I hope this song starts you thinking about your fatherhood as much as it did to me. Here's the lyrics and the video from youtube.

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say "I'm gonna be like you dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you"

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

MacBook contest

2009-06-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take part in this contest where I can win a MacBook! :) To participate, I'll need to write a blog entry about where I wish I had internet connection.

The place I want to have internet connection is in The Flyer!

There's this chinook flying around - I'll need to tweet immediately to microblog it's whereabouts!

Live Life Online Anywhere with SingTel BroadBand on Mobile Youth Plan! Visit www.singtel.com/youth for details.

Music - Proverbs 3:5-6

2009-06-13T22:35:00.001-07:00

I was twittering (yes, I twitter at http://twitter.com/ptoh) with this Christian dude @thoburn and we were talking about Proverbs 3:5-6 and how the verses have been his guide since his Sec school days. I was telling him that way back in my youth, we used to sing this Chorus and he would like to hear them.. here's a quick and dirty recording of the chorus we used to sing..

Posting music - 3

2009-06-09T23:38:00.002-07:00

Here's another one of my younger kid when he was 2... still have that "Awwww..." feeling when I see this...

Posting music - 2

2009-06-09T23:35:00.001-07:00

Here's something that my elder kid did quite awhile back when chicken little was popular... enjoy the simplicity of childhood :)

Posting music...

2009-06-09T02:14:00.000-07:00

I've decided that I'm going to start posting some of my music online - not that I'm a great musician or a singer, but music has always been a passions since my pre-teens...

I'm just testing with various stuffs to post music right now.. let me know if you come across something cool!

COH gathering - 25 May 2009

2009-05-28T00:37:00.000-07:00

It's been 20 years since I met some of these people. Amongst them were my then-youth pastor and his wife, the church secretary, youths and young adults whom I've spent many late nights out with and people who groomed my life in one way or another.

There were a lot of thoughts that went through my mind that day - how do you meet up with someone whom you've not met for 20 years and still feel that you have something in common after all these years?
How did everyone do so well in whatever they are doing?
How did a group of people who does different things in life, with different temperament, has different upbringing, not met for 20 years and yet be able to sit down on a table the entire night as if they known each other for the longest time?

The answer is JESUS. Deep inside everyone that was present that night, we share a common faith and have common values. Our hope is in Christ and God is our salvation.

It was a night of many laughters as we reminisce the good old days of our self-centered youth, of the many hidden romances and of hotel carpark coupons that didn't get given out. As we dish out the chronological events that happened, it only goes to show how little everyone has changed and how old we've gotten!

As the night ended, with smiles still on my face as I laid myself to sleep, I prayed a prayer of blessing for each of those who were there that night. It was indeed a great night to be remembered for a long time.

Special thanks to the hosts - Larry and Helen who runs the Potter's cafe by the pool at Safra Mt Faber. And Larry, I didn't get to tell you this that night - thanks for the opportunity to let me play guitar in church many years ago, it was you who stirred up my zeal in serving in the music ministry. I hope one day I'll play for the Lord again.

To All those Born in the 40's, 50's , 60's & early '70s

2009-05-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

Received this from a friend today... HOW TRUE!!

To All those Born in the 40's, 50's , 60's & early '70s

First, we survived with mothers who had no maids. They cooked /cleaned while taking care of us at the same time.
They took aspirin, candies floss,fizzy drinks, shaved ice with syrups and diabetes were rare. Salt added to Pepsi or Coke was remedy for fever.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets.
As children, we would ride with our parents on bicycles/ motorcycles for 2 or 3. Richer ones in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a private taxi was a special treat.
We drank water from the tap and NOT from a bottle.
We would spend hours on the fields under bright sunlight flying our kites, without worrying about the UV ray which never seem to affect us.
We go to jungle to catch spiders without worries of Aedes mosquitoes.
With mere 5 pebbles (stones) would be a endless game. With a ball (tennis ball best) we boys would ran like crazy for hours.
We catch guppy in drains / canals and when it rain we swim there.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually worry about being unhygenic.

We ate salty, very sweet & oily food, candies,bread and real butter and drank very sweet soft drinks, sweet coffee/ tea, ice kacang, but we weren't overweight because........
WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, till streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. AND WE DONT HAVE HANDPHONE S TO BUG US. And we were O.K. AND WE ARE SAFE.
We would spend hours repairing our old bicycles and wooden scooters out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem .
We did no t have Playstations, X-boxes, Nintendo's, multiple channels on cable TV, DVD movies, no surround sound, no phones, no personal computers, no Internet. WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and we still continued the stunts.
We never had birthdays parties till we are 21
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and just yelled for them!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
Yet this generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 40 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned
HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And YOU are one of them!
CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the government regulated our lives for our own good.

And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

Dealing with difficult relationships

2009-05-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

I just had lunch with a close friend who was lamenting to me about his latest saga with his current girlfriend.

He met this girl in Thailand and they were having this relationship for awhile now. not too long ago, he followed her back to her village and ask for her hand. The parents asked for S$200K and he managed to bargain it down to S$8K and didn't think much about it...

Turns out that once he moved his girlfriend back to Singapore, she suddenly became high maintenance and was draining his savings fast (we're talking about spending thousands in weeks). When he suggested that they should break up, the girlfriend turned hysterical and wanted to kill him and then kill herself. The way my friend described it was scary, her eyes was looking really ghastly and had the full intention to really do it.

Friends were called in, police was called in. He is now staying out of his own house for fear that the woman might really pick up a knife and become an assassin while he's sleeping.

They are meeting tomorrow - I believe the girl wants more money. What should my friend do? Any advice?

Happy Mother's Day!!

2009-05-10T01:39:00.000-07:00

To all mothers out there - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I just want to take some moments to appreciate my mom for all that she is, all that she's done and if my mother could read this - I love you MOM!

At church today, the speaker was telling us to appreciate our mom in these following manners:
She was quoting out of Proverbs 31:28-31
1. Cherish her by giving her verbal affirmations
2. Cherish her legacy
3. Cherish her tangibly

Some thoughts for those who ponder on this day how to give your mom the best gifts!

6 things that you cannot recover

2009-05-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

I wrote this back in 2005.. and as my son is growing up, I wanted these values to be passed on and I thought it would be great if I re-post this for others who are also interested...

=====

Hi all, sorry for not writing for so long... life has been interesting for me the last few weeks. I was doing some serious soul searching and helping some friends going through difficult times of their lives at the same time. I pray that in time, they will recover from their sadness and spring back into action, experiencing a new lease of life once they get through this difficult period.

The topic for this blog is something I have been pondering for years. When I was in Sec 4 in Victoria School, on our graduation ceremony, we have a guest speaker, an old Victorian nonetheless, and he spoke on several things that we cannot recover once done or lost. I cannot remember what he spoke that day but I believe what I'm about to write in this blog today will contain some of the things he spoke that day.

On to the main story... what are the 6 things that we cannot recover once done or lost?

1. A Shot Arrow
BTW, this is not a typo for a short arrow :) When an archer shot an arrow, he cannot un-shoot it. There is no reversal action. Should he have missed a shot, he can try it again but he would have lost his chance of a perfect shot the first time.

I guess from the description above, you would have some indications of times in your life where you've missed your first shot (or sometimes your only shot). I'm not suggesting that no one in this life deserves a second chance, but missing your first shot would make it less perfect. I'm sure that many a times, we sit down and said these 3 very familiar words: "why did I". Why did I buy this house when it was so expensive? Why did I end up with this job? Why did I marry this man? Sounds all too familiar?

The sadder fact is that many of us continue to wallow in our sorrows about our shot arrows, not realising that you cannot reverse what is done! We continue to blame ourselves for making the wrong decision, for doing the wrongs things and continue to live our lives, trying to accept what's been done.

Granted.. your first shot is done and your second shot would be less perfect... but which would you prefer: trying to find your shot arrow and hopefully reverse time to shoot it again, or just take out another arrow from your stack and take another shot?

Lesson for the day... Recognise that your shot arrow cannot be reversed. Don't dwell on your past, no matter how long it's been haunting you... take a bold step out today and shoot another arrow!!

2. A Missed Opportunity

I can almost hear all of you go.. "ahh... yes". Remember I equate "shot arrows" to questions we often ask ourselves "why did I"? The missed opporunity usually have all of us saying "If only I". If only I had bought that house when the price was low.. If only i had taken up that job years ago... If only I had known better...

The problem with most of us is that when we had a lost opportunity, we never learnt how to identify the new opportunity when it comes. I was just talking to my childhood friend the other day, and he was commenting on how he missed out on the enbloc sale of his flat 5 years ago and how he missed out on the dotcom, which could have made him millions by now. While lamenting on these problems, he failed to see that we are indeed in good times right now and if he had captured the opportunity to invest in the local markets 1-2 years ago, he could have made quite a pile by now.

The 3rd thing and 4th thing you cannot recover in life are "a broken promise" and "a spoken word".

3. A Broken Promise

Scientists say that we humans are intelligent beings. The truth is that somewhere between the head, the heart and the mouth, there is a really ig disconnect somewhere. When I was younger, I'm very guilty of saying things I don't mean and make promises I never keep. To all my friends reading this, I confess my past mistakes and apologise for all that I've done in the past that could have hurt you. With your patience and understanding, I have grown to become more responsible for all my words and I've learnt not to make promises.. serious!

4. A Spoken Word

In the Bible, it's said that "But let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these is of the evil one." (Matt 5:37.) Many times, we often end up saying "yes" just because it's hard to say "no". Did I see that head nodding? A few of us in the office are officially known as the "door mats". We say yes to everything just because we are afraid to say no to someone.. and what happened? We end up doing all the sh*tty stuffs and cleaning up people's mess just because we are afraid to say "no".

So take heed, be careful of what you say and don't make promises!

5. Lost Time

OK, on to the next thing you cannot recover in life. The 5th thing that you cannot recover is "lost time". As all of us know, we can never turn back the clock.. ok, travelling to US doesn't count :) I think this topic has been told to us too many times.. so before I bring up a yawn, I just want to briefly say that procrastination is not an art, there's no such thing as "good procrastination" because we are always complaining that we don't have enough time and even if we have enough time, we often don't know howto prioritize what to do! OK, I guess that's enough for "food for thoughts", we can always come back to this topic some other time.

6. An Awaken Dream

Lastly, this is going to be philosophical... the last thing you cannot recover in life is "an awaken dream". My friends, you and I often grow up painting a beautiful picture of our own lives - nice big castle, beautiful princess, Santa Claus, tooth fairies and when we grow up, we dream of bigger things - big bungalows, ever-rising stock markets, dream job, sports car, having a drop-dead gorgeous spouse and perfect abs to go with the beautiful spouse... At times, reality wakes us up from our dreams and try to make us accept what we are. I'm not advocating that none of us should dream big dreams, but i'm advocating that when reality strikes, please wake up and not back to your dream. Accept your reality and move on to bigger dreams.

So that's it, you have it.. 6 things you cannot recover in life:
a shot arrow
a broken promise
a spoken word
a missed opportunity
lost time
an awaken dream

Take care my friends... until next time, enjoy!