No. I'm not forgetting.

  1. As the title said, I didn't forget posting in this blog. I just got overwhelmed by things these two weeks and I haven't been able to post anything. I have quite a lot of things to write, but apparently, I forgot more than half of it. Great.
  2. Congratulations to Ko Ari, hope you have an everlasting wedding =). I had a great time in Surabaya.
  3. American series kicked back into my life. House, Glee, Lie to Me, Gossip Girl (yea, i watched it, thanks to my ex-roommate), CSIs... All those when I don't actually have the luxury of time. Gosh. The download just got stockpiled in my hard drive.
  4. FF XIV just came out, PES 2011 will be coming out as well. I'm not planning to but FF XIV for now, unless there's friends who are interested in playing it together. PES 2011 is out of question, it's mandatory. I'm finding my Starcraft 2 playing time cut short by series and new games even more -- when I actually have little time due to my PhD course and my ministries. Gosh.
  5. No. I'm not considering quitting games. Haha. It's a hobby. I know some people find it counter-productive and anti-social and stuff, but hey, I grew up with that and it has played some part in shaping my decision making skills. It's not all bad actually. It's whether you get addicted of it or not.
  6. Watched Glee season 2 episode 3. The theme is about religious and spiritual stuff. As you expect of American context, Christianity is the one that got into spotlight, and in the bad way. Although I didn't really like the episode, I have to say that it really reflects current generation's worldview. And it is saddening. The episode itself is intriguing. I will just let you see for yourself.
  7. Day[9] daily rocks. Haha. I'm proud to be a nerd. =p
  8. I'll post some writing by Spurgeon later on. I had this evening devotional two-three nights ago that punch me in its own sweet spot.
  9. My projects has been progressing smoothly. Well, i did face some problems, but I think I'll manage. The main concern is about Dirichlet Process. Can anyone teach me about it? =(
  10. My course have been less than easy. Actually that is an understatement. It is HARD. I'm struggling to understand the topic each week. Please pray for me. =/

Pick Yourself Up



My life is full of jazzy tunes lately ;)

Random Post #1

  1. I thank God for letting me wake up at 11 am today. LOL
  2. Thank God for canteen filled with people that forced me to eat my lunch at 1.30 pm, which brings something that made my day =D
  3. Cramer-Rue Lower Bound reminds me of my IMO days. Mathematical proof full of cheats.
  4. I'm more and more lost in papers. Can someone show me what project to do?
  5. I kept delaying my sharing on EAGC+HK/Macau trip. I'm still waiting for Jo to release the photos haha... so please hang on. OK?
  6. The curse of Padmanaba is real.

I'm a bit rusty

So I will be taking 3 subjects this semester: Linear System, Neural Network and Statistical Signal Processing. I wanted to take one technical subject actually, but my supervisor strongly suggest against it and told me to take more theoretical subject, since it will be more useful to me taking phd. So there you are, 3 theoretical subjects.

One thing that I realized after I came to those 6.30-9.30 pm (yeah, i am having three 3-hours-class-after-6-pm in a week) is this:

My head can't really connect to what the prof is teaching.

Oh Noooooo!!! I guess that's what happens when you did not study for more than one year. Haha...

*Back to reading paper*

You are invited

"You are invited to attend ... held on 25th August 2010, 15.00 at ... "
- mail received on 25th August 2010, 13.00


"The venue has been changed to ... "
- mail received at 14.10

It's good to be back in NTU...
...for whatever reason it is.. LOL.

Shine Like Stars - Accoustic

Just knew there's this version of the song =D

Greetings Weaklings

Welcome to the Family ^^~

It's a joyful, joyful, day! =D

I'm welcoming a new member of my family yesterday, 28th of July 2010 =)

Well, she is why I went back to Jogja over the weekend.. Hehehe...

Really, really, glad for my brother and his wife ^^~

Now for little Stefi, may you keep walking in the truth and have a life full of blessings ahead, and of course, spread that blessings to others! =)

Let there be light!

-Now officially an uncle

Thank You Gemalto =)


It has been 1 year, 1 month and 8 days. Two projects, one team, GREAT experience. It has come to an end, yea, but it was such an experience full of blessing. If you followed my blog since the start, you’ll know that I wanted to do PhD. I took up the job offer in Gemalto was mainly because of, sadly, I did not get the NPGS in my first try. I did, however, want to taste how it works inside the real industry before going on with my research. For me, it was a huge success.

 

Special thanks to all my colleagues, my boss, my boss’s boss and my boss’s boss’s boss for making it such a blessed one year plus. I really liked the working environment there in Gemalto. Loved what I do and cherishes the people I worked with. I pray for all the best to come in all of them, and I gave never-ending thanksgiving to the Lord of all who made it possible. 

In fact, it was a blessing in disguise. I got a handful of lesson working in actual development which I won’t be able to learn in school. I gained a lot of friend, and I also got my PR (which I think will be impossible to get if I got the NPGS in the first try). Oh, and don’t forget the lost passport drama, the compassionate leave segment and forcing Europeans to eat durians. That was priceless. =D 

Thank you Gemalto. It has been such a joyful ride. It’s sad that I have to leave you, but I’m glad I had the chance to know you. 

Let there be light!

Final Fantasy XIV Benchmark

The next Final Fantasy is the Fourteenth. It will be an MMORPG, just like XI, but with higher quality of graphics. They released a 350 MB benchmarking software that shows you how the game looks (and it was AWESOME) and as the demo roll on, it will keep track of your PC's frame rate. It will give a specific score that serves as a indicator whether our system will be ready for the stuff when it comes out - or not. 

So I ran the benchmark test on the highest resolution (1920x1080) and low resolution (1280x720), and was amazed by the graphics. In the end, I got a 1600 (high resolution) and 2700 (low resolution) for my Desktop. I thought that it was decent. I mean, my PC is, of course, outdated with Pentium i7 and ATI HD 5850 sprouting everywhere but I am confident that it is still decent for playing games. I haven't face any difficulty so far... so it should not be much problem right?

WRONG. Totally WRONG.

This is the description for scores between 1500-1999 and 2500-2999:

[2500-2999] Standard Performance (Low Resolution)

Capable of running the game on default settings.

[1500-1999] Low Performance (High Resolution)
Capable of running the game, but will experience considerable slowdown. Adjusting settings is unlikely to improve performance.

...and it was the range of scores right after the last!! @_@


Should I upgrade? Hmmm....

(If you are curious on how good your system is, you can click at this hyperlink to test. it's free.)

RIP - Microsoft Wireless 700 (2008-2010)

So the time finally cometh. The notoriously hard keyboard finally dies. I think the wireless module blew up after hundreds hours of usage. Just came back from office and when I tried to turn on my PC I realized that it isn't working anymore. What a shame.

So with the IT Crisis happening, I rushed my dinner and went to Challenger to find a new one. Thing is, the JP doesn't have the top-of-the-line keyboards unlike when I go to Funan. The choice were limited. Now considering all the hype with SC2 coming, I considered buying Razer. Yea.. the Razer. JP only have Lycosa and Arctosa - Having difficulties in deciding between them, I googled for reviews. and finally made my choice. I choose........

....

Microsoft Digital Media 3000. LOL.

The reviews for both Arctosa and Lycosa is worse than I think. And on top of that, this month sees me spending quite some bucks for one time spending: Air-con service, WC2010, extra flat rental, tickets for HK-Macau-Jogja, hotel and EAGC registration. And on top of that: Starcraft 2. So it will not be wise to pay for an overpriced keyboard. I choose a wired keyboard that is decent enough with economical value.

So far my only concern is that it's somewhat too low even when the stand is up. My fingers are feeling a bit discomfort. Other concern is that the key are smaller than my last keyboards and my arms are not used to it. yet. But I hope it'll get better after I am used to it.

So to close: in memoriam rock-hard keyboard. Welcome cheap alternatives XD

Let there be keyboards!
Eagerly waiting for Starcraft 2.
...well actually I'm waiting for holiday >.<... my mind is filled with stuffs right now..

Thank God for Corporate Price

It was not a secret that office 2007 is a major let down. Sure, the interface become very catchy, but user experiences drops undeniably low. It has been 8 years since 2003 came out and I'm still putting my faith in it.

Then comes Windows 7. Changed to W7 quite some time ago and it was great! unlike Vista, the response was quick, and the interface became nice without sacrificing user experience. With this kind of improvement from Vista, it's not a wish too big if we think that Office 2010 will be better.

But the price is a mass murder! =.='

Well W7 is also pricey, but I got it free (Special thanks to ko Robert). But spending more than $300 when the OS is free is plain strange. haha. I was planning on see-how-it-went stance, but these thing came out on my email yesterday: I can get it for 15 SGD. Cool.

Happy 4th of July!

No, i'm not talking about US Independence day.

Happy B'day Pah =)

On future contemplated

It's not official yet, but as some of you might know, I am going back to school shortly. Praise be to the Lord, NTU offered me the NPGS Scholarship last May, which I accepted immediately. Working as an engineer in Gemalto has been a lot of fun, and I think is far more secure than having Permanent head Damage (PhD). But when it comes to passion, opportunity and prayers that is answered, well, we need to take a leap of faith.

....Even though this leap of faith will be a big one. Haha.

So I went to NTU last Tuesday to meet with my prof and his PhD student. We talked about projects and what I should expect in my 4 years journey in my PhD. Truth be told, I am thankful that I can work with my supervisor, because even though he is busy or sometimes hard to contact, he is willing to spare his time, share his knowledge, gave inputs for improvements and best of all, be honest about what he said. I worked with him in my FYP, and he told me a lot of things to be considered before taking my PhD. He even admit that he may forgot about his students from time to time, but ask us to chase for him whenever it happens. So, yes, he's not the perfect supervisor, but ideal for me.

He gave me three options for my projects:

1. Doing research on activity recognition (again)
Most likely doing what is similar to my FYP, but with different focus and methods. He will be able to give much guidance, but expects me to be better than him in one years time (right..) Catch is, the funding will be less, and the topic have been stagnant for a while (according to him)

2. Switch area to Interactive Media
He said that one former PhD student of his opened a company focusing on this area. What is Interactive Media? well, you can read about it here. Basically if you watch my videos post in this blog previously, those are interactive media (the high tech one). It's quite surprising to find that he's offering me this area of research. The pros is that it's emerging interest, funding will come easily. The cons? nobody knows anything, including my supervisor. haha. I need to start from ground zero. But, Augmented Reality is uber kewl!

3. Propose something to him
Okay, I'll pass on this one. Don't have the time to formulate anything now.

But the hard thing for me is that currently, I'm feeling insecurities all over my life. I don't know why, but it does disturb my life. I'm in melancholic mood by default most of the times >.<. So.. this explains the lack of post to this blog. haha. Please pray for me on two things:
1. That I can choose what I want to do wisely
2. That I can overcome the internal struggles I'm having right now

Let there be light!

Greater things are yet to come

Liked this song a lot lately =) (thanks to a certain flatmate who keep singing this song haha..)

Yes; greater things are yet to come!

God of this City
Chris Tomlin

You're the God of this City, You're the King of these people 
You're the Lord of this nation, You are 
You're the Light in this darkness, You're the Hope to the hopeless 
You're the Peace to the restless, You are 
There is no one like our God, There is no one like our God 

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmC44K0xQLE&feature=related


Just knew that Kris Allen did a version of this song too! =D.

Another Geek Post

I found this video today, it's about 3D modeling, but it captures the object from a webcam and make the 3D object from it. Mono-camera-based, not stereo camera. and afterward, it's able to track the object movement O_O

I feel like my FYP project was a child play. Man...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEOmzjImsVc&feature=player_embedded

Another Kewl Post

I'm in geeky mode right now =P. I think you know the anamorphism effect. People who draw something in 2D but can be seen in 3D when you see it from a certain angle. From other angles, it may look silly, but at a certain angle, it's really cool. Like this video below



So, there's a guy named Sander ter Braak (a student!) who created a REAL-TIME animated object, which tracks the position of the viewer and generate an anamorphism image such that wherever the viewer stands, it will be seen in 3D. Kewl! Videos communicates this easier.



Pre-holographic technologies eh? =D

This is Uber Kewl

Of grace perfected

"...We have but to think of the myriads who have been delivered from all sorts of diseases through the power and virtue of his touch, and we shall joyfully put ourselves in his hands. We trust him, and sin dies; we love him, and grace lives; we wait for him and grace is strengthened; we see him as he is, and grace is perfected forever."
- Charles Spurgeon

To know you

I really liked this song. I can really sing it with conviction, because God is my salvation. I am amazed to be under the care of such amazing God, loving Father and caring Friend. Each day is a new day, simply because He teach me something new, to be more like Him. To God be the glory.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Well, yes it is 2 days late. I didn't have the chance to put it on blog post last Sunday, and somehow I forgot to post it yesterday. 2nd of May will always be memorable for me.

Happy B'day Ma.. =)



Anw, got an amazing news just an hour ago. Will share it with you when the time is right =)

Right now, I'll just say "Thanks, Lord."

He really hear our prayers =)


Let there be light!

Weary

Why are we weary? Why are we afraid?
Isn't it God Himself that is standing beside us?
No matters is too big for Him,
No situation is too much for Him.
He who makes the universe revolves,
And it is Him who made the earth go round.
No cries of human is too trivial for Him,
There are no sufferings that He did not understand
For He Himself hung on that cross
Dying, forsaken, for me and for you.

He knows what we are going through.
But why are we worried still?
Supposedly, in Him we found refuge
But why, o man, you think that He did not understand?
Why are we thinking that our life is too unimportant to Him,
While He Himself come down from heaven,
To be shamed, suffer and die for us?

Let no man fall and mistaken.
For if the Lord is not the Lord of all,
Then He is not your Lord at all.

O weary heart, find your peace.

Sharpening iron

We had a very interesting session in the church last Sunday. Ko Joni (for you who didn’t know him, he is an SBC student who is ministering in CLPC) is having an assignment to do a session on counseling for his course. So he asked us to do it after church instead of the usual bible study class. He did it along with his classmate Mrs. Debora (I hope I spelled her name correctly), with a focus on parenting.

The presentation itself, to be honest, was a little bit cramped here and there. There are too many information to process and a little too academic for a two-hour session. But having a 16 weeks course converted into a two-hour session is, of course, destined to go that way. Having said all that, I felt more blessed and satisfied than not. Ko Joni’s sharing on his own family were very touching and, I guess, those sharing were the real example on why we need to be more careful with our way of living, especially when other lives are involved.

I guess it does not limit the importance to parents, but also us as a community of believers. We can’t ignore the fact that some brothers and sisters are more mature in one aspect or another, and more often than not, these brothers and sisters are going to be an example to other believers. How we behave will indirectly affect their development as well. Now, it may not be as significant as parents, or PKTB or pastors, but I believe that we have the power to alter someone life and I do think that Jesus wants us to sharpen each other like iron is being sharpened by another.

On the surprising side, we did two tests: ISE and ISS, which are tests on Self Esteem and Self Shame. I scored 70 and 71 out of 100 respectively – a very high result compared to the others who stays around 30 to 50. They said that the higher it is the lower self-esteem I have or the bigger the self-shame that I put on myself. The healthy mark is 30, 100 being the worst. I stand at the apex of the church members with 141 points on aggregate. Cool.

Nobody believed. =.=’

Mark 13 - Part 2

Ok… Back to Mark 13

We left off last time as Jesus warned the disciples of the persecutions that lie in wait for them. The next things that Jesus said were this:

  1. The appearance of “Abomination of desolation” standing where he shouldn’t be (14)
  2. Run to the mountains when that happens, immediately (14-16)
  3. Pray that it will not happen in bad timing (17-18)
  4. The tribulation will be like nothing ever seen before (19)
  5. If the Lord does not cut it short, all will perish (20)
  6. Appearance of false prophets, christs, and signs (21-22)
  7. Be on guard since He has said that beforehand (23)

If Jesus was referring to the end of times, then most likely He is talking about the tribulation (and hence, pre-millennialism view). Verses 14-18 will means that someone can do something to avoid (or at least, lessen) the effect of the tribulation, and it would be detrimental if someone have his or her focus on something else, as they will most likely fall on the tribulations. The tribulations will be the worse the world has ever seen (worse than the signs in Signs 1) but God will make it short for the sake of the elect. Hence we, as those elect, must be on guard.

It is also possible, however, if Jesus was referring to the historical destruction of the temple. The “Abomination of desolation” refers to Daniel 9:27 and 11:31. The words “let the readers understand” (verse 14) is not a remark from Mark but a remark from Jesus, saying to the disciple to recognize what Daniel meant. If it is so, then Jesus is telling the disciple to be on guard and flee from Jerusalem when the “Abomination of desolation” is standing where he shouldn’t be, as the tribulation will be great on them if they stay.

In actual, this is what happened back before the temple was destroyed by Titus. In 67-68 A.D. Jewish fanatics occupied the temple, and they allowed people who had committed crimes to roam freely in the holy of holies, even those who had committed murder. They even committed sins inside the holy of holies. The apex of the monstrosity was when they elected Phanni as a high priest – and it was said that he was a clown. Jesus is giving them an escape plan: They are to flee to the hills as the Romans will pillage Jerusalem, they are to flee hastily (the rooftop in that time was flat, and it is such a way that you can run to the city wall from the rooftop), pray that it will not be in winter as the roads will not be passable, and not on Sabbath as the gates will be closed. The Christians actually follow these instructions under the leadership of Symeon (a cousin of Jesus) where they flee to Pella in Pyrea, in the hills east of Sea of Galilee. It was said by Josephus that no Christian died on the holocaust.

(In fact, there is another event which is regarded as an appearance of “Abomination of desolation” by the Jews. It happens before the times of Jesus in 168 BC when Antiochus Ephipanes slaughtered 40000 Jews in the temple, sacrificed a pig on the altar, sprinkling the blood on the holy ground deliberately and put a statue of Zeus in the altar. At the times of Jesus, all Jews knew about this and they can be really scared when Jesus said that the next will be worse)

Again, we can’t determine the context of the text, whether it is only on the end of times or end of the temple, or both. Let us just say these points as “Signs 3: Tribulations”

Jesus continues by saying:

  1. About how the Son of Man will return after the tribulations (24-26)
  2. The elect shall be gathered from everywhere (27)
  3. Again, to be ready as they know what will happen when it is near (28-29)
  4. This generation will not pass away until all these things pass away (30)
  5. Jesus’ words will ever be true (31)
  6. Regarding the time of the second coming, only the Father knows (32)
  7. Again, be on guard (33-37)

Let us say that these signs are “Signs 4: Second Coming”. Now, we all know that Jesus did not come when the temple was destroyed. However it does not mean that Jesus is not talking about the destruction of the temple. On the contrary, if Jesus is talking about the end of times all the while, the saying of verse 30 will not make sense. The statement will be “This generation will not pass away until the end of times and the tribulations pass away”! So this last part is, in my opinion, in favor of either “end of the temple” or composite context. The “end of the times” context is not able to stand alone without making the whole arguments confusing.

What is clear however, is that when the times of tribulation is over (depending on how you see it, we can conclude two different ways, that the tribulation has started and we are still there, or that it is still in the future) the Son of Man will return. And He will return in His full glory such that we can’t miss it. All of His elect will be gathered from everywhere, further supports that the second coming will not come until the Gospel is told to all nations. For that we must be ready.

I have not been able to reach into any conclusions, even though I have written all these. I’ll try to wrap it up in the next post.

On Mark 13

So, this Sunday I'm supposed to lead the Bible Study. We are at 3rd study of the topic "End Times" now, and the topic is about "Signs of the Times". The passage is taken from Mark 13 (which is parallel to Luke 21 and Matthew 24, the similarities are striking, so I guess this is why they think Luke and Matthew referred to Mark's account when writing theirs).

Usually, I prepared it on Friday or Saturday. However, I wanted to be more prepared so I do it today (Wednesday). Little that I know, my decision to prepare it on Wednesday was a really big help. The passage was very hard for me to understand. It's like a cocktail of imagery, prophecy and sayings about past, Jesus' present, our present (reflectories), and the future. In short, my head is filled with things jumbled up together. Hence, I try to write this post. Just to help me sort out things. If you feel that this post is not written systematically, then please do understand that the writer is really dazed. Haha.


----

So let's start with the context. Mark 11 talks about Jesus going to the Temple in Jerusalem after the Palm Sunday. So He went to the temple on Monday (Mark 11:12), 'cursing' the fig tree in the way to the temple, cleansed it, taught the people (Mark 11:18, Luke 19:47) and went back on the evening (Mark 11:19). He came back the next day to teach (Mark 11:27, Luke 19:47) and here He told various parables, and amongst them are the hard critics to the state of Judaism and the Pharisee's hypocrisy (Mark 11 and 12). Mark 13 comes when Jesus is going back from the Temple (13:1) when one of his disciple (unnamed) talk about the temple.

And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" (13:1)



Now, the temple at that time is built by Herod (thus nicknamed Herod's temple), most likely to win the hearts of the Jews. It was said that the temple was indeed enourmous, Josephus account told that the stones measured 12 ft high and 18 ft wide (4x6 metres - larger than my room.. man, that's huge) and it was filled with white marbles and gold. Some says that at this point, the construction is still going, some also said that it only takes 3 years to complete (from 20 B.C.). Jesus' answer to that statement was this:

Do you not see these great buildings? There will not be left one stone upon another that will not be thrown down (13:2)


And that is what happened in history. In 70 AD, this temple was brough down by Titus when the Siege of Jerusalem ended. The siege was done because of the Great Revolts of the Judah Province (there are a lot of revolts going on there, the Zealots are one of them - refer to my post on the twelve: simon the zealot). The temple was pillaged by the Romans, and there were nothing left of the marbles and the golds. Up until this part, not much problem.


So He walk out of Jerusalem, and they went to Mount Olives (13:3). This temple is located just outside Jerusalem, and with an elevation level such that they can see the temple and its glory clearly - see the map.


Then Jesus' four closest disciples (Peter, Andrew, John and James) came to Him privately and asked him: "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?" (13:4, ESV) and this triggers the sermon.


Now, two things piqued my interest here:

  1. Why did Jesus went to Mount Olives? Was it a routine, or was it because He is preparing to make a reinforcement to what He is going to tell?
  2. Mark and Luke state that the disciples said "when all these things are about to be accomplished" (13:4 and Luke 21:7) interestingly, Matthew said that the disciple said that "of Thy coming and the end of the world" (Matthew 24:3, the Indonesian translation to Mark 13:4 also refers to end of the world). It seems that the disciples equates the destruction of the temple with the end of the world! They are actually asking about the destruction of the temple.

Ok, moving on. Then Jesus said about these things:

  1. To be careful as not to be deceived (13:5)
  2. Many will say that they are Christ (13:6)
  3. War and rumors of war will take place, and it needs to be, but it is not yet the end (13:7)
  4. Nations will rise against nations (13:8a)
  5. Earthquake and famines (13:8b)
  6. But all those are only just the beginning (13:8c)

Now, was Jesus talking about the destruction of the temple or the end of the world? I mean, it is easy for us to come into conclusion that Jesus is actually talking about the actual end of the world and is trying to tell the disciples that destruction of the temple is not the end of the world. But if we are to be objective, it is still inconclusive. (1) and (2) is more reasonable if it is talking about the end of the world, but does not mean that the otherwise is an impossibility. (3) and (4) is acceptable for both, as in the timespan from 30 A.D. to 70 A.D. there's got to be much war. (5) is actually happening today, and I'm not sure whether it happened between 30 to 70 A.D.

So I began to ask myself: what is Jesus talking about, really? Does He answer according to the context of the questions raised by the disciples? Or does He talks about the actual end of the world?

Or, maybe He is talking in parallel. Both about the destruction of the Temple (as a prelude) and the end of the world (as the real deal). As all five points are progressive, and is 'not yet the end'. Whatever it is, let's call this part as "Signs 1: The beginning of the end"

Now comes the confusing one, Jesus told the disciple that:

  1. They need to be on guard, as they will be prosecuted and questioned (13:9)
  2. The Gospel need to be told to all nations (13:10)
  3. When those happens, speak according to the Holy Spirit (13:11)
  4. Betrayal by brothers and parents (13:12)
  5. The disciples will be hated (13:13a)
  6. Those who perseveres until the end will be saved (13:13b)

If "Signs 1" are more suited if we think that Jesus is talking about the end of the world. However, these next points are sayings to the disciples on what will happen to them after His ascension. If we want to be consistent with the context, we need to conclude that Jesus must be talking in the context of the destruction of the temples in this part.

Well, to be fair, the other also fits if you apply it to our time/end of the world context. But consider the fact that Jesus is talking to Peter, Andrew, John and James in private, and the 'you' in verses 9 to 13 refers to them, it would be more natural if Jesus is talking about what the first disciple are going to face, which means, He is talking in their context.

Again, these part can also be regarded as talking in parallel, the near future and the future. As these points are also progressive, and it is a fact that disciples, be it the first or now, are facing all of the above. So let's leave it there for the time being, and call it "Signs 2: Persecutions"

It wouldn't make sense if "Signs 1" talk about "End of the world" and "Signs 2" talk about "End of the Temple". It's either both are talking the same thing, or both are talking in parallel. And now you see why I am confused. Haha...

I guess I'll stop here for today and continue tommorow ;)

To Be Continued =P

Pring reketeg gunung gamping ambrol...

I got this cool Javanese Rap Song from my flatmates =P it's cool and have a quite some Javanese philosphy in it. Scroll down for the translation =D (I put the youtube video featuring Jogja's pride: PSS sleman.. haha... other videos are a bit.. disturbing ;).. LOL)




Ngelmu Pring
Rotra

pring reketeg gunung gamping ambrol, ati kudu teteg ja nganti urip ketakol 
pring reketeg gunung gamping ambrol, uripa sing jejeg nek ra eling jebol 

pring deling, tegese kendel lan eling, kendel marga eling, timbang nggrundel nganti suwing 
pring kuwi suket, dhuwur tur jejeg, rejeki seret, rasah dha buneg 
pring ori, urip iku mati, kabeh sing urip mesti bakale mati 
pring apus, urip iku lampus, dadi wong urip aja seneng apus-apus 
pring petung, urip iku suwung, sanajan suwung nanging aja padha bingung 
pring wuluh, urip iku tuwuh, aja mung embuh, ethok-ethok ora weruh 
pring cendani, urip iku wani, wani ngadepi, aja mlayu marga wedi 
pring kuning, urip iku eling, wajib padha eling, eling marang Sing Peparing 

pring iku mung suket, ning omah asale seka pring, 
usuk seka pring, cagak seka pring, gedhek iku pring, 
lincak uga pring, kepang cetha pring, tampare ya mung pring 
kalo, tampah, serok, asale seka pring, pikulan, tepas, tenggok, digawe nganggo pring 
mangan enak, mancing iwak, walesane ya pring,
jangan bung, aku gandrung, jebule bakal pring 

nek ngono pancen penting, kabeh sing nang nggon wit pring
pancen penting tumraping manungsa sing dha eling
eling awake, eling pepadhane, eling patine, lan eling Gustine
wong urip kudu eling, iso urip seka pring, tekan titi wancine ya digotong nganggo pring 
bali nang ngisor lemah, padha ngisor oyot pring, mulane padha eling, elinga Sing Peparing 

ora bakal bubrah marga iso melur, kena dinggo mikul, ning aja ketungkul 
urip kuwi abot, ja digawe abot, akeh repot, sak trek ora amot 
mulane uripmu aja dha kaku, melura, pasraha, ra sah dha nesu 
aja mangu-mangu ning terus mlaku, sanajan ro ngguyu aja lali wektu 
kowe bakal bisa urip rekasa, ning kudu percaya uga sregep ndonga 
Gusti paringana, luwih pangapura, marang kawula ingkang kathah lepat lan dosa 
aja nggresula, aja wedi, dudu kowe, ning Gusti sing mesti luwih ngerti 
ngatur urip lan mati, nyukupi rejeki, paring tentreming ati, 
cukup sandang pangan papan, bakal mukti pakarti

-------

Well, roughly it meant (In Indonesian):

*Pring = Bambu

Pring reketeg, gunung gamping (kapur) runtuh, hati harus tegar jangan sampai hidup (tertatih?)
Pring reketeg, gunung gamping runtuh, hiduplah yang lurus kalau lupa jebol

Pring deling, artinya berani dan ingat, berani karena ingat, daripada menggerutu membuat bibir sumbing
Pring itu rumput(?), tinggi tapi lurus, rejeki pelan jangan pada sedih
Pring ori, hidup itu ujungnya mati, semua yang hidup pasti mati
Pring apus, hidup itu ujungnya mati, jadi orang hidup jangan suka berbohong
Pring petung, hidup itu gila, tapi meskipun gila, jangan pada bingung
Pring wuluh, hidup itu bertumbuh, jangan cuma ngga peduli, pura-pura tidak tahu
Pring cendani, hidup itu harus berani, berani menghadapi, jangan cuma lari ketakutan
Pring kuning, hidup itu harus ingat, wajib untuk ingat, ingat kepada Yang Memberi

Pring itu cuma rumput, tapi rumah itu dari bambu
rusuk rumah dari bambu, tiang juga dari bambu, gedheg itu bambu
lincak (bench bambu) juga bambu, kepang jelas bambu, tampare juga cuma dari bambu
kalo, tampah, serok asalnya bambu. pikulan, kipas, tempat nasi, dibuat dari bambu
makan enak atau mancing ikan, alas duduknya juga pakai bambu
jangan bung (sayur rebung), aku suka, ternyata juga bambu!

kalau begitu memang penting, semua bagian tanaman bambu
memang penting buat manusia yang mengingat 
ingat diri sendiri, ingat sesamanya, ingat kehidupannya dan ingat Tuhannya 
orang hidup harus ingat, bisa hidup dari bambu, sampai akhir hayat ya akhirnya diangkat pakai bambu (peti mati biasa diangkat pakai bambu kan..) 
kembali ke dalam tanah, dibawah akar bambu, makanya ingatlah, ingat pada Yang Memberi

ngga bakal rusak karena bisa melar, bisa dipakai mikul, tapi jangan ketungkul
hidup itu udah berat, jangan dibikin tambah berat, kalo terlalu repot nanti satu truk ngga cukup
makanya hidupmu jangan kaku, melebarlah, berserahlah, jangan marah-marah
jangan termangu-mangu tapi terus berjalan, sambil tertawa, tapi jangan lupa waktu
kamu bakal hidup menderita, tapi tetap harus percaya dan rajin berdoa
Tuhan anugerahilah: lebih banyak maaf, kepada hamba yang banyak salah dan dosa
Janganlah menggerutu, jangan takut, bukan kamu tapi Tuhan yang pasti lebih tahu
Dia mengatur hidup dan mati, mencukupkan rejeki, memberikan ketentraman hati
cukup sandang pangan papan, bakal memberi pengertian

Notes:
Pring reketeg itu frase bahasa jawa yang artinya bambu yang mengeluarkan bunyi mengerenyit, suaranya kedengaran seperti reketeg
Pring deling, pring ori, pring apus, pring wuluh, pring petung, pring cendani, pring kuning adalah tipe-tipe bambu dalam bahasa jawa

Obfuscated

A small taste of what I've been doing on my office for over a week

01001ADECAFFED010205000210ABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCD0200
1F001A001F00140031009A001C09ED000A008B000001910000000000000301
0004003103020107A0000000620101000110A0000000090005FFFFFFFF8912
000000000110A0000000090005FFFFFFFF89110000000300140110ABCDABCD
ABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCD06001C43800314000D050400000112FFFF
0146011F80020081080108810700...

And what the hell is that? Friends, that's an Applet that is going to be installed on a SIM Card. Well, part of it.

My PL gave me an objective to study the structure of an applet bytecode. It was not a pretty sight haha. Anyway, I'm supposed to do a knowledge sharing this year on this topic as well, and the more I try to learn, the more I'm convinced that my audience will go to sleep instantly.

Hope it's not as bad as I think... Or maybe I should study more to find what we can do with these hexes..

Let there be bytecodes!

P.S. This is not a proprietary data, it's only a crappy applet that I used to develop on my training. I'm not stupid enough to post a product hex inside here. Anyway, I'm putting only the common and not-so-important part here >:)

Is there hope for every man?



This is a video montage for my church's Easter Service. The theme is a call for us Christian to act and to care about our surroundings.

For those who came to our Good Friday Service or visited Hezron's blog, yes, this is a continuation from that three videos. Those three was made by Hezron (give you a big hat tip bro), and this last piece was an unplanned, rushed, "continuation" from the the third video. (I volunteered to do this piece right after the Good Friday Service). But it was fun, doing something that I have not done for a while -- and I do have been thinking of making a piece using this song.

The title "Ojo mung nyangkem wae kowe le" is taken from javanese language, and is not included in the version that is shown in the service. Directly translated to Singlish, it means "Don't just talk lah you!" - Hezron actually asked me to put the Surabayans Javanese "Jok cangkem tok rek!" but I will not have peace with it. lol.

The song "Every Man" is performed by Casting Crowns. It's a nice song right? short, simple, but yet it really transferred the message across the audience.

All pictures are courtesy of its respective owners, we apologize for any inconvenience caused. I took most of the pictures from Hezron's collection (you might realize I intentionally put some pics here, just to let those who have seen the previous video realize that it is a continuation), deviantart (this is where i have to give my deepest apologize for taking their works indiscriminately).




So is there hope for every man?

Yes there is.

Let there be light!

The odd people

The real Christian is an odd number anyway.
He feels supreme love for One whom he never seen,
talks familiarly everyday to Someone he cannot see,
expects to go to heaven on the virtue of Another,
empties himself in order to be full,
admits he is wrong so he can be declared right,
goes down in order to get up,
is strongest when he is weakest,
richest when he is poorest,
and happiest when he feels worst.
He dies so he can live,
forsakes in order to have,
give away so he can keep,
sees the invisible, hears the inaudible,
and know that which passeth knowledge
A. W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous

O, odd people, hear that.

Let there be light.

Will be watching

Will be watching this show with my father. Excited. =D

On the way to work

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.

They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalms 19:7-14

Stumbled on this verses on my way to work today. God forbids me from falling down further in disobedience. May my life be pleasing in Your sight Lord.

Currently reading


The title sounds quite nasty right?

Well, the writer's standpoint is making me a bit confused, now I'm not really sure which side I am rooting for in this topic anymore. Haha..

The words of Agur

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 
Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. 
Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: 
Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with food convenient for me: 
Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD?
Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

Proverbs 30:5-9

My best days are ahead of me =)

Guess what, Danny Gokey released his album just in time on my birthday =D. Really like this song, which gave me inspiration and motivation to see forward. Though he decided to make a secular album, I still think that he can still promote Christian values there as well =). Hands down my favourite American Idol ever.

Anyway, the song is nice and the lyrics is also very encouraging.

My Best Days are Ahead of Me

Blowing out the candles
on another birthday cake
Old enough to look back and laugh at my mistakes
Young enough to look at the future and like what I see
My best days are ahead of me

Life hasn't always been a party
but mostly it's been good
There's only one or two things that I'd change if I could
I don't get lost in the past or get stuck in some sad memory
My best days are ahead of me

Age is nothing but a number
Sometimes I have to wonder
What does it really mean
But I'm still putting it together
I keep getting better
if I keep getting better
I can be whatever I want to be
My best days are ahead of me

I've got sunsets to witness
dreams to dance with
beaches to walk on
and lovers to kiss
there's a whole lot of world out there
that I can't wait to see
My best days are ahead of me
My best days are ahead of me

Official video clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtWLedrjOcs&feature=related

Better sound quality:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMoS2tb4R7s&feature=related


Let there be light! =)

Let's start writing the 23rd page!

Okay, I know I promised to write this note on Wednesday. Unfortunately, my body is getting the better of me and I fell pray to throat infection, that I have to stay bedridden for two days. So, let's just start this before it's not relevant anymore =P.

Okay so....

1. On Life Vision, I hope that I can have the confirmation on what I am going to do this year. Be it study or professional work or even, full-time ministry work if it come to that, I hope that I can have the confirmation from God this year. Or at least on the 24th page. (I know what I think I want to do, but I'm still waiting for God's confirmation)

2. On ministry, I am hoping to be able to start ministering as a speaker in FES-IM starting this year -- I hope. I need to find what will be most suitable for me to talk about. Maybe on leadership/fellowship management/church history. I also wish to be more effective being a PKTB,  and have more focused involvement in student ministry. Having said that, I hope that I will not be neglecting my duty in church. Hope I can do them both in a balanced way.

3. On KTB, like I said, I want to be more effective. I want to be more focused on the people, having finished most of the curriculum (20% to go I think). Need to start preparing them for being a PKTB as well (if they wanted to be).

4. On relationship with others, I wish I can sort out this struggle that I had for the past 10 months =/. I hope that I can be a better friend for others, and stop giving circling answers (that would be hard as hell)

5. On that side of relationship..... like what i said on my last post.... errrrr.... hahaha. I guess I will still be as timid and as clueless as usual. Hoping for the best, but will not force my will if it is not His. I guess I will wait on God to show me His will. I like Danny Gokey's new song: My best days are ahead of me. Amen to that. =D

6. On personal development. I want to have more time on reading on bible expository, and I think I need to improve my quiet time as well. But more importantly, I have to improve on the applications of the word.

7. On personal relationship with God, as I said earlier, improve my quiet time, lean on God's mighty hand, and trust in His judgment. Don't want to have dry moment anymore, and stop falling in the same hole over and over again. God help me.

8. I want to be a good uncle. LOL

9. Double the amount of saving. Need to build up reserves for later on as I might be forced to take drastic measure. I think.

10. Stabilize my self on 65 mark. XD

11. Reduce my bad habits, and be a better listener.

12. Work harder, better, and increase my involvement in day-to-day operations.

13. And maybe.. I want to have a better structured life. I guess I am messy.

Well.. all thing being said and done, I think I will not be able to fulfill all that in one year. But hey, we need to aim high in life right? ;)

Please pray for me that I can be a better Christian, and be more like Him day by day.

"He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.
The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor"
(Proverbs 15:32-33)

And thus the twenty third page is on

Yesterday's was my twenty-third birthday. I was sharing with my friends over my place on Sunday night, without realizing that they prepared a surprise party for me (that is, until nearing the midnight where some of them are acting a bit strange ;p). Anyway, I guess I am happy that I can spend my birthday with those who I regard as closest friend here in Singapore. It was cool. Thanks for the sharing and the surprise party.

Now, after one tiring day of writing comment on facebook wall due to the enormous amount of my friends who congratulate me via facebook, I did some reflections as usual. I reflect back at the previous year, the highlights and lowlights. Let me share with you some of them:
  1. On my life vision, I am still sure about taking further studies and, God permits, becoming a lecturer. I just love working among students. Even though right now I am feeling very happy working in my company, old aspirations die hard. However, I have to admit that I do take some time to consider about continuing in professional field as an engineer. The door is still open for both. I have some ideas about it, but am still waiting for God's confirmation. Hoping to settle everything in three years time.
  2. On my ministries, After five year exploring campus and church ministries, I have found what I think I wanted to do. I am still passionate about campus ministries and will run back with haste if I can contribute something. It's not that I don't want to serve in church, but I think that is my calling. But I won't stop ministering in church - it's just that I will focus my hearts on it. What I want to do? Maybe something that is closely related to me, teaching, equipping and leadership development.
  3. On KTB, I have to say that we are at a crossroad right now, with Kentank going to final year next semester and the other three is (forced?) to seriously consider their future ministries. The previous year has been cool though. I have seen how some of them grow significantly, and discussions inside the group is increasingly getting interesting. There are still a lot of space to develop, but I'm satisfied, so far. Bru, if you're reading this, it does not mean that you can relax. I'm satisfied, but I'm barely satisfied. haha.
  4. On relationship with others, I still think that I need to work out more on this part. period. being a phlegmatic-melancholic who were converted into choleric-melancholic is not.. easy.
  5. On that side of relationship... ...errr.... Still clueless as usual I guess hahaha... But I have decided to spent 2009 in singleness after my last relationship. And guess what, it was a blessed experience, being able to explore more. I thank God for the year =).
  6. On personal development, I think that I'm too focused on church history last year. I need to learn more on Christian Leadership and Bible Expository. On professional/academic side, learned a lot about SIM Card here in my work so I guess it's enough.
  7. On personal relationship with God, this one is still tricky, roller-coaster as always. First half of my 22nd was dry, but the second was more encouraging. I do hope I can grow more in the future. I have to work on my recurring bad-habit though.
  8. I'm going to be an uncle in 5 months time. duh.
  9. I'm still as clumsy as ever.
  10. My mouth is still getting the better of me.
  11. I really enjoyed my work so far =)
  12. Money spending... some said that I overspend my money, but on my side of things, I'm still on track of my saving plan that I decided after I graduate. And it was not an easy target. So... no, I don't agree with them. Haha.
  13. At least I managed to stabilize over 67-69 over the year. Want to drop it to around 65. lol.
Now, I guess I need to start thinking about what I want to do next year.. I'll post that tomorrow. =)

Thanks to those who give their regards yesterday. I felt the blessings of the Lord through you.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Mighty To Save

I'm hearing this song a lot these days. It is a treat to my ears and my heart, easy song to sing along as well. Nice. =)

Mighty To Save
Hillsong Australia


Everyone needs compassion,
Love that's never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.
Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.

Chorus:
Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.

Bridge:
Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus (x2)

---

Three versions that I heard: Original from Hillsong, one from Michael W Smith, another from Don Moen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-08YZF87OBQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYZQ6KN13jU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJUn7M7wUKM

The Anxious Heart and the Victory.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting."

(Psalms 139:23-24, NIV)

I read this verses last night on my quiet time. Now, as I am currently in pseudo-melancholic-ish mood, I do reflect a lot on my grimy heart, which is unable to fulfill the Lord's will. The more I try to do it, the more I realized that I am not capable of it. Even though I have been saved, truth is, I am still another sinner among sinners. I am only a sinner who is lucky enough to have been able to know Him.

But I have to say it always came back to me: "Lord, I always commit sin in my life, there's no day that I passed without committing sin, be it intentionally or unintentionally. I have those sins that I have tendencies to fall to, and even though the frequency is lower, I still fall in the same hole at times of my weaknesses." Now, I don't blame the evil force for it, as no matter what it is, the one who committed them is still, me. I won't get anywhere if I blame (borrowing C.S. Lewis' words) "our father below". However, I still can't get it out of my minds that Our Father Above is sad when I fall over and over again.

I shouted and shouted: "Why have you chosen me?", "How can you still forgive me" and even at one time, "Will you even want to forgive me once again?" I drew anxious and fall into my knees.

It was not until the night that I found my peace. Those verses gave me peace, because He told me that He know who I am. He told me that he understand what is inside our heart. He is not just fighting this battle with us -- He fought this battle FOR us.

And He won.

So God, please see my heart again, show me the depths of my own heart, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Thank you, Lord.

Let there be light (once again).

Fantasies on iPhone

I checked iTunes store today and I found a surprising thing:

SquareEnix is porting the remake of Final Fantasy 1 and Final Fantasy 2 to iPhone.

And it is already available! =D

It's a good prelude before the real deal on 9th of March 2010. ;)

Gifts

There are different kinds of gifts,
but the same Spirit.

There are different kinds of service,
but the same Lord.

There are different kinds of working,
but the same God works all of them in all men.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.


To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom,
to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,

to another faith by the same Spirit,
to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,

to another miraculous powers,
to another prophecy,
to another distinguishing between spirits,
to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,
and to still another the interpretation of tongues.


All these are the work of one and the same Spirit,
and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

The body is a unit,
though it is made up of many parts;
and though all its parts are many,
they form one body.
So it is with Christ.

(1 Cor 12:4-12)

This is part of yesterday's KTB topic: Spiritual Gifts. It's nice to see them so engaged in discussions....

....Though I'm starting to have tough times answering their questions.

I.Cannot.Die.

"Whether life or death be mine, may Christ be magnified in me! If he has work for me to do, I cannot die."
- Henry Martyn

Died among strangers in the city of Tocat in Asiatic Turkey on October 16, 1812 at the age of thirty-one years old, on his missionary work. He worked alongside William Carey after abandoning his life as an academic for God's work.

Christ's work for Martyn was done, and he had done it well. He has received and will receive his reward - the promise of our faith in Christ. Do you let God work through your life? Your work here is not done. Not yet.

Dasar Iblis kalian!

Charlo is distracted by something (read: someone) in canteen A in the middle of KTB.

Charlo: "Udah2.. kembali2... Saat-saat seperti ini nih Iblis tertawa terbahak-bahak"

*Kristo, Daniel, Kentank, Rendi serentak tertawa terbahak-bahak*

This is the preface of his book

"My passion is to see people, churches, mission agencies, and social ministries become God-centered, Christ-exalting, Spirit-powered, Bible-saturated, missions-mobilizing, soul-winning, and justice-pursuing. The supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all people through Jesus Christ is the central, driving, all-unifying commitment of my life."

John Piper, Let The Nations Be Glad, 2nd ed.

So, if this is the first two sentence written in his book (in the preface), you can imagine the content. (Finally) read this book since a certain someone refuses to use this book in my KTB. LOL.

Let the nations be glad!

Euh.. I mean..

Let there be light!

American Idol Season 9 Round-Up

So, this is the context of the story: I follow American Idol, but I totally forgot that it starts on January and when I realized around end of last month I had a lot to catch up. So I waited until the top 24 is announced (which is last week) and do quick catch up. And...

I'm not impressed =.='

True, the level of the people are quite good and around the same, but there are no real stand-outs among them, unlike last season's Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey

Oh well, that should do for now. Anyway, I am hoping to see some exciting competition this year at least... Don't make it a repeat of season 6 pleaaassseeee.... That was so b.o.r.i.n.g (well, actually that season had one bright side: Melinda Doolittle)

Anyway, I was listening to last year finals' song "No Boundaries", one by Kris Allen, one by Adam Lambert, then I just realized that DioGuardi is the writer of the song when I saw her version in youtube. The originals was better IMHO. See it yourself.

Kara DioGuardi's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDng1zxoLd4

Kris Allen's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au78ra4HsUo

Adam Lambert's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nvCwvX57a8

Yeah. This post is so American Idol. At least that's my favorite show other than House M.D. ;)

Let there be light ver 3.1 is operational =)

Yes! The portfolio link in this blog is now accessible. I used wix.com to make things simpler as I don't have the necessary skills to do it from scratch haha.. But please pardon the high level of narcissism in the pages, as I don't know what to put =P. There should be one more tab after CV to put some files, but I decided to deactivate it for now as it would take some time to collect those file that I want to upload.. 

So I guess this is it for this year revamp of my blog =D.

Let there be light!

Back in Singapore

That Was One Hell of A Holiday!

I felt refreshed today when I think the past one week that I had in Jogja. Especially the previous four days I spent with my friends. It was really nice feelings being able to come together, having fun and laughing back at our times in high school. It was nice to see that I still have such good friends there in my hometown, and it truly delights me to visit my friends convocation in UGM. Met so many old friend there, took photos here and there.

I am glad that I decided to go back for this CNY holiday. And I really didn't expect God to bring me this much joy in one week. We literally laughed and smiled at our past and give our regards to each other. It was fun =)

Ok. Back to the routine in Singapore I guess.


But I'm back with a bang! =D

Let there be light!

Equipping Layman

I read Septian's post yesterday and those phrase catch my attention.

Coincidentally, I hook up with my friend who is the president of a campus fellowship here in Jogja and talked a lot about the context of student ministry and other stuff here in Jogjakarta.

And then I can't help to be reminded of one of FESIM core business, formacion a.k.a. discipleship. Then I wonder about its impact on mission and evangelism - both directly and indirectly.

I realized one thing: this is a field that needs cultivating. It is not as good as it seems, and I am really fortunate to live in a context where I can be equipped so much even when I am only a..

..Layman

Thank you Lord.

Let there be light!

Jogjakarta

shAh.. the hometown... =)

It's been a while since I last came back here for holiday. And no matter how many times it is, it's always relaxing for me to be here. The food, the people, the books, the friends, and of course family.

This is Kaliurang NOT the city of Jogja OK? =)

Went to Kaliurang for Jadah hunting yesterday, and I realized how I missed the mountains after 5-6 years of absence from mountain adventure.. The smell, the woods, the fresh air and the weather -- simply breathtaking. It's a shame that Tlogo Putri does not sprout water any longer =(. But anyway.. I really do miss being here.

Well, I guess, I will treasure the remaining 4 days here. Man, 4 days left... Time really flies when you're in vacation. But not in the cubical.

Oh some health report. My eyesight is getting worse -- from -3.75 on left and right to -4.5 to on both eyes. What did you expect? I work full day in front of the monitor... =/

Let there be light!

Back to Business!


Yes! I'm Baaaaackkk!!! =D

So, after a month or so in hiatus, I proudly present to you "Let there be light!" Vershun 3.0. Do give me your feedback on the new layout since I haven't validated the whole thing.. yet. Oh, and the "portfolio" link in the navigation bar doesn't have any content right now, so it will only redirect you to the "about" page. Other than that, it should be working just fine =). I'm trying to work on the portfolio in the immediate future, but finger crossed on when it will be finished. It will be Version 3.1 when it is released though ;)

I'm still on holidays right now, so I got a lot of time to spare. So when the rod is hot, I think I'll do whatever I can to make this blog a bit livelier than the 2.0 version =)

Anyway... can anyone tell me how to link this blog to Twitter? hahaha...

So, stay tuned for the next posts!

Let there be light!

On Hiatus

As what the title say, I have to put this blog on hiatus for the time being =S. As my work and commitments are getting the better of me currently. *sob* -- I'm still living my life happily though, just that i have less free time lately ;)

Anyway, I hope to be able to start writing normally again by Chinese New Year. Let's hope I can light the candle again around then =)

So.. see you when I see you =p

The Lord knows

This is taken from Charles Spurgeon's Evening by Evening. Simply hopes that it gave you a blessing, as it have done for me this evening.

----

And God saw the light.
- Genesis 1:4

This morning we noticed the goodness of the light, ad the Lord's dividing it from the darkness. We now note the special eye that the Lord had for the light: "God saw the light." He looked at it with satisfaction, gazed on it with pleasure, and saw that it "was good" (Gen 1:4). If the Lord has given you light, dear reader, He looks on that light with special interest, not only because it is dear to Him as His own handiwork, but also because it is like Himself, for "God is light" (1 John 1:5). It is pleasant to the believer to know that God's eye is thus tenderly observant of that work of grace that He has begun in him. He never loses sight of the treasure that He has placed in our earthen vessels. Sometimes we cannot see the light, but God always sees the light, and that is much better than our seeing it. Better for the judge to see my innocence than for me to think I see it. It is very comfortable for me to know that I am one of God's people; but whether I know it or not, if the Lord knows it, I am still safe. This is the foundation: "The Lord knoweth them that are his" (2 Tim 2:19). You may be sighing and groaning because of inbred sin and mourning over your darkness, yet the Lord sees light in your heart, for He has put it there. All the cloudiness and gloom of your soul cannot conceal your light from His gracious eye. You may have sunk low in despondency and even despair, but if your soul has any longing toward Christ, and if you are seeking to rest in His finished work, God sees the light. He not only sees it, but also preserves it in you. "I the Lord do keep it" (Isa 27:3). This is a precious thought to those who after anxious watching and guarding of themselves feel their own powerlessness to keep themselves. The light thus preserved by God's grace He will one day develop into the splendor of noonday and the fullness of glory. The light within is the dawn of the eternal day.

Forewords

There was a time when I lost my desire to write and to share. There was a time when I didn't see the point of doing a blog to express my thought. I am who I am though, inconsistent as I am in doing this blog, but I do want to share and I do long to write. Today I'm giving it another go. Fingers crossed. But I still wish that "Let there be light" is the message that I convey.
  • January 1st 2012, Kristo