friday blues

everyone loves fridays.. went for the movies near smithaven mall today with a dude from BASIC.
The movie's entitled "The Kingdom" starring Jennifer Garner! (*yes!!!!)
When she first made her appearance, we sat up straight and smiled..

going to Long Island Picnic tomorrow in Queens. IVs from 3 Long Island varsities will be attending including Stony Brook. MMmmmmm BBQ, i can smell it know.. I'm getting hungry..

I've been spending most of my time thinking bout this and i can't wait for the Black Friday sales where prices are slashed mad crazy.

*ps: i miss my girl friend back home. but i'm gonna get her replaced.

new york city

The holidays are here! No classes from Thursday to Sunday due to the Jewish holidays of Yom Kippur.

I just came back from a chinese buffer (yin yang chinese buffet near stony brook), with my room mate who drove there. food was crazy, we ate like shrek (esp my room mate who tears and munches the alaskan crabs). Oh yes, alaskan crabs are HUGE! its shell is not brittle, but tough and flexible, we had to use a nut cracker to break into it.

The M'sian gang took the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) to jamaica, queens. then bought a day pass and switched to the infamous new york subway. yes, it's dirty and humid at the bottom. despite it's infamous reputation, it is life line of new york city.
we went to the lower and midtown of manhattan isle.

places we visited:
little italy - ate in a fancy italian restaurant at mulbery street.
chinatown - oh yes, it does look like petaling street only bigger and much more diverse
battery park - seen liberty isle with the famous lady of liberty at a distance, we lie down on the grass and chilled for an hour
city hall - just the outside
rockefelle center - just seen it at a distance, it's close to MoMA (museum of modern art which i planed to visit even when i was still back in m'sia)
6th street - where we lined up for 1 hour just for the famous chicken and rice
1st street - where we ate at a friend's japanese restaurant
serendipity - an ice cream shop famous for its $1000 ice cream sprinkled with gold dust, this shop was featured in a scene from serendipity
world trade center site - pretty touching to see a site where once 2 buildings stood now destroyed, names of the perished now immortalized on a plaque

i was kinda blur throughout the whole trip, i didn't talked much, so kinda forgot where we actually went. but i enjoyed myself. i haven't got a dSLR yet :-( but i can share pictures from my friends' camera.

conclusion? returning to the city is definite. i can't wait to take pictures of balding trees, blanketing the ground with its yellow and red leaves.. what a picturesque sight it might be!

of B.A.S.I.C

Gene sharing the word and introducing the fellowship
From L to R: Lysha (m'sian), NZ girl, Irish girl ( i4got their names! sigh..)
Yared (guy in red,biomedical engineering grad, from Ethopia)

It's so refreshing to gather at the Union, room 236, 8pm and meet with fellow Christians on campus. I really felt relieved and felt a sense of belonging even though I haven't met all of them. B.A.S.I.C stands for Brothers and Sisters in Christ, a campus ministry by a local church: Full Gospel Christian Centre.

Met a lot of people, from a new zealand twin girls(4got their names!), a new zealand guy (ben-really friendly), an irish girl(4got her name), african americans (dominique-really funny, she's like whoopi goldberg!, andre, dell, lionel), an asian girl(esther), a filipino girl (shelly), an ethopian guy( yared who is doing biomedical engineering in grad school, looks like john legend though), mike (physics grad school, he's a Teaching Assistant for physics!, I could ask him to help me in physics) and loads more which 4got their names.

Met Gene a white guy who happens to be a parole officer cum youth worker on Stony campus for 17 years. I must say he looks like Steve Austin of WWE only much more friendly not violent!

I invited a local friend, Evan and a Junior year, M'sian friend Lysha to check out BASIC. We prayed and worshiped with a radio. Since the keyboardist (andre) has to attend a meeting. Really funny though, cos I haven't worshiped with a CD before.

Worship was so good, songs were really familiar (Heart of Worship, This is my Desire, I could sing of Your love etc.). When we prayed I felt so relieved to hear the first prayer on campus. Finally am assured and secured that there are Christians on campus. Christians to pray with. Christians that I can relate to. Without Christians friends to hang out with I'll die spiritually. I thanked God continuously..

There's loads of other Christian groups to check out. Korean CF, Chinese CF, Chi Alpha CF, Inter Varsity CF, Graduate CF and many more. I can't wait to meet more Christians on campus for these CFs work together and sometimes have joined events. Things are looking up now. Rest assured, now that I know that they are other brothers and sisters I can relate to.. Thank You Lord...

of a new enviroment

My first few days of this week has been hectic for me. trying to get my classes right and getting an approval from the BME dept (which happens to be on the 18th floor of the university hospital, 20 mins walk from main campus). Dr.Frame (BME undergrad director) told me that I have to do well for this semester (esp. BME 100) in order to get into the BME dept.

And later, I found out that the my advisor on orientation day, gave me the wrong math class! Gosh! What's worse? the right class for me has been closed! Spent like 2 hours trying to find the AMS 210 instructor so that he could let me in.

Our M'sian gang lined up for nearly 2 hours just to get $5 tickets to Six Flags (One of the largest theme park in the New Jersey). It was all in vain after 2 hours, for the tickets are sold out. We opt for LIRR (long island railroad) $6 tickets to Jamaica. Yeah, we're checking out the city next wednesday..since it's a holiday. (hope that the trains aren't packed)

And then, I met Sharon's Brooklyn high school friend, from HK. Had lunch and she told me loads about campus and how Brooklyn's like. And then I met her friends. we later checked out the apartment she live in. Sweeeet, she has a large bathroom and a double room (2 inhabitants). And i met a Greek guy from the EST 325 class there. Really friendly dude.

Oh well, I kinda like my dorm (even though we're the only ones staying on the ground floor). Loads of amenities are in close proximity; kitchen, restroom, laundry eg. Suite mates are fine, but they get noisy night.. ( I don't really mind unless I'm studying). They're a funny bunch.

How am I lately? Again, I did not do well in my final semester in INTI. 1 B+ and 2 B-. Maybe it's my fault or is it the lecturer's fault? (1 guy allows cheating). At least I know I that I did it without cheating. But I can't take it as a bargaining chip with God to bless me cos' it's partly my fault too ( i guess).. Discouraged now, a song echoes from the depths of my mind..

All I can Say, David Crowder

Lord I'm tired
So tired from walking
And Lord I'm so alone
And Lord the dark
Is creeping in
Creeping up
To swallow me
I think I'll stop
Rest here a while

And didn't You see me cry'n?
And didn't You hear me call Your name?
Wasn't it You I gave my heart to?
I wish You'd remember
Where you sat it down

Chorus:
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give

Bridge:
I didn't notice You were standing here
I didn't know that
That was You holding me
I didn't notice You were cry'n too
I didn't know that
That was You washing my feet

The Lord's been good to me ever since I got here. He's been granting me favor. I've got permission to get into the classes I want even though they're closed already. But He gave it to me. About BME 100 (Intro to Biomed Eng), there were problems with admin (i was initially not given permission by BME dept. but Dr. Frame can't do anything bout it now, but to give me the course) but He gave it to me anyway... There is light after walking through a long dark tunnel. There'll be light at the end of the tunnel. A glimpse of hope, worry not about the destination but the journey. Cliche statement, but profound. That's the word of God.

of campus life

it's been 2 days now since i moved into Kelly Quad. dorm mates are super friendly. my korean roommate is a christian and has a car!

he took me to wal-mart today to get some supplies 5 minutes drive away from stony brook.
to my amazement, i met a couple of m'sian students! it's so rare! but we're all happy to see each other and conversing in our accent comfortably with an american twist.

i met this malaysian guy who happens to be from Help college, and lives in kota kemuning too!! oh gosh! we laughed till we our stomachs hurt!!

tomorrow's the 1st day of classes and we're all sleeping early. i'm equally excited as them.

here's a song of praise to Him which i find has a very refreshing tune:

Open Skies by David Crowder

Praise Him under open skies
Everything breathing praising God
In the company of all who love the King
I will dance, I will sing
It could be heavenly
Turn the music loud, life my voice and shout
From where I am
From where I've been
He's been there with me
He's built a monument
His very people
So let his people
Sing, sing, sing

And it's so wonderful
Just to be here now

CHORUS:
Praise Him under open skies
Everything breathing praising God
In the company
Of all who love the King

Praise Him under open skies
Everything breathing praising God
In the company of all who love the King
Let us dance, let us sing
It could be heavenly
Turn the music loud and sing

Lift your voice to heaven
Lift up your head and sing
To the One who gave his love
This is our offering
Lift your voice to heaven
Lift up your head and sing
To the One who gave His son
Here our lives we bring

From wherever you are
Wherever you've been
He's been there
So let his people sing

And it's so wonderful to be here now
Wherever you are wherever you've been
He's been there

look at the blueness of sky, ponder on the greatness of Him..

things are looking up now...

it's been a week since i got here. settling down was relatively simple (i guess) thanks to the Lees for making transition easy for me. they have been such great hosts, making me feel welcome and getting used to the lifestyle here.

today we went to white castle for breakfast. famous for its small rectangular burgers (and cheap too, 56cents per piece). you could have it in just one go. and for lunch, the Lees brought me to Flushing, Queens. Chinatown to be exact. ate in a malaysian restaurant. to my amusement satay, char kuey teow and hokkien noodles tastes 85% authentic. and in the restaurant i can here, m'sian cantonese dialogs going around, and a wall painted map of m'sia. it really felt like home, since the owner hails from ipoh.

on the way back in the car, i listened to this song called "Blessed be Your name" over a Christian channel. it's lyrics made me remember of how God has been faithful to me. He has brought me this far... and He'll continue His work in me until my very last breath.

Blessed be your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, Blessed be your name

Stony gave me permission to take BME 100: an introductory course for Biomedical Engineering. which is good, if i do well in it, it'll be a ticket for me to get into the Biomed Dept. (since i'm give a conditional offer. i'm actually in college of arts and science instead of college of engineering). looks like the Lord's been good to me. He has always been. It's just that i fail to see it at times. hard to imagine, all the hard times i've been through were actually molding times for me. and i thank Him for that. i read a scripture yesterday which really shot me. so relevant to me that i need to share it:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1 : 2-4

I took up biomedical engineering because I like to contribute to saving lifes like what a doctor does, but I like machines too. Hence biomedical engineering, the machinery part of medicine. It's like saving people's lifes not with a knife but with machines... Now that's my passion...

How can I not thank You??

I've got the credits!!

Oh yeah! They gave me full transfer of all my core subjects! (Physics, Calculus, Chemistry, Differential Equations). Pheeewww, what a relieve! I need not take any of these courses again and need not take the pesky math placement exam and the writing one too!

Thank you Daddy!

Sutherland was like looking at my calculus course description; he goes, "uhuh, yeah, good good. that'll do".. awww thank you so much!

Guess I'm a Junior now (3rd year student) which means I have 2 years more to graduation!

Thank you all for your prayers. Thank you Daddy for hearing me..

Thank you Daddy....

I've got the credits!!

of orientation day

*Charles B. Wang Center

*staller center of the arts (trains performances and organizes on campus shows)

*yawns, boring speeches

*replica chariot

*neat architecture (Wang Ctr)

*Jasmine (for those who are homesick)

*where's the water from those fountain heads?


Yesterday:
Stony Brook is indisputably one of the most diverse campus in the States. Yesterday was orientation day for undergraduates. Met a lot of people (but we left for different paths after campus tour). Here's a tiny scoop of diversity I've tasted:

1) A Korean girl - freshman, very friendly, gave me her contact, biology major
2) A German girl - blonde, 10 month exchange student, music major (classical piano), from bavaria (to be exact), transfer
3) A Brazilian Korean guy - speaks portuguese, freshman, economics major, had snacks together
4) A Canadian girl - approached me first and asked, "Where are you from?", toronto, freshman
5) An Indian guy - didn't talked much, computer science major, exchanged a few words and then left
6) A Filipino guy - freshman, business major, migrated to NY
7) A Japanese girl - my orientation leader, got excited when I told her I'm Malaysian (cause she knows another Malaysian guy who happens to be funny too), gave her my email, sophomore, politics major (i guess), really really friendly

After campus tour, I get to wander around campus and I came upon the Charles B. Wang Center (motto: "Sharing Asian and American Cultures"). Went inside and took a look around. Pretty neat. It boasts a chapel, lecture halls, theaters, Jasmine (restaurant that serves Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean food). Sometimes, there'll be cultural performances held in the Wang Center and it has a replica of a bronze chariot on display too! Neat!


Today:
Was up since 4am to study for my math placement test later this day. It's called the "Crammer" by the locals. You cram and stuff all you can into your head before and exam. Spent bout 11 hours revising (breakfast, lunch and nap in between) before I left for Stony. And when I'm there, I met this Japanese guy who followed me to the Math Dept for the placement test. They gave us iMacs to do our tests. Cool. While waiting, I logged into my yahoo mail and then...

"RE: ENQUIRY"
Dear Kevin,
I don't think the placement exam is necessary for you. I will formally evaluate your courses on thursday, at your orientation (it would help if you have a description and can bring it with you, even if it isn't in English). If it turns out that the placement exam is indeed necessary, you can take it later.

Prof Sutherland.


What??!! I was up since 4am to study and now you're telling me that I'm exempted?!! I emailed him yesterday evening, and I just got a reply this afternoon. Aww man..
I told the person in charge that I've gotta leave. He told me to talk to the guy in black which happens to be Sutherland. Seems to be a really friendly guy. He remembered my email and that he'll see me tomorrow to evaluate my math courses. Oh well, I'm relieved I need not take this test, but I've wasted time travelling here and preparing for the test. I called Prof Lee to take me home. Sorry....

of churches

The basement cum dining area

Tina sharing about Harvard CF

Long Island Alliance Church

It's Sunday now. Followed The Lees to their Chinese Church in Dix Hills, probably 10 minutes drive from home. Name's Long Island Alliance Church. The congregation consists of mostly Chinese but has a White pastor and some Blacks too. Some Hispanics too. First, Sunday Schools (kinda like bible study ones for all ages up to college students, not just for kids. ) and the Chinese Service run simultaneously (Mandarin and Cantonese). Then it'll be snack time. Tried the classic New Yorker's breakfast; bagel. They look like donuts, only less sweeter and tastes like bread. They slice it into half and spread cheese all over it.

After that, the English service commence. I would say it's pretty conservative and much quiet but it's fine. Oh yeah, I made a few friends today; (Kevin, computer scientist; Egel, Indonesian computer scientist; Tina Tang, Harvard grad currently serving in Harvard-Radcliffe CF; Don, Stony Brook freshman). Kevin (getting married next year) told me loads about dorm tips, the dos and don'ts. It appears Tina knows a Harvard friend of mine (Hoong Ern). "Oh yeah, he's a good kid, he helps out alot and plays the piano".. says Tina. Oh yes, I met another
guy, Alex who plays the guitar (owns a $900 ovation semi acoustic) and drums.

After service lunch is served at the basement. Most Chinese churches provide meals but it ain't free. Well, since I'm a guest, I had buffet down there for FREE. hehe.

After that we went to "Bed Bath and Beyond" to get some pillows and towels. Paid $58.62 for; 2 pillows, clothe hanger, 1 towel and 6 hand towels. Gosh, why am I writing this??

Next door is Circuit City (electronic chain store). PSPs are cheap here, it costs $159 (approximately RM500) and I checked out the PS3 (*whistling tone; sweeeeeeeet graphics!!!).

Oh well, that's it for now. Ever since I'm here, I don't know what to write. Seems my writing style has changed though.

of Dix Hills escapades..

*interstate 495 will take you all the way to manhattan



*a big tree




After a hearty breakfast cooked by Mrs Lee, I decided to do a little recon around the neighborhood. With my trusty PDA, I took some (not-so-decent-pictures-taken-by-a- 1.3MP) of some houses and the neighborhood.

Houses here in the suburbs are huge. Boasting their own mini basketball court, swimming pool, garden and a garage. Thick greens blanket this middle-class neighborhood.

of jet lags

hate to admit it, but i'm experiencing minor jet lags.

0255: woke up.
0300: tried to sleep.
0315: went online.
0330: read dSLR reviews.
0335: oh yes, friends to chat with! sat on the throne while reading a book, read bible...
0400: tried to sleep again.
0410: can't... oh well, what's the internet for?
0420: "it's you again?" chatted longer..
04(something): tried to sleep...
0500: 20 odd minutes of shut eye.
0530: say, it's sunrise!
0600: online again.
0634: blogging now. listening to some jazz.
0700: probably opt for a morning walk around Dix Hills.

*in new york time.
* it's a rough estimate.

about Stony.

went there yesterday. it' s not as big as i expected, but it's pretty decent for an education. was room assigned to Hamilton College, Kelly Quad. Roommate? A Korean guy, Lim.

checked out the engineering buildings. pretty impressive. (pulse lasers, loads of weird looking machines, some geeks playing with their laptops :-p). stony's real famous for its physics and chemistry..

*thanking you friends for chatting with me online, i'll be real lonely in the wee hours of the morning. God Bless ya folks!

new york day #2

I've adjusted well I think. It's strange though, people say you'll need 1 week to get used to the local time. Stranger enough, I haven't felt any jet lag. I woke up naturally at 8am today.

Just came back from Stony Brook. Got to see the college. It's not that big though but has a decent environment for an education. They assigned me to a room near by my classes. And best of all, it's near 7-eleven and Long Island Railway (it could me all the way to NYC!!).. Say my campus is really multiracial.. Got loads of Koreans and Europeans. That'll be neat!

Got a Korean room mate. Hope to know more about Korea through him.

Guess i better take a nap now.. ZZZZZzzzzzzz...

God Bless!

reached..

finally, i've arrived to the Land of the Free.. after 2 years of prayer (well, i wasn't that a fervent prayer..)

thank you all for sending me off and am really appreciated it.

due to my recent exposure to korea, i began to fall in love with its language and country. reached seoul at bout 930am (m'sia time) and begin walking around the transit terminal. it's huge!! wish that i could snap pictures but i've got no camera :( i just love the way the air stewardess speak the language politely (korean airlines from kl-seoul-jfk). spent rm50 just to get 10000 won to get a decent meal. and since i was in korea, i wanna try some authentic korean cuisine but can't find. Went for KFC instead but later found out that there's a shop selling korean cuisine opposite to KFC! sobs

and i left for JFK by 11am (10am m'sia time). 13 hours on the seat is really tiring and gave me butt sores. the remedy? this korean dude introduced himself to me. i appears he's back to New Jersey a summer's long break. we talked about each other's countries and later found out that he's a Christian too! Double amen. He's name (man shong-something, sorry dude i forgot). i'll just call u man anyway.

touched down on JFK on the 22nd August 2007 (1155am New York time- 2355 m'sia time). it's 12 hour difference in time. Me and Man queued up to clear customs for nearly an hour!

Finally my father's friend picked me up and brought me to Queens. Brought me to this district called Flushing (don't ask me why the name). Flushing appears to be nicknamed United Nations. Wow, just look at the number of Asians (Chinese, Korean, Pakistani, Japanese) walking around. It doesn't feel like you're in America though. Then he brought me to a thai restaurant where u can find fried kuey tiow and ice kacang. not bad. Just had curry beef. (not as authentic as from m'sia, but it's the close as u can get). Now i'm in his house in dix hills, long island. nice house, and he has a large back yard (kinda like a small forest with all sorts of vegetation). but i haven't got a dslr! :(

how's the temperature? Cooling, 14-16C. feeling way sleepy now, that's why my writing's weird. like genting when it's at night.

jet lag? (shut eye a little while in car). kinda feel little sleepy now...

till then, God Bless!

just counting...

all is packed...
just counting the hours..
praying, music,

Lord be with me

thank You.

Finally, my life's next chapter is beginning to unfold. After 2 years begging God to grant me favor from New York, I'll be flying there tomorrow. Thank You Daddy...

Last night's party gave me much sweet memories of friends that I've met along the way. Thank you all for coming encouraging me. Thank you for your presence and gifts. And thank you for dunking me into the pool (twice). Thank you, relatives for helping me out. Thank you parents (esp Mum for organizing the party). (for pics, click on Kev's flickr link).

Time is really a precious gift from God. It cannot be recycled but only use once. Like a star that shoots across the night sky. It's shimmering glow comes and go briefly It's beauty will never return. I hope I had more time to spend with my family and friends...

Through it all, He sustained me. Held my hand and placed my feet on solid rock. Walked with me all the way. College was tough for me. And I'm glad He gave me what I asked for. Found peace and hope through this verse:

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Great Expectations by Steven Curtis Chapman

The morning finds me here at heaven's door
A place I've been so many times before
Familiar thoughts and phrases start to flow
And carry me to places that I know so well
But dare I go where I don't understand
And do I dare remember where I am
I stand before the great eternal throne
The one that God Himself is seated on
And I, I've been invited as a son
Oh I, I've been invited to come and ...

Believe the unbelievable
Receive the inconceivable
And see beyond my wildest imagination
Lord, I come with great expectations

So wake the hope that slumbers in my soul
Stir the fire inside and make it glow
I'm trusting in a love that has no end
The Savior of this world has called me friend
And I, I've been invited with the Son
Oh I, I've been invited to come and ...

We've been invited with the Son
And we've been invited to come and ...

Believe the unbelievable
Receive the inconceivable
And see beyond our wildest imagination
Lord, we come with great expectations

*another beautiful song to suit this season of my soul

Everything Glorious

I've got a C Programming paper in 4 hours time (what's the need to study? i'm leaving next week!). Below is a song that I would listen when I'm down. The lyrics clearly states that our Lord makes everything glorious including me, you and everything around us. Plans He has in store for you is glorious. Look at the birds chirping on those trees! They're glorious as well. Look at the stars that glimmer in the night sky, they're glorious! Look at the great oceans, they're glorious! Above all, He is glorious.

"When one feels like in a dark pit, remember that there's ONE who IS glorious who can shine in the darkest of places and deliver one from any place no matter how dark the depth of one's soul"

Everything Glorious by David Crowder

The day is brighter here with You
The night is lighter than it's hue
Would lead me to believe
Which leads me to believe

You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours
What does that make me?

My eyes are small but they have seen
the beauty of enormous things
Which leads me to believe
there's light enough to see that

You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours

From glory to glory
You are glorious You are glorious
From glory to glory
You are glorious. You are glorious
Which leads me to believe
why I can believe that

*my eyes are small, but they have seen the beauty of enormous things...

Life's Uncertainties

It's been a grueling(not so) week for me. Papers are tough I would say, and I can hear New York calling me.. I imagine myself strolling down the legendary streets of the Big Apple. I picture myself taking pictures of Central Park and dropping by Columbia U(that Ivy league-university you see in Spiderman 3) to visit a friend. Just like Ben Stiller's "Night at the Museum", I would visit that historical establishment. Mingling with locals, joining them in their daily commute to work armed with a bagel in their hands as breakfast. It took me sometime to realize, from the moment I said "No" to Iowa and "Yes" to New York that God has plans for me there...

Street ministry has always been my passion. I love conversing with street people, sharing and showing them the love of Christ that radiates from within. I would love to capture smiles on their faces in pictures (looking at them just the way our Father looks at us with a smile on His face).

A few more days left in this country. Yeah, I get emotional at times. I could use a little more time here and do more things, but my time is up. I've got to go. I feel that I'm leaving something very important (like a part of me that I can't let go). I miss my cell group. Still remember we started at about 5 people. Then it grew gradually. 7 in attendance is fair. And we moved to different locations for our gatherings. And then we'll get a drink in SS2 and sometimes some nasi lemak near Maybank. And I still remember I prayed with my cell 2 years ago, begging Him to give me favor from New York. And now I got it. I miss chilling out in Oasis though. The people I've met along the way. I miss the ping pong sessions (sorry if i made a lot of noise!).

New York will be full of uncertainties. Will my expectations be met? Will build a close circle of friends? Will I find my other half there? (How's their food? :-p)... Questions like these pound my heart like the Blitz of London 1940. I just want the Lord to be with me. Closer than a buddy, closer than a girlfriend and closer than a parent. Be with me on the plane, in Seoul, over the Pacific and to JFK and beyond that.

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path" Ps 119 : 105

Here is a song i find truly sacrificial and had taught me to offer everything to Him (though it's hard).

Offering by Paul Baloche

The sun cannot compare to the glory of Your love,
There is not shadow in Your presence,
No mortal man would dare to stand before Your throne,
Before the Holy One of heaven,

It's only by Your blood,
And it's only through Your mercy,

Lord I come,
I bring an offering of worship to my King,
No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing,
Jesus may You receive the honor that You're due,
Oh Lord I bring an offering to You,
I bring an offering to You...

*listening to this another beautiful piece by Baloche, makes me ponder on how sacrificial his(Baloche's) heart is. "I bring an offering to You", may I sing that to the King who lives within us.
"I bring an offering to You", may these words be my daily meditation of Him...

Of Sunday School Kids

A friend of mine once said that I was good with kids. She told me that I should try serving in Sunday School. So why not? I opt for the 3-4 age group in my church (Glad Tidings PJ).

After a whole year of serving there as a teacher assistant, I was finally "decommissioned" by Jessica, "my boss" for she gave me one month (June) off before I leave for the States. Oh yeah, about the kids... There were a mixed bag of nuts. Some are really quiet and shy (esp the girls), some just wanna have fun (esp the boys) and there's this particular pastor's kid (can't remember his name though) who always take the front and assume being the "Sunday School Teacher's Assistant". Really funny though! When it was worship time, he goes to the front and tells the kids to follow him in song ( while referring to the teacher). When it comes to the Word, (remember those cartoon bible characters your Sunday school teacher sticks on the white board?) he deliberately sticks them and repeats what the teacher has said about them.

I have to admit it, the most amusing time is during the art time. As the teacher gave the children the art work (kinda like printed papers you find in your coloring book), the kids begin their unique style of coloring. They gave people purple skin or perhaps colored the whole picture with a single color. David (a 4 year old) gave Jesus a brown afro! Talk about style!

I get pushes at the back at times and sometimes when I'm standing, David will come hugging my leg begging me to carry him (so that he'll feel like Spiderman).Oh yes, kids do fight here! Fight over toys especially. Well, that's Jessica's job though. She's the expert.

I never knew kids could be this fun.... Kinda teaches me to be like a father though. So, hear ye, hear ye, all creatures of God, do serve in your local Sunday School. Rewards are plentiful (and hilarious at times).

See the boy in green? That's David during Word.

During art time

A quiet boy( I couldn't remember his name. try zooming into his name tag)

The girls.. Quiet as ever (they finish the fastest and neatest)

A night with Him.

In the silence of night, armed with my trusty pencil and a soft rubber in which its particles are scattered all over the make-shift table, I began studying. I can't believe it. From circuits to inductance, large amounts of data are processed and stored in my "organic hard drive". At times, I grabbed the guitar struck a few notes accompanied with song. A moment of solitude..

Last Thursday, I was stranded in college until late at night. I was actually in Oasis alone. Well, not alone I guess, a friend of mine over to get a book and later left after a brief moment of conversing. And then I was alone. Alone.

I lay lazily on the couch and began to wonder in amusement how much God had brought me through life. Through high school, through college. I hate to admit it, but I'm going to miss INTI. Such irony! I used to dislike INTI's policies and now I'm on the verge of dropping a tear. Not INTI, but the people, the friends I have made and the friends I had bid farewell. That's life.

I talked to God. Telling Him how wise and sovereign He is thanking Him of all the things he has and is going to do in me. Of course the cliche description would be that of God is the Potter and I am the clay. Mould me as You wish. I would like to picture myself as a canvas. God is the Painter. Paint me as You wish.

I've got approximately 1 week left before I embark on a journey of discovery in the States. I prayed for the people I will leave behind and for the people I would meet there. I believe that God gave me pictures. Pictures of people I would meet there. He speaks to me with pictures.

After 30 minutes, I got a call from Mum. She'll come pick me up at 2315 hours. Guess, I have to move on. Move on to a different phase of life.

Here's a song that stirred up my passion for Christ. It sings of how sovereign our Lord is. Even His name has divine power. A name so powerful, that mountains bow down to His name.

Your Name by Paul Baloche

As the morning dawns and evening fades,
You inspire songs of praise
That rise from earth to touch Your heart
And glorify Your name,

Your name is a strong and mighty tower,
Your name is a shelter like no other,
Your name let the nations sing it louder
Cause' nothing has the power to save,
But Your name..

Jesus in Your name we pray,
Come and fill our hearts today,
Lord give us strength to live for You,
and glorify Your name,

*Bless Your name, Lord.

Mama-mia, Food

Here's an essay I wrote for my university:

A Truckload of Thoughts.

Since the dawn of civilization, human has always strived to advance politically, socially and economically. From the monuments of ancient times to the elephantine skyscrapers of the present, food is the prime factor behind all these accomplishments. It is food that made the world population reached the sixth billion marker. It is food has the power to kill or to heal.

This four letter word subject has come a long way through history. It was food that our ancestors raged war amongst each other; it was food that brought great civilizations to their splendor and glory and it was food that gave rise to technology. A growing population needs more land to cultivate food. When there is a land struggle issue, neighboring tribes will launch warfare against one another. To work, humans need food to produce energy. An ample supply of food will guarantee the prosperity of an empire. Ancient Rome, the Mesopotamians and Egyptians recognized the importance of food which in turn helped these great civilizations achieved their golden age and left a permanent mark in history. Food brought about technological advancement to societies encouraging them to further improve cultivation and harvesting techniques. An anthropologist once said: Food is the catalyst for progress.

In our present society where time is precious, society will always look for ways and means to carry out tasks in a fast and efficient fashion. Since the establishment of the fast food joint, our ever hasting society would make it a point to dine out with an excuse of being “In a hurry and there are much better things to do”. We stuff our bodies with huge amount of fast food classics like burgers, French fries and carbonated drinks ignoring the fact that this diet causes great harm to our body system.

As the name suggests, fast food is fast food. For the sake of speed and time, traditional wholesome cooking methods are replaced with the unhealthy deep fry technique. Tonnes of processed burger patties are submerged into hot oil. With the high temperature and the good conducting properties of oil, cooking process is extremely fast. [Adapted from Deep Frying at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_fry].

The fast food entrepreneurs claim that fast food is the way of the future; “..it is future food”. I could not imagine its detrimental effect on our health being. If majority of the crowd embraces this new fast food philosophy, I believe that the average lifespan will decrease to 50 odd years. Imagine walking down the street in the not so distant future, “admiring” the huge bulk humans have carry on themselves. It could be a “heavier Planet Earth”. Obesity is already a big issue here in the States. More and more people are dying of heart attacks rather than from automobile accidents.

Due to globalization, the fast food culture has spread to all four corners of the world promoting itself as a trend. Fashionably trendy, fast food has been assimilated to local cultures which lead to the invention of various local equivalents. In South East Asia where rice is the staple diet, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) joints have used local knowledge and integrated this worshipped grain into their menus. Their chicken dishes are served with rice. Furthermore, Pizza Hut in this region has made a few gastronomical pizzas. Browsing through their menus, one can expect unique flavors of pizza such as Tandoori Chicken, Masala and Kebab. Like the spread of Far East cuisine to the West, fast food is an exchange to the East.

Like designer clothes, fast food has a unique marquee in the market. The food industry tends to offer immediate satisfaction through the consumers’ taste buds. This is one of the strong selling points of fast food; it not only satisfies one’s hunger but bring instantaneous joy and amusement through the one’s taste buds. It is been promoted as a luxury, a social event and above all, a trend. Food advertisements on the media such as billboards, internet, and television all have something in common. Food advertisers make it a point to visit a fast food chain as if one pays a visit to a their local fashion boutique. A fashion accessory it seems, many have fall “victims” to these advertising campaign to the point many feel pressured to eat at a fast food joint because it is promoted as the “in-thing”.

“[In fact], food is the place where the needs of the body and the needs of the soul converge, to offer nourishment and the meaning in equal measure.” This phrase from Roger Scruton’s; Eating the World gave me an insight of how much food had developed into our private life until it has a significant spiritual value. I am a utilitarian. I believe that the moral worth of an action is determined solely by its contribution to overall utility. Food has no spiritual value; it is tangible, physical, designed by our Maker to offer us nourishment for our bodies. A chemical factory [body] it seems, it takes in raw organic materials [food], processes it, and outputs manufactured products [energy and nourishment]. This simple illustration clearly demonstrates the role of food to our bodies. It has no spiritual value, not a “need of the soul”. If one needs food for the soul, turn to God’s word for it is written: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

I agree with Scruton’s description about food being perceived differently amongst cultures and people of different social classes. Poor societies have no time admiring its presentation but simply consume food for the means of survival. However, the rich view food as “a luxury, an ornament, and an invitation to excess” [Cited from Roger Scruton’s; Eating the world]. If one shall compare food eaten by the rich and the poor, it takes little effort to distinguish its [food] respective aesthetics. In a nutshell, the poor “eat to live” where as the rich “live to eat”.

Though society will have various perspectives, food will always remain a vital part of our lifes. Food will continue to evolve with our ever changing society.

Big Apple it shall be.

It's been a whole week of thinking and praying(not that hard though), finally Stony Brook U, New York seems to favor me more. Here's my reasoning, U of Iowa gave me very little credit hours (38 out of 50 credits) and they'll continue with my transfer GPA (my GPA now is 3.01, not that good for an engineer). Well, Stony on the other hand, gave me 40+ credits and my GPA will be reseted. Down side is, they gave me a conditional admission, meaning I have to show them some improvement before they put me in Biomedical Engineering. I'll be placed in College of Arts and Science instead of College of Engineering until I show them I can get a GPA of 3.25 and above of any semester. Well, it's going to be exciting and they'll keep an eye on my math( I must get at least get a B for my future math courses). Sounds bad eh? Not! It's the opportunity to do some ministry here, baby. If I improve, then they'll see the dramatic change and they'll know that Daddy(God) is with me dogg!

Here's something to spice life up:

The Hip-Hop Prayer:

"Yo wassup JC! How's it going Dogg? I'll be hanging around Your crib sometime later but I gotta do your thing here now, yeah? How's G? Tell him I said "hey". He must be real busy taking care of business. Oh yeah, remind him to tell his boys to come look after me yo, it's crazy down here! Listen Bro, You gotta help me with my thing yeah? You're the Big Daddy, and I'm Your boy yeah? Feel me right? You gotta help me Man.. Life in this ghetto aint't good, peeps doing crazy things, I gotta tell them bout You. I wanna be phat just like You, looking cool doing Your thing. I gotta run now... I know You've plenty of benjamins yeah? Well send me some yo! I wanna get some wheels to move around. Fo' shizzle You'll bless me! I know it Pops! Oh gosh I 4got! You'd just remind me! I can't serve benjamins and You the same time! I gotta remain loyal to You, cos' I'm Your boy. Heaven yeah! I gotta run now Dogg...Holy Nikes!!! Sweet kicks man, they look real white and sparkling! I love your bling-blings too! Peace out yo and Amen JC. "

*Note:-
G-Gabriel JC-Jesus Christ phat-cool benjamins-cash crib-heaven

New York miracle!

Baby, yeah! Stony Brook University gave me a place dude! Talk about double blessing from Daddy! U of Iowa and now this! It's the 2 best universities out of the 4 I applied for. Indeed God has the best for me! After 2 years of struggling in college, finally something end up for good.

Stony is pretty competitive for admissions. Why? 1. Cheap 2. 40 minutes to Manhattan 3. Pretty good reputation. 1 out of 8 international applicants will actually get admitted. They require a 3.3 GPA but I'm a 2.97! Talk about a miracle baby!

Now, the Lord has blessed me, I've got to pray for which is the one is best for me.. Yeah...Iowa or New York? U of Iowa is more established (ABET since the 70s) but is more expensive. Stony is cheaper but they just got ABET for Biomedical Engineering last year(2006)! I've got an insider's tip, Stony's lecturers are pretty demanding, and someone told me that Iowa's is pretty tough too.

Now I'm in a dilemma.

It's a miracle baby!!

Oh dude!! You gotta believe this, I got into U of Iowa!! It's a miracle baby! I'm below their requirements and my transcript has Bs and Cs everywhere. They gave me an unconditional offer! Plus, they're are a very selective school and only enroll 7% international students! Instead of getting red packets this Chinese New Year, I got a WHITE PACKET with FedEx on it. And in it, instead of cash, is a letter of acceptance and a visa application form!! Oh yeah! Daddy gave me a white packet alright! Yeah! Dude!!Till now i can't stop laughing with joy, when i'm driving, in the shower, sleeping.. Let's give a shout out to the Dude up there who runs the show! WOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!

After 2 years of struggling in college, finally something end up for good! I have been reminded of the scripture :-

"And we know that for those who love God all things end up for good for those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Praise the Lord. Finally something end up for good for me.. Thanks Daddy.

All things work for good

It's been almost two years I started college. My grades aren't working the way I want it to be. Still experiencing God's favor in the midst of sorrow. I strongly agree that the love of God perpetuates my determination to press on, strive in times like these.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose"
-Romans 8:28

A verse so relevant to my current struggles. Give thanks to God for that. It's good that the Lord still is listening to His son's daily cry for help and replies with a timeless verse like this.