He will keep you

those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isa. 40:31)

Grrr

Does commitment = time, energy, finances, mindshare, heart...?

Ineffectual, that's how I feel.

Unsettled within, the bottle spins again.

how are you?

Probably the most used phrase to check on one another. Or how's life? How's it going?

Friends, can't live with them yet can't live without them.

So who's your friend today?

Thoughts of the day

Stay positive. Don't be quick to dismiss.

It's sad... but seeking warmth under the hand dryer?

Drafting & redrafting a paper is like giving birth.

Symphonie fantastique is psychedelic music.

B vitamins keep one alert - really?

Capturing Energy

Was searching for pictures and came across this. What a wonderful thing it is to snap loved ones unreservedly.

CPI Up

Not-so-useless fact: The consumer price index in June 2007 was 1.3 per cent higher, compared to a year ago. See press release by DoS.

Giving

Giving of time but not enough mind oft results in frustration.

Argh.

Saviour King
By Hillsong United

And now the weak say I have strength
By the spirit of power that raised Christ from the dead
And now the poor stand and confess
That my portion is you and I'm more than blessed...

I love you Lord, I worship you
Hope which was lost, now stands renewed
I give my life to honor this
The love of Christ, the savior king...

Run, Watch, Sing

Did the Mizuno Wave Run today. The 10km run itself was a cool but muddy affair, owing to the early morning downpour. Pity because runners were more intent on avoiding puddles than enjoying the peaceful serenity at Bedok reservoir. Race management was disappointingly lacking (see readworthy takes by other bloggers: ShaunChng.com & Conflake).

Had a satisfying run nonetheless, though fitness level has dipped significantly (woe is me as insidious IPPT draws near). About 8,000 runners showed up - an encouraging sign that running figures in many S'poreans' lifestyles, i.e. I am not alone :)

The older bro instinct in me kept me looking out for my little bro. Was impressed that he kept a constant pace all the way - congrats, friend!

Midway, a song sprang up within:

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus

I'll bring You more than a song,
More than a song
You're looking into my heart,
Into my heart

exegi monumentum aere perennius

Odes III.30
by Horace (65-8 B.C.)

I have completed a monument
more lasting than bronze and far higher
than that royal pile of Pyramids,
which the gnawing rain and furious
north wind cannot destroy, nor the chain
of countless years and the flight of time.
My end won't be complete, and a great
part of me will evade the death-god:
I'll prosper on, fresh with future praise.
As long as the priest with the silent
virgin climbs the Capitoline hill,
high and low - where raging Aufidus
thunders, where Daunus rules over a
farming people poor of water - I
will be proclaimed to have been the first
to adapt Aeolic songs into
Italian measures. Melpomene,
accept the proud honor you have earned
and crown my head with Delphic laurel.

Forgotten Childhood

Courtesy of MINT.

Futility of Futilities

The mocking voice in one's life ever taunts and tears away at the walls within.

Youth, achievements, wealth, love even - such vanity of vanities.

An exercise in futility, everything seems, when you get a glimpse of what could have been.

Why bother? Why press on?

Now, a curse repressed breeds emotional constipation.

Humbug.

Flee as can be

Ever had one of 'em days when you enter the office and almost immediately get called for an urgent meeting and then you're caught unprepared at another meeting and the day just passes as you pore over something that seemed much simpler before you started and by the time the sun's set way earlier and so you leave the office with an annoying headache and the world just feels like it's too much to bear and you just wish you could disappear somewhere and shirk everything aside?

*gasp*

Bedazzled

Went shopping for da rock with J, advised by experienced M who's already planning for the wedding shebangs. Carat, cut, clarity, colour... and cost - overwhelming at first, but it's not difficult to understand.

Mind you though, da rock's just 1 of many considerations in settling down. You haven't even broached the ultimate plan for scoring that "Yes" and the whole suite of wedding obligations.

It certainly is a coming of age; M's other half commented, now I feel like I'm no longer a kid and I've to act like an adult now. And once things are set in motion, there's no stopping it.

So there, my buddies are a few steps ahead already. If I continue plodding along, I'll find myself watching movies on my own a year from now.

Quick, someone find me a date!

Fly Away

Jars of Clay

Some bright morning when this life is over, I'll fly away
To a home on God's celestial shore, I'll fly away

When the shadows of this life have grown, I'll fly away
Like a bird from these prison walls, I'll fly away

I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away

Oh how glad and happy when we meet, I'll fly away
No more cold iron shackles on my feet, I'll fly away

I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away

Just a few more weary days and then, I'll fly away
To a land where joy will never end, I'll fly away

I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
When I die, hallellujah by and by, I'll fly away

Wahaha!

BBC4: Double Science

Comedy by Ben Willbond and Justin Edwards about Colin and Kenneth, two science teachers at a sixth form college that specialises in drama.

When the Head of Science dies of a heart attack, his replacement is determined to revitalise the department. Colin and Kenneth must deal with their new boss and the constant harassment by Danny Woods, the pretentious drama teacher who cannot resist goading them.

Crisis Management

Ever wondered what to do if something really bad happens? Discovered SCDF's emergency handbook online while doing some research.

Journeyz to the West

From Wired.com: Gorillaz Frontman Goes Ape Over Opera

Loving Others?

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

1 John 3:16

If God loves me, who am I not to love others?

If even God can be grieved if we ignore Him, how would a man ignored feel?

What would Jesus do in such a situation?

Does love have to take the form of fellowship and help?

Would it be selfish for one to rationalize his way out of this?

What does being others-minded entail?

Tick Tocking Away

Day after day, time flies. The papers ramble on about global climates gone wonky. Watch thee now the hands that tell the hour. Lest one gets caught with his pants down.

Silence

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say this-- those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Psalm 107:1-9

In the midst of dryness, I find cool assurance. Looking back into the murky past, I wonder how far these tired feet have trod. And how far more must I press on. Silent is the sound of one crying in the wilderness.