Bible Study Group going to Mid Valley

This Monday (9th Feb) was a public holiday and our a few from my Nottingham Bible Study group went to Mid Valley for a movie. Hinn, Audri and me left our house at 8.50a.m, meeting Kai Seng and Alex at TTS5 bus stop waiting for the bus that should come at 9.10a.m. Clarence should get on the bus in uni since he's staying in campus, Sarah and Hannah will go to KTM by car.

While waiting fot the bus at TTS5:

We waited and waited, telling jokes, talking nonsense... and it's already 9.40a.m, the bus didn't arrive (ya... we kena FFK). The movie will start at 11.00a.m, if we don't leave TTS5 by 10a.m, we'll miss the show. Finally, out of desperation, Kai Seng woke his friend and asked him to fetch 4 of us to KTM (Kai Seng, Alex, Audri and his sis) while me, Hinn and Clarence will have to wait for Sarah to pick us (so Clarence end up walking from uni to TTS5 :P).

Me and Hinn waiting for Clarence and Sarah:


Clarence approaching:

However, Alex is going to Pavillion to meet his friend and Audri's sis going back to Seremban, so they're not joining us. We reached Mid Valley around 10.50, Audri rushed to the ticket retrieving machine (if that's the name) and punched out 7 tickets for us (we booked the ticket online). I never knew we can obtained our ticket from machine... until then.

Although we missed the first 10 minutes, it's not a big deal~ The movie we watched is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which is also the 9th movie I watched in cinema in my life. It's my first time watching movie with such a big group, and also my first movie in Mid Valley. I wrote more about my pass movies in my life in my previos post - My 8th Time at Cinema in My Life. It's about a guy, Benjamin Button who is born to be old, and as he lives, he grows younger, and the movie is about his whole life. Overall, it's a nice movie with good storyline (3 hours) but don't expect much on graphics and excitement.

The movie finished at 2p.m, and we had our lunch at Fong Lye Taiwan Restaurant at The Gardens. It was so crowded that we had to wait for a while. Anyway, their dishes are splendid~

First dish, Hinn's duck glass noodle and my beef noodle:


Sarah's nasi ayam(?) and Clarence's nasi pataya(?):


Audri and Hannah ordered the same dish, boiling sauce fish?


Kai Seng's chicken also, and he ordered ground melon balls to belanja us:





After that, these people that don't know how to write the word "fat" continued ice kacang...


Next, we had a bit of shopping and went back by KTM around 5p.m. No doubt, holiday or not, KTM will still be full!

Thanks God for blessing us a nice holiday. In Jeremiah 1:5, The LORD has spoken "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world." No one understands us better than our God above. He knows what's best for us and he planned it for us. Life might be harsh at some point but believing it's necessary and even it's the best for it to happen in our live. Keep praying and we'll soon see the light ahead. I pray for Cleo that she finds her way in Christ, hope that she would be in a church that she likes. It's Aunty Elizabeth's birthday today, happy blessed birthday. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Above All

Well, as an introduction of the song "Above All", it's a Christian worship wrote by Paul Baloche and Lenny LeBlanc, both are very blessed songwriters and of course I LONGED to be like them. Somehow it's a very meaningful song with powerful lyrics and most Christian knows this song. This song is also recorded by Hillsongs, Rebecca St.James, Micheal W.Smith and others which are also great musicians that serve THE LORD. I suggest you take some time to check the song on youtube (I prefer Paul Baloche's version).

Paul Baloche's Story

It was a Tuesday morning where Paul was in his church, alone with the piano worshiping THE LORD. The thoughts of God is above all just came to his mind, and a voice spoke in him, "Lord, You are above all kingdoms, above all thrones, above all wonders the world has ever known...". Then, he fix in some simple melody for the verse, and it sounds good, but over the years, Paul was figuring for the chorus but he just can't get "the one" that he thinks it'll be the right one.

One day, Paul and Lenny sat together to write songs. Paul played 20 over songs for Lenny to listen, but only "Above All", a song with an incomplete chorus caught his attention. Lenny started to work on the chorus. Again, the words just came "Crucified... laid behine the stone... like a rose... trampled on the ground...".

"Whoa", Paul was impressed, "What a contrast, what a picture... that's Jesus! The One who is and always will be above all, was willing to be crucified and rejected, just to demostrate His love to an unappreciative world."

By the time they reach "You took the fall, and thought of me... above all." Both Paul and Lenny were in tears. The revelation hit them and broke their heart, that made them realize how worthy He really is, that He truly deserves our worship.

Lenny LeBlanc's Story

"When Paul Baloche and I finished writing "Above All," I somehow knew in my heart that it would touch millions of people." It all started when Paul and Lenny got together to write songs for Lenny's soon to be recorded project for Integrity Music.

Paul played him the verse of "Above All", and something in it really touched Lenny and he told Paul that it was a great idea. Paul also shared that he had written several different choruses for the song but wasn't happy with any of the version he written himself.

Early the next morning before Paul woke up, Lenny played around with some choruses idea and got a right one. Instead of bringing it great like any other ordinary chorus, they'll bring this low and soft. "Crucified... laid behind a stone...", and Paul really liked it. So they begun fine-tunning the song and then it's completed.

Lenny thinks that the reason "Above All" has impacted the world so powerfully is becuse it's such a beautiful picture of how a God that is above everything, would become like a rose, trampled on the ground, take the fall and think of us... above all.

Adam Jong's Story

Well, of course Adam Jong is nothing like the above mentioned musicians but just a noob keyboardist that only have 2 years of experience. It all started since I accepted Christ as my personal savior at 28th Jan 2007. Just don't know what happened and this guy is included in the worship team at the 2nd week of being a christian.

Greatful that Carl's one of the default worship leader at that time, that always wanted to try different songs (which are all new songs to me), and also Ruth and May that helped and encouraged me so much at my early spiritual life. Thanks for the worship team that patiently bare with a new learner to be in the team, who sometimes (or most of the time) mess up a lot. Thanks God for putting these people in my life (Thanks Cheryl for leaving to UK too, or else there won't be a chance :P ~kiddin).

So... Carl is the one that showed me this song, as one of the songs he did in one of the Sundays. Somehow, I wasn't aware about the song but just trying hard to get the chords right. But as I grow spiritually, now I understand that, how great musicians are made. We don't need to be piano diploma holder or any music competition winners, just the heart for the Lord, and He will open the way.

Being one of my most familiar worship songs, I used this in my very first worship leading session in Nottingham Bible Study Group. This is also one of the main songs that I played on Eve (my Yamaha keyboard) during my hard time. I have the habit of unleashing my emotional unbalance through playing keyboard.

And now... I'd come to this stage, where I used my own arrangement to remake "Above All", an "Above All" that somehow describe my feeling. Don't ask me what feeling it is, you decide from the song. It took me 6 days to complete this song, which means I slowed down in writing songs, or maybe I'm just afraid of something again...

Isaiah 64:5-6, "You welcome those who cheerfully do good, who follow godly ways. But we are not godly. We are constant sinners, so Your anger is heavy on us. How can people like us be saved? We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away."

Sin is the breaker between us and God, desires and temptations are always there. But because of God's unfailing love to us, Jesus paid the price, by dying on the cross, to be the bridge that connects us to The LORD, that washed away all of our sins, eventhough He is above all things... yet, He loved us so much. LORD, I pray for Colin who is worship leading in Nilai Sunday Service for the next 2 weeks, hope that You'll be with him. Also for the Nottingham students, who just started our new semester. Pray that this semester will be spiritually and academicly enriching. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Chinese New Year 09

This is somehow a different Chinese New Year I spent. When I was still studying in Nilai UC, we only have 2 days of holiday for Chinese New Year, so it doesn't worth to fly back to celebrate. Besides, I don't celebrate Chinese New Year except having the Eve family dinner and taking Ang Paos from relatives. So, last 2 years, I stayed in Nilai and went Mid Valley with Audri, luckily Uncle Chan and family will organize a series of Chinese New Year activities.

Talk about this year, I just finished my first exam in Nottingham University, and had 2 weeks holiday. I spent the first week (which is 1 week semester break) in Nilai, joined their CF and stayed at the Student House with Colin. Have a lot of fun with Tze and Colin though. Thanks a lot for taking care of me during my stay, Colin. Uncle Chan and family brought us to visit so many places: Putra Jaya, Dengkil, Petaling Street (my first time)...

What makes this Chinese New Year different? My parents are coming! I think their sick of me not going back again, so they just came over. Coincidently, my Gu Ma 姑妈 (Father's sister) and her husband (from Scottland) came to Malaysia and based at Bangsar, so we'll be staying there for the New Year week. I'm spending that week like a retired man, sitting at the balcony at 8th floor on a condo which is on a hill enjoying the views and wind~ syok.

Day view at my Gu Ma's balcony, this is Bangsar:


Looking down at the housing area, should be all the rich men area:


Sunset at the balcony (click to enlarge, this makes a good wallpaper):


Now the night view:



The red light in the middle of the night sky is Genting Highland:

My Gu Ma is really good in cooking Western and Chinese dishes, and she cooked too much, and I have to clear most of it since I'm the "kid" there. Luckily for the dinner during first day of Chinese New Year, another family (also my relative) from Belakong joined, more "kids" to help.

Do you believe this is the food portion for 3 people and Gu Ma called it simple:


Dinner during first day of CNY, 9 people (including 3 kids excluding me):

The Ang Paos I get this year... is so far the largest ammount I ever received (if I'm not mistaken) *I won't tell the ammount :P*. I don't really like going to people house do so many things just to get Ang Pao *so ma fan and time wasting*. However, due to my popularity among my relatives (or my mums' auntie club), Ang Paos will just come automatically.

The teaching of Isaiah 58 is about true and false worship. "Stop oppressing the helpless and stop making false accusations and spreading vicous rumors! Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day." It's already 2 years since I accepted Christ, and I still cannot say that I'm following Christ 100%, and this chapter reminds me that my true motives behind every move I made. I shall try working more for the LORD, maybe I'm not enough to be a light, but at least a reflector, than pass the light to others. I pray for Colin, Tze, Matthew and others who are still struggling in Nilai UC. I also pray that Shaun and Robert that just stepped into the working industry, may LORD be with them as they will face a very big change of life. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

1st time in Genting Highland

It was the 2nd day where I ended my exam (20th Jan). I walked to Uni to take away roti telur and roti susu for dinner. There's nobody at home except me and Audri. On my way back to my house, I met my coursemates Lynn, William and Charly in a car waiting for Chris for dinner just in front of the bridge. I stopped by to chat a while and ended up being in the car. Charly and William just finished their last paper, so they're quite excited.

Although I took away roti for dinner, I followed them to Restaurant 52 for dinner, and that's a BIG dinner. They're talking about going to Genting Highland at night, and asked me and Chris to joined. I knew it's going to be time consuming and it'll drain all my energy, but since I'm in holiday mood, I agreed. So we left Semenyih at 10.30 p.m, William was driving.

They said it's going to be 2 hours drive until we reach Genting, but honestly the journey isn't that long as I thought. Spending time talking with coursemates can be fun, although I don't know them that well yet. The road up to Genting is really tough, William is really good for being able to get us up safely.

We arrived Genting at 12p.m something. It wasn't as cold as I expect (since I'd been to Mt.Kinabalu) but I really LOVED the breeze and the haze. Since it's my first time at Genting, they brought me around to have a look, but basically most of the shops are closed. They are really excited with the cars around there... (I have no sense of car, so it's OK for me). Then we had a drink at Starbucks.

Oh ya, I discovered something fun. By using flash to take pictures, the haze somehow turned out to be snowy in the pictures, looks like UK. It feels so good to enjoy ourselves in "UK" after exam.

Everyone is so excited meeting this thing...



In Starbucks:

Everone's satisfied and we returned at 3a.m. Something unpleasant happened on the way back, William's car ran our of refrigerant, and the temperature of the car risen. We stopped after the 2nd toll, refilled the refrigerant with drinking water and waited for a while (there goes another chatting session).

The car somehow performed quite stable, but we stopped at a nearby petrol station to add water , and sat down to have some chating again. Luckily the whole car are Mechanical Engineers (soon to be), I think I'm the only one that doesn't know how to handle the situation.

Well, I never knew that so many things can happen in one night because of taking away dinner from the cafeteria. Finally, we reached home safely at 5a.m. Isaiah 55:9 says "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your thoughts." LORD, thanks for blessing my journey and this little time of fellowship with my coursemates in Genting, the way You plan is really amazing. I pray for the people that are back to their respective places gathering with their family, pray that they will have a good time to strengthen their relationship and also break down the misunderstanding or barrier in between. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.