Just The Wei I Am

Magnificent - Live in London

2009-03-27T05:41:15Z

Magnificent

2009-03-18T05:29:26Z

A song titled "Magnificent". I like it, especially the second verse.. the lines "sing whatever song you wanted me to / I give you back my voice". I think the song describes very well the dimension of worship and fellowship with God. And yet, the whole gospel is in it too. Or rather, it is the proclamation, or even a creed, of a believer. Magnificent Oh, magnificent   I was born I was born to be with you   In this space and time  After that and ever after I haven't had a clue  Only to break rhyme This foolishness can leave a heart Black and blue   Only love Only love can leave such a mark  But only love Only love can heal such a scar  I was born I was born to sing for you   I didn’t have a choice But to lift you up And sing whatever song you wanted me to I give you back my voice From the womb my first cry It was a joyful noise Oh, oh Only love Only love can leave such a mark  But only love Only love can heal such a scar  Justified till we die You and I will magnify  Oh, the magnificent  Magnificent Only love Only love can leave such a mark  But only love Only love unites our hearts   Justified till we die You and I will magnify Oh, the magnificent  Magnificent  Magnificent

The Line

2009-03-11T05:27:18Z

Click to read properly

On a lazy afternoon

2009-03-02T05:18:30Z

I haven't written for a really long time. Sometimes I wonder, why do I keep a blog? Comments appreciated. The thing about blogs is that they can be so one-way. I do find discussion and conversation interesting. Anyway, given that this blog has been dormant for so long, I do wonder how many people still actually check it. Well, we shall see.

Happy Birthday!

2008-10-13T07:36:31Z

I just realised that this blog is 5 years and 2 days old. May it enjoy long life.

Flag Day

2008-10-13T07:07:19Z

I volunteered to help in a flag day as a collector last saturday. Truth be told, it was my first time. The experience was an interesting one in that I got to see many different types of responses from people. Those who didn't give

"I have no coins."
"It's okay."
"Nah. It's rubbish." Yes, someone actually said this to me.
Some smile politely. (I appreciated that.)
Some give a condescending look.
Some pretend you're not there.

Those who gave

Parents took the chance to teach their children charity.
One boy came up on his own accord, and looked really pleased after giving.
Some people make their way through the crowd to give.
Some gave currency notes. Mostly $2, but some $5 and even $10.
One uncle stuffed notes into our collection bags. It was something between $10-$20.
Some were smartly dressed, some were tough-looking.

The power of the arts

2008-03-11T02:39:52Z

I'm reading The Heart of The Artist by Rory Noland. It used to be compulsory reading for everyone in worship and arts ministry in church, but I'm not sure if it still is. In any case, for my own benefit, I decided to get the book. Helen from work also strongly recommended that I read it. So today I picked it up off the bookshelf where it had been waiting for months. The power of the arts

The arts can have a powerful impact if they're produced with the anointing power of the Holy Spirit. God used an anointed musician to open Elisha's heart to prophecy in a powerful way (2 Kings 3:15). In the same way, an inspired piece of art in the hands of an anointed artist can be extremely powerful. An anointed song sung by a Spirit-filled vocalist results in a holy moment. We Christian artists can't do what we do apart from the One who gifted us. Let's never forget that our message is not in glitzy demonstrations of our own talent but in "demonstration of the Spirit's power" (1 Cor 2:4). One theme running throughout the book of Ezra is that God's hand was upon Ezra and all that he did. We need the mighty hand of the Lord to be upon artists today. (21, emphasis mine)

Noland, Rory (1999). The heart of the artist: a character-building guide for you and your ministry team. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan.

Surrender

2008-01-08T01:40:34Z

Surrendering everything means being willing to say, "Lord, whatever You want me to do I'll do it. I say yes to anything You ask of me, even it means dying to myself and my desires. I will give up the things of the flesh that I want in order to have more of You in my life. I will go to church when I feel like staying home. I will fast when I feel like eating. I will pray when I would rather go to bed. I will read Your Word when I would rather watch TV. I will give when I would rather spend my money on myself. I will enter into praise and worship as my first reaction instead of my last resort. I will do whatever You say so that I can please You and move into all You have for me." This attitude of surrender means putting God first and submitting to His rulership. And it makes all the difference in our lives. [...] Why is it so hard for us to simply say, "Whatever You want, Lord, I'll do anything You ask"? It's because we want what we want and we're afraid of what God might ask of us. We think He might do something to hurt us. Also, it's not just a matter of saying, "Jesus is Lord." We must then do what He says. Jesus said, "Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). We doubt that what God asks us to do will be for our greatest blessing. But that's wrong. God just wants us to be on the winning team. [...] Jesus said, "Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:27). You can't bear His cross unless you surrender your life to Him. A surrendered life, a life ruled entirely by God, is one that can be used powerfully for His kingdom purposes. God doesn't want just part of you. He wants it all.

Omartian, Stormie (2005). The power of a praying woman. IMprint Edition. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers. p80-82.

Reflection on Warlords the movie

2007-12-14T19:24:24Z

Pang - The Greater Good A good guy, his ethics is utilitarianism. It is right to kill 4000 men in order to save many thousands. Er Hu - The Hero Also a good guy, he believes that there are imperatives that cannot be compromised. The 4000 men cannot be killed, regardless of the implications. Wu Yang - Follow the Leader Yet another good guy, his ethics is borrowed. Lacking his own, as a result, he eventually makes some tragic choices. Pang had morals based on his own reasoning. Dependent on his situation, his ethics was flexible. What was wrong in one situation might be undesirable but necessary in another. Wu Yang was loyal and faithful, believing and following Pang. When Pang stumbled him, he was lost without a source of ethics. Finally forced to make his own moral judgment, he did so badly. Er Hu, a former bandit, was inspired by Pang's utopian vision. Reformed, he chose to be a hero. His ethics were not dependent on the situation and are consistent. The right thing had to be done regardless of consequences to himself or anything else for that matter. Blameless to the very end.

He understands

2007-11-26T09:40:11Z

Sunday morning, I was feeling really down. But just one divine word, just knowing that He understands. That touched me at the core of my soul. I've found myself being drawn nearer to God, and really discovering that only He truly satisfies. And that my life is truly purposeful when aligned with His will. As empty as that often sounds, I must say that it is only as true as the extent to which I know Him, and the extent to which I commune with Him. Lord, I'm grateful that You've made that void in my heart tangible again. Please come in and take Your place. I know I do not fully yield, and I pray, Lord, that You would help me die to myself more and more, day by day. Amen.

My old phone number is a magnet ..

2007-10-30T05:21:14Z

.. that attracts Credit card cold callers Insurance company recruiters China phone scammers Timeshare cold callers The first 2 are still alright. The last 2 are sometimes interesting, and at worst irritating. Between them, I would have gotten about $75,000, a trip to China, a nice watch, and a free spa visit.

Makcik bagusnya!

2007-10-30T05:10:11Z

Yesterday evening, after work, 5 of us (CL, YL, KK, RY and myself) went to Auntie Hamedah's place for dinner. She was very hospitable and the food was very good. And there was so much, we couldn't finish. She kept making us eat, and we were all so full. Kenyang sekali lah! It was fun and everyone enjoyed themselves. Auntie is really motherly. Even in the office, she takes such good care of us. In our organisation with many offices across the island, our office is probably the cleanest, and we know why. Even at our individual workstations, she would arrange our clutter into some semblance of order. We're thankful that we're able to have such a wonderful relationship with her!

Who draws near?

2007-10-30T05:04:07Z

I often feel far from God, and desire His closeness and presence. When I pray, I would ask that He draw me close to Him, or that He would draw near to me. Sunday morning, during the prayer meeting, as we were waiting upon God, He placed this upon my heart: God is always here, and He always wants to be close to me. When there is distance, it is only because I am not drawing near. It is me, not Him. What have I done to draw closer?

Frente! on the M6 and X3

2007-09-08T19:41:36Z

"Marvin The Album" (Yes, all 3 words are the name of the album) by Frente! (yes, the exclamation mark is part of the name of the band) is one of my favourite CDs. It's one of the first CDs I bought in my life, when I was 14, and I have loved it since. Angie Hart's beautiful voice and the band's wonderful acoustic playing has always made this an uplifting album. Much more than their next album, the darker "Shape", which I also have but listen to much much less. Today, I listened to "Marvin The Album" again after a long time of not doing so. I wanted to hear how it would sound on my Meizu M6 and Crossroads MylarOne X3 combination. The M6 is lauded as a portable player with high quality internal components, making its output sound better. The X3 is an in-ear monitor (earphone that goes into the ear canal) that is lauded for its clarity in music reproduction, with good instrument separation (the ability to listen and focus on individual instruments in a musical recording). Both are excellent value for money. If interested, check out Jaben (blog, forums and online shopping) for information on the X3 and MeizuMe for the M6. Of course, if you're my friend, just ask me lah! Back to Frente!... I had already encoded the CD in lossless FLAC format so that I can play it on a portable player. Deciding that I would do The Listen tonight, I plugged in the X3, and switched on the M6 with anticipation. I knew it would sound good, but I wonder how good? The result: Very very good! This is my favourite CD for the most part of the last 12 years, and I've honestly never heard it sound so good. I had shivers down my spine by the time of merely the 4th bar of the first track. Angie's voice sounded so.... poignant. The piano was so.... musical. On the next track, one of their best, "Labour Of Love", the folk guitar was introduced to the album, and it sounded great! The choke-strum was solid, and I could hear the impact as flesh met string strings. The harmonics sounded as the closing notes sounded brilliantly bell-like, just as they should. On "Lonely", I heard a percussion instrument I cannot identify that I've never notice for there on the track. The bass playing on all the tracks was clear and not muddied, with distinct notes. And it is a very excellent arrangement, a very melodious and inventive bassist. I have to admit that I've never been able to listen to the bass on this album properly. I think this is the one biggest improvement the M6/X3 has made to my appreciation of this album. "Marvin The Album" is still one of my top favourites, and now I get to listen to it with a new-found appreciation.

New Gadget - Meizu M6

2007-08-28T10:17:14Z

Got this on Saturday. Will enthuse about its quality later. Was fun bargaining. The earphones (in-ear monitors, to be exact) are the pair I got some time ago - the Crossroads Mylarone X3.