for those of you who doesn't know what "NS" means, it actually stands for "national service", students from the age of 17 are randomly selected to go for light army training for 3 months and this selection actually include girls as well, weired isn't it? anyways, there's plenty of decisions made by this government that i never seem to understand. okay, let's not get political, let's talk about my visit to one of the "NS" camps last week, brought a few youth with me as well.
as we didn't know the exact location of the camp, we needed to wait for our guide and leader ps.hock from new life pj, btw i am from new life cheras. so our meeting point was at McD's about 10km off the camp site. since we were waiting there, we decided to have dinner as well and to my surprise this McD is very different from the KL ones....
first i walked thru a door to get somewhere and i am greeted by this nice little garden...
then i was greeted with this beautiful tree branch art...
ta dah....this was the place i was going to....the toileto....
cool leh...the toilet in McD banting so nice one, how i wish all the McD toilet in KL is also like that...
above is some pics that i took while we were in the NS camp, these young people come from all over malaysia and they are really fun to be with. in fact, they seem to be better in a lot of aspects compared to our "spoiled" youths in church for example, more disciplined, more initiative, more attentive, more interactive during teaching.....i better not say more, otherwise it would really make our youth look very bad (btw, our youth is not bad one lah, they are different & special in their own ways, still very great young people to be with)
here is a list of countries that they will be stopping by: KYIV, Stockholm,Sao Paulo, Kampala,Paris, London, Manila, KUALA LUMPUR, Jakarta,Johannesburg,Cape town, mexico city,Vancouver,Seoul, Hong Kong, tokyo, sydney
some of key people that will be here:
Chris Tomlin
Christian worship leader and songwriter, Chris Tomlin, has written songs such as "Forever," "We Fall Down," and "The Wonderful Cross," and he is considered one of this era's top songwriters for the church. With millions singing his songs weekly, the native of Austin, Texas is recognized as a pivotal voice of today's modern expression of Christian worship.
His undeniable energy is charismatic and contagious. Avoiding the trappings of public performance, Chris stands beside the people he serves, raising his voice to God with them so that they share God’s presence together. "God promises that when we draw close to Him, He'll draw close to us," he says. "That's what I hope happens through these songs." Rooted in one central truth, that God is the center of everything, Chris is shaping the language of worship for generations present and future.
Partnering with the Passion Conferences, Chris has also been involved in leading worship for thousands of college-students across the nation.
Chris’ albums include The Noise We Make, Not to Us, Arriving, and Live from Austin Music Hall. He has five songs in Christian Copyright Licensing International’s Top 60 and four more in the service’s Top 500.
David Crowder
When he realized that almost half of his fellow students at Baylor University were not attending church, David Crowder partnered with Chris Seay and started University Baptist Church in 1996. David led worship there with his band and he began writing songs to incorporate into the worship times.
Eventually the church released an independent CD, Pour Over Me, followed by All I Can Say in 1999. These CDs brought the band to a wider audience and invitations to festivals and events followed. The band is signed to sixstepsrecords/Sparrow Records and has released numerous other albums.
In September 2005, the band explored a new realm of musical diversity in their album, A Collison, combining a mix of bluegrass, folk, alternative, and worship, woven together with a touch of electronic ambience. This release landed them the #2 spot on the iTunes Music Store and the #39 spot on Billboard 200 only one day after its release.
The band tours the United States continuously, performing at various locations. These events include Fusionand Leadnow conferences, which are created byRightnow, a division of BluefishTV. The band still makes it back to their home church in Waco, Texas almost every Sunday.
Their other albums include The Green CD, The Yellow CD, Iluminate, Sunsets & Sushi and Collision. They also released the song, Turkish Delight, on the Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia compilation CD.
Louie Giglio
Passionate communicator and innovative thinker, Louie Giglio, began his ministry to college-age students at Baylor University when he established a campus-wide Bible study in 1985. Desiring to see spiritual awakening come to the college campuses around the nation and the world, Louie went on to launch the Passion Conferences in 1997.
Passion Conferences represent a movement that exists to glorify God and unite students in worship and prayer for spiritual awakening in this generation. The Passion movement is on the forefront of modern worship and is sweeping across the nation. As a part of the Passion movement, Louie also heads up Sixstep records, a partnership with Sparrow Records.
Desiring to reach across denomination and ministry lines, Louie began 7:22, a Bible study designed to reach and impact single adults in the metro Atlanta area. Functioning under the umbrella of the local church, 7:22 unites 3,000 singles weekly for worship and teaching.
Louie is the author of The Air I Breathe: Worship as a Way of Life and I Am Not but I Know I Am: Little Me, Infinite God, Amazing Life.
Louie and his wife, Shelley, are members of North Point Community Church, where he occasionally speaks. They reside outside of Atlanta, GA
You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It
seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire soon the pots came to boil.. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, 'Tell me what you see.' 'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma the daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
You might want to tell this story to those people who mean something to you; to those who have touched your life in one way or another; to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose friendship you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in your life.
It's easier to build a child than repair an adult. This is so true.
bumped thru this story in a friend's blog, decided to "pinjam" her blog story in my blog. coz this is something that is just too touching man, many of you will be in tears....
this is the story as written from my friend (carmen's) blog:
This is a true story!
A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?'. The father who, despite having a heart condition, says 'Yes'.
They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's request of going through the race together.
One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.' To which, his father said 'Yes' too.
For those who don't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island . Father and son went on to complete the race together. View this race at.....
Hi everyone, the annual Love Cheras is here again. Last year we had about 6000 people from all over Cheras and Malaysia attending the carnival, we expect no less this year. Hope to see all of you there. The details is as follows:
You are Rachel Dawes. You tend to get yourself into unbelievably crazy situations, but you are always safe by the end of the day- with a little help by friends, of course! You are not a complete damsel in distress, but you do rely on others for a lot. Your goodness and integrity can not be matched by anyone else, and people respect you because you are always honest and true to your word. You are not manipulated easily, and go the extra mile for causes you believe in. When you say you are going to do something, you mean it- and nothing will get in your way!
You are part Aragorn. You are a born leader! Not only that, but you are also a good fighter. You are the one usually put in charge of things and you aren't afraid to do it.
You are part Frodo. You're a bit of a wimp...but, if you must do something, you will overcome fears to do it. Even so, you are a caring person who likes to have friends. You don't look or think like you were born for greatness...but you never know!
You should be on Survivor. Your competitiveness and unwavering focus to win at all costs makes you a natural for Survivor. You are athletic and intelligent and know how to subtly convince people to do what you want. There's no doubt that you would be the last one standing- so grab a torch and get out there!
You are Han Solo. You are a strong, take charge type of person. You know how to use your wit and charm to get whatever you need from anyone and you can also be a tad vain at times. You are a quick thinker and know what to do in any situation. You are popular without trying and have a great life!
You life would be an Action Flick. You live for the adventure and run on adrenaline. You are fearless and aren't one to let anything stop you from what you need to do. You most definitely are a thrill seeker, which sometimes gets you into trouble. However, you always find a way out of whatever predicament you find yourself in.
You should live in Paris. The city of lights will appeal to your appreciation of beauty and romance. You are a lover and a poet by nature, and Paris' sensitive charms will be a perfect match for yours.
this movie is definitely one of the "must watch" movie for this year 2008. this is one show that the villian got more attention than the hero himself, and i think he "joker" deserves it. sorry batman, you were just too predictable.
one cool movie man !!!
if only i had one of these bikes at home....
the hero and the villian, one is shady and cool, the other cute and naive, i leave it to your guess which is which...
the hero in real life without his suit, looks pretty cool himself but i still prefer Val Kilmer
credits to the make-up artist for creating this "look"
no way will this ever be a "good guy" or "hero" look, would definitely cause nightmares for kids if they ever saw this "look" in real life
there are very clear traits of Heath Ledger in this pic (memang it's him mah), too bad he couldn't live to see this show being screened and his "look" being so well-accepted as the villian. i would definitely vote this to be "The Villian Look Of The Year 2008"
