Pink Floyd has a song which goes : We don't need no Education! I don't know if any of you have heard it, but I am listening to it while writing this post. One morning when we were getting ready for school, my housemate started singing this song around the house! I know the song kinds of sums up her feelings about school. The frustration she has towards the warped up school system!

We complain that the system back home is STRESSFUL! We are highly tempted to throw in the towel and say I give up! I am sick of having to do so many assignments, I am fed up with horrible test grades, I am tired of studying ... blah blah blah!

Having a chance to observe the school system here, I have to say that we do not realise how fortunate we are to be studying in Sgp! We complain that our study breaks before the exam are too short! We have too many notes to study and we can't finish studying everything on time! Do you know that in my friend's university, there is no such thing as study break! The syllabus will only be finished the week before the exam and only then the exam papers will be set! To clear a subject we need a 50??? Here they need a 60! Some of us have projects to "save us" however down here they have none! If they fail their subjects, they are given two chances to clear the subject again and each time the bar to pass gets higher! From what I gathered, 70 is needed to clear the final repaper! Moreover each failure will result in a cumulative point system, if you hit 24 points you will retain! While typing this a picture of a Pressure Cooker is in my head!

I am working on a project somewhat like QQS, with a team of foreigners together with local varsity students. Currently we are mentoring the Sichuan Orphans, at the end of one year we are hoping that we can pair each of the 130 orphans with 130 local kids in hope that the buddy system will help them integrate into society (:

Ok why I brought this subject up is because we are teaching them about daring to dream, how to break up their dreams into reachable goals and working together with others to achieve their dreams. Many of them Dream to go into Varsity! Their thirst for knowledge is simply infectious! However only a small number can eventually make it into uni! So do treasure the chance to be educated! One of my takeaway from the lesson was that though the end product is important however the process of getting there is more important than the actual results! Reaching the final point yourself is not enjoyable as working with others to reach it! Who doesn't desire good grades and a good job?? Your peers are going through the same experiences as you - namely School Stress! So instead of letting the negative emotions overwhelm you, why not take time out to encourage them and I am certain you will be encouraged in the process (: Keeping all of you in prayer : May you find joy in whatever you are doing and the Lord will bless the work of your hands :) It is easy to feel dejected but God is a God of Love, may you have his heart of Love that during the most tiring situations you will still be a source of light for those around! *Like a lighthouse in the darkness!


random ramblings - just trying to piece together my jumbled thoughts about hearing everyone complain about how tired they are with sch life! Most of them have their masters or phd here! So I am motivated to improve myself :P Down with the negative thoughts swirling in my head telling me I am dumb!!! Big Boo to the status quo!

Appropriate attitude...

Daily i'm beginning to have a better understanding of what it means that our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world...

sometimes i wonder.. when we think of the second coming we think of like physical wars.. but perhaps it's more than that. surely there's a spiritual war, but i'm not talking about stuff like that. i'm referring to mental and emotional wars. The wars that makes our brain and heart rage against God.

I'm talking about the advert that pops up every recipie site i visit. the one that screams 'lose your tummy fat in 5 steps', or 'get ABs!' i'm talking about distraught school students buried in their sea of stress.. screaming 'DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..... lah...' sounds familiar?

i don't remember jc being as tough. so i wonder, am i hanging around people who are burnt out? or does this intensity increase with responsibility, with age, or with waking up that we better pull up our socks or we're not going to live a comfortable life. I think perhaps both.

To be honest (don't want to offend anyone), i hate it. yes i do. It's the word that starts with a 'h' and ends with an 'e'. The opposite of love maybe.. some very taboo word (to me. cos it's pretty strong yah.) that i haven't used in a long time. i hate it, i dread it i sceam 'BAH' in my head and i want to roll my eyes everytime it happens.

i'm refering to having to deal with negativity. i'm trying. i really am. (i hope i don't sound like a whiney complianing thing) but i'm sick of it. i'm sick of being surrounded by friends that say 'DIE LAH' when we change a lecturer, or when a test date is announced. i'm sick of that negativity. i'm sick of 'HOW HOW HOW'. because you know, and i know, and they know, that there's just DO, there's no HOW.

REALISITCALLY, let's figure out what's on the line. say, if i don't hand in my report on time, my grades gets abit lower, (whether significantly or not is hard to say), say we ignore all other factors, and i get a job with a starting pay lower then all my friends. i don't die what.

However, that's not to say that all my friends are whiney and complainey. i saw this msn nick recently : You can call me stupid, but hey, my God saves!

i'm not joking, it was like a blast of light shone through the darkness that shrouded me and threatened to eat me alive. Choirs of angels sang "Hallelujah". because Hosanna.

talk about revelation. God uses MSN to talk to people man. It was breakthrough for me. BREAKTHROUGH. honestly, i can't describe HOW MUCH OF A BREATH OF FRESH AIR THAT WAS TO ME.

it was my medicine for disappointment. disappointment in my friends, church, myself, everything.

God WILL be glorified. Let me tell you again, God WILL be GLORIFIED. i know it. His grace is sufficient, His power is made perfect in weaknesses.

what i mean to say is, my friends are whiney, but God can change them. i don't love my friends enough(love is patient about whiney friends), but God can change me. people complain, people are ungracious, people are disappointing, but God saves.

Die lah, but God saves!

great song

i have been wondering for weeks now what that 'Spirit of the soverign Lord is on me now' song was that we sang in church cos it was quite cool.. :) we sang it again today and i took special note of the credits thing at the bottom left so i'll be able to search it! yayness. It's called From ashes to beauty by Tom Read, performed by 'the vine band':



cool stuff.

Spirit of the Soverign Lord is on me now / to love / to speak / to heal / to preach / Spirit of the Soverign Lord is on me now / giving life / You turn ashes to beauty / mourning to dancing / anguish to songs of praise

Spirit of the Soverign Lord is on me now/ to go / to free / to give / to feed / Spirit of the Soverign Lord is on me now /spreading love/ You turn ashes to beauty / mourning to dancing / anguish to songs of praise

Pour Your Spirit over me / let Your love rain down / won't You take these hands of mine / and use me / Pour Your Spirit over me / let Your love rain down / won't You take these feet of mine and lead me

You lead me to the poor / that's where you are / You lead me to the weak / that's where you are/ You lead me to the lost/ that's where you are / lord i want to be where You are

Second-Grade Theology

I was once asked to teach religion to a classroom full of second graders for a twelve-week period because their teacher was on maternity leave. I readily accepted and excitedly and prayerfully prepared my lessons. For the first few days, the children were kind of quiet as they sized me up. I enthusiastically showed them my love for God, and they began to relax.

During the second week, they started asking questions. I was thrilled with their curiosity and tried to answer respectfully to the best of my ability. I did fine until little Joey started asking the questions.

"Who is God?"
"He's our creator," I responded. "He made us. He is full of goodness and love."

Another hand went up. "Where does He live?"
"Well some say He lives in heaven, but God is not limited - He lives inside each of us. He's everywhere."
"How can He be everywhere at once?"
"Because He's God, and He can do all things."
"But how do we know there is a God?"
"We believe in God - we use our gift of faith. Jesus came to earth to teach us about His Father, and the love He has for each of us."

"Is He a person?"
"Is He a spirit?"
"What is He?"
"Does He eat?"
"Does He sleep?"

The questions came as fast as I could answer them. Hands were raised all over the room, and I tried to give everyone a chance to speak. Joey's hand went up again.

"Why can't we see Him?" he demanded.
"Why can't we see Him...?" I repeated the question out loud to give myself time to think.

More hands were going up all over the room. I needed help. I called on the Holy Spirit for guidance - the last thing I wanted to do was to be untrue to these children of to God.

I saw a persistent hand waving. "What is it, Hannah?"
"I know why we can't see God," she said.
"OK, Hannah, why can't we see God?"

"We can't see God because we were born with veils over our eyes. As we get older and learn more about God, out veil will become thinner and thinner. We'll learn to love God and others. The closer we get to God, the thinner our veil will become and the stronger our faith will be. But we'll never see God clearly until our veil is completely removed. On that day, we will be in heaven with Jesus."

My eyes were glazed over as I thanked Hannah (and the Holy Spirit) for this intervention. I told Hannah I believed she was absolutely right, and asked her where she had learned that.

"My mom told me," she replied matter-of-factly.

By Elaine Mitchell
Taken from "Humour for a teacher's heart"

___________________________________________________________________

Well, the above passage came from a book I read recently, and though it was meant to be humourous, when one calms down to think about what this little girl, Hannah said, one cannot help but think about our own walk with the Lord.

Our eyes are veiled, and only as we draw nearer to the Lord, and know more about Him, only then can we truly understand the power of the cross. That our eyes can only see what the Lord sees if our hearts are first in sync with Him. The Lord chooses to show us at His time what He wants us to see, and that can only occur with the decision to choose that gift of faith and walk with the Lord. Closely, intimately, ardently.

Let us press forward with faith, and trust the Lord for all that He has done for us. =) Comments are duly welcome, if anybody would like to discuss this. =)

You come like You promised You would
I want to surrender for good
I know that I need You
And I don't want to keep living life alone

So take my heart
and make it new
make it true
And make it like You
Take my hands
I lift them high
They're Yours not mine to do
Do what You will
Do what You will
Do what You will

I feel like a blind man in Your sight
I know that im wicked in Your eyes
So wash me and make me shine like the sun
I want to tell everyone
that You're the only one

So take my heart
And make it new
Make it true
And make it like You
Take my hands
I lift them high
They're Yours not mine to do
Do what You will
Do what You will
Do what You will

I'm ready now