kenapa orang dewasa susah banget put down their pride ya?

Gengsi tinggi, ga mau disalahkan, kedudukan dalam masyarakat, nama baik ... Gara-gara itu semua I learnt that masalah kecil bisa jadi gede .... masalah gede jadi tambah gede deh ....

Jun, Viki, Niki sebelum pulang indo di pantai

Cepetan balik donggg !!!!!

Warming up before the match

Yellow - Aussie all star
Red - World all star

Virgin velocity girls?

Cheerleaders

Antreeee autograph and photograph ... 1/2 jam an bo

Me and Anton

On my way to NBL All Star game

me with sunny ... ^^ .. jelek banget ... hahaha

Macquarie VIP Seats .. hehe .. not quite

Me, Fenny and Anthony

NBL Star from China - Liu

I am from China too !! ^^

CJ. Bruton and Who?

NBL All star game

Enjoy the Jervis photos deh ...

Btw, just realized I did not take photos waktu kita di beach .. Jervis bay kok ga ada photo lautnya? hahahha ... I guess most of the time di pantai I already spent it playing volley ball or swimming .. hehehe ... But thanks for the trip again .. Ayo ayo .. share dong photos2 nya .... tengkiu ... ^^

Ada cowo malu2 dibelakang 2 cewe berpose ... ^^

tuh cowo Malu2 atau stalking sih? :) ...

The food ... Itatakimasu!!!

Before lunch ... Hans, ngapain sih lu? haha

Me and Hans in the car ...

Everyone ... @ Jervis Bay - Cheers

Jervis Bay trip .... thanks for the trip everyone ... It was enjoyable bangettt ...

Nasihat2 praktis di akhir taun for myself

Hendaklah kasih itu jangan pura2. Jauhilah yang jahat dan lakukanlah yang baik

Hendaklah kamu saling mengasihi sebagai saudara dan saling mendahului dalam memberi hormat

Janganlah hendaknya kerajinanmu kendor, biarlah rohmu menyala2 dan layanilah Tuhan

Bersukacitalah dalam pengharapan, sabarlah dalam kesesakan, bertekunlah dalam doa

Bantulah dalam kekurangan orang2 kudus dan usahakanlah dirimu untuk selalu memberikan tumpangan

Berkatilah siapa yang menganiaya kamu, berkatilah dan jangan mengutuk

Bersukacitalah dengan orang yang bersukacita, dan menangislah dengan orang yang menangis

Hendaklah kamu sehati sepikir dalam hidupmu bersama; janganlah kamu memikirkan perkara2 yang tinggi, tetapi arahkanlah dirimu kepada perkara2 yang sederhana

Janganlah menganggap dirimu pandai

Janganlah membalas kejahatan dengan kejahatan, lakukanlah apa yang baik bagi semua orang

Sedapat2nya kalau hal itu bergantung padamu, hiduplah dalam perdamaian dengan semua orang

Janganlah kamu sendiri menuntut pembalasan, tetapi berilah tempat kepada murka Allah, sebab ada tertulis: Pembalasan itu adalah hakKu. Akulah yang akan menuntut pembalasan. Tetapi jika seterumu lapar, berilah dia makan; jika ia haus, berilah dia minum. Dengan demikian kamu menumpukkan bara api diatas kepalanya.

Janganlah kamu kalah terhadap kejahatan, tetapi kalahkanlah kejahatan dengan kebaikan!

Relationships! - where to go from here?

I've been enjoying myself for the past 8 months not thinking about relationship and just taking it easy ... I concentrated fully on my study, work and ministry... I had lots of fun, did lots of sports, meeting new people, building friendships, etc ... I approached people with no intention of building a relationships whatsoever ... Basically, I call these days, "Just friends period"!! ^_^

Well, of course there's pressure from all directions ... Friends started to ask me why don't I start looking? ... My pastor also asked the same thing ... He wanted to talk to me about it for so many times, but I meet him very rarely anyway and we ended up not talking about it ... I shared with my flatmate A and he understands and supports me .. My parents pressured me so many times ... But I did not move one inch from what I've already decided ... I will do what I have decided and stay true to myself without disrespecting those people who care about me ... The next time I start looking, I will give all my heart to it .. ^^

At the moment, I want to enjoy my time as single ... that's why I am not looking ... What's the point if I am not serious about it? Just for fun?? I can't do that although there is plenty of opportunities if I want to ...

The second reason is I can't have a relationships now since I am so busy with uni .. How am I suppose to have a relationships if I can't give my time to the girl that I love? Uni, work and ministry have consumed all my time .....

The third reason is I am going to EUROPE next year ... Yes, I have decided to go and will start preparing my departure ...

Last but not least, the reason of why I decided to stay single is because I still like a girl that I used to like ... I've tried so many times to get to know other girls that have the "potential" (have a heart that loves God and pengertian), but I guess love is very strange ... I don't feel the same way as I felt towards her ... I think I'll wait for her a little longer ... If it does not work out by then, it's ok because that does not mean that God hates me ... I believe God has beautiful plan for us ... and I trust that because of what I've been through these past couple of years ... No, not just these past couple of years, but throughout my life ...

I guess, I'll wait kalo Tuhan kehendaki ... Til' then ... Ja ne ..

Bleach theme song <--- sugoi

Sugitekita hibi zenbu de
ima no atashi nan da yo
kantan ni ikanai kara ikiteyukeru

Verse:
Isogiashi de surechigau hitotachi
yume wa kanaimashta ka
atashi mada mogaiteru

kodomo no koro ni modoru yori mo
ima o umaku ikitemitai yo
kowagari wa umaretsuki

Chorus:
hi no ataru basho ni dete
kono te o tsuyoku nigitte mita
ano basho ano toki wo kowashite
I can change my life

demo kokoro no nak subete o
totemo tsutaekirenai
kantan ni ikanai kara ikiteyukeru

Macquarie Xmas Party 2005

Susanto, Anton, Me, Maureen, Yang, Erik, Farris, Edward, Ritta

X'mas party 2005

Edward, me and Anton

Lawenbrau ... Mango Beer + pork knuckles

Peter, Susanto, Hilton, Bryan, Anton, Eric, Piew, Ritta, Anthony, Edward, Irene and me

With work mates at luna park .. Spinning machine ... That was cooll!

Hilton, me, Pene, Ahn, Hua, Yang, Ian, and Ritta

Should I go?

I've just been nominated by UNSW to go to Erasmus university next year ... I am inclined to go, after all it EUROPE man ... I want to see what it's like .. hehe .. but at the same time, it's hard to leave some things in Sydney ... My heart is probably still in Sydney and I don't want to leave it just like that ... There are many unfinished businesses here and It just doesn't feel good leaving it like that ...

2 of my friends have advised me to go ... my mum probably does not want me to go ... "it's a bit too far" she said among other reasons ... Not sure what my brother thinks ... Does he want me to go? What about my church friends? What about my work mates? we are getting closer and closer these days ... do lots of activities and sports together, etc ... More importantly, does God want me to go?

I need to find reasons why I am going ... "fun" is certainly not good enough ... Will I come back to Sydney once I finish? or should I go straight to indo? What will happen to me in Holland? Will I be ok?

Random Update!

Yuhuuu .. Got my uni results yesterday .. It's a lot better than what I expected ... much better than last session and I've got nothing to complain considering all the stresses that I've been through ... Thank God ..

Yesterday I had xmas party with FSG Macquarie .. The food was good, Enjoyed it thoroughly .. Did a bit of dancing on the floor as well, but not too much ... hehehhehe ... The party has got a theme .. JUNGLE theme ... I heard they spent about $100,000+ for about 500 people . Rumour says it could be more .. :) .. It was nice and enjoyable time ... Can't wait for the photos on Monday .... We took hips of photos ... hueheuhue

Amazing race at pemuda is today ... But I don't think I can play the whole game ... Must help sunday school with music ..

I am suppose to go scuba diving today, but the medical came too late ... So I decided not to go ... But I got the medical now, I think I might go whenever I have time ..

Memang enak jadi anak remaja (This song rocksss!!)

memang enak jadi anak remaja
tak ada masalah yang memberat
semuanya utuh penuh dengan tawa
setiap hasrat jiwa menggelora

*
tak akan kulupakan masa-masa ini
kan jadi awal kisah percintaan ini kan kumulai...

reff:
bebaskan aku oh mama
kuingin coba semua
hidupku tak berarti tanpa mencoba semua
benar salah takkan tertukar
kan kubuat dunia bangga
jadikan hidupku senang tanpa kekecewaan

memang aku masih mencari-cari
setiap titik pasti kuteliti

back to: * , reff

Meeting strangers!

I have met strangers who ask for my help during these past few weeks ... One of them was a young person who wanted to use my phone to message his boss to get paid ... He claimed that he did not have any money to recharge ... I was about to help him out, but after thinking more I was suspicious and asked him a couple of questions ... He was quite desparate .. I don't think I was in danger at all, but I just didn't want to get involved ... I thought "what if the boss message me back" ... "what if the boss is someone from mafia?" ... Then I refused to help him out coldly ...

I can be very COLD and CRUEL sometimes if I don't trust a person ... Trust is very expensive for me ... But after that, usually another part of me feel bad about it .. I thought: "What if that person really need the money?" "Has he eaten for the past couple of days" .. haha ... Anyway ...

I am just confused about what should I do when I meet a stranger asking for help ... I am no fool to know that some of them ask not because they are in need .. some of them ask for help to buy cigarette or drugs ... Being raised in country like Indonesia, I am also aware of crime triggerred by these sort of actions .... Sometimes I am just in a hurry and do not have time to help (like going to uni to study for exam).. ... But some of them DO genuinely ask for help

Another experience that I had happened today on my way to a salon ... I met someone who distributed a pamphlet about Jesus ... At first, I refused coldly again ... Meeting stranger sometimes scared me ... But after looking at what he did, I felt that I shouldn't do that .. He was a christian like me .. He sat in disabled chair distributing pamphlet about the gospel in front of so many people ... I felt moved and I spoke to him for a while ... He was a nice guy, maybe a good christian too ...

The point is, I want to be a blessing to strangers as well ... I remember there is a story in my church's bulletin about a program in television testing people's generosity and humanity ... The program tried to test people's humanity by using someone who pretend not to have money to go back home ... That someone then began asking money desparately ... The amount is not big at all, just enough to get back to his town with public transport, but no one was willing to give the money ... In the end, it was a beggar, old lady that gave him the money and she won the prize eventually ... She said something like this: "I am used to live in poverty and to be able to help out another human being who is in need is a priviledge .. " ... Mannn, when I read it I compared her to myself straight away ... Jauh bangett!!

Kepolosan dia dan ketulusan hatinya emang patut diacungi jempol ... I want to be someone yg polos like that .. I like people with a polos heart ... But at the same time I want to be smart as well ... or should I say wise ... Being loving and wise is the goal ... Afterall, I am still learning but I thought i might share my experience here ...

Kasih setia Tuhan (God's faithfulness)

When someone mention about the word "kasih setia Tuhan", the first thing that I remember is definitely a song with this lyrics:

Kasih setia Tuhan, didalam hidup ini
Tak pernah berkesudahan, slalu baru tiap pagi
Saat jalanku buntu, glap di seklilingku
.........

Love that song ... hehehe... I am just thankful that I can go through the year 2005, with all its ups and downs ... Finished exams for this year, and 2 more semester to go ... I feel God's been helping me with everything and his presence is the most important thing ... There was a good illustration in the sermon at church this morning ... A husband is satisfied with the wife, not because maybe she can cook well or serve the husband and the children well, but just the presence of a wife in the husband's life is the most important out of all ... The presence of a godly wife is what all christian husband should appreciate ...

Year 2005:
1. Stress pelayanan - kasih setia Tuhan
2. Stress belajar - kasih setia Tuhan
3. Stress kerjaan - kasih setia Tuhan
4. Stress relationship - kasih setia Tuhan
5. Friend's support - kasih setia Tuhan
6. Bible study group - kasih setia Tuhan
7. Growth in my christian life - kasih setia Tuhan
8. All troubles and hardship - kasih setia Tuhan
9. Reminder from God's word - kasih setia Tuhan
10. IPC - kasih setia Tuhan
11. Persekutuan pemuda - kasih setia Tuhan
12. Friends at uni and work - kasih setia Tuhan
13. Family - kasih setia Tuhan
14. A job - kasih setia Tuhan
15. Holiday - kasih setia Tuhan

Now I am in holiday mood .... uheuheuheueh ... played around with friends a lot these past couple of days ... had lots ... no ... TONS of fun ... This is also a blessing ... Kapan lagi bisa main2 kayak gini ... sedikit waktu lagi, and maybe I have a family to support and will not have time to play ... Now I just want to enjoy my holiday .... maybe reading books is a good idea, or I am thinking of doing a project for myself and my parent's shop in indo ... we'll see lah ... But definitely going out is in the agenda .. hohoho ...

Interested to buy "Narnia" by C.S Lewis ... heard that Alastairs have the series and I am thinking of buying as well ... I should enjoy reading stories like that ... Part of me is still a kid kok ... :)

Pingin banget pulang indo

Huaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ... Imagining indo just makes me really want to go back ... It's a combination of wanting to take a break, a good break with family, enjoying myself and my family presence .. Sadly I do not have enough annual leave and hence I am just staying here, taking 2 weeks break from work ...

I guess I just have to live with it ...

Stressful time

I can't say that I hate exam, because I consider it as a stepping stone to a higher place .. cieh cieh ... But I have to admit, that it's overwhelmingly and stressfully depressing ...

Reading lecture notes and textbooks for hours and hours and hours in the postgraduate commerce lab makes my neck hurt and on top of that I really lack motivation .... J asked me on Sunday why do I study so hard? I guess I just have to do what I have to do ... It's as simple as that ... I decided to take this course and I need to be responsible for it .... By not studying will send a bad example to people around me ...

On another occassion, I saw God worked in a wonderful way ... V, N and J saw a movie in the cinema (exorcism) and they had questions in their mind about that movies ... After they saw the movie, they started asking me all sorts of questions about demon, whether feng shui is alright or not, what does religion mean to them, and so on ... I always wanted to at least talk to V and N and J about God more often ... But did not have time to do so even though I am going out a lot with them for dinner ... And when I have the opportunity I was reluctant to do that, the occassion was just not right ... Tried to answer all of their questions and surrender everything to God ... But from that, I learnt some important lessons:

1. No matter how hard you try to testify, it's God who is ultimately behind everything
2. Knowing about the bible is good, but it must be backed up with a changed life .... Living a consistent godly life is hard and needs conscious effort ...
3. We must always want to learn more about God ... Quoting H: The time when we stop being teachable is the time when we stop growing as a person ..
4. Surrender to God to the MAX, Effort to the MAX, and always be thankful to the MAX
5. Be ready all the time to say the hope that is in you ... When I was asked those questions, I was a bit down spiritually and a bit tired as well ... I thought I was not ready, but I am glad that I was so full of energy answering the questions given to me .. haha ..

Gengki gengki ..

I know

Now I know
the pain of caring for someone but cannot express it in words
Now I know
the pain of wanting to see an important person saved
Now I know
the pain of being patient in the midst of storm
Now I know
the anguish that comes with a heavy heart

But more than that I know
that my God is greater than anything
Oo I know
that in my weakness I am made strong
Yes I know
that I am powerless but God is powerful
Most importantly I know
that He cares

Yes, I know.....

First Experience buying share

I just bought a share and made $560.82 in one day ..... Good first impression of the stock market, but I was ready to loose the money anyway!!! (wait until the market crash di, and u won't be so excited anymore)!!Sold the share already and take the money out! :)

MAS - FSG Conference

Well, maybe you wonder what MAS-FSG really mean? It is basically one division in Macquarie bank where I work for ... emm ...

MAS was held for two days, one night in Novotel Hotel, Wollonggong ... It was the whole MAS (one of Macquarie division) gathered and I met lots of people on that day .... Enjoyed the meal, the friendship and the whole experience ... But I found the talk was a bit dull ... I really like the gathering part and meeting up with new people (and of course my friends) and talking to them ...

The novotel was located near the beach.. I loovvvvee beach ... so I enjoyed it a lot ... Overall a fun experience and if I wished I could stay there a bit longer !!!

Today is saturday!

Horee ... Saturday is here after all hard work in the past week ... Thank God for weekends haha ...

Well well ... I guess I have to start studying now !! Can't be relaxing all day !!

Cayo to myself!!! and all my seperjuangan friends !!! We can do IT! .. emm ... with God and hard works!

Update from my *so called busy* life

1. Hmm ... I just got two results from one assignment and exam and I am quite dissapointed ... I was expecting them to be a higher than that .... But that's not what I want to share here ... On my way home today, I realized that I should give thanks in whatever situation it may occur ... I had gone through worse situations in the past and this is just little things in my way ... Just learnt from Romans, in the end it will work for good to those who love God, making more like Jesus, maybe more patient, generous, joyful and so on ... Now, I just have to pick myself up again and work little by little in this 4 weeks time ...

2. I guess I am a little tired of studying ... I can't really study much at home ... so many distractions ... by the time I got home, I am dead tired ... my body just won't function anymore ... :) ...

3. Just submitted exchange application form today ... next step is interview with the exchange officer ... Maybe I will do it over the phone .. It saves me from going back to uni during lunch time :)

4. Had a discussion about religion with work mates but it was going no where ... It was about why Christian was so strict about going out only with other christian .... Why can't we just respect others without trying to change the other partner to follow the same beliefs?*I don;t think christians forced the other party to become christian, God doesn't force us either* Tried to give an argument but I don't think it worked ... haha ... **I think arguing never works in the first place anyway when the two parties hold to their beliefs firmly**

5. I've Been going to work early these days ... so much work to do in the office ... it seems like I am burning out ... can't wait for the next 4 weeks to pass and I am free from UNI .. yippieeee ...

6. I learnt about company mergers and acquisitions in the lecture today ..... Funny enough, it is currently happening to one my uncle ... Someone is going to take over their shop forcefully ... I learnt some defense mechanism to prevent takeovers, but I don't think it will apply since they don't own the shop on paper ... It seems that they will have to leave the shop and let the other people takeover it ... what a sad story ..

7. I went through reading my blogs ... and yes .. it sounds depressing unlike me in real life :P ... haha ... I don't think I am depressed, but maybe I am a little without realizing it ... I will put some happy story later on ... I guess I should be joyful in whatever situation .. heuheuheuehueh ...

8. Tomorrow I am going for a 2 days company conference .. MAS (Macquarie something something) .. it should be fun .. we've planned so many things to do like playing board game ... I might bring some lecture note to read anyway ... I need to .. It's almost exam time ...

That's it from me ... Ciao!

Anxious about things

I am so anxious these days ... So many deadlines ... argh .. Feel like not in control with my situation ... But when you think about it, we are never in control anyway from the beginning ...

Just have to do it slowly and carefully ... Leave the rest to God ...
1. STUDY - I am a bit behind now .
2. Personal finance assignment
3. Exam on wk 14
4. Exchange application - so hard to arrange when I am working and studying ... not easy to find the lecturers and coordinators

Earn your respect!

I wish I could respect "B" like before, but I just can't .. I used to respect him a lot .. He seems nice, very knowledgable about God, mature and so on ... But after knowing this person I can't help it but dissapointed with the way he live ...

He does not live like other people think ... I guess, respect is earned by living ur life with integrity, keeping what you say and promise ... Earn it or u won't own it!

Share

Share - it is such a simple word ... but I think it has got a deep meaning ... It makes me want to share what I learnt these past months ... hehehhehe ...

These days I feel like people view me as a loner ... I don't talk as much as before, I don't gather with friends as much as before ... not because I can't but because these days I am really really busy ... I can still be someone yang heboh like before, hehe, I can even be more heboh than before .. hahahaha ... tapi sekarang I feel like talking only when it is needed ... Often I restrain myself from talking ... I feel like this is part of the process of growing ^^ ... I guess busyness makes me like this ....

Balancing between work, church, study, brother and friends and other things can be quite challenging ... fiuhh ... I sometimes feel guilty of not giving the best or when I don't divide up my time wisely, for friends, brother, and so on ... But I know God is good and He is always there whenever I call on Him ..

When I am alone or down (like doing assignment in commerce lab, haha), the only thing that keeps me going is the fact that God is good and He has shared his life with me ... I realize that in this life hate, bitterness, anger, joy, love must be shared with other people .... Sharing means active, not waiting /passive ... We might get no response, but keep trying ... All one can do is create his own path through hard work without being a loner and taking the easy route ... I wish that as the day unfold, in all things that I do, I will be able to share more and more ...

What good is it

for a MAN if he gains the whole world and yet ...
1. loses his soul
2. loses his family
3. loses all his friends
4. lives in bitterness and worry everyday
5. loses his God

What can the MAN give in exchange for those things? That would be a really sad story ... :(

First day back to uni - cape

Yesterday was the first time i was back to lecture in a while ... Mann, it was tiring ... I had to put heaps of effort just to stay awake *didn't understand most of what the lecturer said - haha - need to study* ... But it was good ... coz it reminded me to change my mood, after such a nice long break ...

These things awaits me in the next 7 weeks:
1. Personal Finance assignment
2. Capital Budgeting exam
3. Weekly online quizes for Investment Portfolio
4. Case studies for Investment Portfolio and Capital Budgeting
5. Final exams for those three subjects

Non-uni related thingy:
6. Meet Exchange officer and the faculty to submit the application form
7. Pay airfares to go back to indo
8. Bible study related stuffs
9. Buy mincer for mum
10. Apply for credit card
11. Buy ink for my printer
12. Change the electricity provider to AGL
13. etc ...

It comes down to 3 choices

Erasmus University of Rotredam - Netherlands
York University - Schullish Business School - Canada
Manchester Business School - England

Which one will it be? I can't wait to go ...

Jeremiah 20

Jeremiah 20:9
⁹ But if I say, "I will not mention him
or speak any more in his name,"
his word is in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;
indeed, I cannot.

*maju maju terus*

Giving

It is hard to give ... especially for me who comes from a chinese background and are currently in a situation where I need money to pay for my school fee ... It's not that I am in financial difficulties, I can still save up quite a bit, but then the problem is I always want to save more ...

Well, since I started doing my study, I've always been very stingy ... I don't give as much as I used to be for the work of the gospel coz I felt in need .... I counted the profit and loss, and counted how much I will save by the end of the year if I give and if I don't give ...

It's such a struggle especially when your salary is getting a lot bigger than it used to be ... Should I give or should I give less?

Talking about giving, I realize that everything comes from God .. When I give, I will make sure from now on that I give it with all my heart .... I want to be reminded everytime I give that I love God that's why I give .... That's what has been missing this year ... I wanted to save for the future, but forget that giving is such an important part in our Christian life ... sharing, giving to those in need, to gospel ministry and to your home chuch is important and God cares about us giving our money, time and whole lives to Him ...

Plan Plan Plan: my decision

When you go to an interview session, the interviewer usually ask you about your short term and long term plan ... It can be hard to answer given that our future is highly unpredictable and you can only answer it the best you can ...

Well, I have sort of decided about my short-term plan ... In just days, I've decided to pursue a possibility of going overseas for exchange student program next year (second semester) ... I am hoping to go to the U.S for 1/2 year if possible. It all seems good, but after looking into it more, it is hard to find universities that have "compatible" program to M.COM at UNSW... Most of them have an agreement with MBA from AGSM but not MCOM. I just have to wait and see after I meet the UNSW international exchange adviser ... If I can't go to US, I might go to Singapore or Canada ...

On the other note, there are so many people (3P = parents, prenz, and pastor) these days that tries to match me with someone ... :) ... Well, I have to thank all of you for perhatiannya ... It flatters me a lot on how much all of you care .. and yet, after thinking about it, I have also decided .... to remain single until I finish my study next year, fully concentrate on my potential .... to grow more, and to serve more .. Then I will seriously think about who I want to marry ... Is it going to be a bit too late? Maybe ... But I have decided that I am not going into any relationship if I don't think I fully commit to it ... So, end of next year will be serious beginning of hunting period ... haha :) .. Yoshh!

*God, man can plan but you decide everything. I surrender my short term plan into Your hands*

It's been a killer 3 weeks

Mann, I think I've just experienced one of the most packed schedule in my life these past 3 weeks .... Glad it's all finished now and looking forward to the mid session break in 2 weeks time ...

Another Weekend has passed!

Another weekend has ended in a flash...These last 2 weeks was pretty hectic, but I should be fine by next weekend (must do 1 more exam plus assignment worth 40% and 30%) ... At least I will have a space to breathe until the final exam ..

A couple of things:
1. Rose is going to Toraja next week (bener ga sih?) for 3 weeks ... wish u a safe trip deh rose if u r reading ... and also bisa jadi berkat disono ...
2. Andy is going back to indo soon, for good ... I think I am going to miss him ... I have seen so many of my friends come and go ... But everytime ada yg pergi pasti sedih ... especially Andy is part of my bible study and he is good friend, hard working, and very caring kali too ...
3. Jemy is back!! He is going to stay here in Sydney with his wife ... and will probably apply the job vacancy at where I work now as IT support ...
4. Got a lot of CD from Hilda ... wih I don't think I will have a chance to listen to them all .... so busy busy ... but thanks anyway Hil ...
5. I think I am glad for the difficulties that I faced in my life so far ... I thank God because through all that, I can understand people with similar problem a little bit better ... One person in my bible study faced a problem that I faced about 1 year ago and I can testify how hard it was ... Been there before ... and hence I could at least try to encourage him (in my own way) to consider Christ seriously ...
6. I need to submit the leave form tomorrow .. I must plan to take leave during my final exam and want to take 3 weeks holiday in December ... The queue is very long already and I should delay no more .... Otherwise, no going back to indo this December .. walaw!
7. Bible study prep today was fun ... I feel like wanted to learn more about God and the bible ... The people was very critical and have the same desire to learn ... Even though I gave the impression of being bored, but was quite excited .... How good is that, learning the bible together with my fellow bros and sis ...
8. Had group meeting with my 5514 group. Lots of things still need to be done to complete the assignment due this Thursday ... Fiuhhh .. mati matiii
9. Tomorrow is mid-session exam for 5510 ... I have read the book but haven't look at the tutorial ... Must start now!
Until then my blog ... *Jane my blog*

*Mada mada dane*(not yet) and *moto moto*(stronger and stronger) ...

Peaceful life on earth? There is no such thing

I used to live a peaceful life with other people .. I think it is a priviledge, but come to think of it, there is a flip side to it ... I am not used to be in conflict with other people .. I always tend to make peace straight away ...

Life is so full of conflict and whether I like it or not, whether I am ready or not, it will happen ... I remember a couple of years ago, someone was pissed off at me ... I did not do anything wrong, but still I ended up to be the one saying sorry ... My friend whom I consulted said that I shouldn't feel that way ... That incident taught me a lot how to face life ... If you are not strong, people will do those nasty things to you ... I might do the same without even realizing it ....

What about us living as children of God? We should try to live a peaceful life if it depends on us ... do our best in every situation and show that we are not a wimp ... Be strong and loving sometimes is hard, but possible !

My chinese name is a girl name? MUMMMMM

Met a new friend today in a class .... Her name is Mei Na ... When she asked my name, I gave her my chinese name since she is from China, why not give her my chinese name ... We needed one minute to spell my name correctly ... :) .. After she figured out what my chinese name really is, she said, "wow, that is a very beautiful name, good meaning but it's for a woman. Shiek Ming yen, shiek ming yen sounds like a girl name, but it has a good meaning" ...

I laughed and laughed and laughed ... and she laughed as well ... so funny ...

Everyday I struggle

I guess feeling a bit tired because of so many things that needs to be done ... I am burned out I guess ... Everyday I struggle to live ..... whether it is at work, ministry, at home, uni ... I feel constant pressure from all directions ...

At home, dissapointed with so many things that I see at home ... there are so many things... like cleaning the room, house, and many other that I can't share here ...
At church, I feel some dissapointments on why no-one actually follow up my flatmates from church .. Why do I have to do it myself? On top of that I have to be strong and encourage other people ... Why do I have to do that?
At work, Pressure from doing one project after another and not being able to stay late because of lecture... I am struggling to tell others about Christ ... struggling to be examples in the way I work and produce results ...
With Uni, So many assignments and exams ... ARGHH!

Well, I came to pemuda today, heard a sermon from Bruce ... What a wonderful sermon ... Not that all my problems are solved after that, but in that sermon I see the big picture of God's grand plan since the beginning to end ...

God from the beginning is longing to have relationship with human ... When he called Abram, Israel, he wants other nations to be blessed through them .. God is longing to make his name known among the nations of the earth .. He longs to have a relationship with us .... That's why we are here on earth .... Hearing that making me feel like gado2 ... I long for that day to happen ... kapan kapan Tuhan? .. I feel joy, and I know that God is the one longing to make his name known among the nations ... Evangelism is God's initiative through us ...

So, having seen the big picture, I should stop complaining ... I wanted to be encouraged when I came to pemuda today, and I did ... knowing that the bottom line ....... at the end of the day ....... when nothing else can help us, It is God (my Father) that matters ..... It is to make His name known and to have a deep relationship with Him ....

So stop complaining and do your work! Be thankful!

Gift suggestion

Does anyone has any good suggestion on what to give for someone that is about to go back to indo for good? I am thinking of giving that person a book..
any recommendation?

My Sunday

2 blog entries in one day is quite rare .. haha .. but there you go ..
Today had a late morning church and followed by drama practice .. I guess I am still learning to act bit by but .. The drama is about passing the warmness/fire of Christ to the people surround us .. It was followed by Aldo's birthday ... He is 18 years old .. hahaha congratulation congrats!! akhirnya dah pass age boleh drink alcohol ? :P

emm ... Had KFC and met so many new friends at aldo's place. Wuih ... they are all so youngggg ..... hahaha ... But I am young too at heart ... Aldo's friends are quite friendly ... Ended up had a few conversations with them ...

Went home, slept for the whole 3 hours until 6.45pm .. hehe ... gubrak* ... Now I have to study ...

Packed saturday

Well, hello again ...
Today was really packed with good stuffs ... I enjoyed bible study and sharing with J about life ... Even though we look like problem-free people from outside, but we have got lots of problems too surprise surprise ... We pray for each other today about problems and surrender them to God who is able to do all things ... I am really encouraged by J's life .. J is very hardworking guy .. He does not play around with time and has sincere heart ... very sincere .. Emm, the thing that encourage me the most is the way he prays and commit his life to Jesus ... I guess I am glad to be learning together about God with him ...

What else yah? Bible study was good ... full with food .. hahaha .. physical food and hopefully the Word of God too .. emm, most people were sleepy today including myself .. Huh .. being bible study leader is hard because you have to motivate people when they are tired or sleepy or not in the mood ... Whereas before, I just slept and couldn't careless about other people ...

Went off to Damon's birthday, had catch up session with a number of people .. Happy birthday Damon .. 20 something huh ? hehehe .. God bless u I guess ... Pray that you grow more godly in the gospel ...

In the meantime, tomorrow is Aldo birthday ... So many birthdays ... aldo is probably a lot younger than me ... He is very open and tells lots of stories whenever we meet ... funny guy, very open unlike me ... apalagi yah? I guess that's all .. tomorrow mesti belajar nih ...

Morning morning!

Had a very good sleep (from 1.30am - 10am) hauhauha .. ... I almost forgot how to sleep well and relax these days ...
Today's schedule:
1. Bible study 12-3PM
2. Latian music for Pemuda 3.30 - 4.30
3. Pemuda 5.00 - 6.30
4. Damon's birthday party (6.30 until who knows)
5. Sleep - or do assignment if I am not tired ...

My life this week!

Life is good .. Thank God ... This week was very busy in terms of work and study (I feel like I am always busy these days). Two of my team mates at work went for holiday, so I end up had to do their works too .. Imagining it really makes me feel *hueekkk*... So many things to do at so little time ... I am afraid of committing to any more things these days ... I just don't have the time and I don't think it will be good for me, and the thing I will be involved in ... I'll just enjoy my life now to the MAX!! :) ..

One lesson that I learnt this week at work is that I don't have to rush in doing my work ... Do everything carefully and pay attention to detail as much as possible ... It is hard because many times I am not very patient with things and I don't pay attention to details as much as I do to the overall big picture ... I usually inclined to finish my work as fast as possible but with average result .. even though I could do much better if I just put little more effort into it ... So yeah, something to learn there ...

What else is happening yah? I guess uni wise I am happy because in every class I have got quite a number of friends ... Friends are no more a problem this semester .. hahaha ..... Forming a team is not difficult at all ... But, I am starting to feel the pressure of exams and assignments ... So, got to start studying A-S-A-P ... The problem is I've got less motivation these days!! haha ..

One thing this week is I met so many old friends from Bondowoso through friendster ... Well, I am so encouraged because God has worked in my friends' life ... They look like a good Christians (through friend's testimonial and the message that I got from them) .. hehehe .. even I got a message saying, "Can you help me with ....... ? But it must be legal yah, we are God's children kan?" .... they are also surprised that I am a christian ... Well, it's just amazing how God changes people's lives ... I'll definitely contact them if I go to Jakarta or Melbourne later...

I also met lots of people at work (some of them are new recruits), there's Katherine, Fenny, and Anton, Anthony, Andrew, Ahn, Penelope, Glenn, Peter, Edward, Hua, Irene, Jane, Suzanne, Bryan, Erik, Suwandi etc ... So much fun, interesting and challenging ... We talked a lot during lunch time and when discussing something at work ... Talking to them everytime always gives me more insights about myself, about other people and the world ... After doing some communication course, I am more aware of how I communicate with others now, my perceptions, etc etc... ^^

Alright ... I guess that's all for me this week .. Just had dinner tonight at Andy's place .. Thank you Leo for organizing the steamboat dinner .. It was niceeeeee! Appreciate it a lot .. Tomorrow is bible study and I have to prepare stuffs .. So, that's it for now! Gnite blog! =)

Ku Bahagia

Just saw some Indonesian movies - bring back memories from masa masa remaja ... lots and lots of memories .. Enjoy the lyrics from Melly (one of the best Indonesian song composer in my generation)

The song is EXCELLENT!! I will definitely sing this in karaoke next time ..

Artist: Melly Goeslow
Song Title: Ku Bahagia
Album:

di atas bumi ini ku berpijak
pada jiwa yang tenang di hariku
tak pernah ada duka yang terlintas
ku bahagia

ingin ku lukis semua hidup ini
dengan cinta dan cita yang terindah
masa muda yang tak pernah kan mendung
ku bahagia

dalam hidup ini
arungi semua cerita indahku
saat-saat remaja yang terindah
tak bisa terulang

ku ingin nikmati
segala jalan yang ada dihadapku
kan kutanamkan cinta tuk kasihku
agar ku bahagia

...

In the quietness of sleepless nights
I offer my prayer to Thee
Life's burdens I surrender
Sins I confess

Acknowledging that You are the One
You are the One
You are the One
The only One that my soul longs for

More of You oh the One
My shepherd You are
Make me holy and humble
In the presence of difficulties and uncertainties

...
...
...
...

Feel old

Don't know why, this past couple of weeks, I've been feeling really old ... Maybe I've grown up? hahaha ...

IPC Retreat 2005

SEPI ... that was my first impression when I heard there is not many people coming to the retreat. I did not have big expectation, being my normal self, went along with the flow. The theme of the retreat was mainly about being Christ's disciples: Walking with Jesus, live for Jesus.

Got a little excited on my way to Merroo convention centre, knowing that I will be in the same room as Hans, Andy, David Liu, Aldo, Freddy, Yudi, and Leo. I felt comfortable with some of them already and since I was not a room leader this time, I could relax a bit. I thought I will get to know some new people like freddy and yudi which is from Malang ... how good is that?

First night, I could not sleep .. There was too much noise in the room and I slept pretty late anyway :). I woke up pretty early and took early shower. The morning devotion was very good and hans led the devotion since he was the room leader. After that I headed straight to breakfast and session.

The first session was AMAZING .. We had to share in a group .. I was sort of leading the discussion, since no one took initiatives ... but the amazing thing was tante Hung2 and om David and Gaby Tjeng and everyone in the group. We had to share our struggle being Christ's disciple and pray for one another. Man, how God worked through that sharing ... I was seriously felt encouraged ...

Second session, I was so sleepy after playing basketball during the break.

The third session was good sermon and that night I slept having so many things in my mind, renewing my commitment to God about prayer and other things. Overall the kotbah was EXCELLENT ... praise God ... lots of application and follow through clear outline ... I guess the speaker is so experienced and love God ... He is concerned with young people's spiritual matters and he is so good even if I do not know him personally ...

Fourth and Fifth sessions were also very good ... I enjoyed the sermon series in the retreat very much .. When was the last time I enjoyed sermon? huh ... not lately I think ...

Got to know some new friends and come to think of it now, it was worth going ... Now, I just have to be discipline in the commitment that I made to God ...

Last advice from my ethics tutor

This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job.

Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.



Go forth and communicate!
Good luck!

noa@...

All things

Verse:
Every thing that we see
Every thing that we can touch
All things that we have
All wealth, all possession, and pow'r
Belong to our God

Chorus:
Naked we came
Naked we will depart
All glory to our God

Born with nothing
We'll bring none when we die
All glory to our God

Saying No / Yes to someone you respect

Personally, I feel it is hard to say NO, especially to someone close to you or someone that you respect. Some friends these days told me that I have a choleric personality in me. I don't think I even had this personality a few years ago.

At times when I am being choleric, I am turned into someone who strives to lead and be in control of things. I will say a big NO without any hesitation if I feel that's the right answer, and can be nasty too sometimes. The problem is, there is also the other side of me which does not want to dissapoint others. After that, conflict usualy arises within me and I think about it more at night when I am alone (post decision syndrome?) hehehe ..

Well, I had to say a big NO to someone I respect today, not because I don't want to help but I want to concentrate on other things at the moment and just don't have the time to help. Imagine my normal schedule for a week:

- Fulltime work 9-5.30 from Monday to Friday
- 3 nights of master course lectures
- do some reading and assignments during the week
- Saturday: bible study in the afternoon, followed by music practice and youth fellowship
- Sunday: church in the morning and followed by bible study preparation until 12.

Frankly speaking, I only have my rest on Sunday afternoon for the whole days. I just had to say NO or I won't be much help either and will even dissapoint more in the end.

Perceptions about God

One friend once told me this

• Friend(F): I heard in the bible God took away one person's wife and kill his children just to test if the guy is really faithful to Him and discuss it with Satan. That's really unfair and unjust.
  
• (I): Well, God is God and He can do whatever He likes. Our life is made and belongs to Him.
  
• (F): I wouldn't want to worship that kind of God even though in the end, I heard God gave the man a new children and wealth. Why would I? He is not just at all ..
  

• (F): It does not make sense to me that we are sinful because of our parents' sin and granparents' sins. Why am I sinful because of Eve? What do you think about a 'baby'? Is the baby sinful too? NO .. No way that is the case ..
  
• (I): We are sinful not because of our parents' sin. Sin entered the world through adam and eve, but we are sinful because we reject God and say to God: I don't need you.
• (F): Well, still don't understand, whatevaaa.
  

• (F): If there is a God why doesn't he come down and show himself to everyone and to me?
• (I): yes He did, 2000 years ago in the person of Jesus.
  
• (F): Oh in ancient time yes. Then I suggest he does that more often, maybe every 500 years. Don't be so lazy.

• (F): What are you praying for?
• (I): I say thanks for the meal
• (F): Emm, do you think if you don't work you can still eat like this?
• (I): No, but I believe that God is in control of everything. My work comes from God too.
• (F): Well, that's just stupid. God does not have anything to do with it, why should I pray to a God that does not contribute to this meal?
• (F): Well I don't believe in any religion. I think people misuse religion to have control over other people. I am in control of myself now.
  

• (F): So you are a christian aren't you? *giving some weird look in the eyes* .. Interesting ...
  

• (I): So what is it that you believe in?
• (F): I believe in myself. I control everything. If I want something, I buy it. I don't need a God to give me that. I am god.
• (I): Well, if you say that man is a god to himself, it is obvious that we do not have control over many things in life. That cannot be true.
  
• (F): I believe that in this life I should work hard if I want something. I like money, girls, and I don't think God has anything to do with it. You should work hard to get them and at the same time enjoy life. It is stupid to thank a God ....

Yayyy!! No more exam and evening classes

Fiuhhh ... at last .. I just finished my last exam today ... I think it went alright .... No more evening classes sounds really good .. hehe ... enjoying my life to the fullest ...

Relationship conceptualised

Relationship is like a cycle of love and trust:

• First it starts with love and trust .. Trust enables you to share life freely without fear ..
  

• It needs lots of courage to even start a relationship ... Trusting/loving people opens up a door to get hurt, because people is people. People is bound to hurt one another ...
  

• This is where love comes in ... Love forgives and is powerful enough to rebuild trust ..
  

• and so on and so on ....
  

**Endless cycle of love and trust**

**Falling deeper and deeper in love with someone,**
**we will be hurt more and more **

**Even so people still will still fall in love right?**

2 down .. one to go

2 exams down, 1 to go ... I wish this will be over soon .. The last one will be pretty hard though ..

First exam tomorrow

Well, here I am sitting in front of my PC and about to sleep .. My head is spinning around .. It hurts!!! and I am going to sit in my first master course exam tomorrow ... How do I best describe my feeling right now .. I think I just want it to be over soon ... That's all I ask ....

Last night I had a dream about me sitting in the exam, forgetting to bring important materials and ended up doing badly in the exam ... I hope it is just a dream ... Right now I just want to get some nap ... My head, my eyes, my neck, my body, everything feel sore ....

Yoshhh!! Exam .. Bring it on!!!

Today ... I switch my mood to exam mood ... I feel like I am going to war and so pumped up that I want to win so badly ... hehehe ... Pray for me that I may use my time wisely these 2 weeks ... !!!!!

Unless the Lord builds, VANITY

I like to put my thoughts in blog and this is probably another entry of that kind. It sounds depressing, but somehow I'd like to retain those thoughts to remind me about what's really important ...

Last night, I was doing some thinking ... As usual, I took my guitar, sit on the couch outside, play softly and start thinking ... I was thinking about many things .... My family, my friends, my church, my work, my efforts, my future, my plan, my home, my bible study, my study, and so on. I was thinking and thinking and thinking, while I held my guitar and playing it anyway I felt like playin .... It was so quiet outside .. I could hear water dripping from the toilet but that was it .... so peaceful, so comforting, and so quiet ... This was around 3 am in the morning ... so you can imagine what it is like ....

While in that situation, I was reminded about one verse:

Psalm/Mzm 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

Jikalau bukan TUHAN yang membangun rumah, sia-sialah usaha orang yang membangunnya;
jikalau bukan TUHAN yang mengawal kota, sia-sialah pengawal berjaga-jaga.

"That is just so TRUE" ... in my heart I said ...

I've experienced many things which unless the Lord builds, it is in vain ... But I was thinking again, surely men/women has done great things on earth ... great leaders like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa who is a champion of human rights, Napoleon who conquered Europe ....

So what does it mean then? Should I wait or should I do something? Will YOU build if I do not build?

The more I ponder into these questions, I was reminded of ecclesiastes series that we have done at Pemuda..Yes, the verse is so true that unless the Lord builds, open up a way, no men can fight against it .. This is done so that men/women may revere God who is the creator of all things ... This does not mean that we should do nothing ... Men/Women should build but at the same time we should acknowledge that it is because of the Lord's help that we can build it ... All glory in the end goes back to HIM ....

I was also reminded of David, king of israel ... I am just amazed how in his early life, he is described as a man after God's own heart ... He always asked God whether he should do something or not .... He acknowledged the Lord in all his ways and trusted the Lord ... and this is maybe where we are lacking today .... We might think that we have great programs/plans in mind, busy with "good" things in life, running 3 bible studies, active in ministry, doing higher education, work hard, doing business, but we fail to realise that unless the Lord builds, everything is meaningless ....

So whatever things that we have in our minds, let us acknowledge that unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain.

Life update

Well, I am starting to get used to busy life. Life is busy, but I am happy. Everyday is fulfilling and I have no regrets at all. A couple of random updates about me and people around me

• I am juggling with work and exam at the moment which will be on the 20, 22 and 27 of June. Started some revision already and aiming for PASS only this time. If I get distinction, I will be really happy. hehhehe ... Really happy!!! I mean it ...
  
• Currently doing 5000 words essay due this Thursday ... What a pain!!! Getting there, and thank God it is a group project. Group project has taught me a number of things: how to work with different people and trust that person to do his/her job well, which is a good thing. I have also learnt about how to manage group project better. Communication and trust really plays an important role to get work done properly.
• A bit sick (cold + caugh) today, I don't think I will go to work tomorrow. That means I will use the time to do my essay.
• One of my best friend, Jeff is going back to indo for good ... I need to contact him to have a farewell party before he goes back to Medan ... I wonder if I'd have the time to do that ...
  
• I envy my brother Jun these days ... He just finished his exam and got nothing to do the whole day ... Just relaxing and playing games, sleep, eat ... Fiuh .. what a good life man!!
• Jun just bought me a DVD player recently as my bday present .. Yay!! That means I can watch DVD whenever I am bored with my study now ... Video ezy is just closeby anyway!! hehehe ...
  
• And now, just have to benkyo benkyo!! Ganbate oooo!!!
  

True friends

Friends are hard to find. People make friends with other people and working together, encouraging each other, hurting each other and so on.

I am thankful that I have lots of friends and I am able to find some that I can trust .... Trust is the key to friendship and I just wanna give thanks to God because of this. Friends to me are very important, they add colours to my life, and life would be just boring without friends. They are there to share happy/sad moments in life and to give advise when needed sometimes. It will be interesting to see how all my friends going in 10, 20, or 30 years time? hehehe ...

Old man forgiveness!

It is funny that I feel the older you get, the harder it is to forgive someone. I can understand now, getting older (25 years of age) and all that. Sometimes, the matter is too serious and the stake is so high that it is just not in the agenda. To forgive does not necessarily to support that person keep doing wrong things to you and sometimes we should rebuke the person who has done wrong to us out of love for him/her. But I believe love should dominate our way of thinking.

When Paul said: "Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you", does that mean that we should forgive and suppress our anger? Since the model there is God's anger is still being pour out to Jesus, it is not free and there is a price that must be paid by someone. How about us? When we are angry with someone because he/she has done wrong to us, who should receive punishment?

Is it Jesus? Jesus died for my sin, yes, but this is not a matter between me and God, it is between me and other human being.
Is it us? maybe
Is it the person who has done wrong to us? I don't know, but if it is the other person, can it still be called forgiveness?
Who else?
Who should be punished?

"This is how the world will know that you are my disciple, if you love one another"
Arrghhhh, why is life so complicated? :)

Political matter

I always hate being so political. I don't see the point of doing it at all and I see it as an evil thing. Why? Because what you see might not reflect the heart of a person and that to me look like a hypocrite.

But now slowly I come to think that politics has its own place and it is not about saying/acting things that are different to your heart. It is a matter of knowing when to say/act and when to refrain from doing it. Being political is sometimes a good thing and I want to learn doing it more, but stay true to my heart at the same time.

MengenalMu

Bila ku buka mataku dan lihat wajahMu
Ku terkagum
Bila ku lihat hidupku dan karya tanganMu
Ku tersanjung

[Bridge]
Kar’na semua yang baik dalam hidupku
Itulah karyaMu
Kau bri kes’mpatan yang baru

[Chorus]
Dan ku ingin mengenalMu Tuhan
Lebih dalam dari
S’mua yang ku kenal
Tiada kasih yang melebihiMu
Ku ada untuk menjadi penyembahMu

The worst feeling

One of the worst feeling that people may have is the feeling of not being acknowledged by the group where he/she belongs to. You might be in the same group, doing the same thing, but the acknowledgement is just not there to grasp ... One of the cause is probably the inability to have the same mindset or knowledge as most people in the group ....

When faced with this kind of situation, there are basically 2 things we could do ...
1. Just shrink back and let that feeling of insecurity takes over
2. Realized that it is just part of life, even Jesus had to endure this during his life, and fight your way up ...

Which way will I choose?

No guts no glory

Hari ini aku decided utk pergi ke pemuda service. Pertamanya sih ga mau pergi, abis banyak banget essay yang due next week ... big ones!! Mann! I am doomed, tapi gara2 hari ini tugas main music, I had to go ... Tapi setelah pertamanya ngerasa setengah hati, I decided to give it a go. Tadi mikir kalo udah decide pergi, at least be there 100% gituuu ... So I did that and I had an encouraging time.

Ga tau kebetulan atau ngga, tadi Firman Tuhan juga menegur myself to run a good race, setting our heart on the things above and fix our eyes on Jesus. Well, akhir2 ini seriiiiiing banget miss out on saat teduh and other things soalnya busy banget sihhhh!!

And now, I have to go back to my essays. Got three big essays that I must finish before the ened of next week. Mannnnnn!! ..... so busyyyy!!

innocence

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

How can we do this? How should we apply this statement in real life?

Omedeto VicBas and Lydia

Congrats to Vic bas and Lydia for their wedding yesterday.

Pesan dari ex flatmates 1/381 Anzac Parade Kingsford: Put God as #1 and humbly serve one another. Last but not least: beranak cuculah dan penuhilah Sydney.

Omedeto!

Random updates

• My birthday this year makes me feel that I am surrounded by good friends and families ... I received lots and lots of messages, phone calls and wishes from friends and families ... There were also small surprise parties, which is sweet ... As one of my friend said, one year older means wiser .. :)
• I am very inspired by one Japanese movie that I watch (Gokusen) .... It is about a teacher whose relationship with her students is very close ... Lots of funny and touching stories ... It's really really really cool ... even I cried watching it .. hehehe ... recommended to watch ...
• I learnt this past year that whenever bad things happen, I should learn to stand up on my own feet and walk again ... That's life ... Never run away from problem and always overcome my fear boldly ... Fight and stand up like a man! :)
• I've just got a new job in the city ... The company I will work for is a financial software companies which sells software to big banks such as westpac and CBA .. I'll be working closely with my close friend at uni ... I am hoping to get more exposure in the financial world, hopefully this new job gives me just that ... It will also help me to save school fee coz I can get some back from tax deduction ... yuhuu ... The sad thing is I have to leave my current company ... I am sure they will manage though ....
• Victor (my ex flatmate) and Lydia's wedding is approaching really fast ... I am happy for them ... Wishing that they will enjoy one another's company in the Lord ... and always put the partner above him/herself ..
• I feel that I don't do as well as my friends in my course at the moment .. I don't know whether it is a factor of me working and studying full time or it's just me not used to making essays for assignments or my friends are really smarties people ... I feel I can be be good at computing, maths and science subjects but not so in commerce subjects .... Well, the good thing is that my attitude to school and uni has changed considerably since last time I did my undergrad .. I feel school is not so much about mark/grade .. Yes, mark is important and I should try to do well, but the most important thing is to be able to learn something and use whatever I have in me to apply that in my own style .... I feel at ease and do not feel any pressure at all even though most of my friends are doing better than me so far .. :) ... cheer up di! I will just do what I can ... Yosshhh!!!!
• Bible study 2 ways to live has almost finished ... I am hoping that my fellow members grow in love, godliness and in knowledge of God. I sometimes wonder if I am any better compared to other leaders/former leaders .. But it is stupid really ... I should not think like that and I should just do what I can .... Next is Romans, really looking forward to that ....

Jun, my little bro

This entry is dedicated to Jun, my little brother...

I personally want to thank God for Jun because:
1. Of his patience towards me all these years .. dia jauuuhhh lebih sabar dari me ..... jempoll
2. enak sering dipijitin .. hehe .. apalagi kalo abis pulang kerja ...
3. His humour always enlighten me everytime gua BT ...
4. He seems to be able to read my mind - strange but true ...
5. He is always one of those people who miss me the most when I am away .. waktu masih kecil n gua tinggal ke malang, dia nangis berhari2 sampe berminggu2 ... how sweet bangettt ...
6. He is the one yg know almost all my secrets ... I can tell him almost anything since he is not prejudice ...
7. Great advisor on love matters ... hehhee ... true true .. he counsels many of his friends believe it or not ....
8. He came to Australia and starting to know more about Jesus and his salvation ... This last one is the one I am most grateful of ...

**God, please continue to work in him .. May he know you, the true and only God ... May His love for you grow day by day as he also loves his friends, families and even his enemies ... **

Mengertikah

Hari demi hari dilalui
sibuk sibuk dan sibuk
tak ada waktu untuk ini dan itu
terasa cepat tak kunjung berhenti

Hari demi hari tugas menanti
Jarang bercakap cakap lagi
Banyak yang tak paham
Seminggu tak bertemu, sebulan tak bersua
Seratus tahun tak terasa sudah

Kalau saja bisa baca isi hati
Pasti baca dengan rajin
Kan dicari sampai ketemu
Diraih dengan seluruh tenaga

Mengertikah..................................?

Banyak hal tak kupahami
Dalam masa menjelang
Tapi trang bagiku ini
Tangan Tuhan yang pegang

2 Timothy 2:1 - Therefore my dear son, be strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 24:1 - If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!

The Heavenly Man book quote #1

Before I travelled to the West I had absolutely no idea that so many churches were spiritually asleep. I presumed the Western church was strong and vibrant because it had brought the gospel to my country with such incredible faith and tenacity. Many missionaries had shown a powerful example to us by laying down their lives for the sake of Jesus.

On Some occasions I've struggled while speaking in Western churches. There seems to be something missing that leaves me feeling terrible inside. Many meetings are cold and lack the fire and presence of God that we have in China.

In the West many Christians have an abundance of material possesions, yet they live in a backslidden state. They have silver and gold, but they don't rise up and walk in Jesus' name. In China we have no possessions to hold us down, so there's nothing preventing us from moving out for the Lord. The Chinese church is like Peter at the Beautiful Gate. When he saw the crippled beggar he said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!" Acts 3:6

In a similar way, I pray that God might use the Chinese church to help the Western church rise up and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. It's almost impossible for the church in China to go to sleep in its present situation. There's always something to keep us on the run, and it's very difficult to sleep while you're running. If persecution stops, I fear we'll become complacent and fall asleep.

References:
Brother Yun with Paul Hattaway, The Heavenly Man p.295-296m, Monarch Books, 2004.

A bet!

I made a bet last night with Jun ... If he stops playing game for two months, I will do the same thing by not downloading new animes (or even watch if he wants to) for two months as well ...

The point is not to limit his gaming time at all, but I am convinced that he is at a point of can not stop now (just like people can not stop smoking or drinking coffee) ... Wasting time on game too much is so stupid!! It is disrespectful to the ONE who give the time .... I do not gain anything from this bet ... nothing at all ... In fact I won't watch my lovely animes for two months until June ... How sad can that be? :(

Am I a dictator? and a book I am reading

This morning I was called a DICTATOR sama Jun sambil joking2 gitu lah ... It made me think whether I have that dictator character in me? hehehe ... maybe I do have it ...

On my way to north sydney I was reading a book called Heavenly man which tells a story about a person called Yun who is badly persecuted in China for preaching the gospel ... During the reading, many times I compared his situation and mine ... so different ... Here I can go to church, read the bible as much as I want to, and yet many times I am lazy at memorizing God's word, did not appreciate the opportunity in sharing the gospel .. , did not have the HEART to share it ... Indonesia might be a different story though .. My mum has warned me several times not to go to church in indo caused many people are anti-christian and there are many bombs targeted at the Church of God ... but Indonesia is still much better than what Yun experienced in China ... so cruel, treated like animals and yet God worked marvelously through him to bring the gospel to Chinese people ... Many miracles, unthinkables happen during his ministry but it was followed by great persecution and sufferings .. It is just like what happened in Acts to the apostles and early churches .... I can draw many similarities between the two stories .... I am about half-way reading the book now and can not wait to read more ...

2 Timothy 3:12
In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted

Outing

Aduhhh .. outing hari ini fun bangetttt ... pagi2 kita berangkat jam 9 dari kingsford ke national kuringgai park ... sesampai disono, we were a bit dissapointed sih, soalnya ujan gitu .... but suddenly the sun just showed his bright face, thank God .. We then proceeded with the plan, which is to have an ice breaking games .. There were quite a number of new people came, which is good ... The game was followed by bush walking for about an hour, lunch (nasi goreng java) and canoeing .... Overall it was fun

until ...............

There was an argument between X and Y when we've finished canoeing, which ends up with X punching Y in the face ... Not many people saw it, but me, Jun, Niki and Viki saw that incidents ... I didn't know what happened and was sort of confused coz I did not see the whole thing .. I heard that X said some rude words towards Y and one second after that "PUNCH" ... I tried asking both parties what happened and concluded that Y did not deserve the punch that he got ... I am pissed of with X ... REALLY pissed off ... even now ... how DARE he hitting my other friend?

Bazaar and random updates!

IPC, my home church in Sydney just had a bazaar today. There were about 8 food/drink stalls, baloon and face painting stall, video game and auction. There were probably around 500-750 people turned up all together, pretty good for doing it the first time. Well, I spent quite a lot of money on food (as expected, hehehe) and helped out a bit in auction and grocery stall. I really hope that we will reach the financial target that we are aiming for buying the new church at kingsford. Our church has just bought a new building at kingsford and we are still short about $80,000 in total.

Uni wise, it is getting really busy ... wondering whether I will have time to do anything else at all ... I am going to do lots of reading this evening since tomorrow I'll be going to kuringgai national park canoeing and bush walking .. It might be my last outing of the year .. really don't want to miss it ... Big quiz, essay, team debate, ERP projects are next in my diary ... It's a lot of work ... I'm just hoping for the best ... I missed a couple of morning devotion last week ... really bad bad bad ... It was a bit of a mess coz I had a quiz and essay due last week plus easter ... Should've managed my time better ...

Had a chit chat with my friends from Yogya, Y and F, yesterday night after pemuda dinner ... We talked about this and that until we arrived at the usual topic ... what else other than BGR (Boy Girl Relationship) .. :) ... Apparently Y is just like me, never had a girl friend before ... I knew that ... but F has had 2 relationships already ... So we shared lah ... until very late .. hahahaha .. it's always a good laugh with those two ... What shocked me the most was the situation in Yogya ... Not like what I imagined ... Heard that the girl there is so different to Sydney ... very agressive .. hehehe .. F said, in sydney there is no/rare communication between boys and girls .. tiba2 aja jadian langsung ... main belakang kali .. :) ... one day bisa ngobrol enak, the next minute udah kayak ga kenal aja ... Kalo di Yogya it's very different ... cewe ajak kenalan cowo di mall udah biasa .. cowok juga sebaliknya ... Tapi negativenya ya selingkuh ratenya tinggi ... hahahah .. F said kalo mau cari yg berkualitas ya di sydney aja ... di Yogya udah jarang katanya ....

In terms of personality, akhir2 ini kayaknya bisa dibilang me rada hyper deh .. outgoing personality nya keluar ... I am not in any kind of pressure other than sekolah and kerja which I quite enjoy ...

There's actually many things happen to me these days ... exciting things in work and other things .. It's just that malesss banget nulis di blog ... hahaha .. Thank God .. He is good sih .. in good times or bad times ...

looking for somethin' in life?

Wah.. It's been so long since I update my blog ... Anyway, this entry is inspired by the songs di drama easter ... enak .. t-o-p-b-g-t .. Dikarang ama jenny melody nya plus lyrics by Inggrid kalo ga salah ... Jempol 100x to both of u .. :)

It's about someone yg looking for the meaning of life ... Looking but never find ... the true way ... Only in Jesus you can find the way ... I dare to say that my life, your life, everybody in this world is created with God as the center of our life.. We will never find meaning everywhere else ... NEVER !!!! You can go up as high as the sky and down as deep as the sea ... you will never find the life the way and the truth except in Jesus who has loved us ..

Don't look too far .. Jesus is closer than you think He is ... Find him now .. Happy easter everyone ^o^

Three Main Value-Adding Activities: Ministry, Study and Work :-)

My life has been revolving around those three things in the last couple of weeks. There is not much time spent for doing other things. Try my best to balance my life, getting enough sleep, not neglecting other things that are much more important than my study.

Yes, I decided to do master course this year and hoping to finish by the end of next year. Even though it is hard, I really enjoy it so far .. In the course, I learnt so many different things, concepts, practical stuffs .. They design and restructure the course very differently to last year. All of the core subjects that all commerce students must undertake are very interesting ... reallyy ... It is just so practical, makes a lot of sense, useful and serve the purpose of laying the foundation for things to come in the course.

Why I decided to do master is still a bit of a mystery to me ... I've thought about it for a long time ... I've shared this with a couple of friends, but only late last year I had come to a decision to further my study ... It was a factor of there is a possibility for me of going back to indonesia, lots of spare time after work and wanting to learn about economics/commerce that make me decide to do master course. I've also been working for 2 years (1 year as a Research Assistant and 1 year at Holocentric) and feel it's just the right time for me to continue my study (enough savings to pay for the fee and my living cost) ... There is also other factors which is ministry at pemuda has come to a point where there will be new inti serving for the next term. It doesn't mean I don't minister to my christian brothers and sisters anymore, but I will be focusing more on bible study and music rather than doing administration as a member of the youth committee ...

It has been really good SO FAR, but who knows what will happen down the track ... For now I just hope to finish this as soon as possible ...

James 4:13-17
13Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.” 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Playing game, not good if too much

These days, jun play game too much ... I usually tell him directly or indirectly not to do that ...
I really want to spend more time talking to him .... Really really want to ... When I got home he always play game .. I don't have that many chance to actually talk to him .. man to man talk you know .. ^^ .. I opted not to tell him anymore .. I've told him many times already ... time for patience now I guess ...

above $100,000 salary?

I met with my uni friend yesterday. He is indian and apparently working for one of the top bank in Australia. We talked about many things including work and investment. We talked about that since he told me a story that he had lost quite a lot of money in the stock market ($65,000 out of his own pocket money) and I was interested in that since I am going to do finance this year.

Well, I was wondering where he got the money from that he could invest hundreds of thousand of dollar even though he graduated at the same year as I did. I asked him more about his work and all that. Apparently he started working since he was 2nd year at uni. It was quite extraordinary that he managed to work full time and doing computer engineering course full time. In the end he told me that his salary these days is around $105,000. It used to be $150,000 he said. And wow ... I was so ... how to describe it ... shocked ... BIG SHOCK ATTACK! It's not funny ... :)

Suddenly this jealousy entered my heart and mind. How come this guy get that much of a salary even though he graduated on the same year as I did? It's not fair ... I was jealous yesterday, REALLY JEALOUS OF HIM .. Imagine what I could do with $150,000 salary? *I will fall into greed and love of money I think*. I tried not to show that I was shock in hearing his story.

I came home .. I sat on my bed ... thinking about it ... ponder about his situation and my situation. It was not really appropriate for me to be jealous ... Now that I think about it, it was a sin to think that God's blessing in my life now as NOT ENOUGH. It is funny on how you can be thankful to God one day and the next day you just feel as though God has not blessed you with all that you need. Sinful people like me always need reminder that His grace is enough. YES, IT IS ENOUGH. He has given His Son Jesus, what more can you askkkkkk??? It is enough. I am much more luckier than him since I know the true and only God.

But the question remains, I always feel confused about the topic of contentment. I feel that to be content can bring you to a static non-progressing life. Being content may mean (not always) that you are opposed to changes in life, You always feel that you've had enough even though you can do better or should do better at work/school/business/ministry. How do you balance between the two, contentment and achieving? I am confused since I am inclined to think that content person is most likely more lazy than people who actively seeking things.

Paul in one of his letter says to slave, if you have a chance to be freed, take it. The question is should the slave feel content as a slave or should he seek actively for his freedom? If he seeks for it does it mean he is not content with his life? The bible teaches us to seek and be content. How do you balance between the two? My thinking now is that seek in the bible is related to the kingdom of God and all its righteousness. Being content is related to things of this world, the blessings that God has given us. We have to be content with God's blessing since no matter how hard you work it all comes from Him.

Any opinion?

Kenapa ya?

Feeling tired today at work .... well I don't really know why .... maybe last night did not have enough sleep .... and pressure are building up at work !! There are too many things in which I am involved at work, church and uni at the moment ....

Anyway I better manage my time more effectively .. One at a time di!!!!

Gile

I slept so early last night .. 8PM .. kecapean banget .. and now (4AM) can't sleep anymore ... hahahha ... Help!!

Happy Chinese New Year

Gong Xie Fat Chai to all that celebrate! :) .. Around my age I don't get the red envelope (ang pao) and I don't give one since I haven't got married yet .. Boring!! hehehe

Thank u God

Don't feel like posting anything, just want to say thank you to God. Thinking back on how I became a Christians, counting all his blessings, the ups and the not so up times, all the fun moments, struggle moments really overwhelms me. If not because of Jesus, I wouldn't be here and I won't be what I am now.

I want to do some fun exercise. Want to count God's blessings in my life since I am a baby. Hehehehe ... Well, of course there are too many to count, but I will try my best anyway ...
Blessings:

1. Thank God that I was born .. yuhuu .. Hello world!!
2. Thank God for mum and dad who raised me with all love and care. They are not perfect parents, but I know that they love me soooo much.
3. Thank God that I was not so healthy when I was a kid. That way my parents had a chance to show their love for me and I can get really close to them too.
4. Thank God for all the fun holidays that we had together as a family
5. Thank God that I have a lovely brother, Jun. He has always been the one that understand me better than my parents or friends.
6. Thank God for my mum who is always there when I needed help in anything.
7. Thank God for papa yg sabarrrr dan teliti bangettt ... a calm factor in my life.
8. Thank God for mama and papa yg always work so hard just to provide me with the necessities in life. All the tears that they shed, all the sweats and hard work, really appreciate it. They are very brave parents and ulettt banget .. Kagum kagum ..
9. Thank God that I had lots of fun when I was a kid. Watched cartoon, played video games, played with friends and many things ... wow .. PUASSS BANGET POKOKNYA !!! hehehe ...
10. Thank God for my sunday school teacher .. what a great work that you did for God!
11. Thank God that I had a chance to get "0 DUCK" in one of my test during primary school. Once in a lifetime experience .. hehehe ... I cried a lot at that time since I am not used to that. Masih inget booo sampe sekarang!
12. Thank God for all my friends in Bondowoso!! Made some really2 close friends whom I still keep in contact until now.
13. Thank God that I had a chance to go to malang for junior high.
14. Thank God that I was becoming somewhat naughty on my first year of junior high, so that God's grace were shown more abundantly when I got to know Him the following year.
15. Thank God that I move place the following year and met my friends who introduced me to Christianity.
16. Thank God that I believed in Jesus on my second year of Junior High .. YUHUUU!!
17. Thank God that I experienced a lot of opposition from my family after that. It made me stronger and long for Jesus' return even more.
18. Thank God for all the struggles that I had to bear on that year and the following year. Fights with parents, all the tensions, and tears .. It was so hardddd!!!!! still is !
19. Thank God for all my friends in Malang ... I really enjoyed being with them and cherished the fun moments that we had together ...
20. Thank God for all the fun times at school in malang .. Hahahha .. so many memories ... From studying, makan rame2, makan bakso, nasi duk2, all the restaurants, pinjem2 buku kalo lagi mau ujian, visiting kost cewe rame2, jalan2 sore naik sepeda/sepeda motor, ngejahilin guru, funny friends/teachers, belajar bersama, POR (Pekan Olah Raga)-> juara tarik tambang, and so on !! Seru deh !!
21. Thank God for my church in Malang (GPdI Hebron) .. It started with a small church but it has people with a full dedication to God. The people really loved God with all their hearts, always friendly and warm. The church now grows and became a big church though.
22. Thank God for giving me talent to play music (guitar). It grows since I played for remaja at Hebron church. Music is the only art that I am good at apparently .. hahahaha ... I am hopeless in doing ketrampilan ama menggambar ..
23. Thank God for giving me a chance to share the gospel with my friends and ended up loosing my face by not being able to answer my friend's questions about christianity. I was really down at first but after a couple of weeks I was even more motivated to learn about the bible more.
24. Thank God for all the care and attentions that my parents gave me even though I did not live at the same city as them. It's unbelievable really!!! I remember one night that I was sick and asked them to come to malang and they did!! I couldn't believe it myself at that time!
25. Thank God for making me decide to go to Australia after finishing first year High school.
26. Thank God for bringing me to IPCYF through one of my language indo friend (Mike boris bro) at Sydney English Language Center.
27. Thank God for giving me a chance to serve Him in music ministry at IPCYF too.
28. Thank God for my uni friends. None of my close friends are christians. Thank God, because of that, I learnt how to live consciously as a christian. Tried to share, but never succeed though ...
29. Thank God for all the fun times that I had at uni, belajar bareng, di lab, played around with computer chips, played games together, renang bareng, masak2, gathering .. hahaha .. gosh it was fun!!
30. Thank God for giving me a chance to live in International house. Met so many people and broaden my point of view.
31. Thank God that Jun came to Australia - for all the sharing time together - this sort of chances don't come twice in my life - I really cherish having an argument, fight, laughs, and some fun moments together with him in Aussie. Thank God because He gave me a chance to witness through words and deeds about Jesus.
32. Thank God for finishing my school and being able to graduate!! It's a proof of God's providence in my life!
33. Thank God for romantic feelings that I had to some people even though it did not work out for now .. hahaha ... Learnt a lot from those experiences, and really opened my eyes to certain things in life.
34. Thank God for IPCers - you guys helped me grow in my understanding of God. I learnt a lot during fellowship with all of you.
35. Thank God for pemuda, whereby I can learn to encourage and serve one another in Christ.
36. Thank God for all of my bible study groups that I had in the past, for all the leaders (awa, Jimmy Liang, Darwin) and the members. Bible study really made me think seriously about who God is and purpose in life.
37. Thank God for my former flatmates (senior), e.g. vic bas, arie, jeffrey, aliong, for all the sharing time that we had together, about life, God, cewe, ... You guys are awesome!
38. Thank God for all the failures that I had in the past. Through those failures I learn more about life and how I should live as christian better.
39. Thank God for all the successes in my life as well. Through those things I learnt that all things come from God and He alone deserved to be praised.
40. Thank God for today! coz He reminded me about all His goodness in my life.
41. Thank God because He made me stronger day by day. I trust that He will finish His good work in me, making me more like Jesus.
42. Thank God ......... -----------------..........

Banyak bener kannnn!! Ga abis abis dehhhh .. Amin! =)

Beautiful psalm

1 O LORD , you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD .

5 You hem me in-behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD ,
and abhor those who rise up against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

When God doesn't answer your prayer

I am currently reading a book called "When God doesn't answer your prayer". I am up to chapter 3 and so far it is pretty interesting ... Makes me wanna read more ...

angry

Here I am, sitting in front of my compie, tried to sleep for about an hour ever since 12AM but just could not do that ... I am angry to someone for acting irresponsibly on something ... I feel like not telling the person that he/she is wrong, but it got to a point where I could not take it anymore and had to do something, although that person might think that I am a nuisance ... huh, who cares ... I just want that person to be a little bit responsible for what he/she is doing .... and I pray that he/she would understand that I did that because I loved him/her.

In the mean time, I wanna get more sleeeppppp!!! tomorrow got church in the morning ..

Australian Day ... very memorable

Spent the whole day with some friends today. In the morning, I went to clovelly beach doing snorkeling (do i spell this right?) .. Well, that was the first swimming in years I think ... I haven't swam for ages, getting tired easily, especially in the sea. But overall it was a lot of fun ... I feel like doing it more .. :) ...

We then rushed to Ratu sari for lunch .. I reckon the food was pretty ordinary ... maybe because we didn't order the best that they have to offer .. hehehe .. Deb, if you are reading, what exactly did you order?? I need to know for future reference .. We ordered ayam mentega, cumi kapitan, chap jay goreng ama ikan goreng ratu sari tuh ...

We went straight to Juliana's place afterwards because Jule did not feel well today. She actually went home first ahead of us during our time in the beach. We wanted to see how she was going and finish swimming early ... We were a bit worried when we heard what happened to her .. She turned out to be alright, thank God. After that, we decided to go to Max Brener in the afternoon .. I ordered the waffle and WOWWWWW ..... It was the best waffle I've ever had ... EXCELLENTE .. IMPRESSIVE ... really really nice ... I want to go there again if I have a chance .. :)

From Max Brener, we planned to head home but somehow ended up at Juliana's place until late at night. It was really strange, but God is behind everything I guess :) .. At her place, we did a lot of sharing through truth and nothing but the truth game (the modified version of truth or dare game .. heheheh). It wasn't planned at all. Most of the questions are about Boy/Girl relationships and surprise surprise, there are a lot of openness in the conversation. We were honest with one another, sharing our good and bad experiences in relationships, sharing our lives basically. There were times where we can feel someone's sadness, but there were also many times of joy. It was so interesting. We closed the sharing with one statement that, each individual has his/her own strengths and weaknesses, but it will be wrong to base our confidence in those things especially in a relationship. Our confidence should be in Jesus who has saved us from our sins, redeemed us from this evil world. That is where our confidence lies ... In a relationship, the most important thing is both parties love God and are willing to be shaped, mould by God Himself so that both can grow and encourage one another in the Lord since our lives is not about us but about HIM. That is also the case with our relationships. We then headed to KFC Maroubra for dinner at about 10PM and said good bye to one another.

Well, that was pretty much my day ... What a day!! Definitely a memorable one !!