IPPT 2011

Last Saturday, i went for my IPPT test. Thank God i managed to clear it. Not only that, it was an improvement from the previous few years performance where i can only get $100. This time i got $200 which is rather unexpected and very satisfying. After the test , i met up with Alex to have dinner at Clementi Hawker Centre.

wifey prayed for me before the test ;o)

An Officer and a Gentleman

Finally, the dust of GE 2011 has settled (somewhat) … it’s indeed been a watershed election of many talking points and a couple of politicians coming under the intense spotlight.
I would not be writing much on any issues here.
However, the gentlemanly and gracious manner by which our outgoing Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo conducted himself throughout the campaign and especially in defeat has left a deep impression on me.
Vanquished but much respected.. God Bless you … Sir!

"Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting."

The attitude of Generosity -Giving to people
1. Remember that God wants us to be generous towards people.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbour,
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— Proverbs 3:27-28
Self check 1: Am I a generous person? On a scale of 1-10 how do I rate my generosity?
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2. Know that other than in monetary aspect, we can be generous in many other areas.

Regardless of your financial situation, God wants you to look for ways to bless others. Let the following examples from the Bible encourage you to use your resources—your money and your home—to further the Kingdom of God.

Mary Magdalene and other women helped support Jesus and the apostles (Luke 8:1-3).

Joseph, a wealthy man, provided his own tomb for Jesus (Matthew 27:57-60). Nicodemus supplied expensive spices for the burial (John 19:39).

Priscilla and Aquila invited Apollos to their home to tell him about Jesus (Acts 18:26).

The Corinthians gave money to help impoverished Christians in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8 and 9).

Philemon opened his home for church meetings (Philemon 2).

Self Check 2: What do you think is one area which you can practice generosity in your current environment?
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3. Understand that there are some attitude to giving that does not please God.

Giving grudgingly…so give cheerfully:
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Leftover giving… so give sacrificially:



Giving with the expectation of receiving… so give unconditionally
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:35
Giving to be seen… so be discreet in giving… unless…
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:1-4
Self Check 3: Is there any attitude to your giving which you think might not be pleasing to God?
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Some resources on Giving
http://library.generousgiving.org/page.asp?sec=43&page=412

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/how-to-please-god-with-your-giving-gregory-griffin-sermon-on-giving-general-47208.asp?Page=1

We create an atmosphere of generous giving in the group, towards God and towards people


"Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting."

A Weekend @ Singapore Food Trail & Flea Market

Last Friday, there was no LG so we had dinner at home. Wanted to go for a late night movie but was feeling too tired and lazy so ended up staying at home through the night.
Felt a bit peckish so I prepared some ham and cheese for supper.

Saturday, woke up early and went Ghim Moh for breakfast with folks. Had my usual fare, folks too and wifey tried prawn noodles. Can feel the weather beginning to turn hot recently, so we decided to go for a swim at Queenstown swimming pool after breakfast.
We swam for about an hour and as the sun was beginning to scorch our skin, we decided to come up before we get sun burnt.

Went back and shared a packet of nasi lemak (bought earlier in Ghim Moh) for lunch. It was nice! food usually tastes exceptionally delicious after a swim. After lunch we watched Rumpunzel cartoon on the DVD. Both wifey and myself enjoyed the show as the songs and storyline of the cartoon were captivating.

For dinner, we decided to try the Singapore Food Trail @ the Singapore Flyer. I was excited and I think folks were very interested too. As there is an early BPL match between Man Utd and West Ham at 7:45pm, we left home earlier (about 5pm) to the flyer. I expected a large crowd but because we were early (thankfully!) the crowd hasn’t formed yet. We chose our seats at the open area and went to buy our food. Singapore Food trail is a 60’s themed food court with a wide selection of “retro” famous stalls.

Mom ate Tai Hwa Bak chor mee, wifey ate Bak Kut Teh, Dad bought Rojak, ice kacheng and cheng tng to share and I bought orh luak (fried oyster) and satay bee hoon to share. Its been quite some time since the whole family tried a new dinner place so the dinner was particularly enjoyable for me.
Deb and Family joined us a little later and they too ordered a wide variety of food to enjoy. As the crowd was beginning to swell near 6plus we decided to avail our tables and walk around near the flyer. The surrounding is beautiful and quite windy. Very relaxing to just walk along the track and take some photos along the way.

us with folks

dad enjoying the breeze

grandma with matty
We left the place about 720pm and headed home. Parking charges was rather costly at about $6+ for 2+ hours ( $1.20per half hour charges). Reached home just in time for the game. West Ham stormed to a 2-0 half time lead before Rooney led Man Utd to a 4-2 comeback victory. Dad was pleased as a punch of the final result. ;o)
On Sunday after service, wifey and myself joined Abel and Eugene for the first time to the flea market at China Square. It was very interesting there, with lots and lots of toys on sale. We spent about 2-3 hours there just looking at mostly toys. Wifey bought 2 cute cartoon T-shirts there for $12. I did not buy anything but I hope to go back again next time.

Jellies & Ice Cream

On Saturday, wifey tried her hand in making jelly for the first time. I was taking a cool noon nap when she did her preparation. I could hear her fiddling with the utensils in the kitchen but was too lazy to wake up to check. In the end the jellies she made was delicious, with lychee inside. yummy.

cute jellies of different shapes.
On Sunday, Titans was suppose to have a game with Stalwarts FC. However because of water logged pitch caused by the earlier rain, the game was called off. Instead, wifey and me went over to Cold Stone opposite church to have ice cream. I have always wanted to try it since it first opened a couple of weeks ago but did not have a chance to do so. The staffs at the ice cream parlour seems to be enjoying their work as they scoop, tossed, chopped and beat the ice cream . When a queue starts to form, they even sang in unison...very interesting indeed. The boy who served us was rather unfortunate as the ice cream fell to the floor as he tried to tossed it but failed to catch it. He has to make a new cup for us.

the unfortunate guy who dropped our ice cream ;oP

wifey queueing for our ice cream

Founder's Favorite: Pecans,Brownie,Fudge & Caramel

Wifey and myself shared a large size Founder's Favorite, it was quite nice but we both found it a bit too sweet towards the end!

Honest To God - Bill Hybels

Recently, I have just completed the book “Honest To God?” by Bill Hybels.

I like Bill Hybels’s book because he is a humorous writer. There are also a lot of his real life experiences to illustrate the points that he made in the books he wrote.

This book talks about being an authentic Christian. I think all Christians has a deep longing and desire to be REAL. However, it is easier said than done and many good intentions remain just as that.
Our desires to be authentic are often compromised by the wrong choices we make in the face of pressure and difficult situations. The values of the world also confuses us as to what is our stand on different issues and areas of our life such as relationship, our job etc.

This book gives an insight on how we should respond and answer the questions we have on how to be authentic. It teaches us biblical standards and most importantly teaches us how to go about applying it in our daily life.

I enjoyed this book a lot and I think it is very helpful to me.

Kawaii Kutz

Last evening, I went for a haircut after work. I went to my usual barber, Kawaii Kutz at Bukit Merah Central.

My barber is Calvin and he has been cutting my hair for about 4+ years now.
I can trust Calvin to give me a good haircut and occasionally I will get his advice on what kind of new hairstyle suits me if I am in a more adventurous mood. Usually I go for the spiky overlap look.

calvin in action
Other than the need to wait for quite awhile when it is crowded, Kawaii Kutz is a cheap ($10) and good saloon.