Mending A Wounded Heart

28th October 2005, Singapore - Do you remember a rhyme that goes, "Cobbler, cobbler, mend my shoe. Get it done by half past two. My toe is peeping through. Cobbler, cobbler mend my shoe"? I'm no cobbler but I suppose it'd take some glue, maybe a new sole, and if it's made of a thinner fabric, some stitching might do the trick and then it's as good as new.

I wish relationships were just as simple to mend. But once you've sustained a tear, no matter how slight it is, it's not always easiest to close the wound. You make effort to take the sting out of things. You try to be nice and bury the hatchet, you try not to bring up the past, you try to wipe the slate clean, you try to behave normal and cordial, yet the other party continues to view you with suspicion. The slate's not clean, you're just viewed as trying to run down a person, you're just seen as going all out to mar a person' reputation - that's all the intention there ever is and ever will be.

What's the point of being cordial? Why take the blows? Why esteem others higher than yourself? Why let others step all over you? Why should I clean up the mess others make? Why should I absorb the blows and be wrongly accused and suffer public embarassment?

If only wounds of the heart were as easy to heal. But just as it takes a good adhesive plaster and dry skin for the patch to stick, it takes two persons mutually willing to forgive and forget.

Thought: If for what I'm worth (a sinner, helpless and an enemy of God - Roms 5:6,8,10), I'm forgiven, restored and loved by Him above, am I above it to not show likewise to someone else? If Christ were publicly shamed, taunted and humiliated falsely, yet showed grace and mercy, dare I be greater and withhold?

Do You Hear What I Hear?

25th October 2005, Singapore - Be careful what you hope, because they might just come true. True? True! And for those who still aren't aware I sing with an a cappella group, well, now you are. I received an email recently inviting our group to sing at the Esplanade Concourse. The Concourse is the space between the two domes (or durains if you like) where you don't have to fork out a cent to savour performances. Here's an excerpt of an email I sent to the lady who invited us to sing as part of the Christmas programme...

"Funny thing is that our group actually did attempt to try out the acoustics in the Concourse one night. We'd walked through the place once and saw 2 musicians standing there performing and it was lovely! So on the way back to the carpark, we decided we'd stop to sing at the Concourse as inconspicuously as possible. By the time we were midway through our third song, we were surrounded by security guards who asked if we had a permit to sing there. We shrugged and disbanded, but I remember very well that it was a wonderful spot to sing at.

And now this opportunity you're offering us is almost like a hope that never turned into a prayer, but that got answered anyway!"

A hope that never turned into a prayer, but that got answered anyway. Isn't that true to much of your life as it is mine? That the fulfilment of those hopes, no matter how faint they are, come to past. And how often we casually and carelessly forget to recollect and acknowledge a higher hand at work.

Matthew 7:7 tells us to "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you". Interesting how when you put the first letter of Ask, Seek and Knock together, they also spell "ASK". I suppose that's the bottomline and basis of prayer.

PS: Will post the flyer and details of our gig at the Esplanade on this blog soon. So please check back and don't wait till Christmas to do that. :o)

"Cuckoo" Clock

20th October 2005, Singapore - Haywire! That's how you would describe one's circadian rhythm or what's more casually referred to as your 'body clock'. Shift workers suffer the most because of their consistently irregular waking and sleeping hours. Yet there are those who unwittingly and deliberately chose to have their clocks messed up, i.e. ME. Here's how it all happened.

I had a brainwave to move the programme I co-host from 10am to noon to the evenings from 10pm to midnight. I'd initially proposed having it as a 2-week arrangement. But my colleague wasn't going to have it (for that long), so she was firm to make known her opinion and her less-than-enthusiastic backing of my idea. Thanks Masha for doing that because I'm not even 4 days through the week and my eyelids don't at all need the help of gravity to slam shut. And when I say 'slam', I mean "SLAM"! *ouch*

Can't wait for next week when all returns to normal. When the day is for us to work and toil and the night to usher in sweet rest.

"I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me." ~ Psalm 3:5

How are your Knees?

14th October 2005, Singapore - Watch your knees! That's the warning by many orthopedics, who say knee pain is among the most common complaints. Knee injuries are generally caused by overuse. But if you don't use them very rigourously, then age will catch up and bones and joints will weaken. You may read more about sports injuries that have to do with the knees at the website of the Singapore Sports Council.

And while God's continued to bless me with knees that haven't called for a time-out, I continue to indulge in my favourite recreational activities - tennis and bowling. Here I am with colleagues who share the passion!

But physical fitness aside, I am brought to rememberance of worn out knees not caused by rough and tumble movement, but just by being still and on your knees. The activity? Prayer. I am reminded that getting on my knees to speak with Someone who loves me and who hears every word I utter develops spiritual fitness.

Prayer: Lord, give me more time, not on my hands, but on my knees. Amen.

Addictions on Mt. Sophia

11th October 2005, Singapore - Ureka! Editor of The Newsstan(d) claims he has found it! No, not the precious metal of the Gold Rush nor the new oil fields, but fermented milk in the form of cheesecake. Strawberry cheesecake to be exact. When interviewed, Stanley threw his hands up in the air and exclaimed he's found the best cheesecake outside of Australia. The discovery was almost by accident. It was Charles, his long time buddy from secondary school, who introduced him to a new eatery called Wild Rocket at Mount Emily. To label it "strawberry cheesecake" on the menu wasn't accurate, he says. "Sure it tasted like it, but it was served in a martini glass. What was more novel was how it was a generous dollop of cream cheese that topped a molehill of berries and the crumbly bits that would otherwise be the base of a slice of baked cheesecake. It was splendid!" While Stanley doesn't look a single bit a big-eater, he downed two portions of the yummylicious dessert. So did his dining companions Charles and Trina.

Having been a lover of cheesecakes (baked or otherwise) since time immemorial, Stanley's penchant for this choice dessert is somewhat unusual. There is a belief that Chinese don't quite take to cheese, so he's perhaps perculiar.

If you, like him, rank cheesecake at the top of your list of gastronomic addictions, you can bet your bottom dollar on this cheesy food review that it's palatable pleasure at its peak!

YOU'RE INVITED! Agapella @ West Coast Park!

3rd October 2005, Singapore - Possibly Singapore's biggest and independent Christian contemporary a cappella group, Agapella, will be staging its first public gig of the year this month. To be held on Saturday, 15th October at West Coast Park, the group is reportedly all geared up to fill the air with a handsome selection of musical numbers, including Testify To Love, Change In My Life and Love Song.

What's unique about Agapella's upcoming performance is that it'll also be showcasing some of this year's Christmas selections. So be the first to catch the sweet harmonies the group is capable of making way before December. The hour-long performance begins at 5pm near MacCafe at West Coast Park.

Agapella has performed in front of MPs and other distinguished guests. The four-year old group has sung on numerous occasions including Singapore Street Festival 2003, Habitat for Humanity's inaugural "Under No Roof" and carolled at Colours By The Bay and Tangs. The vocal band has also been featured on YES 93.3FM and 938LIVE (formerly NewsRadio 93.8FM).

Agapella extends its invitation to YOU to join us next Saturday for a stirling musical experience outdoors at the park. Please bring your family, friends and pets. Free admission, though regular parking charges will apply.