Missed Church Today

Today is Sunday and I missed church service to recuperate at home from a stubborn 1 month flu. After 2 rounds of anti-biotics and 3 times of visiting the doctor, my cough is still not fully cured. I have to watch out what I eat and avoid things like chocolate, banana, nuts, fruits and cold food. While my cousin is out from Japan and treating the family to set Chinese dinner in a restaurant, I have to also fore go the dinner as I have to travel to KL for business. Wish me journey mercies tomorrow.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I would like to take this opportunity to wish my readers a very Merry Christmas 2008 and a Happy New Year 2009. As I am currently down with flu and taking medication that makes me drowsy, this blog will take a 1 week break. I will be off to somewhere later today and then to a mountain resort for the holidays for 3 days 2 nights. After that, it will be a busy week with many calendars to send out for 2009. Wish me journey mercies for the trip and speedy recovery for my flu. Till then, have a good holiday!

Christmas Eve Event in my Church

There is going to be a service at 9:00pm on 24th December 2008, on the eve of Christmas and thereafter proceed to the ground floor to sing some carols. I am sure there will be the Christmasy heartwarming feelings of all participants. It will be held in my church in Georgetown Baptist, just opposite Dorsett Hotel in Larut Road. It will be good if you can invite your non-Christian friends, have dinner with them and then come for the 9:00pm service. It has been many years since I last sang Christmas carols traveling by bus from one hotel to another as a young teenager for a local church. And we get to sample the refreshments that are prepared for the carolers by the various group. So, if you have nothing on during Christmas Eve, why not come to my church and attend a service plus singing some fun-filled carols on that night?

More People will turn to Jesus in this Economic Climate

There is a silver lining in every dark cloud. In this global recession and economic gloom, more people will turn to Jesus for answers to their problems. They will seek solace in finding spiritual answers to their current financial crisis. Many more will become spiritual and attend church more regularly. As there is a time and place to everything under the sun, we need to know whether we will be retrenched from our current jobs which has happened to thousands of employees in USA. It is predicted that about 1 million people will be jobless in year 2009 in USA alone amidst the financial meltdown. Christmas is exactly one month away, and I hope it will bring quantums of solace (not James Bond movie) and season of being jolly to lift us up from a castdown mood.

God Continues to Bless Despite the Economic Downturn

Many people are worried about the future - about 1 million Americans will be jobless by 2009 and recession has hits many countries like USA, Europe, Japan, Singapore, etc. But thank God that He continue to bless me with constant income working from home for my boss in his sports building business all over Malaysia. My basic income is not much, just hit the 4 digit category, but I earn more from my commissions ranging from 3% to 5% for the various projects that we have on an almost monthly basis. It is also time to save up for rainy days like the impending global recession and economic crunch in Malaysia. Companies are retrenching workers by the thousands and it is only a matter of time before Malaysia is affected.

Proofs that the Bible is God Breathe

Yesterday, I was in church listening to an invited Caucasian speaker preached about the topic mentioned above. There are many proofs to show that indeed the Bible is the living word of God and God inspired. First there is the archeological proof in the past of artifacts mentioned in the Bible being found in the exact location. Even the spokes of wheels were found in the Red Sea of the Egyptian army chasing after Moses and his people. There is also historical proof that before man discovered that the Earth is round, it was already mentioned in the Bible. Besides that, prophesies have come to past and happened right to the very date and place being prophesied hundreds of years ago and it cannot be human work and writings but that of God. Finally, we need to give an ear and a hearing to the Bible and live a life that is victorious and full of grace.

Down with Cough

I did not attend church service today as I was coughing badly this morning during breakfast that I thought it is better not to spread the germs in church and to interrupt the sermon. The topic was about wisdom, something that I would love to hear the pastor preach. Too bad I don't have web-TV at home to watch www.partofthegame.tv on soccer and fan life. Anyway, I was too tired to do anything else, must less to watch TV. Hence, I was in bed beneath the comforters with the air-con turned on trying to recuperate and to recover from my heaty cough.

Yahoo! Retrenched 1,400 Staffs

I just read in the press that an internet giant like Yahoo! has recently retrenched 1,400 employees, about 10% of its staff strength. Perhaps Jerry Yang should have accepted the USD45 billion bid from Microsoft's offer a few months back and not end up like this. But who could foresee the future? He could have retired or work from the back ground a very rich man, but alas, he rejected Microsoft's generous offer stating that it was too low. That's what pride does to someone like him and it is now the downfall of Yahoo! As more companies and banks join in the fray to retrench workers, there is going to be more gloomy times ahead in this financial meltdown. We should pray for a miracle now.

Belt Tightening Times

With thousands of people being retrenched from their jobs and more will follow suit, it is time to sit back and ponder how to save money in whatever little capacity available. Therefore, it is good to save money in good times to tide over the bad time like this. In America, many people could not afford to pay their mortgages, causing the subprime crisis that lead to the economic crunch. Many big US banks have failed and declared bankrupt. With US$700 billion rescue package, it this sufficient to save market sentiments? Retrenched Wall Street executives have to go to the roads to perform tricks in order to earn money. Maybe it is a time where more people will turn to the Bible and church for spiritual answers to their economic woes. Let's hope this will not last too long and the share market will recover soon in a few years time.

Time to change spending habits

With the economic crisis looming in USA that started from subprime mortgage loan problems, it is time to herald new austerity measures and change our spending habits. Singapore is in a technical recession with many other countries following suit. US has been in a recession months ago and just last month, 160,000 jobs were cut with thousands being jobless. The financial carnage and rot is just getting worse and won't recover until at least 2010 or beyond. Wall street executives are jobless and resorted to performing tricks on the roads to earn money. Shares take a dip and tumble successively for the last few days. It is now bear run and the mood is sombre. But some opportunists are buying up cheap shares in the hope to make a quick buck when the share market starts to pick up. There is always a silver lining in every dark cloud.

Anti-ISA Gathering on 17th October

My local church has announced that there will be an anti-ISA Gathering on 17th October for the congregation in front of Dewan Sri Pinang at about 9:00pm. Every Friday night since the arrest of Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK), Teresa Kok and a journalist from Chinese Press, Penangites have held Candlelight Vigil for the detainees with the latter two already released while RPK is detained for 2 years. ISA is a repressive system meant to detain the Communist insurgents during the British occupancy in the 1950s. They are detained without trial for as long as necessary. It is too bad that our Malaysian government under Badawi sees RPK as a threat to local security from his very popular blogging about the government and issues at large on politics. In my opinion ISA should be abolished by all means and RPK is just a harmless blogger exposing the wrongs of the government like detailing the dinner together of Deputy Prime Minister Najib with murdered Mongolian Altantuya.

Continued Tithing Again

Yesterday was Sunday and I went to church in town as my usual weekly routine. This time I have decided to continue to tithe again as I need God's blessings and protection on my finances from being devoured by the Devourer. As I give 10% of my income, God will protect my remaining 90% as in Malachi 3. Besides, we are God robbers if we don't tithe as the 10% belongs to God. We have been told to bring all the tithes and offerings to church so that there is food in God's house and for the church to operate effectively, helping the poor and destitute besides spreading the Gospel to all parts of the world.

Bad Working Experience

I have had my share of bad working experience even for a meagre sum of salary. After about 1 and a half years of break and not making money from the internet, I applied to be a sales assistant in a premier lifystyle shopping mall. For only RM800 a month, I had to type 30 addresses every day and match with the post codes because my supervisor earning RM1,700 refuse to drive around to do real marketing. So there I was doing her work and getting offenses written like not putting the cover on the computer or forgetting to put the pencil in the drawer. She just had to find fault with me because another colleague knows that she has many faults - going to work 1 hour late almost every day with excuses of tyre puncture and what have you. So tell me, who is a greater and bigger offender? Coming to work late often and betraying the trust the company has on her!

Malachi 2

Last week, my pastor covered the old testament book of Malachi chapter 2. It was a short book with only 3 chapters. There are verses on tithing in chapter 3. From statistics, it has been shown that people who attend church live longer by an average of 7 years compared to those who don't attend at all. And it was printed in Reader's Digest some time back, a non-spiritual magazine catering to the public. Malachi is a book about blessings and curses as well. It is easy to read and enlightening compared to other books in the Old Testament. I guess next week, chapter 3 will be preached on the pulpit to the congregation.

Choose your friends carefully

In the recent newspaper, a former pastor dad and his 3 very successful sons in the music business, did state that you need to choose your friends carefully. I for one need to learn from this statement. I have had my share of lousy friends and those who only compete with me or take advantage of me. Some even send me anonymous email refusing to reveal their identity but I can guess just as much who is the writer of the unsolicited email. Worse still, she will call my home many times and refuse to even mention her name. Such lousy jokers ought to be deleted from my address book. She is insincere, competitive and a pain in the back. It is my regret to ever meet up with such a specimen and keep in contact in the first place.

Times are Bad

I have stopped tithing to church for a while as my income has reduced substantially and I need to save money for rainy days. 2007 was a good year for me but 2008 seems to be recession year for USA and now Japan which is on the brink of recession. More crimes are committed on the roads and recently there was a kidnapping in Penang that happened to a human resource manager in her apartment's carpark. Just imagine the kind of security in her apartment. She was kidnapped by 3 Indian guys and her husband witness the whole episode and quickly contacted the police. She is back now but warded in the hospital and a wreck from the whole ordeal.

Having a headache with computer viruses?

If you find that your computer keeps getting infected with viruses, fret no more. Here is a portable identity theft protection card that protects your computer from malware, adware, viruses, etc. It has won an award recently as shown above. Just click on the embedded video to see the features and securities of the nifty card. This is a great solution for you when using the scan on the go card. Basically, it protects users from viruses where ever they use a computer, such as a personal computer or those in the cyber cafe. Always feel safe with this identity theft protection card! Easy to use, just plug it in and go!



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When you purchase the card, it comes packed in a nice box with instruction sets that are easy to follow. If you like to know more, simply click on Scan on the go. This is a tool that you need to have especially when using the computer.

Back from Sarawak

I came back by Air Asia from Kuching 3 days ago and was contemplating of putting up photos here, but I shall keep it personal. No point boasting to the wrong audience or wrong photos to the right audience. Suffice to say that we each saved RM139 by renting a car instead of taking guided tours. We went to Serikin border town market near Indonesia, Gua Angin (Wind Caves) and Semengoh Wildlife Park to see orang utans feeding on the second day. On the first day, we visited cultural village with cultural show included and then headed to Boa for seafood at our own expenses.

On the third day, we rented a motor boat to Bako Wildlife Park, the very place where The Asian Amazing Race was held. The boat trip was enjoyable. Never go in December during the monsoon season because the waves can be as high as 4 metres and over turn the small motor boat. That's why life jackets are a must during the trip. On our fourth day, we went to Chinese Museum and drove around Kuching near the waterfront. We also went to The Springs Mall, the biggest in Kuching and read some books at MPH.

The trip to Kuching was very enjoyable with my 2 younger sisters and perhaps we might have another tour together in 2 years time in Europe.

Going to Kuching tomorrow

I will be flying by Air Asia to Kuching tomorrow afternoon with my two younger sisters for holidays for 5 days 4 nights. We also paid for guided tour for 3 days and the remaining 2 days, we plan to drive around the town and hire a car. I will bring my laptop there to check emails and to keep in touch with my work. I have been to Sarawak in 2006 to the town of Bintulu for business. This time around, it will be pure enjoyment and a good break for holidays. The cost is about RM1,000 per person for this trip. While my two younger sisters will swim in the hotel swimming pool, I will log on to the internet to check emails with my laptop in the hotel room. Pray for my journey mercies for this upcoming trip.

Tony Melendez, the armless man

Just watch the video above and get touched by an armless man playing guitar with both his feet and cheer the crowd. The pope gave him a standing ovation together with the spectators. Because of his disablility, many girls shunned him but not one woman by the name of Lynn who became his wife. See how a disabled man trying to live an abled life with his family. For those of us too busy pursuing money or trying to learn how to make money online, just pause a while and watch this touching video of Tony Melendez, the man.

You are Not Allowed to Plagiarize My Blog!

I repeat, "You are not allowed to plagiarize this blog!" You had the cheek to call me after 12am midnight to rattle off about yourself and your intention of copying contents from my blog! Have you no consideration that I might be sleeping?? And this blog took me months to nurture to what it is today with frequent readings of the Bible for inspiration. And you, a non Christian, taking a short cut method hoping that you can copy verbatim all the contents here? Get real! If you have just started a new blog, write something unique and don't simply take shorts cuts by copying and pasting my contents here for your blog fodder. You can get away in the past of claiming credit for work you don't do such as fax template that I did but you are not going to do this to my blog.

Otherwise, I won't hessitate to close this blog and start a new blog somewhere with secret web address that you cannot find me! I am not too bothered about traffic because Adsense is peanuts. Don't make me reqret for telling you this blog in the first place! Copying is akin to taking my armpit hair and putting it on your armpit. Go read about blogging etiquette before you do anything.

Bought a new Laptop

My desktop is still at the technician's and boy they are taking a long time to solve the problem. Anyway, I have bought a new laptop, Acer Aspire 4920 at RM2834.00 with Windows Vista. This model is a bestseller and the most affordable one. I don't even have to install my printer driver as it comes with it. A lot of things are made easier with Windows Vista though initially there were a lot of glitches in using Windows Vista when it was first launched. For a start, I am using Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile processor of 2GHz. I also have 2GB of DDR RAM and 160GB hard disk drive. The price justifies the components that I am using. It makes my work run smoother.

Computer Infected with Virus

My computer was infected with virus recently because it keeps booting up on its own very frequently. So it was sent to the technician for about more than 1 week before it was ok and that bugger installed a trial copy of Anti Virus XP 2008. This is a spam software because it lead me to a site to pay for the full version costing RM150 which I decided to use my credit to pay. Upon payment, I realized that I was charged RM350 instead of RM150 as stated by the so call anti virus web site. After that I got the password to key in for full execution of the software which maliciously installed anti spam guard which keeps prompting up for me to pay further for the full installation. This is spamming my computer with unnecessary messages and I just cannot removed it from my PC. Moral of the story is never trust your technician to know everything and don't pay to install anti virus software.

Controling your Temper

In the Bible somewhere in the book of Proverbs, it says that a man that controls his temper is better than one who takes or conquers a city. When you can control your temper, you can control your whole body. It goes to show how important it is to control our tempers at all times even in the midst of snarling traffic jams or annoying naggings from parents or siblings. I did look for it high and low to paste it here, but unfortunately, I did not jot down where I found the passage. When I was reading a chapter of Proverbs each day for the whole month for 31 chapters, I did come across it. Anyway the book of Proverbs is full of God's wisdom for daily living.

Need to Pray

My company hopes to get some sports projects around Malaysia and we are competing with other established companies for the projects. We only depend on God to promote us and not man. So I hope with prayer, our requests will be answered. These jobs pay by the thousands and are only once in a while offer. We don't get to see such tenders every day. Being a Chinese company, we cannot depend on the government to feed us as all contracts go to bumiputeras or malays. Our Malaysian government is very racist and always talk in terms of the Chinese, the Malays and Indians, never as a single combined population. Sometimes I wished a Christian Chinese will one day be the Prime Minister of Malaysia but that is just wishful thinking.

Parenting the Christian way

I have never been a parent and am still happily single. But today my church deacon preached on parenting the Christian way so that the kids will grow up to fear the Lord. Christian parents need to set a good example and not only tell their kids or nag at them. Children learn more by watching their parents and 'Actions speak louder than Words'. It was a good topic to discuss and if I ever have a kid, I will make sure he or she will have reverence for Jesus. This is the most important thing to do which is to bring up a child in the ways of the Lord. And one of the hardest jobs in the world is being a parent. Your whole outlook will change and you no longer think of yourself anymore but your kids come into the picture. It also involves finances to be put aside for their upbringing and education. This is a mammoth task.

Trust in the Lord with All Thine Heart

Being in a relationship is very fragile. It can be broken anytime ever after years of passion, being together and working together. You never know what is next that will prompt the split. It is so precarious. But thank goodness, we can trust in the Lord who is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. Luckily, the Lord is not changeable like the weather. He stands on solid ground and His love for us will never diminish unlike human love. We can be rest assured of reuniting with Jesus in Heaven for all those who are Christians. We can dream of living in mansions in heaven built especially for us. That's how deep and far the love our Heavenly Father has of us.

Jesus became a ransom for us

Jesus was the sacrificial lamb and became a ransom for us at Calvary. He died in our place and took all our sickness and curses upon himself while He gave us his health and blessings for us to enjoy. This is a covenant exchange in our place. Since we broke every law in the 10 Commandments, we were cursed. However, the son of Man and God took away all our sins, sickness and curses at the cross. Which other God will be the ultimate sacrifice for you? None. Except the true Son of God, Jesus.

Tithing brings you true wealth

We need to tithe to our local church so that there is food amongst God's people and for mission work. The church needs money to function properly and for evangelism to be effective. When you send missionaries overseas, they need money to travel, for accommodation and to bring God's word to the innermost parts of the world.

God has mandated tithing as a way to prosper us tremendously. When you make the first 10% holy by tithing, the rest of the 90% of your money also becomes holy and cannot be devoured by the devourer. Your finances are kept safe from paying hospital bills, car breaks down, accidents, doctor's fees, etc. The only way to be prosperous is to tithe the 10% to church because when the first fruits are holy, the lump sum will also be made holy.

Delight Yourself in the Lord

Psalm 37:4 of NIV reads as "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart". The Lord has been kind to me. Working from home is my dream job since a long time ago when I used to work outside in the secular world. It was not easy for me as I had to endure the office politics and dressing up to work.

At the moment, I work in my pajamas. And if there are not too much to do for the day, I take the opportunity to do paid article writing for extra income. And the money comes in nicely through my Paypal at the end of the week. I also make it a point to attend church service every Sunday if possible. Praise be to God.

Shout to the Lord on American Idol 2008

I stumbled this YouTube video recently and decided to blog about it.

Did you know that the top 8 on American Idol sang ‘Shout To The Lord’ twice?

First they sang it on April 9th starting the song with “My Shepherd”. Then then on April 10th, they sang it again but this time they started with “My Jesus”. Watched by millions around the world, this is a great step forward, indirectly spreading the gospel. And a very cool move by FOX for letting them do it the 2nd night with the full version. This was awesome. Praise God!

For those who missed it, here it is. Enjoy!

Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God

Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Putting the kingdom of God first will prosper us. It says, ALL, not some, not a few, not many but ALL these things that you desire will be added unto you. So it pays to spend some quiet time seeking for God's answer to the day, to pray and talk to Him and to read the Bible where He speaks to us. We need to set our priorities right and everything else will fall in place nicely for us. As we take care of God's kingdom, God will take care of our business and our daily affairs. May God Bless you as you read my blog.

Rapture

I have heard from Pastor Joseph Prince that we are the rapture generation. Well, nobody knows when it is going to happen but with the signs that's been happening all over the world like earthquakes, wars, pestilences, etc, you know that the end times are coming. I certainly look forward to being raptured - having a new body that transcends matter and rising to heaven, and not experiencing sickness, weakness or death.

Death is a curse that fell on Adam when he ate from the wrong tree. And because of Adam's sin, all mankind has to go through death and women experiencing great pain in labour. The earth has the taint of the curse. Eventually there will be a new earth and new heaven where wild animals live at peace with each other where there will be no more killing.

Your Miracle is in Your Mouth

I just came back from Gurney Plaza and my friend bought a copy of Pastor Joseph Prince's book entitled "Your Miracle is in Your Mouth" for RM24.95. It is a small book of 87 pages and I can finish reading it in 1 hour's time. I was surprised to see Joseph Prince's CDs and books on display under the Christian Bestseller section in MPH in Gurney Plaza. At the back of the book, it states below:

How you see God affects how you receive from Him. See God for who He really is in two thrilling Old Testament stories full of powerful new covenant truths. And as you see a gracious God in the midst of an imperfect people, and the love of Christ in His perfect sacrifice, faith will spring up in your heart to speak His Word and receive your miracle.

Wow! Such powerful testimony. For the newbies who don't know who Pastor Prince is, well, here's an introduction: Joseph Prince is the senior pastor of New Creation Church - a dynamic and fast-growing church in Singapore, which has a congregation of more than 15,000 members. His ministry as pastor, teacher and international conference speaker focuses on unveiling Jesus and revealing His heart to the people.
Joseph Prince is happily married and deeply devoted to his wife, Wendy and daughter Jessica Shayna, who are a constant source of love and support to him. For more information on and resources by Joseph Prince, visit their website at www.destined2reign.com

Partaking the Holy Communion Worthily

When Jesus died on the cross, his shed blood is to forgive us our sins in the form of wine and his broken body for our healing and removal of sickness and diseases. That's why we take the broken bread to represent his body. To receive healing, we need to partake the Holy Communion worthily and discerning the Lord's body. According to Pastor Joseph Prince, many near terminal cases were completely healed when the family members take Holy Communion by the bed side of the sufferer in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) in the hospital. You can partake the Holy Communion to health, wholeness and prosperity.

Heaven in Revelation

The last book in the Bible brings together into one great vision many themes of God's original creation. In Revelation, heaven comes to earth. The city of God descends to us. God lives among his people and wipes every "tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:1-4).

Until then, we have to contend with death, curse, sorrow, and all the bad elements of this present earth when Adam fell by eating the apple from the wrong tree. I shall certainly look forward to the day when heaven descend on earth and God lives with us.

Good Friday

I just got an sms from my youngest sister that our new Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng attended Way of the Cross in Cathedral of the Holy Spirit plus tons of pressmen. Though I am a Protestant attending a Baptist Church, my dad and my two younger sisters are Catholics and are church lectors. This is a pleasant surprise to know that Guan Eng is a Christian.

Today is Good Friday and the coming Sunday will be Easter. This is an important occasion marking the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after being crucified. Now with Lim Guan Eng being a Catholic, hopefully the churches in Penang will have more power and authority to preach and build more churches with crosses. In the previous administration under Dr Koh Tsu Koon, the word Church was not allowed to be used in new church buildings and they can only be called Christian Centre. Notwithstanding, even crosses are not supposed to be shown in the new church buildings. It was a systematic suppression of the practising of Christian faith and gradual Islamisation all over Malaysia. May God bless Penang and the new Government comprising DAP, PKR and PAS alliance.

Dr Seuss' Horton Hears a Who

Just 2 days ago, I went to GSC cinema in Queensbay Mall to watch Dr Seuss' Horton Hears a Who in its debut opening day on the 13th of March 2008.

The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant who, on the fifteenth of May in the Jungle of Nool, hears a small speck of dust talking to him. It turns out the speck of dust is actually a tiny planet, home to a city called "Who-ville", inhabited by microscopic-sized inhabitants known as Whos.

The Whos ask Horton (who, though he cannot see them, is able to hear them quite well) to protect them from harm, to which Horton happily obliges, proclaiming throughout the book that "a person's a person, no matter how small". In doing so he is ridiculed and forced into a cage by the other animals in the jungle for believing in something that they are unable to see or hear. His chief tormentors are Vlad Vladikoff, the Wickersham Brothers and the Sour Kangaroo, and the small kangaroo in her pouch. Horton tells the Whos that they needed to make themselves heard to the other animals, lest they end up as part of "beezlenut stew", which they finally accomplish. The Whos finally make themselves heard by ensuring that all members of their society play their part. In the end it is the smallest Who of all, Jo-Jo, who provides the last volume lift to be heard, thus reinforcing the moral of "a person's a person no matter how small".

Now convinced of the Whos' existence, Horton's neighbors vow to help him protect the tiny community.

It's interesting to see a pretty big creature like Horton concerned with protecting the tiniest creatures of all...even if the others in the jungle of Nool may not believe that's he's right about all those tiny people on the speck (well, maybe Rudy, the Sour Kangaroo's son, may think he could be right...)

Lovable characters like Horton, who can be serious at times (and is truly determined) but also wild-and-crazy, full of imagination and whimsy. Like the mayor, who is determined to protect his city from the dangers they're now being exposed to (who will protect the protector? "A giant elephant, up in the sky!... Don't bother to look, he's invisible...")

Highly recommended! The look of the film is visually stunning, and a good voice cast (CBS Radio's Charles Osgood narrates; the mayor and his wife are Steve Carrell and Amy Poehler, and Jim Carrey of course is Horton.

Lim Guan Eng as Penang's New Chief Minister

It is a day of reckoning when DAP (Democratic Action Party) trounced Gerakan and BN in the recently concluded Malaysian 2008 General Election. Now we have a new Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who was sworn in yesterday to be the people's spokesperson. No longer do we have an academic Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon who was muted about the NEP (New Economic Policy) and could hardly fight for the Chinese rights. NEP was implemented by the second prime minister of Malaysia Tun Razak. It is biased and unfair to the Chinese and the Indians while enriching the Malays, more likely those in positions of political power.

To quote from Datuk Lim Keng Yaik, it is scary to see the UMNO Youth president, Datuk Hishamuddin wielding the keris (Malay sword) in their general assembly. This should stop. No wonder the Barisan Nasional lost quite a lot of seats. There has been much corruption, cronyism, and insensitive remarks made in the past by UMNO members. And we Chinese have to learn to bear with it and try to get along with them because they are in power. Hopefully with DAP in charge of Penang now, this will no longer be the case.

Tags : Lim Guan Eng, Penang's new chief minister, Malaysian 2008 General Election, New Economic Policy, Democratic Action Party, DAP, Barisan National, NEP

Reasons for the Malaysian 2008 General Election Results

The results of the Malaysian 2008 General Elections took everyone by surprise. Incumbent Barisan lost 4 more states - Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor to the opposition. What has really happened? There are some plausible reasons to this. When our former deputy prime minister, Anwar released the Lingam's video to the press near election time, it was very destructive for the goverment to know that a common lawyer like Mr Lingam could broker the appointment of judges in high court. There was much corruption with the 'Correct, Correct, Correct' lawyer offering free tours, houses, handphones to top judges. This show how corrupt the judiciary is.

Secondly, churches were not allowed to use the word 'Allah' in their printing materials and in their preaching. What the heck! The word 'Allah' was used before Islam came to Malaysia. It shows how narrow minded the government is. And Bibles were confiscated recently by the customs that belong to a Baptist church. Looks like the citizen's freedom is being eroded bit by bit.

People were also fedup especially the non-Malays of the NEP (New Economic Policy) favouring the bumiputras or simply the Malays. All government contracts are given to bumiputra companies only leaving out the other races, the Chinese and the Indians. No wonder Lee Kuan Yew said we were being marginalized just because we are more hardworking, diligent and rich. Most of the common Chinese in Penang have felt the pinch of NEP and they are not as rich as before. People are angry and therefore, don't expect the rakyat to vote for you when you are not fair to all races to begin with. You preach one thing, but your actions speak another.

Since Penang is now in the hands of the opposition, I hope future tenders will be fair to all races and not solely for bumiputras only. Hopefully my company will be able to participate in sports open tenders meant for anyone and any race on a fairer system. I also hope that goverment planned projects to develop Penang like the monorail, Penang's second bridge, Penang Outer Ring Road and the like will not be delayed any further by the government since the rakyat or citizens have chosen the opposition to govern them. Congratulations to Lim Guan Eng and Karpal Singh of DAP, Datin Seri Wan Azizah of PKR and the other victorous candidates.

Tags : Malaysian 2008 General Election, reasons for 2008 Malaysian General Election results, Democratic Action Party, DAP, Barisan National

Just make a donation for Thai orphans

I just make a donation of just 1k RM to the Thai orphans through Pastor Cheah Chee Moon. His dream is to ensure the homeless children under his care in Chiang Rai, Thailand, acquire a sound education. To achieve this, the 46-year-old Penangite recently embarked on a fund-raising mission to collect money for the schooling expenditure of the 56 children in his centre, called Agape Home. Riding a 30-year-old Honda Cub, Cheah travelled from Thailand to Singapore through the west coast of peninsula Malaysia.

"I am hoping that people will generously donate a ringgit for every kilometre covered." said Cheah, who expects to have ridden about 6,000km by the time he returns to Thailand. Cheah's involvement with orphaned and destitute children in Thailand began in 1984 when he went there as a missionary worker.

He found that there were far too many of them, some ending on the streets after both their parents succumbed to AIDS. "Some of these children were also HIV-positive and needed special care," said Cheah. "My heart went out to them and I decided to take up the challenge of giving them a better life."

He added that these street children had little opportunity in life and no way of acquiring an education. After years of working hard as a missionary to take care of their needs, he set up Agape Home several years ago to take in destitute children and give them a proper education.

According to Cheah, he wanted the children in Agape Home to go as far as possible academically. "Once they are well-educated, they will be able to take good care of themselves," said Cheah, who runs the home with the help of four workers. He said homeless children had better opportunities in Malaysia compared to Thailand as there were many centres in Malaysia catering to their needs.

Cheah can be contacted at 016-408 3401 or call 012-227 2289 (Pastor Albert Ong). For security purpose, I am not putting the bank account number here or the bank account name. Just send Pastor Cheah a message and he will sms you the banking details to make the donation for a worthy cause helping the orphaned kids.

Tags : Agape Home, Pastor Cheah Chee Moon, make a donation, orphaned kids

Psalms 1

Psalms 1 states below:
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the council of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord. And on this law, he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water and whose leaves does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

And I typed the above by memory. This is my favourite verse that I quote daily. That meditating on God's word makes us prosperous. He is like a tree, and God has revealed that trees live long. You will have long life and you will prosper.

On a personal note, I am living proof that God's word does indeed prosper me. Now I work from home in a cushy life, no office politics, no traffic jams and earn much more than the normal executives in the factories in Bayan Lepas, Penang. My secret is I love to memorise and recall by heart about 50 memory verses when I was young. And these memory verses are compiled in a web page in tsldesigns.com/homepage/

Down with a Cough

Yesterday I went to see an Indian lady doctor in Island Glades and she charged me a very expensive amount of RM55 just for a visit of cough without fever. The normal charges are usually RM25 to RM30 just for a simple cough and sore throat. And she gave me a strong anti-biotic which I don't really need as I don't have fever and charged me an exorbitant amount for it! Previously I did see her before and did tell her some of the medication I already have and there is no necessity to give to me. But still she insisted on me using her medication.

I had originally planned to visit Dr Por of Union Clinic in Jalan Gangsa, which is much cheaper and he doesn't simply charge patients for medication that they don't require. Twice before I went, the clinic was closed... most likely he went for dinner before opening again at supposedly 7:00pm to 9:00pm. It is just unfortunate that the time when I could visit him, the clinic was closed. And I have been resting at home, hopefully my cough will recover soon. I guess I ate too much heaty crackers during Chinese New Year.

The Queue Up Church

Here is a youtube video showing the queue to New Creation Church about one and a half hours before the service starts. Imagine such hunger to hear God's word being preached by Pastor Joseph Prince, a modern day very annointed prophet and preacher. And they are not queuing up for ang pows or some free gifts from Her World magazine.

In fact, one of the shop owners got so curious what people are queueing up for that she decided to join in the crowd and then became a Christian and accepted Christ into her life. That's the living testimony of how people came to know this dynamic church that preaches to the whole world, United States included via satellite TV. And this was my former church when I was still in Singapore. I really missed not being able to attend in person the 4 services on Sundays. If you happen to be reading this and is in Singapore, just check up on newcreation.org.sg for the time of the service and make sure you don't miss it. I promise you won't regret it.

Going to Stay in Equatorial Hotel Today

I have faxed to Equatorial hotel my credit card details to confirm a room for tonight. The price is RM295++ with RM100 credit for food and beverages. This is a 5-star hotel near the air port and is popular amongst executives with business dealings in factories in Bayan Lepas. I have dined and had buffet dinner before in Equatorial Hotel but never stayed there. This is a good opportunity to experience the room ambience just before Chinese New Year.

The air seems to smell of money and ang pows during the Chinese New Year season. And there will be lots of hampers, promotions, deals during this festive season. Also, I shall be going to Haadyai to avoid nosy relatives during Chinese New Year from 7th to 9th February. A van will come to my house and pick us up (me, my youngest sister and parents) and bring us to Lee Garden Hotel in Haadyai. My youngest sister booked online for the hotel while my father arranged for the transport to Haadyai. Wish me journey mercies.

Tags : Equatorial Hotel, Lee Garden Hotel, Haadyai, Chinese New Year

Got Back My Computer

After 8 days in the PC clinic, I finally got back my baby, my computer. It is much faster now and all spywares removed. I still maintain and continue using Windows XP as the Operating System. And tomorrow early in the morning, about 6:30am, my colleague will come fetch me to Melaka for a meeting at 3:30pm. Just hope that we can make it for the long journey from Penang. We will stay 1 night in Subang Jaya's condominium before coming back.

And now here I am blogging. That's because I need to find an excuse to use my 'new' computer. I have yet to install all the software that I normally use. Maybe after coming back from Melaka, I will find the time to load the necessary programs to continue working from home again. In the meantime, I shall enjoy working from home while the opportunity is there.

Going to Stay in ParkRoyal Hotel Today

The weekend has arrived finally and last week I stayed in G Hotel beside Gurney Plaza. Today I have already booked and reserved 1 night in ParkRoyal hotel in Batu Feringghi. The room rate was supposed to be RM370++ but with the coupon posted in the letter box, we only pay RM270++ with buffet breakfast. And the promotion is valid from 1st January 2008 till 31st March 2008. Right now I am recharging my camera batteries that conked off on me last night while I was in Queensbay Mall. The Chinese New Year decoration was beautifully done and I had wanted to take some snap shots but my batteries went flat on me. Next time.

Joseph Prince at Hillsong Conference 2007

I have been amazed at the success of Pastor Joseph Prince's preaching to the world. He is the senior pastor of New Creation Church in Singapore. From a mere 100 plus members, New Creation Church has grown to be about 15,000 members now. It has the largest Hokkien service in Singapore with more than one thousand members.

Why do people love Pastor Prince? For one, Pastor Joseph Prince has received word of healing, word of faith from the Holy Spirit. He is very much in tune and walks closely with the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I mean, this guy really listens and receives fresh manna from heaven. You could say he is a modern day prophet. And whatever he says has come to pass and people who listen to him have made money. Sometimes he drops nuggets of gold to his congregation by telling them when to buy gold for instance, at the right time and when to invest money. Not only were people made richer, some of them have been healed from sickness and terminal cases. Though not everyone has been healed, but the fact that many were healed listening and following his teachings, speaks volumns of his annointedness.

I still continue to buy his teaching CDs, music CDs, sermons and books from his web site in NewCreation.org.sg Indeed Pastor Prince is extremely annointed and blessed. Recently he has paid 100 million singapore dollars downpayment for a new iconic building for his growing congregation in Singapore. If you think he is a cult leader, definitely people around the world won't be fooled by him. He preaches to USA, Uganda, India and a few other countries around the world via tv satellite. Now you Singaporeans are very lucky to be able to catch Pastor Prince live in New Creation Church. Though the queue is very long, but it is well worth it.

Going to Stay in G-hotel today

The weekend has arrive and this Saturday, I will be staying in G-hotel beside Gurney Plaza. The charge is RM255 without breakfast for superior room with king size bed. I will get to do a lot of window shopping as Gurney Plaza, Penang's lifestyle shopping mall is nearby. At the moment, it is under expansion, so there will be some construction work going on. Just the other day, I had a set dinner in Manila Place for an affordable price of RM35++. This is because it came with mushroom soup (plenty of chopped button mushrooms in it), bread, butter, appetiser, coffee or tea, salmon teriyaki as one of the many main courses to choose from (quite delicious and big helping) and ice-cream as the dessert.

G-hotel is not like any other hotel that you find here. For one, the interior decoration is very modern and hip. You will not find big vases of flower and hanging chandeliers unlike the older hotels. Here, you will find a very cosy lounge with plenty of sofa sets and cushioned chairs with lighted lampstands beside them. The setting is just like a modern house's interior, cosy and comfortable. The lighting is dimmed down for that romantic feel. The flooring is raised wooden platform with side lights. I am looking forward to today's stay and check in time is after 2:00pm.

Alvin and the Chipmunks

Last night, I watched Alvin and the Chipmunks for the second time. The movie was that good and entertaining. Alvin is the cheeky chipmunk, while Simon is the smart one with spectacles and Theodore is the small plump chipmunks who keeps having nightmares. Dave Seville (Jason Lee) was a down-on-his-luck musician who just needed that special something to make his songs sell. That's when three talking chipmunks, Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (Jesse McCartney), ended up raiding his home. Their rise to stardom is seen in "Alvin and the Chipmunks."

The computer graphics were superb as animators blend them with humans. The facial expressions of fear tell all especially the three chipmunks had to sing to Uncle Ian for the first time. This movie shows a father figure in Dave and money-making practical businessman in Uncle Ian who make use of the talking chipmunks to generate more cash from singing tours. Dave have had enough when he saw on TV how the poor chipmunks are so tired and exhausted from so much singing shows all over USA. This is a must see movie for all, not only the kids.

Let this be a lesson to all ministers

Our former health minister, Dr Chua Soi Lek had to resign when he was brutally honest in admitting for being the Chinese minister caught in the sex video taped in a hotel in Johor. Had he been a Christian, he would not have been so blunt and commit the act in spite of him having a wife and 3 children. Being a public figure, he has to show good example of being a family man to the nation. But no, he could not control his 'langciau' and some would wonder how long this has been going on before the video was taped secretly. Hotel Katarina or whatever the name was ought to have its license revoked for brutal invasion of privacy where Dr Chua was videotaped. He has stripped naked to Malaysia and caught in the act. Imagine, booking a hotel room where they installed pin-hole video camera and start videotaping you when you have having sex or changing clothes. No wonder the boss of the hotel was sick recently. Apparently he does not know what goes on in his hotel and the hotel staff are up to monkey tricks.

Anyway, since the incident, Dr Chua was apparently forced to resign to safeguard the government and coming election. He did the right thing by resigning, otherwise he would have been sacked by higher authorities which would be more embarassing. In the past, mighty men or those holding top positions in society were brought to shame when they keep a mistress or have sex outside marriage. These people ought to remember that they are under public scrutiny when they hold top positions.

Now his children have to bear the shame and also chip in money to help maintain the family as Dr Chua is now a retiree. Overnight, from a somebody, you become a nobody and resign from all public posts. Let this be a lesson to all ministers there who are keeping mistresses. Don't ever get caught with your pants down.