Sunday, August 31, 2008


there's just too many words that i cannot say here

carry me...

Your love is wider than my needs could ever be

come to me...

i will walk along Your shoreline
feel Your crashing waves sing in time
with the pounding of my heart

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

river deep
could i know You as well as You know me?
Constantine..
will we travel faster, further
than these legs could ever trustworthy be?

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

on me...
come and pour on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

on me...
come on pour on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
pour out
on me...

come down
come and pour out

carry me...

Saturday, August 30, 2008


today was like so..

what the hell.

it started out well, but within minutes, i felt out of place.

in my mind, i was like, what the hell? why am i here? as i cast dagger like glances about the room.

match making? you got to be kidding me. was it the sdu in disguise? my girlfriend being ogled by many others in the room, especially she being the only girl in the group?

best thing was the game facilitator was like, "ok, the guys can from one group switch over to another group. good to know more girls, like you see the other group, only one girl" (pointing to jo).

to which i said "that's my girlfriend." obviously he didn't catch it. i had half a mind to gorge his eyes out. to make matters worse, there were like 2 other army regulars in the group and we all know how desperate army guys are in getting to know girls. just look at kevin.

anyway the service there wasn't that good. before anything had even started proper, they had already antagonished me by making us move no less than 3 times, breaking up our short game of whatever we were playing. the mood was killed when they issued our colour codes to get us to go into seperate groups, by which the toes were spilt up. i was like, didn't we come here to play together (with our own group) to make memories? and yes, i'm antisocial. i dislike having to stand up to introduce myself to a roomful of strangers. i'm socially inept.

the back of the facilitators' tee shirts read "i live to play games. what about you?" but going by their standard, i think they would all be dead.

constant referal to the manual, they seem so uneasy, more uneasy than the participants who were strangers.

anyway, ugh, it was a waste of my resources. plus the lack of sleep and constant company of cigarrete smoke and incense just added to my irritation.

all i needed was something to trigger it.. and BOOOOMMMM!!!

Thursday, August 28, 2008


an excerpt from the new paper

rarely i find anything noteworthy on the new paper but there was this one article that caught my attention. the article was written by the author of the teenage textbook and he wrote about being hated.

"Being hated is not as easy as it sounds.

Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many.

That hatred is so strong, it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.

One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it's often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one's own convictions.

It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role.

There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself.

Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong."

How true this all is.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008


best arsenal news so far

my my my..

what a week this is turning out to be for me.

arsenal has just revealed that error prone defender, Senderos, has been sent on loan to AC Milan for a year, with an option to make the move permanent!

i have been waiting for years for this piece of news even though it does take place in a very dangerous time of the season -- just a week left to bring in reinforcements!

but i don't have my hopes high. wenger doesn't have that capability to do last minute buys (successful ones) so i think we will end up with no new players.

but the thought of senderos finally leaving arsenal is a relief to my heart. no more chance for me to get a heart attack whenever the ball is passed to him. yes i admit, he does play well in some games but at his age (23), he really ought to be faster and better. i just think he's in the wrong league. the english game is too fast for him to think and all he does is get a mental breakdown and does a sol campbell on us. think this move to the italian league will do him a lot of good as the game there is more of a thinking game and less physical. at least he won't be bullied by drogba anymore.

so anyway good luck to ac milan. they bought an out of shape Ronaldinho, a barren Shevchenko, error prone Zambrotta and now panic attack Senderos. The only gem they got all season was probably Flamini, which by the way, we should have just given Senderos' wage to him in a bid to keep him at Arsenal.

i certainly hope wenger knows what he's doing..

Monday, August 25, 2008


lead me on, dear Lord

what a difference a day makes.

i got a call today from a halfway home and they are agreeable to my christmas caroling proposal.
and then a few minutes later, irving called to tell me that esther has a home to recommend as well for our caroling session. am glad cos i just worked out a plan for that home as well, with only a few details to iron out. so hopefully all goes well, wherever God takes us.

from nothing a month ago, i suddenly have two proposals to consider. am thinking of letting the church vote on it but not sure if it's too much of a hassle. shall see how.

also some progress on the church property front. did a presentation for the committee on the particular unit that i found and they seem to like it. gave some thought as to how the layout could be (thank god i took civil engineering in my poly days) and found a way to fit the whole congregation into the allocated space! thank god for that. now all there is to pray for, is for a decision to be made quickly and place our offer at the earliest possible time in order to beat the december date line. pray that things will move very very very very quickly on this part as it's really urgent.

happy also that my teaching the church choir is going according to schedule. left with one page of the 5 page song which i arranged specially for the church's anniversary. i'd be lying if i said i wasn't proud of that accomplishment as it's my first time doing it and to have the honour of having my work sung by the choir for our 25th anniversary no less, there is a sense of achievement. of course, all of which would be impossible if god didn't give me the talent.

2 Cor 4:7 "for we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that this power is from God and not from us."

friends if you would like to lend me your support, please come for my church's 25th anniversary.
Oct 12, 2008, Hotel Miramar, 10am.

all that's left for the choir is william and michelle's wedding in november, of which i'm also in charge of, as well as chosen to be emcee with josephine. can't wait for that as well.

busy busy busy quarter of the year left or so. if you told me in january that i'd be this busy come august, i would have pulled your ear.

so keep me in your prayers, that i continue to draw strength from God. it can get really tiring somedays but i believe i can do it!

Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength"

Saturday, August 23, 2008


all said and done

the day has come and gone.

all my plans got tossed aside by the weather and the horrible flu i gotten (of all the days :( ) but thank god, we still managed to carry out our backup plans to enjoy jo's birthday celebrations.

either that or brave the rain.

it was a really good celebration if i might say so myself.

everything went with clockward precision! even i was totally amazed with it.

we reached sentosa at exactly 1pm, headed straight for the underwater world, bought our tickets within 10 mins and with only minutes to spare, had to travel all the way to another beach at the opposite end of sentosa to catch the 130pm show at dolphin lagoon.

after that ended, we caught a bus back to the underwater world to catch the exhibits and amazingly, it was feeding time!! i can't describe how amazed i was because it was during feeding time that all the animals converged on the diver to get food straight from his hands! it was a really wonderful sight. jo and i felt like small kids again!

the clear glass tunnel seemed smaller this time, or maybe it's because i've grown taller. i mean, the last time i went was probably 11 or 12 and that's a looooong time ago!

what caught my amazement was this tiny creature called the sea angels. found in the artic regions, they have two fins at the side that flap vertically (ie upward) instead of sideways like normal fishes. this meant that they swam in a vertical fashion rather than forward or backward like other fishes, hence earning the name sea angels. to make them more angelic, they even have a slight glow of white in their transparent bodies!

there were also lots of other exhibits which i found quite interesting but i shall retain some composure before i become more like my 3 year old cousin at a toy store.

so after the underwater world, we headed for some r&r chill out before making our way to the merlion.

i had tried to keep this secret for a while, even deceiving her by saying we were going to have a peek at the f1 race instead of the fireworks that was on display.

she, of course, was excited. she knew something was happening, it was electric in the atmosphere. presence of police, barricades, a huge crowd jostling to get a view at the floating platform along Marina Bay, she had that look of anticipation in her eyes.

and then, within an earshot of someone else's conversation, she heard it. "fireworks"

and then it became clear why i brought her to stand right next to the merlion, with the company of over a thousand, to stare initially at the floating platform, and then later into the sky with awe.

i must say, it was a really beautiful display and at some point of time, it felt as though it was raining down on us. not the drizzle i mean, but the fireworks. and everything was so beautiful, so near perfect in its own way.

though my original plans were torn to shreds (i wanted to go suntanning and sleep in a hammock by tanjong beach) but somehow, we managed to keep ourselves entertained nearly every single minute from 11am till 10pm!

even the buses came on time for once and we really had minimum waiting between our activities!

thank god for directing my path to jo's. it's really wonderful being with u!

happy birthday once again!

Friday, August 22, 2008


getting on the bandwagon....

Where's Bat Cat when you need him?

Thursday, August 21, 2008


UUUGHHH!!!!!

WENGER!!!

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?!

DID YOU LEAVE YOUR BRAINS IN YOUR POCKET WHILE BUYING SILVESTRE?!?!

HE'S A RED DEVIL!! THE ENEMY!!! YEAH SURE HE'S FRENCH BUT UGGGH!!!

AND HE'S 31!!! HE WON'T LAST MORE THAN ANOTHER YEAR OR TWO!! I MEAN, I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM PLAYED!! I EVEN THOUGHT MAN UTD GOTTEN RID OF HIM LIKE A LONG TIME AGO.

BUT NOOOO. IS THIS THE EXPERIENCED PLAYER THAT YOU HAVE PROMISED US?? THE "ONE MORE SIGNING BEFORE TWENTE?"

YOU JUST RUINED MY DAY, WENGER!

AAAARRRGGGGHHH!!!

I RATHER YOU STICK TO YOUR YOUTH POLICY AND BRING IN SOME YOUNG KID FROM A FISHING VILLAGE FROM SOUTHERN FRANCE OR SOMETHING THAN TO BUY THIS AGING LEFT BACK.

HELL, WE MIGHT AS WELL BUY GIGGS NEXT!

WORDS CAN'T DESCRIBE HOW DISGUSTED I FEEL NOW.

I WANNA KNOCK YOUR HEAD SO HARD, YOUR WRINKLES FALL OFF.

BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE SO FAR AWAY, I CANNOT DO ANYTHING TO YOU. SO I'LL JUST GOT TO PUNISH MYSELF WITH A McGRIDDLE THIS MORNING.

UGH!!!!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008


:)

my computer is reborn!!

new power supply, new motherboard. it's definitely cheaper than buying an entire new comp. add on with the pass additions like the ram expansion and new graphic card, it feels like a new computer!

thanks to my dad who paid the restoration fees of nearly $300.

grins. so happy. now i can finally send my resumes much quicker than using that lousy laptop.

i can't wait till the new games are released too! football manager 2009, reload my older company of heroes and maybe sim city too.

gosh i sound like a small kid but i don't care!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008


finally!!!

finally no more pesky in camp training.

huge waste of time, got to view the largest collection of inept decision makers at work and they didn't disappoint by taking 4 hours to conduct ippt for a mere 150 people.

it was like the greatest hits album of incompetency.

i have come to conclude one thing -- army makes you stupid.

so come tomorrow, it's back to the hunt for jobs. got to reset my routine again, reading classifieds, sending resumes. got a viewing for a potential church property as well. we've been in the hunt for a suitable property for so long but seems like nothing suitable has turned up.

pray that the unit we would be viewing tomorrow will be the one God has chosen for us.

and pray also that He will direct me to the job that He has planned for me also. it sucks to be jobless but i just pray that He will show me what He has planned for me soon.

in other news, the desktop has finally been sent for repair. seems like a multiple organ failure, with the motherboard and power supply failing us. if that is repaired, then nearly all the parts in the computer will have been replaced since we bought it 5 years ago.

the ever shortening lifespan of technological products.

Monday, August 18, 2008


2 Cor 12:7-10

7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.

9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Sunday, August 17, 2008


a new season

the day i've been waiting for has finally arrived today.

JOSEPHINE CHEANG SEOW YING, a proud man u fan, has finally joined me at the Elizabeth Pub and Lounge -- HOME OF THE GUNNERS!!!

and she CHEERED loudly and wildly for the Gunners, even groaning in disgust at the near misses.

although she was hoping that no one there recognised her as a man u fan, or worse still, anyone from the man u fan club were to find out, i'm sad to say that the photographer from the new paper managed to get quite a lot of pictures of us, cheering with all our heart for the arsenal. (though hearing her cheer for arsenal needs some getting used to)

even iain macintosh, the new paper reporter, was there! should have told him to add a line at the end of his column saying josephine cheang was at the gunners event. swee.

in the end we won 1-0 but to me it was more. i'm finally arsenalising josephine.

oh we love you arsenal, we do ooooh arsenal we love you!

Saturday, August 09, 2008


why christians "recruit"

i read an interesting article in the papers today.

it was about the "big" switch in religion that many singaporeans take before they turn 30.

taoism was said to be having problems retaining devotees to the faith whereas there have been a big jump in the numbers who take on buddhism and christianity (yay!)

there was an interesting breakdown in statistics:

6.2% of buddhist converted to christianity, 9.2% from taoism, and 10.2% from free thinkers. amongst the religions, christianity and buddhism is found to have the highest retention rate, of nearly 86% and 83% respectively.

some of those who have yet to believe in any high power must be wondering, why do people even believe in a god or why christians go out to convert (or "brainwash" like my mother says) others?

of course, some of the wrong conclusions include that the church must recruit more people so that it can survive on the tithe and offering or that they want to be proud by having the biggest religious organisation in the world.

wrong wrong wrong.

so why do we christians share the gospel (aka god's word) with others in the hope to "brainwash" them?

it is simple. god told us too.

as it says in matthew (chapter) 28 (verse) 19:
"therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

so god has this life long mission for all of human kind, to first, believe in him, then to go forth and spread his word among nations. which is why a religion, started in israel (no, it's not a western religion), has spread worldwide, despite tough situations imposed by the ruling roman empire at the point of its infancy.

this explains why you will seldom hear a christian say that life is meaningless. in fact, the only time where life is meaningless is when life it used to gather material wealth which will be useless once we die.

another reason why christians are so pro-active in reaching out to unbelievers (people other than christians, who don't believe in God) is that God says that at a certain time in the future (Matthew 24:36), there will be a second return of Jesus and that he will come this time, not to get killed by man again, but to judge every person's behaviour on earth. he will then bring those that believe in him to a place called Heaven which he has prepared for us to spend eternity with him. of course, the non believers will have another (very unpleasant) place prepared for them called hell.

and as mentioned in matthew 24:36 "no one knows about the day or hour (when jesus will come)", it makes it more urgent for believers to reach out to their friends and relatives who are not believers cos we do not know when jesus is coming back again. so we must always be on our toes.

but we are certain of God's promise -- that once we are baptised and to obey God (these are the two basic characteristics to be a Christian), God will be with us always (matthew 28:19).

Always means forever. Eternity. Life doesn't end at death. Death is in fact the beginning of the believer's life. a life spent for an eternity with God in heaven. have you ever wondered about eternity? about life after death?

which is why for believers, we always try to get people to just trust in God, because when they do, they will be saved. we don't do it for a personal best record, or so that our cell group can grow or so that our church will multiply and get more money.

no. we do it out of love. god loves us and we want to share with you his love as well. nothing more than that.

i once read something Blaise Pascal, a 17th century mathematician wrote. he struggled with issues of meaninglessness, but concluded that faith in god is sometimes like a gamble.

he told his friends," if i believe in god and in life after death and you do not, and when we die, if there is no god, both of us lose. but if there is a god, you still lose but i stand to gain everything that god has promised in the bible"

so being christian is a no-lose thing. in no other religion have promises been written so firmly and been passed down through millenniums.

so i hope whatever is written in this post will clear up some non-believers doubts on why christians are always being pesky by asking people to join church and to believe in their god etc etc.

some of them might go about this using the wrong methods or having the wrong motives. but i assure you, the basis of this, is first and foremost because of god. we are no different from the non believers. we still sin, we still make mistakes. the only difference is that god has granted us mercy and grace to save us. and because we firmly believe in that, we too want others to be saved.

so for non-believers reading this, please give a moment's thought about eternity. of the two places: heaven or hell, which would you rather be in for eternity? remember, heaven's not a difficult place to be granted permission to. all you need is to believe and have faith.

i shall leave you with a verse.

Ecclesiastes 3:11
He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

do think about this. and if you have any questions no matter how small, feel free to leave me a tag or email at phderrick@hotmail.com

Wednesday, August 06, 2008


finally it's over

no more remedial training!

whoo hoo! and i finally broke my proud 5 year old record of being a zero fighter (someone who cannot do chin ups). i did a proper one today!!

yeah ok, so no more training but sadly, i got an 8 day reservist training starting monday. hope it's not too xiong.

Monday, August 04, 2008


days without desktop

my desktop died

and i couldn't be bothered to revive it. what's the point when after reviving, the only thing that happens next is for it to die.

it's 5 years old now. every part is near obsolete. just can't wait before i get a job and start building a gaming rig.

not that i play a lot of games. the most graphic intensive game i play is company of heroes, and that doesn't require a lot.

anyway in order to not let technology disappoint me yet again, i've decided to have a change in hobby.

i came home one day to find my brother and his friends all playing magic cards! it used to be popular in my time, about 10 years ago. now it's on the decline. so i decided to pick it up, after watching them play. i have never been good at the game so maybe now, 10 years wiser, i can finally study the finer aspects of this game.

so $80 went into new cards. apparently the old ones are now "not legal" and have been phased out just so Wizards (the company that makes magic) can sell us newer cards and milk us for all our worth.

my first deck is 5 cards away from completion. and i'm looking forward to my first battle against my bro.