Psalm 34

Its been a long long week. Jon remembered there was one question that the pastor posted, if you have trouble now who do you seek help from? The pastor was trying to say that your shepherd will be someone whom you can do life with and share your problems.

In fact Jon has not been taking this question seriously until now. Up until now, he realized that there was no one in church he could do life with... Worse of all, there was no one who Jon could turn to when trouble arises. After some thought, it became clear that the person Jon would eventually call for help was someone who was not in this church. In fact the person was someone that had left this church and attended the other church...

After much "heart to heart talk" and prayers, finally we found what God has to say. Its Psalm 34:

I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the God with me;
Let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
The angels of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the man who take refuge in him.
Fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him lacks nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry;
for those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongues from evil and your lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;
he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

Playing God???

Jon's life has been damned. No he did not destroy it himself, it is the work of a careful planned scheme. A conspiracy you may call it. Never did they realise that they are messing with the works that are initially created by God's grace.

In short, there are people whose "...clothing is stained with the blood of the innocent and the poor... And yet they say, 'I havent done anything wrong'" (paraphased from Jeremiah 2: 34-35). Beware of people around you as there are false prophets out there.

Jon is enraged. Furious. Some people are messing in his life and his business which has been committed to God. In short people are playing God now!

Jon says, "Dear Father in heaven, there is nothing I can do now. You created all that I have, now its time you prevent it from crumbling down."

"There is nothing reliable in what they say; their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. Hold them guilty; O God; by their own devices let them fall! In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out, for they are rebellious against you." Psalm 5:9-10

"Let evil recoil on those who slander me; in your faithfulness destroy them." Psalm 54:5

O God, you have heard how I confessed my sins. You have seen how I re-committed my life. I am strong in my faith to stand firm. But there are innocent people out there who have been "slayed". Now I am helpless in this. In your name I pray. In your name I uplift my life and those innocent ones into your hands. Its time to take your place as my God. Let those playing God be condemned forever.

Amen.

Revival Is Needed

Have you ever wake up one day and feel really tired to go work at times?

(Not to mention school while skipping classes are such a norm to Jon during his time…)

Have you ever get tired of your favorite food at times?

Have you ever get tired of your favorite sport at times?

If you are married/attached, have you ever thought of needing some time to be alone, at times?

Have you ever wake up on Sun, you feel tired to attend church?

You want to work, but realized that there are piles of work undone… more will be coming…

You want to eat your favorite food, but the thought of problems you going to face in life makes you lost all appetite.

You want to play your favorite sport but realized that it will sap up the energy you will need to face the problems in life.

You want to spend time with your love ones but realize that the time spend can be better thinking of solutions for your problems.

You want to attend church, but knowing that after the “inspiring” 2 hours of preaching you will have to face reality again the next day.

If you are feeling this way, then you are not ALONE. Jon is experiencing all the above. It’s been 2 weeks since he missed church now. Lucky for him, there were valid excuses for him. Two weeks ago, Jon went for a break in KL. Last Sun, he had to attend his grandma’s 3rd year death anniversary.

All this happens for a GREATER reason, Jon reckons. Last Sun, while Jon was at his uncle’s house, he noticed a guitar sitting in his nephew’s (Kia Heng) room. Out of curiosity, he asked his Kia Heng when did he pick up guitar… to Jon’s SURPRISE, Kia Heng replied that he is learning from his church’s friend… Yes, Jon heard it right; CHURCH FRIEND!

Kia Heng has been attending church for a few weeks now. For your information, his father (Jon’s uncle) is actually a very stern and no-nonsense man. Used to be Jon’s and all his sibling’s “Discipline Master”. Yes, Jon was always been canned by him for poor results… hehee… He was the man who molded Jon for who he is right now. A very well respected figure. Kia Heng has been very afraid of his dad and a very obedient child. From young, Jon never hears Kia Heng talks back at his father nor would he do things that displease his father. Today, he has decided to be a Christ Follower. That’s a miracle for Jon.

God is doing a revival in Jon’s family. But Jon chooses to be a whiner to God. God is showing Jon He is mighty. But Jon chooses to focus on his problems. Jon needs to sort out his mind…

May all of you who have eyes to see this post and ears to hear Jon whines pray for him.

Higher Price = Better Journey

As promised, this entry is going to share with all of you why we need to pay additional $$$ for coaches when travelling SIN-KL or KL-SIN.

It all started when Jon was purchasing his coach ticket from Grassland at Golden Mile Complex. They were selling the coach ticket at $26 for a single trip. As usual Jon tried to bargain as he knew of some other companies selling it at only $23. But the lady selling the tickets explained that the service they were providing was much better and they were also providing a direct trip from Point A to Point B. The latter sounded confusing to Jon but as it was getting late, Jon simply purchased the ticket to KL first and hoping to get a better deal when he reached KL for the return trip ticket.

As expected, the journey to KL was indeed comfortable. Only one stop for a short break upon half the journey. Of course there was the expected jam when you reached KL city, especially over the weekend or holiday...

Upon reaching KL, Jon went on to check on the return coach ticket at Puduraya Bus Station. There were many booths selling coach tickets to and fro KL. To his surprise, they were selling the tickets at only Rm $35 only. That was much cheaper than he paid to Grassland...

However the nightmare only began on the way home. Here's the list of what Jon's bad encounters:

Firstly the coach was older than the one from Grassland, so the seats were smaller. The coach also gave off a twinking sound from the rusty screws all around.

Secondly the coach set off 45 mins later than schedule. If Jon was not wrong, the bus company was actually waiting for last min passengers to fill up the whole coach.

Thirdly just when you started to doze off on your seat, you would be disrupted by various stoppages as the coach driver picked up 'Special Passengers" along the way. A closer look reviewed that the "Special Passengers" were the coach driver's friends taking a free ride to Johore. They were sitting at the steps in front of the front doors.

Fourthly, the group of "Special Passengers" chatted loudly which you would never find peace in sleeping.

In the end, you would end up feeling frustrated the whole journey. Lesson learnt: Spend a little more next time when you are travelling to KL on some reputable travel agencies. At least you would enjoy your whole journey. Even if you are not, you know where to complain later.

So choose wisely!

3-DAY-2-NIGHT

Now that Jon is back home, he is thinking of gg away again! Going away is so good! Going to somewhere cheap is even better! Spending $$$ at a country with weaker currency and lower standard of living is ecstatic!!! Heee... =)

Jon had a wonderful 3-Day-2-Night at a foreign land. The thrill of meeting new friends is cool. The challenge of getting around in a new environment is exciting. The feeling of staying alone at a hotel with a KING size bed overlooking the city view is certainly living a life in fantasy!

Living at a not-so-highclass-but-good-cityview-and-good-service hotel was way too cool. Radius International Hotel is a 4-star hotel but located at the central of KL city. Its located near Bukit Bintan overlooking various shopping malls such as Lot 10, Plaza Low Yat, Bukit Bintan Plaza and also the new TIMES SQUARE! At Radius, Jon paid RM$185 per day for a Premier Class room and was given a room at 18th level which is the highest floor. 5-star hotels would cost around RM$250 and above. As a premier class customer, Jon had "VIP" treatment.

First Taste Of VIP Service
Jon was allocated a room at level 17. However as he checked into the room, he realised that it was a corner room and the structure of the room was a little "edgy". To make matter worse, the size of the window was a 2-panel window. It felt like a prison. It was very uncomfortable to stay in a room with so many edges and small sized window, even though it was facing a freestyle swimming pool with an opportunity of seeing bikini babes jumping into the water... Hence Jon dialed up the Room Service and requested for a change of room. Without asking a question, his request was warmly accepted and to his surprise, he was given a new room at level 18 (highest level)facing the whole city with a 4-panel window! What a sight!

First Encounter Of A Gay stranger-cum-friend
Jon met Jack (a Malaysian from Sarawak who worked in SIN as hairstylist in Wisma) in the coach on his way to KL. Jon did not really talk to him during the journey and the only time they spoke was when Jack borrowed newspaper from him during the journey. As Jon alighted the coach at Puduraya Bus Station in KL, Jon asked Jack for road direction. During the conversation, Jon found out that Jack was staying at Westin Hotel which is near to Radius around Bukit Bintan area, hence they explored the road together. As Jon almost reached his hotel, they parted directions with the exchange of phone numbers as Jack would be meeting up some of his KL friends and they would be bringing him around. Jon thought it would be good to join them since he was a stranger in a foreign land. So they agreed to "sms" each other for updates.

That same night, Jack text Jon that he was meeting his malaysian friends for dinner and they would be heading for the pubs later that night, hence asking Jon along. Jon felt privileged and asked for where they would be heading later. To Jon's surprised, Jack returned with a sms saying that they would be going to a GAY PUB and asked Jon if he was fine to join them. Jon replied carefully that "Gay Pub" was not his type and he would prefer to go to places with more "pretty women" instead. Jack replied to say that his friends were all heading to the "Gay Pub" and said it was okay if he wouldnt want to join them. With this, Jon spent the rest of the night visiting Times Square alone... Phew, it was a close shave!!!

First Sleep on a King Size Double Bed on top of a City.
Staying in a hotel as a Premier Class customer is great. Jon returned to the hotel with a pleasant surprise as there was a plate of fruits on the table as welcome gift. This new room got a splendid view of the KL City, especially at night with all the street & car lamps brightening up the roads in between all the buildings. (Reminds Jon of his own office overlooking the CBD!) There was a pair of slipper to wear. A bath tub for a lovely bubble bath. Free 1 hour internet assess in the room. And yes, Jon was also able to catch his favourite team Arsenal playing against Chelsea on Star Sports in the Premier Room! Though Arsenal lost 1-2 eventually, nothing could take away that wonderful night Jon had in KL...

Second day (Mon) was business as usual. A series of meetings with friends, contacts and potential business associates had made this trip a great purpose as Jon opened up future business opportunities in KL. It was a wonderful day as Jon gathered great business tips to do business in KL, valuable business contacts and advises from people that he met. It was fruitful exploration trip as he not only visited great people, he also went to various shopping area like the new Hatamas Shopping Centre, the Biggest-shopping-centre-at-Petaling-Jeya called 1 Utama and the hottest-nightspot-at-Bangsar.

The last day (Tuesday-Our National Day) was spent shopping around at KL city area. Jon went to Plaza Low Yak (aka Sim Lim Square in Singapore) to check out potential buys for IT upgrade. Jon realized that the prices were not so much different EXCEPT RAM!!! Jon recently bought his laptop 1 gb ram at SIN$400. They were selling at RM$490!!! Almost half price?! Jon bought 2 x 1GB Ram. One for himself, Another one for his great assistant Reina! =)

After doing his last-min shopping, hanging around some other shopping mall, had 31 Baskin Robbins ice cream and a KL-made chocolate waffle, Jon headed to Puduraya for his journey back...

(To be continued as Jon would share his final encounter with a bad experience during the bus ride home...)

Runaway Jon

Just in case some of you are wondering where has Jon been, here's the update:

After contemplating the whole day (Sat), Jon finally made up his mine to runaway from home. He logged onto the web at 6pm to check around hotels in KL and settled at a "not so expensive" hotel (Radius International Hotel) near the centre of KL City. After deciding on that, Jon gave a call to confirm if there is room availability. The response is postive.

Its time to decide on the mode of transport. Flight? A bit too expensive to fly from Singapore. AirAsia from JB-KL? Time consuming like coach. So Jon called up some travel agencies in Golden Mile and checked on the availability of coach tickets. Bingo! Some seats left but very limited. Need to purchase it by 9.30pm tonight. Time check... 8.30pm! Got into his bro's van and rushed down Golden Mile to purchase the tickets.

Confirmed! Jon is taking the coach from Golden Mile at 8am later this morning. Return trip - 2pm from KL to SIN.

Total Cost: S$56 return trip + $370 ringgit for hotel stay.

Yes, first time travelling alone. Also first time making such a rush plan. Exciting journey... A retreat. A getaway. A runaway. An escape. A breakaway. Whatever. Byeeee people! For 3 days 2 nights...

Be Merciful on me

Don't look at me.
Don't ask me questions.
My world is falling apart.

Let the problems pass.
Allow the silent to calm.
Invite the dreams to get me into shape again.

Make me sleep.
Get me drunk.
So that I do not need to face the it again.

Darkness sets in.
Storm fills up.
May my prayers find its way.

I'm draining.
I'm losing.
Be Merciful on me.

Waking up each morning hoping for a better day

It seems that the world is going through a bad patch down. People down with sickness, heartbreaks, lost of job, lost of faith, lost of focus, lost of LIFE...

Like the weather, it affects people all around. People without umbrellas get wet in the rain as compared to those with umbrellas. What do you do when life isnt what you want it to be?

As Jon looked around him, he found out that many people too were experiencing life's negatives. Jon went into some of his friends' blogs and realised their struggles. While some wrote songs, others chose poems. Someone transfered his disappointment into shrewd writing, another went into hacking. There are also people commit themselves into prayers, yet there are people who chose to sin...

Jon? He wakes up every morning hoping the new day turns out better. If its another bad day, he would walk through the day like a walking corpse until its time to bed.

When God seems silent, prayers needs patience and faith requires perserverance, isnt life just like "Waking up each morning hoping for a better day"?