Another great weekend. SALT conference gave me a real insight into many things, from playing piano/keys to hip hop dancing. It started Thursday nite with Jeff Crabtree talking about the importance of music and how it influenced people and societies. Really funny man, you can even tell it by his name. hehe.
Then Friday started Band session, we were entertained by jamming sessions, mostly by jazz musicians, then split into different electives. That's when the scary part began. Well, only 5 people chose keys as their elective, so it was really really horrifying to play in front of people you don't know. For me, at least. Tom, our tutor, asked us to play "God He Reigns" in different moods, then taught us to improvise and make it sound better. So scary and nervous at 1st coz I'm the last one to play, and not surprisingly I'm the only Asian there. Yeah it took a lot of courage. I never played that song before, and gosh my sight reading skills slack a bit, I stumbled a bit along the way, but overall very informative and encouraging.
At nite of coz was THE night. Fashion show and film festival. Hundreds of people crowded the auditorium, and what really amazed me was that 85% of them who came was non-Christians! How awesome, ay. Fashion show was fabulous too, Elly looked great, Joel shocked me (came out displaying bath robes!), and the atmosphere was just perfect. Honestly I didn't expect it to turn out so professional and stylish. So great job for the 1st time organising a fashion show! Also, the short films shown were really WOAH... have to see it to know how it feels.
Saturday morning: All musicians combined into a ParaTREE session (Jeff CrabTREE and PARAchute band..haha). Jeff and Wayne talked on the ways to free worship, making it smooth, how to practise, and so on. Very cool stuff.
After that we went to our separate random electives. For me was DANCE. It is definitely something I've always wanted to try, after seeing Elly dance soooo beautifully. So anyway, she taught us really cool routines, very hip hop-ish... I didn't nail it, but for a 1st timer, "not bad la hor..." haha. So farnie and weird doing those moves and stretching my muscles to the limit. keke.
Sat nite: Open concert. Won't go into details but it's one of the best concerts ever. It covered everything; hip hop, breakdancing, rock, slow ballads (Julia Grace), jazz n blues...
SO, I registered with low expectations, and ended up gaining so much more. God is definitely gracious, and not forgetting...CREATIVE!
Ok la, enough of Salt. Though I can't wait for next year's Salt...hehe. I bought new sport shoezies! Nike Air BRS 1000 in purple! A lil dear (150 dollars) though. Had badminton today, quite relaxed one. Better start on my assignments (3 of them! all 1000 words ar) soon if I want to do well in all of those.
Oh yea, another big thing coming up... Elly and Andre's wedding ceremony this coming Saturday at church! It's undoubtedly gonna be HUGE, I'm trying to imagine how her wedding gown looks like, sure very trendy and elegant... sigh sooo romantic when you look at the couple. Andre, Pastor Leo's son, is quite soft spoken and gentleman-ly; on the other hand Elly is well, more sophisticated, funky, trendy, very "out there". Opposites attract, right? So congrats and best wishes to the cool couple. Meanwhile, I'll be busy figuring what I'll wear to the wedding.
Salt of the earth
Matthew 5:13
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."
Salt may seem like an odd thing to compare to the Kingdom of God, especially today. But if you walked the earth during Jesus' time this comparison between the Kingdom of God and salt would have spoken volumes about what it meant to be a true follower of Jesus Christ.
First, everyone knew salt as a preservative. Because there was no electricity during Jesus' time there was no refrigeration. That, of course, meant that meat, such as that from a lamb, would go bad very quickly. Salt was put on meat to keep it from rotting.
We, as followers of Christ, are called to preserve the faith. We are called to lead others to it, we are called to bring up our children in it, and we are called to continue to pass on the stories and essential teachings. How does the Christian faith survive generation to generation? Believers must pass it on.
Second, salt was used, as it is today, to enhance the flavor of foods. I know many people who can hardly sit down to a meal without using lots of salt. Why? Because they say it makes it all taste better.
We are called to "flavor" this world with the love of Christ. As any Christian will tell you, life is better in a relationship with Jesus Christ. We are called to serve the least of those around us and to reach out to those in need. We are called to take care of widows and orphans, the sick and the poor. We should make it our goal to leave this world a better place because of our lives, and not to waste life on selfish passions and desires.
If we don't live our lives in a way that preserves the faith and makes the world better, in the words of Jesus, we are no longer useful.
Whoa. So "cun" that Daily Devotions sent me this text about salt. Coincidence? I think that He's the one who made this happen. So anyway, the big day is here. Today. This evening, Salt is starting, and I'm soooo excited! hehe. Hope all goes well, many will attend, and that it will be an unforgettable nite.
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."
Salt may seem like an odd thing to compare to the Kingdom of God, especially today. But if you walked the earth during Jesus' time this comparison between the Kingdom of God and salt would have spoken volumes about what it meant to be a true follower of Jesus Christ.
First, everyone knew salt as a preservative. Because there was no electricity during Jesus' time there was no refrigeration. That, of course, meant that meat, such as that from a lamb, would go bad very quickly. Salt was put on meat to keep it from rotting.
We, as followers of Christ, are called to preserve the faith. We are called to lead others to it, we are called to bring up our children in it, and we are called to continue to pass on the stories and essential teachings. How does the Christian faith survive generation to generation? Believers must pass it on.
Second, salt was used, as it is today, to enhance the flavor of foods. I know many people who can hardly sit down to a meal without using lots of salt. Why? Because they say it makes it all taste better.
We are called to "flavor" this world with the love of Christ. As any Christian will tell you, life is better in a relationship with Jesus Christ. We are called to serve the least of those around us and to reach out to those in need. We are called to take care of widows and orphans, the sick and the poor. We should make it our goal to leave this world a better place because of our lives, and not to waste life on selfish passions and desires.
If we don't live our lives in a way that preserves the faith and makes the world better, in the words of Jesus, we are no longer useful.
Whoa. So "cun" that Daily Devotions sent me this text about salt. Coincidence? I think that He's the one who made this happen. So anyway, the big day is here. Today. This evening, Salt is starting, and I'm soooo excited! hehe. Hope all goes well, many will attend, and that it will be an unforgettable nite.
Guy Fawkes weekend rawks!!!
Yesterday was Guy Fawkes nite, which is probably the second most exciting day after new years day. Translation for those not in Christchurch now, its when all fireworks go off and show weekend begins! hehe.
So anyway Oliver, Cath, Nat, Frank n I bought some fireworks and went quite early to New Brighton beach. All of us except Oliver rode on the scary Kamikaze...quite fun actually hehe but expensive for 7 dollars though. Then the REAL thing began at around 930pm.
The beach was totally crowded, the atmosphere felt great, fun fair was funny, and the fireworks were about to begin. This is one of those moments that words alone cannot describe how marvellous the fireworks display was. Here I was thinking that the fireworks back home in Kuching n Sibu are so beautiful, but how wrong was I. Christchurch City Council sponsored the event, and it went on for about 30 mins. I think everyone had their mouths open and going "Whoa...ahhh....look..." the whole time. hehe. 1 Kiwi guy near me keep saying "Wicked...(censored) awesome....(censored) man..." haha. Then after the show, we fired our own fireworks, felt "mini" when compared to those by CCC, but it was fun nevertheless. Definitely the best nite since my arrival here.
SALT conference, CNLC's very own premier arts conference is on this week!!! This is gonna be huge, very huge. It's starting on Thursday nite, and kicking it off is totally branded fashion show, dance, music, and a whole lot more. It costed me 95 dollars for group earlybird, but hopefully it'll be worth it! hehe. So excited... Adeline was practically jumping up and down after church just now, telling everyone "You must come ar...please do come..." haha so hilarious. Esther looked pretty down coz she's going back to Kuching on Thursday...too bad. Anyway do pray hard for this event, pray for the guest speakers, dancers, models, singers, Parachute band, and everyone attending it!
Sorry if this blog sounded boring coz it was meant to entertain MYSELF. haha. I do deserve more fun and relaxation, after those long tiring hours of research essay... wonder how the others are doing...hehe. Ok la till then take care everyone n God bless!
So anyway Oliver, Cath, Nat, Frank n I bought some fireworks and went quite early to New Brighton beach. All of us except Oliver rode on the scary Kamikaze...quite fun actually hehe but expensive for 7 dollars though. Then the REAL thing began at around 930pm.
The beach was totally crowded, the atmosphere felt great, fun fair was funny, and the fireworks were about to begin. This is one of those moments that words alone cannot describe how marvellous the fireworks display was. Here I was thinking that the fireworks back home in Kuching n Sibu are so beautiful, but how wrong was I. Christchurch City Council sponsored the event, and it went on for about 30 mins. I think everyone had their mouths open and going "Whoa...ahhh....look..." the whole time. hehe. 1 Kiwi guy near me keep saying "Wicked...(censored) awesome....(censored) man..." haha. Then after the show, we fired our own fireworks, felt "mini" when compared to those by CCC, but it was fun nevertheless. Definitely the best nite since my arrival here.
SALT conference, CNLC's very own premier arts conference is on this week!!! This is gonna be huge, very huge. It's starting on Thursday nite, and kicking it off is totally branded fashion show, dance, music, and a whole lot more. It costed me 95 dollars for group earlybird, but hopefully it'll be worth it! hehe. So excited... Adeline was practically jumping up and down after church just now, telling everyone "You must come ar...please do come..." haha so hilarious. Esther looked pretty down coz she's going back to Kuching on Thursday...too bad. Anyway do pray hard for this event, pray for the guest speakers, dancers, models, singers, Parachute band, and everyone attending it!
Sorry if this blog sounded boring coz it was meant to entertain MYSELF. haha. I do deserve more fun and relaxation, after those long tiring hours of research essay... wonder how the others are doing...hehe. Ok la till then take care everyone n God bless!
crappy blog
Oh well. Here I am again. At crypt computer room now, feeling kinda accomplished coz I finished the 1st body paragraph of my essay. Yeha sounds stupid but walau writing academic essays suck big time, and it took me about 2 hours to spew out 300 words of only 1 paragraph...
Ok la. I'll stop grumbling. Anyway actually wanted to do the essay yesterday, but instead went shopping with Cat and Oliver, then we and a few other guys went to Sumner beach for some fishing. Well actually more like picnic by the rocks, coz we didn't catch any fish at all, only 1 baby dogfish (which we let go) and a baby GREAT WHITE SHARK! haha. My first experience with a great white..erm puny shark. We released it but unfortunatly it suffered from shock or something and probably didn't survive. *sad* But overall quite nice to enjoy the scenery, so peaceful yet so scary at the same time... (cliffs very high ma)
Erm signed up at Zorpia and got a very very yucky message from a Turkish guy. Totally creepish. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to post pics there after all..
Ok la. I'll stop grumbling. Anyway actually wanted to do the essay yesterday, but instead went shopping with Cat and Oliver, then we and a few other guys went to Sumner beach for some fishing. Well actually more like picnic by the rocks, coz we didn't catch any fish at all, only 1 baby dogfish (which we let go) and a baby GREAT WHITE SHARK! haha. My first experience with a great white..erm puny shark. We released it but unfortunatly it suffered from shock or something and probably didn't survive. *sad* But overall quite nice to enjoy the scenery, so peaceful yet so scary at the same time... (cliffs very high ma)
Erm signed up at Zorpia and got a very very yucky message from a Turkish guy. Totally creepish. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to post pics there after all..
halloweenomania
Another long no-blogging streak for me. Which means it feels really weird not blogging at least once in 3 days. Oh yea, below is another post from last Thursday but I never had the chance to post it online, and some pics as well at Zorpia.
Anyway, went to Kaikoura for fishing last Saturday. Well, not really fishing all day all nite like the last time off-Lyttelton, but this time it was more laid-back, more fun, and definitely more fishy. hehe!
For those who don't know yet, Kaikoura is a really beautiful, peaceful town about 2 1/2 hours drive from Christchurch. Caught so much fish this time. I think we caught more than 10 crayfishes (1 is worth about $40, so do the maths), then about 20 kg of sea perch and blue cod (both kind of fish about $22 per kg)... Not bad ler. Beautiful scenery too, nice jet boat adventure, saw many cuuuute seals, and I didn't get seasick! haha. A miracle, eh. No la, I took 2 anti-seasick pills, just in case ma. Then at nite, we had a super fishy dinner, Iris btw is a superb cook, and the crayfish were too pretty to eat. All in all, had lotsa fun fishing and shopping with the gals.
Erm, yesterday was Halloween hor. Went to Great Wall restaurant to have (cheap and nice) dinner, then had a bit of karaoke, pool, and played the kiddies dunno-how-to-call-it game. Oh yeah, while walking along city, suddenly I heard a terrifying scream. Thought something bad happened, but actually it was a crazy Kiwi girl screaming her heads off at one of the guys (Halloween ma...) for about 5 mins, then stopped and asked "Where are you from?" Totally wacko and farnie.
Kinda exciting holiday so far. I still have the english research assignment to do. So sien. Wanna just relax, go watch movie, or go shop but there's always that nagging voice at the back of my head telling me to start on the first draft. The beginning is always the hardest, just like what Colin said. Okie that's all la, need to kwai kwai sit at home and do the friggin assignment. Soon.
Anyway, went to Kaikoura for fishing last Saturday. Well, not really fishing all day all nite like the last time off-Lyttelton, but this time it was more laid-back, more fun, and definitely more fishy. hehe!
For those who don't know yet, Kaikoura is a really beautiful, peaceful town about 2 1/2 hours drive from Christchurch. Caught so much fish this time. I think we caught more than 10 crayfishes (1 is worth about $40, so do the maths), then about 20 kg of sea perch and blue cod (both kind of fish about $22 per kg)... Not bad ler. Beautiful scenery too, nice jet boat adventure, saw many cuuuute seals, and I didn't get seasick! haha. A miracle, eh. No la, I took 2 anti-seasick pills, just in case ma. Then at nite, we had a super fishy dinner, Iris btw is a superb cook, and the crayfish were too pretty to eat. All in all, had lotsa fun fishing and shopping with the gals.
Erm, yesterday was Halloween hor. Went to Great Wall restaurant to have (cheap and nice) dinner, then had a bit of karaoke, pool, and played the kiddies dunno-how-to-call-it game. Oh yeah, while walking along city, suddenly I heard a terrifying scream. Thought something bad happened, but actually it was a crazy Kiwi girl screaming her heads off at one of the guys (Halloween ma...) for about 5 mins, then stopped and asked "Where are you from?" Totally wacko and farnie.
Kinda exciting holiday so far. I still have the english research assignment to do. So sien. Wanna just relax, go watch movie, or go shop but there's always that nagging voice at the back of my head telling me to start on the first draft. The beginning is always the hardest, just like what Colin said. Okie that's all la, need to kwai kwai sit at home and do the friggin assignment. Soon.
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