Nineteen

(Just a note before I begin: I intend to finish this post by midnight.)


I turn 19 today. Which means I have exactly a year left to make fun of the 'aunties' out there, i.e. Yen, Tien, Mich and Hwei Ling. Next year, everyone in their 20s must be considered young, and only those in their 30s will be aunties and uncles. Finally, when I touch 40, I'll probably end up subscribing to the FES marriage conspiracy; the older you get, the younger you are. :-P

Anyway, here's a BIG thank you to those who wished me yesterday and today, including (but not limited to): Leanne, Sivin, Su Lin, Dinesh, Miss Shanti, Siti Zulaika, Ming-Shien, my classmates, Victorians, and the d'NAers.

And thanks for the presents; I'll blog on them someday.


So what did I do this year? Eat, eat, eat!

First, it was lunch with the d'NAers yesterday; Soo Tian, Tee Ming, Yen Yen, Tee Keat and Joan. We were joined later by Joan's friend, Kay Jin (also an 'Ong'!).

There are some reasons why I can never date Soo Tian: we'll take forever to decide where to eat. (We eventually settled on Nando's.) There are some reasons why Joan cannot navigate: we ended up walking to the opposite end of the mall when the restaurant was just two floors below us.


Clockwise from top left: Joan caught in between the gay guys; July babies (Ben 31st, Yen 15th, Kay Jin 13th); Kay Jin's new style of drinking Sprite; Tee Ming and her cousin, Tee Keat. All pictures by Tee Ming, except the last, which I took.

Then Mum treated me to the performance of Handel's Messiah at Menara PGRM last night, which ended the Yin Qi Music Centre's Sacred Music Festival 2006.

In school today, I met up with several 'twins': Huey Ping of Lower Six, Izleen of Upper Six Arts 2, and Weng Kit of Form Five:


At the hour of my birth (10-something in the morning), I was with Miss Shanti and Li-Shia, outside the canteen. Later, also within the hour, Mum SMS-ed me while I was in Li-Shia's class:

"I'm in the delivery room. I'm going to have a baby. I'm so excited. I'm going to be a mother soon. Oh! A baby boy! Fast forward... 19 years later... In a classroom in VI, a fine young man is studying. (I hope!) Happy B'day son."

(For a moment, I actually thought she was really going to have a baby at that time!)

Then it was today's lunch at Swensen's Leisure Mall with Mum and Sara. Unfortunately we sat at table 32, not 31. Sara gave me one of her Alphabet fries; the letter 'B' which is sitting on top of my black pepper seafood pasta:


Finally, dinner with my family! Mum loves outdoing herself. Tonight we had marmalade roast chicken. ;-)

The dinner table...


...and the family at dinner.


In between, I did something unusual: I gave my dogs a bath! Decided to go wild a bit, and besides, they needed a bath. So I took on both George and Ryan at the same time...


...and joined in the fun as well! :-P



Miss Shanti SMS-ed me this today:

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's chile has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child born on the Sabbath Day
Is bright and blithe and bonnie and gay.

Wednesday's child is full of woe. And I wonder, why do we love even those who are full of woe (whether or not they were born on Wednesday)? Surely it is NOT a morbid fascination with despair that draws us to compassion, mercy and love. I think the answer lies somewhere along the lines of a God who loved us enough to become one of us, despite us being children of the worst sort of woe.


I've always been a man of words, sometimes few, often many. Some spoken, others written. And upon reflecting on the last few years, I really thank God for bringing music into my life, that it may not be merely dull with words: for people like Mrs Chang and Soo Tian, above all, who opened doors to realms I never knew existed, and who instilled in me a passion for music.

Another thing is photography. And for this I also thank God, for it was He who declared, at the creation of this universe: "Let there be light!" Photographers are cheaters; we only know how to manipulate light, for we cannot create. We can only capture; we cannot summon something out of nothing.

Whether in words, music or images, God has graciously and incredibly revealed Himself in my life through these media. I am only a servant, a steward: one who has been given the task of using words wisely, of manipulating light responsibly, of causing this spirit of dust to sing to the glory of its Maker. May God be merciful and allow me to do this as long as I have breath, as long as I celebrate the anniversary of life.


Which path from here? Shall I pursue my passions; literature, photography, biology? Or shall I put up with Chemistry and Mathematics as well, in order to do well enough to pursue a degree in medicine? I think of Patch Adams; if ever I become a doctor, it will be, to a large degree, because of him.

I realise the following year seems to be coming in three phases: August through November, December though March, and April through July.

Phase 1 will be a time of much-needed focus, for I'll need to study hard for the STPM, which is in November.

Phase 2 will probably be a time of unwinding and reflection.

Phase 3 will most likely be a season of gearing up for challenges ahead.

The earth lies fallow in winter, in order to prepare for the warm currents of spring, before blazing forth with the bounty of summer, and finally settling down to the backward glance and contemplation of autumn. As seasons change, so do men.


Inspired by 2 Corinthians 10:4...

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

...and James 5:16...

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

...Petra wrote the song 'Get on Your Knees and Fight Like a Man' in the late 80s. On the whole, I think the lyrics sound like something from a Positive Thinking book, or an Anthony Robbins seminar. All but the first four words of the chorus; 'Get on your knees...'

The kingdoms of this world are kingdoms of power, not weakness. Men don't fight by getting on their knees; no, they hold their heads up high. But the Kingdom of Heaven is different. It is a kingdom of peace, a kingdom of sacrifice, a kingdom of discipleship and righteousness, a kingdom of servanthood. Big words, one link: Jesus Christ.

If, on the night of the greatest battle of all, Jesus could get on his knees, why can't we? If, in Gethsemane, where the forces of darkness were all gathered, Jesus prayed, why shouldn't we? Moses, Elijah, David, Paul and so many, many more, were men of prayer. Even Jonah, the 'anti-prophet' as I like to call him, prayed.

And one of the greatest challenges that lie ahead in this coming year is probably best expressed in this song. Not just because I need to pray more, but because I really need to learn that I can only stand tall on my knees; that the only power I have is the weakness of God; the only wisdom I have is the foolishness of God; the only strength I have is my infirmity, in which God's strength is made perfect.


Get on Your Knees and Fight Like a Man

Out on your own with your own self reliance
You've got no one to watch your back
You find yourself caught with no strong alliance
You've been left open for attack

Over your heard the condition is graver
You've given ground you can't retrieve
The cards are stacked and they're not in your favor
But you've got an ace up your sleeve

Chorus:
Get on your knees and fight like a man
You'll pull down strongholds if you just believe you can
Your enemy will tuck his tail and flee
Get on your knees and fight like a man

Under the gun, you've got no place to hide out
Backed in the corner on your own
This is one storm you are destined to ride out
One way to leave the danger zone

You've got the backbone to fight this tide
You've got the will to survive
You've got the weapon, it's at your side
You've got to learn to confide


As God has begun, so will he complete. (Philippians 1:6)


(Didn't quite go as expected. It is now 12.48 a.m. on the 1st of August. Li-Shia called a few minutes ago, to be the last person to wish me a happy birthday. "Imagine it is still 11.50 p.m. yesterday," she said, for that was when she wanted to call. But I was trying hard to blog before midnight, so I postponed the call. Failed anyway. Nevertheless, I'm setting the clock backwards, so this post will still appear on 31 July, for I want it documented as part of July. The time indicated below is the time I started blogging.)