Thoughts after Battle of the Bands and today...

(OK, I titled it 'today', but it's just passed midnight, so 'today' is still Sunday!)


Introducing my brother's band, The Sigma Effect. Probably one of the best band names I can think of. U2 is definitely there, and so is Petra (come on, they're the only rock band called 'Rock'!). They performed Red Hot Chilli Peppers' 'Can't Stop'; alas they did not win. But they really enjoyed themselves. I think most of the bands were in it to perform, not so much to win.

Unfortunately, there were certain moments of tragedy, besides pitching problems and over-loud guitars. Among the more memorable ones was the transformation of 'Belaian Jiwa' into something more akin to 'Gempa Jiwa'. And then there was the band which did Deep Purple's 'Smoke on the Water', which was very impressive, only that they followed-up with a song about a mother... and that ruined everything. Still, they made it to the Top 3 I think.

Ironically, the heaviest songs were the lightest. As in, the 'heaviest' rock songs were only heavy on the ears; when it comes to substance, they were featherlight.

My brother says songs by U2 won't work in these competitions because the judges want skill. U2 is one of the least impressive bands in the world when it comes to technical flair. Adam the bassist is famous for his monotonous eighth-notes, Larry can't seem to get away from the military drum feel, and Bono has his wavering voice; only the Edge has technical prowess.

But U2 has, as described Rob Sheffield in Rolling Stone magazine, a 'warmth that all too few rock stars have any idea how to turn into music.' And the emotion and depth of U2 is something I really love about them. Not many rock bands can move me to the brink of tears; U2 is one of them for sure.

Shazlan the choir coach (and one of its founding members in 2001) was there as a judge. I'm putting this photo up for Li-Shia; notice the Seamaster bottle next to him, heheheh...


I sat on one of the VIP chairs towards the end of the concert, and my parents commented that VIP might stand for 'Very Important Photographer' or 'Victoria Institution Photographer'... I like both ideas!

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Here's how the Kamus Dewan defines the gambus:

"Sejenis kecapi Arab yang bertali enam (dimainkan dengan iringan gendang)."

I like the word 'kecapi'... quite cute. It refers to stringed instruments like guitars.

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Today Pastor Kuan Ming spoke, as Pastor Vincent was elsewhere preaching.

Some interesting trivia:

The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117, while the longest is Psalm 119. The chapter right in the middle of the Bible is Psalm 118 (before and after which are 594 chapters, which add up to 1188), and the centre verse is Psalm 118:8, which reads:

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. (NASB)

Quite a central verse indeed!


He preached from Daniel 3:14-18, in which Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego took their stand before King Nebuchadnezzar, saying;

"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

--Daniel 3:17-18 (NIV)

Pastor said;

"Some say that we should say, 'God is able', full-stop. No 'But if not'. Yet if we are unable to, so to speak, leave room for doubt, then we are likely to crumble in our crises. At any rate, we are already 'dead' when we give our lives to Christ."

And he is right. We die the moment we give our lives to Christ; death cannot claim us anymore as He has the final word.

But as for us, can we still rejoice even if God should slay us? Can we truly abandon ourselves to God the way these men of faith did?

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This afternoon, my family attended a lunch reunion of Mum's teenage Sunday School class at Aunty Boon Kee's house. They've known each other for over thirty years!

They were called the Overcomers. Quite a name, no?

I'm just wondering, what would we be like 30 years hence? One of my Mum's friends, Uncle Kian Yeap (who worked aboard Doulos and is still involved with Operation Mobilization) used to sport an afro, but is now bald. Can we possibly imagine a bald Soo Tian, Phak Hoe, or--horror of horrors--Shern Ren?!

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Pastor Kuan Ming and Aunty Boon Kee... characters from my days in the Evangelism Explosion programme. Pastor Kuan Ming introduced me to evangelism, and it was on one of my hospital visitation trips with my trainer Soon Teik and team partner Ellie, that I first met Aunty Boon Kee at the University Hospital.

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Let me be the first to wish the VI a Happy 113th Anniversary!