I'll Face Myself

SOAP, 101 and more SOAPs.

After taking time out to just read and study the word, so so many questions started bombarding and tugging at me. What really got me thinking however didn't come from doing my own SOAP but by reading the SOAP of others.

By the way, for those of you unfamiliar with the term SOAP, it's a technique used while doing your devotion (reading the bible). So basically SOAP stands for:

S - Scripture (pick a verse which spoke to you)
O - Observation (your thoughts)
A - Application (how it applies to you)
P - Prayer (simple enough)

Hopefully that cleared things up cause SOAP's pretty new to me too.

The question was, "What is my level of openness?"

How open I am not just to myself but to people and God. Honestly speaking, I have no problem (most of the time) being honest with God. But when it comes to people, my friends and family, and I don't think I can say the same.

Since young, I have been brought up in an household where we were hardly (or never) taught to be open with one another. My parents, siblings and myself would usually keep to ourselves and we would be content with that. It's a pity really, that even now we still pretty much keep to ourselves even though we've been through so much together.

Fortunately, I have friends who I can trust and be open to about almost anything. But it would be great if I were able to be more open towards my own family. Funny how some of my friends know more about me than my parents or siblings ever will.

It was pretty cool how SOAP and Life* 101 (bible study course) this week focused on the same chapter in the bible (Ephesians for those of you who are interested). Also the topic we discussed about the most was, you guessed it, openness!

So was this all just a coincidence or something predestined by a certain Someone?

Whatever it may be, I'm glad in happened. Openness is something which I lack but hope to achieve (at least to a certain degree).

When I think about it, this is exactly what this blog is all about. A place for me to practice my openness, honesty and integrity. A place for me to face myself.

Now that I have identified this stronghold, it's about time to break it down, no? Well don't expect me to do a complete 180 by tomorrow but I pray that God will give me the courage to take the baby steps. Slowly but surely, weakening satan's grip over me.

So for those you reading this post, take note! This is my first step towards being open to you and myself.

Let me start here:
(Not sure if I'm doing this right, but hey, I've got nothing to lose but everything to gain)

Hi, I'm Julian


and I'm single and available.

~ If I ever told you that I had 12 girlfriends (all at the same time), I lied ~

It's A F-O-O-D Post

This time with more pictures!

Ingredients:

• 3 slices of Helga's soy & linseed bread (or your choice of bread)
• 2 sausages
• an egg
• cheese
• hash brown
• lettuce
• butter
• mayo
• tomato sauce

omelette with a pinch of salt and black pepper
reminds me of my drum pad haha (and again matches my blog's template)

observe the arrangement (exactly the way Oporto does it! maybe)

slice and dice! Santoku style!

the foundation

second level

And now presenting....*deep breath*

The Super Ultra Great Delicious Mega-Crazy Gonna Make You Sick Of Bread For An Entire Week Double Decker Sandwich!!
(try saying it out loud and super-duper fast! for fun hor fun)


Only available at Tay's residence.

Well, there's always McDonald's.


~ I will have a bright future.....making sandwiches ~

"Take It *BEEP*ing Easy"

What started out as a decision made at the spurt of the moment became a wonderful memory.

Two nights ago, a bunch of friends and I when to watch Jason Mraz Live at Festival Hall.

Joining him were special guests Lisa Mitchell and Eric Hutchinson.


At the age of 19 (same age as me!), Lisa Mitchell put on a solid performance. Cute how some of her songs were about animals. A great way to start the night.

Next up was Eric Hutchinson.


Eric Hutchinson is one of those artists that you oughta know! He's simply brilliant, both as a musician and performer. Check out his song "Oh!" in my playlist (right at the bottom of the page).


Finally, the moment everyone's been waiting for.

This man needs no introduction.

He's a man with much charisma, good looks and a killer vocal.

He's the one and only


CHICHI !! haha who else were you expecting?


oh yea and accompanying CHICHI was funny man, straw-hat Jason Mraz.

Songs performed:

1. Song for a Friend
   
2. Make It Mine
3. Only Human
4. The Dynamo of Volition
5. Did you get my message?
6. Mr. Curiosity (Take it *BEEP*ing easy, opera style baby!)
   
7. A Beautiful Mess
8. I'm Yours
   
9. Butterfly
10. 3 other songs (Never heard 'em before but still awesome!)
    

Other highlights of the show includes the Big Band Segment and the Introductory to Jason Mraz's band members. It was all good fun and good music.

Other aspects that I loved were the lighting and volume of the concert. The lighting was simple and sweet. Also the volume wasn't dreadfully loud but just nice.


Wanna see more photos? Check out Facebook.

So the next time Jason Mraz stops by wherever you may be, don't be a cheapo and think that it's not worth your money or time but just go ahead and buy a ticket to awesomeness!

So take it from me when I say, "It's worth it!"

and take it from MR. A-Z, when he says, "Take it *BEEP*ing Easy".

~If you're still wondering what *BEEP* is, it starts with an F and ends with a K. And no, it's not Facebook~

FF Sweetness

Watch in HD to get the most out of it!

Final Fantasy XIII


Final Fantasy versus XIII


Looks good, sounds good, definitely gonna be good.

I want a PS3. *stares at Jon*

~ Unleashing the gamer within ~

Photos!

What for? For fun hor fun.

Kel's Siew Yuk

Ann caught in the act!

Taboo time!

Welcome to the Velvet room (hmm but it's blue?)

Trampoline fun!

Kamehameha vs Gomu Gomu No

Bunny! Rawrrrrrrrrr!

~ Facebook, the ultimate source for photos ~

Acceptance

Just to follow up on the previous post, last Thursday we had a potluck dinner and a few rounds of Taboo for housechurch.

For those of you who don't know what Taboo is, it is a word guessing game. The objective of the game is for the player to have his team guess the word on the card without using the word itself and five additional words listed on the card.

For example, word to guess =Baseball, taboo words = bat, play, home run, hit, catch.

Who knew playing a word game would be so much fun. Overall, it was a night filled with fun, food and friends.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Ah, Easter Camp. The first time God spoke to me was during last year's Easter Camp. What did He say?

"You're not ready."

Hmm. Not the most encouraging thing to hear, no? But hey, it's the truth and boy does it hurt. So what do you do when God speaks to you?

a) ignore it
b) accept it as unchangeable
c) let it put you down for an entire year
d) thank God and work to better prepare yourself

What I did was:
e) all of the above

Unfortunately, during that time frame I allowed options a, b and c to govern me more than d. I felt unworthy, broken and undeserving of God. I was hungry for God, desperate for Him but at the same time, I was too afraid to take the next step forward, to get out of my boat. During the past 12 months I was trying to get God's approval. I was in need of being accepted. This blinded me.

In my foolish attempts to please God, I did the total opposite. I retreated to my secret stash, I allowed idolatry to take control of me and I built up strongholds. Thinking about it makes me cringe as these are actions just disgusting in God's eyes.

Friends, there is no need for you to fight for acceptance from your creator. He already has. And this Easter Camp helped me realized that.

I know that there are many things that I am still struggling with and stopping me from making God my only priority but you know what, I'm not alone on this journey. I have friends with me.

Friends who laughs with me,
Friends who prays with me,
Friends who inspires me,
Friends who teaches me,
Friends who shares Life* with me.

When I made the decision to seriously pursuit God last year, I knew that it wasn't going to be easy. Hey, He even warned me that I was gonna be in for one heck of a ride! And you know you what? I'm holding on.

Just like how I'm holding onto this rope.


~ I'll sing a new song for You ~

Kiss kiss, G-Strings & Moisturizer

Don't worry guys. You're in the right blog (hopefully). So, what exactly is this post about?
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Stay tune for my next update! But before that, here's a sneak peek:

~ Off to Easter Camp ~

Splurge Spree

After a year of procrastinating, I finally bought myself a practice pad. And a pretty good one too. Introducing, Vater's *drumroll*

Chop Builder 12 Inch Soft Single Side Practice Pad!!


It's slick, portable, and best of all, it suits my blog's template! The response and rebound is also accurate and ease to motion. This means that it feels and plays like a real snare drum, whilst remaining quiet. In conclusion, it's a good buy.

So buy, a practice pad today and say no more to air-drumming!

Or in my case.....


trash-head-drumming.

Other things, I bought? A table lamp, a kid's size sleeping bag, and a fisherman's hat! cheap cheap


~ I thank God for my parents' money in my bank account, Amen! ~

Super Size Mee

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of Indomee ( 2 when 1 isn't enough)
• an egg (garnished with black pepper & chives)
• 3 buffalo wings ( add more to emphasize Super Size effect!)

Bon Appétit !

~ Did you know that RMIT students get a free upsize at Hungry Jack's and Oporto? ~

A Little Breather

Last week was probably the busiest I've been in a long time. Assignments to do, tutorials to prepare for and datelines to meet. I guess everyone's pretty much the same, eh? Lucky for me, I handed in the last of my assignments (for now) today. Hence, the title of today's post.

Just a few random pics (not recent):

It's been more than a month since I've been in Melbourne and I must say, I'm enjoying most of my time here. It's hard to believe just two years ago I left Kuching for Perth and this year, Perth for Melbourne. I always get this funny feeling whenever I think about. It's not exactly a surreal feeling but something more, indescribable. Do you guys feel the same way or is it just me? Anyways, now two years down the road I've leveled up from being a high school kid to an undergraduate.

The difference?

You tell me.

sigh...how time flies... I wonder how fast my four years in uni will be.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward, eagerly anticipating what God has in store for me and I pray that He will be there to guide my every step and to give me a good smack to the head if I were to stray away from Him. I may not know what the future holds but I can be sure of one thing, and that is, I'm gonna be in for one heck of a ride.

So, things to look forward to? Easter break, housechurch, breakdancing class?, Jason Mraz and a nice refreshing goodnight sleep.

~ 2009, so far so good ~

Up

I'm a sucker for Pixar.

~ hey, Jon. It's you! ~