Dance to This Song!

Looks like staying up late for an entire week has finally taken its toll on me. Soo not a good time to fall sick. Handed in my final assignment this afternoon. Now I can officially say that semester 1 is over!

Haa.... exams starts next week for me.

7th June -Spatial Information Science 2
9th June - Maths for Surveying and Geometry B
11th June - Cartography 2
17th June - Surveying 2

And I can say with full confidence that I'm not prepared for any of them! ahaha probably not something I should be proud of. I've got six days to get up to speed with my non-existent revision. Wish me a miracle. I'm gonna need it.

Eat well and get enough rest guys! Being sick sucks.

Oh! and if you have time to spare, why not check out the video below?




~ btw, how awesome is this song? ~

My YouTube Story

Could you imagine at one point we once lived in a world where YouTube didn't exist? This year YouTube celebrates its 5th anniversary.

I've never really thought much about it but after watching the video above, YouTube's pretty amazing. What was once just a place to share videos has transformed into a source for education, inspiration and of course, entertainment.

Being a part of Life* TV made me think about why I'm doing all this. Is it just for the sake of churning out work? Or to keep people happy? Or is it just to satisfy my own selfish ambitions?

No! When I make videos, I want to make videos which shows heart and expression. To tickle the audiences' minds and inspire people. As simply or as silly as a video may be, I want to create those kind of videos.

So what's your YouTube story?

____________________________________________________________

Here are a couple of my favourite YouTube videos:

For the aspire film-makers:


For the dancers:


For the gamers:


For the musicians:


For the LULZ:



~ why haven't I expand on Ghostbusters..... interesting ~

Mr Brightside

2 years ago I would have looked at this and said that it's pretty cheesy.

Right now..........it's still pretty cheesy. But I kinda get it.

The past 2 weeks have been filled with disappointments and breakthroughs.

Disappointments

I wasn't granted a Commonwealth Support Place(CSP) by RMIT. That means that next semester I'll still be a full-fee paying student. No choice but to reapply again at the end of the year.

My job application was rejected by McDonalds, for the second time. On the bright-side, I may have found a better job opportunity. We'll just have to wait and see.

Breakthroughs

Through some God-given chance I mustered the courage to share about my 'love drama' with 2 incredible friends. Honestly, I never intended to share this with anyone from the community, ever. But I man-up and did it! And for the record, texting counts.

This ugly issue of unforgiveness have also been brought to light. I'm very thankful to have a mentor with me on this journey.

And that's what you missed, on Corner of Memories!
(haha yea, I've been watching GLEE.)

After sharing with my friends about the stuff that I've been going through, I feel....liberated. I donno how to explain it but, it feels great.

Be awe by the power of sharing!

What now?

That question have been haunting me all week. What now?

Trust in God? Give it time? Pray? or take matters into your own hands?

Hmmmmm I think I'll take matters into my own hand BUT only after the other given 3 have been fulfilled sorta. Or when I'm actually brave enough to do it. Highly doubt so.

In the meantime, I've got assignments, flare dance, life* tv and exams to worry about. Can't wait for the semester to be over!

Cause I'm looking forward to better days ahead =)


~ Hello Hurricane, you can't silence my love ~

Here's A Toast

Love dramas.
Stories to tell our kids.
Non-coincidental chances.

And did I mention?

High-fives and text messages!

Today was an incredible day. One that I will definitely remember for many merry days to come.


~a shout-out to wince & Z ~

AMP movement

Guess what people! I just paid to download a music album. This is definitely an accomplishment for me. It's been such a loong time since I've paid for music.

When Leon shared this band with me, I fell in love with them right away. Amp consist of three guys who hail from Maryland, United States. Their songs utilizes backing beats, with mellow keys and synthesizer. Combined with their singing and rapping style, Amp redefines the genre of gospel music.

What makes their songs really powerful, are the messages that they carry. Listening to the lyrics, they write about the struggles of be a Christian, a greater love, hope for better things, mainly gospel messages. But I sure most people would be able to relate with or enjoy their music.

Check 'em out and listen to their tunes here.

And if you really love their music, support them but buying their EP here:

http://ampmovement.bandcamp.com/

It's only $5.56 AUD for 6 awesome tracks written from the soul!

Peace!


~ "The Vision" - the lyrics are so powerful it pierces right through me ~

Move Along

Last month was just a whirlwind of events. Soooo much was going on that I didn't really have time to reflect and confront the problems I was having. Even at times when I was free, my mind would be racing through things that needed to be done eg. groceries, cooking, laundry, assignments. The frequency of which I cleaned the apartment have also decreased. Yea, I know. Poor effort.

Well just to recap the major events recently.

John Mayer - 3rd May at Rod Laver Arena.



















It was ok.

But what I really want to blog about is the 50km run!





















Even though each of us went through the same experience, what we got out of it couldn't be more different. To me, it was a real eye-opener. One thing for sure is that doing a 50km run isn't easy. And it's even harder doing it as a group. Try putting 7 people with different athleticism together for 10 hours. It would either bring out the best or the worst in us.

















team t-shirts

I admit that there were times where I felt a little (just a little) frustrated at the slower teammates. As much as I wanted to cross the finish line together with everyone, that didn't happen. By the 3rd leg our team was separated into 2 with a 30 minutes gap between us.



















pit stops to revitalize ourselves

You all are probably thinking I must be feeling guilty. Truth to be told I don't feel guilty at all. At the end of the day, each one of us made it to the finish line. And to me that's what matters. We were there to high-five and embrace those who made it to the finish line. No man dropped out, no man was left behind.

So so proud of the team. Such a blessing to be able to run with you guys. Hurray DAYAKS!!


















the support team eagerly anticipating our arrival

After the run, I woke up sore the next day BUT I felt really really good inside. At service, I finally took that first step to forgiveness. For such a long time I just wanted to kneel before God and lay everything before Him. But I was afraid.

Where did the sudden courage come from, who knows?

It's amazing how Pastor Tim puts it. It went something like this, "With each step we took(during the 50km), we were crushing Satan under our feet." Maybe I really was crushing Satan under my feet. And it felt damn good =) Alas, forgiving isn't an easy feat. But right now, I'm just glad that I've stopped running.

How did running 50km teach me forgiveness, who knows? (Serious, I have no idea. Maybe I just don't have the words to explain it yet.)

I might do it again next year. But this time everyone's gonna cross the finish line together. And we're gonna have super epic photos of us crossing the finish line with style and finesse.


















Alright! Time to move along.


~ Oxfam(100km)? ahaha we'll see ~

Man Oh Man...

After 10 hours 9 minutes of running/walking/trekking/climbing and a little bit of skipping we made it across the finish line. It's crazy and at the same time amazing how we managed to pull-off a 50km run.

Well done DAYAKS! And to the support team a big BIG - Thank You! So glad that I was able to do this with you all.

It was quite an eventful day, but I'll probably blog more about it later.

In the meantime......

~ time for a break ~

KICK-ASS time!

Only 7 more hours to GO the extra mile but I can't help but just blog right now. I still can't believe that I'm actually gonna do it. Wow 50km! That's pretty long isn't it? haha too late to back out now. I gonna do this!

For the kids in India.
For those supporting.
For those sponsoring.
And for myself.

This entire month of April, I've been running physically and metaphorically. And tomorrow's gonna be the biggest run of my life. After tomorrow, I'm gonna stop running(metaphorically). Running from my fear, my insecurity and my problems.

In a way, this run is kinda symbolic to me. When I made the decision to run during Easter Camp, it wasn't a decision made on the spur of the moment. Maybe it was me trying to prove something, accomplish something hmmmm I'm not sure. But after this run, things are gonna be different. How do I know that? It's a six sense which I have. Premonition, clairvoyance whatever you wanna call it. Something's gonna change.

Enough talking, more sleeping. DAYAKS are gonna kick-ass! YA-HA!!




























~ carb-loaded & psyched. let's mosey! ~

Back to Basics

For the past few months I've been wrestling with a very ugly issue. Instead of confronting it, I've chose to avoid it. But I know that it's eating me inside and it's making me sick.

Have you ever been hit where it hurts you the most? I was and well, it still hurts. And what I'm left with is hatred and sadness. It sickens me. Why? Because this hatred is harbored towards a brother. My brother.

It's stupid how it all started. I didn't mean any harm but then suddenly bam! His words pierced me right where it hurts. And since that day, the wound is still bleeding. Shit. I hate this shit. I'm a total mess.

"We hate people because they are the one that expose the part of us that we hate. " - Ps Tim 19/4/2010

Yea, it hurts me when people expose my weaknesses or bring up my past failures. I hate it. I don't need you to remind me about it. I know very well where I lack and the things I did. So what if I'll never amount to the things you did? Just shut up. Cause I don't care.

But I actually do care. You think a day haven't gone by without me thinking "what if" and "I should have". I've regretted and I still do. So just back off. It's been a while since I've come so close to cursing out loud. But I won't. Not this time.

This is probably the most honest I've been with myself. sighhhh what now? Live life as it was knowing that I'm broken inside? I don't know. I'm just tried of pretending. Pretending that everything's alright. Why can't I be more vulnerable? Pride. Fear.

Hmmm not sure why, but I feel a little better now. I guess I've been keeping all this emotions and feelings bottled up inside to the point where it was suffocating me. But now, it's all out. So to whoever's here, thanks for listening/reading......ahaha now I just feel embarrassed.

I'm going back to the basics. I'm gonna use this blog the way it was purposefully created to be. An honest one.

One which is not influenced by the thoughts of others,
One which expresses my feelings truthfully,
One which does not contradict myself,
One with integrity.

I'm gonna stop crying now. God has probably collected enough tears to generate a hydropower plant.

So smile.....



cause this ad is just hilarious =)


~ 100th post ~

We Are Once In A Lifetime

Waiting in the line as excited as I could be. The doors open. Finally. I've forsaken dinner for this moment. The only thing between me and a night of heart-pumping, bass-hitting, and alternative-rocking genius is a mean-looking bouncer.

As I approached the doors, the bouncer leaned forward. Towering over my feeble self. All this while, remaining silent. But when he spoke, he shattered all hopes of the promised night of heart-pumping, bass-hitting, and alternative-rocking genius.

"Where's you ID, mate?"

It's times like this I wonder why our student IDs doesn't show our birth dates. To cut a short story even shorter, I ran all the way back to my place (met Ian halfway who was running late for the concert), grabbed my passport and trammed back down to the bar.

And made it in time for the show.

Opening the show was local indie band, Dead Actors Club.

















The vocals/back-up vocals were good. The bassist was hot. The guitarist looks like a friend of mine from high school. The keyboardist had a nice hairband. The drummer hits too loud.

Haha I'm probably not doing the band justice by giving such remarks. So check 'em out on the myspace link above.

The band that would be performing next has been around since 1996. I remember the time when I would jam their songs together with my friends back home. Also whenever MTV plays their music, I would put the remote down and be awe by their musicality. Even now I remember the times me and my friends would try and attempt to imitate the sweet pipes of Jon Foreman, embarrassing ourselves. Good thing it's easier to imitate the sound of the guitars on "Meant to Live".

This band is none other than Switchfoot.
















Touring for their seventh album, Switchfoot is still going on strong!

Hello Hurricane
You're not enough
Hello Hurricane
You can't silence my love

Here's what the critics who attended had to say:

"SWITCH FOOT WAS... EPIC! they still remain so passionate and sincere about their music and songs even after so many years. AWESOME!!!" - ann boo

"when i listen to switchfoot, I weep." - anonymous

"woah switchfoot melbourne! best concert i've ever been to. no joke. that was so intense."- chris law

"SO INCREDIBLY AWESOME, I had this high for ages man, then I was so sad when it was gone haha" - gregory tan

"i can't sleep!!! hello hurricane is still ringing in my head!" - ian lau

I totally loved the way Jon Foreman interacted with the audience. He's such a fun and loving dude. I also got to see Chad Butler play both an acoustic and electronic drum kit at the same time. That's probably one of the coolest thing ever. Besides Hello Hurricane, they performed songs from their older albums too. I had the honour of listening to the following live:

1. Stars
2. Oh! Gravity
3. Twenty-four
4. This is your life
5. Meant to Live
6. Dare you to Move

After the concert, my respect for Switchfoot increased by tenfold. It's amazing how they are able to remain so humble and passionate whilst being in an industry which strives on scandals and idolatry. Thank God for Switchfoot! May they continue spreading the love with their music.

Music is truly a very powerful medium. I feel inspired. As a musician, I want to be able to inspire others as well.

"let's all grow up like them." - charles j. tan

















Yea, that'll be awesome!


~ I've made a mess of me, I wanna get back the rest of me ~

Run

I've been running through this entire week. Running to school. Running back home. Running the midnight oil. Running. It's been such a long time since I've been so exhausted not just physically but mentally as well. Today was just one of those day where everything didn't go as planned. But one thing I can always count on is that by the end of the day, everything's gonna be okay. And true enough, everything's okay =)

Thank God It's Friday!!


~ a brief moment of rest ~

Of Late & Later

First off a few pictures from Easter Camp because one day Facebook's gonna crash & we're gonna lose all of our precious memories.....maybe I shouldn't have jinx it. Anyways...

Penguin United
















Warcry. Squawk!




























Baby Eammon rocking his elastic straps!



















How could you not have jump-shots from camp?





















Or group shots.






















plus fish & chups on the side.

Didn't take any of these photos so credits goes to Kathryn, Winston, Aaron Lim and Phil. Thanks guys!

It's only been a week since then but it felt like a month ago. I never knew that April could be such a busy month.

Ok, let's see what's on my schedule:

17th April - Arrow's Flea Market
22nd April - Switchfoot
24th April - Bday with Homies(housechurch)

Fast forward to next month:

1st of May - GO the Extra Mile (50km)
3rd of May - John Mayer

























Plus Neighbourhood Night, Housechurch, Flare Dance and whatever adventures I may have in between - April's is gonna be one heck of a month.

My worries? Simple, my 2 assignments due at the end of this week and the run/walk/trek which is less than 20 days away. Care to sponsor me?

As much as I love to talk about my worries and feelings, that's gonna have to wait. For those of you starting uni, welcome back =) for those of you still on holidays, don't get too bored. Stay warm and keep safe. Winter's just around the corner.


~ Ian bought wrong size underwear ahaha ~

No Regrets Mun

This year's Easter camp was well, awesome. Not sure how to explain it but the past 3 days to me were just so real. Like it was meant to be. This is what life is about. Seeking God, worship, sharing and celebrating life.

What I love and at the same time feel annoyed about God is that He loves revealing things to me little by little. This time He revealed my gift of tongues. Honestly, I've been wanting to know how to speak in tongues for a long time now. What I didn't know was that I already had it in me. All I had to do was say, "GIVE IT TO ME!" (not out loud of course).

I always thought that when the day came that I was able to speak in tongues, it would be a teary epiphany. Surprise surprise. No tears. No sad emo music. No drama. Just a, "Oh, hey I'm speaking in tongues. This sounds weird." haha no joke but yea, thanks God. Allow the Holy Spirit to continue leading me as I worship you.





















If there is one thing that I took away from this camp was "To seize the moment!" It's funny how during the drive down to Philip Island, Ps Tim talked about doing the things we want to do while we're still young because before we know it, we'll be old, married and with kids (hopefully). And not just Ps Tim, Winston and the 2 guest speakers said the same thing!

Seizing the moment huh?

Looking back, there are times when I wish I could have done this and that. Regret? Maybe. Disappointment? Yea. And right now there are things that I keep telling myself, "I can do it next time." But will there be a next time? I guess it would really suck not being able to do what you want to do before it's too late.

Seizing the moment huh?

What's holding me back? What's holding you back? Doubt. Fear. Pride. Self-consciousness. I can relate to all that but are they reason enough to hold us back? One prayer that I prayed during this camp was, "To let go, if that is God's will."

If fear is holding me back, I'll let it go.
If uncertainty is holding me back, I'll let it go.
If unforgiveness is holding me back, I'll let it go.
If self-consciousness is holding me back, I'll let it go.

Even when I'm typing this down, there's doubt and fear but I'm gonna take this step of faith. No matter how little I understand, it's more than enough for me.

This is step number six. haha hmmm I've probably taken more than that so I'll stop counting.

I'm taking this step. I'm gonna walk the extra mile. I'm gonna GO the Extra Mile!












~ A real man never backs down from his word ~

So March Has Happened

Wow, it's been a month since I've been back in Melbourne and so much has happened. Where should I start? Where should I start.

Second year of uni. Meh. Most of my assignments are due after Easter break so it's definitely gonna be a busy period. So far so good.

Joined a new housechurch this year. It's always great meeting new people and getting to know others within the community. Being in a female-dominant cell group is a privilege. One that I will not abuse. Really looking forward to journeying with these guys. Good things are definitely gonna happen!

Salsa classes on Wednesday together with Doreen and the team which mainly consist of Arrow students. I believe what Life* Expedition is doing for the Arrow kids is awesome. I too am privilege to be a part of this venture. Besides, I get to mingle and dance like a madman. Speaking of dance, I finally joined Melbourne Uni's Flare Dance. Looking forward to being part of this team and maybe take part in it's production!

Birthdays! I love birthdays. There's always something about it that makes me happy. So far we've celebrated Grace's, Aaron's, and Greg's birthday plus Winston's which I chose not to attend. Afterall, it's just Wince.

Last year Krystal talked to me about getting a mentor to guide me in spiritual matters and after time spent praying she recommended Aun. And yea, I've been a mentee to Aun for a month now. It's great talking to Aun. Every time I get so caught up in doing things by myself, Aun always reminds me how what I'm doing always relates to God or how God is able to work from what I do. It's great having someone whom I can chat with. Nothing else but really just chat. Thanks, Aun!

For the past three weeks, I've been working together with the Life* TV crew promoting Easter Camp. And we have finally reaped the fruits of our labour. This year there was an overwhelming response for Easter Camp. I might be exaggerating but it was nevertheless a positive response. Easter Camp's gonna be at Philip Island and it's gonna be AWESOME! Because of the fellowship, location, activities and that I'll be playing the drums for all the sessions.

And finally, The Macca's Incident!




































































Just because Winston asked me to put the pictures up.


~ Happy Easter everyone! ~

Summer Cell

As promised, here's a post about "some things from last summer".

Last summer I attempted to lead a housechurch/cell group thingy which consisted of a bunch of misfits and a jon. For me, it was quite an accomplishment. I didn't think that we would be able to last 6 sessions without losing interest so yea, I'm thankful to God.

Honestly, I think that everyone has the urge to talk about spiritual stuff. But, they never had the opportunity to do so because of circumstances. For example, it's not exactly the best conversation to have while pummeling your virtual characters in Street Fighter or when you're out bowling with your friends. I mean can you imagine that?

*punch* *punch* *kick* *punch*
Jon: Hadouken!
Julian: Hey did you know God formed the Earth out of chaos and darkness?
Jon: Well prepare to experience chaos and darkness!

*Akuma executed "Wrath of the Raging Demon"*

*random flashes of light and sfx*

K.O!!!!!!

Yu: OHHHH! You just got served, yo!
Lee: lol.

Yea..... it's just not gonna work.

Although it was only the 6 of us or 4 of us most of the time, I believe that there was a bond which was forged among us. One which allows us to be open with one another and even talk about things like Creation, Life & Death, the 4Cs, SIN, Satan and God. These friends are people which I've known for years but this is the 1st time that I've actually seen some of them in such a vulnerable state. What more, this was probably the first time I've talked about 'religion' with them. But for some reason I found it more comforting then awkward. Though I don't think the same could be said for them!

FYI, we actually did Life* 101 material. So yea, a guy like me leading a discussion about 101, it was hard but yea, I compromised. I'm really lucky to have a talkative bunch. All I had to do was pop a question and we could have a discussion for 15 minutes with minimum involvement from my part. Ahaha just gave away one of my secret techniques!

One thing I've probably learn from this venture is courage. You may have the best materials or heaps of bible knowledge but if you don't have the courage to share it or to create a space that allows us to do so, it'll just be a waste. So I reckon it's best to go out there and share how much or even how little you know. Afterall, we were called to spread the gospel not keep it to ourselves.

So what's next? Right now I'm trying my best to keep this little group I have connected through the internet. Not sure how effective it'll be in the long run but we'll see. Wish me luck!























On a different note, rejoice! The weekend is here =)


~ I think I'll call it summer cell ~

Anniversary

3 weeks into uni and I think I've pretty much settled down and back into the routine of reading manga, Youtubing and blogging. Besides that, I've been busy with dance on Wednesday nights, housechurch on Thursday nights and Life* TV for Sundays. Just for the record I actually do study a little.




























What I was making in the last post

Had the opportunity to play the drums for church today. I've said it before but I'll say it again, "Nothing beats worshiping and praising God side-by-side with a bunch of friends!" And a talented bunch for that matter. Love it!

I love new years as much as I dread them. This means re-learning how to study while at the same time learning more complex subjects. But on the plus side, we get to meet new friends and catch-up with the old ones. With new years also comes new year resolutions! For every year, I would usually have some sort of resolution eg. 2009 - To be more open.

However, this year it actually took me awhile to think of one. I was pretty impressed with two of my friends who managed to make a list of new year's resolutions. That motivated me to sit on it for a couple of days. After hours of playing Persona 3, watching How I Met Your Mother and bible study(sort of), these this is the result.

My resolution for 2010 is *drumroll*

To help people.

As lame, general or plain it may sound, that is what I want to do. And please don't misinterpret this as "being somebody's bitch" but an act born out of pure-heartedness and good intentions. haha I'm not that nice but I WILL try.

There are still some things from last summer that I would like to blog about, alas Stress Level Elimination Exercise Plan (SLEEP) awaits. Till next time.


~ Happy 1st Anniversary to Corner of Memories ~

Interlude

As you could probably tell from the pic above, I've been pretty busy of late. Hopefully I would be able to update properly soon enough. In the meantime, go do your homework or read a book.


~ 21st! hint hint ~

Tweeting vs Blogging

Haaaa.......

After a 2 months absence from blogging, I'm at a loss for words. So instead, here's a twitter formatted post.

BurnMyBread

...had a quiet summer back home catching up with friends/family, eating, gaming and sharing Life* and loved it!

...is expanding his music playlist by listening to John Mayer & Leona Lewis.

...thinks this ad is just awesome http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_f98qOGY0

...can't believe that Final Fantasy XIII is coming out tmr and he still hasn't gotten a PS3.

...survived the 06/03/10 Melbourne Hail Storm.

...is looking for a part-time job. MyCube?

...loves uni life. Bring on the rebuttal!

...wants to work, dance, jam, serve and express his creativity. I might be stretching myself a little too thin here.

...misses Street Fighter IV!!!!!! @jon2512chua @aronlee

...is MERRY to see familiar faces in Melbourne once again.

...is uncertain about what's in store but is hoping for an awesome year! YA-HA!


~ hmmmm does anyone visit here anymore? oh wells ~

Daddy's Home

~ where were we ~

Going Home

~ Fitting isn't it? Ending with the song that started it all. ~