The Gift

I had a wonderful time being in the midst of my family. It’s been two weeks since I last went back home, and I am so glad to be back again. The scrumptious cooking of mum‘s kitchen, the chattering of my sister, the presence of everyone in the family drowns me at home.

5 days had passed since I turned 21, and that’s something which I loved the most. Belated birthday celebration. Though it may not be as significant as the actual date celebration, but nevertheless it did bring wonderful memories for me to cherish forever.

On Saturday, me and my family went out for dinner in Subang Parade, and upon reaching the place, my dad took my hand, and led me to the top floor to a shop name “Yamaha Music Center” I was asking myself…why am I brought to his place? Father has a new hobby? Then my dad told me

“Happy belated Birthday Jowen. Choose whatever guitar u want, but let the budget be less then $$$”

I was like….*speechless*….my dad buying me a guitar? OH Heavens…..I have never felt so happy before, and immediately I went in the shop for some hunting. I tried on virtually every guitar on display, and some of those are 10 times more then my budget limit. WOW….Awesome. Never have I felt so nice hunting for stuffs before. I spent 2=30 minutes doing sound checks and quality check in the shop, while my brother complains of hunger. Hehahaha…I was king that day, so he has to wait, Muahhahaha….

After frolicking through and emitting praises for the guitars, I settled with the Yamaha F-380. It’s a cool guitar, with golden pegs, white outline, solid wood, (I think it’s made up from “Nyatuh” if I am not mistaken). My hands were trembling when my dad asked me to play a song. I wasn’t shivering cause of fear, but I am so happy and joyful that I couldn’t control myself. I played, and my dad was satisfied that I do know how to play the guitar….DUH….. hehehe ( before this, I had not played a single tune for them to hear)

My steps seemed lighter as I walked out the shop, with a black casing proudly strapped upon my back. My bros were complaining the more about their stomach, as I slowly walked along, wanting everybody to see my “baby”. (Nah that was exaggerated J ) We went over to The Chicken Rice shop, to have a rooster meal. The dinner was good, with the family being able to talk and mingle around more,

I had a good time spent with my family and it taught me a lot of things. Stuffs which I took for granted, I am beginning to see the effects of it. Things that I couldn’t see happening, began to happen right in front of me. I am beginning to grow closer to my family, and it’s a surprise to me as well. I’m beginning to take things more seriously…and I am thankful that I am 21 J

Me and "F-380"

CGvCG

Ahem...i know that this is a long long overdued post, but i would liike to acknowledge the 8 enthusiastic people of SEED Cg, for making this game worthwhile. below is the photoblog of the event, and this is my first time incorperating photos in my blog. Enjoy....

( FYI, CgvCG stands for Cell Groupp VS Cell Group )

Red people ; Red cars...



The People ; The Food....



SEED Leaders...



The People, The Ending...

*A Special Tribute to the 8 SEED-lings, in no particular orders, Vincent, Kenneth, WeeLiem, Charis, Eric, Daniel, JoWen and Rebecca, for being so "semangat " during the games*

*A tribute also to Rebecca, for she's back in Malacca to continue her studies...Keep up the fire burning for The ONe above ya, We'll always remember you...*

** Also linked to : CgVcG **

Happy Birthday Jowen...

The Lord made me
21 years ago
I am so happy
That I have grow

Tuesday was the date
25^th was the date
I cannot be at the bay
So in MMU, I celebrate

Went out at 2AM
To Aunty’s for chicken chop
Special thanks to A2-8-12 bros
For celebrating my special day

At the afternoon I had brunch
Where it’s supposed to be lunch
Thank you housemate for the munch
To you Daron, thanks a bunch

During the night at CF
A birthday song was sung to me
Thank you people for that sweet gesture
In my heart, I’ll always remember

Got a present from some one special
And some cash too, from the one closest
Thank you for making my day brighter
Thank you also for making me the happiest

Assignments and exams are a burden
And coincidentally it is Thaipusam
But I chose not to be flatten
I still had my birthday celebration

I was spared the usual bashing
That seemed to be a ritual for many
Pool throwing to cordial pouring
I was happy and bless,
For not getting any : D

Happy Birthday to me
The lord created me
I’m so happy to be me
Jowen, you are me…

-JOwEn-

"Happy Birthday To Me"
" Zhu Wo Shen Re Kuai Le"
"Zhok Ngo Shang Yat Fai Lok"
"Selamat Hari Jadi Kepada Ku"
"Ennaku Pirantha Naal Vazhtukal"
"Joyeux Anniversaire À Moi"

A Special Tribute goes out to the brothers of A2-8-12 , for your kind accompaniment at 2AM for chicken chop.

Also a special thanks to ( in no particular order) : Celine, Sang What, Desmond, Grace, Yee Huey, Weng Yew, Shaun, Alan, Bee Chee, Mary and Melissa for the wonderful birthday SMS-es..Love you people J

All CFers of Mutimedia University, Cyberjaya who have extended their Birthday Greeting and decided not to bashed me.. You Guys and Gals ROCKZ!!!!

Dad, Mum, Brothers, Sister, Kenneth Tan, Mary and Tay Ching Hwa, for calling me and wishing me Happy Birthday. It made me cry...Thanks so much, dear Friends, pa, ma, didi, mui mui :-)

And also a special thanks to all the Yahoo messages from EvErybOdy, who had wished me online, and also to the brothers of B3-2-1, you guys have been superb housemates. Thanks for the lunch and greeting as well…

Welcome to the adult world, JoWen…

The end times -> Redemption

Been wanting to update my blog since last week, but circumstances just do not allowed it to happened .Assignments submission, 2 test approaching this Thurs and Fri, man, I need rest….and need time to update my blog :P

I’ve had a personal encounter with God lately. Wait wait…..are you gonna asked

“Wow…Did God appeared like a giant in front of you?

Hehe….this is reality, not fairy tales….God doesn’t appear to me just like that in physical form (although sometimes I wished he’d had). But through several close friend’s, I am beginning to trust in Him even more, and also through the Words of Truth from the bible, I am beginning to learned even more of what is installed for me, and not to worry so much again.

Went over to ACTS church on Sunday morning, not having any expectations. The trip there itself is a miracle. I was playing around with my computer on Saturday night, trying to do some research, not thinking about church the next day. Then out of the blues, a brother messaged me and asked.

Bro : “Hey dude, got transport to church?”
Me : “Ermmm….No”
Bro : Wanna come church? Wait @ 815 @ B3, ok?
Me : HALLELUJAH!!!!!

Yea, that was how I got a ride to church on Sunday, and never regretted a bit waking up early. The worship was awesome, with several new songs (to me) been sung, and a prayer session followed after. Deep in my heart, I was broken. Broken not because of circumstances, but broken for God. I felt there’s noting to hide from Him above. I felt sudden realization. It’s like one moment I was zapped into a different dimension altogether. God was speaking to me in my heart. As the worship went on, I could feel, and sense His presence. I began to know that despite all my struggles in life, I still can sing for God, just as Apostle Paul said when he was chained in prison

“Rejoice, I say to you again, Rejoice….”

I was moved and touched by the words of the song. Words that penetrated every corner of mine heart, I felt comfort, and as though being lifted up from the ground, floating gently amidst the sound of praises and worship. It was a joyous moment.

The message was good. Rev Dr T.T Quah came and spoke on the redemption and the end times. It opened up my eyes to see, that whatever is written in the bible, about 2K years ago, are beginning to happen now. Wars, famine, earthquakes, and even tsunami’s. Yes, even tsunamis were recorded inn the bible. And it really brought a new perspective upon my life. We will never be the same again. Not that we will be handicapped or what, but even the axis of the earth was tilted as a result of the magnitude 9 earthquake rocks the world, and of course, the world is spinning faster….. it shocked me to read from the bible, that all this things are there as an indication of the second coming of Jesus.

I’ve never took the end times seriously. All I thought of was, when the Lord comes, it is over. But now as I sit back and listen to the message, itt dawned upon me a new concept, a new perspective. All these things happened not because He hate us, or He dislike us. For these things happened so that we will be able to know the great and might of God, and to me, it is a big challenge. Never before I felt so much of fear in my heart, after seeing the devastation and the aftermath of the tsunami that hit South East Asia. Rev T.T is a missionary, who travels around the world, establishing churches, and recently, he was back from Sri Lanka, where more then 40K people have lost their life. He mentioned about the state those people were in, and apart from that, he spoke the message of redemption and a message of hope for all of us. By the way, the passage he spoke from is from Luke 21.

Things have changed for me these past few days. Even though i may have stumbled, and may have fallen down de to my ego and pride, I am still able to stand up, and look up to The One who had heard m prayer. For it is the time of testing that I learned the most. I really thank God for His word so real, a friend once wish me

Let today be better then your every tomorrows.

I learned to be grateful, and thankful for the life that I had, and also want to give glory to God, who had sustained me through out the 20 years of my life, though I just came to know Him a few years back, but God is always faithful and true, and will never let me down. I have also learned that the process of making is a painful process to go through, and that’s what I see happening in my life now……. Thank you Lord

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want
He makes me lie down in green pastures
He leads me beside quiet waters
He restores my soul
He guides me in paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake

Even though I walked
Through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil
For You are with me
Your rod and your staffs
They comfort me

You prepare a table before me
In the presence of my enemies
You anoint my head with oil,
My cup overflows

Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life
And I will dwell in the house of the lord forever

CyberChristmas Charity Event - Part 3 (McD)

I had a pretty eventful day today. Cyber Christmas may be officially over for some, but to some still, it is an ongoing event. At nine O clock on a sunny Friday morning, a group of 14 young people, all from CFMMU, gathered to pay Rumah Trinity(RT) a third visit, this time with the purpose of giving them McDonald’s happy meal, all of which were sponsored by the caring souls in MMU . We left Cyberjaya at 9.30, and reached RT forty five minutes later.

The kids rushed out as soon as the first car arrived. They welcomed us like we are part of them. Smiles were seen flashing across every kid’s face. It was obvious that they still recognized us, despite haven’t visited them for 3 weeks. This time around, they were several stranger to the kids, but 15 minutes into settling down with the kids, the word stranger could be replaced with Close Friends. We had a session of introduction when we were gathered around, but most of the kids already knew who the big “annehs” and “akkas” were, so there is not much of a problem remembering names. We had a game of “sherade” with the kids, and it brings out the talent of acting in all the kids. Well, to some extend it did…J the game ended in a tie, although I think my group could beat the other group 10 - 0, hehehehehee……joking only ya?

Then the next game is called “Guess Who? “. It is played across a white blanket, and the crowd is split into two groups. Whoever gets to guess the other person when the blanket is pulled down is the winner, with the loser being pulled into the winning team. The objective of the game is to get as much people in a certain group, and of course, to get to know each and everybody’s name. it was fun playing it with the kids, with their man ways of getting to know who the other person is, Laughter were heard everywhere.

There were intense bonding together when we had our own time spent with the children. From football to playing superman, carrying them around to playing catch, everybody was busy trying to entertain the kids. We were made temporary entertainers for the day, and all of us were up and running, making our home with them, and also enjoying the fellowship of a 20++ years old with a <10>

The kids( as well as the goh gohs and jie jies) were complaining of hunger when we gathered them back in the hall again, and their pleas were answered when 4 boxes loaded with McDonald’s Happy meal made it’s way into the house. As hungry as the big boys(us) might be, still we have to give the children their food first, gees….everybody were mixing around with he children at the eating table, with cameras flashing, chili sauce spilling everywhere, talking and having a great “Fei-Louship” with the kids. The children were happy to be given a toy each in the Happy meal’s set, and it turn out to be an ink stamp. Oh yea…the war between kids and the big boys had just begun.

Within minutes after acquiring their “weapon”, they chased us around, trying to stamp our hands, feet, and whichever parts they can get hold of. We were running for dear life, while they charged like us, as though we were parts of Barbie dolls. Alas, some unfortunate people were being set upon by the kids, and without showing any mercy, all were stamped upon with blue and red “Hello Kitty” on the most vulnerable parts, including the face. I was one of the “casualties” with 9 stamps on my face, and 10 stamps on my hand. That taught me a lesson, which is never to take things away from the kids. Hahaha…..it was indeed a great moment we had mixing around, and some of us were giving out hand phone numbers to the kids as follow-up. Hehe….

As the wise man of old once said” All good things have to come to an end”. Awwwwwwww……that heart wrenching moment again, hmmm……every kid were given some sort of advice by the “older kids”. (Hey, we are not that old ok??? :P)

“Study hard ya…..”
“Get first in class can?…”
“Don’t bully people ok?”

We left the place after spending about 4-5 hours together with the lovable kids. As I sat in the car en-route to Cyberjaya, I can’t stop thinking about how fortunate we are, where we have love from our parents, and from friends that care. I mean, it’s not so much of pitying the kids, but is more like thanking God each day for the little things tat we have. It came upon me as a thought that we shouldn’t be complaining so much about life, while the kids can be so happy and so innocent while we met them. Thoughts of satisfaction and fulfillment rested upon my mind, and I felt happy to be able to bless the kids with my love and care. I really thank god for giving me this chance to go and share His love with other more un-fortunate people. I am sure everyone who went for this trip will echo what I say. God bless you..:)

A Night of blessings.....

I had a wonderful session during last CF meeting. I feel totally rejuvenated and energetic after a great and splendid time of worship. God moved mightily throughout the 20 minutes or so, and I was blessed by the worship. The message that was given is by a speaker, which is no stranger to all of us. Uncle Dexter, who hailed from Shah Alam. His message of “Jesus, our Refuge” confirmed my stand in God that He is the solid rock of which I stand. Man will changed, but Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. It is so comforting to know that indeed God is our refuge, and in all things, God will do it for the good of those who love Him. The songs that were put in my heart, as I led in worship spoke on the message as well.

It was truly a night of blessings and joy for the CF as one brother came up and gave a testimonial on how God is good to his family, and how he had seen the truth in Christianity. It is not so much about the religion that we are being bless, but it is Jesus, our Redeemer, Savior and friend, that we are so confident of the truth. David, I welcomed you into this big family as we fellowship together, and may God used you as a light to all those friends around you..J

Never has there been a moment I felt so happy before in my life, and I can say in confidence that in whatever circumstances, God will make a way and He will always be my Redeemer, Savior, and Friend

Thank you Jesus, for your love to me
Thank you Jesus, for your grace so free
I lift my voice o praise your name
And I’ll praise you again and again
You are everything
You are my God

Redemption Breakthrough...

So much had happened through out the past few weeks. Been feeling emo all the time, some good stuffs, some not-so-good stuffs; some joyous moments, some testing of faith. And despite of all this things that happened, I’m still Jowen, trying to understand the complexity and the roughness of life.

All this while, I was somewhat a silent person I take upon myself all things that happened, and not wanting to share. I always think

“This is my problem, so why do I have to share? What has it got to do with you?”

And so during the past few weeks, emotions after feelings after thoughts filled me up, and it somewhat got to the point of overflowing. Being the not-wanting-to-share kind of person, I felt that I was going to fall,, and never to get up again. My mind had been playing tricks on me over and over again. I was so lost, depressed and tired, while the future looked so bleak for me.

Things started to changed after I made the decision to share. I met up with an old primary school buddy, more like my best pal, and we started sharing. Before this, I was pessimistic about this friend capability. . we seldom chat, seldom meet, and even though we meet, it’s only like the kind of “Hi…..Bye” kind of friend. Yea, that was what I thought of him before this, though I realized of my friends caring heart. We started sharing our thoughts and our views one day, and BAAAAMMMM!!!!!!! One moment I was feeling down to the floor, and the next moment, feel like I am higher then cloud nine! We shared from night after dinner till around the wee hours of the morning, and the words that were said were like a rattling gun bullets, shooting non-stop till my pride, my ego, my selfishness were all gone. Words of healing, words of care, words of comfort, and words of love just poured out upon my life, that I couldn’t absorbed nor take it anymore. I felt completely humbled and was broken to the heart.

For a moment, I was stunned, I didn’t know how to respond. Even though words rained down like thunderstorm, but I couldn’t helped it but listen. I heard God spoke His word in the Bible.

“For God work for the good of those who love Him”

All I knew during that sharing session was that the friend was God-sent. He opened up my eyes to see the unseen, and to hear the unheard. Throughout this period of time, I couldn’t seem to forget how God moved and spoke to me through this friend of mine. And one thing mentioned was that all of us are caught up in a mind-hole, where we just focus our mind internally, and not wanting to venture out and to experienced new stuffs. I thought that I would be able to accept whatever changes around me. But I was terribly wrong. I didn’t think out of that hole. I thought I was right all the time. I felt guilt, a strong sense of guilt overcame me, and depressed as well. A great man once said

“You will not discover great oceans till you have the courage to lose sight of the shore”

Another bomb of realization exploded within me. I had underestimated myself. I could have found a solution out of this trouble and maze, but I was afraid, I was scared. I was fearful that I will sink even more. But the most important thing that slipped my mind in all these problems, was that My Lord Jesus will carry me through this.

“ But those who hope on The Lord will soar on wings like eagles, there will run and not grow weary, will walk and not be faint. “

God will always extend His mighty hand for me. But I was too proud to let Him change me. I was so stubborn. I realized it only now, and deep in my heart, I deeply thank Jesus for opening my closed mind and eyes, and also to the special friend that shared with me. Though we had lost contact for many years, but you are and continue will be my best friend .... now I knew the power that comes by sharing.

I have been talking much with another friend of mine, and I really would like to say Thank You. Despite of your hectic schedule in uni, and in church, you still spent your time with me, listening to me, and extending what ever help you can for me. Truly you have been a superb friend I have ever had, and deep down in my heart, I thank you for the time we spent together talking, being in the same boat as me, and offering your hand though I didn’t want to take it at first. All the talks we had are carved deep unto my heart, and deeply appreciated.

“Leave your sadness on sand, that it will be swept away, but carved your gratitude and thanksgiving on stone, for it will remain forever”

To you, MM & CS, you have been such a blessing to me, and also a great friend. I thank the Lord for bringing you into my life. words can't describe the thankfulness i have with you.

I’ve realized,
I’ve learned;
I’ve confident,
That I’ll soar in life

* This is a long emo post, and to you who read it from beginning to end, A BIG THANK YOU to you, and I hope my experience will be a breakthrough in your life as well. *

God Bless You

Struggle

When will i ever get out?
i'm so lost, confused...
No, i can't..
It's just so hard
Help...Help....

Too much had happenned
Can''t seemed to comprehend
Why?

*waiting*

CyberChristmas - The Continuation, The Life

A week after the beginning, and the truth expedition, we’ve come to the last event for Cyber Christmas 2005. Being held at Cyberia Clubhouse at 8PM, on the 13^th and 14^th of January, is the “Life Café”, where the idea was spearheaded by Ee Chia. It is a café setting, where we had BBQ party, life performances, and games plus fellowship. The preperations for the night started as early as 5PM, with more then 10 people came and clean up the place, wash the skewers, prepare the food, blow the balloon, and so much more…..The BBQ pit were set on fire at 7PM, and tables and chairs were put out for the night to began

The night started off with an introduction of the café by our pretty and handsome Emcee’s, Michelle and Joshua, where warm words of welcome were said, and several “usherers” ushered in the people with their most splendid smiles. Instead of the usual talk by the emcees, and also speech by the event director, food was being served instead, much to the delight of every hungry souls that are already waiting. There were a lot of dishes being served, among those were fried rice, fried meehoon, barbeque chicken, fish and sotong balls, potato salads, sardine and egg sandwiches, cakes, and so much more, special thanks to our master chefs, who had spent days preparing the delicious and scrumptious menu for all of us. While the people are having their food, there were life performances by several people, the first being Lenard and Alvin, singing and playing the guitar. What a splendid performance by them, and then games comes after that.

Everybody who came for “Life Café” were tagged by a color, and the game was to get us into our respective color groups. There were basically a form for us to filled up, with questions like “ Find out what your team members like to drink”, “ find out all your team members name”….. Then after that, each groups were suppose to perform some sort of sketch according to some of the question stated on the form. It is truly a nice way to get everybody talking, as we need to know each and every members likings and also their place of stay.

Performances after performances continued to liven up the atmosphere, and a couple of musicians took to the stage with their stuffs. Quite a wonderful night I should say, and also judging by some comments I heard from friends, this night really had reached it’s objective, which is to bring non-Christian friends to come and enjoy the fellowship of the CF. Though it rained towards the end, it didn’t hampered our effort to make the café happening. The last performance of the night was a splendid performance by 5 pretty ladies, which presented a “Fan-Dance”, and all of us audience were mesmerized by their sleek moves.

Soon after the dance, when the security guards started to switch off some of the swimming pool lights, and some foot notes by the Emcee’s after that, The café was over. Everybody seemed exhausted, but satisfied. We thought that we will some time for our self cleaning up the place while everybody is gone, but that is not the case here. Many of those who came doesn’t’ want to go back, and were still seen hanging around together with the CF-ers, talking and yakking away. That’s what “Life Café” is all about, to talk to the people regarding CF, to make new friends, to enjoy the fellowship among the brothers and sisters around us, and most importantly, to reach out to the non-believers.

Things are well organized, and if here is one word to describe the Life Café, it is gonna be “AweSome” .

Below are some of the acknowledgement I wished to put down as a gesture of thanks and congratulations for making Life Café a success.

Ee Chia, who is event director for the café, for putting in so much effort in getting this event done, even though it’s very tiring for you, but you still did what you are supposed to do. All the planning and hard work had paid off, and what’s the results of it? Success.

All those who head helped in cooking, preparing the food and marinating the chickens. Without you people, there won’t be any food.

All performers who had helped in making sure that the atmosphere of Life Café is at it’s peak, with their songs and compositions.

And not forgetting everyone else, from those setting up fire in the pit, to the games organizers, registration to the T-shirt sellers. Everyone of you really did a wonderful job. Surely God had raised up capable people to helped out in all events like this. Praise God…

Stay tuned for Cyber Christmas 2006, coming to you exclusive from Multimedia University, Cyberjaya…

* This review was based on what happnened during Thursday , 13th of January night *

I have fallen

Blinded by distraction
Clouded by misery
Saddened by actions
Blown off by anxiety

Things had changed
And never be the same
I have learned the hard way
That life is indeed a game

Many times I have fallen
Only o stand up again
But this time it s impossible
All that I’ve done is in vain

I’m tired and depressed
No one knows of my despair
How long must his continue
Till I am able to be at rest?

Friends failed me, this I’ve experienced
Being betrayed and backstabbed I’ve suffered
Success will follow if I’m strong
Encouragement and motivation from you I’ll hear

I thought I am able
To stand till today
But sadly I could not
Much to my dismay

Worries, anxiety, and misery
Are upon me can’t you see?
Cheerfulness, happiness, and gladness
Is what I longed to see in me

I wished upon the star
For the hope and the vision
The star is nothing but a creation
Why not I ask from the creator?

I’m confused and blurred
By my own ways and actions
To think of it , is definitely not good
But then what can I do?

NeeD TimE!!!

So much work to do, so little time to spent...

hElp............

CyberChristmas - The Journey, The Truth

Wow…..after what seemed to be a fantastic display of creativity and also showcases of talents in the Cyber Christmas night event, on the 5^th of January, a group of people set up what seemed to be “A trip down Memory Lane”, some 2000 years ago. It is the Cyber Christmas exhibition, which is being held in front of the MMU library foyer.

Several booths were set up for the exhibition, among those were “Hang loose”, which actually turned out to be a gallery of pictures taken during our activities time, and also the outdoor trips that the CF had organized. Pictures from last years event are being shown, including the Gua Tempurung trip, CGvCG, Inter-CG games, Cyber Christmas 2004, ….etc…etc… I had fun explaining to the curious onlookers, which actually took time to listen to the explanation of what CF is doing. We are not an official club in the university, but we managed to pulled through so many activities within the campus ground itself, and that testifies how great God is.

“A hand for Man”, which is the charity booth set up by Benny, to thank all the students and lecturers who had contributed for the Adopt-A-Gift. Showcases of pictures and also video clips regarding the visitation to the 3 orphanages were shown, and we had a new event lined up as a follow up to the visitation. Students of MMU were given the opportunity to sponsor a McDonald’s Happy meal for the 20++ orphans at Rumah Trinity. Within minutes after setting up the booth, all the kids were sponsored a happy meal already, special thanks to the people who had contributed RM10 in this program.

Then there is booth called “Groove Connections”, which is manned by Audrey and Sam, and the booth is about Christian music. The purpose of this booth is to expose the people around regarding Christian music, and to let them know, that Christian music isn’t about just singing “Hallelujah”, but is more then that. Altered Frequency, Patrick Leong, Juwita Suwito, Darlene Zschech…etc... are just some of the popular Christian song writers around, and their songs had transform life’s all around the world. In this booth, free cd’s were given away, courtesy of our dear sponsors, and also free mouse pads were given out too. May God continue to use music as a tool to encourage and to bring more people into His Kingdom.

“Christmas in INK” is a corner where people will get a glimpse of the first Christmas, about 2000 years ago. Paintings and also narration on “What is Christmas” were shown on the exhibit boards, and special acknowledgement goes to Kester, who did all of the paintings, and the information portrayed on the paintings as well. The first Christmas which took place in Bethlehem was not a explosive and power pack celebration, like we always think. The setting was a manger, with 2 elderly couples holding a baby boy, with several shepherds and wise men around, and that’s it. But the meaning of all this is after that day, mankind has been saved through the birth of this baby boy, that was given the name Jesus, which means Emmanuel, God with us.

Next on display is a dedication booth, where people can dedicate special messages to their friends, and also to send a belated Christmas wishes to friends as well. It’s a big exhibition board, pasted on it were a lot of colorful paper circles, and on that circle we are to write our greetings. Message like “Thank You Jesus”, “Good job to all Cyber Christmas committee”, and “ We are the Reason” were just some of the hundreds of messages posed on the board within the span of 2 days. Though Christmas had passed, still some of the people took this opportunity to wish their friends Merry Christmas

Tucked in a corner of the exhibition area was a booth, managed by a cute and pretty girl named EeChia, promoting the Life Café which is going to be held on the 13^th and 14^th of January at Cyberia Clubhouse. We will have a Bar-Ber-Que party, and also some live performances by the band that performed for Cyber Christmas, caroling, and fellowship. This café had been given the theme, which is The Continuation – The life. It’s about us, the CF-ers bringing our non-CF friends to experienced and to enjoy the fellowship and the food, plus the opportunity to share the love and grace of God with them.

Within the 2 days of this exhibition, I had the experienced of sharing to people regarding CF and also Cyber Christmas. And also, I got the chance to actually be bold enough to share Jesus with some of them. As what the disciples did long time ago, I feel the urge to do the same, go out to the harvest field, and gather as much harvest as possible. Things doesn’t look the same anymore to me. I’ve learned that nothing is impossible for God, and that even the slightest things, God can use it to achieve something huge. More then 5 people who was to be involved in Cyber Christmas fell victim to certain sicknesses, and a few hours before the event, they were healed. The dancers could dance and spin around, the actors could remember their script with 101% efficiency, the choir people may have lost their voice after so many hours of practices, but on that night, they sang like a nightingale. On the exhibition day, where everybody is still tired and exhausted from the previous night event, a group of people came and set up the booth at 8 in the morning. Truly without God, we won’t be having this event and all the other activities as well.

A tribute to Rebecca, Chee Yong and Kester for putting in effort to ensure that “ The Journey, The Truth” being materialized.

All Glory to Him who made this possible…..

CyberChristmas - The Beginning, The Way

CyberChristmas 2005/2006 - Fill Me In

“Awesome….”
“Very nice, keep it up…”
“One of the best Christmas night I’ve been to…”
“People here are so nice, and friendly….”

Above are some of the many comments I received from the audience of Cyber Christmas night, which ended yesterday. After hours and hours of rehearsal and practices, lots of comments and feedbacks, several scolding, meetings after meetings, the night was a great success to the organizers, as well as to the audience and the performers, special thanks to the Most High, who had been with us since the beginning of this event, which is approximately 6 years back.

The night kicked off at 8PM sharp, with Joseph and Jane, the emcees for the night, welcoming guests and students from MMU, as well as those who had graduated, guests from Acts church, and those from Malacca CF. Since the December 26^th tsunami incident, there had been no worldwide new year celebration. Instead, religious institute nationwide held special prayers for the affected people. And Cyber Christmas night started off with a 1 minute silence, in memory of those who lost heir life’s in the deadly earthquake. Then after that, the emcees start off with the announcement for Cyber Christmas, about caroling, exhibition, café…etc…etc…. Then after that is the first performance for the night, which is a choir presentation. I was in it too, and we sang a song, called Winter Wonderland, followed by an acapella version of “Have yourself a merry little Christmas”. This is my first time singing on stage as a choir member, and my first experience singing acapella…It was cool and exiting, as it open up my view about acapella music, and the beauty of the tune and the rhyme of the song.. After the choir, are the band performances. They performed 3 songs, and they too received loud cheers from the crowd. The main vocalist for the 3 songs were Alicia, Leona, Beatrice, Weeliem, and Esther, not forgetting the 4 backup singers. their voices were literally fllled with explosive, blasting clear every single tiredness and blockge to the ear. The overall setting was good, and up till that time, the night program flow is smooth flowing, without any hiccups.

Then after that is the dance performance. The dancers are all like….Fuiyoh…..So energetic and so “semangat”, they rock the night while dancing accordingly to 3 songs, choreographed by Lenard and Lu Vin. The first dance is a street dance, the second dance was danced according to the song by Switch foot-Dare to Move, and the 3^rd dance is accompanied by the dancers from the previous 2 dances, and they dance according to a super cool song (I don’t know the name of the song). Thunderous applauses were heard in the hall when the dancers huddle in the middle of he stage, signifies he ending of he dance. Then soon after, the emcees took over and started giving out free stuffs. From Cd’s to mouse pads, everyone was basically waiting for the emcees to get over to them, but some just an up and got hold of them. Questions like “what’s the theme for this year’s Cyber Christmas?”, “What is the theme color for this year’s Cyber Christmas? ” Soon after, the free stuffs were all given out, and the mood sets in for the main event for the night, which is the Cyber Christmas play, entitled Void.

The play revolved around a boy named Lenard, which initially was very well off, had a perfect family, until when his mother (Esther) ran away from home and got knocked down by a car, his girlfriend (Celine) left him, and his father(Joshua) asked him to come home for Christmas , supposedly to mend the already broken family relationship. Lenard came to meet up with his best buddy (JiaWern), who worked in comic book shop. After some convincing advice, and a drawing of Superman as his hero, Lenard began to understand that there is a hero in everyone of us, and to him, Jesus was his hero. The play came to an emotional ending when Lenard heeded to his best friend’s advice, and came home and be reunited to his father. The crowd gave a standing ovation after the play ( Well, at least the backstage people did…) and shouted the names of the actor and actresses( as if they were some kind of Bollywood stars).

I had a great time meeting up with the people after the show, as I was one of the usherers, and it’s een a wonderful blessing for me to see this event being able to draw in crowds by the hundreds. Truly God had been moving throughout the event, even when we were still planning for it months back. It’s great to see so many dedicated people helping out, and being so enthusiastic about taking MMU for God. At one time after the event, I said a silent prayer, thanking God for everything that He had done, and at that instance, celebrations erupted in the hall. People were seen hugging each other; praises were heard on everyone’s lips; congratulatory message were spoken by everyone; smiles and laughter beaming from ear to ear; cameras flashing everywhere....From the performers to the usherers, stage crew to the organizing committee. everyone was so happy, and joyous, and really in my heart, I thank The Lord for being so faithful, and tears of joy flowed down from my eyes, and without wasting more time, I joined in together to celebrate the reason Cyber Christmas was held. It was indeed a magnificent night, with everybody helping out. Seeds were sown a few weeks before the events, with publicity messages and also a webpage set up specially to promote this event, not forgetting the charity drive, and also on the night itself. but ultimately, it was God who brought the people here to experienced His love and grace.

The response from the crowd was overwhelming, with hundreds of feedback forms received. God had been moving great in CF, and are you game for another Cyber Christmas?

01 / 01 / 2005

Happy New Year Everybody !!!!!

May the year of 2005 brings with it Love Joy and Happiness to all !!!