I'm sure we know who to reflect. :) How about the 'salt' part u may ask? And guess what, how much salt do u need to add to give flavour to food? JUST A PINCH! U can affect your surroundings in a powerful way more than u realise! ;)

We sang a new song today. I love the chorus. =)

No more running wild

I'm Yours for life

Well You got me here

You got me

I hear Your call tonight

Your heart is mine

Well You got me here

You got me!

I sent in my voting form for the Student Council elections already. I'm allowed to vote for myself so I did becos I love and support myself! Haha. But I'm not gonna campaign for votes, just don't feel that there's a need to. If people want to vote for me, they'll vote one lah. ;) It's not like I'm running to be president of S'pore anyway! I think the results will be out next week. Stay tuned! ;)

I had such a physically and mentally demanding day but it was a really fulfilling day too! I learnt and gained so much. I'm gonna apply them and share the good things with the pple around me becos when I received something good I just cannot keep it to myself! I've long decided that I'm not gonna live a selfish life. Dear friends, I will share the good things I experienced with you becos I love you enough to do so! =)

And oh, the MDIS Student Council ExCo members voting list is out and I have a 66% chance of being elected to be a Communications Secretary! I'm 1 out of the 3 pple shortlisted and there's 2 seats for this position! I'm suppose to campaign for the SC members to vote for me now! Very unlike me to do so though!

The last one month felt really long... Dear friends, pls say a prayer for me while u're reading this. I need to stop stabbing myself in the heart with the same knife again and again (lol, I sound so morbid). But I'm glad that behind the tears, I have laughter. Behind the pain, I still have joy. I'm glad that I'm enjoying my life even in the midst of this battle. I'm glad that I can always hold on to the love that never fails me... You're more than enough for me!

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name!

These 2 letters touched my heart . . . I believe they'll touch yours too. The first letter is written by Ashley, a university student and the latter by her mother, Anna.


Hi,

I feel kinda weird writing this email. And I doubt if it ever gets to Mr Louie Giglio. I am a Senior at The University of Florida. I got a new roommate this semester and she is a Christian and I have never really been into the whole Christian thing because every pastor or speaker that I have ever listened to didn’t speak in a language I could understand. I have believed in God and Jesus, but never really understood it because of the preachers at the church that I have always been forced to go to every Sunday of my life. They speak all high and mighty and I never really felt connected, and I felt like God was only for the perfect people.

Well my roommate went to this Passion Conference over winter break. And she came back and moved into my apt and she was real and genuine about all her Christian stuff, like I have never seen before in a person. She said that God changed her at this conference, so I was like, "What are you talking about"? And she told me. She told me about how God was cool, and how God really wanted a deeper relationship with her, and she wanted to really love God the way He loved her, so of course I was like "Well, huh"?

She then said you need to listen to Louie talk about God, so I asked who Louie was, and she put on the Indescribable talk, and then we watched the Passport talk. And in the Passport talk you said that Christians do not have to just hope for the best at the end, that they do not have to do enough good stuff. You explained how to get to heaven in a simple way, in a way that I have never heard before. I actually got it, I got it that it is not about being so good, cause I am not a good person. I have screwed up a lot. But then you said grace, and talked about how it was different than other religions. Because God is a loving and a kind God who wants to forgive me. My roommate then explained that He wants to forgive me.

Now for one of the reasons I am thanking you. One, I am now a Christian. And two, my roommate said that she had never really cared about telling others about how much God loved her before she went to this conference. So though I am not sure who will ever read this. Please tell Louie thanks from me, for talking about Christ in a way that a college kid can understand. I know that Jesus has changed my life and as I get ready to graduate college in May, I am gonna be a different person. I am sorry this is kinda rambling but I just had to tell you that I now know about the grace of God, and I have life for the first time in my 22 years.

Ashley

Dear Mr. Giglio,

It is with a heavy heart that I send you this email. My daughter is Ashley, she wrote you an email that went on your blog and podcast Well, today May 3rd at 4pm we buried Ashley. She was killed in a car accident late on Sunday night. She lost control of her car and hit a light pole. She was the only car involved and had serious internal bleeding. She died in the arms of my husband at the hospital from unstoppable internal bleeding. But I have hope of seeing my daughter again. I have this hope because after years of praying for her, and watching her live a lifestyle in college that is known as the typical college experience. The last semester of her college career I saw a woman, not a college girl, that I have never been more proud to call my daughter. I can point the thanks to you and Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Matt Redman, and everyone else involved in your Passion Conferences. Ashley fell in love with our Savior over the last 5 months of her life. She was so excited about graduation this week and moving to California to work her first real job. She had a life ahead of her. I miss my beautiful princess more than anything in this world.

But I just felt like you should know that she listened to as many of your talks as she could get her hands on and read your book I am not but I know I am and she was so excited about God and her new found faith. Words alone can not thank you enough. I may never meet you here on earth, but I know that someday I will be able to meet you and give you a hug in heaven, but only after Ash does. Thank you so much for praying for my girl, and your support of her as she was starting her new life. Also thanks for being a man of God who has a passion, and love for college students.

Your vision to share the gospel and getting college students to do the same made all the difference at a funeral today. Instead of being sad and scared for her, we were able to sing praise and worship songs today. Though there will be tears and I am so very heartbroken and crying as I type this, it is only because I will not hold her for so many years. And I will miss her for the rest of my life. I know I have said thank you a lot in this email, but because of you and Christa (Ashley’s roommate) and people at the Bible Study that she was going to she was happier than I have seen her in a very long time. In the email she originally sent you, it said she had life for the first time in her 22 years, and please know she meant every word of that. She lived the last few months serving and loving and learning more about Christ. She will now spend eternity in heaven with Him so one more time thanks. I know this was long and I debated for the last 4 days as to whether or not to write you. I know you are a very busy man, but I also figured you would want to know.

Ashley’s Mom

Anna

Life is so fragile so don't wait anymore, cos it'll be too late then. I long to see all my friends and family members in heaven. I want to spend eternity with YOU in heaven and we're gonna have an awesome time together! Don't make it so hard for me lah. =)

P.S: You can leave a msg at the Facebook group Ashley’s mom created here.

Last National Day, Aileen and I went to The Padang to catch the live screening of the National Day Parade.

We were part of the largest human flag record.

We also went to catch the movie 881 and partied at MOS that night!

This National Day however, I decided to take it easy by resting at home and catching up on my reading. I caught the live screening of the NDP on TV. My fave part was the aerobatics display!

These F-16C Fighting Falcons are pretty can! Kudos to the Black Knights for the great aerial performance! ;)

I also like this year's NDP logo. =)

While I was watching the show, I was reading The Straits Times and lo and behold, I came across this article that said, "Mega-churches such as the 24,000-member City Harvest are known for using marketing and pop culture to win over the young."

Excuse me =), what won me over was nothing of that sort but the reality of God that I experienced there and the true friends who love me and accept me for who I am, the rest are all but icing on the cake! You think I will sacrifice my life, my time and my finances over some clever marketing and entertainment meh? No way. If my life wasn't improving, if I wasn't becoming a better and happier person, if the friends I had there didn't stick by me through thick and thin, I would have disappeared from CHC a long time ago. So what won me over five years ago and is still winning me over now and many others is and will be the love of God and the love from people that we experienced, thank you!

I just cannot sit back and do nothing when some journalist sound so shallow. =) Anyways...

Happy 43th Birthday Singapore! Thanks for having me the last 20+ =P years of my life! Love you! =)

My tagboard seems kinda quiet. Tag if u're reading this people!



On the MRT train back home on Sun after FOP, Le Woon was sitting on my right and Terence on my left. When I shared with them about my Student Council nomination, both immediately responded that I should go for it without a moment of hesitation! I think it's in their male blood! ;P



I decided to run for the Communications Secretary position as it interests me the most while the other 2 positions seem kinda boring. The responsibilities of Communications Secretaries are to 'oversee the Council's Public Relations activities. They chair the SC's communication outlets (Publication, Bulletin Board and Website) and liaise with the school's Marketing Communications department. They are also in charge of producing and keeping a record of the SC style book. The Communications Secretaries also head the Communications Sub-Committee.'



And well, here is the essay I wrote:



Leadership expert, John C. Maxwell said that “Everything rises and falls on leadership,” and that is what I strongly believe in. How high the MDIS Student Council can rise will depend on its leadership and I am available to answer to that call. With only six more months to my last examination in February (estimated to graduate in April 2009), I would like to offer my service as a Communications Secretary to the Student Council and the MDIS student body at large. As a Mass Communications student and a language tutor, I am confident that l will be able to serve that responsibility well. Moreover, I enjoy interacting with people and have a cheerful disposition - I believe these will serve me well as a Communications Secretary with the Public Relations work involved.



Though leadership may seem glamorous, I understand that it in fact comes with the price tag of hard work and sacrifice. I am willing to pay that price to help and contribute in the ways I can.



Leadership is also about influence and I know that I can affect the Student Council in positive manners. I will do my best to give positive feedback during ExCo meetings and help facilitate the meetings with the UniReps.



Lastly, as a human being, it is inevitable that I will make mistakes but at such times I am willing to change and to learn from them so that I can be a better leader and carry out the duties entrusted to me well.



It's pretty simple and it comes from my heart. I see no point in writing some flamboyant essay to boast of my talents, capabilities or experience! Frankly speaking, I am not a person of many talents but what I do have is a willing heart. A heart that is willing to admit my mistakes and learn from them. A heart that loves to serve and to give! =)



I know what my purpose after SOT is - to excel in my school in every area possible and to make a difference in the lives of the people there in these last 6 months or so and the impact created is to supersede what I did in the last 26 months since I started schooling there in June 2006!



If I do not get elected for the position, I will still gladly serve as a normal UniRep but if I do, I pray that the other Communications Secretary will be someone good and talented that I can work well with! ;)



And of course, dear blog readers, you'll be the first I'll share the results of the election with. ;)