Baptism Day... By: The Boss No comments

Hello my brothers and sisters from a different mother (but same Father!),

Everyone alive and well? Anyone died while studying? Well..just a couple of weeks more to go for your SPM-ers eh? Man...I bet this is going to be one ride of your life!! So hold on tight to your seats...and with that said, all the best as your ride the SPM tide...!

As for the rest, how's life been to you guys and gals? I hope everyone's doin fantastically well and packing on those extra pounds here and there...let's all try to look round and brown this Christmas! Why not be your very own Snowman!? Haha...anyway, just to share with you what happened during our last Sunday morning service. Yesterday's service wasn't any ordinary service, as 4 ppl were water-baptized! And also...it was Pas. Gideon's first official baptism service in GT! This time he was given the honour of baptizing the candidates. I'm telling you...gaya wei! :)

From the 4 of them, a big congrats to 2 of our youths who took this step of faith and decided to be water-baptized...and yes, they are ranger Andrew Yew and Miss Swee Rin! *Clap*Clap*. It was such a blessing to listen to their testimony and share their joy with them as the church witnessed them taking this step of faith and public declaration of their commitment to Jesus all the days of their lives! Even as Cmdr. Gideon was baptizing them, that old familiar chorus began to play..."I have decided to follow Jesus...no turning back, no turning back...". How wonderful! What a day for them! Once again, hats off to them who were baptized...Let's hope many many more people will follow like-wise...

Just some pics below as proof of their baptizm. For those out there yet to be water-baptized, why not take this step of faith that many before us and beside us have taken? God bless!

"Yes...I confess. It was me...I wont do it again, Lord" Andrew confessed just moments before his baptism was carried out... :) He's Cmdr. Gideon doing the interrogation session.

Pas. Sharon and Cmdr. Gideon making sure that if Andrew goes down...he's going down ALL the way! Haha...Not bad huh our church's baptism pool? 2m x 2m. A bit difficult to do freestyle swimming though...that's why Andrew didn't take our advice to wear Speedo's...

Aww..here's Swee Rin. The only one out of the 4 who actually posed for the camera during baptism. Haha...trust me, the water is pretty cold! You think we'd warm it up for the ocassion? No way! Definitely not a jacuzzi-like experience. We try to keep it cold...real cold...make it memorable for all! Haha...

Adios, friends...and before I leave, I just have to say this...

What's wrong with you Liverpool players??? Cant you guys even keep a clean sheet and prevent the London schoolkids from scoring!?!? Haih....:)

That good ol' feelin'.... By: The Boss No comments

So friends...

Good to see everyone still alive and kicking! Just a special post this time around...

Last Sun in YA! Concurrent service, YA! celebrated our annual Brother & Sister's Day 2007. And what a blast we had! A big shoutout to Cmdr. Alison for a fine job in pulling things off...I'm sure everyone had an entertaining time appreciating one another, didn't we? Well, for those who missed the opening video, here it is! I'm telling you...the quality of our videos these days is just getting better and better! Man...what an awesome job by Cmdr. Ben Yee and his boyfriends, Nigel and Alwyn! Well done, guys...What's next? A full fledged movie production??? The future looks bright...:)

So friends, hope you enjoy this emo video and I hope you'll have the same reaction that most of us had after watching it...and it went something like, "Wowww!!"

God blesssss!!! And oh, btw..RR will be resuming on the 4th of Nov 2007!!! Wooo hoooo!!

Getting The Right Balance... By: The Boss No comments

Selamat Hari Raya, friends...and maaf Zahir & Batin, Shaun & Simon too...

Well, yes...you must have figured out. Since the whole of Malaysia is practically on a standstill due to the Raya hols, I guess it was a good time for me to go into hiding for a while too (not forgetting being stuffed with lemang, ketupat and rendang...). But as expected, I missed you guys...*awww* (and the rendang too). And so, here I am back with another story to inspire all you eager and excited 'gun-fully-loaded' SPM-ers, and I hope you'll be blessed. Remember friends, know your priorities and strike a balance in everything you do in life...God bless!

SPM Testimony...by Irvin Lim (the Sheepman)

Ok, so its SPM time. My testimony is long overdue. I was asked to write this out for RR a few years ago. But I never got around to it. The huge amount of work that I have now, this is a good excuse/time to finally get it out.

Let’s backtrack to the year 2002, I was just barely 15 years old, in form 4, my results were rubbish, I was quite far away from God in my personal walk. The things that surrounded me at that time just really distracted me from who I was called to be, and what I was called to do. Counter-strike, yo-yos, table tennis, anything that did not involve studying, I was there. After all, form 4, was honeymoon year wasn’t it? My results were pretty much…. Bicoloured, red and blue, top half was blue, the rest were red. This included Moral, Add Math, Biology, Physics and Chemistry.

For most of you who know me, I kind of had a reputation in church, one of the ‘smarter’ people, from the PTS glory days that I have continued to bask in. The truth was, once I hit secondary school in Subang, things went downhill. The people I mixed with in school, wasn’t ideally the right type of friends.

Going into 2003, Form 5, life’s directions were laid out again before me. And I was happily serving God, even took up Bible Knowledge as an extra subject to do for exams. Serving in Royal Rangers and in Christian Fellowship, I was quite the busy person, going to Taiping to help run RR advancement camps, helping to organize the Subang Interschool rally, etc etc. However, my results still weren’t showing any marks of improvements, ok, maybe they did, a little. But hey, if you get zero for add math, getting 17 marks is like a HUGE difference.

During the last few months heading up to SPM, I sat down in my room one day, and committed my exams into His hands. My studying time, my relaxation time, my time that I take to do His purposes and works, I gave it all back to God. I thought, sweet, I am set for it. Chucking a lofty target of 6A’s for my trials, and bang, started studying for it. Results came back…. If I remember right, it was A’s for English, History and maybe Math….. yeah, that’s about it. Obviously the forecast results showed I passed everything, after all, they do bump your marks up a grade.

I didn’t give up, and continued studying, burning the famous midnight oil, yet finding time to play soccer everyday, attending rangers week in and week out, running the Christian fellowship at school which included prayer meetings every morning. Honouring God with the time that He had given me; went into my exams with the knowledge, or maybe the hope some would say, that God will help me through.

Throughout history, God has always honoured His people that honour Him with their lives. And the same remained, when my results came out, I was amongst the top few in school. Everyone was surprised with my results, all my teachers, many of my friends. The glory and honour always goes back to God when I am questioned about it.

So people, some of you may think its’ too late, and you're in deep trouble, some of you are wondering why you spent so much time doing nothing. Get your gear up because it is never too late. In the midst of chaos, continue to set aside time for God and give Him your best in all that you do. And remember, when the results are out, give the glory back to Him. All the best people!

Have a blessed week studying ok! I'll be back with more stories soon....

And Idiot's Guide to Exam Success... By: The Boss No comments

Well oh well, since everyone's into the exam mood (boys, I really do miss those days...haha) and feeling kinda' stressed out, I thought I'd post something to lighten up your miserable days. Some of you might have come across this before in your emails, but I'm going to post it anyway for the benefit of those who have not seen this before. I want you to approach this with an open mind. You might just pick up some useful tips here. If you're really blank during exam, why not entertain the examiner with some creative answers...keep things fresh. New ideas are ALWAYS welcomed! Haha...

*Disclaimer: Using smart ideas and cute drawings as answers during exams may not necessarily earn you charity marks. Most probably zero marks, usually...but it'll definitely put a smile on the examiner's face. *

Have fun reading...

Whoaaa...I would give this fella at least 2 marks for creativity!


This one is so true...better hang himself! :)

When I first saw this, I asked myself..."Why didn't I think of this???"
Shaun, give it a try la..and tell me what happened ok?

Wow...six=6??? Whoever answered this must have possesed an IQ equivalent to a tortoise...

Now this is what I call C-R-E-A-T-I-V-E! Dont you just love it???


For all you comic freaks out there...why not share your passion during the exams?

Haha..another one. Batman begins...


Man...this is another one of my all time favourite crackhead answers...:)

And finally, the best of the entire lot...

Now doesn't this fella deserve some marks for introducing the elephant into the equation??? I would have given him 1/4 marks. Doesn't really make much of a difference, but at least its something! haha...

So friends, remember...when you're sitting for your papers, and your mind is totally blank...ALL IS NOT LOST! There's always an opportunity to make yourself famous, just like the intelligent people who answered the questions above. Think fresh! Think new! Think out of the box!

In general, there are 3 types of students:

i. Students who study hard / over-study for their exams...

ii. Students who never / hardly study for their exams but hoping for divine intervention from the Almighty One...

iii. Students who have NO idea at all that there's an exam...

For those in group 1, take it easy on yourself. You've done your part by studying. Now, all that's left is to sit thru the exams, fill in the blanks, and have a pre-party to celebrate the fantastic results that's coming on the way...:) Might as well celebrate first, cauz if things turn out bad, might not have a party at all...*touch wood*

For those in group 2, all I can say is...ALL The BEST! These group of students are those that spend more time praying (rather than studying) for God to come down from His throne in heaven, hoping for Him to sit beside you during the exam and expecting Him to hold your pen and answer for you too! Wow...good news for you is...that's NOT going to happen. In His grace and mercy, some of you just MIGHT scrape through your papers by the skin of your tooth. Best advice: Better throw a big big party and celebrate kau kau before the results are out...cauz once the results are out, you just might want to go missing for a month or so. Pack your bags. Tough days ahead...but good thing is, you've still got some time to change that! If you feel you're in tis group, better get off the Net right NOW and start STUDYING! Muahaha...

And for those in group 3, nothing much to say to these ppl. Except...how about coming up with new answers that can be posted in blogs like these in the future??? Haha...Dont forget your survival kit when you go into the exam hall. Bring along a set of dice and your machine gun fully loaded...

Ok friends...that's all for now. I hope you've found this post quite 'educational' and informative. In the end of the day, let's face it...If you want to achieve good results in your exams (and in life), there is NO substitute for hardwork and studying! Study hard, and God will know how to bless you abundantly and accordingly. All the best, rangers!

In the words of my dear friend..."Love you, and believe in YOU always!"

Regards,

The Boss

A Rose By Any Other Name Is... By: The Boss No comments

Hi friends,

I got this story from Serena...thought I'd share it with you guys. Have fun! Many thanks to Serena...

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked. She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..." "No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. "I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk non-stop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she revelled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "! We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. "There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humour every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.

"We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! "There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

"If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

"Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. "The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."

She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose."

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

These words have been passed along in loving memory of Rose...

Remember, growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional. We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.

God bless!

10,000 and counting... By: The Boss No comments

Hello friends...

Wow...its been an amazing journey. We've reached a milestone. But that's not going to stop us now. I hope that the stories told, the pictures shared, the emotions captured...has blessed you over the past 2 years its been around. Many many more great stories to be told, that's for sure!

As promised, this post is specially dedicated to our 10,000th blog viewer...ladies and gentle, please give a big round of applause to the man who lives on the net, Mr. Irvin Lim!!! Haha...

The lad in black, obviously...what do you expect? He's a Kiwi...

One of our top chatbox contributor as well as blog viewer...when at times things seems to slow down, you can count on him to get things going and kickstart the whole scene to life! Thanks for all your support dude...

As a token of our appreciation, we've got a special gift for you...

We're gonna send your brother over to NZ next year!!! Wooo hoo!! How cool is that???