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That phrase is true right to its core. You kno guys, the
last few months God has juz been so gud 2 me. I hav been getting quite a
substantial amount from my job as a retail assistant at the retail store that I
work at, but it’s not always a big amount that I get. Somehow, my bank account
has never gone dry, and I’ve always had enough money to pull through. Well,
last week, I rcved the best news I’ve had this year, and it’s none other den a
gift straight from above.
One of my uni third year students, Seth Harsh, has this job
at Menzies Hotel in Wynyard, one of Sydney most prestigious and high class
hotel, where he plays the background music on a grand piano in the lobby of the
hotel. Seth is probably one of the best jazz pianists I’ve ever seen in my
life, and his job pays reli reli gud s wel. Wel,last week,I got a call from
Seth, telling me dat he had decided 2 pass on his job to ME,bcz he was not reli
willing to perform at that place so many times a week. Seriously,I was
speechless for a while. I juz cudnt bliv it. It’s like a musicians dream come
thru. D pay was gud and it was something dat I loved doin d most.I juz had to
say yes to him,and it was done,I got the job!haha.boy,was I overjoyed.i was
reli so happy.truth is,I nvr even thought I cud ever get that job,less likely
apply for it.wel,juz 2 giv u guys a glimpse of how gud God’s been,not dat I’m
boasting,I’ll b earning an estimated amount of $450 a week for the next 7 mnths
or so,if everything goes right. God’s juz been so gud.So from now,i'll b performing at Menzies two nitez a week,evry tues and wed,2 and 1/2 hrs each nite.
And oh yeah,another thing.i had my uni enrolment day
2day.Joshua came to Australia last Friday,and I’ve managed to get him reli
excited of d place(wel,I had 2 take him2
d Sydney Opera House to do dat.haha.).Now he’s s excited abt d new uni
semester s I m. I finally got my exam results 2day.hahaha.By God’s grace,I managed
to get 6 High Distinctions, 1 Distinction and 1 Credit. Unfortunately s wel,I failed
TWO subjects!hahahahah!thank God those two subjects are not related to my
course,so I juz need2retake d class next term,pass dem and it’ll all b
fine.haha.I’m reli so excited abt my new semester which commences nxt tues.reli
cant wait 2 meet the new students,especiali those from Malaysia,and form new
bands,try out new genres of music and experiment new techniques wit different
multi-talented musicians.haha.God willing, I aim to be as gud as Arthur
Brown(juz some unknown but brilliant jazz pianist)before I completed my first
year.life in uni is reli so exciting yet at the same time it’s changed my
perspective on so many things.when I tell ppl of how many chances and
opportunities dat I’m getting evry month,they dun bliv that I’m in my 1st
year of uni.wel,once again as alwiz,God is gud.
It’s been a while since I last blogged,but den again,I duno
if I hav anything 2 say here other den honouring God will make you a successful
person in everything u do. Cheers
John
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| LIST OUT THE TOP 5 PRESENTS YOU WISH FOR:
1. A new mobile phone
2. A Steinway and Sons grand piano
3. A proper macbook!
4. A steady job after I graduate
5. A cheap flight ticket back to Malaysia!!!
THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU IS:
Aaron
5 IMPRESSIONS OF HIM/HER:
1. Friendly
2. Faithful
3. Fat?(hahaha...kidding mate.but i'm trying 2 find as many things dat start wit "F".)
4. Understanding
5. Good with computers?haha
THE MOST MEMORABLE THING HE/SHE HAS DONE FOR YOU:
Well,i've known him all my life,i'm sure he's done many thoughtful things for me all these years,if i could only recall them. But i guess, in the recent past, it's helping me make my laptop look like a mac book!haha.
THE MOST MEMORABLE THING HE/SHE HAS SAID TO YOU:
Well,cant reli reveal it here,but he's a great listener when it comes to personal probs.sometimes his words help,sometimes,not reli.but anyhow,he has said things that have encouraged me a great lot.
IF HE/SHE BECOMES YOUR LOVER, YOU WILL:
NO WAY!!!!I'm NOT of the GAY!!!!hahaha.
IF HE/SHE BECOMES YOUR ENEMY, THE REASON WILL BE:
It's probably cz i kicked his butt in CS.
PASS THE QUIZ TO 10 PEOPLE THAT YOU WISH TO KNOW HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT YOU:
1. Andrew Neoh
2. Quan Hziung
3. James Tan
4. Louise
5. Xin Ying 6. Denise Ng
7. Elliot Ku
8. Ben Fox
9. John Hermens
10. Joshua Gui
1. who is no.4 (Louise) having a relationship with?
*clears throat*,i tink it was some fella by the name of JD.haha.
2. who is no.6 (Denise Ng) having a relationship with?
Wel,she says she's nt in a r'ship now.but den again,i hav a suspicion dat it's wit her webcam.haha.
3. if no.7 (Elliot) and no.8 (Ben) are together, will it be a good thing?
No way!they mite live in the same country,but gay marriages are stil not permitted here!
4. what about no.9 (John Hermens) and no.2 (Quan Hziung)?
nope,one's in aussie,d others in m'sia.
5. what is no. 9 (John) studying?
Same thing I m.Music performance.
6. when was the last time you chatted with no.10 (Joshua Gui)?
About 2 days ago,maybe?
7. does no.1 (Andrew) work?
No idea.d last time we spoke it seemed like he wasting his life away.haha.kidding mate.
8. does no.6 (Denise Ng) have a cousin in her/his own school?
Nope,but she has a sibling in her school though.
9. will you woo no.8 (Ben)?
Nope,i already hav no.4 and that's gud enuf 4 me!
10. how about no.5 (xin ying)?
Nope,she's my best fren.
11. does no.3 (James) has any siblings?
yes. an older bro.
12. how did you get to know about no.2 (Quan Hziung)? and no.4 (Louise)
Both thru friends.
13. where does no.2 (Quan Hziung) live at?
Penang.
14. how did you get to know no.10 (Joshua Gui) ?
Thru a fren s wel.
15. Is no.1(Andrew) the sexiest person person in the world?
no way!!but i duno wat the other birds tink of him.hahaha.
Cheers,
John
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| Wel guys,it's been an awfully long time since i last updated my blog.i'm reli sori 4 not rplying some of ur enquiries on how i've been doin and stuf. Both good times and bad times hav passed. Great enthusiasm as well as dread to update dis blog has passed s wel. But wel,i finali realized,some of u out there mite hav the impression that i'm long dead and buried in the grave cz i havent spoken to u in such a long time. so,i decided 2 write something from heaven and to tell all you guys wat a wonderful place dis is!.haha.juz kidding.
January 2007. It was the first time i ever confessed my feelings to a girl,my band's first concert,the first time i spoke to ppl whom i've known for yrs but nvr heard or seen them b4. Aint i juz weird?Then came mid year,where lots of things happend.some relationships i had wit certain people din go down memory lane as wel as they'd ought to. some things i did juz did not go as planned.some decisions i made nvr even showed so much as a shadow of hope in it.some of my actions hurt certain ppl and hurt dem bad,i wud say.
July 2007,my birthday came.it was over in a jiffy.before i knew it,i was at d airport waiting 4 my flight to Sydney.my frens sending me off,tears in their eyes,it suddenly dawned in me.i was on the verge of a completely wild overhaul of my protected,laid back,and somewhat unproductive old life.i was on my way to a completely new place.a place where i had doubts if i would fit in.a place where i had doubts if i would be strong enuf 2 reach out and grab God's protective hand.a place where i wondered if i would become too complacent and end up following the flow of hopeless life of godless people,or a life that could lead me down the path of righteousness. I somewhat did both,and I wondered if God would be merciful and faithful enough 2 4giv me.i wondered if i would be loved in times that i reli need to be.Mostly,i wondered if i reli was the person i claimed to be, a Christian.Thank God for the love of my life who changed my view of certain things. As far as i slid down in life, i did become wiser on certain things. all thanks to her.
December 2007,Christmas time.My uni had its end of year concert.I was lucky enuf 2 b one of the star performers.I loved it.I had so much fun playing wit different bands,playing solo in front of such a huge crowd.after all,dis was my dream,wasnt it?but den,d commotion wasnt hanging in the air all the time.in fact,the very nxt day,all that happend the previous glorious,amazing and wat had been one of the best nitez of my life,became juz another of Sydney's "yesterday's stories".All was forgotten.The people who contributed the most were robbed of their deserved glory and recognition.In a nutshell,life juz reverted back to its normal,slow paced story,edging its way page by page till the end of eternity.
Recently,i've been getting some recognition with some of sydney's most prominent musicians and singers.i've been invited to perform at gigs,cabaret showcases,future concerts,recording programs,jamming sessions,so on so forth.somehow,i nvr reli felt the excitement i would hav felt had i gotten all dis chances abt a year ago.For the first time in my life,thanks to my wonderful Jazz tutor Kevin Hunt,i was starting 2 c and b satisfied wit d progress i was making in my music.If i mite b so bold as to comment on my playing now,i've improved more in the last 2 months,den i hav in the last two years.I recall Kevin's words to me on the last day of uni last semester,"you're finally starting to sound like a real jazz pianist.".
U kno wat i saw in all dis?u kno wat i learnt out of all dis?I learnt dat my life is the perfect example of evrything dat can go right as wel as wrong in life.my life is the model of how big God's blessings can b,s wel s how little u can feel once He decides to take those blessings away.My life is the story of how people,not juz me,can get the best things in life all at once no matter how undeserving they are,yet witout God's grace and will,u'll juz hav to pass them by. I realized no matter how gud i was getting,how famous i cud ever get,how rich i cud ever b,nothing's complete witout God.I realized dat d biggest mistake one can commit in life,is to not bring evrything b4 God,to not surrender ur whole life,all its blessings,joy and even pain and sorrow to Him.I realized i made that big mistake.i got too preoccupied wit my own things,and ended up not focusing on wat reli mattered the most,whether or not God was happy wit me.I got lazy in my own way,stubborn in my character,and i was like a child in the eyes of God.i grew immature,and that's probably why i nvr felt the excitement,anticipation,joy,and enthusiasm when i was suddenly showered wit so many opportunities.I wasnt mature enuf to understand that blessings oni come thru God and we alwiz need Him to guide us thru them,no matter how simple the path to thread looks.The reason?We humans alwiz mess things up,even if things appear to b invincible to obstacles and problems.
2008 started even before 2007 ended with the sweet note i was expecting it to.
January 2008. I still remember playing nintendo wii in Aaron and Hazel's on new year's eve with Daniel,Sheryl and Neville.before we knew it,we had been bowling(on the nintendo wii) all the way to 2am on New Year's day,and Daniel had scored the first 3 strikes in a row the world had seen in the new year.
My new year's resolution?i finally realize at this point of time.after looking bac at the past events of my life,there's nthg else i cud ask for. I want to be closer to my creator.I wan my creator to tink of me as some1 after His heart.I wan my creator to see that i do appreciate His blessings and opportunities.I gues,we all shud make dat our new year's resolution,shudnt we?What is a book if the author remains anonymous and receives no recognition? What is music if the instrument doesnt produce sound at its very best?in the same way,wat is life if its creator is not praised,honoured,awed,revered and given all glory?And wat are we if we do not use out talents and gifts for God's kingdom? i'm not entirely sure how many readers my blog has.plus,i mite hav bored some regular readers away after such a long time of keeping dis blog dead.but i gues,my urge to my frens for the new year is that we all giv God the glory and honour He deserves. Cheers
John
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| Wel,i had nothing else to write,so thought this mite b fun...
1. What was your dream when you were a small kid?
Well,i gues like evry other asian kid,my dream was to be a doctor.but den,i wasnt cut out for it,cz i cdnt stand blood.den it was being an engineer,but i wasnt cut out for dat s wel,cz i knew how 2 take stuf apart,but nvr knew how to put dem bac 2gether again.so i figured i'll juz b me,and dat was it.my dream was 2 b ME!haha.
2. What is your happiest thing in your whole life?
When a certain somebody came in2 my life...haha.
3. What do you wish to have now?
A plane ticket bac home to Malaysia...
4. How should the world be seen?
As God's creation of green, colourful fragments of the Heaven He intends for us.
5. What have you realised recently?
True love is being faithful to the one you love,through times of trouble,even till the ends of the earth.
6. What is the bad habit that you cannot accept the most?
Bad breath,i shud say?
7. When you have something which you are unhappy about, what will you do?
Well,naturally,God comes first.but then life's worth the living evryday,so i juz carry on living like evry1 else.
8. What are you afraid of losing?
My loved ones.my dignity.haha.
9. Do you think that you feel helpless, or uselesss, sometimes?
Wel,we are all helpless AND useless if not for God.so yeah,i feel wat you feel.
10. When you meet someone that you like, will you confess or hide your feelings?
Wel,i have done both mentioned in my yrs as a teenager venturing in2 d world of love and emotions.gues both
hav served its fair share of rewards,punishment,joy,sorrow,pain and relief.
11. List out 3 kind of people you hate the most.
Hate is as good as murder.I havent murdered any1 and neither m i planning 2,so technically,i dun hate any1.
12. What is loneliness?
I'm not gifted in any way to b able to write philosophical stuf when it comes to columns like dis, but in my opinion, d lonely person is some1 who's nvr experienced the love of God,my God. I have been all alone, witout frens to talk 2,witout ppl to ask me how i'm doin, witout a shoulder to cry on. witout some1 to share my problems wit,but i can safely say, i havent experienced "loneliness" b4.I've got the love of God!
13. Are you satisfied with your life now? Do you think any changes should be made?
Wel,i'd like to get my walk wit God bac on track.until then,i'd nvr b satisfied wit my life.
14. When was the most recent time you felt touched?
Wel,when some1 i treat so badly makes such a big sacrifice for me..technically it hasnt happened yet.but if it does,u can b sure i'll b touched.haha.
15. Where is the place that you visited and you felt the most beautiful?
hmmm.Home is where the heart is.
16. Use a song to describe how you've felt recently.
Reuben Morgan's "The Fear".
17. If you have one wish that'll come true, what is it?
To play the piano s wel s Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett,
18. Do you have anything to worry or to be scared about recently?
Not getting a plane ticket bac to Malaysia!!hahahahaha.and wel,i gues i'd b pretty scared if i failed any of my subjects in uni.
19. What am I looking for in my life?
God's will in my life is the ultimate look of my life.
I decide to tag:
People who hav blogs.no use tagging evry1 who reads dis post,is there?haha.
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This is one of my all time favourite songs.hope u like it.God bless.cheers. Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind but now I see 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior
Has ransomed me
And like a flood
His mercy reigns
Unending love, amazing grace The Lord has promised good to me
His Word my hope secures
He will my Shield and Portion be
As long as life endures My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior
Has ransomed me
And like a flood
His mercy reigns
Unending love, amazing grace The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine,
But God, Who called me here below,
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine
Chris Tomlin | | |
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