think: the passion of Christ

official website of "The Passion of The Christ"

sypnosis
this film focuses on the last 12 hours of Jesus' life on earth. from the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the Last Supper, to the betrayal of Judas, to the trial for blasphemy before Pilate and the crucifixion.

it was adapted from a composite account of The Passion assembled from the four Biblical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

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when i first read about this movie, i was thinking "blasphemy!". it's going to be another film that is trying to compromise Christianity with hollywood, just like "Jesus Christ superstar". but as i read reviews about this show, it started to change my perspective. putting aside its famous director (mel gibson), this show is made to bring the Gospel to screen.

i'm one of those who is looking forward to see this movie at the cinema, but i do have my doubts that it might not even make it through the censorship board. considering the amount of effort the government is trying to maintain religious harmony and the kiasu-ism mindset, i might have to get the dvd version.

it has been reviewed that mel gibson had kept as close to the 4 Gospels as possible. that's why, despite the brutality, i would brave myself and see how he has visioned it to be. i have heard the Gospel many times in my life, i have shared the Gospel not-as-many-times-i-would-like-to in my life, i have not read the entire 4 Gospels yet, but many times, we are people of visuals. seeing the action, and then reflecting on it by reading the Bible would probably have the greatest impact on many people.

i was watching this show, "trip to indulgence" on discovery travel, and they were showing the top 10 places where you can spend your fortune. haute couture in france (US$500k), exquisite glass dinnerware in venice (US$800k, eg. $800 for a wine glass), and perfectly cut 17.43ct diamond in antwerp (US$1.1m, and that's just for the diamond)... this is the amount of money people are willing to spend on luxury. but have we wondered how much we cost? if we were to put a value on ourselves, how much would that be? i am glad that i cost more than any of those things i stated above. Jesus was willing to pay the price for me... it cost Him His life! and not just death, but a painful, humiliating death on the cross. a punishment reserved only for the worst criminals!

however, i agree with two points i have read so far in reviews for the movie.
1. this show is not anti-Semitic
although it did depict that the Jews in the past physically crucified Jesus, we should not dwell on that fact. all man (and women), past and present, have sinned. let us remember that it is our sin that crucified Jesus. if it weren't to redeem us from our sins, Jesus would not need to go on the Cross.

2. look beyond His suffering
we have to acknowledge that Jesus went through a lot of suffering in His last few hours. and that is clearly shown in the movie (it was given an RA rating for degree of violence). we thank the Lord for His obedience to God the Father to give us salvation through His death. but besides focusing on His suffering, let's look beyond that and be grateful for His love. it is His love for us that compelled Him to die for us. and with that in mind, let's be good stewards of the love He has shown us and love those around us.

when technology fails

just when i was going to switch off my computer and retreat to my bed, i was faced with how horrendously technology can treat us. a click on my blog template and i lost almost 90% of my template code. oh man... i was so shocked i couldn't find any words to describe my reaction.

the template was my first try at a more advanced level of html... and as you have read from my first entry, it was more of trial and error. so that explains why i was so heartbroken when i saw almost nothing left last night. spent quite a long time figuring out the html codes and my original design. at least now it remotely looks like how it was before last night. the only thing i'm still trying to figure out is how to right-align my tag board. managed to accidentally do that when i first started out. and now, i can't remember... so for those who might have an idea, please let me know.

a time for reunion

the cny period is always a time of reunions. for families, for loved-ones, for friends... and yesterday, i had the second reunion of friends. friends whom i've been working with for 1½ years.

"boss" arranged for us to have zhi cha at this coffee shop in hougang. somewhere near ave 8 and ave 4. so "boss", huisi, zihui, zhongwei, jon and i headed for this unknown place in hougang. never knew they had pretty good food there. had quite a lot of food, in my opinion... let me try to recall... pork ribs, hot plate tofu, sambal kangkong with cuttlefish, fried yu tiao, the yam ring thing, and thai-style chicken. 6 dishes for 6 of us. anyway, we had a wonderful time eating and chatting... catching up with each other's (and other people's) lives in the last few months.

went over to boss' place to pick up our projects and had a eye-opening display of his collection of swords. his samurai sword was pretty, but his excalibur was WOW! i can't believe such a thrifty person like him would upkeep such an expensive hobby.

anyway, when i reached home... i realised something. we didn't take photos today! after zihui calling me and screaming in my ear, asking if i brought my camera. it simply left our minds when we came face to face with the sumptuous food. haha... i guess it would have to wait till another time. but the girls are going on their US tour next week. (how fortunate!) hope they enjoy themselves...

movie day: stuck on you

went to watch "stuck on you" at plaza sing with jon. although we had the intention of catching "cheaper by the dozen", we didn't know that it wasn't showing there. so we chose to watch this instead of "the last samurai". for those who have not watched this show yet, it is hilarious! some of the lines really cracked us up! the starting part of the show was still quite normal, with some funny parts. but as the show went on, it got better.

and there was this part that really reminded me of my tp days... when walt was supposed to star in this show called "pavalov's dog". oh man... for those who were from tp, i'm sure we would immediately remember ashok and his famous "dog and meat powder" from the classical conditioning class. haha... the classic line which was often imitated by many. what a memory!

but what really knocked us off was this girl who was sitting two seats away from me. she had this funny laughter which made quite a few people turn and look at her. and she laughed every five minutes or so. even when it was mildly funny and people were giggling, she was laughing away. her friend was trying to get her to tone down, but i guess she just ignored it.

anyway, the show was an unregrettable choice. i'm glad we chose to watch it. not only did it help us work our jaws, i learnt one lesson from it: be happy with who you are. in the show, the brothers were joined at the hip, however, they battled all odds and people teasing, and went on to excel at what they did. i'm not just talking about flipping burgers, but the different sports they played. even after they had the separation operation, they still weren't as happy as they thought they would be. in the end, they still preferred to be what they were from the beginning: stuck together.

juz havoc reunited!

after such a long time, juz havoc was reunited with full attendance yesterday! it has been such a long time since we all last met and it was a great feeling knowing the bond was still there. and since it was the cny period, we arranged to get some ang paos from mike and al's places. headed for mike's place and spent the drizzling evening there. snacking, playing cards and the most important part of the night, catching up on new stories in each other's lives. i vaguely remember the last time we met was a year ago at al's aunt's place during the cny season too. wow! a lot has changed since... the guys are ORDing, the girls have just graduated... i think the only thing that hasn't changed since our poly days is that mike is still with aj. (at least 4 years and still going strong eh?)

friends are a part of everyone's lives. some friends, like the ones i have in the pics above, have seen us at our haggard, frustrated, agitated, upset, and embarassing moments. let alone the fact that we spent a week cramped in roy's room in sembawang, trying to finish two reports and a brand new flash website which we had to learn from scratch. but only friends who have been with us in such situations and are still willing to be with us depite our faults are people we can trust. that's why the term "fair-weathered friends" was coined. perhaps i should call these friends of mine "stormy-weather friends" simply because we have experienced so much together in the past and that part of my life can never be over-written. thanks guys (and a girl.. hee... al excluded) for bringing so much laughter into my life!

movie night: turn left, turn right

i know this show is a "passed-by"... but jon and i only watched it last night in the comfort of his family room. reviews from jo weren't positive, so i started the show with a "i don't think i'm going to finish it" attitude.

it's basically about a girl and a boy. (till the end of the show, their names were never mentioned!) 13 years ago, girl likes boy and boy likes girl. girl got boy's phone number, but left it in her bag in a train. 13 years later, boy is a violinist, girl is a polish literary translator. they stay in the same apartment block, side by side, but uses separate exit gates. (thank God for hdb common corridors!) even having gates next to each other, there must be this makeshift snack stall blocking their vision in between. one day, they met each other in a park and had a great afternoon. exchanged phone numbers again, but got smudged by the rain. so in true taiwan suspense fashion, they never met each other again.

i did finish the show in the end. just with the sole purpose of knowing the ending. as we watched, i could see the frustration in jon's face as the boy and girl ALWAYS failed to meet each other. and it was like the screenplay writer wrote the story for one part and simply repeated almost everything for the other. because they kept repeating the same lines in the same scene. but that gigi leung song is pretty nice. meaningful to signify that the show is coming to an end and that they would meet. but the way they met in the end was such a joke! i would think the writer didn't know how to end the story... earthquake? walls collapsing? duhz!

so for those who haven't watched it, i would say, save that 1½ hours and watch the comic version here. the pictures are cuter, and the story is less draggy. the funniest thing was that jon asked me this question in the midst of the show, "what is the show trying to say?" we came up with this morale of the story: be proactive and make friends with your neighbours, because you don't know who lives next door.

is this singapore?

it has been raining for 4 days now... these days have been seeing strong winds, on/off showers which turned into downpours sometimes, decreasing temperatures. on some days, i wake up wondering "am i still in singapore?" it definitely doesn't feel like it. have not worn anything sleeveless for one whole day since the cny eve. almost considered wearing a shawl round my neck and a jacket yesterday. that's how breezy this little island has become.

won't it be great if the weather could hover around the current temp range? (i know my mum would beg to differ coz her clothes ain't drying!) but definitely without the showers... what a hassle to carry an umbrella out!



above left is a shot i took in jon's room just now. caught the huskie and bear in secret conversation by accident and just thought it looked cute. haha... wondering what they are talking about?

above right is a snap i just took from my window. the red skies shows that it's gonna be a cozy night again (yeah!). okie... the breeze is beckoning me to cuddle in my bed and get ready for bed! (from the sound of music) so long, farewell, i need to say goodbye....

house hopping

just another wet day... although the rain was only in the morning, which almost dampened my spirits of visiting. but before service ended, thank God the sun started to shine again. it was quite a good sermon on God hearing our prayers ALWAYS, and answering them in His own time. as pas tim was giving the sermon, the only thought i had was how timely this message was. i was reminded of what vic shared with me last week, and girl, i'm sorry i was caught up with all the bustle after service i forgot to tell you this. God hears our prayers, and let's trust in Him to answer them. sometimes He says "wait", and that might be to teach us the meaning of faith. so may we wait in His presence and i'll be praying for you.

anyway, had lunch at nydc suntec. pretty rushed coz we had to make a "pilgrimage" to bukit panjang to visit the new-parents of faith tay. took this ultra long bus 700 and now i understand why TIBS is called trans island, coz it really took us across half the island. but it wasn't the worst bus ride i had. denice's new place is beautiful... nicely decorated and the roof garden had a cool view. the only downside is that it's just too far to travel by public transport. now we're having second thoughts about her housewarming...

we couldn't stay for long coz we were expected at the chng's residence. so mel, jon and i took another long travel route down to hougang. quoting mel, "this field trip cost us about $3+ each (on transport)"... it was really like a sightseeing tour. hump bump hump bump we finally reached uncle joo ching's place an hour later, where we were fed with good food. home made chicken soup noodles, tau suan, kok chai (mini peanut curry-puff lookalikes), pineapple tarts... i'm starting to think the making of chefs run in the chng family (at least from vic's grandma to jc).

haha... i'll be adding a photo collage soon from the snapshots i took today. so check in here soon!

updated: 26 january 2004, 1:06PM

think: a christian cny

more often than not, christianity is thought to be a western religion. however, a point must be noted that christianity actually started in the middle east. not that western, eh? above is an ang pao i got this year. i appreciate the fact that auntie vida makes an effort to buy nice meaningful ang paos for us every year. when i saw this ang bao just now, it dawned upon me that we can make chinese new year less a "buddhist-oriented" festive season. it is, after all, the celebration of a new year... nothing to do with religion.

however, we can use this opportunity to spread the cheer and share the Gospel with people around us through simple gestures such as this ang pao. firstly, people won't reject it. secondly, even if they throw it away after taking the money, they would read it first right? thirdly, we are making a stand for Christ that we are His people.

so why not work your brain juices and think how we can further His kingdom through simple gestures in our everyday lives?

reflection: new year's eve

new year's eve night was spent at church for watchnight service. it was encouraging to see so many of the youths present that night. and thanksgivings for God's blessings were given in praise to His wondrous work through the year.

we adjourned for prata and milo elephants at kembangan, as we couldn't decide on a place to go. considering that siglap would be crowded, we opted for the less-populated jln kembangan coffee shop. after that, we said goodbye to miriam and headed off to jerry's place for a "slumber party". had mock champagne, laughed at "the people in the neighbour's window saying hi to us" (personal joke when denice mistook our reflection for jerry's neighbours), and played with sparklers. caught some pretty cool shots with my night scene setting. after that, we simply coiled up in jerry's room chatting and laughing over photos.... what a night! (and zgmers sing: what an amazing night...) hahaha...

sunshine after the rain

spent the whole morning trying to figure out the html codes for linking photos to my blog. i never really learnt html, so i had to read source codes of my friends' blog and figure out the similiarities. haha.... seems like i succeeded. now that i know how to link photos, i'll be working on the other photos i've taken in the last month and post them here.

anyway, those who stay in the east probably woke up to a wet and windy morning. cuddling in my bed till 10am... thinking, "how much rain can a cloud hold?" it rained almost the whole day yesterday, and the whole morning today.

a quick peek out of my window shows that the showers have stopped and the sun is finally out. yeah! at least some sunshine for the cny. although i still have no plans for today (yet). jon's coming back from desaru today. he called yesterday to say it was raining there too... and that must have spoilt any plans they had for the getaway. wet beaches, choppy sea waters, shops closed for the weekend... poor boy. he must have been quite bored. but it wasn't better for me. except for the steamboat dinner last night. whole family went back to my grandparents' home for dinner and that was it. i think cny eve and 1st day took a toil on everyone... i was home at 11pm.

a sense of nostalgia struck me yesterday when i stepped into my grandparents' home. i missed the smell of pineapple tarts my grandma would make... the authentic hainanese chicken rice she would take pains to prepare... even missed just greeting her when i came into the house. everything's different but i will be strong. to hold on to God's promise that i'll see her one day, in a perfect place.

cny in mourning

i have never really had much thoughts whenever cny is around the corner. the lunar calendar means nothing to me (and simply because i can't make sense of it). the cny songs need a makeover badly. the geomancers are just making general statements of probability. and the temple-goers are just crazy to make a mad rush for the urn and risk being trampled just so that the temple-people can throw the joss sticks away before it reaches the ash. (i ask for your pardon if what i just said offended anyone, but it's what i've always thought.)

it's just another festive season for the family to get together, for the younger ones to collect the always-coveted ang paos and most importantly, for people like me to savour the finest snacks and sweet meats.

but this year, it's just different. in view of my grandma's passing in july, my grandfather has "passed the decree" as the head of the household that we should not be celebrating cny this year. no red decorations, no red clothes, no visitations (because the buddhists considers it bad luck for a mourning family to enter others' residences), and you guess it, no ang paos too. although my grandfather is not concerned about the buddhist belief on visitations, he just thought that we shouldn't celebrate any occasions within the first month of my grandma's passing. but then again, i had my cousin's rom in december... (yet another contradiction!)

so as you can see, cny was a quiet family affair this year. reunion was as per normal at my aunt's place with a sumptuous dinner (minus the perspiration coz we opted against the steamboat this year), and the usual shou shui to 12 midnight. praise God there were laughter and chattering and constant munching... it wasn't such a sad occasion after all. i saw the smiles on my grandfather's face and i am grateful God sustained him through all his life.

the past two days... started with the careful selection of clothes for the day. no red, no gold, no festive colours. thankfully, i don't have many. then it's popping down to my aunt's place to wish my grandpa happy new year. i wanted to make a stand that i don't believe in mourning for a whole year. i will always remember my grandma in my heart, and that is all that counts. customs and practices are all man-made, and man falters, so who should we follow? for the first time in my life, ang paos had to be given and received in secret...

anyway, below is a collage of pics i snapped at my aunt's place just before midnight.

finding a purpose for my blog

i have decided to start a blog just out of boredom. and basically a site where i can share snapshots with my friends. i don't know how long i can sustain this... it may not even exist tomorrow. but which man knows what tomorrow holds?