< Soul Seeker >

vzent Blogger - ceased

2007-05-31T12:37:00.000+08:00

I will stop posting on this blog.

Migrated to here

Thanks for being who you are for me. =)

A Warmth Xmas Indeed, Amen.

2006-12-23T03:25:00.000+08:00

Blogging Time - I do not blog frequently. When I blog, it indicates that my mind is overwhelming by thoughts and enigmatic feelings. As a result, I need a place to share my feelings.

We had a very wonderful xmas party today @ Rachel’s place. Alex, Tiffer, Hong Chuan and Gary supposed to come but they did not turn up for some reasons. Met some new friends too =) Let me count how many were there...Boon Teck, Han Yiin, Ming Yao, Hock Seng, Julie, Nathaniel, Joyce, Jeniffer, Seah, Yan Ru, Serene, Jamie and companies, Shel and his girl friend, Rachel and her friends…Yups, about 25 of them.

The food was not bad as it satisfied my stomach. Spaghetti, chicken and sushi were nice! While eating, I was chit-chatting with Nathaniel (new friend), he is currently doing his PhD in Material and Engineering in NTU. He was sharing his working experience and what he does in his field, I must say it is indeed interesting stuff that he is doing, he worked in Olympus as a Product Designer and was telling me why he decided to pursue a PhD after two years of working, another great man that I have met! Also, he is getting married next year, congrats Nat ! =)

bro Boon Teck and Han Yiin had prepared some games after the makan session, so we had lots of fun @ Rachel’s place. Besides the game session, we had a wonderful caroling session as well, we sang Angel We Have Heard on High, Silent Night, Joy to the World, O Come All Ye Faithful! This is the second time I celebrated Xmas after I became a believer. Haa, it was truly a replenishment of my soul.

Shel was sharing his testimony with us about how God changed his life. He was born in Indonesia and went to Yale University for his study; it was a culture shock for him when he first went there. Homesick was a killer and he was totally broke down. Sounds familiar  :) After graduation, he went back to Indonesia to assist his family business, another setback for him...Well, long story :) Rachel was also sharing about the wise men and the Jesus. So yea, we have a REAL LIFE story sharing session, it was very good and it makes me reflect upon myself once again.

Also, I have got some xmas presents from bro Book Teck, a book called A Kissed Dating Goodbye, a book which talk about relationship and human love (or BGR).
To be frank, I have been seeking what is real love in this world and how real love works in God’s kingdom. Which is why I wonder how Han Yiin and bro Boon Teck became a couple now ! :) I must say this brother is really a wise man, he knows what I am thinking, questioning, and he always provides sound answer to me. So, I reckon i will have a good time reading that book. On top of that, I have got Daily Time with God from Rachel and Han Yiin and a box of Lemon Cookies from Anne Chua, I do not really remember who she is but she past the present to me through bro Boon Teck, they told me that she celebrated xmas with us last year in HSC. Hmm, strange, I must remember the name Anne, one day I will know who she is.

It was really a warmth xmas party, seeing people greeting with each other ‘Merry Chrisms!’ Singing songs and sharing session, thank God for this wonderful time again. I’m indeed blessed. :)

On the way home on 111, I was reading the book that Rachel and Han Yiin gave to me, and God speaks to me again. God says ‘Since you are born again, never think or thought on the level of your old life. Change your thoughts and your words.’ Yes, I have been thinking and behaving on the level of my old life, it is time to awake the giant in me. In addition, Holy Spirit is always within me. It remind me of Roman 8:31 - For God is with us, who can be against us !

Yups, I really enjoyed the time spent with them, they are great! Oh yea, I received a chrismas card from Mel, and it was really sweet a one, I love it so much, thanks mei, it is splendid !

Wonder where she is now, she is not in Singapore currently and another sister is in Thailand, must catch up with them before the next hectic term starts. God has bless me with these two sister, they are angels in my eyes. Really, i mean it. So I must appreciate them :) I am working hard to achieve the promise I have for them. I will male it one day !

Mysteriously, I have got another blessing by God, He just sent another angel to wake me up on this Sunday, let’s see whether this Sunday is a curse…this is another strange story... :)

Inexplicable Feeling

2006-12-23T03:23:00.000+08:00

Life is good so far. Yes, it is real good. Let me reflect what I have been doing for the past three weeks. I went back to my home town for three days, bro Thomas and bro Wee went back as well to celebrate Mum’s birthday, and Dad came back too. It is always nice to spend quality time with family (FYI: Family stands for Father and Mother, I Love You) and update with each other what is happening in their life. We went to restaurant and had a delicious dinner, and it cost only about RM300, it was cheap, wasn’t it?

Also, I went back to SMU for OS3 meeting for several times, there is an island-wide event coming next term – to promote open source in Singapore which involve the local universities, Junior Colleges and Polytechnics, it is going to be a huge and prominent event. Behind the scene, there are a lot of efforts being put in.

Besides that, I have attended Microsoft Developer Conference 2006. It was not fascinating as I expected. A Microsoft guy gave a talk to us and there was merely a dreary and dull install fest with ‘nice_secured’ Microsoft next generation Operation System – Windows Vista.

On the other hand, John Chambers (CEO of Cisco Systems) attracted me at Raffles City Conventional Hall on 8 December, saw Eden (Deputy Principal of Republic Polytechnic [RP]) but did not had a chance to talk to him. John Chambers was sharing his vision in Cisco System and how networking technologies change our life in the future. From personal matters to Government affair, Cisco technologies will be the platform of our life and it has been pervasive to our life. Put it this way, if Cisco shutdown its network, the whole world is going to halt.

Well, more than 10 people told me that I have been gaining weight and I look chubby. I was quite upset to hear that as it spoils my personal image. So, I have been putting effort in volleyball training with SMU guys, it was another experience to train with them, of course it is fun to train with another bunch of comrades who can sweat, fight and hopefully win together  Samuel (FYI: He is the coach for International Kakis [IK]) came down for one of the training and coached us for one session. It is perfectly normal for him to come down as Wee Ming (the main spiker in IK) is his friend.

Oh yea, went back to RP for the very first RP alumni event. I have met Kevin who just came back from Australia, enjoying his work here now and will be going back within a month I guess. Bernard, Iskandar, Justin, Han Ming, Vanessa and others were there too. Like I said before, I always wonder what others have been doing in their life recently and where are they going in the future, this is LIFE. Human beings are social creatures, we cannot live alone, and we are interdependent. (Of course we need to be independent first before we can talk about interdependent). I had a chance to talk to Sean Tay (Director of OSG) about life in Singapore and how RP has changed my life. As the saying goes, time waits for no men, and it is close to four years I have been here. Well, I shall not talk much about my past. Why? You will know if you carry on to read (I realized this is how authors captured the attention of readers, of course, I make it too obvious to attract you to read my blog. Anyway, if you read this blog, it means you care of me, and you should know who you are, I appreciate you in my life just as how much you appreciate me in yours.)

Talking about SMU, I really do love SMU now. Remember someone asked me ‘So where are you studying now?’ I replied ‘I am doing my Bsc, ISM in SMU now’ The response came back from that guy was ‘Wow SMU, your college is famous and it is the hip thing in industry yea?’ Instead of asking me what ISM stands for (I presume most people do not know what ISM is), that guy knows SMU is good. This shows that I have made a right choice to begin another chapter of my life in SMU, I see the value in it and this is not the first person that gave me the same response. See, that is one of the reason I love SMU, I feel good. =) Thank God.

A conversation with Nathaniel @ Killiney Café, both of us received an A+ for our very first grade in university. I was really grateful that God has blessed me with such a good grade. Subsequently, I have got back my Comm101 (English course) grade and I have got a B for it as my Persuasive and Refusal Letter were not good. To me, getting a B for that module was already a good job, so I was quite happy with the B. Next, Prof Jason emailed and said he will release the grade for IS101. On the same day, I went to office to collect my IP2 assignment and I received 16/20 (originally it was 17, one point deducted because of grammar error.). At that point of time, I think I did quite well. So I started to calculate my overall module grade in IS101, and I found out that I was not really doing well in that module; I might not get an A for it. (See, I have typical Asian mindset; the concern of getting good grades surpass the enjoyment of the learning process)

Apparently, Nathaniel did very well in his IP2; he had received 19/20. So I started to compare, and the comparison between Nat and I was a torment. I started to message Serene and told her about my situation…Serene said ‘16/20 is quite good what, you think too much already!’ Well, those are oft-heard cliché that are not really gonna help to shrink down my torment…But I do appreciate her, whenever I need a listening ear, she is there. Moreover, Nat was telling me that he did not do well during his poly days, he had only 3 As in his Diploma and he got into university (he is actively involve in ToastMasters and holding a leadership position), so everyone is on the same playground, it does not matter how well you did in your primary, secondary or former institute that you came from, now is the Uni Game. Degree is a basic entry level into the real working world nowadays…Nat is comparing at the DEGREE level.

Next, I started to ask myself, if I compare at the MODULE level, I have got A+, I’m ahead of others, and I have got B, to others this is a lousy grade. If I compare at the GPA level, I’m not so good and not so bad, overall I’m still at the ‘not bad’ crowd. The pending status of the final grade could make one mad. One keeps wondering how well or how bad he/she did for that module, that term and how is it gonna affect their current GPA. I hate that ‘waiting’ period too. So the moral of the story is to know what your limitations are, do not make UNNECESSARY comparison and enjoy life to the fullest. Thank God for the peace tonight. :)

Sunday is a Curse

2006-12-03T16:49:00.000+08:00

This morning, I woke up at 8am++. I was lying down on my bed and talking to God. After awhile, I fell asleep…Until 10:30AM, bro Boon Teck called up and informed me that the service is at Cathay lv5. So I woke up, but then again…I could not oppose the temptation of the bed….and I fell asleep for second time.

Arcane Sunday - this is not the first time, it happens every week. I was determined to attend the service but…I know it only requires a modicum of effort to wake up for certain people, but I just…I shall see what will happen next Sun, if the same happen to me, I think I won’t sleep on Sunday.

God, inject me with serotonin! I want to relive my every Sunday!

A quick jot down of what happened these days:
1. Went to ECP with IS101 class, ‘makan’ a lot there! Prof Jason brought 2 cottons of beer! Yay ! (Tiger + Guinness)
2. Meeting SMUVB at Vivo later to catch up with them =)
3. I promise myself, next term I’m definitely going to work harder.
4. SMS mel at night recently, really could not sleep, thanks mei =)
5. I will become a psychopathic soon…

I received an A+ for my First Uni grade =)

2006-12-01T22:36:00.000+08:00

Too much to say here…Thank God =)

Where do you come from? Where are you now?

2006-11-30T01:07:00.000+08:00

Met Serene in this morning and had a mundane breakfast at MacD. Went to RP and my plan of the day was to read Fooled by Randomness, so I started to read…

Well, instead of reading, Serene started to talk about life, I guess she is those ppl who belongs to Type A - stressful, usually more prone to heart attack, high blood pressure, gastric ulcer, diabetes or equivalent perilous disease. [Friedman & Rosenman] However, successful ppl are usually come from this group, Prof Pande once said it to me =)

By talking to her, it reminds me a lot. Where was I few years ago? Who was I? Ever since I came to Singapore in 2003, I consciously ‘benchmark’ myself against people who I think they are superior. I must assert that it was quite stressful and unquestionably not an easy feat to shift the pecking order and social status. Prof Steve once talked to me about this during my interview with Him before I enroll to SMU, I still do remember what he shared with me, and I really do. All these are still fresh in my mind.

Life is complicated. Yes, no doubt. When Serene was 16, she started to ponder how complicated (or rather, how miserable) life can be. David told me that when he was 12 (I considered myself as the most unlucky one because I only ‘opened’ my eyes when I was in 18), he already ‘in that situation’. When I told Serene that, she said he had no childhood. However, it was by that process which made David stands out of the crowd. Moreover, he is not only considered prosperous but also ‘very rich’. Although Serene and I look at the same anecdote, we perceive it from a diverse vantage point. David is someone I considered special in my life. I know I am going to meet him in Ohio one day =)

Yesterday, I went to indoor stadium with bro Boon Teck and Han Yiin for the national healing campaign. Prophet T.B. Joshua was from Nigeria, bro told me that God uses him mightily to heal the sick in Nigeria (they are really poor; they could not afford expensive medication). I was there to witness how Joshua heals the lame and people with all sorts of diseases. It is quite frightening to imagine that, after 50 years, I will just be like them. Certainly I pray that it is not part of the plan God has for me. Besides that, ordinary human beings just like you and I, are being demonized when we were worshipping; I was not surprised as this is not my first time to witness that. My very first experience with such occurrence was in one of the service a year ago, when Audrey suddenly demonized and shouted at the pastor with #%^&^#@$#% (Lingo Demoniza).

Prophet Joshua’s message was solely focus on SIN – SIN is the sickness of soul. In order to be healed by God, first we must know that Sins is the root of all problems. Sick will only be healed if the sin is being cleansed. Prophet Joshua healed the lame and few of them managed to walk IMMEDIATELY (of course you don’t expect them to walk like us after so many years of sitting on the wheel-chair). Well, I was thinking, whether it is because they refuse to walk all these years or Prophet Joshua (rem God is healing through him) is so powerful that he could heal them on the fly. Should not I believe completely as what people said ‘seeing is believing’? But deep inside my heart, I questioned myself about this. On the other hand, I also asked myself ‘Vincent, are you gonna wait for that to happen to you then only you will believe what our almighty God can do’? Where is my faith? I am puzzled. Undoubtedly, God healed that guy from Belgium from epilepsy, that guy was suffered from that for many years. It was so suffering (mentally) till the point that he was not allowed to drive and handle stressful works. He encountered car accident for three times because of epilepsy, and spent half a year in hospital in the latter accident. Thank God, he is being healed totally today, and he is living happily. This was being projected on the screen and yesterday, he was here in Singapore to testify his testimony. Intuitively, I feel like going for mission trip (and I recalled that what Pastor Yaxley told me about the leadership in Christ, God, will you use me mightily?)

Well, I need to restructure my thoughts and regain my faith in God. For my personal life, I am faring quite well. However, for my spiritual life, I need to do something…my soul is thirsty…

God Bless You,
His child, Vincent.

Fuck Off !

2006-11-28T01:05:00.000+08:00

Fuck Off!

Fuck, something happened and it made me feel uneasy…FUCK…

Vincent, remember this pain, someday they are gonna get it back…I promise, I will make sure those ppl suffer 10 times more than I do now…Fuck off !

Just had a chat w Kevin, it is always great to chat w ppl like him rather than those moron. I tell you, I’m really gonna get serious this time, I have decided that my life is going to devote to IT/IS, yes, I have chosen this profession, no regrets. Seriously I need to be rooted onto one specialization. I have met a God like Kevin; I guess there is a reason why God put him into my life. Kevin is just different from others, he shines, and he really does.

I have been complaining how miserable life can get in SMU, I think I’m really too pampered. Ok, I need to reflect on myself…I know, don’t have to remind me…Tonnes of people are busier than me…I am not victimizing myself, but this is the truth, accept it Vincent.

When you are idle, think of what’s happening there, what is doing over there? Eventually, I will face the real world…I am too slow...Kev said, dun be TOO idle. Yes, I understand now. You guys keep dreaming, when I reach THERE, I will make sure ppl like you all suffer. Fuck off.

xMas Present for Myself
• Linux Box, I’m really gonna get it.

Fuck off.

Foreign Talents

2006-11-26T22:43:00.000+08:00

Today, I went to Bishan lib with Nat, attended an event called “Foreign Talent, Do you stand a chance?” The discussion panel consists of different MPs: the HR Director of NTUC (forgot her name alr =(, Mr. Zainudin Nordin, (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) and the other Prof from NTU.

Some argue that Foreign Talent (hereinafter referred as “FT”) is threatening the locals, while others encouraging FT in Singapore. What is your view?

Do you worry if you are a Singaporean? Few decades ago, Minister Mentor Lee mentioned that to develop Singapore; Singapore must be a useful country to the world. Well, you see Singapore today; it is a renowned trading and education hub. Why do investors come here? Think about it…

Same concept apply to Singaporean when dealing with FT (tho FT is not a new policy, it was introduced back in 1960s). In order to survive, Singaporean (or rather everyone) must be “globalized”. Let me put it this way, suppose your boss posts you to India to set up a firm, if you refuse (of course you can, but many ppl is waiting for that chance), others will seize that as a opportunity to grow and to learn new insight. What happened to you then? Will you boss asks you to go next time? Probably not…

There is a war of talent, don’t you think so? Some people are talented but reluctant to shift out of their comfort zone, while thousands of equally talented people are willing to travel around the globe, how do we compete with each other? With the advanced technology today, the world seems smaller and borderless. It is a MUST to have a niche skill, but “mobility” is equally important in today’s business context.

If you think you can survive because you have the skills, you are wrong! You can only survive unless your skills are RELEVANT to today’s world. For instance, suppose an IT guy is complacent with his fanciful DHTML and ASP.NET skills, can he survive JUST with these skill sets? The answer is NO, one must keep upgrading in order to survive, technologies such as AJAX and Castle emerged like mushroom everyday. Skills relevancy is critical. Whatever works ten years ago might not work today.

Let me give you an analogy - Sam and Sue are (living in the same HDB block) playing marble every morning at the playground. One day, Mark (a better player from the other block) joins their game and won some of their marble. Obviously, Sam and Sue lose out in the game. However, Sam and Sue did learn some new skills on how to play better marble. So, both of them could go to the other playground and win some marble from others who has less skill. Think about it this way, it is a cycle, FT comes in, and Singaporean migrates to other countries. (Could be because they are incompetent, or they just feel tired and pressurized by the environment here, some of them are just too pampered…whatever it is…)

One African proverb that I have learnt today:
Everyday in the morning, a gazelle runs faster so that she won’t be eaten up by the lion.
Everyday in the morning, a lion runs faster to catch the gazelle to prevent starve.

Think about it :-)

Ciao~~

Woah...I'm shocked with my English...

2006-11-23T23:04:00.000+08:00

Dont blame me for my poor Eng =)

I do proof-read before I publish, but my recent post was written a year ago I guess ? and i realized how much i have improved since then =)

*Prof Pande once said, one needs to look back to "pump" yourself up =) Great chat with her today =)

Last Year Christmas

2006-11-23T22:58:00.000+08:00

Time: 1:21am
Date: 12 Dec 2005
Venue: Singapore [Home – Ghim Moh]

Ha! Walking with God is really an exciting journey, Lord I thank You that I have found You in my life, u bring the peace for me, the peace that cannot be given by the world, Father I thank You for Your faithfulness, Prince of Peace!

There are so many things happened recently, this year the Christmas was really wonderful, the first year I celebrated Christmas in church  a very special and memorable Christmas, thank God. In the morning of 24th Dec 2005, supposedly I have volleyball training from 9am-12pm, but when I woke up in the morning, I feel very weak, my whole body muscles were aching, I felt very cold outside and inside my body I felt very warm, and I got fever also…I rested until 12pm+ then I woke up and SMS Gary they all for lunch at Queenstown, and just happened that brother Tuang Li was at Holland Village, so he picked me up and prayed for me inside the car with brother Boon Tech, and they told me that devil is attacking my flesh and spiritually, I didn’t even know there is such thing called “spiritual attack”, the devil are really real out there, I have seen it and it’s really real. So after we prayed, I felt much better, and God says, “By Faith You Are Healed.” So I went to Queenstown to meet them all for lunch, after that I went home as I need to share my testimony during the Christmas party later.

So at night, I had invited Hong Chuan, Tiffer, Shi Hui, Phloy and Ming Yao for the party, it was quite a small group actually which was about 25 people. So at about 830pm, we started the Christmas party, we sang some Christmas song even though I don’t really know how to  And after that we were broken up into few groups, so we had some games. After the game, I shared my testimony with everyone in the party, actually I was quite nervous before that, I prepared everything onto a single page of paper, but when I was sharing, I don’t even need the paper, thank God for the confidence and guidance that he provided  So we were sharing God with each other especially my invited guest Hong Chuan, Tiffer, Shi Hui, Phloy and Ming Yao. So after that we had the “simi taichi” game until 2pm plus then we went home. This is how I spent my Christmas Eve!

On 25th Dec 2005, this is really another significant day in my life. Today is Christmas! In the morning I went to church for the service, I met Kenneth again and I took some picture and he is sooooo cute! I had my baptism on today as well and the number of people getting baptized is 25! Haa everything is planned by God  So brother Boon Teck, Ben, Tuang Li, Steph were there and many others were they as well for my witness including the lil girl Sheryl. After that we went to watch Narnia at Tampines Mall, it was really a fantastic show! Nice show! I feel like watching it second time in the cinema! It’s really a nice show! After that we went to Fisherman Village at Pasir Ris park to “makan”. Haa, and reached home ard 1am, and I decided to write everything down, Father I just pray that You will continue to guide me along in this journey, if You are for us, who can be against us! Father in everything I give thanks to You Father, I thank You for Your faithfulness, even though sometimes when I’m not faithful but You still remains faithful Father, Father I thank You, I love You, in the name of Jesus I pray, Amen ! Good night Father ! And I’m gonna listen to my prophesy before I turn in !

God is Love

2006-11-23T22:57:00.001+08:00

Time: 1:28am
Date: 17 Dec 2005
Venue: Singapore [Home – Ghim Moh]

Dear Lord,

I thank You for every single thing that You have planned in my life, walking with You is always an exciting journey, Lord I thank You that I have found You in my life, in the beginning of my life (21 is just the starting of my life journey  ). Thank You Lord and I pray that Lord, You will continue to keep Your eyes on me and watching over me in my daily life. Lord I thank You for the wonderful experience in the church camp (07-10 Dec 2005), I really learned a lot from that and Lord, may Your fire keep burning inside my heart and let me continue to work for You Lord, let the Holy Spirit to keep flowing in me Lord, use me mightily to advance Your kingdom Lord.

Lord I pray that you will give me wisdom in whatever thing I do and whatever decision I make, Lord you will guide me what to do. Lord I declare that I’m ready for the spiritual warfare, in every spiritual warfare I will bring victory to You Lord and I want to glorify Your mighty name Lord.

In everything I give thanks to You Lord, in Jesus mighty name I pray, Amen !

More to Share

2006-11-23T22:57:00.000+08:00

Time: 11:00am
Date: 09 Oct 2005
Venue: Hometown (Malacca)

Thank God for giving me another day to live on the earth, Amen. Actually there is a service today, but I can’t attend as I’m now at M’sia. I’m now sitting in front of my old PC which is my very first PC bought few years back ago, time passes very fast. I’m now a year 3 student which is my final year in RP, still remember 2 and a half year ago my mum was reluctant and worry about my study in Singapore, and now, I’m doing very well in RP (after so many of problems, I insisted that I want to study at Singapore), Thank God. This is only the starting in my life, everyday I getting closer with God, thank God I found him, when I look at people around me who are non-believers, I can see the difference, some of them have no purpose in their life, when I look at my granny which live together with my mum at my hometown, I feel very sad as her life is only “waiting for something to happen…”. There is no God in her, no purpose in her life…Father I pray to You that please give me power to bring all your children back to You again; there are still so many lost children who is suffering without You…

Yesterday, Julian, Loon and Bin (which used to be my very good friends), we went to eat supper together and again I found that the common topic among us is no longer exist, I can sense that we live our life totally differently and hopefully God will protect them from the devil, when we were sitting together, their conversation is always the same, talk about Money, Girl and taking ecstasy, I used to enjoy it but…that kind of “happiness” is no longer in myself, I’m seeking God way everyday and I hope to share his Word with others, just like my brother Boon Teck did, how he shared his salvation with me, shared his experience and why he loves God so much, I’m slowly to grow from a baby Christian as I don’t want myself keep staying on the same ground after I have received God in my life, I want to do more for God, I study for God, I play volleyball for God and everything I do is because of God but not myself, and thank God, he has rewarded my hard work with 5As last semester, thank God, Amen.

God, recently I can sense that Hong Chuan is seeking something is His life, and I’m very sure that whatever question he has in his life, the answer will be “Jesus”, Your only begotten Son. I guess he is still in dilemma as he doesn’t know where he should go and what his life purpose is. Few days ago, he suddenly came to me in MSN and asked, “What keeps you going on everyday?” I shared with him a lot…Matt 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Hong chuan is poor in spirit as he has no God in Him, he is seeking God, and God, I’m sure that one day he will be going back to Your love, for us You promise the kingdom of heaven but not the kingdom on earth, Amen. Just like me, when I was saved, thousand of angels in heaven are sharing the happiness with God; they are looking at us…. Another friend Gary, he is a Christian but now I can see that he is walking away from your love God, please guide him back God.

Deja Vu

2006-11-23T22:50:00.000+08:00

Surprisingly, I found that i have wrote this down and stored in my D: drive =)

Time: 3:46pm
Date: 21 Sep 2005
Venue: Container 10 (Republic Poly)

After 40 days of Purpose Driven Life journey, I have decided to write down my thoughts in this blog; whatever thoughts that now come in to my mind, I just feel like want to write it down…my very own blog. Recall back 40 days ago, when I was very busy about my Final Year Project, I was working with two of my other friends, Kevin and Kawai, but honestly I did not enjoy myself when I worked with them, I was very stressed working with them as all of us have different working style and personality. Some more my project was using WAMP, all these stuff are not being taught in RP, I have to learn by myself within this short period of time. Thank God, I managed to complete my FYP quite well, thank God.

In one of the evening, I was alone in c10 doing my fyp, Boon Teck walked into c10 and past me a book called “Purpose Driven Life”, we talked awhile about my fyp and he knew I’m very stressed with it, so after few minutes he left…and when after he left I flipped up the book…I felt very touched…he wrote these on the 4th page of the book:

Dear Vincent,

I thank God that you have finally found Him. It’s always a joy to me that when I find people returning back to the Father’s love. His love endures forever.

May God Bless You and Your Family Members!

With His Love,

Boon Teck, Joseph
2005

p.s: I Believe that God will Give you a purpose in you life that you can do mightily for Him !

I was not a Christian but I do believe in God, somehow…God is in my heart. Until 17 Sep 2005, this is a very significant date in my life, I was saved! A lot of things happened in this day, I went to a church cell group which is lead by Boon Teck, Michael, Lisa and Ben. They all are great people; thank God I have met them in my life. After that we went to Ben’s house, a very nice condo; Boon Teck, Ben and me were in his room and we started to share our life story, we talked a lot…I did confess my sin and accepted God in my heart, Amen, 3 of us prayed together…I felt very happy and joyful because I know since that moment, God is in me and I was saved, I must have faith in God, we even hugged each other! That kind of joy and happiness can’t be described by words!

18 of Sep, 2005 - This was my first time attended a service, Ben fetched me there in the morning and we started to worship God by singing those worship song, we prayed…while singing I look around…some of them were very joyous, that kind of “high” facial expression… some crying…suddenly there was a girl screamed!!!! She ran in front to the stage and kept shouting and screaming…this was my first time experienced the “spirit”…later on Boon Teck explained to me what happened to that girl and their family then only I understand what’s actually happen to that girl….anyway, she looks quite pretty after the service when I saw her outside, ha. God Bless.

After the service, we went to Great World City to have our lunch, brother Tuang Lee and Joel were there too, they shared a lot with me, thank God. My real life just started…I decided to change my bad habit…those who know me should know what kind of bad habit I have…ha. When I said I want to change, I really put in effort to change myself, it’s very hard for me to learn how to unlearn my bad habit but I believe with God’s power in me, nothing is impossible, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" -- Romans 8:31, I can do anything with His power, have faith in God!

Thank God I have finally found you, Amen.

Another Turning Point

2006-11-17T19:23:00.000+08:00

Life is getting busier. If you think you have been slacking too much, get your butt off and do something different today. I am quite surprised that SMU has changed my life, just like how RP did. I would say RP is a pre-departure lap, life in SMU is definitely tougher, but Fun =) I should have slap myself for grumbling around how miserable my life was since week1 onwards, but thank God, He has showed me something. =)

Again, reflection always help me to grow stronger, thank God I have been on the “right track” as compared to other, if you think you are not on the “right track”, again, I would say please wake up and do something today. The moment you do something different, you get to experience how excited life can be! Everyone is writing their own life story, why not you?

Well, I have been busy for the past 13 weeks since school started. Here is what I have gone through for the past 13 weeks for different modules:

IS101 – Well for IS 101, Seminar for ISM Major, this is a real fun module.

My team, Kristi and Ayush and I. Thanks to Kristi, she is a cheerful and fun loving girl. Always came up with funny ideas to entertain us. Ayush, haaaa, my Indian buddy who was a chef back in India. Went to his house few times to do assignment and thanks to his hospitality, Indian food is real good yeah =)

I would treat this module as a bridge from IT to business world, in fact it is =) We did case facilitation in class, presentation and debate. Ayush did the debate (CIO can make good CEO), Kristi did the presentation (Information System in Bank) and I did one case facilitation (SABRE Airlines) and one presentation (Business Continuity Plan – including Data Centre). A lot of my friends told me that I really did a wonderful job for the presentation, in fact, I think it was a good one =) Besides that, Individual Project One (IP1) and Individual Project Two (IP12) were killing, working around the clock for that two projects, well I am not going to repeat this in next term, I have learnt the lesson in a painful way. But then again, thanks to these projects that made me realized how important time management is. Indeed, I have improved a lot I must say.

Today, our last lesson for IS101, two case-studies. One by an Indian guy (he almost cry because he was not getting good response from the class =( another case study done by Guan Long (his favourite quote – A is at one side, B is at another side, I am somewhere in the middle. Haaa, only my classmates understand this I guess) Well, after the case facilitation, Prof Jason did a quick recap on what we have learnt in this course and he presented few prizes. Best Presentation, Best Debate, Best Case Study, Most Improved Student and “Organizer” of the class events. Guess what, haaa, I have got Best Improved and Prof Jason presented me a book called Fooled By Randomness in front of the class, I was truly touched by that…almost cry but of course I acted as though I was very coooool =) I guess the reason why I received the prize is because initially I seldom speak in the class because of some “problems”, as time goes by and after some chat with Prof Jason, I realized this problem is perfectly normal and it is a good problem. Prof Jason told me, “In Harvard, you spend the first few weeks wondering how you got in, and the rest of the time wondering how everyone else got in!”. So, thanks Prof…my confidence is back, that feeling is really great and wonderful =)

LTB – MGMT101 Leadership & Teambuilding

My team members – Ayush, Esther, Mingwen, Kelvin, Magdalene, Heongyee and I. We named ourselves Team 7Up ! For the past 13 weeks, we have had uncountable meeting. I would say the actual implementation of the LTB was fun; we worked with Andrew and Grace Home (A&G) to implant some of the life skills in them. Set up a blog for them too (www.bikersup.blogspot.com) Well, this LTB project really reminds me about my past…Some memorable moment in this course --> the Leader I have Known (LIHK) presentation, and the final presentation on 14 Nov 2006. We did a lot of spastic videos and photos, lol ^_^ LTB is very ‘shiong’, we meet up every Monday for the project, meeting on Tuesday…stayed in school overnight to rush the Learning Journal…etc. But when the project is finished, you would smile and tell yourself, “LTB is not that bad lah”. Today, I went to Prof Ma’s office for the LTB quiz review because I did the quiz quite badly (46/60), she was sharing her knowledge with me when I was checking my answer. Also, she asked me to apply for the LTB Teaching Assistant (TA), haaa, I’m not sure whether I will apply for that now, but one thing for sure, she is a nice Prof indeed. =)

Comm101 – Communication, Competencies & Strategies

For Comm101, I would say this is a typical English course that most of the uni students would need to go through. For the past 13 weeks, we have been learning how to write persuasive letter, letter of rejecton, revision of English grammar and stuff like that. Also, we did individual and group presentation, haa, Prof Pande was great too =) TA Jason is going to Spain for exchange programme next term, so Prof Pande would need a TA, Haa, I think I am not qualify to be her TA =) I wana go Europe for exchange programme too !

IS200 – IS Software Foundation

Thank God, this is the easiest module I find among all. An alternate names for this module - “Programming for Kids”. “C# for Cliker”, “Alice for my 3-year-old Cousin”. Haaa, I do not need to mug, just attend the lesson and happily share my knowledge in the class, sometimes I feel so stupid to be in that class because they are really really that “ignorant” to IT, especially programming. But I should not think in that way, everyone is learning at their own pace, just that somebody is still dreaming that they do not need to be technically competent in order to sit on the IT management level in an organization. Thanks to Kevin, I have learnt this from an IT GOD, truly amazed by his skill sets and knowledge.

Anyway, I have got a great Prof for this module as well, Prof Ben , Joelle and Yeow Leong are very approachable and easy-going people. Having said that, I still left my VERY last assignment in this module, then I am free loooo !

Great, that is the academic side of my in SMU. Besides that, I have found a bunch of great friends in SMUVB too, they are just like my buddies in RP, not all, but some of them can really talk to them about everything, this is called FRIENDSHIP yea ? =)

Also, have been joining the Open Source events and met up with Sweet Tat, Sanjeev and other IT GOD, how fascinating their skills are, as compared to them, I am really just a small fry, but I am sure one day I am going to catch up with them, especially people like Kevin and Andrew, these people are just too motivating and their attitude is contagious! Does yours?

Well, time to rest and makan. Ciao~~

p.s. Oh yea, remember to visit my forum @ www.vzent.os3.sg/forum.

vTestimonial ^_^

2006-11-06T17:11:00.000+08:00

From Shi Hui
--------------
siihuii Posted 27/6/2006
i miss my bro.

miss u in this team.

miss the tanglin trainings.

miss the joy u and gary brought.

miss to see ur ping piangs.

miss the times when we sang and worshipped.

takaire vincent.

(:

love.

siihuii Posted 9/1/2006
hey bro.

wanna take this opportunity to thank you for all uve done for this great friendship, and for being such a nice brother, to listen and comfort me. i wish that u would go through everything with a strong will and a stable mind. hmmm. a big shoutout for u.

i love you my bro. !

takaire. jiayou for ivp.

and all the best for ur studies.

lastly. may you grow more in the Lord. he's our bestest friend and the greatest gift we could ever recieve.

see ya. *huggss. (:

From Tiffer (Zhi Jun)
---------------------
-zhijun- Posted 9/2/2006
10 Keys of First Impression of Vincente:

1. Fierce
2. Forceful
3. Potential Hooligan
4. Impressive Vball Spiking
5. Buddy-oriented
6. Talkative
7. Annoying
8. Irritating
9. Tall-looking
10. STILL FIERCE

10 Keys of Vincente after knowing him :

1. Diligent
2. Motivator
3. Affable
4. Amicable
5. A Good Leader
6. Impressive
7. Jovial
8. Brainiiee
9. Encouraging
10. Able to bring up amuse level in us

Continue to retain all your positive attributes and strive hard in your coming years... Achieve and be somebody and inspire people !!

Best wishes for ur studies and future !!!

-zhijun-

n o . 1 8 a l w a y z

From My Dearest Sister (Phloy)
-------------------------------
phloy Posted 4/2/2006
feel like giving my korkor another testi after the sms.

-you won't be forgotten-
-you will be missed-
-your face will be recalled-
-your sound will resound-

additional:
-your gallops will be heard-
trotting by on your return....hahahaha!!

ma ti kor kor. up high your legs can go!

you know we'll be here waiting for ya return....just to visit and play with us and even to kick us with your ma ti legs.

you won't be vulnerable when you believe in yourself.

my faith in you sets in and you'll have this meimei supporting you wherever you are.

remember when you are rich, treat me. lol.

remember your promise to invite me to ya wedding. lol

love ya as brother with all my might.

kekekeke.

`tai guo mei mei zai ci` :p

phloy Posted 3/2/2006
kor kor, 4 more weeks..i know i will be missing you. hahaha...

eh..how come u posted me the testimonials couldn't be seen ah? sighs. sadded.

please remember our c10 days k. come back visit us when you free.

miss ya. haha..

muacks* :p

phloy Posted 9/1/2006
boO!~
=) guess who's here?! hahaha! your dear little mei mei was asked to be the first to write in your newly created account. yeah! one thing that i wanna say here to you is, you are really my BEST korkor ever! really! really love ya lots. you understand me best. and im thankful to have such a great and caring korkor with me. we are like linked heart to heart. whenever im down, you are always there to support me and cheer me up. and i really get better when u spiritually lift me out from my misery. i really appreciate wat u have done so far. even times when im high, u make me luff even louder, roll and even crazier. with u ard, life is never bored, really dear korkor.haha! and i dun think i can be as crazy when u are not around. i think when time you are gonna leave us, it time we are really gonna miss the days with you. you bring lights and life to us. really you really do made a difference to my life. you made me look up upon you as my real brother. best korkor ever!

phloy Posted 9/1/2006
okie continue from the previous testi...
though i dun have my real brother in singapore, it's good enuff to have you here. my day turns better with you cheering on. well..i really respect you as my brother and as well as buddy! haha! last but not least..i would like to wish you all the best for ur life now k? watever u may do, or make any decision, im always here to support you k? good luck and best wishes for ur FYP too!~ okie..i'll stop here for now...will give you more in the future when i rmb wat else to say. hehe. okie! love ya lots, korkor.
=] you'll always be one. and i'll be there for u when u need me for support :)

=)phloy

From Shi Yin (My Personal & Volleyball Advisor)
------------------------------------------------
Shiyin Posted 14/1/2006
Hi Vincent,

Wow.. You have really grown in the past 3 years.. from the unsure year one to the more confident and high-achieving final year.. =) I'm glad you have found your source of support and have someone to turn to in times of need.

Your achievements in both volleyball and studies are really remarkable esp with the amount of time you spend on vball.. Continue to work hard and manage your time well... looking forward to graduating? I'm sure your presence will be missed by us...

Thanks for all the effort put into the team.. shout more yah.. and keep the spirit up! RP Ace!

Cheers!

Shiyin

From Jasmine Ang [ some1 that i can talk to =) ]
---------------------------------------------------
j'aNg Posted 9/1/2006
Loudest voice.
Loudest laughter.
Loudest spikings.
Loudest determination.
Loudest self discipline.
Loudest results n fyp.
Loudest memories with u arnd.

Suming all up, Vincente, u ROCK!!

Jia You Jia You Jia You!!
Wooh!.

-love-

xiaode.

Soul Seeker de Vince

2006-11-05T15:29:00.000+08:00

I’m on 111 now after attended church. I seldom blog but I’m gonna make it a habit now. I think this is a good idea to share what’s happening in my life with the people that I care, at the same time, people know who I am actually…

Well, I would say I’m in the process of transforming into typical SMU student now. SMU life is not more than just studying, presentations, projects and meeting deadline…sound scary huh? This is really what I do everyday (of course I slack too, but that’s only once in a blue moon). Ok, I have decided what I’m gonna do in these 4 years. Gonna accomplish at least 2 interns (1 local and 1 M’sia), the reason is simply because I got a chance to observe and compare how people run IT business in Singapore and in M’sia and learn from them, perhaps the difference in technology would amazed me =) Also, I’m planning to exchange to Europe to take my GMs, at the same time I can enjoy myself too! You know, it’s always fascinating to see what other people are doing in their life, meeting new people and trying new things! Sound pretty good plan I guess, I must work hard at it! I’m not gonna waste my 4 years in SMU and graduate as a mundane grad, I’m gonna do something different!

Few weeks ago, I went back to RP with Prof Steve Miller (SIS Dean), Christina, Marilyn and company. I had a great time there and managed to catch up with Andrew, Dr. Liew, Richard, John Young and Mervin Beng. I’m so awestruck by the way how Prof Steve expresses himself and communicate with others; he is just “contagious”, so…another person on my list =)

For personal life, I would say I’m doing quite well. The meaning of life is revealing each day; the journey of life is just begun. Thank God I have a bunch of good friends in my life; these people are there whenever I fall down, I treasure my friendship with YOU, you should know who you are =)

For spiritual walk with God, sadly to say that I’m dehydrating recently…had been busy seeking what life is till I neglect the most important part of my life - God…I need to repent. God, bring my back to You once again…replenish my soul with the peace and joy; it is more fulfilling than getting 20/20 for my assignment or projects. Then I realized, life isn’t just about studying. However, there are many people “lost” themselves simply because their life is just about study and getting good grades…

Also, I have decided my career path since I’m getting to 30 already (tho you think it’s 8 more years to go…I have a feeling that these few years is gonna pass very fast than I ever think of); I’m really going to explore the world of IT and Business, not just IT, but business IT. Honestly, I’m kinda surprised by the skills I have, looking at those students who doesn’t even know how to program, it makes me appreciate myself a lot…Having said that, I’m not trying to be boastful as I’m learning too…there are more to come in my life, I should have learn from people like Kevin, he is really someone special in my life…Technologies is cool! Given the skills I have, I will do something in SMU =)

Ok, it’s time to do project, chat with you again. Love you guys.
Love God,
-vin

Blog de Numero Uno

2006-10-28T00:19:00.000+08:00

Interestingly, i feel like blogging =)

This is my 3rd or 4th blog account ? Well, things changed and I ended up here to blog again. I have decided to stick to vZent bcoz I have plenty of reason to do so =)

Typically SMU_Life everyday, kinda miss RP_Life, if you guys are studying at RP now, be grateful bcoz your life will be "miserable" when you head to Uni one day haa. =)

Nothing much here...Ciao !