ten to seven

*10 days to go*
initial day, hello singapore !
1230, arrived at changi, directly went to city hall (using MRT, of course), it costed me about $1.5 *very cheap i think*. arrived there, i walked through the underground malls to Suntec Mall (the only mall i could remember in singapore, haha)

first stop, HMV! wow, that’s what i call music/film stations! a lot of cds, dvds, blue-rays, music/film magazines, and things related to it. my eyes spotted on DVD Music Life sections, then i browsed there. as i had guessed before, i saw a lot of pop-music dvds that not available (yet) in jakarta, let’s say Celine Dion’s, Take That’s, and ‘the others’ (i forgot :p)

didnt find what i want, i moved on to DVD Sport sections. wow again. there were many dvds about basketball, football, wrestling, aerobic, yoga, and so on. wow ! then my eyes saw something sparkling (or it’s just on my eyes??) : LEGENDS – Jordan, Johnson, Bird *shining eyes * :p yeahh ! i took the box set, looked at it (i think my eyes got bigger at that time? haha), and made my (rushing) mind up that i wanted this box ! but, the price.. quite expensive looo..

[hmm.. at the moment, please tell me, is there any corelation between EYES, MIND, and MONEY? haha.. ]

well, i put the box back on the shelves (though i turned out buying it later :p ) i kept on looking the other dvds.. wow deh.. wow deh.. wow deh.. as far as i can recall now, there were Wade’s, Ming’s, another box sets of NBA best performance, Bulls’/Lakers’ Dynasty, and so on and so on *sigh* i was stucked 30mins there.. then i continued my journey, never missed to check in all bookstores on its way to Suntec to see what new-release books and magazines.

o m m.. 1500 already???? wot thee.. time past away so fast, huh! i need to go back to hotel as i promised to be there at 1600. so yeah, i just visited Tower Five for nothing but my-hurt-feet at suntec :p

= end of day-one =


next day, hunting day !
after i listed on my destination, departed 1030, here was my trip :
wow, what a bookstore is Kinokuniya. what books are you looking for? you name it, type it in on computer, BANG, it’s there! As someone ‘assigned’ me to find CS Lewis’ books, BANG, they’re all there.. plus (i guess) all the other of his books. hanged around there (about) 1-2 hours, then i went off to

Borders, i thought it’s gonna be as wow as Kino, but it’s not. i couldnt find the CS Lewis’ books there. and also, the store is a bit smaller than Kino, but i guess it still okey as you name it a bookstore. the interesting part was as i walked out there, there were two desks, laid on them banners : BUY 2 for 3 *crink crink crink*
wandering and wondering for about 10 mins, i found 3 books that i interested in. thought about grabbing those books then *TENG TONG* i remembered.. i have the 3rd book (in indonesian language). re-thinking and thinking and thinking, i made up my mind (for sure) just to buy the 1st book, the one that my eyes really really really had on (hints: it’s about diary) *hihi*

subsequently at Suntec, what a coincidence, i found the 3rd book store, it was Harris/Popular bookstore *surpriseee*. hmm, my comments : it’s just like Karisma bookstore, but they arranged it nicely plus a stationary section just like Gramedia. then [beep beep.. you have one new message] ouchh.. there was another assignment to find ‘stylish’ book *haha*.. lucky lucky.. Harris has it (and it turned out cheaper than Borders’ :p) lucky you lucky you!

huahhh, 1630! i got to go back. if i wasn’t home on time, there’s gonna be no (free) dinner for me, haha..

= end of my-poor-feet day =


last day, shopping day
starting popped in at HMV, i bought a sixty-minutes-journey of Pete Sampras in Wimbledon (cool for him! won total 14 grandslam titles, including 7 wimbledon titles); went to Kino lessened CS Lewis stock there; and back to Borders for ‘the diary’. followed by met up with my couz’, then i had my starter MOS Burger pack for $3.70, hoho.. it was delicioussss.. we took a what-i-call-“omm my feet massages” around orchard, continued to golby something *i forgot* just visited Gramaphone, continued to lucky plaza for another MOS *o yeah* then going back for hotel.

btw, do u know there is a shopping terminal in Changi? i just realized it when my couz’ told me, haha.. it’s Terminal 3. Though quite empty at that time, i believe it wont be in the following years. to end my 3-days trip, we had dinner at downtown food court.. haha.. i dont know its name.. but i remember where it was (just one level down from Burger King)

goodbye Changi.. welcome (back) Soekarno-Hatta.. back to reality.. *huh*
*7 days left*

= end of day-3 =

do you ?

i know who’s my friend
i know who’s not my enemy
i know who’s not my friend
i know who’s my enemy

do you ?

the secret, the song, the friday

the secret.. hulaaa.. it’s not the (what gramedia said as a best sellers) red-orange-brown-whatever the colours book.. yup.. it’s not.. it’s a part of 2008’s Good Friday theme.. the secret of the death of the Son of God !

it was preached in John Calvin Auditorium, at Graha Reformed Millenium. arrived at 0810 (exactly in time -10 mins late- :p), tried to find a parking slot, and found it *yeahh.. and 0820 now* ! got off the car, got in the building, geee.. full seats.. then somehow i remembered, it was a all-grii/mrii/prii-jabodetabek in one sermon .. so yeah.. no doubt.. fullll (later on rev. Tong said, it was 3200 audiences.. three thousand two hundreds.. *fiuhh*)

ended up in ‘foodcourt-wing’ (someone knows what i mean), there was i seated for total 2.5 hours of sermon.
excuse me.. 2.5 hours? yeah..
really? yeah.. it’s normal, pal !! save your tone !
okey! but i still checked on my pda *yup.. it showed number 1030 when we sang AMIN AMIN AMIN AMIN*

as far as i can memorize, the sermon unleashed the secret in the following points:
substitution
HE replaced us? yes.. as you can see.. it’s not us hanged on the cross.. but HIM.
but we are many.. he’s just One.. well, he’s GOD ! (remember this? finitesss < color="#3333ff">GOD?? GOD died? well, he’s human too !
r u kidding me? nope!

redemption
it’s not just A substitution, HE redeemed our sins with HIS sinless blood
so are you saying we are under satan’s grip? yes
so are you saying GOD discharged us? nope.. we did !
so are satan in powers? nope.. HE’s in power.. with HIS power, he delivered us from satan’s hands !

[i forgot the jargon.. but it’s not much different with]
reconciliation
HE actively settles us so we were and are friend now with HIM.. no bond.. no contract.. no agreement..
or in a simple way, it means start out now, tom and jerry are brothers ever and after *haha*


so yeah.. it’s about 1.5 hours of those points.. plus my sleepy eyes, with quite almost-hot temperatures.. with a have-to-seat behaviour (coz it’s a good friday.. we are supposed to seat here.. be a good christian.. and so on and so on.. *thunder claps* haha.. )

then sudenlly it turned out, i enjoyed the last 15mins of the sermon (is it because im not sleepy anymore? haha) yeah.. and when we came to offering, they had prepared a nice, beautiful song, called ‘I Believe in A Hill Called Mount Calvary’. i heard the song in sydney, 2-3 years ago.. it’s quite a simple song (for me :p ) it’s good to hear the melody again.. and the words, of course :

there are things as we travel this earth’s shifting sands
that transcend all the reason of man
but the things that matter the most in this world
they can never be held in our hand

i believe in a hill called Mount Calv’ry
i’ll believe whatever the cost
and when time has surrendered, and earth is no more
i still cling to that old rugged cross

indeed it’s nice to sing the refrain again and again and again..

offering’s over.. please be seated.. a bit of announcement.. then im going home..
so.. what’s good about my good friday sermon? i must say.. the good friday itself !

one day off

ive just taken one day leave.. and then i realized, how busy i could bewhen i woke up, looked at my mobile phone, geezz.. the indicator lamps kept on flashing, which means there’re some miss calls/smses that needed my attention. then i looked at those alerts.. my students.. they need my signature.. then some thoughts accrossed my mind:

first,
somehow i’ve just noticed, when i was thinking to have one day off, the day doesn’t let me to have one. when you’re not there for work, the work itself’s coming to you *sigh* should i sighing? hehe.. i kept on thinking and thingking.. hmm.. that means, my work loves me?? and i (should) love my work? hoho..

second,
why do students nowadays cant be a bit polite? they do feel free to call on their supervisor for their own need? aren’t they suppose to ‘wait’ for me?? not calling me and asking me ‘where are you, sir? i need you to sign this paper’ ; ‘i was here since this morning..where have you been, sir?’ should i answer their calls/smses?

i also remember my other supervised student, we had deal to meet every thursday talking about his thesis. i was thinking, should i tell him that im off today? or i suppose to pretend i forget? it took 5mins to think and think and then i made my mind up, i should let him know *am i rite?* yeah, i have to tell him ! why? coz we had deal ! deal means promise. if you break your promise, can someone trusts you? no, indeed.


so? so be it. two kinds of smses, one with grumpy mind, and one with this-what-you-should-do mind. at the end of my tapping, i know that i’ve been blessed with my never-ending-work and never-ending-excuse

so? so have a nice off day !