adrianism...

Farewell Nicole...

Nicole Chin! I guess you have mix feelings leaving Miri..... (kesian Jerome...:P)

It so happened that on the last day of the men's conference which i attended, it was also the day Nicole would be going back to KL. So i was to send Jerome (who was to return to Kuching for the holidays) and Nicole to the airport. It seems that they had a surprised in plan - hehe, they gave me an early birthday gift (a CUTE teddybear) and also 'chia' me to dinner at Riam cafe (opposite the army camp). I didn't know that there Riam cafe actually served so many kinds of food, and the western food which we ate was delicious (although a bit tough).

Well, I knew Nicole thru her mom before she came to Curtin, who called me to say that Nicole would be coming over to syudy at Curtin, and she hoped that Nicole would join CSS. Well, eventually, Nicole did join us at CSS :D, and in the end found her 'love', Jerome (or is it the other way round? haha!). Nicole is a nice girl and her presence in CSS deffinitely made a difference :) Too bad you have to go back to KL la Nicole....we surely miss you :'( I must appologise that i did not do any farewell for you.

Anyway, take care and may God bless you Nicole! Wishing you all the best with your future undertakings. Oh ya! Hope to see you baptised soon too :D

Farewell for Edmund

"Edmund! When are you leaving? What are you going to do next? Where are you going too?" Somehow i never get a complete answer to those set of questions. Biasalah - Edmund is MYSTERIOUS :P. And he'll be leaving Miri on 23rd June 2006. Anyway, met him thru Curtin and CSS. He's been an active member and since he's leaving, decided to bring him for dinner. So we (a group of us) went to Michael BBQ Steamboat.

RM20 perhead, we could cook (whatever they offered) how much we wanted :) It was fun la, i mean to cook your own food and eat them :) I din know they also offered free ice-cream-in-a-cup after the meal :)

Anyway, farewell Edmund! Hopefully you 'kanyang' last night. It has been nice knowing you. Thank you for eveything. Ampun maaf for anything. We're definitely going to miss you. All the best in life :D and God bless +

*sedihnya rupa....

Something happened in G2.104 on Fri 19/5/06

Call it a mini-Pentecost.

It was our usual bible study evening and there were about 15 of us gathered, and the topic for that day was "Praise & Worship" (i gave that talk a week ago in the adult LSS too, so was thinking to share it with my CSS friends).

Actually, for quite sometime, i've been praying for a right timing for us CSS to experience the love of God in a special way. i mean, to experince the power of the Holy Spirit. Initially, i wanted to give the "Praise & worship" talk 2 weeks ago, but somehow that night, i forgot to bring the materials for the bible study. Furthermore, there was an exam going on in the other room. So i really thank God for His timing. So on Friday the 19th, i decided that i must give the talk on that night - but i was very doubtful and also fearful of what to do - talking about praise and doing the practical wasn't a problem, but what about coming to the part of 'the gift of tongues'? So around 630pm, i went to pray in Mater Dei and decided to keep a fast, and i told the Lord to lead me tonight, because i don't know what to do, and also so that we can all experince His love in a special way.

By 715pm, we arrived at campus - the door to the room was lock (just like a hurdle). Had to call the guard to unlock the door. Once inside we satrted to sing a song by Don Moen "I will sing". After that, we learnt about praising God aloud, and followed by the practical. Wow! What a difference in the loudness of our praise! I really thank God for that. There seemed to be some power present among us. Next, we learnt about 'speaking in tongues'. Though it is a gift from God, St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:5 wanted everyone to speak in tongues. So we were reminded that we should be open to this gift - and it doesn't matter if we receive it or not. So came the time we prayed for the infilling of the Holy Spirit - we sang "Come Holy Spirit I Need You". Then those who have already received the gift of tongues began to sing in tongues...and gradually, our tone became louder - something which i did not expect. Almost everyone began to sing in tongues. A John started to pray for the infilling and outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and we contiued to sing in tongues - wow! What a miracle! Then i was prompted to lay hands on each one present - then some began to cry, in fact some were already crying even before i laid hands on them, and one of our friends rested in the Spirit, one felt numb all over the body, as we all continued to sing in tongues.

i just did not expect such an event, but i believe God answered my prayer so that we could experience His love in a special way, and that we are empowered to continually do His will. Nevertheless, i think Mr S.A.Tan isn't very happy with what happened on that night. So i take this opportunity to warn you that funny things might happen and come your way, but remember, prayer is our weapon. Thus "Lord Jesus Christ, i call upon You most Precious Blood to come and deliver us, seal us, protect us and surround each one of us, our families and loved ones and also our belongings aganist any attack from the evil one. In Jesus' Name. Amen"

Well, i just hope and pray we continue to be strengthen by God, in spite of oppositions we face on this journey as a Christian, as a Catholic. And i also look forward to hear stories from our frineds who had an experince that night. May, through that experience, we never be the same Catholic/Christian again - but be renewed by the Holy Spirit's fire and love. All praise and Glory be to God forevermore! Alleluia! Thank You Father, Son and Spirit!

between 1May - 14May

I'm back....after not blogging for quite some time. Here's some update:

Mon, 1/5/06 - My sister Clare's birthday! Every year her birthday falls on a holiday. Cool huh? Our family went to celebrate it at Imperial Hotel Restaurant - our maiden visit there :) Food was great!

Thu, 4/5/06 - Submitted Maths 277 assignment 2.

Fri, 5/5/06 - Bible study. Totally forgot to bring the resources and materials i prepared for this session. So had to think of some other discussions. So we touched a bit about the existence of God and, and how it gives meaning to life. Without God, life is meaningless, or rather without a 'Cause-r' for this life, if life was just a result of some coincidence, or 'accident', or some 'ideal situations which all happen to happen', lfe really is UNMEANINGFUL! The idea of God changes all these! Now some minght say: "you say there is a God. Now what if there is no God?" My reply would be: "Why not ask 'what if there is a God'? If i choose to believe that there is no God, and when i die, there happen to be a God, isn't it a bit too late? And if there is no God, then i might as well commit suicide. There's nothing to be afraid of, i don't have to be responsible and accountable for all my actions after all. Who made the universe? Who design a leaf to be so 'complicated' as a factory? Is it by chance? In that case, i can also claim that pentium chip could have been created by chance = hard to believe eh?" =)

Well i think that night set us thinking... and appreciating our God! Our God who showed Himself to us, not someOne so far away. "Great Thou art, yet so near to us!"

Sat, 6/5/06 - EM 201 Midterm exam. Was a bit scared actually because i wasn't prepared enough for this exam. But after goign thru the paper, i found it easier than last semester's, and for the first time in my my degree, i could say "I MANAGED TO ANSWER EVERY SINGLE QUESTION". Whether or not the answer is correct, i'm not sure. Just waiting in anticipation for the results to come out. Hopefully ok la. Oh ya, at night, when over to Gen's place and discuss with her and Alisha the menu for CSS Easter gathering. Stayed there till 1am, cos it started to rain heavily.

Mon, 8/5/06 - Meet up with my old buddy Donny. Haven't seen him for ages. He's one guy who's so enthusiaistic about church. But when we met, we shared our concerns and worries, the trials and experience we went thru since the last time we met. It seems that we went thru a period of testing of faith.

Tue, 9/5/06 - This was a big day for me, in fact a day i have been waiting for. That night was my first time giving a talk for the adult LSS (Life in the Spirit Seminar). The talk was about "Praise & Worship". Thank God i manage to deliver the talk. Whether it was successful or not, i'm not sure. As long as i prayed and prepared for the whole thing, the rest i leave it to God. "Lord i really thank You for helping and guiding me. Amen"

Wed, 10/5/06 - Led praise and worship for the 2nd night LSS. Had a wonderful experience during the worship time. Rarely have that kind of experience of something warm coming down and taking lead - i believe it was the Holy Spirit.

Thu, 11/5/06 - Curtin Phase II earth-breaking ceremony. Had loads of pastry after that :P

Fri, 12/5/06 - CSS Video Show: Karol, the man who became Pope. It was a really touching film about the life of Karol Wojtyla who later became Pope John Paul II. It speaks about having hope even in times of great despair, about how love can conquer evil, about how speaking and remaining in the truth will eventually bring us true freedom, and about faith - how this gift from God can be nourished. In fact the first time i watched this film, i wept.

Sat, 13/5/06 - Helped uncle Andrew with the Baptism in the Holy Spirit service. After the service and dinner, was sharing session. Wow! Amazing how the power of God's Spirit can bring repentance & healing among people. I praise and thank God for the wonderful sharings - a friend being emotionally healed from the wound of her father's death almost 6 years ago, an uncle who shared how, after 11 years of hiding his shame and guilt of the sin of asking his wife to go for abortion, and the sin of the flesh, manage to confess it yesterday, and experience the love of God during the baptism of the HS service. This 2 particular sharings really touched me.

Sun, 14/5/06 - After Mass in the morning we had our CSS Easter lunch! Food was FABULOUS!!! Lasagne, quiche, spaghetti, kangkung rojak, black pepper beef, ice-cream, punch (okla, i know tak cukup rasa :P) ginger chicken, salad.... wow really had a very satisfying lunch! How i wish i had a photo of the food! It was a fun day i believe. All the gila2 character come out and we had the opportunity to fellowship with one another. BILLION 'THANK YOUS' TO GEN, JOE, ALISHA, who sponsored a big amount for the lunch, and put in their time. Gen, i don't know what to say, but THANK YOU again!

Easter Triduum 06

In my earlier post, i mentioned that i was really looking forward to the climax of holy week - Easter Triduum.

Holy Thursday

Registered for Easter Camp with some CSS members - was drizzling at that time. They organizing committee expected about 200-300 pax, but almost 400 turned up! Mass was cool! Fr John was celebrant and was concelebrated by Fr Andy - the 2 youthful Priest of our diocese. that night, couldn't really sleep (every time i go for a camp, i don't usually get to have a good sleep on the 1st night)

Good Friday

Had a long station of the cross - and the weather was very sunny! Imagined how must Jesus have felt that day when He had to carry His cross all the way to calvary. At 3pm, we had the Good Friday service. And at night, it was CSS turn to present a drama on the Passion of Christ. Really thank God it went well :) Praise the Lord!

Holy Saturday

Had 2 talks in the morn. What strike my heart that day was what Fr Andy told us, based on a movie (i shall paraphrase it) "often, our real fear is not our inadequities, but rather it is the power within us". Often we are afraid to serve Christ - we focus so much on our weakness. But in actual fact, we are afraid to make use of our talents and strong points to serve the Lord. I would say that i was challenge to go on serving the Lord in spite of my weakness, but to use all my strength to serve Him! In the afernoon, there were 3 workshops (Faith, Music, Media & Internet and True Love waits & chastity), and we had the choice to attend any two. I chose the first 2 since i have heard the 3rd before. I alaways love forums like this - we get to learn so much! Then we had telematch, but didn't really get the chance to participate *sigh*, but it was a good thing in a way, i din have to get myself dirty :P  We CSS had to leave after that - to prepare to go for Easter Vigil to witness the baptism of our friends.

Easter Vigil

Let me begin by saying that this particular Mass i attended was probably the longet i ever attended! IT LASTED 4 1/2 HOURS!!! But it was great (although many times along the way i almost feel asleep - and that is so embarassing considering i am one of the Godparents, Godpa to JB :P). Now, who was to get baptised? Our 2 heroes of that night - It was Moses Kim   and also Stephen Kok   - both are our friends from Curtin. I believe we all felt so happy that night to witness 2 friends being born again! It is my prayer and hope that the 2 will grow into strong followers of Christ!

Easter Sunday

Drove back to Easter Camp venue - it was already 6am by then. Imagine how tired we all felt. By 7:45am, there was Mass. Fr Andy reminded us that along the way of following Christ, there will be times we feel that we have lost the fire or zeal of wanting to follow Christ. But Despite that, we should constantly have the DESIRE to follow Jesus, the DISCIPLINE to do so and also take ACTION to nourish our faith. After Mass was photo session. Then followed with cleaning up...then home sweet home :P (i guess most of us now can appreciate our beds more :P)

Overall, it was a great camp - managed to share things with my friends, and we all got to work together, got to talk to another friend in dilemma and comfort another - all done for the glory of God! And may God continue to bless and guide our 2 Priests, as they study in Rome. May God sustain them in their priestly vocation too.

The Passion...

Had the screening of Mel Gibson's "The Passion..." (the 3 dots stand for "of The Christ") last night in Campus.

At first, was actually wondering if we should have showd it - i mean how many ppl would turn up? Would it be worth the effort/hassle? But i had the intention to show it for those who have never watched it and also to give a chance to non-Christians to view it.

And about 18 ppl turned up, about 1/2 were not Catholics, and 1/4 non-Christians. Priase The Lord!

Even though i forgot to bring the extension cord, i really thank God  for answering my prayer through Suresh, the lab technician who came along an watch the movie, and since he lived on campus, he lend us his extension cord. Thank God for Suresh - if it were not for him, we would not have audio for the movie.

And also thank God for John - we used his DVD disc to view the movie - so the movie was super clear :) we all could really see the scenes clearly.... so much so sobs could be heard... (i'm not sure who was crying, but i did, and i knew a few others did)

The verdict: it was worth the effort to bring and set up the equipments, and to get the show running :) To God be the Glory!

Fri & Sat happenings

Since Thursday, i wasn't feeling very well - felt dizzy, weak and feverish - i guess because the flu virus is in the air. And on Friday, i was feeling slightly better, although i still felt weak and a bit dizzy. So i decided to drive to campus. I was actually praying and hoping that i would feel better, because i knew that Friday and Saturday will be two long days for me, and Sunday in the evening, i would need to perform 2 duties in church.

Friday highlights:
1030-1145: EE401 Tutorial
1145: rushed down to town to pick Esther from school (had to endure a traffc jam at Senadin near the Sec and Pri school)
1215: Started to drizzle. Went to Boulevard to pack lunch - wanted to pack fish bugger from KFC, but it was full, so went to SugarBun instead.
1245: after getting caught in a jam at the Pujut corner and Pujut 3 GK roundabout, went to pick Clare.
1255: arrived home. Had lunch. Took my shower and did some stuffs.
1355: left home for campus. Was still drizzling. Fetch Joel from home.
1430-1530: Maths277 Tutorial
1530: Went to computer lab. Met David.
1600: Went to catechism class - Margaret was talking about Marriage when i went in. Obviously, it was a very interesting topic :P
1625: With JOhn to prepare staions of the cross
1650: Stations of the cross (last in Curtin for lent '06)
1730: Sent Lehrman home, and also Tai Kien's bike (Lehrman's suppose to ride it home), since it was drizzling. Got an sms from an unidentified number stating that can't come bible study cos grandma passed away. was trying to think hard who could the sender be? (tried to call, but no answer. But later at night discovered itwas Rachel Ik's grandma)
1800: Lepak and relax at Gary's - tengok pikachu :P was feeling very exhausted actually.
1815: Pick friends for bible study: Rachel Khoo, Lehrman, Elli and Edmund.
1830: Bible study - study about 'perseverance and focus' on journey as a discile of Jesus Christ.
2000: CSS Bible study gp wanted to go funfair, but instead went to Bintang to play bowling, while some played archery. i played bowling.
21++: Got msg that Elli's uncle passed away, while we were still playing at Parkson. hmmm..... was just wondering how come suddenly got 2 'obituary' msgs. May the soul of the faithful departed RIP. Amen
21++: Got another SMS - from JB. "Adrian, i'm geting baptised. Haven't found godfather yet Can become my godfather? Tomorrow got program at 7am". Was really thinking hard whether to decide to accept or not..... but after thinking and praying about it, decided to accept. So got a 2nd Godson now. (about a year ago, i brought JB to the Thursday catechism class at Piasau. At first he was saying "why so long to study catechism?" But on Saturday he told me "Wa! So fast 1 year passed!" :>) It is my prayer and hope that JB will be a faithful follower of Christ. Now since i was going to fetch Kim tomorrow for the same event with JB, and i am suppose to stand in for Kim's Godpa, so might as well go too.
2330: Stopped playing. Just felt that we had really a lot of fun (i don't know how the rest felt, but i sure felt great, except for the sorrow i feel for Elli and Rachel who just lost a dear relative).
2345: Go yamca - talk and joke - and donno la..... all crazy stuffs, esp talking with Melissa, Jackson & the rest :P Wa!!! Ambrose belanja!
0015: Go home.....send some friends (oh ya. Aldon so syiok about his achievement of hitting bulleye at archery :P haha!!!)
0100: Arrive home. Prepared for Saturday's thinggs and went to sleep (btu didn't have a good sleep though)

Saturday highlights:
i knew today would be a long day, and a challenging one too. Anyway, i was really looking forward to all the activities today.
Set alarm at 6am, but woke up by 520am, decided to try to sleep for another 40 minutes. Finally, woke up at 6am. Cuci2 pagi.
0635: Fetch Kim to go to Mater Dei for Rite of Election for Baptism.
0650: Arrived Mater Dei. Sat in church. Now began to worry, cos did not see JB. Contacted him and he said he was on his way.
0715: Finally Mass started. Just then JB came :) (phew! what a relief!). This Mass was extra special cos it included the rite of election of catechumens and also after the homily, the caechumens were dismissed to break the word of God among themslevs in the hall.
0815: Mass ended. Had breakfast and fellowship in CMD's hall. Ate kolok mee and delicious sandwich made by aunty Pauline Wan (i guess it was tuna with tomato and cheese, with some kind of cream)!
0900: Send Kim home, then went to fetch friends for 'Passion Play' - Sharon, Melissa, Jonathan, Joel (1st trip) then Melvin, Elisha & Max (2nd trip). By the time i got there, not everyone was there yet...hmmm.... Btw, the director (John) was still finishing more lines at home :)
1000: Anyway, by now, most of us were there. But we still waited for some actors/actresses and also for the photostate copy of the script from Bonus.
1100: Began practice...............
1300: Go Boulevard eat (Master Duck) - i think the shopkeeper got a shocked that so many of us came :D
1400: Go St. Joe Sec school. Before that, dropped by uncle Charles hse to borrow LCD projector.
1445: arrive St. Joe
1330: Start practice again........ fuyoh a long one
1815: Ended practice. Thank God everything went well, although not perfect yet, i believe we all tried our best (in spite of the laughter, comments and crazyness we shared!)
1845: Go town eat dinner
2030: Send friends home
2100: Arrive home. Talked to mom and dad........then ate some stuffs, then cuci2. Now blogging (2310).

I just hope i don't get a sore throat (my throat feels a bit funny now), cos tomorrow have to sing responsorial psalm and also do reading for the "crowd" par for Palm Sunday.

I thank God for the past 2 days - i really enjoyed it, and also met many new experiences :D
And BIG BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO HELPED WITH THE DRAMA, for using your talents and gifts and sacrificing your time! Let's pray and hope for success - to bring the msg of Christ's love. Amen +

Already 6th week of the sem!

This is already the 6th week of the semester - another 6 more weeks left. Had a mid-term test on Tuesday nite, and was surprised that the 2 questions were similar to the mock test :) However, did some really silly mistakes - ah well, just pray and hope for the best!

Actually looking forward to next week - Holy Week 2006. Will be joining the Easter Rally '06 with some of my friends from CSS. Furthermore, we will be staging the 'Passion of Christ' play on Godd Friday evening. Hope all goes well, and that we can deliver the message of Christ's redemtive suffering and death.

Another event i am looking forward is my friend Kim's baptism on Easter Vigil at Mater Dei :) He has chosen the name 'Moses'. May he be a strong and faithful Christian :)

CSS

CSS stands for - nope, in this case it's not 'cascading style sheet'. CSS stands for Catholic Students Society. We have a CSS in Curtin University over here in Miri. So far, since the orientation at the beginning of the semester, we have had quite a few activities:

1) Stations of the cross in campus grounds on every Friday in Lent

2) We had confession service, an opening semester Mass and a welcoming dinner on the 2nd Sunday of Lent at the lecture theatre foyer

3) Bible Study on Friday nights at G2.104 (7:30pm-9:30pm)

4) Catechism Class on Friday noons at G2.105 (3pm-4pm), and one of our friends will be baptized this coming Easter.

5) Church cleaning - we helped with the major general cleaning of Mater Dei Church in Lutong for 2 consecutive Saturdays.

6) Preparing for the Passion Play for the Easter '06 Rally (Saturday noons 2pm-4pm at chemical engineering open area)

7) We have been collecting monetary pledge from the Catholic staffs of the campus

Phew..... with John as VP, Valerian as secretary, Lina as treasurer, Jonathan, Jovita & Lehrman as committee members and myself as president and the support from all our comitted member friends and also aunty Margaret, i thank God we are still moving on. To you all, i really don't know how to thank you. Only God can bless you enough :)

i hope and pray we continue to grow and bear fruits to the glory of God!