Musical Night

Piasau Baptist Church Musical Night. First of its kind I think. Our music leader, Uncle Franco, has been wanting to have one. So last Monday, 30th April, 2007, we had one.

Initially, there were quite a lot of people who were interested to join. Then after a week, it trickled down to about 20 performances. Sound a lot? Not really. Most of the "performances" were from the kids. Piano recitals which lasted about 1 minute and 1 second each. *sigh* For some reason, I found it disappointing.

One of the most interesting performances was the first one. "Praise Exercise" they called it. It was really cute. (See below).



There were a few other performances, and it turned out that I was the only one who sang. *ergh* I wouldn't say it was embarassing, because I felt good about it, but rather, because no one else dared to take that risk. Anyway, I performed the song "Space in Between Us" with Ed as my guitarist. I was off-pitch at each start of the verse. *sighs again* The only positive was that I'm in tune and in key during later parts of verses and chorus. Here's Ed and I.






I had another performance, a funky instrumental with Leon and Teff. Being a silly forgetful dude like me, I forgot to ask Sam to take pics. *sighs again* Here's us though.



The most disappointing thing however, was the BS I got about having no winner. Apparently, no winners could be chosen because everyone's talent is unique. My BS radar almost exploded. I'm not saying I was going to win; I probably won't. The thing is, it's a lame excuse for not being able to find a good "Grand Prize". Why? Because the participants ranged from age 4 to 64. Darn. Everyone got carabiners, and mine's in a gay-blue color. =/

Conclusion? I was disappointed with Musical Night. Turnout wasn't great, not even 40 came to just watch. Performances were not as jaw-dropping as I expected, and most were half-a**ed. No better word than half-a**ed. =) The thing that irked me the most was that it's MUSICAL NIGHT, but no, since the theme was floral, you weren't going to get compliments or nice prizes if you didn't wear flowery clothes! *ergh* There was almost no point practicing and performing!

Disappointing.

Jason~

51 Points From The Arc

It was a Sunday. As usual, the game's at the Boat Club. Wind feels good. Wrist feels supple. Elbow's tight. Shoulder's ready. Game is on. I didn't know I was about to break my previous record of 14.

Game was at 4.30pm as usual. Usual gang, usual ball. In the past couple of weeks, I've been shooting a lot more jump shots, to boost my scoring mostly. I'm an assist guy; I love being the ball crew's resident playmaker. I also like to shoot three-pointers, and when I start, I usually can't stop. *smiles*

First 2 were the opening shots of the day. Andrew commented that he felt I was losing my touch. I told him yeah, I feel like I haven't been shooting enough. That's when I got in 3 more back to back. Felt good to have 5 for the day. First game's going on, and I was (unfortunately for the opposing team) left wide open on the 3-point line. I sank in another 4 before I was properly guarded. That's 9.

The next batch was awesome. The big boys of the court started coming. Jerome, the offensive rebound dude; KS, another 3-point specialist; and Serious Sam, yet another 3-point and jump shot specialist. I was going to be given a run for my money.
Game 2 set, and I got in another 3 out of my first 5 attempts. That's a nice 12. Fastbreak in the middle of the game and since I couldn't lay up to save my life, I stopped at the arc and took a swish. Swoosh. Lucky number 13. Alan said that since 13's unlucky, I probably wouldn't get another one. Then came numbers 14 and 15, and I already broke my previous personal best.

Numbers 16 and 17 were truly special. Game's ending, and we're behind, 32-38. For a game until 40 points, it was game point for them. *sighs* I got in a nice under-pressure shot that hit the inside of the ring and went in. 35-38. Then, the big one. The shot that tied the game and brought us back from the dead. 38-38. I tried to go for glory, but I missed, and Alan got the rebound. He scored and we won. *smiles again*

29042007. Best basketball day for me, ever.

Jason~

I'm a Red Devil!

The Red Devils. Manchester United, the greatest club in Premiership history. It’s not even “arguably” the best; they are simply the best. I have been supporting them since the 2002/2003 Season, when they won the Premiership for the 8th time in 11 years at that time.
Many people who support clubs do not actually remember how they came to support the club they do, but I remember it quite well. I was watching a match between Man United and another team, I’m not sure whether it was Arsenal or Aston Villa, but I remember seeing two players. Club captain Roy Keane, running box to box to box, looking like he owns the pitch, and Ruud van Nistelrooy, that Flying Dutchman who looked like he could score as long as a pass was given to him. From the way they moved, the way they ran at the defenders, I was hooked to football, and my love affair with United started.

I supported them season after season after that. Even as we beat Arsenal home and away, Arsenal would go on to win the next season undefeated. In the 2004/2005 season, we made sure we ended their winning streak by killing them off at Old Trafford. However, the money machine that is Chelsea would go on to spend over £200 million that season and would also win the Premiership, back to back in the ‘04/’05 and ‘05/’06 Season. It was heartbreak, but we did not have the money to waste like the Russian billionaire owner of Chelski.

This season is different. We have the PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year in Cristiano Ronaldo. We have 8 of the 11 players in the PFA XI in Edwin van der Sar (GK), Gary Neville (RB), Nemanja Vidic (CB), Rio Ferdinand (CB), Patrice Evra (LB), Ryan Giggs (LW), Paul Scholes (CM), and Cristiano Ronaldo (RW). We have the best young team in England, and arguably the best young team in the world. We have the best goal difference in the Premier League. We are competing for the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and the FA Cup. Every outfield player except Gary Neville has scored for the club. We have the best defensive record at home. We have the best attacking record home and away. We have the most attendance at home games. We have the best club stadium in England. This season is ours. 5 games left and 3 points ahead of the Blue Baboons, we’re nearly there.

So why do I support Man United? I love the way they play. I love the way they pass. I love the way they score. I love the passion of the fans and supporters. I love their history. I love the fact that they are winners. I love the fact that they rise one more time than they fall. I love the fact that almost every other club hates them. I love our big Theatre of Dreams. I love songs ringing around the stadium.

I am a Manchester United supporter. I am a Red Devil.
Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.

Jay~

Best Before?

Have you ever noticed when you buy perishable stuff like food that there's a "Best Before" date? What's that supposed to mean? Isn't that the expiry date..? Why is it called "Best Before"?

Best is the superlative form of the word good, so if its not best, then ideally it should be good right? So after the "best before" date, it should therefore be "good" or "okay", but in fact, what we get is an expired, spoiled product. This has got to be one prime examples of wrong labelling. If it's unusable after a certain date, don't call that date "best before", and call it by its rightful name which is "Expiration Date" or "Use Before". I think those are a lot more politically correct rather than the greatly flawed "Best Before".



Jay~

My Kicks II

Nike Pace Vapor II
January 2006
I have always been a huge football fan, being a hardcore Manchester United supporter. So when I had to get myself proper footwear for futsal, I went with Nike. They felt better, looked better, and cleaned easier. This pair’s been responsible for some really cool goals I’ve scored and some real nifty defending when I needed to (I play right back). Just wished the ankle support wasn’t so stiff.



Converse All-Star Low
March 2006
You’ve got to have a Con. Come on, it’s old school, and it’s darn cool. Of course there are rules to having a Converse. First, you have to have a pair that looks like a Converse. Second, it must not look like the fake ones (read: Northstar, Eurostar). Third, it’s got to feel like a Con. Nothing else to say, you should know how it is. *grins*



Nike 1972 Cortez Classic
September 2006
As my President aged, I needed another all-white pair. An all-white pair looks great with almost everything, especially jeans (my favorite sort of pants), so I must have a pair. Since I’ve already had an AF, I decided to go for a Cortez. Sleek, smooth, and cool, it’s amazingly comfortable to walk around in. It doesn’t look good with baggy trousers though because of its narrow profile.



Adidas Superstar Anniversary Edition
January 2007
Everyone’s got to have a crazy colored pair of kicks. This was inspired by a special friend of mine who had a green Cortez with red swoosh. I thought it looked absolutely appalling, but now, I think it’s fun to have a pair of quirky looking shoes. It’s pretty fun to walk in as well.





Nike Shox Bounce
Purchased: February 2007
I wasn’t happy with the T-Mac I was using during ball games, because my ankle would roll when I land. The answer was a Nike Shox. I love the absorbers underneath the ankle. I haven’t had a sprained ankle so far. It looked good, felt good, and helped me raise my game. As with any sport, the athlete is 90% and his gear is 10%. When you have a full 10% from your gear, you obviously have an edge. *smiles*

Not shown:
Adidas Superstar II, Adidas T-Mac. Never really liked these two.

Jay~

My Kicks I

Adidas New Lawsuit II
March 2003
The very first pair of shoes I bought with my own money. I have just started helping out in my mum’s tuition, and when I got my “salary”, I really wanted to get a pair of shoes. This is by far my toughest pair of kicks. They are skate shoes, and they’re pretty rugged. This particular pair’s nickname’s The Lawyer. I’ve used them on several break-dance performances.



Adidas Bianary
May 2003
I couldn’t wait for another pair after having The Lawyer. Having seen and felt first-hand the rugged comfort of good skate shoes, I simply must have another. Thankfully, I had enough cash to go to the shoe shop and get myself The Gray. *smiles* This pair is one of my least worn ones, as its material is pretty easy to crack… *sigh*



Nike 1982 Air Force One
December 2003
Quite a long gap this time! I tore my spinal nerve around August, so I couldn’t dance as much. The Lawyer has served me well in my dancing, but it just did not have that b-boy look. At that time, all b-boys simply must have their “Urr-Fawses” before even thinking of blasting the floor with windmills. The story of this pair’s a special one to me. I won it in a b-boy one-on-one battle two weeks after PMR, so it has a special place in my heart. This is The President. *grins*


Adidas Climacool Noad
March 2004
The most expensive pair I’ve bought at that time. I needed a good pair of running shoes, and I was a bit of an Adidas freak then. When I was 16, I was a pretty active bloke, and being a prefect helped. *smiles* So I actually jogged, and used this pair. After a while though, I stopped running because of my weak right knee. Where’s Noah now? I’ve sold this pair to Eddie.




DC Ryrdek
June 2004
I specifically bought this cool pair of kicks for Mufti Day 2004. I needed shoes that would go well with a red shirt, bunched up jeans, and bling, and this was it. Big, bulky, full of attitude, it was me, especially back in 2004. I was the rebel has-been b-boy slash wannabe rocker. The best thing about this pair? It’s autographed!! I wore it on Free2Be 3 and got DDM and DG of Altered Frequency to sign on it! Talk about increased value there! I never bothered to name this pair.



Nike Baseline
January 2005
I needed a versatile athletic pair of shoes, and Noah wasn’t up to it, unfortunately. When I saw this one’s cool silver finish, I knew this was it. I’ve brought it for camps and stuff along with The Lawyer, and it has never once let me down during activities. This pair also became my all-purpose athletic shoes, and I used them when I first started playing basketball. This year would prove to be the drought of my shoe rack.


Jay~

Pushing Too Hard

Oh man. It's Tuesday, and my body feels terrible. My past week's exercise was a tad bit too over-eager, and it sure is making my body feel it.

It went something like this:
Thursday: Basketball + Weight Training (Upper Body)
Friday: Basketball + Weight Training (Lower Body + "Human Torch" Superset)
Saturday: Basketball
Sunday: Basketball + Tennis
Monday: Basketball + Weight Training ("Human Torch" Superset).

I knew I had to give it a rest when on Monday, during my "Human Torch" Superset, I couldn't finish my second circuit. My body was taxed, and what did I do? I went for basketball. Yeah, it's stupid. It showed; I could barely run back to defend, and that's what I usually do. Sigh...

The punishment:
Hurting back, hurting butt, painful knees, right knee hurts to bend, hurting calves, strained delts, strained right triceps, hurting wrists, hurting chest, hurting thighs, both forearms feel weak, hurting feet, hurting neck, and a headache.

Moral of the story:
Over-training is real. I thought it won't happen to me and now, I ruined the rest of the week's workout as I am now out of action. :(

Jay~

Youth Sunday

15th of April, 2007. One of the biggest and most important day of my life as a Christian for 5 years. I presided!!

I understand it's a HUGE responsibility. I have to make sure everything runs smoothly and there are no kinks in the program. Not only that, I was worship leader too (not singing though, just on the bass). It was nerve-wracking, but prayer helps a lot.

The Youth Sunday of Piasau Baptist Church was a first-time event. The whole service is to be conducted by the youth! Pr. Lim already thought of this since January, and he wanted one in March. Unfortunately, due to lack of preparation (partly my fault, I must admit), it was postponed to the 15th of April. It gave me a lot more time to think about what to do then.

First things first. The Youth Worship Team. I believe in selecting the best I possibly could. So I chose Lesty, Chelle, Ben, and Jass as the singers. I did not regret these choices at all! Ahaha.. As for my musicians, Leon on the drums, Sam on the 1st guitar, Eddie on the 2nd, and myself on the bass. It was a good selection, since as far as guitarists go, we don't have that many anyway.
Second: Songs. I decided to go with "One Way", "King of Majesty", "Consuming Fire", "Lord I Lift Your Name On High", "You Are My World", "Heart of Worship", and "Here I Am To Worship". It turned out to be quite alright, though we had a few transition problems on the day itself.
Third, it was an Open Sharing Sunday. This basically meant that for the duration of the customary sermon, anyone can come up and share. It was a fantastic turnout; 4 youths, 3 men, and 3 women, totalling 10 people sharing. Awesome. :)

Unfortunately, and I must mention it here, I do not have pictures to show for it. :(
Ask Nikki. *pokes Nikki* Guilty yet? :P

All in all, it was an awesome Sunday, for the youth and myself. I do hope it was too, for the congregation. We proved that we are capable of running one whole Sunday by ourselves, albeit with help from up above. :) And lots and lots of prayer of course. :) It was a fantastic experience for me, and the only way it happened was because our Youth are united as one, and we make one heck of a team.

Piasau Baptist Church Youth = 1337 Pwnage!!

Jay~

To-Don't List After a Break Up

1. Blog it.
You are a dude. You broke up. You tell your closest mates, not the whole continent. Maybe you're just looking for sympathy.

2. Put a sad name on your MSN.
Ditto above. You sympathy seeker, you.

3. Bad mouth your ex.
Memories were made. Some good, so think of the good. You wouldn't want her to do the same to you right? Right.

4. "I never loved you anyway."
You jerk.

5.Take all the fault yourself.
You're tough, we know. It wasn't ALL your fault, so take it easy.

6. Put all the blame on her.
Dude, suck it up. It's partly your fault too.

7. Forget being courteous.
Example: You broke up with her a day before her birthday. You didn't greet her. Not even a week later? It's either you have a replacement already or you're a jerk.

8. Send her mushy notes/letters to her parents.
You psycho.

9. Hit her.
She could (and probably will) call the police. The law's on her side, buddy. Violence never solves anything.

10. Hold knives, guns, or small pets while feeling low.
Come on. No reason to hurt anyone. Least of all your sister's hamster. Go for a run; it's a much better way to cool off.

Jay~

When You Go "Crap!"

I'm a guy. (You're thinking, yeah that's a little obvious, Jason) So, okay, being a guy, I've tried to find ways to "fix" stuff when they're broke (or just not quite right). Here are some of my fixes when things are not exactly all sunshine and flowers. Don't you dare "duh" me. :P

Oh-Crap Moment
You’re all dressed up for a party/club/date when it hits you: you don’t look buff. All those hours working out, and it does not look like your arms are any bigger. In fact, your eyes must be playing a trick on you, because you look flabby.

My Fix
Drop down. Get on the floor and do 10-20 push-ups. The surge of blood to your arms will make you look slightly more buff. It won’t give you 13 inch biceps, but it’s good enough.
Plus, its unlikely to make you break out in sweat so your crisp white shirt should be fine, and no sweat-drops on your brow either. Effects won’t last long though.



Oh-Crap Moment
Phone’s dying. You (absolutely) need it. At the same time, your crush’s texting you.

My Fix
Go basic. Silent-mode everything. No music, no ring tone, no message alerts, no alarm clock, and for Pete’s sake, you don’t need that fake shutter sound of your camera. Switch off vibrate while you’re at it. Clear your wallpaper and screensavers. If possible, switch to a theme which has the least colors (or plain white or black), and then disable wallpaper. Set brightness at the lowest visible setting as possible. This can actually make your battery recharge a bit. Batteries are pessimistic things; they show lower values than real ones. This fix should give you about 15-30 minutes more batt life; an hour if you don’t talk.



Oh-Crap Moment
In a fit of macho-ness during a barbecue, you accidentally slice off a piece (maybe not a piece, but still, it's a slice) of your finger. A real CSI moment occurs, with you spraying blood, your dudes laughing at you, and the chicks grossed out (yet strangely, they look on in wonder).

My Fix
Glue it. I know its gross, but I cut halfway through my left thumb while trying to show how a slab of bloody cow should be cut, and I figured that since superglue dries transparent, the doc should be able to see through the glue. It worked! I still have my thumb (and the cool scar that comes with it, free of charge) so there you go. It stops bleeding too, unfortunately, so you can’t really show off a bloody and somewhat not-so-mangled hand.

Jay~

Stuff From Blogthings

I was checking out Nikki's blog when I saw these. Gosh.. *grins*

You Are 85% Sexy

Your Sex Appeal Is: Off the Charts! Let's face it... you're one of the sexiest people around. And you don't let anyone forget it.You're crazy hot, and you deliver on what you promise. You are definitely one wild ride.

How'>http://www.blogthings.com/howmuchsexappealdoyouhavequiz/">How Much Sex Appeal Do You Have?

Ah okay, 85% only?? Ahaha... This is funny.

You Are Cyclops

Dedicated and responsible, you will always remain loyal to your cause.You are a commanding leader - after all, you can kill someone just by looking at them. Power: force beams from your eyes

Which'>http://www.blogthings.com/whichofthexmenareyouquiz/">Which of the X-Men Are You?

I personally like Nightcrawler. Oh well..

Your Inner European is French!

Smart and sophisticated.You have the best of everything - at least, *you* think so.

Who's" Your Inner European?

Well that sucks. I have Spanish blood. *sigh*

Your Famous Last Words Will Be:

"What we know is not much. What we don't know is enormous."

What'>http://www.blogthings.com/whatwillyourfamouslastwordsbequiz/">What Will Your Famous Last Words Be?

This is almost true. :)

You Are 52% Brutally Honest

Honesty is important to you, but generally, you try not to be brutal about it.You'll sugar coat the truth when you need to... and tell a white lie when necessary.

How'>http://www.blogthings.com/howbrutallyhonestareyouquiz/">How Brutally Honest Are You?

I actually would like to think I'm more brutal than that.

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence

You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well.An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly.You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view.A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary. You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.

I already am a teacher and a writer. So it holds itself up pretty well.

More to come.
Sorry about the broken links. I don't know what's wrong.

Jay~

iPod Oblivion

Heard of this law? It was passed in February, 2007 in the US of A.
It states that "all pedestrians crossing a road in metropolitan areas while distracted by an electronic device are to be fined USD100.00 when caught."

There’s a very basic reason for this. How the hell are you gonna hear that loud blaring horn of the incoming Hilux if your iPod/W850 is blaring out “You’re Beautiful” right into your eardrums? It’s one heck of a law, and it sure discourages users to be “distracted” while crossing the road. I say this law should be applied here too. I am also guilty of being “electronically distracted”. First of all, I cannot leave my house without bringing my trusty Walkman phone with me. I am a text messaging freak, sending out up to 6k messages a month (don’t look at me; I know you do it too). So when I walk around, and this includes crossing roads, I’m most probably a) texting b) texting c) listening to Three Days Grace.
I just cant help it, but if I know I’m gonna be fined a hefty sum for that, I’d probably stop. Secondly, you know there are a lot of people (maybe even you) who have escaped near misses from those errant modified-Wira drivers who won't even honk to ask you to get the hell out of the way.

Your best bet? Remember the primary school traffic games rule: look right, look left, and look right again.

Jay~