Editor’s Note

It’s Sunday! Just came back from an awesome day out. I had a wonderful time in service today. Darlene Zschech and some members from the Hillsong worship team came to my church to lead worship today, and we had an awesome extended worship session as we took time to connect and praise Daddy God for He is good.

But I didn’t exactly start the day on the right note. Sunday is the only day in which I actually wake up before 12pm (lol!) With rather messy hair and missing my bed, I was rather grumpy as I went to church. However, after service, my mood took a 180 degree change. I always feel this rush of energy and joy, when God is amongst us! After that, I had tea with an ex-colleague and she updated me about all the new stuff going on in Channel NewsAsia. In this issue of PAL weekly, I share my work experience during the holidays and Daddy God’s faithfulness in my testimony. (Daddy God doesn’t Forget what you Asked for even when you’ve Forgotten about it!).

Today has really been awesome, minus the blazing hot sun that was shining on me, but praise the Lord for that too. (The Future’s so Bright, we Need to Wear Shades! And Put on Sunscreen!) Being all cheery and hyper, Daddy God reminded me about this newsletter that I suggested during PALM (Prayer Accessible Linguist Meeting) last week. Yep, I was really excited when I suggested this, but you have to understand that it is just me to be really excited about something and forget about it a few days later. And Daddy God who knows me so well (He knows every hair on my head) started nudging me about this plan He placed in my heart. So say hello to PAL Weekly!

Peace out!

Feature –We’re Back!



After a three-month plus hiatus, our el prayer group/point/cell is back! And guess what! We no longer need to fuss over what to call it. No more “erm… I’m going for this el prayer thing… urm…”, we’re now called Prayer Accessible Linguists :D Awesome stuff! Even better, we’ve a new member, say hello to Steffi! Let’s pray that she’ll continue to outreach to our junior batch. As we met up for the first time this semester, Daddy God helped up with some housekeeping matters by guiding us with plans and visions for the group. Continue to read this newsletter as we update you on the happenings in PAL.

Name above all Names

At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. (Philippians 2:10) Have you considered the etymology of Jesus? As linguists, let’s explore this.

Modern English “Jesus” (pronounced /ˈdʒiːzəs/) derives from Early Middle English Iesu, attested from the 12th century. The name participated in the Great Vowel Shift in late Middle English (15th century). The letter J was first distinguished from "I" by the Frenchman Pierre Ramus in the 16th, but did not become common in Modern English until the 17th century, so that early 17th century works such as the first edition of the King James Version of the Bible (1611) continued to print the name with an "I." (source: wiki) Oooh…

The Future’s so Bright, we Need to Wear Shades! And Put on Sunscreen!



The picture above just shows a small part of what we and Daddy God have in store for PAL! After a short time of prayer, we came together to discuss the plans for PAL this semester. We threw out ideas prompted by the Spirit. For me, the Spirit prompted me about giving thanks! A few days ago, I had a dream of thanksgiving, which I don’t really celebrate. And I feel Daddy God speaking to me about the importance of giving thanks in prayers, not just asking Him for help. After all, prayer is all about talking to God which includes thanking Him for all He’s done and sharing our troubles with Him. So a thanksgiving party is something we can look forward to. For Jasmine, Daddy God spoke to her about the importance of focusing on intercession for both believers and pre-believers. Also, we aim to engage in praying for spiritual protection and evangelism for our Elang friends. We also hope to extend the invitation of PAL to all the Elang majors. For this to happen, Daddy God gave Daphne and Steffi the ideas of a 3W + 1W plan. Uh… what’s that? Basically, it’s a monthly framework for our fellowship. As we will have PALM on a weekly basis, we’ll have four PALMs every month. For the first three PALMs in the month, we will come together in fellowship and for the last PALM, we will focus on evangelism through activities such as having a meal with pre-believers for them to come to know Jesus through asking us about Him, picnics, movie screenings etc. An exciting semester of fellowship with Jesus awaits us!

Jukebox

A Beautiful Exchange



As I was killing time while waiting a friend who’s late (oh well!), I decided to window shop a bit in Raffles City. And there I was outside Precious Thots and this poster caught my attention. Win a FREE trip for 2 to Hillsong conference 2011! Okay, I admit it, as a kiasu Singaporean, it’s the capitalized FREE which captured my attention, so I immediately rushed into the shop to check out the offer.

At the CD section, I see Hillsong’s new CD, A Beautiful Exchange. As I’ve always enjoyed listening (and worshipping along) to Hillsong worship songs, I got a copy (let me know if you want to borrow it to copy songs!)

A Beautiful Exchange refers to the time when Jesus went to the cross for our sins and it consists of songs like Beautiful Exchange, The One Who Saves and Thank You. Unlike most Hillsong songs which tended towards a grandiose arrangement, the songs in this CD seem more soft and gentle and even more intimate. As I play these songs on my computer, I can’t help but feel His peace and tranquility filling my house. (:

Check out the music video for A Beautiful Exchange: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-bUZj1bkoE


Testimonies

Daddy God doesn’t Forget what you Asked for even when you’ve Forgotten about it!

Hello! I just wanna share this testimony with you guys. To cut the story short… being born in Hong Kong, I’ve always found myself fascinated with the TVB (a Hong Kong Satellite TV channel) news journalists/reporters and rooting for them to become news anchors. However, I wouldn’t really call this fascination a passion or a burning desire. After I got back my A level results, I started thinking about my future. The first thing that came to my mind was to go into the media industry/journalism. So as I was filling in those university application forms, I put on the top of my list for NTU – Mass Communication, and Biology as my second choice since it was the only science subject that I understood. However, my family didn’t really agree with my decision. My dad started urging me to put Biology as my first choice as he felt that journalism will be too tiring for me and that I would be earning little. My sis believed that I wouldn’t be able to do an arts subject since I’ve been a science student for all my life. Both of them kind of “forced” me into changing my application, and being the youngest daughter, I just did as they said, but I can’t help but feel so angry and bitter about it. I stopped talking to them and my dad, sensing that I was being odd, told me that I “can” put Mass Comm as my first choice if I really wanted to do so. But by then, it didn’t really matter, cause the deadline was over a few hours ago. At that moment, I felt as though my future is ruined and I cried out to Daddy God, “I really hate this >:(But if it’s Your will for me to be a scientist, then let me get my first choice., though I’ll hope that that’s not the case. If it’s Your plan for me to be a journalist, let me get my second choice.” So the results were out and I got into NTU Biology. Meanwhile, I got into NUS Arts too. But by then, I kindda forgot about this whole journalism thing as I was really impressed by the NTU Biology department, well… actually just the building since it was new and pretty., so I just accepted the NTU Biology offer. And about two weeks before the start of university, I suddenly felt this gentle whisper telling me that I probably won’t like doing experiments for the rest of your life, why not try out NUS Arts. And even though it’s really absurd and thick skin to actually go to request for NUS to give me back an offer that I rejected, I really believed that it was the Spirit speaking to me, so I decided to go ahead with that. And praise God, NUS actually gave me the offer back and welcomed me to join them. I would say that’s one of the best decisions I made in my life. I’ve never enjoyed learning anything as much as I did in Arts. I wanted to major in Psychology, and Sociology and Geography, but I always had this tiny interest in Linguistics, so I decided to try out the intro and maybe do a minor in it. As I continued to study about Linguistics, I figured I was really passionate, and rather good in this subject. It seems as though it just makes sense for me to major in it, and of course I did. Being in NUS Elang has given me the opportunity to learn about things that I’m really interested in and to make wonderful friends. But it was not until recently that Daddy God revealed to me why He has placed me in NUS Elang.

Recently, I did an internship at Channel NewsAsia. Yes, I did mention how I was really into journalism, but when I was applying for that internship, I applied for it purely because it was the only one that I could apply for! And because the internship was during my precious summer break, I really didn’t look forward to it at all. Despite my rather negative attitude towards it, I ended up loving it so much and missing the people I meet there so much too. I found it a really eye-opening experience as I got to meet people from different walks of life. I got to experience being in a newsroom which was stressful but fun! I got to meet an awesome fellow intern whom I immediately clicked with and I’m so glad that we still keep in touch. I meet this really sweet lady from my church, always good to have a fellow churchmate around. There were really funny colleagues who just make me laugh all the time. And there was this really friendly news anchor who has a huge passion for God! She gave us a book documenting her walk with God and I started reading it recently. She shared about God’s will and His divine timing for it to happen. And as I read her book, God reminded me of the “journalism incident” that happened 3 years ago. It finally seemed to make sense. He knew that I wanted to be a journalist and He didn’t forget about my desire and request. He also knew that I probably wouldn’t like travelling to the faraway NTU and that I would be so passionate about Linguistics. I began to see how He is in all of this. He opened the door for me to get the internship and experience what working in the newsroom is like. As I wasn’t that keen on getting the internship then, I didn’t bother preparing for the interview. Being a Linguistics major instead of a Communications major didn’t make getting the job any easier. But by His grace, the interviewer saw favour in me and I just said the right things at the right time (heh, I was quite impressed my performance during the interview). From this, I really got to understand that He will never forget your prayers and that even if they don’t get answered quickly, He has the best plans for you, according to His divine timing. I can’t help but feel this immense peace and joy in me as I finally understood His plans. After the experience I have in the newsroom, I have a better idea what it is like working in the media industry and I feel clearer as to what I want to do with my future. Also, I’m confident that it will all good as I’ve got His backing on this!

Prayer

Blessing Box


One of the plans that we’ve come up with (with the help of Daddy God) is that we’re going to have a prayer/blessing box! We plan to put it in the Elang honours room for those who are in need of a prayer. This is to encourage believers/pre-believers to cast our fears unto Him and for us to know that there’s always this support group for us to count on. Also, you can leave anonymous prayer requests if you more comfortable to do so. Just know that we’re never alone as Daddy God is always keen for us to talk to Him!

Verse (s) of the Week

Hebrews 10:23-25 (New International Version)

23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Write for Jesus (or Photoshop/Design for Jesus)

Interested in serving God? I’ve always wanted to do some kind of ministry work but I was never really active in church. Yes I do attend cell group and youth services but in terms of serving him, I’ve always struggle to feel involved. It was until recently that Daddy God started revealing to me other ways of serving Him. I don’t have to be in a worship team or be a prayer leader or even an usher. There is nothing inherently wrong with doing these, but it shouldn’t be a deliberate effort to make yourself feel like a good Christian and not something that the Spirit prompts you to do.

As I read a friend’s testimony of how she is thankful for the passion He places in her heart to write for Him, I suddenly felt this burning desire in me too. This may just be the way for me to serve Him. I always find myself enjoying sharing my experiences and moments with God with my friends. (I totally wrote a long essay for my cell group leader when she requested for a paragraph about my testimony!).

So, I just want to invite whoever that is reading this, if you too feel this prompting of the Spirit to write/design/photoshop for Jesus, just contact me, I’m sure you have a way to contact me cause I’m a Prayer ACCESSIBLE Linguist. It would also be nice if our newsletter could look aesthetically more pleasing too.

Announcements
Our next PALM is on the coming Friday (3rd Septmber 2010) at 2pm! As usual, it’ll be held at Crusade Corner in AS6 near LT14.
Please check out our Facebook group set up by Steffi, where you can get the latest updates on the happenings in PAL as well as announcements and last minute changes.

Feedbacks?
Don’t quite like the name PAL Weekly? Want more sections to be included in this newsletter. Is the newsletter to naggy? Don’t hesitate to feedback to anyone of us as we aim to make this newsletter a useful resource to help PAL and our pals in Elang. Constructive criticism is welcome! :D

shows that i've completed during the semester

the office uk all series ricky gervais ftw!
qaf us season 2, 3, 4 and 5, really a damn good show
project runway season 4 and 5
desperate housewives and house season 6

show that i aim to complete this break

the sopranos all seasons
finish life season 2
eli stone 2
finish south park all seasons
finish beavis and butthead (ALL SEASONS) [a problem though, not sure whether i can find it online]
celebrity duets season 1 (cause there is only one season)
yi tao xiao wan zi
finish scrubs season 2 onwards
finish the office us all seasons
project runway season 1 and 3
jiayou peace!

this is my new third home :D as5 02-03! in fact, i like it so much that i like it more than 02-02. and i'm really going to miss not having access to that room next semester, maybe i should take lexi.

i frequently see these people around the internet lab.
jasm
limin
daph
surong
connie
steph
xuanyu
dl1
emm
amelia
a lot of year 4s

and i seriously think only jasm, limin, daph and i have actual access to the lab.
i think if we get caught for smuggling people in, i'll be the first.

i'm still trying to procrastinate from biling summary. sigh biling sigh.

to my horror, while i'm doing my routine pique video viewing, i saw this.




WAS HE IN HONG KONG WITH MAN UTD IN THE RECENT YEARS?

omg, i missed it -_-

i think the revelation of god's grace has really changed my life a lot.

i haven't really had the habit of thanksgiving, which i should really start cultivating.

praise daddy god for his wisdom and favour this week.

1) many deadlines were pushed back, which really meant so much to me, since i'm really tired and not prepared for most of these projects. and there were just too many projects cramped together :D thank god for awesome and reasonable elang lecturers!

2) my daddy came back to singapore this week for my birthday, and i desperately wanted to spend some time with him, but i couldn't because of all these deadlines. and daddy god knows how daddy wants to spend some time with me just like He does, and i actually managed to squeeze out quite some time because of the postponed deadlines and meetings.

3) because he's with me, i will not fear! and that applies to wmatrix too. i actually managed to finish my internet take home quiz rather quickly :D despite procrastinating till the last day.

4) thank you daddy god for my marketing group mates. it could have been so bad, doing projects with people that you don't know. and it's just amazing that we barely know each other, and i feel so comfortable with them. laughing over the thirty year old guy for no reason. and getting the report and presentation done in time. thank you daddy god for his holy presence and strength, getting me through these two days especially. thank god that i had fun with them. in fact, i never felt so happy with friends that i know through cross fac. and it's really awfully sweet of them to buy me a (slice of) cake today to celebrate my birthday, when they really didn't had to.

5) for angeline, getting her industrial attachment.

6) for friends, and a good birthday party, where everything went as planned. i kindda had the post band concert feeling after it, tired, but happy.

7) for year 3 elang majors. their presence make me feel more excited about coming to school. for socioling group for being sweet like marketing group. makes meeting for project on your birthday a lot better. for making me feel less ridiculous coming to school for biling. can't wait for our outing.

8) for the twenty one years of my life. there was no certainty to whether i will be able to survive till this date, but because i have jesus in me, i shall live and be spared of all diseases and lack in health and any other part of my life!

i love this video! and the arrangement of himne del barca, it's rock with this different drums part compared to the former rock version.

just now, i met up with my socioling groupmates to discuss about some tutorial presentation, which is actually rather trivial, but somehow we managed to spend 4.5 hours discussing online, CMC, *shakes head*. it was still all right.

so as usual, i suggested using google docs which has beocme the most important software since the last semester. and as we were about to finish what we've got, i accidentally clicked something, and the table with all the important information DISAPPEARED, and that moment, i really just wanted to die. and i started having a mini nervous breakdown.

but guess what! PRAISE GOD, aidan saved the file :D like a few seconds, or milliseconds before i deleted the table. oh man, it's like what are the odds of us remembering to safe it once in a while, and we've gotten so dependent on technology that i really wouldn't bother. thank You for the holy spirit prompting aidan to save the file. it's not cause the tutorial presentation was such a big thing, but cause i spent 4.5 hours and really a lot of effort formulating the answers. and i thought it was really cute. cause my group actually had 4 of them, who did historical variation together. and it was so coincidental that all of them are christians, so they will pray before every meeting (okay, i really found it a bit weird at first), so before this meeting, they told me about this and i was like sure, lets say a prayer before this meeting.

i didn't really give much thought into this. but i'm really glad that we have the presence of the holy spirit for this meeting, even though it's not like a really big thing to me. like sometimes, i tend to just not talk to god about small things, cause i always think that i only ask god to help when i need it, other times, i can do without it, but that's certainly not true. our mighty god is a god of small things too. and we should invite the holy spirit into every moment of our lives, so that he will guide us even in things that we deemed as not so important. you never know when you need him around. may god be with me through all the big and small projects that are to come this semester :D



this song has been speaking a lot to me recently.

a warm hug and prayer for these fantastic injuried players yet to return for their clubs and countries!

ruud van nistelrooy
gaby milito
rafa marquez
danny agger
bojan krkic
cesc fabregas
van der sar
nasri
ronaldo (the brazil one, cronaldo means nothing to me)

xxoo (don't really know what that mean, but surong thinks it's a very cute thing to use it, so i'm using it!)

barcelona, the current european champions, have dominated the footballing world last season with their historical treble (champions league winner, la liga winner as well as copa del rey winner, a first in spanish football history) and crijuff-inspired attractive football. this surely reaffirms the competition la liga has for the english premier league in being europe's best league. in the coming monday, barcelona will play their first match of the season against sporting gijon, after an uninspiring win against sharktar donetsk for the uefa super cup. but before barcelona could prove their rey (king in spanish) status, tonight, arsenal will take on the three-time premier league champions, and they will certainly grasp this opportunity to prove that not only are they going to mount a challenge to the premier league title, but they will also fight to show that the english premier league is capable of producing a football team that can play a attractive brand of football, and also win silverware, like their spanish counterpart.

there is no denying in the fact that the way arsenal play, like barcelona, is captivating, tantalizing and well... just simply alluring. they also have one of the best managers in arsene wenger, and big name players like cesc fabregas and robin van persie. but, all these quick passing and one-touch football have not produced a single piece of silverware in the last couple of seasons. despite the capture of russia whiz andrey arsharvin and the maturing of players like kieran gibbs, aaron ramsey and jack wilshere, the loss of crucial players like emmanuel adebayor and kolo toure to manchester city has dampened the chances of arsenal to be league champions. some even doubt whether arsenal will make it to the top 4, with the likes of the aforementioned manchester team as well as everton, aston villa and tottenham hotspurs proving to be worthy champions league teams.

however, after the first two matches of the season, arsenal are already sending out a shout out to the footballing world that they are not to be forgotten. like the days when they just lost their inspirational captain and all-time highest scoring player theirry henry, ironically to barcelona, arsenal showed an enthusiasm and maturity in a young team that has shocked the footballing world. however, this team soon crumbled under high expectations and the lack of experience.

tonight, arsenal are given the first major task of the season, to play against manchester united at old trafford. without their midfield mastro and captain cesc fabregas, the young gunners will need to prove that they are not a one-man football team. before challenging the superb barcelona team to be europe's best, arsenal has to first prove to be the king of the english premier league. with the sale of star man cristano ronaldo to real madrid, the loss of edwin van der sar due to injury and the perpetual underachieving performances of players like darren fletcher and wes brown, the gunners captained by a rejuvenated robin van persie who had a injury-free season last year, will go all out to cement their position among the england and europe elites.

and pep's boys, while immersed in the grandiose orchestration of coldplay's viva la vida , will certainly take notice of this upcoming threat.

- Chiu Peace