This blog have been pretty quiet for some time... so here goes out the AKON "lonely" song to all you silent readers... :P
Anyway will be going for a company trip to Janda Baik for 2 days... supposed to be team "bonding"... as if we don't drive each other nuts everyday... would be an interesting trip... gonna stay in an isolated wooden 3 story bungalow...
Cheers all...
Monday, October 22, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
Custom Drumz in Malaysia...
In my previous post early this year I wrote about one of the bands that I have been a part of, anyway got some updates that Mark Ruffin is now a distributor for custom made drums by Billy Blast over this part of the world. Check out Billy Blast Website.
The only one's that I've tried out was the minikit and the Blaster Triggers. Left the band before he brought in the cocktail set... anyway I find the new designs that is incorporated in the drums are pretty cool. I especially would wanna checkout the "cocktail" set and the Blastech acoustic/electric drums (if they're bringing in...).
Anyway it's all happening in Melaka,
Date: 11th November 2007
Time: 3PM onwards
PLace: My Rock and Roll Blues Cafe
A poster to go along with it:
Grand Opening Of Billy Blast Showroom
If you need directions to get over there you can drop me a line... might go over and check it out myself!
Monday, October 08, 2007
God in the brain...
Sorry for the lack of updates recently. Was up in KL for a week of training, and then got back came down with a flu. I think I'm quite allergic to KL... seems to happen each time I'm in KL city... :P.
Anyway I came across an interesting article entitled "God in the Brain" in Scientific American. In a nutshell basically it's an attempt by researchers to induce the "religious sensation/feeling" in the brain. Sounds cool huh...
I'm not gonna critic the article and the researchers belief, I actually didn't analyze the article, but the very idea of it intriguing. What if it's there's a possibility and there's a chance it might be true?...
I've actually been toying with various thoughts about how we do things in the Christian circle, and I think (this is a PERSONAL thought, not a reflection of my church teaching or anything), that actually a "nice/good feeling" can actually be induced... especially during praise and worship.
Please don't get me wrong. I've personally seen and know people being saved and healed during the worship service and have seen the ministry of God moving powerfully during worship services, but after many years of playing and leading in worship, in front of crowds of 5 or 20,000... I believe that at times (please note AT TIMES and not all the time...) with a certain atmosphere, rhythm, arrangement and style played... the music can actually drive the congregation to a certain "heights" or "feeling" being "in the presence of God". I actually think I can list certain "techniques" or ways can be done... but it's not right as it could be judgmental in certain aspects and I'm a great believer in creativity that's God given...
Visiting a number of churches, watching worship videos, and through personal experience, In My Humble Personal Opinion, can I say that many of us have knowingly/unknowingly experience this?. I'm not trying to be judgmental but to look more on the realistic issue over here, because personally, I admit to doing this before... I know I can musically drive a song, make a cool arrangements to some songs, select some songs over another, even selecting a type of sound (from my favorite more-than-5-years-old KN-1500 Technics keyboard!) to get a better congregational response...
But on the other hand, I can't say all these are wrong. There are numerous times that people have come up to me and just mentioned how much they were convicted and the songs spoke to them during worship (only by His grace and mercy, nothing of me).
In the end all I can say is there is no black and white of do's and dont's of worship, songs or some methodology to conduct worship. It's a thin line to draw, but one thing I believe is that, we cannot allow oursleves to be emotionally swayed through songs and musical creativity rather that everything we experience should rise out of a conviction of the Holy Spirit and the Word, and that knowledge of differentiating only comes as we walk closer with Him.
Having said that, I'm not saying that only through this way that a person can be ministered. I've personally brought a friend to Christ, being convicted through a song and she accepted Christ during the worship altar call, of course with the usual proviso of what's the Gospel is all about and stuff like that before hand.
There are many things and points that can be discussed further. But I would hold on for now and would like to know of your response.... can drop me a line at my usual email address: f u n n y g e r m (AT)y a h o o (DOT) c o m
till then... shalom...
Anyway I came across an interesting article entitled "God in the Brain" in Scientific American. In a nutshell basically it's an attempt by researchers to induce the "religious sensation/feeling" in the brain. Sounds cool huh...
I'm not gonna critic the article and the researchers belief, I actually didn't analyze the article, but the very idea of it intriguing. What if it's there's a possibility and there's a chance it might be true?...
I've actually been toying with various thoughts about how we do things in the Christian circle, and I think (this is a PERSONAL thought, not a reflection of my church teaching or anything), that actually a "nice/good feeling" can actually be induced... especially during praise and worship.
Please don't get me wrong. I've personally seen and know people being saved and healed during the worship service and have seen the ministry of God moving powerfully during worship services, but after many years of playing and leading in worship, in front of crowds of 5 or 20,000... I believe that at times (please note AT TIMES and not all the time...) with a certain atmosphere, rhythm, arrangement and style played... the music can actually drive the congregation to a certain "heights" or "feeling" being "in the presence of God". I actually think I can list certain "techniques" or ways can be done... but it's not right as it could be judgmental in certain aspects and I'm a great believer in creativity that's God given...
Visiting a number of churches, watching worship videos, and through personal experience, In My Humble Personal Opinion, can I say that many of us have knowingly/unknowingly experience this?. I'm not trying to be judgmental but to look more on the realistic issue over here, because personally, I admit to doing this before... I know I can musically drive a song, make a cool arrangements to some songs, select some songs over another, even selecting a type of sound (from my favorite more-than-5-years-old KN-1500 Technics keyboard!) to get a better congregational response...
But on the other hand, I can't say all these are wrong. There are numerous times that people have come up to me and just mentioned how much they were convicted and the songs spoke to them during worship (only by His grace and mercy, nothing of me).
In the end all I can say is there is no black and white of do's and dont's of worship, songs or some methodology to conduct worship. It's a thin line to draw, but one thing I believe is that, we cannot allow oursleves to be emotionally swayed through songs and musical creativity rather that everything we experience should rise out of a conviction of the Holy Spirit and the Word, and that knowledge of differentiating only comes as we walk closer with Him.
Having said that, I'm not saying that only through this way that a person can be ministered. I've personally brought a friend to Christ, being convicted through a song and she accepted Christ during the worship altar call, of course with the usual proviso of what's the Gospel is all about and stuff like that before hand.
There are many things and points that can be discussed further. But I would hold on for now and would like to know of your response.... can drop me a line at my usual email address: f u n n y g e r m (AT)
till then... shalom...
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Myanmar Christians
The recent development in Myanmar where the Buddhist monks hit the streets peaked my interest about the country. Knowing that our media is "filtered" most of the time, hit the internet and focused on christians in Myanmar.
Taken from Christianity Today (www.christianitytoday.com):
"A group of Chin and Kachin activists met with U.S. officials in Washington in February. Their reports included the rape of Chin and Kachin Christians, forced shutdown of churches, and the taking of children from their Christian parents, placing them in Buddhist monasteries to become novice monks under the false pretense of ensuring a good education. Also, government soldiers are driving thousands of minority Christians from their villages. Those hiding from their own government are called Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)."
and the most interesting part is this:
"Despite persecution, the church is growing approximately 5 percent a year among Protestants and independents."
There are many other articles online which many of you can refer to. Just to list three:
1. persecution.org - Excellant overview of current political and religious status
2. biblesociety.org - pretty old article but a good short history in Chriatianity in Myanmar
3. wikipedia - a worldview of Myanmar and it's current policies
If I remember correctly, Malaysia was one of the STRONGEST ADVOCATES to allow Myanmar's entry to the ASEAN in 1997.
Since the military junta came to power in 1962, there were strings of reported incidents of political abuses, anti democratic movement, racial segregation, horrible human rights record, second largest opium producer in the world! (read Golden Triangle), and... and... and... in the recent TI Transparency Perception Index ranked as the most corrupted country in the world.
I'm listing this not as a basis to "judge" the country (I'm juz a helpless fry...) but my question is
Why did we turn a blind eye and admit Burma into ASEAN?. Were there any indicators that the country's policies will change? It denounced the results of a free election in 1990 and the military continued holding power to this day?
Under the guise of "non-interferance" we freely advocate the entry of this nation to be in the same league as us. Maybe could it be the following reasons:
1. Money. Money. Money. (Myanmar has quite a huge reserve of oil and gas)
2. Or is it the case of realization that, there are similarities????... how can we question the speck in the eye of a neighbor but a plank in the own eye?
I admit that in reality and economic wise, these burmese people are suffering much more than us over here, but based on principles are there similarities? Rather than listing down the similarities and be categorized as a "political blog" you do your own thinking la.
Until then do spare sometime to pray for the Christians over in Myanmar and for us as a nation...
Shalom...
Taken from Christianity Today (www.christianitytoday.com):
"A group of Chin and Kachin activists met with U.S. officials in Washington in February. Their reports included the rape of Chin and Kachin Christians, forced shutdown of churches, and the taking of children from their Christian parents, placing them in Buddhist monasteries to become novice monks under the false pretense of ensuring a good education. Also, government soldiers are driving thousands of minority Christians from their villages. Those hiding from their own government are called Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)."
and the most interesting part is this:
"Despite persecution, the church is growing approximately 5 percent a year among Protestants and independents."
There are many other articles online which many of you can refer to. Just to list three:
1. persecution.org - Excellant overview of current political and religious status
2. biblesociety.org - pretty old article but a good short history in Chriatianity in Myanmar
3. wikipedia - a worldview of Myanmar and it's current policies
If I remember correctly, Malaysia was one of the STRONGEST ADVOCATES to allow Myanmar's entry to the ASEAN in 1997.
Since the military junta came to power in 1962, there were strings of reported incidents of political abuses, anti democratic movement, racial segregation, horrible human rights record, second largest opium producer in the world! (read Golden Triangle), and... and... and... in the recent TI Transparency Perception Index ranked as the most corrupted country in the world.
I'm listing this not as a basis to "judge" the country (I'm juz a helpless fry...) but my question is
Why did we turn a blind eye and admit Burma into ASEAN?. Were there any indicators that the country's policies will change? It denounced the results of a free election in 1990 and the military continued holding power to this day?
Under the guise of "non-interferance" we freely advocate the entry of this nation to be in the same league as us. Maybe could it be the following reasons:
1. Money. Money. Money. (Myanmar has quite a huge reserve of oil and gas)
2. Or is it the case of realization that, there are similarities????... how can we question the speck in the eye of a neighbor but a plank in the own eye?
I admit that in reality and economic wise, these burmese people are suffering much more than us over here, but based on principles are there similarities? Rather than listing down the similarities and be categorized as a "political blog" you do your own thinking la.
Until then do spare sometime to pray for the Christians over in Myanmar and for us as a nation...
Shalom...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
How to Sleep with a blocked nose...
I discovered something new today! and you should try this when it happens to you. :P. GOt up about 430am this morning with my nose kinda blocked with mucus. Blowed as hard as I can but whe lie down it keeps blocking... and I was darn sleepy.
So juz flashed in my mind why not juz let gravity "unblock" the nose. So this is what i did:
The art of unblocking the nose
I actually thought of juz sitting up and let it out, but once i lean my head against the wall I literally doze of for a few minutes, till my head lost it's balance and I nearly drop off... haha.... and guess what... the nose cleared!... woohooooo...
Anyone done or experienced this before? If not I would like to patent this cure... muahaha