Marina Barrage Weekend!

Flying a kite at the Marina Barrage on a sunny Sunday afternoon was incidently one of the things to do in an article "20 Things To Do Under $20" in the Sunday Times (12 September 2010). It really isn't the expensive things we do together, but the time spent with each other that mattered.
Packed lunch boxes of char siew and roasted pork rice and bottled almond soy milk drink along with the company of friends like ZZH, Shuangru and Sheena made it extra special.
Blessed weekend!

J

A trip to HDB hub yesterday, a few papers to sign.

A smile and a thank you.

We've paid our 5% downpayment for our flat!

With assistance from the approved grant and our miserably small sum of money in the CPF, we have managed to make the initial downpayment and secured our flat.

Thank God we didnt even have to touch the $2000 option fee which is refunded back to us. the whole sum will be left in J's trusty hands for investment purposes.

However,a s we celebrate our joyous moments together, we are mindful of those whose hearts are broken among us. It reminds me that I am an individual.
We are not 2 broken halves, completely whole as 1 only when we are together.
On the contrary, we are 2 seperate whole individuals, coming together as 1 couple to enjoy the days the Lord has blessed us with.

P

Updates on our Dawson apartment

Recently, we received a letter from the Housing Board informing us on the Additional CPF Housing Grant  (AHG) and we managed to secure a $30,000 grant from the HDB for our new home! Praise the Lord! Our initial headache of trying to pay off the 5% is now a huge load off our minds. J thought by the time September comes when we are due to sign the Agreement of Lease, he would have to liquidate his equity investments in Capland and Genting SP. He doesn't have to now! 

We recently went up to Genting Highlands with P's family over the National Day weekend. It was J's first time there and a good break from the stressful work life for P. We'd like to thank God for that opportunity too!

Deliverance

As i was walking Pris to AMK central to catch a train home, we encountered 2 people along the way which i would determine, as potentially dangerous people. My apologies for being so quick to judge, but there was first this guy whom i've seen at another AMK busstop blowing a whistle at buses with the intention of telling them to "drive off soon or else...". There he was last night blowing his whistle guiding traffic at the middle of the road. To put it straight, he was just blowing the whistle at vehicles on the road, he wasn't actually guiding anything. We saw 2 ladies scurring off away from him, but the both of us continued to wait for the green man before crossing the road. Second person that we encountered was just 3 mins after we saw that, let's call him the 'whistle-blower'. It was a man in his 30s in a ragged yellow shirt. He approached the both of us asking for cigarettes. We walked past him knowing that we have none of it and giving him money will only encourage him to buy potentially harmful white tobacco-filled sticks. What if he became so desperate he started clubbing us with items he had with him?

Then as i walked back, i thought of the story of Moses bringing the Isrealites out of Egypt in the book of Exodus and the Lord's Prayer.
The Lord's Prayer has this verse:

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. -Matthew 6:13

And all along Psalms (in Psalms 59:2, 71:4, 97:10) we could see how the Bible talks about delivering us from evil and bloodthirsty men. We can only be comforted that God may not always keep us from evil, but He promisses us that He'll be there to see us through. I guess we'll always face tough and trying times, but i'm assured that He's there to carry us through.

Recently, 2 of my good friends have broken up with their boyfriends. I think for whatever reasons, i would choose to believe that God is in control of everything. Man's finite minds cannot see or understand why the world may seem to be crashing down on them, but trust that God's infinite mind is working things out.

J

Accounts of miracles happening from the Isreali people

Managed to watch a good majority of this video series which i managed to borrow from the library. Against All Odds: Isreal Survives has this investigative journalist running around Isreal looking up people from the wars and spys and having them recount their experiences with amazing miracles that took place. I've never gone into the details of the wars that Isreal fought in recent times but I do know that they have triumphed. I'd recomend this vid to guys who are skpetical of Bible stories which may seem eons ago. This is modern day miracles with Isreali Merkava's and AP Mines behind dramatized scenes.

We may be facing a whole lot of $h!t at work sometimes, life may seem as if there is no U-turn out, but look at the trials that these guys go through: zero ammunition left as approoaching enemies draw close; a tank commander being struck by a HE round and yet finding the strength to pull himself out of the burning tank; a section of scouts realising that they are stuck in the middle of a minefield. I think God doesn't give us an easy way out just because we are Christians. He just wants us to put our trust in Him.

Out.

J

SkyTerrace@Dawson Loft unit chosen

20 May 2010
It was one of those days you actually wake up in the morning talking to yourself thinking this is it, the day has finally come to make a big decision. Especially so when property prices in Singapore is Mt. Everestly high and ironically demand is similarly high. Priced on par with a Maserati Gran Turismo, our 6th storey, 4-rm loft unit at Dawson was to preced the Italian Sports Coupe.
At that point of time, there were just 2 loft units left, in which both were on the 6th storey. Decision to take the unit facing the park was marred by another option on the 32nd storey(NW-facing) and 23rd storey (SE-facing).
Just want to thank God for His providence.

Book review

Just finished reading this book: I married you by Walter Trobisch (1971) which was given to me by Vincent.
Both Pris and I took turns reading it, and since i'm a gentleman, i let her read it first. This book is something all young couples and couples who are thinking of getting married and are serious in a relationship, should read. I hope this book would shed some light to what the Bible has to say about relationships, pre marital sex and marriage.

Just a snippet of what i have learnt:

- Marriage is about 3 things- 'leaving', 'cleaving' and 'becoming one flesh'.

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his
wife, and they will become one flesh." -Genesis 2:24 (New International Version)

- One can never be married until he leaves. 'Leaving' here meant that a couple, once married, leaves both parents to start a life together. There must be a clear cut.

-'Cleaving' meant that the couple sticks together. As Trobisch illustrated, when a husband comes home, he embraces the wife first before the children, showing that both husband and wife are closest to each other.

- On 'becoming one flesh', couples share everything they have- material possessions and physical bodies.

J

We're in the queue!

Yes! Out of 1102 4-room apartments, we're in the 500+ queue to buy a flat at the super convenient, near to MRT, centrally-located Dawson estate.

When P said that God is merciful and has showered His blessings upon us, i quickly told her that even if we weren't in the queue, God is still merciful and we are still blessed whether or not we have a nice queue number.

After the online application in Dec, we decided to let God take over and do the job. Coz no matter what we do to worry/bother/check/scratch head, it doesn't alter the plans God has for us.

For those who are reading and got no. 5000 queue ticket, i'd just like to say continue trusting in Him, coz ultimately God has a plan in all of our lives. I'd like to remember this Bible verse from James 1:

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. - James 1:2-7

Looking back in Dec when we P was filling up that HDB application form for this BTO, we realised at the end of it that both of us were had no jobs and had not completed our studies. Why would HDB ever want to give us such an atas place to stay when they could easily reject us and hopefully we could apply for one of their cheaper suburb flats in Sembawang or CCK at probably half the price of those in Dawson. And now i remember this verse that came to me during that period of speculation:

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. -Hebrews 11:1

Trust in the Lord!

J

License to drive

Priscilla's just gotten her driver's license! The nagging starts now. "Turn gracefully. No wait. Not this way", "There! The carpark lot is there. Yes, the car fits in there", "Are we there yet?".

Anyway, praise God abt it. It wasn't the prayers from papa, mama, KS and myself. It was just His timing.

J

Happy Valentine's Day 2010!

It was indeed a very early Valentine morning surprise for Pris when I turned up bright and early at 8.30am with a sunflower to fetch her to church. Happy Valentine's surprise baby!

J

Just less than a week till Valentine's Day (which is also the period when we got together) and with this collage completed, i hereby present my Vday gift to Pris! No expensive wines, no elaborate flowers and no fancy restaurants. A blog to commerate our 2 year anniversary as a courting couple. Just looking at the collage, onw can see what we've been up to the past year, 2009- Jurong Bird Park in the begining of the year, Air Supply concert (June), 2 weeks holiday in Perth(June), NDP (Aug), Singtel-Singapore F1 and the Singapore Flyer (September).

I'd like to give thanks to God for this remarkable woman who has stood by me, supporting me as persue my studies, constantly encouraging me and showing me love throughout the year.

Stay tuned to justinandpriscilla.blogspot.com as we bring to the world and to God our Lord and Saviour our commitment to each other.

Justin

Thank God for a new job!

A recruitment company called Priscilla up last week Thursday asking her to attend an interview in a local SME in Leng Kee Road. Before entering the firm, we prayed and committed the interview to God. She was hired on the spot and started work the next day as an accounts assistant. Praise God!

Looking back at 2008 when we began going out as friends, our relationship together has been one of sharing each others' problems and needs, learning how to love and be loved and spending time and getting to know each other better.

We first recognised God as the authority in our relationship and that's where we return to whenever arguments escalate to worrying levels. That's when we also recognise that pride and anger doesn't make us stronger as a couple, but the devil's plan to tear us apart. Prayer is then the solution.

Helping out together in Church was 1 avenue we wanted to go such that our beliefs are aligned and we may seek Jesus together. Priscilla joined me at KKMC co-teach the Primary 5 children where Amos and Jennifer Kwok teaches. Our understanding of the Bible grew to newer levels.