It's Another Year Gone By

HEY THERE, YOU!!!!!

First of all, I'd like to say Happy New Year to you ...

It's one decade gone by in the 21st century and there are certainly GREATER THINGS in stall for us all.

I'm really keen on stepping into 2010, and I've got a list of resolutions set:

1. Praise and serve God always with a cheerful heart
2. Serve the prefect board of SMK Taman S.E.A. faithfully
3. Serve in CF and get to know the CFers better!!!
4. Get active in my House
5. Be a good First Aider
6. Perform better in violin and piano
7. Play the guitar BETTER
8. Take part in another tennis tournament
9. See Chow Sern improve in his speech, and let myself contribute to that
10. BLESS EVERYONE AROUND ME, regardless of gender, age, occupation, status,
attitude, behaviour, personality, and size.

Tonight is the night I have been waiting for. I'll be "stringing" the night away on my violin together with the musicians of Creative School of Ministry in Full Gospel Assembly, KL.

I hope you will have as much fun as I do, I myself will enjoy playing for God. :

:)

See you in the next decade, whoever you may be. :)

Youth RevAmp Conference

Hey you, how's the holiday going?

As for me, I've been having an awesome time at the FGA Revolution Amplified Youth Conference from 14-20 December 2009 and I'm going to tell you all about it.

By the way, if you wonder what Revolution Amplified is, it's my annual church conference theme. It's not just about IMPARTING God's love to the attendees, it's also about IMPACTING society by serving the community.

Each participant gets to choose a department to get involved in. There's The Environment, the Refugees, the Orphans, the Sick ... and one more ...

Well, I chose the Sick, and boy, was it mind-blowing!!!! The ironic thing was that our nametag had two blank green sections, one big, one small. The big one was obviously for the name, so I wrote:

LEE CHOW XIN

And the little one was supposingly for the department we had chosen, but I didn't write it, because if I did, this would be my name tag:

LEE CHOW XIN
THE SICK

You can stop laughing now.

We had IMPART sessions in the morning, which was meant to teach God's word to us, and IMPACT sessions in the afternoon, where we went out to do community work.
Then, at night, we had Night Sessions where a speaker would impart to us anyway ...

The Sick people (not in that way) were volunteers for MAKNA - Majlis Kanser National. We were assigned to do Home Visits to Cancer Patients. Since the person-in-charge, a friendly lady named Mamma Gie, had instructed us not to "menceritakan" our experience to friends who were not volunteers, I would just give you the outline of the story.

It was interesting, it was a new experience, and it opened my mind to how privileged we are when we have healthy bodies. I loved the IMPACT session.

The whole conference was a whole new experience for Full Gospel Assembly, I must say, because all these years, our camps have only involved people coming, people getting touched by God, and people going home. This year, we not only have people coming, we also have people going out into the community to do good deeds for the less fortunate, to TELL PEOPLE THAT WE CHRISTIANS WANNA SHOW LOVE TO THEM! Is that amazing or what?

Chruch friends are so amazing. I met two girls from Shelter Home named Cassandra and Joyce. They are both two years elder than I am, but they were my very best companions throughout the conference. They taught me so many thing I never knew, and I would never want to forget those things.

FOOD. Conference food was so good I began to get suspicious why they were feeding us so extravagantly when we could easily settle for something simpler ...

Well, enough already ... Here are my photos:



















I guess that's all for now. How about you?

It's a New Blog and a New Motive

For everyone's information, I'm changing the motive of my blog. I greatly encourage you to read and comment on the blog. :)

Thank you.

I BROKE THREE STRINGS IN A ROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I KNOW THIS TOPIC IS COMMON BUT I JUST HAD TO YELL IT OUT ....

"I BROKE THREE STRINGS IN A ROW WHILE FIXING THEM TO MY VIOLIN PEG!!!!!!!!!!!

I REALLY TRIED NOT TO!!!!!!!"

ARGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NO PAIN NO GAIN, I HEARD ...

NOW I UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF THE PHRASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ARGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Song for the Child at Heart

Here's a song ...


Jesus loves me this I know

for the Bible tells me so

Little ones to him belong

They are weak but he is strong

Yes Jesus loves me

Yes Jesus loves me

Yes Jesus loves me

The Bible tells me so

Teacher ...

Teacher's Day may be over, but the memoirs are still fresh in my mind ...

Thinking of Teacher's Day reminds me of a very special tutor who lived over 100 years ago - widely recognized for her achievement in educating a person without sight, hearing, or normal speech.

Anne Sullivan was only 20 when she became a teacher for six-year-old Helen Keller, an undisciplined, hot-tempered child - someone not many teachers would tolerate.

Joanna Sullivan, known throughout her life as Anne or Annie, was eight when her mother died, and two years later her father deserted the three children. Sullivan, whom an earlier illness had left nearly blind, entered the Perkins Institution for the Blind in 1880. Surgery the next year restored some sight, and she graduated from Perkins at the head of her class in 1886. (NOTE: If she had lived today, today's modern technology would most probably revive her vision.)

With patience and creativity, Sullivan within a month succeeded in teaching Keller, by means of a manual alphabet, that things had names. Her progress was rapid thereafter; Keller and Sullivan gained a national reputation as Keller mastered a full vocabulary and displayed a gifted intelligence.

In 1888 the two began spending periods at the Perkins Institution, and Sullivan accompanied Keller to the Wright-Humason School in New York City, the Cambridge School for Young Ladies, and finally Radcliffe College, where Sullivan painstakingly spelled out the lectures to Keller and read to her for hours everyday.

Without Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller would not have gotten where she had reached.

Appreciate your teachers, people. In years to come, we'll all be looking over our shoulders at them as we stand in honour of our accomplishments.

Junkies ...

Exams are over, and the students of Taman Sea are evolving ... really ...

Proof of previous statement:

1) Wesley is the kangaroo once more

2) Weng Soon went hyper

3) Sheng Khai actually talked about Revolution ... wow ...

4) Emily talked about Kris Allen ... even though I don't even know much about the guy ...

5) Jamie is back to her food ... XD

6) Amanda made me go about school in this 'pretty' hairstyle ... Hmmm .... only for you, Amanda!
... and many more ...

By the way, people, don't forget to wish my sister her a happy17th birthday this Monday ... and a happy solo flight for my other sister (the pilot one).

Chow Yee, go do something about your hair ...

Random fact of the day:

Cadet pilots at Malaysian Flying Academy in Malacca have to be fast to devour their meals or they won't have any ...

When pilots are grounded, the statement applies for both literal and non-literal terms.

When the 'Chows' are grounded, the statement applies for only non-literal.

Good day, people ...

Geography project

My eldest sister (the pilot) thought I was nuts when I told her I wanted to drive around Taman Megah to find the landmarks for my Geography project. I ended up using a map ... after an unnecessary rigmarole. She was right ... actually ... it saves time and petrol. Thanks, jie! :)

I've been searching high and low for info on Taman Megah, so, if anyone out there is doing research on the same place as me, I would be awfully appreciative if you would share it with me ...

I Got Infected by Nigel Lim

This is supposed to be some funny thing that Nigel Lim infected me with ....
So just to keep it on, I'll do it, but I'm leaving out any parts I find quite offensive ... Still, I promise the results will be funny.



Dear (the last person who left a comment on your journal):
I don't really know how to tell you this, but ___1___. I think I realized it ___2___ ___3___ and I saw you ___4___ ___5___. I'm sure you're ___6___ enough to understand ___7___. I'm returning ___8___ to you, but I'll keep ___9___ as a memory. You should also know that I ___10___ ___11___ .___12___,-Your name-1.

+++
+++

1. What's the color of your shirt?
Blue - Our romance is over
Red - Our affair is over
White - I'll join the monastery
Black - I dislike you
Green - Our horoscope doesn't match
Grey - You're a pervert
Yellow - I'm selling myself
Pink - Your nostrils are insulting
Brown - The mafia wants you
No shirt - You're a loser
Other - I'm in love with your sister
+++
+++


2. Which is your birth month?
January - That night
February - Last year
March - When your dwarf bit me
April - When I tripped on sesame seeds
May - First of May
June - When you put cuffs on me
July - When I threw up
August - When I saw the shrunken head
September - When we skinny dipped
October - When I quoted Santa
November - When your dog ran amok
December - When I changed tennis shoes

+++
3. Which food do you prefer?
Tacos - In your apartment
Pizza - In your camping car
Pasta - Outside of Chicago
Hamburgers - Under the bus
Salad - As you ate enchilada
Chicken - In your closet
Kabob - With Paris Hilton
Fish - In women's clothing
Sandwiches - At the Hare Krishna graduation
Lasagna - At the mental hospital
Hot dog - Under a state of trance
None of the above - With George Bush and his wife

+++


4. What's the color of your socks?
Yellow - Hit on
Red - Insult
Black - Ignore
Blue - Knock out
Purple - Pour syrup on
White - Carve your initials into<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grey - Pull the clothes off
Brown - Put leeches on
Orange - Castrate
Pink - Pull the toupee off
Barefoot - Sit on
Other - Drive out

+++


5. What's the color of your underwear?
Black - My best friend
White - My father
Grey - Bill Clinton
Brown - My fart balloon
Purple - My mustard soufflé
Red - Donald Duck
Blue - My avocado plant
Yellow - My penpal in Ghana
Orange - My Kid Rock-collection
Pink - Manchester United's goalkeeper
None - My John F. Kennedy-statue
Other - The crazy monk

+++
6. What do you prefer to watch on TV?
Scrubs - Man
O.C. - Emotional
One Tree Hill - Open
Heroes - Frostbitten
Lost - High<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
House - Scarred
Simpsons - Cowardly
The news - Mongolic
Idol - Masochistic
Family Guy - Senile
Top Model - Middle-class
None of the above - Ashamed

+++
7. Your mood right now?
Happy - How awful I've felt
Sad - How boring you are
Bored - That Santa doesn't exist
Angry - That your pimples are at the last stage
Depressed - That we're cousins
Excited - That there is no solution to this
Nervous - The middle-east
Worried - That your Honda sucks
Apathetic - That I did a sex-change
Ashamed - That I'm allergic to your hamster
Cuddly - That I get turned on by garbage men
Overjoyous - That I'm open
Other - That Extreme Home Makeover sucks

+++
8. What's the color of your walls in your bedroom?
White - Your ring
Yellow - Your love letters
Red - Your Darth Vader-poster
Black - Your tame stone
Blue - The couch cushions
Green - The pictures from LA
Orange - Your false teeth
Brown - Your contact book
Grey - Our matching snoopy-bibs
Purple - Your old lottery coupons
Pink - The cut toenails
Other - Your memories from the military service

+++
9. The first letter of your first name?
A/B - Your photo
C/D - The oil stocks
E/F - Your neighbour Martin
G/H - My virginity
I/J - The results of your blood-sample
K/L - Your left ear
M/N - Your suicide note<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
O/P - My common sense
Q/R - Your mom
S/T - Collection of butterflies
U/V - Your criminal record
W/X - David's tricot outfits
Y/Z - Your grades from college

+++
10. The last letter in your last name?
A/B - Always will remember
C/D - Never will forget
E/F - Always wanted to break
G/H - Never openly mocked
I/J - Always have felt dirty before
K/L - Will tell the authorities about
M/N - Told in my confession today about<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
O/P - Was interviewed by the Times about
Q/R - Told my psychiatrist about
S/T - Get sick when I think of
U/V - Always will try to forget
W/X - Am better off without
Y/Z - Never liked

+++
11. What do you prefer to drink?
Water- Our friendship
Beer - Senility
Soft drink - A new life as a clone
Soda - The incarnation as an eskimo
Milk - The apartment building
Wine - Cocaine abuse<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cider - A passionate interest for mice
Juice - Oprah Winfrey imitations
Mineral water - Embarrassing rash
Hot chocolate - Eggplant-fetishism
Whisky - To ruin the second world war
Other - To hate the Boston Celtics

+++
12. To which country would you prefer to go on a vacation?
Thailand - Warm regards
USA - Best regards
England - Good luck on your short-term leave from jail
Spain - Go and drown yourself
China - Disgusting regards
Germany - With ease
Japan - Go burn
Greece - Your everlasting enemy
Australia - Greetings to your frog Leonard
Egypt - Get Lost now
France - In pain
Other - Greetings to your freaky family

+++++

Dear I-didn't-check-your-name-so-I-don't-know-who-you-are,
I don't really know how to tell you this, but I'm selling myself (Which I'm obviously not). I think I realized it last year in your camping car and I saw you sit on ??????. I'm sure you're ashamed enough to understand that I'm open. I'm returning the pictures from LA (I went to LA?) to you, but I'll keep the oil stocks (no, I won't) as a memory. You should also know that I will tell the authorities the apartment building.

??????
THE CHOW CHOW

Look ... Pretty?

Basic steps to fulfilling your duty to its limit for Tabik Hormat:

1. Look pretty and look in front

2. Wait patiently

3. Salute when the VIP walks by

4. Disappear

"When is the VIP coming?"

"Argghh!!! My legs so itchy!"

"So hot! So hot!"

"Perasannya ..."

That's exactly what happened on the Terrace this morning for Hari Ko-kurikulum. After that, I skipped class to do First Aid duty in the hall ... in my sister's words, do First aid duty in the hall to skip class.

Haha ... congrats to the people who went up the stage, whether to receive prizes or to do some Tae-Kwan-Do stunts ... whichever you are, you did a great job. :)

Have a nice day!

Fats' Day!!!!!!!!

Canteen Day was a total blast this year, especially for PBSM!!!!

"Buy lah, very nice one!"

"Er, no thanks!"

"Eh, you don't buy, I not your friend ah!"

A great thanks to Wai Loan for teaching me the arts of the kitchen. We had a great time dishing out the wedges for ... two hundred customers. (Some were a mite reluctant.)

CF's Pizza Hut was the most successful stall of all, I would say. (I snuck out to grab a pizza halfway through my cooking shift!) During the afternoon session, there were a few long lines extending from the CF lot, and surprisingly, all of them looked really patient for their food.

What can I say? I'll say it again - Canteen Day is a SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A.Word.A.Day (in courtesy of Wordsmith)

coeval

PRONUNCIATION:

(ko-EE-vuhl)

MEANING:

adjective: Having the same age or duration.
noun: A contemporary.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin coaevus, from co- (in common) + aevum (age), from Greek aion (age). Ultimately from the Indo-European root aiw-/ayu- (vital force, life, eternity) that is also the source of ever, never, aye, nay, eon, eternal, medieval, primeval, utopia, Sanskrit Ayurveda.

USAGE:

"Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln were born in the same year, on the same day: Feb 12, 1809. ... Instinctively, we want to say that they belong together. It's not just because they were both great men, and not because they happen to be exact coevals. Rather, it's because the scientist and the politician each touched off a revolution that changed the world."
Malcolm Jones; Who Was More Important: Lincoln or Darwin?; Newsweek (New York); Jul 7, 2008.


Caution: This blog was unexpectedly devoted to the fella from CF who "stole" my birthday day.

Something random. I found this in the Word-A-Day programme by Anu Garg. From today onwards, let there be made known a more colourful word to describe the common factor of having the same birthday on the same day.

"COEVAL", not "co-evil".

To find out more, visit www.wsmith@wordsmith.com!

Prima Donna .... Not!

What happens when you ask a cf-fer to perform solo on a cheap-string violin with a pro-pianist? The performance with Weng Soon today.

After worship, the first thing I could think of when I stepped in front was: Okay, this is not about you. This is all for God's glory. This is to touch people's lives.

Then, I saw their fixed glares and my heart sank.

"Oh, wonderful!"

The new strings were squeaking under my shaky fingers. I was so scared I couldn't do vibrato well, nonetheless forget to shift.

At the end, Weng Soon was like, "It's okay lah!" and then Samuel so eager to look at my violin but I only allowed him to hold the rosin case. (Sorry, Samuel!) At least he didn't drop it.

Choir practice was a blast. The Form 1s should applaud themselves. They are such an enthusiastic bunch who are not in the least afraid to take part in co-curricular activities! Let's pray they stay that way until they leave school!

Calling all choir people out there, do come to the choir practice tomorrow - on time ... or else ....

Oh careless love!

My heart cries for my lovely Sarah,
I treasure the moments with you under my wrist.
How could this ever happen to you, Sarah?
that a precious violin like you should ever suffer like this ...

A bridge gave way
and had to be fixed
when it was fine,
a string found its kicks

As stated above, my violin has been given me lots of trouble this few days. First, the bridge (that tiny wooden thing holding up the strings) gave way ... I couldn't practise for a week. Then, today at violin class, my E string broke. (the G string's still fine!)

Oooh ... me favourite partttttt ....

FIVE WAYS TO TELL IF A VIOLIN'S A GOOD ONE

1. It's got strings
2. Its strings don't make squeaky noises (oh, then, it's just the strings, right?)
3. The strings produce a clear sound, when pressed at right position (no)
4. It was made by human hands, and not machines (oh ... so it's also the person right?)
5. A good musician buys it for 10 K (well, sorta ... )

Well, hope to hear from you soon. Oh, and Benji, thanks for telling me about the famous Greek violinist on Youtube.

Cheerio!

5 Ways to Keep Your Room Clean

Hello readers!

I'm moving. Yes, I am. I'm leaving Chow Ern's room and settling down in the one across hers. Now, I have the study room to myself. I get to have an air-con, a tiny computer, a radio, and two whole bookshelves! Is this great or what? I always wanted a room, but I never expected God to really let it be possible.

Now, I get to play my violin (Sarah) and hopefully, my dad's guitar (when he gives me lessons) in perfect PEACE.

However, I told my mom that I wanted to clean my own room myself. This means sweeping it everyday and mopping it (not everyday too, I hope). This is so that I don't get too dependant on Kakak.

To make sure that my room stays spick and span, all by myself! I have 5 special strategies to have a clean room without much effort. And I'm going to share them all with you.

1. Don't dirty it if you don't like cleaning it. The easiest way to keep the space between your walls clear of dirt is to leave dirt out of it. If you should bring a soiled PJ T-shirt in, clean it first. As for the books, I put them all behind glass cabinets so they don't get dusty. The tiny uncovered bookcase has a curtain attached to it. (Thanks, mom!)

2. Keep a Neat nature. The Law of Order is the law of preventing things from "vanishing". I make sure my clothes are neatly folded always just by not tossing them into the wardrobe. That way, I don't have to rummage through anything. Same goes to my books - my hundreds of books.

3. Strategy of arrangement. Lay things on your table that you use frequently. If you're not sure of a particular item, store it away at a position where it is easy to retrieve. (Ex: Don't put your once-in-a-week-take-out KH project hidden behind your old primary school memoirs.)

4. Quality, not quantity. Get good furniture so they hold you and your things well. (And so that they stand up straight and not slant)

5. Go rubbish go. If there is anything unworthy to be kept in your precious space - get rid of it. Don't keep trash. It'll only make the room smaller.

Well, that's it. Now, I've got to go. Bye!!!!

Orchestral Instruments

Hello, readers! Glad that you all could take time to visit my blog!

Today, I have a straightforward list of instruments in an orchestra for those who are unfamiliar towards it.

Orchestral instruments can be divided into four kinds: String, woodwind, brass and percussion instruments (definite and indefinite pitch).

The string family include violin (soprano), viola (alto), cello (tenor) and double bass (bass). It has the largest number of players in an orchestra. And, no - a cello is not an overgrown violin. All four vary in size and methods of playing.

The woodwind family are, well, played with the mouth. There is the piccolo (highest sounding woodwind instrument), flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, bassoon and saxophone. Modern flutes are made of metal. Reeds are parts of some wind instruments which vibrates to produce a sound.
We also have the brass instruments. There is the trumpet (soprano), French horn, cornet, trombone and tuba (lowest sounding member). Tenor trombone is the most important member in the trombone family.

Then, lastly, we have the percussion:

Definite pitch: Glockenspiel Indefinite pitch: Drums
Celesta Tambourine
Kettledrum Triangle
Xylophone Castanets
Dulcitone Cymbals
Tubular bells Gong
Marimba gong

Percussion instruments like the triangle, tambourine ... are considered unimportant as they do not play an important role in the orchestra.

There you have it - orchestra instruments in a nut case.

Ciao!

G-O-D is L-O-V-E

The title tells it all. Hello, again, my dear readers! Today, the Christian Fellowship of SMK Taman S.E.A. held its very first meeting of the year at Block C. The theme was Amazing Grace. We sang the song, we heard the message, and we acknowledged just how wonderful this God-given privilege is.

I'm all about synonyms today, so I'm going to start the topic with a simple question: Do you know what the CF theme is for this year? If you don't, it's "LOVE". Yes, that pleasant, desirable feeling never lets you down.

Love ... (from Macmillan English dictionary): the feeling of liking and caring for someone such as a member of your family or a close friend

Love is also known as ...

Affection: a feeling of liking and caring about someone or something.

Infatuation (not a positive side of the topic): a strong feeling of love that seems silly, especially because you do not know the other person very well.

Adoration: 1. a feeling of great love and respect for someone
2. the worship of a god

Passion: a powerful emotion such as love or anger

Desire: a strong feeling of wanting to have or do something

There is unconditional love - (love that forgives everything and asks for nothing). That may seem like God's love, but only the upper half of the description truly suits it. God does ask for something from us - He wants us to love Him back and have a relationship with Him! Wow, that's more gracious than asking for nothing!!!

There is also unrequited love - (when you love someone but they do not love you). No one wants this. In the same way, show God you love Him by obeying his commands. Oh yeah, and don't forget to forgive the mean girl for calling you that nasty name behind your back. God wants us to love others, just as He has loved you.

What other words remind you of love? Is it Hawaiian pizza? Your best friend? Parents? God? Which one?

10 *Gasp* Facts about Shakespeare

Good day, readers, it's good to see you again even after all the chaos from school's re-opening.

This topic which seemed quite interesting came to my mind, and I decided to blog about it. Today, I randomly posted 10 really surprising facts about the Father of Literature - William Shakespeare.

1. He never went to university. In fact, his family was illiterate! Yet, he grew up to be the greatest English language writer ever lived. (Don't get any ideas)

2. He married a 26-year-old woman, Anne Hathaway, when he was 18.

3. Anne, his wife, was three months pregnant when she married Shakespeare.

4. His eldest child, Susanna, received most of his property when he died, and not his wife.

5. All Shakespeare gave his wife in his will was his second-best bed. The second-best bed was their marriage bed - the best bed was reserved for guests.

6. Both of Shakespeare's parents had names of Bible characters. His mother, MARY, was a wealthy gentleman-farmer's daughter - she married JOHN Shakespeare, a tanner who was the mayor of Stratford.

7. In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the character "Juliet" was born on "Lammas Eve at night", which was probably July 31 - and "Juliet" means "born in July"!!!

8. Most of his plays were published seven years after his death.

9. Shakespeare survived the Black Death, but his descendants weren't so fortunate. All of his grandchildren died, leaving him no more descendants.

10. No one really knows what Shakespeare looks like - no portrait was ever painted of him when he was still alive.

BGR - Song of Songs Part 2

Alright, readers - second part of my topic:

Song of Songs 5: 2 - 3

Beloved

I slept but my heart was
awake.
Listen! My lover is knocking:
"Open to me, my sister, my
darling,
my dove, my flawless one.
My head is drenched with dew,
my hair with the dampness
of the night."
I have taken off my robe -
must I put it on again?
I have washed my feet -
must I soil them again?

Here, the guy is coming to see his girl in the dead of the night. During that time, the roads were literally soil and dirt, people out on them were covered with filth.

This girl had just cleaned herself and was halfway sleeping - and getting clean was a very, very tiring process, and the nightgown she wore was almost like being in her underwear nowadays. So, imagine if the guy she loved was outside, asking to come in, she didn't want to tempt both of them since they were not married.

So, she was making excuses, trying to give a hint that it wasn't right for (her) to let (him) see (her) like that.

Song of Songs 5:8

Beloved

O daughters of Jerusalem, I
charge you -
if you find my love,
what will you tell him?
Tell him I am faint with love.

God wants you to be proud of your relationship, if you have one. However, many teenagers, (and even preteens) try to hide it instead of letting others know, in fear of getting punished by their parents or "sabo" by their friends.

Here is where the concept of BGR steps in. Since God wants you to have nothing to hide about your relationship, it is always wise to think "Am I matured enough?", "Am I ready to handle this?" and most importantly "Is this God's will?"

You can take it all from the guy (Lover) and girl (Beloved) in Song of Songs. Here are the special characteristics of both of them:

The guy: - Head over heels for (her), pursues her, yet he knows his limits
- Knows (her) boundaries and accepts them.
- Praises her, even in front of his friends
- Thinks her as the only girl for him
- Waits for the right time in everything

The girl: - Loves the guy, and shows (him) respect
- Has firm boundaries and makes sure (he) knows them
- Praises him, even in front of her friends
- Saves her virginity for him, and also her heart
- Tells him that she prefers his love, rather then him having sex with her.

Here are just a few verses to close with:

Song of Songs 8: 4 "Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires."

Proverbs 31:30 "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."

and my favourite ....

1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the
greatest of these is love."

BGR - Song of Songs Part 1

Blessed New Year, my dear blog viewers. How's the new start going? I hope it's running smoothly.

Now, I thought, what better way to start the new year than to speak on a topic that most people are curious about - BGR. I believe that most of you people who read my blog are young people, or, even if you aren't, I bet you'll find this topic quite interesting all the same.

Today, we will look at romantic relationships from God's point of view. This view is taken from the ultamite romance book - The Song of Songs from God's word.

The first thing you can think of when you hear of that book is that it is all about unexplainable love poems from a guy to a girl, and a girl to a guy, which no one from the 21st century can actually relate to. If you think so, You have to change your mind.

Song of Songs is a collection of love poems. These verses form the picture of God's ideal plan of perfect human love and marriage. In fact, Song of Songs is one of the Wisdom Books of the Bible. (Wow, God considers human love as a form of WISDOM!!!!) Besides, scholars state that although in some versions it is called Song of Solomon, it was not necessary written by King Solomon himself, so we cannot be sure who actually wrote them.

The poems are something like a play. Here are the "characters" as the Bible states them:

Lover: GUY in love.
Beloved: GIRL in love.
Friends (speaking after the Lover): Supportive Guyfriends of the Lover
Friends (speaking after the Beloved): Supportive Girlfriends of the Beloved

So, there you are. Now, I will just pull out some scriptures from the book and tell you what they really mean.

Song of Songs 1: 1-3

"Beloved
Let him kiss me with the
kisses of his mouth -
for your love is more
delightful than wine.
Pleasing is the fragrance of
your perfumes;
your name is like perfume
poured out.
No wonder the maidens
love you!

That was a girl talking about her lover. Do you notice how bold she was at the very beginning - she asked him to kiss her on the mouth - not on the cheek, not on the forehead. In those days, a kiss could mean a greeting, a blessing - but in her case, a kiss on the mouth was a mark of a romantic relationship. Then, she added, "Your love is better than wine." In those days, wine was usually associated with sex. So, she was saying, "I prefer your love for me, than you having sex with me."

It goes on with the Beloved praising her lover's name. A name, back then, represented your character, your personality, everything about you. In modern words, this was what she was saying:
"(You) are so pleasant. The sound of your name is so sweet. No wonder everyone likes you!"

The story continues with the guy replying the girl (now this is very important):

Song of Songs 1:9

"Lover
I liken you, my darling, to a
mare
harnessed to one of the
chariots of Pharaoh."

If you were to say this to any girl today, she will give you the cold shoulder; but if you were living 2000 years ago, the girl will run home and tell her parents she has met her future husband.

You see, in those days, stallions were used in battle. Mares on heat were released before them, and when the male horses saw the female horses ...

"NEIGGHHHHTTTT!!!!!" They would just charge forward like psychos. So, if this Lover guy was comparing his girl to a mare, he meant that when he took just one look at her, he was OFF!!! All he wanted was her. (Wow, what a guy!)

In Chapter 4, the Lover compares his Beloved's eyes with doves. Dove represented a gentle and loving person, so you must know what (he) thought of (her). The Lover goes on praising the beauty of the girl he loves, saying how perfect her outer appearance was.

PRECAUTION: Girls during those days had love handles, so, you can't say that fat is ugly. (Not to a guy who has fallen for her heart!)

In Song of Songs 4:12, he says:

"You are a garden locked up,
my sister, my bride;
you are a spring enclosed, a
sealed fountain."

The Lover was saying that his Beloved was saving herself up for him. The "spring" meant the source of life - her womb! The girl was saving her virginity up for him, and he was proud of it.

Now, there you go - part of one of the most mysterious books is is revealed to you. If you want to find out the whole story, come and read the next part of my blog which will be posted in several days time.

A dedication of this post to my church Youth Pastor, who gave me most of the information I knew right now.