Ah Pao’s blog

His Glory Appears 2 Mar 2010

Posted by Ah Pao in Everything else.
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Words & Music: Marty Sampson & Darlene Zschech
© 2009 Marty Sampson & Darlene Zschech/Hillsong Publishing

You gave me hope / You made me whole / At the cross
You took my place / You showed me grace / At the cross / Where You died for me

And His glory appears / Like the light from the sun / Age to age He shines
Look to the skies / Hear the angels cry / Singing holy is the Lord

CNA: Singapore ranked second most expensive city in Asia, after Tokyo 21 Aug 2009

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SINGAPORE : Singapore has been ranked the second most expensive city in Asia, after Tokyo, with Hong Kong taking the third position.

In UBS’ Prices and Earnings 2009 study released on Thursday, Singapore is ranked 24th globally, in a comparison of living costs in 73 cities around the world. The study was based on data collected between March and April this year.

It found Oslo, Zurich, Copenhagen, Geneva, Tokyo and New York to be the world’s priciest cities based on a standardised basket of 122 goods and services. Mumbai, Delhi, Manila and Kuala Lumpur are cities with the lowest price levels.

The study said: “Asia is home to some of the world’s priciest cities and nowhere is the spread between most expensive and cheapest more pronounced.”

Employees in Copenhagen, Zurich, Geneva and New York have the highest gross wages, but Zurich and Geneva top the rankings in the international comparison of net wages.

In Asia, employees in Tokyo earn the highest wages, and are ranked 18th globally. Their salaries are about two times higher than those in Singapore, which came in at 40th globally. Manila, Jakarta and Mumbai are at the bottom of the table.

As for working hours, people work the longest hours in Asia and the Middle East, and the shortest in France. People work an average of 1,902 hours a year in the surveyed cities, but those in Asian and Middle Eastern cities work an average of 2,119 and 2,063 hours a year respectively.

Overall, Cairo employees work the longest hours, averaging 2,373 hours a year, followed by Seoul with 2,312 hours. In comparison, people in Lyon and Paris spend the least amount of time at work – putting in about 1,582 and 1,594 hours a year respectively.

- CNA/al

Source: channelnewsasia.com

2nd Driving Lesson – more mental notes 24 Jul 2009

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Prep – adjust seat BEFORE mirrors.

Moving off – check gear (to 1st…I need power to move!), accelerate and half-clutch at the same time, until the vehicle starts to move (biting point), accelerate more, release clutch. Start slowing at about 2 to 1.5 car lengths.

Slowing down – make use of the brake and engine brake. If on higher gear (e.g. 3rd gear), downshift: clutch, change gear, half-clutch, clutch off. Timing is KEY.

Stopping – brake, clutch (disengage to avoid stalling), brake completely. STOP -> FIRST GEAR. ALWAYS stop at the Stop Line. I can release the brake if I have too much brake, but I can’t brake harder if I have too little brake…it will cause a jerk. SO, brake harder at the beginning, then release towards the end.

Around a bend – wait till the kerb is covered by the bonnet, then start turning. Accelerate when about halfway through the bend (on large radius bends). On small radius bends, turn and return QUICKLY. Look at the direction you are turning into.

Gear up – speed and power, clutch, change gear, half-clutch, clutch off.

Steering – stronger grip during turning, loosen grip on straight roads, especially when changing gear.

Keep in lane – as it is. Keep in the CENTRE of the lane. Look FAR and WIDE.

Updates/First Driving Lesson 21 Jul 2009

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Not been updating the blog for a while. Nothing very worthy to update, and blogging is not very high on my priority list.

I had my first driving lesson yesterday evening, and to say the experience was fun was pretty much an understatement. The idea of learning to drive was hatched almost a decade ago, but I never got around doing it – constrained either by money or time. This year, I resolved to get my driver’s license.

(more…)

Don’t let anger get a foothold 4 Jan 2009

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Have you ever had the feeling of regret after you scolded someone? Today I had the sickening taste of that feeling. I blasted at someone today, and then after knowing the circumstances (indirectly through another person), I feel bad. Really bad. As though I’ve murdered that person.

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” (Matthew 5:21-22, NIV)

Yet the person that I blasted at was so gracious and apologetic. He was never defensive or rebutted me. It just made me feel worse.

It has been a long time since I’ve blasted at anyone in church. Today I realised it is never justified to do that to anyone, no matter how wrong the situation seems. It is like adding salt to a wound.

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:26-27, NIV)

New Workstation – 2008 1 Jan 2009

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After living with a warped table for almost two years, I decided it’s time to get a proper work desk for my desktop computer. This GALLANT table from Ikea is wonderful. It’s big and spacious for my needs, as you can see from the picture. This picture was taken on New Year’s Day, but I got the table about a month ago.

Now I just need to keep it free from clutter.

“Validation” 22 Dec 2008

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Have you made someone smile today?

Quick Quote 31 Jul 2008

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I received this quote in one spam email:

Remember that as a teenager you are at the last stage in your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you.

–Fran Lebowitz

This is pretty true for me. In other words, growing up means more responsibilities, and the phone becomes just a tool to get a job done.

Facing the Giants 28 Jun 2008

Posted by Ah Pao in Ministry.
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There are movies, then there are good movies. Good movies do not come along easily, much less a movie that has a strong message of God’s goodness and faithfulness explicitly woven into the story. Meet Facing the Giants, a movie that talks about aligning one’s life to God and moving in faith.

I shall not attempt to review the movie here–there are many well-written reviews about the movie on the Internet–but I’ll like to talk about one takeaway I’ve gotten from the movie (spoiler within!). There was one scene where Coach Taylor got the team captain to do the “death crawl”. He got him to do a 50-yard crawl, which was much longer than usual, and had him blindfolded.

He was told to give his “absolute best”, and the team captain had nothing to guide him except the voice of his coach. The coach’s encouragement pushed him to give his very best, and by the time he was down, he did the whole distance of the football (rugby) field instead of just fifty yards.

Many a times we are distracted by the circumstances around us that we focus too much on them, rather than listening to the voice of God. Only when we blind ourselves from our surroundings and give our best to God’s call can we achieve things beyond our abilities. I too have lots of fears when called upon to take charge in new situations, but this movie reminded me that I have to be ignorant to my surrounding circumstances and listen only to God’s voice–only then can I overcome my fears and achieve things that He has entrusted me to do. Sometimes we wish we could be bigger, better, smarter…but God chooses to use the weak to glorify Him. Only when we choose to surrender ourselves to God can we have the strength to face the “giants” of our lives.