Justified

I was up by 6:30 this morning, very odd - considering I slept at around 2 last night. But somehow I knew I had to get up. So I got out my Bible and started reading. And I read today's Streams in the Desert. And it spoke about heaven , and how our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed when we see Christ face to face. (Romans8:18).(exactly what Ruth and I spoke about yesterday) And the passage came with this really cool story of a blind man. This wealthy young man of high social standing had been blinded by an accident at the age of ten. In spite of his blindness, he had graduated from the university with honors and had now won the heart of his beautiful bride, although he had never looked upon her face. Shortly before his marriage he underwent a new round of treatments by his specialists, and the result was ready to be revealed on the day of his wedding.
The big day arrived, with all the guests and their presents. The groom, dressed for the wedding but with his eyes still covered by bandages, rode to the church with his father. His famous ophthalmologist met then in the vestry of the church.
The bride entered the church on the arm of her white-haired father. She was so moved, she could hardly speak. Would the man she loved finally see her face - a face other admired but he know only through the touch of his delicate fingertips?
As she neared the altar, while the soft strains of the wedding march floated through the church, she saw an unusual group. There before her stood the groom, his father, and the doctor. The doctor was in the process of cutting away the last bandage.
Once the bandage was removed, the groom took a step forward, yet with the trembling uncertainty of someone who is not completely awake. A beam of rose-colored light from a pane in the window above the altar fell across his face, but he did not seem to see it.
Could he see anything? Yes! Recovering in an instant his steadiness and demeanor, and with a dignity and joy never before seen on his face, he stepped forward to meet his bride. They looked into each other's eyes, and it seems as if his gaze would never wander from her face.
"At last!" she said. "At last," he echoed solemnly, bowing his head. It was a scene with great dramatic power as well as one of great joy. Yas as beautiful as this story is, it is but a mere suggestion of what willa ctually take place in heaven when Christians, who have been walking through this world of trial and sorrow see Him face to face.

And then I started reading Romans... And suddenly it dawned on me that all our sins have been justified.
Because God is a JUST God, sin did require punishment. He couldn't just say "never mind I'll let you off the hook" with mere words - So Jesus paid for it ALL. He paid for it. He died to provide justification for all our sins!! So that's why when we do fall... We know that as we have faith in his blood, we are JUSTIFIED! Everything has been paid for. We don't to have to 'do time' anymore for whatever bad choices we make in our lives. I feel so utterly liberated and freed. forever and ever. And with knowing this grace, I will live differently.

I'm sorry friend,
for how I put you in prison in my mind. For thinking that you had to do time-
When we both have been justified and have been freed from the punishment of sin.
I am sorry.

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice. . . he . . . justifies those who have faith in Jesus" Romans 3:23-26

"Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him" (4:8)

I'm so glad
I woke up early.

Eternity and Heaven

Today started out really horribly, with me being extremely emotional and affected by things...
But the day got better and better and its ending nicely now. Always choose wine over vinegar always choose wine over vinegar. In my thoughts, in my decisions, in my actions. To keep hoping and having the constant joy knowing God is taking care of everything.
Ruth and I watched Confessions of a Shopaholic today at Cathay! hahaha. I actually enjoyed it a lot cuz it was completely brainless and clean. The movie wasn't like the book though. I thought Suze (Becky's best friend) was really pretty. And Becky's taste in clothes were hideous.
Anyway!!
Bought Regina Spektor's album and Ella Fitzgerald's album after the movie at Gramophone. And the original Sound of Music DVD. I love that movie. These are all gonna be temporary sustenance for me in Japan. CDs and DVDs in Japan are ridiculously expensive man... So I'm buying what I can here.
And then Ruth and I (didn't have coffee) sat at Starbucks, she had hot chocolate and I had a chai tea latte. We talked about who we wanted to have coffee with in heaven (for her, tea). C.S. Lewis. GK Chesterton. I blurted out Ghandi... but I don't know if he's there. What a morbid thought. I hope he's there. Wilberforce... etc. But we said that most of all, we look forward to seeing The Perfect God face to face. To sit on his lap. To ask if I could paint the sunset with him... It's amazing that that day will actually come.
And I told Ruth I didn't know how to say goodbye when I go to Japan. And I didn't wanna make it all like its really a goodbye sob sob situation... So we talked about how actually these things don't matter in a bigger scale of things cuz we have eternity to spend together. All these things made me so happy.
So tonight I can go to bed without a heavy heart.

3 days left

3 days left in Singapore.
spent the whole of yesterday packing my stuff into boxes. and transferring my closet into a suitcase. and went to holland v to fix my black moccasins and develop pictures from my holga. but apparently i inserted the film wrongly and i was taking pictures but the film wasn't winding! it kept exposing the same spot on the roll of film. bummer man... i was looking forward to seeing the pictures i took :(

A B C

today has been an extremely extremely productive day !!! yaaay.
woke up slightly earlier than usual (still considered sleeping in for many, but for me its early) - 10:30am. made a nice big greasy breakfast for my mom and myself... with hot cups of tea for the both of us. sat at the table by my window and had a nice chat/meal. jeremy came over in the midst of our tea drinking, and then i got ready and we went out to accomplish the to-do-list of the day. stuff to i had to get done before leaving singapore...

1. bought boxes from the post office so i can ship some of my stuff over.
2. mailed some letters
3. went to uncle herbert's clinic for an MMR jab and had a nice chat about travelling, languages, changing the WORLD....
4. got a call from my mom to go to the dentist to get retainers for my teeth-grinding. so i went and got my teeth mold made... bleaugh it was like play dough in my mouth.

and then spent the rest of the day with jeremy. we had bak kut teh near robertson quay. YUM. i love bak kut teh. and we also had pig intestines and kidney. and salted veggie. good stuff.
then i finally got to go to Books Actually. i loved it. not the prices. but the books and old cameras and typewriters. i bought myself some postcards and a book. the Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich. it speaks about the subject of art from the "earliest cave paintings to the experimental art of today" with "directness and simplicity in writing" and aims to "bring some intelligible order into the wealth of names, periods and styles which crowd the pages of more ambitious works" etc. etc. i'm excited to read it :) input input. then i can output.
then we visited jeremy's mom at the hospital. she has a fibroid in her stomach so she had to go through a small surgery to get it to shrink. (its not cancerous or anything though thank God.) brought her some of my old VOGUEliving magazines to read so she won't be bored in the hospital room...
today, my mom told me that the apartment i'm renting doesn't allow instruments. what sia.
but the agent was nice enough to say that when we get there we'll test out the thinness of the wall. see if i can play softly and not be heard. i hope it'll work out okay. if not i'll have to look for another place to stay...
anyways, got lots to do tomorrow too, so i'm off to bed !
its been a loooong day. today was a perfect day. everything went perfectly.

we were sitting, we were talking in a strawberry swing
every moment was so precious
wouldn't wanna change a thing

one more week

today, the jeffrey's, the png's and i went to the French Stall for dinner. lovely fooood. and ambience. and company. i had lamb. happy birthday to uncle eugene who paid for our meal, thank you :)

anyway,
let this week be a goood one...
i really gotta start packing... and transfer all Talking Textiles files to CDs and pass to debs. transition transition. gotta settle so many things. and transfer all unwanted files from my computer to my external harddrive because i have less then 2 gigs of space left on my hard disk which is slowing down my computer a lot.

futsol was fun today.

anyway, off i go to bed.

this week

one more week in singapore! ONE MORE WEEK.
can't believe it. one more week...
how am I going to spend this week? If I could go without sleeping and spend every hour with my friends I would. maybe I'll try... with naps in between...

i'm cleaning my room now so i can start packing. i tried doing it the other way round, but realised i can't pack in this clutter. funny how i used to be such a neat freak but my room's always in a mess now. clothes on my couch and shoes all over my floor. books and files piled in front of my bookshelf...
gonna bring my spring and summer clothes first. i'm looking forward to the cherry blossoms and cool weather. and friends visiting and me bringing them around. and of course meeting new people. and then studying what i love. oh i'm also looking forward to the view from my balcony. my apartment is on a hill and it overlooks the area i'm gonna be living. hope i get a good view of the sunrise...

the Cinematic Orchestra

The pianist was amazing in this song.
(I recorded the video from inside my bag so its pitch black. sorry ! just enjoy the music.)

good music, good seats, good company, good food.