I think I'm in love. With hymns. No really.

While doing some research and homework for a hymn festival, i've just been singing songs off the hymnals. There're so so many beautiful hymns with so so many poignant, touching and strong words. I'm in love with hymns. And want to share some!

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross



When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of Glory died;
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
save in the death of Christ, my God;
all the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were an offering far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.


Abide With Me
Love the smooth calmness of this song... morbid as this sounds, i want this song to be sung at my funeral. because it's a hymn of hope, a prayer of quiet confidence.



Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see—
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Blessed Assurance



Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
(chorus)

Perfect submission, all is at rest;
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love.
(chorus)

oooo some new scams are going around. got these 2 in my mailbox. consecutively. my goodness. can't the scammers be a bit smarter?

PEPSI LUCKY DRAWS RESULT !!!!

Monday, 23 June, 2008 11:56 AM

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To: undisclosed-recipients

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Claims Verification Form Below

1. Your Full Names:
2. Address:
3. Telephone and Fax Numbers:
4. Occupation:
5. Reference Number:
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Claims Agent
Name: Mrs Cherry Rings
Email: cherryclaimsdesk01@jmail.co.za

Best Regards,
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Congratulations!!!

Monday, 23 June, 2008 12:24 PM

From: "Microsoft Promotion Team"

To: undisclosed-recipients

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MICROSOFT MEGA JACKPOT EMAIL LOTTERY
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Personality Test Program held to Honor our Customers. Your email address
emerged as one of our winners through our Microsot Random Email Balloting
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Microsoft International Promotion
Alexandra Sergey
Director Microsoft Promotion Team.
Contact Email: sergeyalexandra77@live.com

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Microsoft Promotion Team
Copyright © 1991-2008.

you know you've attained a certain status in children's min when the kids buy u something from their overseas trip or give u something for teachers' day.

after about 5-6 years of teaching them, i qualify. got my first 'initiation package' today from a very sweet girl (who looks so so so emo in the mornings, but has the sweetest smile at all other times). thanks demaris!

now pls excuse me while i go "mourn" the evaporating of my 'jie jie' status. it's started...

If you think oil's expensive... see the link below.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/25086684?photo=1

hmmm i think i should just go on a diet!

A powerful camera dost not a skillful photographer make.

"Why doesn't anyone take normal photos anymore?!"

So said Janice. I didn't understand at first, but now I do. Because i had a huge dose of it in the 4 days in Cambodia. Wherever we went, a dslr would follow. And mind you, the dslr is set to "auto" mode. The only things that changed were the photographer and the lens. That's as good as using a point-and-shoot camera. Even the owner of the dslr insisted that the lens cannot be manually focused (ever heard of a dslr lens that cannot be manually focused?). I had to demonstrate that it can be manually focused. Made me think... why are you owning a dslr when you clearly have no desire to learn real photography skills but just want to know photography jargon so you spew them out and take beautiful pictures using the "auto" function?

Frankly, if all you want to is to take photos like how Zhi Wei takes them... use a point and shoot. The Canon PowerShot is a good camera. It trains photographers. If you can take a beautiful shot using Canon PowerShot that looks as though it were shot from a dslr, you're there. You can be called a photographer. Or at least if you're trying and learning. Playing with the functions. Really adjusting the ISO and aperture size and all. Other than that, you're just a cameraman. Worse still, a person with a camera. That's one of the ultimate insults that can be lobbied at a photographer.

The words "energy bars" strike fear into my small heart. Great fear. Give me escargots (slimy garden snails) and I eagerly pull them out of their little shells and eat them baked with garlic and olive oil. Give me frog legs and I eagerly chomp into the tender white meat and perhaps eat the deep fried ginger slices that come with it. Hand me a bowl of pig's organ soup and I can't wait to slurp up the oh-so-rich and peppery broth and gnaw on the chewy intestines and liver. Bring me back some of those deepfried 'bamboo worms' and i pop them into my mouth like french fries. For the record, they do taste like french fries. But my tastebuds just recoil at energy bars. Nothing particularly scary about them. I like fruits, nuts, oats and honey. In different combinations. Together... they tend to be over sweet. over sticky. something that i cannot eat a lot of. Uncle Toby's fruit & yoghurt bars and all other Uncle Toby's bars are the worst of the lot. ugh. For the record, i've ever finished an Uncle Toby's bar only once. And that was because i was desperate for food.

So just think. When i heard that our energy food for the mission trip is going to be energy bars... my stomach went into vertigo. my brain started spinning. and well, because it seems that almost every other person i know loves energy bars and think they are nirvana to a hungry traveller's palate, that's what's going into the mission trip energy food package. ugh. i think i need to make a trip to get my own energy food... oatmeal cookies sound mighty good. so do milo biscuits.