Speak Oh Lord: As I Come To You

Teach me Lord, full obedience,
Holy reverence, true humility.
Test my thoughts, and my attitude,
In the radiance of Your purity

Cause my faith to rise,
Cause my eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority.

Words of power that can never fail,
Let their truth prevail over unbelief.

---------------------------------------------

Lord, be a light for me when there is no light. Forgive me when I fall in the dark, sometimes it's so hard to see. And by grace I will stand, on Your promises, and by faith I will walk, as You walk with me.

Speak O Lord, till Your church is built, and the earth is filled, with Your glory.

God's Plan: He Knows

Dear Father,

Day by day, it's all in Your hands! :)

Continue to teach me, again and again and again! :)

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!

Lord Almighty: Hear My Prayer

Dear Father,

You're awesome no matter what - I've learnt that even in bad times You show Yourself to be good. Sometimes this child of Yours cannot see beyond the small ring of light around his feet - sometimes he asks: "Father, why is the ring of light so small? I can only see where I'm standing now and I can't even see what my next step is..."

Then sometimes this child of Yours asks: "Father, what do I do? I cannot see beyond this ring of light, and how come You're so silent?"

But when the Father speaks, the child is quietened. Dear Lord, speak, speak, speak, your child is listening. He will listen to You, he will honour You with everything he has.

Lord, help me be a blessing still - help me encourage people even when I only have a ring of light around me. The Lord shall be my light - thy Word shall be a lamp unto my feet.

This child is heavy-ladened, blind and weak - but he knows You are beside him. He dares not sin, he dares not disobey - but Father please provide him with strength and courage to live each day. Help him be a blessing still.

Help me be a blessing still.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Burdens Lifted: Rejoice!

My direct supervisor is this really erudite (although I can't say he's a scholar, haha, for reasons only those in our course will know) and well-learned Irish man called Professor David Logan (Coulson Professor, Department of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Oxford):

Professor David Logan, Coulson Professor,
Oxford University, Chemistry Department

He's really really nice and funny, and I quite like him actually, haha!

And I've some of my favourite quotes of his to share with you today:

The Mickey Mouse Conjecture

"... and this you see here, is the Van der Waals equation of state, completely derived from a simple ansatz via a mean field theory. Of course, in your undergraduate days, you might have attended some mickey mouse undergraduate courses that gave you a mickey mouse derivation of it. But as you see, we've derived it completely from first principles here..."

The You-Should've-Known-It-Since-You-Were-Five Statement

"... and here we know that the result given in the classical limit when we move away from quantum statistics simply collapses to the simple Boltzmann factor - of course, this is simply what we have always known, that the molecular partition function raised to the power of N and divided by N! gives us the partition function, which of course, can be derived from the particle-in-a-big-box energy levels, which you all have known since the age of five..."

The It's-Stupid-But-It-Is-Ingenious Approach

"... and you might ask, are we crazy? Why would we do such a silly thing? Well it's silly, but as it turns out, it allows us to generalize the n-state-Potts model to a plethora of phenomena, like the adsorption of krypton on graphite..."

The It's-Just-A-PhD-Thesis Statement of Faith

"... and we shall now go through the Ising Model, which of course, is simple! After all it was just his PhD thesis!"

The I-Am-Not-Having-Examinations Proclaimation of Joy But That's Because Tutorials Are Hard

YYK: "Professor! Are we going to be examined for this module?"

Professor: "Oh don't worry, there's not going to be an examination... how're the Problem Sets?"

YYK: "They're long!"

Professor: "Oh yes, I expect you to take a week or two with each Problem Set."

My Professor's a lovely fellow, and I'm always kept entertained by his jokes in class, haha!

And yes, there are no examinations for Statistical Mechanics, thank God so so so much! :)

Jealousy: The Ruin of the Soul

Everytime I see other people get jealous over some other people I always say: "Sigh, why would you get jealous over such a small matter?" Try saying that again when you yourself get jealous over something, then you'll see how out of character you behave when it comes to you struggling with yourself.

I've experienced anger (well, I don't think anyone other than my parents and Shaun have seen me angry before), and a whole host of other feelings. But jealousy's quite rare - not that I've the chance to get jealous all the time, haha!

By the way, jealousy isn't envy - it comes with a whole complete different plethora of feelings and emotions. And jealousy works its way out differently in different people.

But I do know that jealousy gnaws at you, an insidious being within.

Remember Saul, remember David and remember God.

Easy to say right? But I'm as guilty as any other foolish person when it comes to having each and every single sin there is. With the possible exception of gluttony in my current state because it's hard to indulge in the UK, haha!

All I can say is: I thank God for giving me not only the strength to be honest, but also the chance to be honest with myself and my loved ones.

---------------------------------------------

So, to go or not to go, that is the question:

Good 'ol Terry!

Well, we'll see who goes first! :)

And lady bugs are quite common - they assaulted me in the toilet:

Lady Lady on the Wall, Who's the Fairest of Them All?

Okay fine, it didn't do anything to me, haha!

Life in Oxford: Freezing

Well, I've finally brought myself to upload some of my pictures to Flickr, so I can give everyone a proper update. I've been struggling with the weather somewhat, because temperatures have dropped to sub-zero and below-zero numbers:

Sub-Zero Oxford

Of course, the weather update's never accurate - it says that the lowest temperature would only go down to 6 degrees Celcius, but when I walked past the lawn that was covered with ice, I knew Yahoo! needed some corrections.

So what have I been up to? Well, on Monday, Franz and I prepared some food to celebrate Siu Yau's birthday, so we got him a whisky dundee cake and some Ben's Cookies, and brought them to iFocus night:

Franz Multi-Tasking: Cutting Cake and the Bible

So a dundee cake is somewhat like a fruit cake, or at least it looked like one and tasted highly suspiciously like one, but no matter, it was good! We somehow... didn't really sing him a Happy Birthday song because...

Well, because. :)

And here're the Ben's Cookies, which were the highlight of the night:

Ben's Cookies

Which of course, Chris had never tried before despite being in Oxford for 8 long years:

Chris Sneaking Off a Cookie During Bible Class

And what do you know? Caught on iPhone! Haha. And of course, there's Emmanuel, Siu Yau himself and Benjamin:

What are you looking at, bud?

Well, everyone's really stressed one way or another - I mean, what else is new? But! David and Chris never fail to remind us about who and what God means to us in our lives. And here's another mugshot of the birthday boy, obviously a failed one:

See No Evil!

Today, Jed and I decided to treat ourselves (Jed just recovered from a rather serious flu and cough, and I was feeling rather cold and hungry, as usual) to a good meal at Eagle and Child, the famous pub that C.S. Lewis and his contemporaries used to frequent:

The Eagle and Child

And well, it looked like the typical English pub, with a nice warm (and dark) setting; there was lots of alcohol of course:

So How Much Do You Pay Today?

And well, they sell ale here too:

Ill Ale

And here's what it looks like inside:

Interior of Eagle and Child

With nice lamps everywhere:

What a Lamp-Post!

Somehow we were given too many utensils; here they give you a wooden ladle with your table number on it, so please don't go using it to tuck into your food:

Mambo Number, 10?

And there's Jed the sick boy who recovered:

What You Looking At, Wise Guy?

And what did we have? Well, British-style Beer Battered Fish & Chips, Shepherd's Pie and a bowl of Calamari Rings, and to top it all off, a pot of Earl Grey:

Shepherd's Pie

Calamari Rings

Beer-Battered Fish & Chips

Earl Grey

Well, it wasn't exactly a rip-off - and furthermore, Jed said he enjoyed himself today: "It's the loveliest meal I had in ages!"

Yup, that's how deprived we are here at Oxford - with the cold weather, a warm meal is a blessing indeed. :)

So last Friday I had some of my Chinese friends come over to Jesus for lunch and I hosted them at the dining hall:

The Chinese Boys

We ended up talking about politics, entertainment and other Chinese news - I'm always impressed by how the Chinese are so up-to-date with world trends and issues. Amazing people, widely read. :)

And then of course there was Hassan's Van, which introduced us to the Chicken Platter (way too big for the both of me and Jed to share) and the Mixed Kebab (good but it was huge beyond proportions):

Mixed Kebab

Chicken Platter

All in all, things are going well - I'm struggling but it's fine, I'll grow and learn slowly. I really miss home at times, but hey, this is home for now. :)

-------------------------------------------------------

I will lean on God more, forgive me for falling and stumbling, I will not give up!

Paradigm Shift: Growth

No, I don't want to graduate yet! :)

Because I want to learn more - there's so much to learn here, and not just Physics and Mathematics and Chemistry! :)

The Day of the Lord: I Will Praise Him!

Sunday's here again, and like all other days of the week, the Lord is worthy to be praised!

This song means something to me because I sang it for the people in Tibet - Christian and Jonathan taught me so much then. :)

Blessed Sunday everyone! God will provide for all of us so let us go boldly and serve God - God teach me how even as I fear, even as I come to terms with how weak I am.

Kebab Delight: Hassan's Kebab

So Jed and I decided to have dinner at a kebab van last night - it's sort of like an express food van that you can find littered all over Oxford at night and they stay opened till midnight or something. I asked around if these were hygienic and I got really good reveals - in fact, this guy from Hong Kong told me that the best in Oxford was this van called Hassan's Kebab.

And well, once again, no photos - but I caught everything on tape (well, mostly everything!). People here call me Jackie Chan and well, the chef was quite funny, and he thought I was Japanese, haha.

So here's the video of the day:

That's about all till I get my photos uploaded - feeling lazy, haha. :)

Praise Him: There is Hope Yet!

Grace is not that we leave everything to God - Grace renews us so that we may train to be Christlike.

Training? I thought we were transformed into Christlike beings?

Nonsense! For we serve a commanding officer - why will transformation come when we leave everything to the officer! Discipline comes in hand with the Grace that is given to us! Grace is the will of God implanted in you so that you may have the desire to change and be transformed.

Acting on that desire is then faith - let your faith be completed by your actions! 

-------------------------------------------------------------

Many people think that spiritual disciplines are unnecessary, or even Catholic in origin; but the early Christians did so, without even referring to them as spiritual disciplines. An outflow of their abundant life.

Bible reading, memorization of scriptures, meditation on scripture, evangelism, frugality, fasting, prayer and good works.

I will continue to grow! There is hope yet!

Cooking Phail: My Goodness

I cannot believe this actually happened:

YYK: *thinks to himself* "I think I shall cook today! Let's go to the supermarket and shop for a while"

And so he goes to Tesco's after having lunch with Jed...

YYK: *looks at the spread* "Sweet and sour fish it shall be!"

Later, at dinner time...

YYK: *shocked* "Huh? You mean my rice cooker's spoilt?! Oh never mind, no rice then!"

And then when he got to the stove...

YYK: *stunned* "What? There's no gas today!?"

And therefore he just went off to college for dinner instead. What a big waste of fresh fish!

Where I Am Now: At The Gate of the Year

And I said to the man

Who stood at the gate of the year,

"Give me a light that I may tread safely

into the unknown."

And he replied,

"Go out into the darkness

and put your hand into the hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light,

and safer than a known way."

So I went forth

and finding the hand of God,

trod gladly into the night.

And He led me towards the hills

and the breaking of day in the lone East

Minnie Louise Harkins 1875-1957

------------------------------------------------------

And when the night falls,
When silence rings in the halls,
Who shall be my comfort,
'Be my shield!' who can purport?

None, none but You oh Lord!
Comfort me in my fear oh God,
Leave me not to despair,
As this world its fangs at me bare.

Yeo Yong Kiat, 2010, Oxford

Table Soccer: English Past-Time

So what do the English do when they get sick and tired of studying?

Well, there's always Table Soccer:

That's about it, until I get my pictures uploaded somewhere, haha!

Molecular Gastronomy: Cooking with Chemistry

Well well, I generally think seminars are boring, but how about this:

Molecular Gastronomy Lecture

Now this is worth going - Physical Chemistry and food! Haha. Signed up for it and I'm going for this in three weeks time! Heh. You can click on it to enlarge the poster. :)

Toodles!

Long Time No See: You Thought I Died Already?

Well, Blogger's upload limit is up and I'm searching for some way to upload photos (it's just an excuse and I'm just lazy to update my blog because work's catching up to me, haha, or is it the other way around?) But in any case, then I can upload some videos for you guys!

Here's a whole backlog worth of videos:

This is the most recent activity, of me cooking at St. Ebbes for iFocus - well, I didn't film the cooking, but you can at least get to see the finished product, which is Chicken Madras Curry.

And then here're the fireworks from Guy Fawkes' Night last Saturday night - the iPhone 4 doesn't do it much justice, sadly; watch till the end to see the cute little girl with her daddy:

Here's me being a monkey with the cold breathe and Jed filming me - ah well, you don't get to be a cold monkey very often you know:

And here's the apple strudel party at David's house a few weeks back:

I'll be less lazy in future, I hope! :)

Toodles!

Blessed: Because I'm Forgiven

谢谢您的赦免，我才能一次再一次地在您面前祷告，跟您对话。

到底怎样才算是把您的荣耀颂扬呢？

到底怎样才能活出圣灵的生命呢？

我不明白，求您指点。

藉着耶稣的名祷告，阿门

----------------------------------------

I'm learning how to say grace slowly nowadays - I will always remember what Shaun's brother said:

Brendan: "Kor, I just realised the most important words in saying grace are 'In Jesus' name I pray'"

And how right is the young man. :) Without Jesus, no one comes close to You. And I must make sure I myself hear those words every single time I pray.

In The Deep: Crevices of the Heart

"O Man, doth thou not know that thy deeds in the dark,
The One above sees and judges?
O but how insurmountable the things in the heart,
How will thou conquer them?
Turn thy eyes unto the judge,
Fear Him and know wisdom." 

- Yeo Yong Kiat, Oxford, 2010

----------------------------------------------------

Truly, it is hard to keep from sin when no one is looking, when no one knows what's going on in my heart. Help me O Lord, for You know and You care and You are the one who judges all man. Judge my attitudes and my thoughts, and keep me righteous - by faith I will live my life.

Every Tribe and Tongue: Singing Praise

Would you just listen to this: http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=578130

And this'll be what it'll be like in the future. Can you believe it? Amazing! :)

Although I've deleted all the Christian songs I've downloaded, I've been provided with an endless list of Christian songs to choose from. I'm beginning to believe that it's really possible to delete all of the songs I've downloaded. :)

Seizing What Is Good: Pray Unceasingly

I know I haven't blogged for a while, but things have been quite tiring - I've been spending more time with my coursemates, serving a little more in Church and work's been piling up somewhat. So yes, I've some photos to share, but before I go on, here's something to think about first.

You know, we are told to pray unceasingly. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul writes, saying for the Thessalonians to be "unceasing in prayer". Now let's think about it - and while you think I'm going to take out my study bible - when and why does Paul say this?

It's in the last chapter of 1 Thessalonians, and Paul's giving his benediction (blessings) to the church and if you read the whole chunk of it, it reads:

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

In case you haven't realised, there's a semicolon there, right after "circumstances" - yes I know the ancient bible didn't exactly have punctuations, but if you read carefully, what is the will of God in Christ for us? Is it solely to give thanks in all circumstances? Or is it a coalition of the three: rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances?

When Paul says this is God's will, all three fall under the umbrella of God's will. It's hard when we have to keep giving thanks, isn't it, when things go wrong? That's why we need to pray - without prayer, how do you find strength and reason to give thanks? 

Prayer is important. Pray, pray and keep praying! Jesus made it a point of his ministry to pray - so we must pray as well.

In the words of David Mak, "If praying is an assault on the devil's fort, why aren't Christians praying as often we should be?"

Indeed! Let us pray more often - it's a lesson I'll have to learn as well.

--------------------------------------------------------------

So what have I been up to these few days? Well, let's start from last night! I went to St. Ebbes to help out for cooking again - this time it wasn't for i-Focus, but it was for Explore (an outreach for non-Christians who wish to learn more about God!). And well, let's just look at the ladies' response to our cooking first:

The Ladies and Our Food

They weren't too impressed with it, but when they took a bit they were raving over it:

I Wish I Knew What She Thought Of It

Alright, essentially, we made Spanish pancakes - I've kind of mastered it, so I can probably cook for you all when I get back to Singapore. It's fantastically easy and tastes absolutely splendid. Although I thought the pans could afford to have more Teflon on them, haha.

And here's the Explore study group:

Sam Tham (centre) Getting More Food

Well, so what do Spanish pancakes look like? Well, I'll show you the failed product first, which tasted excellent but looked like cai thao kueh (carrot cake):

Spanish Pancakes

The main chef was a Spanish guy called Enrique and he was a really nice person:

Enrique - The Main Chef

And of course, the two other lovely assistants:

Jun Yong (left) and Alistair Reid (right)

Jun Yong's a Singaporean, and I'm right, he's an A*Star scholar at the School of Physics and Engineering here at Oxford. And Alistair is a really humble person who has got awesome vocals and music skills (piano, keyboard, organ and acapella singing are his forte).

Alright, here's the nice version of the Spanish pancake:

Good Spanish Pancake

Looks good eh? Tastes much better than it looks, haha! And here's Ali with his pancake:

Alistair Reid With Spanish Pancakes

And that's how many potatoes and onions we had to peel and chop:

Potatoes for the Multitude

Jun Yong was rather amused throughout the night by my antics:

够了没有啊你!

And that sums up what happened last night! And then last Friday, I went for pizza at Fire & Stone - I forgot to upload the picture, so here's some visual remuneration for you:

Cairo Pizza @ Fire & Stone

And guess what they served yesterday for lunch? I almost laughed my heart out because it read 'Nasi Goreng' (and Turkey somemore!) on the menu - they clearly didn't know what was Nasi Goreng, haha:

Nasi Goreng and Other Stuff

Oh, and here's a random picture of the potatoes again:

Tater-Sputter

Jed and I had a mini Halloween celebration last Friday - we went down to the Chemical Research Laboratory cafeteria and got ourselves the Halloween Lunch Special, which consisted of:

Some Chocolate Bar

Vampire Panini
(Sausage and Parmesan Panini with Salad on the Side)

Alright, that's really all for now - I've maxed out Blogger's 1GB limit on photos and therefore I'll need to find a new way to upload photos. Any ideas anyone? :)

Toodles!

There is a Higher Throne: Hear Heaven's Voices Sing!

Dear Father, I will continue to serve You faithfully, even when I've no time, You will give me time - even when I've no strength, You will give me strength. For You've created me, and prepared in advance all the good works You've called me to. Oh Lord, teach me to obey, teach me to serve. 

King David said that he will not offer You a sacrifice that cost him nothing - and so it shall be with my time here at Oxford. My sacrifices must cost me something - only then are those sacrifices!

Help me look towards Christ, and His second coming. Forgive me Lord when I falter, help my unbelief, I believe!

Help me Lord, help me I ask You humbly, otherwise this child of God cannot live. 

Thank You Father, this I pray in Your Son's perfect name, Amen.

----------------------------------------------

Hi everyone, I'm cracking under the stress somewhat, but that doesn't mean I stop singing God's praises. :)

I'll wait for You to wipe my tear-stained eye, but I know in the meantime we're called to a life that is meant to shine Your hope and glory to this world. Teach me how, because I have no strength and I don't know how.