Singapore Online Classifieds

Advertorial:

When I was younger, I used to find these big yellow books under my phone:

The yellow pages has been part of the Singapore home in many ways - from pages to wrap "Otah", to books that take up space in the bomb shelter.

But guys, get ready for the latest IT revolution....Get rid of those bulky yellow books and let your fingers do the walking on the Singapore Online Classifieds

No longer do you need to get your fingers dirty (by flicking through those yellow pages), but now you can get instant information at the click of a button.

From jobs, property, cars and services, the Singapore classifieds has everything that you can ask for.

One thing good about the classifieds, is that it even has information about retail shops on Parenting and toys.

This is truly the online substitute that you will need to bookmark!

Technorati Tags: Singapore classifieds

Giving and Prospering in God

Besides the upcoming Asia Conference in Nov, all the church members are facing a very important event next week.

The first week of Nov is our Building Fund Pledging Weekend.

It is going to be a weekend of great sacrifice for our members, as everyone of us will be aiming to bring our best to the house of God - to build God a church in the marketplace, for the marketplace.

Everyone remembers Building Fund season...the songs...the lifting up of envelopes...the tears....I am sure that many of us can relate.

I guess more so, during this time of economic crisis....

Yes..my friends...Christians are not immune to the economic crisis and definitely not immune to trials and tribulations.

But the Good news is this:

As we are faithful to the promises of God, and as we keep on walking in obedience:

We can expect to reap what we have sowed.

As we obey God, we can expect to prosper in God!

In fact, this Prosperity is not limited to our finances. But it applies to all areas of our life: spiritual, physical, emotional and material.

Some people cannot understand why God wants us to prosper. Here are reasons on why God wants you to prosper:

1. God wants us to prosper, so that we be a blessing to others (Deut. 8:18)
If we are in lack, we can't help the poor or the needy. As we prosper in our jobs due to our continual obedience, we can be a bigger blessing to our community and to the ministries that we are involved in.

As we prosper, It is also our duty to be financially responsible for what God gives us.

This leads us to point 2:

2. Prosperity is not an end in itself, but the result of a life dedicated to service to God.

As God blesses us, we must always remember what God teaches us: that "to whom much is given, much will be demanded" (Luke 12:48).

As we prosper, we are expected to keep on sowing!

3 John 2

²Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

It's clear that God wishes that his children prosper. When we live a life of devotion, dedication and action that corresponds with the Word of God, we will prosper.

Furthermore, the verse does not speak about  a momentary or passing phenomenon, but rather a CONTINUAL and PROGRESSIVE state of good success! This comes through continual obedience!!!

Of course, breakthroughs involve times of trials and tribulations. But I am very confident that through our continual obedience, we will end up on top of any economic situation - in our families and & in our lives!

As I have served God, I have never experienced a day of lack. So during this time of sacrifice and giving, I am looking forward to a time of even greater breakthroughs in my life.

Building Fund?!?

Here we come!!!

Technorati Tags: Prosperity Gospel,building fund

A New Milestone for a 3 year Old

3 year old Nicole has finally come of Age.

Last month, she hit a new milestone in her life!

She has finally grown tall enough to open the door by herself.

Gone are the days, where a closed door means privacy or
simply "You can't come in!", but now our little princess is empowered to open new doors with her newfound height :)

On the other hand, it also means that she is not eligible for free bus rides. With her new height, Nicole has to pay for her Bus fares!!!

It's no wonder that Singaporeans have been complaining about the present height limits. The common argument is that with better nutritional levels, children are growing taller and stronger. Hence, the bar for free rides should be raised!

Well, we will see what happens, when she takes her next bus ride!

Meanwhile, enjoy the video of our little girl, and her enthusiastic little assistant.

A New Milestone for Nicole from Edmund tay on Vimeo.

Technorati Tags: Milestone for a 3 year old

Blogger's Choice Awards - 2008 Winner

The Winners for the Blogger's Choice Awards 2008 are out!!!

The Good news is this:

ED UNLOADED maintained a lead of over 30 votes, over all its competitors in the "Hottest Daddy" Category from Jan to Sep 2008.

Besides having this healthy lead over its nearest rivals, ED UNLOAEDED has also managed to get a Bloggy Award Review.

However, as the competition drew to a close, the voting for the top 3 was kept in secrecy, with the votes of the top 3 sites hidden from the public eye.

The results came out just this week:

ED UNLOADED came in 2nd for the Blogger's Choice Awards.

Another Website managed to wipe out our lead in 2 weeks :(

You can see the breakdown of the results here

Oh well...there is always next year (You can actually vote for this site for 2009 now)

But Many Thanks to all my Readers and Supporters out there, who have been reading this site, and following the Adventures of my 3 little Angels.

I really enjoyed writing about them, and I hope that you enjoyed reading about their little escapades as well.

Thanks for all your support & keep on voting!!!

Technorati Tags: bloggy award,blog award,people's blog award

Visit to a Synagogue at Waterloo Street

Last Sunday, as part of my Field Education Tour at Trinity Theological College, I had the privilege of going to Maghain Aboth Synagogue at Waterloo Street.

This was by far the most interesting trip, as there was so much to learn, and so much culture to absorb!

The name of the synagogue translates to "Shield of our Fathers" and it is the oldest Synagogue in Southeast Asia. It was built in 1878 and is currently gazetted as a National Monument.

There are 2 synagogues in Singapore, with the other located at Oxley Rise.

Interesting Fact: This synagogue was originally located at Synagogue Street, but as it was too small, it shifted to this location in 1878. Synagogue Street still exists, but there is No Synagogue there.

A tour of the synagogue was given to us by the Yeshiva boys (Overseas Rabbis-in-training, that come to Singapore to assist the local Jews). It was a real pleasure, having them to show us the place. A Big Thank you to our guides Eliyahu and Yossi, for their patience and willingness to answer all our questions!

From the front, the Synagogue has 2 entrances. Women were separated from the men, and they have to be in the balcony during a service. As a result, the ladies had to enter the building from a separate entrance.

Here's a video of the overall tour of the place. Forgive me for the lousy sound, as the Blackberry does not pick up sounds that well. I miss my N95 8GB on this trip.

Untitled from Edmund tay on Vimeo.

The Ark:

We started with a tour of the inner sanctuary or the ark. Inside the ark, beyond the curtains (or called a  parochet - a fringed curtain with detailed embroidery) one will find scrolls of the Torah. They are encased in wooden containers and there were quite a few scrolls inside. In fact, when a member passes away, he/she can commissions a scroll to be hand-written and given to the Synagogue in his/her memory. 

Untitled from Edmund tay on Vimeo.

The Bema:

We were then brought to the center of the room where the pulpit (Bema) is placed. The Chief Rabbi will make prayers here with the reading of the Torah. The reading of the Torah can take place in English or Hebrew, but all prayers all made in Hebrew, as this is the original language given to them by God.

Famous Seats:

The Jews have played a prominent role in the development of Singapore & all the people of influence had seats in the sanctuary.

Making a quick scan of the place, I found the seat of David Marshall. He is the First Chief Minister of Singapore and he is also dubbed the "Father of Independence". This man was the No 1 guy before MM Lee came onto the scene.

Another famous seat I recognized were the seats of the whole Benjamin family. Remember FJ Benjamin - these are the people who bring in brands Giorgio Armani, DKNY, Guess, Etc.

Interesting Fact 2 - A service can only start when there are 10 men present.

Service description on the Bema from Edmund tay on Vimeo.

On an average Saturday service, there will be about 150 Jews worshipping in the Synagogue.

Situated In the complex, one can also find a Kosher shop which sells Kosher produce. The shop even sells Kosher Chocolate (Kosher - food fit or allowed to be eaten or used, according to the dietary or ceremonial laws)

The whole trip was really fun and eventful and I really enjoyed myself.

The Yeshiva boys also have a blog, and you can check out the team photos there.

Technorati Tags: synagogue

Theology - Gnosticism 2

Some readers have been asking me for a final installment to Gnosticism.  So after some research, here are some things I uncovered about this heresy.

• Firstly, they do not believe that God created this world. This is because there are evil and imperfections in this world. Therefore,  a perfect God could not have created it.
• The ultimate being in the whole universe is called "the One" - who is a perfect being.
• World was instead created by the Demiurge (A by-product of the entity called the One. This process is creation is called to emanate - where the next being is not as pure as the first)
• The world is therefore created by the Demiurge where everything material (objects and things we can see) is bad, and everything spiritual is good.

As this theory originated from Greek philosophers such as Plato, there is a bit more mumbo-jumbo to the next part.

The Demiurge then decides to create another being (Remember: this process is called emanation) He wants to do this as he wants to imitate his creator. 

He steals the power to create from his mum Sophia, and as a result, Sophia's power (Which is more powerful and a higher form) is trapped in material man.

The Goal of Gnosticism is therefore thru "Secret Knowledge" release this spark within us & return ourselves back to the higher form.

In today's context, I think the theory is a bit far fetched, especially with the decline of people reading & being schooled in the teachings of Plato.

It was probably interesting to the intellectuals, as it offered an interesting alternative to Christianity (Kind of like Evolution today)

It also made the intellectuals feel superior to the common people, as they had more "secret knowledge".

Well, I hope you guys are still there after that long elaboration....

Here's a video to keep you entertained, if historical theology is not your cup of tea.

Technorati Tags: Theology,Gnosticism,Sick step,America's got talent

Britain's Got Talent - Michael Jackson

The Asia Conference Talent show entitled "Showtime", had its 1st auditions today! It was interesting as I watched the different acts go in, and as I got home, I searched for talent acts on the net as well.

Not surprising, these talent shows on Youtube are really entertaining!!!

A few weeks ago, I introduced to you a few videos from America's got Talent. Today, I found the latest videos from Britain's got talent.

And these guys are really entertaining!!!

Check out the Michael Jackson Video below:

Funny hor...:)

Below is another video. This one is of a different genre. More touching...

The Brits are really funny. The MCs (Ant & Dec) are really spontaneous and of course with Simon Cowell & Piers Morgan - the show is really packed with personality!!!

If you can't catch it on the telly, check it out on Youtube.

Technorati Tags: Britain's got talent. michael jackson,simon cowell,piers morgan

Theology - the Gnostics

Decided to blog about something different today.

Currently, I am doing research on my theology paper, and as a result, I decided to write something about it (It also helps me to think through about what I have learnt!).

Christian theology started only after the the first apostles who walked with Jesus died.

As these apostles actually walked with Jesus and dined with Him, their remembrances of Jesus' teaching and deeds were sufficient for the everyday discipleship of the church.

Hey! You won't argue with Simon Peter, when he actually knew the person Jesus?

When they died, the next generation of disciples had to think and  reflect upon Jesus' and the apostles' teachings on their own. As a result, theology was born!

After the death of the first apostles, deviant and wrong theologies also began to develop.

The 1st group of people were the Gnostics.

In Summary - The Gnostics believed that they were a special breed of people who knew more than the local bishops. They believed that they possessed a SPECIAL SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE that no one else had.

They also believed that Jesus is only a messenger who is sent from an unknown God to release our spiritual beings.

They are considered a heresy, as they do not believe that Jesus is the son of God. Furthermore, their belief about God the father is vastly different from us. The Father God which they "know", is far too holy and superior to be bothered with us.

It is interesting to note that heresies (wrong teachings) that have evolved through the ages, mainly deal with the following questions: 1. Who is the man Jesus?

2. Is Jesus God?

3. Did Jesus really exist?

4. What is Jesus like?

Kind of a natural development don't you think, considering our whole faith is based on Jesus' death and resurrection.

In fact, differences like this eventually led to the spilt in the church...which is another big topic...

Ok, better sign off, before this post gets too boring...

Technorati Tags: Theology

Bath Time!!!

Bath time!  - This was one of my favorite activities when I was growing up.

For Nic & Nathan, it is of no exception.

Nic says, "It is my favorite, you know!"

One of the things I enjoy doing with my kids - is putting them into their little bath tub, and watching them play with water. 

And when do they come out?

Only after their hands and legs are all wrinkled up!!!

Check out the latest photos of the kids, after their latest adventure:

The 2 of them are just so cute!!! And Little Nathan is becoming more and more cheeky everyday!

Before I go, here's a video that I watched recently...Very Impactful!!!

(P.S - sorry about the low resolution & Ad on this video, as the rest of the same videos on YOUTUBE did not allow it to be embedded)

Technorati Tags: bath time,kids,casting crowns

Nebulizer - Medication for Babies

The NEBULIZER - My babies really hate this word and it seems to be a device that strikes fear into the hearts of little children.

What is it?!? What is a Nebulizer?!?

Wikipedia defines it as a device used to administer medication in the form of a mist inhaled in the lungs.

When do children use it?

When most of us just sleep off the common cold or flu, children display a very low resistence to such viruses. If not treated, a full blown cold can develop into bronchitus.

As a result, Nadine who has been plagued with the flu the last few days, has had to endure the Nebulizer the last few days.

Every 4 hours, she puts on a mask and inhales the fumes produced by the Nebulizer.

Nicole and Nathan really don't like the mask and they literally wail whenever they need to wear it.

We tried letting them watch TV as they receive their medication, but it only works for a while. Most of the time, we have to put them in a WWF bear hug, to keep them in position for the Nebulizer.

However, Nadine has really been a good girl!

She has no qualms about receiving her medicine, and it has made the job much easier!

Hopefully she gets well really quickly!!!

Technorati Tags: Childrens medication,nebulizer