the melancholy of a neglected blog

yes, blog, i have abandoned you big time...
and the worse part is, i'm still not ready to pull out the weeds and srub out the mould
so am just here to drop two or three paras before again whisked by quotidian concerns

not that life has been uninteresting - how can it be when you're trying to win the world!
not to mention having to keep tabs on US election and O Level results this thu
but highlight of the month would be the leadership conference @ KL - it was a total blast!!
meeting hope leaders from all over the world never fails to inspire and encourage me
as i shared last sat, God's doing mighty things thru our churches in every continent
and i am so proud to belong to this big family!

the youth leadership team had dinner with ps simon eng, the VP of hope movement
he shared his experiences to us young punks how to run the race till the end
dennis asked him, "dont you get tired serving God all these years?"
he raised his eyebrows, "tired? no! i'm still as excited, in fact even more so!"
so we pushed further.. what's your secret? how do you have that every day of your life?
he simply said, "i meet God everyday.. if my heart's right, i never fail to encounter him"
the way he said it.. not as a politically correct answer.. man, he really meant it!!
and i am reminded once again: the essential things are always the basic things
when my roots are taken care of, my tree would always stay healthy and fruitful!

well, this turned out to be a decent post, after all...
i'll end with my fave quote of 07 - not from any book but from the movie of the year!
[pop culture rules!! pixar rocks!!!]

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who
offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is
fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of
things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But
there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of
the new. The world is often unkind to new talents — new creations. The new needs friends.

Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected
source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions is a gross
understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my
disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize that only now do I truly
understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come
from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now
cooking at Gusteau’s, who is, in this critic’s opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I
will be returning to Gusteau’s soon, hungry for more.

—Anton Ego, food critic from “Ratatouille”

listenin -- c.s. lewis song by brooke fraser

s.h.i.r.l.s musing away at 12:49 am