How To Deal With Disappointment

Pastor Steven Furtick has shared a great message on how to deal with disappointment. He is a dynamic preacher who is vocal and in sync with our times and definitely not a fuddy-duddy; he delivers mean punches of truths which make you sit on the edge of your seat.

Click here to watch him tackle "How To Deal With Disappointment".

The Scriptural texts for his sharing is as follows:-

"He (Jesus) also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’” -- Luke 13:6-9 (NKJV)

My takeaways from the Word of God as expounded by Pastor Furtick is as follows:

* The owner of the vineyard was DISAPPOINTED with the fig tree.

* The fig tree was DISAPPOINTING.

* The fig tree was DYSFUNCTIONAL.

* As a fig tree are you trying to produce pomegranate instead?

* Justice says the unfruitful tree of three years ought to be cut down as it is using up the ground.

* Mercy / Grace says let the unfruitful tree alone for one more year so that the the land around it could be tilled and fertilised with manure.

* Do not blame circumstances or other people for your failings; do something about it. The difficulties and the dung you are getting will set you up for your breakthrough if you work with them.


"I know what it is to feel unloved, to want revenge, to make mistakes, to suffer disappointment, yet also to find the courage to go forward in life." -- Tim O'Brien

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises." -- Romans 15:13 (AMP)

"Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!” " -- Hebrews 13:5 (AMP)

World of Tanks Asia -- Play For Free!

If you have time to spare and are feeling bored, you may wanna to explore the World Of Tanks.

Click here to explore the World of Tanks Asia. For a greater blast of excitement, catch more of tanks on YouTube by clicking here.

Image by courtesy of worldoftanks.asia

As a cautionary note, please do not over-indulge and do exercise self-restraint so that your life would not become topsy-turvy on account of your taking on the persona of a tank or tank-driver. Seriously. 

Fly Board - The Future Is Here!

A friend shared the following video of a fly board or perhaps flying a-standing on a drone. 

It sure would look set for an upcoming Jackie Chan or James Bond flick.

The next phase -- flying seated down comfortably strapped in an Uber flying armchair!

The Paradox of Death (The Good in Good Friday)

A plumber friend once remarked that the teachings of Jesus Christ contain many paradoxes -- seemingly outlandish statements which upon further inquiry are found to be true.

Today is Good Friday which commemorates the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion upon a cross some two thousand years ago. There was death and yet we say that it was good for all mankind.

Photo taken by courtesy of www.goldenroc.com.sg

Here are, among other things, some of Jesus' illumination:-

"Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." -- John 12:24 9 (NIV)

Okay, maybe that is easy enough to digest. What about the following sample.

Jesus said to His disciples:-

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." -- Matthew 16:24b (NIV)

In reply to a query by Nicodemus -- a learned Pharisees and a ruler of the Jews, on how to be born again (spiritually; the second birth), Jesus expounded and the renown John 3:16 verse came forth:-

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

(Ask the right questions to receive your nuggets!)

Jesus said to Martha and Mary whose brother, Lazarus, had already been entombed before He was resurrected by Jesus soon after:-

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” -- John 11:25b (NIV)

Photo taken by courtesy of www.goldenroc.com.sg

God the Creator is holy. Mankind have turned against Him in their sinful ways and the punishment for sin can only be atoned by blood. Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, became that sacrifice which is acceptable to God for the forgiveness of our sins to those who believe. Faith is the currency to procure heavenly gifts (e.g., forgiveness, eternal life, righteousness, wisdom, healing, etc.) sustained by obedience and consecration.

"Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." -- Isaiah 53:4-6 (NIV)

Here then is a free gift and possibly the greatest paradox of all; you can be saved from the damnation of sins where death is already a certainty, but if you believe in Jesus and follow Him, you, too, will have your very own resurrection when Jesus comes again, as He said He would.

The choice is ours. Receive it, put it on the back-burner, but God forbids that we chuck Him aside like this discarded love-shaped basket.  

May we be like Nicodemus who was spiritually-discerning and keen to find out God's perspectives regarding how we ought to run our life with wisdom from heaven.

To round up this short discourse, Jesus rebuked the the devil for enticing Him (yes, another paradox!) with these words:-

“It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” -- Matthew 4:4b (NIV)

Click here to hear 3-year-old Claire Ryann sings Gethsemane, where Jesus was betrayed into the hands of the Roman soldiers leading on to His death by crucifixion.

Have A Blessed Good Friday, indeed!

How To Take a Sure-Win Penalty

In the game of soccer taking a penalty successfully or unsuccessfully could have a decisive impact on the outcome of the match.

You would probably have watched many a soccer games involving penalties and may well have suffered the emotional turmoil of seeing your favourite team losing the game on account of a penalty kick.

For your fresh insight as a penalty taker or football fan, please click here to see how the penalty kick can swing even more to the favour of the striker(s). 

And, if you are a goalie, it would help to raise your awareness of the tricks that some opponents have up in their boots.

Thanks to legit human ingenuity, seemingly mundane things such as taking a penalty kick can be given a new spin. 

Hot Cross Buns!

Most of us would be familiar with the following version of the nursery rhyme "Hot Cross Buns" but may have never actually seen them in real life let alone taste them:-

Hot cross buns!

Hot cross buns!

one a penny, two a penny,

Hot cross buns!

If you have no daughters,

give them to your sons.

One a penny two a penny,

Hot cross buns!

With Good Friday round the corner, this is my recent sighting of the hot cross buns:-

According to Wikipedia, "Hot Cross Buns" is an English language nursery rhyme, Easter song, and street cry referring to the spiced English bun known as a hot cross bun, which is associated with the end of Lent and is eaten on Good Friday in various countries.

Click here for some food for thoughts concerning Good Friday and its significance as embodied in John 3:16.

Inspiration from Sakura

Sakura (cherry blossom) is well loved by the Japanese and all over the world for their ethereal beauty.

Click here for an amazing guide on some of the top hanami (cherry blossom viewing) locations in Japan.

Closer home, these are some inspired sakura pastries from BreadTalk -- one of Singapore's most innovative and prolific bakery, for your enjoyment:-

Miss Sakura

Memoirs of Sakura

Hai! Cheese (Say Cheese!)

These soft, cottony Hokkaido milk cheesecakes are
"inspired by the delicate pink sakura".

The Wheelies

The Wheelies are passionate about electric unicycle.

King Song KS-16S
Photo courtesy of TheWheelies.sg

The following blurb is from their website:-

"Founded in 2013, The Wheelies is a leading retailer for Electric Unicycle and operates Singapore largest electric unicycle interest group in Singapore, with 4000 members and growing. The Wheelies also performed in national events such as the Chingay Parade, Singapore Night Festival and SHINE Festival. The Wheelies also conduct professional training for electric unicycling in People’s Association."

Click here to watch The Wheelies zooming around in Singapore.

What Do You See In A Crocodile?

When I think of a crocodile, these are some of the things that pops up:

Crocodile Dentist
Image by courtesy of http://www.lelong.com.my

Crocodile Dentist is a fun toy where players take turn to press down one tooth in turn till someone's finger get snapped by the menacing jaws of the crocodile.

Image by courtesy of BQ.sg

Crocodile International has as its vision and goal "To be the leading Asian Fashion Lifestyle Brand."

Images by courtesy of www.lacoste.com

According to Wikipedia, "Lacoste is a French clothing company, founded in 1933 by tennis player René Lacoste and André Gillier. It sells high-end clothing, footwear, perfume, leather goods, watches, eyewear, and most famously polo shirts."

Image by courtesy of www.crocs.com

And, in more recent times, we have Crocs. Three friends-- Scott Seamans, Lyndon "Duke" Hanson and George Boedecker, Jr., went on a sailing trip. Scott had brought along some clogs which he had invented for his Canadian employer with cut-out holes on the sides and top, but had little success in selling them. 

Despite its lack of appeal in the looks department, these clogs were useful in a wet environment -- anti-slippery, can float on water, could be worn like a shoe with an added strap, would not hold water unlike rubber boots and well aerated. One might say that these clogs took to water like ducks and were way better than existing boating shoes as the three friends found out. 

Convinced that these shoes would be useful, they set up their own company to manufacture a foam clog design which was acquired from a Quebec company called Foam Creations. At a boat show in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2002, they met with overwhelming success and it has rolled on ever since, challenges notwithstanding.

While the shape of the cutouts at the front of Crocs may look like the nostrils of a crocodile and those at the sides like the teeth of the reptile, the company's website explains that Crocs got its name from "Just like the crocodile, Crocs can be worn on land or in water."

What do you see in a crocodile? What do you see around you? The following two inspiring stories of entrepreneurs were covered by Entrepreneur Magazine, December 2016 edition:

Alyssa Ravasio saw a lack of campsites and solved the problem she had by starting Hipcamp.

Bric Simpson had a popcorn problem at the movies and came up with Kernel King.

Running a company takes more than inspiration and requires a lot of hard work and resources, and there is no guarantee of success unless you can keep solving the problems and challenges unfolding.

Nevertheless, inspiration gives the impetus to start. So, if you are considering a profitable venture, this is a takeaway from Alyssa on what Reddit and Hipmunk co-founder Steve Huffman had asked her to this effect:

1. Does your company solve a problem which you are facing?
2. Is this a problem that other people have?
3. Will people pay you to solve this problem for them?

Truly, inspiration is everywhere and anywhere. Also, verily, a common problem presents an  opportunity for you to capitalise on.  

Nuggets of Wisdom by Warren Buffett

On Earning:

Never depend on single income. Make investment to create a second source.

On Spending:
If you buy things you do not need, soon you will have to sell things you need.

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.

On Savings:
Do not save what is left after spending, but spent what is left after saving.

On Taking Risk:
Never test the depth of the river with both the feet.

On Investment:
Do not put all your eggs in one basket.

Rule No.1: Never lose money. 
Rule No.2: Never forget rule No.1.

It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.

On Expectations:
Honesty is a very expensive gift. Do not expect it from cheap people.

On Perspective:
Past is a waste paper, present is a newspaper, and future is a question paper. Come out of your past, control the present, and secure the future.

Our eyes are placed in front because it it more important to look ahead than to look back.

When something bad happens, you have three choices. You can let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you.


Click here to read a message from Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.  

Scale New Heights With Your Hotel Stay

This hotel stay will take you to new heights with a breathtaking experience and adventure.

However, it may take you 1.5 hours to reach.

Check this out:-

Thankfully, the way down would be a breeze.

Inspired to Inspire

"People always say I'm a self-made man. But there is no such thing. Leaders aren't self-made, they are driven. 

I arrived in America with no money or any belongings besides my gym bag, but I can't say I came with nothing: others gave me great inspiration and fantastic advice, and I was fueled by my beliefs and an internal drive and passion.

That's why I'm always willing to offer motivation -- to friends or strangers on Reddit. I know the power of inspiration, and if someone can stand on my shoulders to achieve greatness, I'm more than willing to help them up." 

-- Arnold Schwarzenegger  

"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." -- Warren Buffett

"You can never be rich in life unless you learn how to be generous at heart. Because if you don't, you will always think you don't have enough." -- Lim Sim Seng