Filed under: Cyberjaya, Cyberjaya Meet Up, Discussions, Health and Fitness
Hey there! HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR to all you Chinese people! =) How has your holiday been for the non-Chinese? For me, it has been a great time with family and catching up with rest / sleep! =p … at the same time visiting relatives and getting some angpows. Hehehe… Above all, I can never thank God enough to be living in Malaysia with the different races and still able to live in peace with each other – racial harmony!
OK, back to PGs.. For those of you still trying to figure out what PGs all about? No worries.
WHAT is Marketplace PG? PG (Power Group / Prayer Group) is an hour of an exciting and meaningful lunch together with Christians (not necessary from ACTS Church) and non-Christians friends seasoned with laughter, prayer and value-adding conversations. PG is initiated from the Young Working Adults Ministry from ACTS Church (LIFE). LIFE exists to reach and build a generation of Young Working Adults (YWA) that thrive and find purpose in all that they do, reflecting the DNA and Culture of ACTS Church through Friendship, Marketplace, Relationships, Community using various winning expressions powered by YWA themselves for YWA. We have an exciting LIFE blog at
Do check it out!
Just wanna excite you with some great news on PGs! We would be having PGs every Wednesdays as usual BUT we’re going to do it differently this time. Instead of meeting up for lunch, Cyberjaya PG is thinking of having some intentional light discussions that we all could engaged in.
Our topic for this week would be YOGA! Many Christians today from the West to the East – including Malaysia, has given Yoga a try and said that it has really improved their health to some extend.
What is YOGA?
Yoga is defined as a “mystic discipline by which one seeks to achieve liberation of the self, and union with the supreme spirit, through intense concentration, deep meditation, and practices involving prescribed postures, controlled breathing, and so forth” (Webster’s New World Dictionary/1980).
Yoga is a scientific system of physical and mental practices that originated in India more than three thousand years ago. Its purpose is to help each one of us achieve our highest potential and to experience enduring health and happiness. With Yoga, we can extend our healthy, productive years far beyond the accepted norm and, at the same time, improve the quality of our lives. (Excerpted from Chapter Three of our book, Yoga for the Special Child)
With all that benefits about Yoga.. As a Christian, is it wrong to take YOGA classes? What about taking Yoga as a form of exercise? What do you think? Share with us your views.
And we will definitely discuss this issue at the next PG this Wednesday :: 4 Feb 2009 :: Arif Restaurant, Street Mall :: 12.30 – 1.30pm ::
As you know that we’ll be discussing about Yoga and you know of a friend (Christian / Non-Christian / backslidden Christians) who is working in Cyberjaya, do invite them to join our PG this Wednesday! Do reply over this email on your views about Yoga till we meet this Wednesday!
Let’s start rolling your opinions in! =)
Rgrds, Olivia -
Filed under: Articles
So what have we learnt today?
I have nice teeth. After twenty-odd years, I have but one conclusion: brush your teeth every day. Why? Because teeth are all that stands between you and the next bacon on the counter. Now start wondering why you are reading this post.
When I was young, people used to say I have perfect teeth. Unlike the other children (bah! peers!) of those long gone days, my baby teeth had the tendency to fall off much later than theirs. When the kids were playing in the field I was brushing my teeth in the washroom. When the kids were cuddling Barbie dolls I was there gargling Listerine. When the kindergarten teachers were rounding out the kids after recess, I was in a corner keeping ‘em all shiny with my omnipotent tooth brush.
I was a HYPERACTIVE child those days (am still now, but you already know that). I cannot sit still; my teachers complain because I try to be on every single class room table at once, cardboard cuttings that litter the floor mysteriously vanish into my lunchbox, I make and lose friends faster than I can start sharing lunch with them.
So, imagine this: a miniature Harry Potter running around kindergarten, stomping the ground with my tiny feet. Because of my lack of immobility skills, I would usually be brought forward to give short introductions on a class-play or speeches for sports days or the drummer boy for the band or the loud speaker of the recess bell. See how the autocratic teachers try to keep me on a short leash? Which was good because I swear if they didn’t made me the man I am today; I would be burglarizing your home or maybe kidnapping kittens for my next meal.
Back to my teeth.
I was playing hide-and-seek one day when some friend (not anymore, I don’t think so) pushed me and I slipped. So, naturally, I fell. Take a guess what happened next.
KAPWIIINNNGG!!
There goes my front right incisor. CHIPPED AND BEYOND REPAIR. Let me I ask you, if you’re trying to maintain the one and only thing that distinguish you from all the other hooligans in school, and the forces-that-be (or that guy whom I’m-not-so-friend-with-now) rob it away from you – ARGH!!! – wouldn’t you be more than SUPER UPSET?!
Let’s skip a few years to when I was going for the BCG jab which was given to standard six students (or whatever it is equivalent to when you’re 12 in Malaysia) when a nurse made such a fuss of the chipped teeth during health check. She was petrified that I had a chipped teeth. I mean, WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?! So, the other kids swarmed to check out the commotion and took a piece of my dignity away.
To add salt to the wound, nurses made my section a quarantine zone. It was the longest 5 minutes in my life. I felt like I was on an alien abduction film with sanitary masked-nurses looking down on me wide-eyed. Or maybe I’m the latest Ebola-infected child in Malaysia. The commotion only ended when I finally JUST SHUT MY MOUTH (which is mom’s best advice to me ever since). It took my brain at least 30 seconds to work that out.
It’s not like every day that everyone in your class looks down at your tonsils. I was not going to open my mouth for the whole day. Rah.
It eventually fell off. Or did it? I don’t know, I didn’t bother to check. Not even now anyway.
I found it fun to reminiscence as to why babies do not have teeth during the weaning years.
In unrelated news, Things They Don’t Teach in Any Dental School.
Jia Wern
I often get asked this question whenever I meet people, close friends even strangers at weddings and events. “What is the best camera?” and “If I were to buy a camera today…How many pixels should my new camera have?”
The first question is really easy to understand and have a very simple answer. “Buy the camera that best fits your photography style and budget”. I’m Serious.
I photograph a wide variety of jobs from Weddings, Events, Concerts, Motorsports and Studio work, from Diamonds to Buildings and Bozo the clown at a kids party. I pretty much shoot anything and everything. The most important criteria for me would be the fit of the camera and its image quality. You can buy “The Best” camera out there but if its uncomfortable to hold for more than 15 minutes you can assume you won’t be using it much when the times comes. Try out a few brands and model, make a shortlist and pick one. I will suggest you try a Nikon sometime during your shopping, you might get hooked, like myself. (Nikon does not pay me to say this, I am just a happy customer). I also believe all roads you take with your photography decision will lead you to a Nikon purchase eventually 
Always shoot at maximum quality and size available. Storage cards are cheap nowadays so try not to compromise your quality by shooting on economy space saving settings. You don’t see Lewis Hamilton puttering around a race track at 20kmh with a race car that’s is capable of speeds upwards of 300kmh. If a camera is capable of recording 10 megapixels, use it and use it all. Need to make it smaller for email? Use your computer to make it smaller in size, but always keep the high resolution file. Many of today’s camera ships with some software to help you manage file size and also assist you in sorting out your pictures into folders.
So, how many megapixels do you need? A 6 megapixel camera would be able to produce clean high resolution prints up to 8” x 12” in size (about an A4 paper size). So if you typically print 4R or 5R the chances are you will be well served with a camera around 6 to 10 megapixel.
There you have it, buy what you need and what fits you best. Happy Clicking.
DarrenC
Interviews. Ah. It’s like a breath of fresh air. It’s a chance to a new lease of career bliss. Prepare well for it, you will smoothly glide through it. Irrespective of the outcome, there’s always a lesson learnt.
Check list: the firm handshake. Dress code. Resume. Crucial basic grooming (Note: the nails!)
What works: Speaking in tongues (before the interview, under your breath) help calms the nerves and up the confidence.
1. “I hated my last boss.”
Okay, yes, statistics states that the no.1 reason people change jobs is to escape their current boss. If you have nothing nice to say about him / her, then don’t say much at all. To them, if you could relate this way about your ex-boss, you most likely will revert to this when you exit their company.
Tip: Be prepared to explain what type of organisation is right for you, and type of management style you best respond to.
2. “I don’t know anything about the company.”
In this age of technology, it’s no excuse not to find out more about the company. Google it, and chances are you will find a very updated website of the company. Huge possibility the interviewer will ask what you know about the company. If you say you don’t know anything about it, the interviewer will wonder why you’re applying for the job and will probably conclude you’re after money, position and not a career.
What works: Can’t find a particular info of the company? Try calling up and quizzing the receptionist for some As to Qs that you feel may come up during the interview!
3. “No, I don’t have any questions for you.”
Oops, many are guilty of this. It could just be our Asian culture. “Pai sieh lah”. Asking good question shows that you have done sufficient prep work before the interview. It also shows the employer just how keen you are in securing a job with them.
Tip: Know / prepare beforehand what you intend to ask. Any job-related question is a good filler for those silent awkward moments some might face during interviews.
4. “I’m going to need to take these days off.”
Work hard, play just as hard. However, requesting days off before being offered the job may trigger the lack-of-commitment alarm. Exercise wisdom when treading in this area. If it’s a prior commitment that you have signed up for, then rest assured it will work out. Somehow. All things work for the good of those who love the Lord!
5. “How long until I get a promotion?”
It’s good to show an employer you are ambitious and looking at the big picture. Let’s not come across as brass and arrogant. Engage in a tactful conversation about it. Reword it, diplomatically.
Tip #1: Ask the interviewer the typical career path for the position.
Tip #2: Ask the interviewer why the position is open. You might find out it’s due to a promotion and can use that information to learn more about career opportunities.
Remember: promotion comes from the Lord J
6. “I don’t have any extra curricular activities”
Employers love to know how you balance work with all the other responsibilities in life. Buzzword with multinationals now is community service. They are even offering their time hours to giving back to the community.
Tip: Passionately involved in church’s Community-focused arm / activity could work to be that icing on your resume.
Last but not least. Go for it!
All the best, *wernlu*
By a very dedicated courageous anonymous young African pastor.
I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me – my banner will be clear.
Amen. Amen. And amen 
(italics are mine).
Not just a cover-up, it gives a stylish twist to workwear.
(adapted from ‘Workwear: Coloured jackets’, female Magazine Malaysia August 2008 by Deborah Lee)
Simple
“Jackets that are nipped at the waist elongate your upper body.”
Stick to basic tones without any print on the jacket if you want to play safe. Give and take: let your jacket set the tone of the overall outfit. A bit of detail like lace and eyelet softens the hard lines of a jacket. A neutral-coloured tote and monochrome (black and white) shoes complete the look.
Relaxed
“What is key here is the trench’s ruffled detail, which adds a luxe factor to your look.”
Pastels add a splash of colour to sombre work suits. For a twist, try trench coats in pastel pink or beige. Add a splash of colour with a darker shade of pink worn inside to draw attention. However, keep details like ruffles and pleats contained only to areas like the neckline so your look stays streamlined.
Sexy
“Go for a puff-shouldered, boxy jacket to enhance your shoulders.”
Rule number one: put aside your jacket and study the rest of your outfit. Boxy jackets in dark, muted tones play off well with a top or bottom in an equivalent or similar shade. Always ensure the details on your top do not ‘override’ your jacket. For a slimming effect, pair with a pencil skirt and keep accessories to a minimum.
Flirty
“A soft, moulded jacket can accentuate your curves.”
Want to appear work-friendly yet not too dressy? Throw a loose blazer over your shoulders, and voila, you get the look. Just ensure it matches and is a shade lighter to complement the dress’s dark tones. Also, the jacket’s cut must emphasise the right areas without causing ‘bulkiness’.
Glamour puss
“A cropped jacket in vibrant red lends cheekiness to your outfit.”
Go for a strong, block colour jacket that stops at the waist. Pair it with a lighter shade top for contrast. Hem it in with a belt and airy pants long enough to cause a slight break or dent in the front seam. Accessorise with a matching bag and shoes.
Polished
“The classic fitted blazer is your best bet when attending official meetings.”
Revert to the faithful ‘blazer-shirt-pants’ combo for corporate meetings. Keep the colour on the jacket toned down and without any print. Likewise, for the bottom. The classic pinstriped shirt is your best bet to pair with the blazer. Let your accessories stop traffic for you.
What works for me?
Right Clean sorbet colors and rich, saturated brights evoke confidence and capture optimism. So go for coloured jackets!
Wrong Silver jewellery is out of the question if your jacket has gold buttons. Also, if you’re a plus-size, avoid bright, boxy jackets that add pounds to your figure.
Why the Wall of Influence?
• ACTS is a church that has great INFLUENCE!
• PEOPLE need to be INFORMED and INSPIRED about how ACTS is influencing our Communities!
• Visuals speak; and what better way then to do up a Wall that cannot be missed because of its sheer size!
• We need a Wall that helps reflect the far-reaching “INFLUENCERS” or agents of influence of ACTS as well as the potential it has to further reach many more!
What will be on the Wall of Influence:
• Homes
• PowerGroups
• Colleges and Universities
• Schools
• Etc
Who will POWER this Project for ACTS
• Young Working Adults of ACTS, PGs
What is needed:
• Creative YWAs
• Resourceful YWAs
• YWA Manpower
• Finances
• Good contacts for materials used
Got Passion? What’s yours? We want to hear from you here in this blog! As general as cooking or as detailed as “cooking real Italian pasta!” As vague as just eating or as specific as “eating kimchi with milo!” As clueless an answer like “I don’t know” to a super determined answer like “My passion is to climb mountains and I have this desire to climb mount Kinabalu 33 times!” As selfish an answer as “to make money for a good life” to “helping the marginalized in society.” Blog it down here so that others get to read about it!
The plight that we read in Job can happen to us at different seasons in our life.
An unresolved sickness. A dashed dream. A broken heart. A loss too great to bear.
Job, a righteous man is tested. He loses his children, possessions and his health. Three friends give counsel, but add more misery to his brokenness. Even his wife asks him to curse God and die.
Amidst all the anger, strife and disappointment, the book of Job express the suffering all believers need to understand and endure. It is not the suffering but rather what is revealed through suffering.
————————————————————————————————————
For 37 chapters, God says nothing to Job.
You wake up one morning and all your spiritual feelings are gone. You pray, but nothing happens. You rebuke the devil, still nothing changes. You confess every sin you can imagine, then go around asking forgiveness from everyone you know. You fast and still… nothing. You begin to wonder how long this spiritual gloom might last? Days? Weeks? Months?
How do you praise God when you don’t understand what’s happening in your life and He is silent? How do you even talk to God when He doesn’t seem to listen?
How do you keep your eyes on Jesus when they are filled with tears?
David cried out “Why , O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? (Psalms 10:1) Isaiah acknowledges that “…truly you are a God who hides himself…” (Isaiah 45:15 ). You are not the only one to feel such loneliness. Will you respond like Job or that of the great hymnist Horatio G. Spafford when he wrote:
Whatever my lot, you have taught me to know
It is well, it is well with my soul.
May I suggest something today:
…stop and consider God’s wonder. (Job 37:14b )
Each time we look away from God, we look away from promises and abundant life. When you forget the awesomeness of our God you discredit Him and all the works He has done in your life.
When God finally speaks, all He does is shout of His greatness!
“ Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?” (Chap 39: 18 )
“ Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons?..” (Chap 39:32 )
“ Do you know the laws of the heavens?” (Chap 39:33 )
He was really saying. I can. I am a God who does great and wonderous things!
Would you consider God’s wonder today? That was all that Job needed to hear.
————————————————————————————————————
There is a need for testing and maturity of our fellowship with God. Every believer goes through it, some more than others. We can give in to it. Or we can be like Job and endure it. Yes! It is painful and disheartening, but it is absolutely vital for the development of your faith.
God promises repeatedly. “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (John 4:23)
God never promised “you will always feel my presence” all the time.
Ref: Disappointment With God, Horatio G. Spafford’s It Is Well With My Soul, Brenton Brown’s Well With My Soul
AAY ~ Meditations of an Art Director
