Friday 22 November 2013
Wasn't that bad as I thought. Switching to GA (general anaesthetic) was a good call afterall. It has spared me the nightmare of being conscious while going through the operation and if once wasn't bad enough you had to do it twice without GA!

The process of the GA knocking you out is seriously cool though. The icy feeling spreads throughout your whole body and then your eyes start to become like a camera trying to get focus. The world seems to zoom in and out and then the next thing I know I wake up hearing a cheery voice that says "The operation is finished!". Woke up feeling like I had a really great sleep and found out I got knocked out for 4 hours (whoa).

So now I'm resting. The pain isn't that bad yet though. Time to enjoy what we have been waiting 2 years (or 1 year 10 months) for, living like a free man.

Monday 18 November 2013
I forgot to write this down last Tuesday. Was too tired from our very last outfield (reached camp at like midnight).

Anyway I experienced yet another deja vu moment. In my head I was thinking along the lines of "What not again?!" and "How can this be?". Can't remember when I first had the dream about the place/scenario, (I think it could be right after Germany). The scene depicts a hilly village, something you can't quite see in Singapore and it resembles a particular country *cough*, so I thought meh I won't actually get to see this in real life. As the conducting brief for the UO started I looked out the window and lo and behold what I saw just once again triggered a sense of recognition. So weird.

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Thought about the reasons why the bridge of 'Oceans' had been running around in my head and I realized it could be a response and answer from the Holy Spirit. I'm having some concerns and worries after making my decision to go for the mission trip that DI is planning. (Also the future career that God has revealed to me). Other people could probably do a better job than me or have a better ability to er communicate.

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

I suppose God is just telling me to have faith and just go. God can use anyone and indeed I will be surprised at what he has in store for me. Bynes gave me an interesting perspective that I didn't see before. Since there would be a language barrier, everyone would encounter the same problems in communication.

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I should write a summary of key points I took away from the guitar clinic that Andy hosted that were so very helpful (lest I forget)

• Setup the clean channel first before even thinking of setting up the distortion channel. If the clean is not nice don't expect the dirty channel to be nice.
• Dive into the song lyrics and have your own interpretation of how the song should go. Songs can get alot more interesting and you don't have to strictly follow how the original goes. (Andy's take on 'One Thing Remains' is really interesting.)
• Neck pickup with minimum or no tone is my friend when it's just electric and acoustic.
• Electric parts are easy to learn. What matters is practice and the 'success rate' in pulling them off.
• Don't follow the chords of the song so much. Parts can be even created with just 3 (or 4) notes!
• Playing key of G with open strings (like key of E) to spice up a song!

 

Saturday 16 November 2013
Edward shared the 'parable of the hidden treasure' today as one of the sermon points, and it kinda reminds me of something Andy shared with me quite a few months back in September...

http://www.rabbitroom.com/2013/06/introducing-modern-parables/

Basically this is the interpretation of what the parables would have been like today. Quite interesting to watch and apparently, the guy behind the filming is making more! Some people in the comments don't quite agree that it captures the originals but oh well it is the team's interpretation after all, much like a person's cover of a song.

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Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior



The bridge of this song seems to be playing in my head over and over again recently for some reason. (why only the bridge though?)