Aku sudah, Anda bila? (I have already, When will you?)

Bangun pagi, (Wake up in the morning)
Gosok gigi;  (Brush teeth)
Berdoa lagi,  (Pray again)
Tenang hati.  (Peace in heart)
Jalan kaki,  (Walk)
SMK Tung Hua pergi,  (To SMK Tung Hua)
Untuk mengundi.  (To vote)
Lepas undi,  (After voting)
Makan pagi:  (Have breakfast)
Minum kopi,  (Drink coffee)
Makan Kampua mi,  (Eat Kampua noodle)
Puas hati.  (Satistied)

Semua saudara-saudari,  (All brothers and sisters)
Dengar sini,  (Listen here)
Jika b'lum mengundi,   (If you haven't voted)
Mesti pergi!  (Please do so!)
Hanya begini,  (Only then)
Negara ini,  (This country)
Boleh berdiri,  (Can stand)
Dengan kaki sendiri.  (On its own feet) 

Jika sudah undi,  (If you've voted)
Maka kita menanti...  (Then let's await...)
Berdoa sekali lagi,  (Pray once again)
Tuhan berkati!  (That God bless!) 

Amin?  (Amen?) 

Back to Sibu!!! Election, Nation, Transformation?

After having returned to Sibu during Chinese New Year in February this year, I'm back once again!

The reason for coming back to my hometown will be obvious if you're Malaysian. As we all know, this is the season of Malaysia's 13th General Election! The polling day will be tomorrow, i.e. 5th of May 2013. I've got friends returning from all around Malaysia to cast their all-important votes that will decide the fate of this nation!

Talking about election, many of my friends (Christian and non-Christian alike) are pro-'a certain party'. Probably for the first time in Malaysian history we truly have a 'dual-party' system whereby the chances of winning and taking over the federal government is almost 50-50! This creates a healthy excitement among voters as well as overhypes an already volatile state. The whole nation is probably waiting - in their own multitudes of ways - for tomorrow 8am when the first votes can be casted.

Regardless of whether you're Malaysian or not, you might be asking who 'should win'? My Christian worldview tells me that God is in charge. He gives the governance of a country to the party of His sovereign  choice. So the question should rather be 'Who is God's choice'?

I have shared this while leading a session of Praise & Worship at the seminary that I'm attending: Regardless of which party, there are righteous and just politicians inside. Our hope and prayer is that those who are 'just and righteous' will win their respective constituencies - regardless of their parties. Now, by the flow of this logic, of course the party with more righteous and just politicians should win. We want a government that upholds those values.

However, after saying that that morning, I realised God might not work according to our 'assumed logic'. Many times God's way confounds us. We can never really know what will happen (e.g. in this case of the Malaysian 13th General Election) except to rest our hope and aspirations in Jesus Christ, the Lord over all things. If there is ONE THING that we can be assured of - it is that our God is a GOOD God. Whatever the outcome, we choose to give Him praise, honour, glory, and thanks.

Soli Deo gloria.

Grand Opening...FINALLY! (The raison d'etre of this Blog)

Good morning World!

Today (1st of May - Labour's Day in Malaysia) somehow seems like a fitting day for me to launch my personal blog! *can I hear some "clap clap clap"* I have actually 'created' this URL/domain name via Blogspot last year - but never had the time to put up an 'opening' post...till today!

The name of this blog encompasses TWO of my favourite pastimes:

1. Theology

2. Transformers

(Somehow, both start with the letter 'T'...!)

Well, I do have many other interests (look at the right panel for a fuller - no seminary joke please - list), but the main two will be the above. (Ask my wife if you don't believe me).

Just a word of clarification: Although I said 'Theology', I am actually using the word in the broadest sense possible. This means by saying 'Theology', I am also covering Missiology, the Bible, Kingdom of God, Holy Spirit, and all other things related to Christianity. I could be reposting something that I have posted before (somewhere online, maybe ages ago) or a fresh write-up straight from the oven of my brain ;-)

The same will apply to the word 'Transformers'. (Of course, it does NOT relate to that electronic component that 'transforms' electricity...duh...) By Transformers, I mean that once-upon-a-time little-known group of convertible toys by Takara from Japan which were brought to the United States by Hasbro, given to Marvel Comics to work out a backstory for, and re-branded under the 'Transformers' banner. So within Transformers, I may give reviews of a particular figure, re-post some interesting things I saw online, or just rant...(hopefully not too much).








Pic on the left possibly taken in December 1989 (First time showing this picture online!!!)








I guess that will be the bulk of what this website aims to talk about.
However, once in a while, I may venture into other topics (e.g. Movies, Anime, Politics, Japan, Books, Reversi, Bomberman, you name it).


Finally, I truly want to thank 3 parties for the official launching of this blog.

First, I thank my Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ for without Him, I'm nothing. I wouldn't be here today. It is by His grace that I live, and by His will that I walk this life. I aim to please Him, honour His Name, and give all glory to Him.

Second, I am most grateful to my wife, Aarti, for her fervency in the upkeeping of her blog! Indeed, sometimes I even get jealous (without sinning) that she has a personal blog and I have none...! Haha...now...things have changed :P Oh yeah, the two of us do have a 'shared' blog together focusing on our life's calling to be missionaries; it's called Being Missional.

Taken during Chinese New Year 2011...my wife's first Chinese New Year after our marriage in December 2010.








Third but not least, I have to say that my blog's coming to fruition is due largely to this man's blog: The Transforming Seminarian. You can say that he is my 'model' in creating such a blog that specifically talks about Theology AND Transformers (I think he is the only one that I know who is doing this) - plus the fact that he works in a seminary (as of this year, I'm also working in a seminary here in Penang, Malaysia). He is now the Lead Assistant to the Faculty and Dean's Office of the School of Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. His name is Mark Baker-Wright; you can read more about him here.


Here it ends for today...and a new (blog's) beginning begins! :D

I'm excited about what the future holds for this blog; what about you!?