Football Madness - some 100 people gathered together to watch England vs Paraguay - England Won 1-0 

Music Fountain on Sentosa Island 

Merlion ! - Mermaid + Lion 

Capitol Hill ?? - Nope, Singapore Supreme Court 

Mall with a Chinese Design 

This is for you - Adri  

Singapore - where the east meets the west :-) 

Welcome to Singapore ! 

sitting in the airport , waiting for my plane to come ...

so here i go again - flying to singapore to visit my cousins then going to malaysia to visit the rest of my family.
my time in Taiwan had been great !! :o)
it was fun getting to know more about my parents ~ chill with them and such -
it was great getting involve with the local church , and getting to know the local believers - it was great ...
so , i am waiting for my plane to come - it time to really go home - ahh - bet ya don't know i am from malaysia - actually small town malaysia - i'll definitely post some pictures.

ok - for now - it's bye , til i see ya again.

daniel

Sunshine and Rain

i love the rain - because it cleanses the city - and the atmosphere feels cooler and fresher after a pouring rain. i love walking in the rain and sang "Grace like rain" by Todd Agnew - to remind myself of the grace of God and we've been washed clean !

anyways - i've been in Taiwan for more than 2 weeks now - it's still a - um - crazy experience - at times i was really boring because i lived with my parents at the 14th and 15th floor of a condo-plex - or because i haven't attempt to drive yet - i do walk and take the bus - lol -
anyways - i got a chance to share at the youth service last weekend - i talked about Christ being our friend - see John 15:15 - Christ called us friends - not slaves, but friends because He's telling us stuff that He heard from His father - what a priviledge to know Christ as a friend - and that's eternal life - John 17:3 -

so - one thing i've realize while i am here - is the prayer of the believers for their country - i don't know how much we pray for our country in the US - we prayed for our own needs, maybe the needs of our church, or the needs of our bible study and such - but do we pray for our country - i am amazed - although the population of Christian in Taiwan is not as huge as the ones in North American, but their fervency and their passion is as huge as or even bigger Christians in places that are more Christianized - anyways - so - while we in the US (okay i am not for the moment -- ) need to pray for the revival and renewal in our country as well - prayer is important - the harvest is here , the kingdom is near.

i've made some new friends here - through the Christian Fellowship on the college campus that my parents teach at. A guy named Phil that is absolutely on fire for God - he leads the worship that we have in the middle of the campus, although we only have 5-6 people to start with, students do stop by and listen and sing with us from time to time, that is amazing - and Phil, is awesome, he loves hip hop and rap just like me - except he was like - man, hip hop in US is so messed up, because they used some much cussed word .. then i introduced him to KJ52 and such - haha - it's kinda hard to explain gospel rap, but oh well ..

well - there ya go ... my post for the week ..
i'll put some pics up soon - and i'll be travelling to s'pore and m'sia next week to meet
up with my counsins and go back to my hometown for a couple of days,
oh yeah ..
Sweet Home Alabama!
(ok - not exactly Bama, but feels like that - like the movie - going home - back to the roots ..)

please cont. to pray for me :o)

thanks, God bless.
Gig'em

Daniel

My Primary Food Source - even in Asia - Filet O Fish ! 

Bro and Sis Gangsta Post ... oh yeah ! 

Shaved Ice 

My sister and I at Taiwan 

The other side of the world

ni hao from the other side of the world,
i've safely made it to home in taiwan :o)
it was a long trip but it sure is nice to be able to be at home with my parents and sister.
i am still adjusting to the timezone, lifestyle, culture, language and such, prayer will be appreciated :o)

it had been great so far, had an opportunity to sat down and pray with my family yesterday, something we haven't done at a family in a while because i was always MIA when they get together with my sister.

today will be fun - well the first day that i will have other human contact then my family, and it's going to be challenging (i think) - to get to know other people, to make friends and to talk and share my faith and such. Last time i was here, i was very very shy, hopefully today will be a little different !

oh anyways - the view from my room is awesome, especially at like 6 oclock in the morning - since taiwan had long abolished daylight savings time (it is too confusing) , day usually dawned around 5:30 in the morning (actually that's like Oregon with day light savings ... haha) - so from my window at the 14th floor, i can see the sun shining down on the city - that is absolutely gorgeous !

anyways -
that's my post for now - i'll take some pics of view and post'em up here -

take care y'all.

love and peace.

macster

this just came out a couple days ago,
check it out.

go KJ.

d-mac
(can't stop dancing to hip hop music.)

D-O-N-E

the semester came to an end at 5/9/2006 - 5:30 pm.
i am a free man.
whooop!

stuff to do before i leave town
- pack my stuff up (and store it in storage)
- pack for my trip
- pay my bills
- talk to prof about research
- find a sublease
- have fun as usual !

Sunrise , sunrise

it's been a while since i saw sun ray's in my own room,
i had them during my summers in Oregon where sun will rise and its rays will shine on my face to wake me up from my sleep ... today the same thing happened to my room in Texas - i guess after the thunderstorm last night, the sun decided to wake early and shine brightly, that was totally awesome. i am just starting my round of exams today, i thought i had a plan to study everything according to my time table, but i guess that doesn't really work out all the time - i am almost ready for today's test, but not tomorrow's ... i guess i am in a little bit of time crunch but hopefully i can pull it thru :o)
anyways - i'll be done by tuesday - and then the life after school (for 3 months) will began, what kind of journey awaits me ? it's still too early to tell, but i know next 3 months will be interesting, testing and hopefully enduring.

ah, how i miss the nature, mountains , waterfalls and beaches.
ah, how i miss the music, especially the smooth jazz that puts me into a happy mode ...
but, thank God for the day and a nice breeze in the middle of May,
especially in texas.

peace out,
daniel

i guess i am not supposed to write this but i will ...

it's finals week, finally !
the semester really flew outta my hand like a baseball - once its gone, its gone - and it will break that window .. jk
i guess i decided to post something in the middle of finals week because i am not supposed to -
i've been posted on my xanga for my dead days junk - but i decided to switch back to blogger because i like blogger better -
last couple of days had been wonderful ! - see my post in http://www.xanga.com/anfieldboyz
i think i am getting some studying done - not all - i hope to get at least my AI done tonight so i can start on other stuff like the OS final that i am sweating over -
anyways - last couple of weeks had been fun (and lots of ups and downs .. and whole lot of in between - mood wise ..)
i did get to go to Ring Dance last weekend, and that was fantastic :o)
just a thought - sometimes i wish that Ring Dance never ends - so the life can really be that dreamy (ya know - dances and such) ... but i know the dance did end, life just keeps on moving - sometimes i wish that church service will never ends - like um - sunday everyday to keep the spiritual momentum going - but it does (the corporate part anyways ...) ... so life goes on ...

i love finals week - because the library is packed and everybody is studying -
now A&M does look like Harvard or MIT (during finals only !) ...

ha.

funny.

well - if you are still reading this - shoot me back with something -
and i'll keep on posting.

oh btw i'll be in taiwan/m'sia for the summer - i'll def. keep everyone posted.

peace out.

macster.

Andy Hunter

Shadow proves there's sunshine

i love Switchfoot - their songs prove to be inspiring - the Nothing is Sound LP might seemed darker and rock harder than their other CDs, but i love it, i love the reality of it.
I've just read thru a book by Billy Graham on his last crusade in the NYC, i like how he is so relevant to our generation although he's pretty old, i love the examples that he drew from different sources, from MTV to BillBoard to Madonna, yet he stayed true to the message of Christ, reminding people the Gospel in the midst of this dark world. I didn't know that one of the most requested song / popular song is "Satisfaction" , "i can't get no satisfaction" is what they sang, and yet that is so true, i can't get no satisfaction, at my job , at my school, or my relationships with others. Sometimes i feel empty, just because my circumstances is down, or when i am very insecure - thinking what would other people think of me, or what would the next girl that i meet will have the first impression about me - sometimes i don't really care, i can be straight to your face and let you know the truth and be myself -

sometimes when i am down i just turned up my speakers and blasted away in my car with Avril jammin' out loud that makes the situation even worse - sometimes i can jammed with Andy Hunter's Techno music to just get me into my mood -
i guess i relied on outside influences too much sometimes - always hoping that the right song will come on the radio that kicks me into certain mode - like "Jesus takes the wheel" by Carrie Underwood or "Jesus walks" by Kanye or "Breakaway" by Kelly that lauches me into working coding mode - seems like i know there's one constant point in my life - which is Christ, yet sometimes i rely so little on it - i was so frustrated yesterday that i called my buddy up - and trust me i was emotional and crazy - he asked me to calm down - go pray - then call - don't just call him next time if i am in the drama king mode - haha - there's quite a bit of truth in that - i know the importance of community and accountability as Christians - yet another important thing - solitude with Christ and going to Him because He's the constant point of our lives is important too - that strikes accord in my heart again.

anyways - all those ramblings - just to make one point -
"spend time with Christ - go to Him in prayer and listen to Him"
that's the point.

peace.
Daniel

Vision

They are free
yet they are slaves
of the hurting and dirty and dying.
What is the vision?
The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes.
It makes children laugh and adults angry.
It gave up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars.
It scorns the good and strains for the best.
It is dangerously pure.
Light flickers from every secret motive,every private conversation.
It loves people away from their suicide leaps,their Satan games.
…And this vision will be.
It will come to pass;
it will come easily;it will come soon.
How do I know?
Because this is the longing of creation itself,
the groaning of the Spirit,the very dream of God.
—Pete Greig, excerpted from The Vision

Rainy day in Texas

It's a rainy day in Texas,
it's rainy and cold,
much the the Pacific northwest,
i love sitting in the coffee shop during a day like this,
talking with my best friend over a cup of warm coffee,
i missed days like that,
where it's just too cold to do anything else,
thus i am going to enjoy today,
it's a perfect day for the winter (spring is not here yet!),
it's a perfect day for deep thoughts and reflection,
it's a perfect day ... to let the weather be depressed but not me,
it's a rainy day in Texas.

Love for Enemies

Matthew 5
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor^[a] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies^[b] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Verse

Proverbs 21:21 (New International Version)

21 He who pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity ^[a] and honor.

Normal

sometimes i just want to be normal,
normal life normal school normal day,
sometimes i just want to hop on Highway 6 and go home,
spend time with my dad and cook with my mom in the kitchen,
or go outside and play catch with my sister,
sometimes i just want to be normal,
go on dates like everyone else,
and marry the girl of my dream,
sometimes i just want to be normal,
normal like free,
jump into the pool or shout at the beach,
and be who i want to be,
sometimes i just want to be normal,
but then normal would imply being abnormal,
i guess life is not normal as it seems,
as the American dream that make sense to you and me,
like Switchfoot singing meant to live,
are we living as life is a gift,
or a burden that would better off not bear at all,
i guess i am not normal as it seems,
i'll fly home to greet my folk,
still spend time with my dad on the street back home,
cooking with my mom on the 15th floor,
overlook the city with my sister,
maybe there's where i belong,
maybe i don't belong anywhere,
this is my life,
a gift from God that is too great to deny,
to bring Him glory and honor and praise,
to live the way i was made,
as Chris Tomlin sings,
and the curtain rises,
we'll bloom tomorrow,
just like those roses.

City lights and Dreamy nites ...

City lights and Dreamy nites,
how far can we go before we fall down on our face,
recognizing our own failures and weakness,
knowing that we can't have it all,
or have it at all,
what are you waiting for?

Playlist -
Coldplay - Til Kingdom Come, Fix you
U2 - Sometimes you can't make it on your own
Keane - Bend and Break

Cold Night

it's another cold night down in Texas,
sandwiched between the sunny days and rainy days,
just like the emotions,
loneliness was what i felt,
for hours after much of soul searching,
joyfulness and happiness is what i found,
for hours after endless hanging out with my favourite friends,
it seems like season comes and season goes,
what i can treasure most is now,
with friends that i love most,
these are the days,
these are the ways be lived,
like Kanye rappin',
nothing ever promise tomorrow,
except the sun will rise,
and the rain will fall on everyone,
and God's mercy is raining down on us,
again,
and again,
thus let's live it ...
to the fullest.

Daniel.

Get fixed

Fix You - Coldplay
When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
when you love some one but it goes to waste
could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face
And I

Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face
And I

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you.

Boston !!  

NYC

New York City is definitely a different place ...
so American and yet so un-American ...
it has to be the most unique city so far (than the ones that i've been to in this year)
it's definitely different from the south,
it's larger than Dallas and Houston
it's hippier than Portland or Seattle,
busier that Los Angeles or Atlanta,
and more diverse than anywhere from Seattle to Denver ...

woah.
more thoughts to come.
and pics too.

welcome to the city.

Dan the Mack

tired.

staring at the computer screen,
trying to come out with a circuit that works,
made me feels like a loser,
my amplifier does not work,
then i look at my life,
if i can't even design the least of the creation,
how can i forge out a plan for my life?

We need a bridge ... (i mean seriously ....)

Taken over

taken over was something i wrote back in my freshmen yr, i guess it was written in the midst of confusion and such, don't know where i am goin (yet i think i had more of a direction then than now) anyways ...

it's always good to dig up some memory ...
i guess i was full of passion , faith and truth ...
i hope i don't lose those ...

anyways ...
enjoy.

daniel

Taken Over

What a night,
What a life,
What a day,
What a pain i faced.
I didn't know what i want,i sat there and wait,
i stood up and took the way,
yet You took me back,
i didn't know what's in store,
i only know i won't be lost anymore,
i hold on to Your hand,and that's my only gain,
i gave it all up to You,i won't even give it another view,
You had taken over me,all over me,i traded in everything,
and now i only pray for one thing,
that's to see Your face,Your grace, Your mercy,
Your forgiveness and just You,
my savior and God.

Out of contention ....

i saw your picture again today,
i really do miss you,
but i know i am out of the contention,
out of the picture,
i sure have given you up,
guess all i have left is just the memories of you and me.

it's still a beautiful day,
i know you are doing fine,
with him i mean,
i wish you the best,
i still treasure what we had,
what we still have.

i'll be there.

even though i am gone.

i should be happy,
and i try to be.

Cloudy and Cold

It's cloudy and cold,
dark clouds had moved in,
and sunshine is gone.
what is the meaning of life,
what is the meaning of all,
i see sun goes down and comes up,
i see flowers bloom,
i see flowers gone,
are we living in a self allusion?
are we living in a world of matrix where we've come up with our own solution?
you are probably right,
you are probably wrong.
Gone is the happy days,
ahead is some serious and tiring battle,
against the thoughts of human,
against the condition of life,
gone is the fake kind of life,
too much candy is not good for ya,
it's time to be real,
it's time to be real.

it's still cloudy outside,
and
not it's cold.

when will i see you again, sunshine?
til the clouds are gone.

Oh ... one of my fav game - Madden NFL - 

Stephanie refused to face the camera ... 

Some mums that Chris bought ... nice :o) 

Laura Bush's Petunia - this is for you Andrea !  

WindMill ... yay ! 

Martha's Bloomers ... i think it's the place to go and buy gardening stuff 

Eric .. ahh ...there goes my good OLD roomate and buddy 

Craig !!!!! i haven't seen him in a while ! 

My roomate Chris making funny faces 

Every University has a clock tower ... so does Texas A&M 

Stuck

stuck in a moment of time,
i could see my past playing,
like a never ending movie,
every decision, every choice and every road that i've taken.

places that i shouldn't had been,
lines that i shouldn't had crossed,
i regret it all.

i could see my future dawning,
every pieces of my chess pieces are arranged nicely on the game board,
should i start with the knight or the pawn.
Will i fall into the same trap again,
it all seems the agony that lies ahead are coming,
but with agony there must be joy and victory.

Is this still my own game?
or is it God's?
or is this His game for me, and i'll just have to play it out on His board?
and with His guidance?

i'm stucked in a moment of time.

Vibe

so much hype,
so much vibe,
the glamour of famous stars,
seems so attracting.
from the list of super stars,
to the new down right person on the news,
from the flying stars in the nba,
to the outspoken writers,
what am i to take from it all?
the struggle of where i dream to beand what is reality,
grounds me to the floor,
they found fortune and forsake it for the truth,
what about those who had found the truth and never forsake it?
are they missing out?
are we standing on one side of the fence looking into a lifestyle that we can never understand?
or are we really wishing we are part of it?
let's hold on to the truth and never let go ...
ah, all the vibe and hype.
alas, the rich and the famous.
but in the end, the truth will prevail,
emptiness will either leave or kills ya.

Rita is coming over this weekend ... brace !

howdy again from Aggieland ... where we are taking in evacuees of Hurricane Rita, while at the same time brace for it ourselves ...
this is a crazy new experience for me, i've lived thru tropical storm, but not a hurricane ...
last night my buddy Chris and i went to Reed Arena (On A&M Campus) to help out with the shelter .. and man .. there are a LOT of people, but i am glad that they are now safe in the shelters and let's pray that the storm will not damage too much of the city or cost lives ... ... it was great to see people came out and helped out at the shelters ... i think that's really coool ... and man ... showing love is what we should do ... as human and especially Christian ...
i'll keep y'all updated with the storm ..
let's brace it

~daniel

Happy to be alive ...

aren't you glad that you are alive?
cuz i am happy to be alive :o)

this week had beeeeeen fun and "heavy" ..
couple things / circumstances had happened in my life,
i won't go into specifics ... but at the reading of His word ... (John 14:1) regarding
trusting in Jesus really really really comforted me. Knowing that He asked me to NOT to be troubled, but trust in Him ... is a way huge lesson ... it doesn't mean that i should sit around and wait for things to happen ... but it's something to learn, to pray, to see open and close doors, to ask, to inquire and to wait ...
i'm working on a page for my teaching notes for homegroup bible study ...
i can post that up on some server soon ...

~daniel
(are you still reading?)

what if for a moment ... you disappear?

what if for a moment you can disappear or live off the grid, where you still know other people and yet they cannot find or sense you .. will that make difference in your life, will you find out the impact you had make as a human? or would the rest of your friends just move on thinking that you might be in a better place and not care anymore?
i don't know ...
sometimes i felt like the rest of the world really don't care anymore ...
or they might care more or less ... but you don't feel it ...
i don't think i am depress or anything,
i'm just in some deep thoughts.

what if i disappear just for a moment?
what if you disappear just for a moment?
can we meet in that moment then?


~daniel

i got something to say pt.2

finally .. the international community took some actions into their hands and lend their hands to US at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina .. anyways .. thanks y'all!
for a list of countries that help out .. please see ...
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/04/katrina.world.aid/index.html

:o)
i love when human does the most basic thing they need to do .. love on one another .

~daniel

i gotta say something ...

it had been just a week i wrote something on my blog,
this world that we had lived in had been turned upside down (not to mention my personal world too ) ...
well it's unfair to compare my personal world to the world outside because it will seemed like a pity party that i am throwing for myself ..
anyways the disaster in Southeastern US really touched my heart, being situated in South Central Texas, i heard news and see people's reactions to the tragedy in New Orleans. And being a reader to the International News Papers i am dissappointed at the governments around the world. All they do is criticized ... and analyzed saying New Orleans is like the "blackest" city in America and thus it's NOT being prepared for the hurricane instead of pouring out help and support. Where was America after the Tsunami aftermath in countries that we affected? I don't care whether they are the largest muslim country (Indonesia) or largest hindu country (India) we were there to help them, but now as our own country got hit, islamic religion leaders (extreme leaders like people for Al-Qaeda) are calling different negative comments about somehow we deserve this disaster in a sense ... i am furious with comments from the governments that are unsympathethic with this country just because we are the super power,
remember superman will cry too ...
anyways ..
all talk is nothing ..
help the victims if you can ...
visit
http://www.redcross.org
http://www.worldvision.org
to donate.

thanks!
may God has mercy on us.

~daniel