CSS Arts Corner! :)

Lamb of God

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 19:28:00 +0000

Hey all, I hope that everyone's enjoying what's left of the holidays! :)

Just a little something I just read that I wanna share with you guys, I'm currently reading 'The Lamb's Supper" by Scott Hahn right now. Kinda just three chapters into it and it's already interest me a fair bit :) Below are just some points that really struck me, just thought of sharing them with you.

Have you ever wondered why the relation of Jesus to Lamb is always constantly repeated? How often do you hear the words "Lamb of God, have mercy on us.." at masses? Why The Lamb when they are not particularly smart, strong, quick or handsome - other animals would seem more worthy.. Why not lions? Lions are kingly; strong and agile; king of beasts..

It was at the Passover that God instructed each Israelite family to take an unblemished lamb without broken bones, kill it, and sprinkle its blood on the doorpost. The Israelites were to eat the lamb that night. If they did, their firstborn would be spared. If they didn't, their firstborn would die in the night, along with all the firstborn in their flocks. The sacrificial lamb died as a ransom. The first-century Jewish historian Josephus records that, on Passover in the year A.D. 70 - only months before the Romans destroyed the Temple, and some forty years after Jesus' ascension - the priests offered more than a quarter of a million lambs on the Temple's altar.

The constant relation of Jesus to a Lamb is once again evidently depicted in the Passion of Christ. It is indeed that same depiction as in the ancient times, of a lamb that was sent to be slaughtered..

None of Jesus' bones were broken on the cross and likewise, a Passover lamb must have no broken bones.
Onlookers served Jesus sour wine from a sponge on a hyssop branch and likewise, hyssop was the branch prescribed by the law for the Passover sprinkling of the lamb's blood.

Notice the relations? :)

It's always nice when I, as a reader, is granted a further insight into the Word of God from articles and books. What I've just mentioned may not necessarily be a new idea to you cuz honestly, this is but only my third book I've read (with concerns to the Catholic faith). kinda just my two cents worth on what I've read so far that I was pretty much intrigued by :)

Love,
Majella Woo.

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:31:00 +0000

Dearest friends,

As we all may already know, building a relationship with Christ is first and foremost, the vision of CSS Arts. As such, as a community initiative, in view of the importance of personal prayer as being the heart of faith formation, we hope to engage everyone to join us in praying for the community as one community in our own personal time.

If any of you have a personal intention to offer up and would like the community to lift it up together, just drop us an email at artscircleofprayer@gmail.com. Your intentions can also remain anonymous if you choose so(in the spirit of sacred trust, we will definitely keep it discreet).

We will send out an email in the beginning of the week (Monday night) to let you guys know the intentions for the week.

Do send us your intentions by Sunday night for it to be offered up the following week :)

God bless and with love,
Arts Comm.

A time to relax with Him.

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Hey everyone!

As we are a few days away from the brief gasp of fresh air that is RECESS WEEK (hello, finally?), Arts is inviting you to spend a day with Christ and the wonderful community that is CSS during this holiday :) We'll be having a day of recollection followed thereafter with a Mid Autumn gathering combined with Law FCG. Details are as follows:

21st September 2009, Monday

Day of Recollection
2pm, Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace

Mid Autumn Gathering with Law FCG
6pm, James Teo's house, 22 Sennett Terrace

Everyone's invited, so do come down and get to know each other better, growing in His love as one community (:

Feel free to contact me at 97832297 (Stef) or email the comm at artscomm0910@googlegroups.com for any queries! Hope to see you 'round! God bless.

with love,
Stef.

Come down for daily prayers!

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:01:00 +0000

*blows the cobwebs off this thing*

Good morning everyone!
Daily Weekday prayers are ongoing @ The Arts Corner at The Deck - 930am & 4pm !

The recommended format for daily prayers we've raised to the prayer leaders is to reflect on the day's readings. However, it still depends on how these prayer leaders for the stipulated time-slot wish to go about doing it :)

If there are any prayer preferences any of you have, feel free to voice it out to any of the arts-commers. For e.g, I just received an email from one of you who has expressed your desire to recite the Daily Office, we'll try to implement it in a couple or so of the prayer sessions. The prayer sessions shouldn't take more than 10 minutes (prayer leaders, please take note of time constraints).

Have a good week ahead guys! Everyone's probably swarmed with assignments and what not, try not to stress yourself out too much. Remember that God provides! :)

Much Love,
Publicity on behalf of Arts Comm 09/10

I am a Catholic Awareness Week baby.

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:41:00 +0000

Catholic Awareness Week in NUS is just next week and i’m gonna try my best to lend my full support for the event, simply because i am a CAW baby.

Although many Catholic students on campus join the Catholic Students’ Society (CSS) through its Freshmen’s Orientation Camp (FOC) or through its booth at the matriculation fair or through friends even, i was one stubborn mule who took a full two years before allowing myself to be embraced by this wonderful community.

For the first two years of my university life, i meet CSS on an annual basis - through CAW. Whenever CAW drew near, i felt being awakened to that very special identity which was so intimately bestowed upon me through baptism - a child of God, a young Catholic boy (having been baptised only less then). I felt drawn to this community but also (unfortunately) intimidated by these people because of their maturity in the faith. But of course, they were nice and approachable people, only that my low self-esteem then didn’t allow me to feel ok around fellow Catholics very deep in their faith.

I remember CAW 2006 was an exceptionally huge one where the Central Library booth had various artefacts - different portrayals of Mother Mary in different cultures and much more. Besides being awestruck by the whole display (if i’m not wrong i came back again) the befrienders also played a big role in shaping my experience with the booth. The first person i probably met was Albert. He sincerely told me that he ain’t the expert and was pretty much eager to refer me to an ‘expert’ in the faith but it didn’t really matter. His sincerity and his company while i walked through each artefact, exclaiming at each one of them, was enough to help me to identify that experience as a glowing example of ‘Catholic hospitality’. I remember meeting Justin Yip too, although i’m quite sure he doesn’t remember since we never talked about it! hahaha.. i had no soul patch then as well.

CAW 2007 was the booth outside the central library i guess? I remember going to the booth with that same feeling… like i’m making one of those trips home to a relative i haven’t met for a long long time… like meeting semi-strangers, a distant relative and yet feeling that homey warmth in my heart. I met Felicia Yong and it was so easy to open up and share about my excitement about coming to the booth.

It was the befrienders that made the booth alive and filled with God’s love and that human touch was what kept me coming back and telling myself i must join CSS soon. I think i would have been quite disappointed if i didn’t have a befriender walk with me through the booth. it sounds like a very simple thing but after all i was a young needy Catholic boy and i needed a brother or a sister to walk with me and be my hero.

2nd semester into CSS and the only regret was that i didn’t take that step sooner because i found in CSS many treasures & gifts. In CSS, i found a community that strives to love God even in the littlest of ways and to love each other in the most intimate of ways. In CSS i encountered God through the people who have loved me as a brother even though they never knew me.

In CSS i found a home in NUS, a place of rest, a place where even the littlest Catholic boy like me have a seat with God and His CSS family.

i met my heroes and they’re still walking with me

walk with me, be my hero… someone out there is calling out to us & i wanna make sure i’ll be there.

http://www.nuscss.org/bemyhero/

Ignatius 'Pinoy' Fu

My testimony

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:21:00 +0000

Hey guys, this is my first time writing in and I really hope it ain't the last. I just want to share with you guys my experience this past weeks. I finally discerned my major and it was thanks to HIS amazing grace. For the longest period of time, I was caught in a dilemma for my choice of major. There were 2 contenders: econs or social work. I know both majors are like 2 ends of the spectrum but it really felt like its what I really wanted to do. At the beginning of sem, one of the first people I met at the corner was Jessica. She was sharing with me that she forgot to declare her major, which was social work by the way, and that meant that she could not do her core modules this sem. I was half joking with her then that if I did become a social work major, I would do with her the core modules next sem. That Sunday as I went for mass, somehow I was touched by the hymn Here I am, Lord. I was tearing and I didn't know why. I was telling this to Gabriel and he told me that it must have happened for a reason but just that it was probably not made known to me yet. The following Sunday, I attended Mass alone. I kinda did my own mass preparation by praying not to be late and thank God I reached on time just as the procession was entering the back of the church. To my surprise, the celebrant was one of my favourite priest, who is Father Vas by the way, as I always felt he gave deep sermons. Anyways, as Mass started, I felt at peace and it was like I was in a zone or something. Ask me now what the hymns were or what texts were read during Mass and I really can't tell you. And it really seemed to me that He was calling me to do social work. I was really troubled by this actually but as I went for my monthly scripture prep for lectors later that morning, the advice that was given to me by my president was that if I finally made a decision and I felt at peace after that, then it would have been the right decision. It struck me that then that I had heard this some place else. As I pondered it after that, I finally realized that Victor had told me the same advice some time back. It really feels as if the whole event has came to a full circle and I really want to thank Him for this whole experience. It is a first for me and I feel truly humbled by the whole thing. And there you have it, a new social work major is born. I pray now that we will not be a dying breed in the CSS community in the years to come. Amen!

Gregory "giraffe" Li

My Testimony

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:35:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

How has the first week of school been for you? I just want to share a quick testimony(:

Today, I walked into LT28 for mass with a heavy heart. I was feeling extremely frustrated with school, with people, with the weather, well, basically everything. I am aware that my frustration stamps from my indecisiveness. I took a very long time to decide on modules and now I cannot ballot for tutorials properly. Coupled with other factors, I was in a terrible mood as I prepare for mass.

However during the praise and worship before mass, I was suddenly struck with this thought, "why are you fighting yourself my child? Don't you know better to lift all your worries up to me and I'll take care of them?" And at once, I felt a great peace in me. I haven't felt so calm in the whole week.

I am not sure if this is God speaking to me because He has not spoken so directly to me before. Whatever it is, I am thankful for God's continued guidance and for being in my life. He will always be there for me even when I get so lost in my thoughts and fears and neglect Him.

So my brothers and sisters in Christ, even though the semester has just began and we are all still pretty free, I pray that we will continue to turn to God and I am sure that he will be there for us all the time(:

Joyce Yip

PS: I've settled my modules for this sem already! THANK YOU LORD!(:

'tis the season

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:01:00 +0000

the 2nd week of advent: peace. and how ironic it was, the way i had to live out this week.

the week started with a flurry of activity, a restless continuity from the last. there was a weekend of cg planning, of Lourdes, of RCIA, of something i don’t remember, come monday a big celebration - our last and longest CG, a celebration of a whole semester.

peace was a far cry. there was too much going on.

not until it struck - crisis style.

it was a perfect reminder never to get complacent. days of plans fulfilled and activities successfully held, it could never get rosier than this. but everything came to a standstill as i succumb to a raging 39 degree fever burning through my temples right to my throat. i was utterly confused because as warm as i was, i felt a blistering cold against my skin and my nose was perpetually wet when my throat felt as parched and inflamed, like a desert, i would imagine. what more..my hands & feet were cold as ice, dead, as if all life were draining away through them. with the aid of medication, i slept for days. maybe i was shutting down.. i was gettin the rest i needed all semester. i was resting now ‘in peace’.

every waking moment was a difficulty. in a very twisted way, it was fortunate that i slept like 23 hours a day. for every waking moment, i had to come to terms with how my illness had ‘transformed’ me.

whenever i woke up, i could feel the heat from my fever burning through my eyes, so much so that daylight took on a different shade, a strange yellow hue. whenever i was awake, i tried to pray but could only manage a cry to the Lord before i slip back into unconsciousness again. whenever i woke up, i felt the burning gash in my throat and my whole nasal tract swollen. i thought twice and hard about swallowing a next mouthful of saliva. sometimes i sat there staring into space, paralysed by this pain and by the fear of swallowing the already accumulating saliva in my mouth. eating was worse. whenever i could manage a few spoonfuls of a ‘blended diet’ which i couldn’t taste, i found myself exhausted and unable to continue. for swallowing was not only painful but swallowing meant ceasing a moment of breathing, which made it even more tiring and more difficult in coping with the pain.

i was reduced to nothing - bedridden and useless.

it took time. but fortunately after five days, i was able to garner more waking hours, which gave me precious time to ponder and pray. i spent most of these hours just sitting down, groaning sometimes (in pain), but most importantly pondering.

five days gone and i was still recovering. and i wondered how the chronically sick and terminally ill lived like this. this i wondered, with the Lourdes experience still fresh in my mind (during which i witnessed first hand, the fragility of our human body). five days and i was already starting to show signs of despair. yet these people’s experiences would have been a million times worse than mine and they would have had to cope with their ailments for weeks or months! i only had a mere fever, flu and an inflamed throat.

imagine a patient robbed of his basic bodily functions, his ability to care for himself, his reliance on somebody else to give him the most basic care that you and i are capable of doing - bathing ourselves, going to the bathroom, eating & drinking etc. some may be prone to despair. they would feel not just robbed of these basic capabilities but also robbed of their dignity as a human being. they would feel less of a human. how hard it is to see hope. how hard it is to see God in times like these.

this i pondered hard.. during the week of peace, about hope and about the anticipation of Christmas - the birth of our Lord, His 1st coming and the 2nd to come. how would a sick person feel in this time of Advent? what is there to anticipate when he lives by the day and when looking forward can be a painful and scary thing to do because there could be no tomorrow?

as the week of peace drew to a close and the week of joy came… i was gradually being relieved of my symptoms and of my pain. how much i can now savour joy… as i do so, my heart continues to dwell on the many sick people laying helplessly in their beds and the many poor and homeless who have had to worry everyday about their livelihood.

how significant the season of Advent and Christmas will be for these people… that during the season of Advent, as we fix our eyes on the coming of the Lord, we recognise that…

this coming of the Lord were, more than a future event, a spiritual place in which we ALREADY WALK in the present, during the wait, and in which we are perfectly vigilant in every personal dimension. In effect, this is exactly what we live in the liturgy: celebrating the liturgical seasons, we actualize the mystery — in this case, the coming of the Lord — in such a way as to be able, so to speak, to “walk in it” towards its full realization, at the end of time, but already drawing sanctifying virtue from it from the moment that the last times have already begun with the death and resurrection of Christ. The word that sums up this particular state in which we await something that is supposed to manifest itself but which we also already have a glimpse and foretaste of, is “hope”.- from the Papal Advent Homily Nov. 30 2008

this has far reaching implications for the suffering for this hope becomes so vital to them. this hope IS a reality in their lives that if recognised can empower them to rise above any proneness to despair. for if we already ‘walk in it’ and already have access to the ’sanctifying virtue’, then the coming of the Lord and His saving us is already NOW.

As we fix our eyes on the 1st and 2nd coming of the Lord this season, we begin to see how our very lives are woven into the history of salvation and how in this seamless timeline of history, we already have access to a saving grace that helps us to live fulfilled Christian lives in the midst of human fraility and human circumstances.

imagine what this would mean for the sick. despite all the pain and suffering, i have always been loved by a God who grants me His sanctifying graces that not only helps me cope with my human circumstances but also helps me recognise my dignity as a daughter or son of God in my relationship with Abba Our Father.

imagine what this would mean for the terminally ill. His graces not only help me cope with all the challenges and difficulties i have had to face in my life and all its circumstances but it helps me to cope with the end of my human life - my death. Christmas then takes on an even greater significance. For the celebration of Jesus’ birth and 1st coming helps the dying to see the ‘hope’ explicated above - that Lord Jesus came and that He filled the human essence with God’s love, so much so that it conquers death. So much so that we NOW can ‘walk in it’, in this journey of love as a reality of our lives. how significant can this be, for a patient with possibly no tomorrow.

in this light, i believe we can better appreciate our Holy Father Pope Benedict’s call at the beginning of Advent - that the whole church ’become a sign and an instrument of hope for all men’. if we were to celebrate Christmas by feasting away and partying as hard as we can while a sick person lays alone in his bed in despair or while a kid sits outside in the street cold and hungry, then we must be very mistaken or ignorant about the whole meaning of Advent and Christmas.

Ignatius Fu

showers of blessing!

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:20:00 +0000

hi everyone..

thank you to alll thoose of you who volunteered and came down for the fundraising carwash at st joseph's bt on sunday! :D it was an amazing faith experience, as well as bonding and fellowship experience.

waking up bright and early on a RAINY sunday morning was indeed challenging. especially for those of us who came down to help out at the 7.30am mass. and it was really quite worrying that the dark clouds loomed so near and the rain didn't seem like it was going to stop. but hungry and sleepy as most of us were, we still made an effort to show up and were prepared to help out for the cause in whichever way that we could.. rain or no rain.

we prayed that God would take the dark clouds and the rain away, not just once, not just twice.. but all of three times. the first led by joel.. the second in the opening prayer led by sam and then also by praying the rosary together. all of us were hoping and even expecting that somehow or other.. the dark clouds and the rain would go away, the rain would stop and the sun would come out.

nope. God had other plans.
the rain didn't stop throughout the whole period that we were there at St Joseph's BT that morning. BUT.. the generosity and kindness of the parishioners of St Joseph's still shone through.

nobody in their right minds really sees any sense in getting their cars washed while it's raining. but despite the rain.. there were still people who allowed us to wash their cars, or donated money towards our cause. and amidst all the hustle and bustle, new friends were made as the volunteers from the different faculties mingled and worked on soaping, rinsing/washing or drying the cars together as a team. despite originally having set teams and areas in order to organise the whole fundraising effort, everybody just sort of came together to help each other out. regardless of which team they were supposed to be on, or which area they had originally been assigned to.

I remember, after the 7.30am mass.. i was standing at the side of the 'shed' where we'd placed all our stuff. and there was a female parishioner who was seeking shelter.. and she said jokingly.. 'aiyoh.. you all never pray for no rain arh?' and i replied..'ohh we did. three times this morning already'.

God is truly good. He didn't answer our prayers in the way that we all thought he would.. but he didn't leave us in the lurch either. despite the rain.. we managed to raise quite a decent sum of money. truly amazing considering that it was raining (even pouring at sme parts of the morning) throughout the whole time that we were there.. and that we had only been there through 3 masses.

and after all the washing, returning and reclaiming of pails and cleaning up. we all took a big group photo and our own faculty photos.. and then proceeded on to a hearty lunch together at Seven Mile Hawker Centre. :) just the fellowship needed to end off the day's work and to fill our stomach's after all that work.

--
so let's continue trusting and keeping our faith in God. even (and especially) in the face of adversity.
for He is faithful God.

"our God is an awesome God,
He reigns from Heaven on high,
with wisdom, power and love,
our God is an awesome God!"

*can't wait to see you all at retreat! :D

love,
-cher

testimony

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:07:00 +0000

sorry, this is a belated entry.
but moses shared a very nice personal testimony and i asked if he would be okay with me putting it here for everyone to read. and he's agreed. :)

My Dear Friends,

Please allow me to share with you my experience for exams for my last paper today. I hope by now, most of you would have finished your exams. If not, all the best for your paper tomorrow! To cut the long story short, I went into the exam hall today without studying much as I had a fever yesterday and early this morning. In addition, I couldn’t sleep well last night. So my initial reaction was: die already, so sway some more, sick on last day then cannot enjoy myself. But I kept the faith going. While I was in the adoration room before Mass, this phrase “let tomorrow take care of itself” struck out to me and I also recalled the sermon given by Fr Paul Goh during Mass yesterday. He said that, “Faith is not only about doctrines, but it’s about experiences. And these experiences often entail suffering which we will grow and mature from.” How wonderful and true are these words, and I knew that my small suffering is really nothing, and I offered my small suffering to those who are really suffering from major illnesses such as cancer. On the way to school today, by right, I needed to catch up with my revision before the paper, but somehow, something inside me told me to pray the rosary, and I did. And I think it helped me greatly for my paper.

But I had two things to thank God for. Firstly, throughout my time in MPSH-1B, I felt totally normal, with no feverish symptoms. Perhaps I can attribute it to the panadol I took before leaving house. But my brain could work perfectly well. Secondly, thankfully it wasn’t other papers which I fell sick for. This lecturer of mine is indeed a Santa Clause. The paper is 10 choose 2. And he gave us the topics beforehand. In addition, most of the concepts for this module, I have learnt before. If it was another paper today, I would have died real badly, especially since I did not study much, or rather, I could not study much. I would like to attribute all these to divine grace and intervention. And I would like to thank some of you for your prayers as well! Right now, APY is also experiencing the same problem as me. Nothing to do with me. I have not seen him for ages. So I couldn’t have spread anything. I think it’s the weather. So please keep him in your prayers as he attempts his final paper tomorrow at 230pm.

It’s true that God could have prevented me from being sick, but yet He allowed it to happen. And I’ve truly learnt and matured from this experience. It’s about being still and know that He is God. True enough, ‘tomorrow’ really took care of itself. And my purpose of sharing this with you all is so that all of you may learn from this experience of mine. Thus, I pray that God will continue to strengthen and mould you. God bless!

Moses

--

thank god that exams are over and holidays are here. let us come to fully appreciate and learn the significance and true meaning of this celebration of our saviour's birth.. and place all our trust in him as Moses did. :)

love,
-cher

happy birthday! :)

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:36:00 +0000

AND..
let's all lift up prayers and well-wishes for all our CSS pple who are having their birthdays during this period.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEL, BRIDGET AND AMANDA LEONG! :)

Thank God for the blessing that you are, you've each made a difference in our community! :) May God bless you on your special day and throughout the year and continue to guide you on the path ahead! :D

love,
-cher

exams! :s

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:20:00 +0000

ooh.. the exams are coming upon us.
it's that really dreadful time of year.

and while i noe im definitely not looking forward to the exams.
i noe to.. that after the exams, there will be many many happy CSS activities to get involved in. and well, of course, CHRISTMAS itself! :) that wonderful season of chocolats, christmas trees, christmas turkey and family gatherings. lol

so whether you're studying at home, in the library, at Risen Christ, at a library/coffeebean/starbucks near you..
know that you're not alone kkaes. :)

here's a little something to help keep you going through the day.
it was written by the ever-inspiring redemptorist, Simon Pereira from Novena Church. :)

all the best everybody! :)

GOD BLESS!

P.S.: i should be in the lib most of the days (excl sundays).. until my exams end (2nd).
and if i dont have melvin, i'll at least have a small multiplug with me. :)

love,
-cher

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:27:00 +0000

Hey everyone!

in keeping with the mugging atmosphere thats around us, heres a reminder to do your ONLINE STUDENT FEEDBACK EXERCISE because you will get One Hundred Bonus CORS Bid Points.

heres the link http://www.nus.edu.sg/students/feedback/index.html

The Online Student Feedback System will be opened from 08:00 on 10 Nov 2008 to 23:59 on 21 Nov 2008

free points, why not.

cheers,

Damien

have fun studying! :)

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:57:00 +0000

The library becomes a weird and interesting place as exams draw closer.
suddenly, the library is fuller than ever before. with people of all sorts.

but who says studying can't be fun?!
it's most fun seeing what pple do when under stress.. and at the very least, you know that there's company in your madness. :)

just thought i'd share some of the funny behaviours and observations that i noticed in the library yesterday, to brighten your day and let you know that you're not the only one going bonkers now that exams are coming upon us.

what do pple do to relieve stress in the library?
-i was watching russell peters on youtube (hah!) and checking out online shopping lj sites.
-leonard (aka grumpy) was watching ice-skating on youtube
-justin lee was writing CHINESE poems about the exams (HAHA)

lol. see. you're not the only one doing stupid things just because it's exam period. :)
i kid you not. just continue to read and enjoy the photos. hah! :)

the ahchek in leonard (aka grumpy)

and our DEAR DEAR PAM.. brought us chocolates.
shimon went CRAZY-HAPPY. lols and then turned into Santa Claus, giving out some of the sweets and chocolates to all our beloved css pple who were studying in the library.

the stock!

shimon went crazy

majella and her sweets!

and when it came to 5.40pm.. a whole bunch of us went for mass at Holy Cross together. :) there's nothing like going to mass together with a bunch of catholic friends.. the sense of community and togetherness amongst all of us was something that i really felt strongly. :D

and when we reached Holy Cross, it was so amazing to see.. that there were LOTS of CSS pple from other faculties as well. business, engin, science and arts.. were all quite well represented! :) and it was so amazing to come together with everyone for mass, knowing that we're all praying for the same thing, that we're all in this together. After mass, we all congregated at the entrance, talking with one another and just catching up. all, so happy to see each other, and just glad for each other. :)

so, dear friends.. who says studying can't be fun? :) lol
there's no more cgs, and there'll be no more morning/evening prayer next week. BUT.. there will still be pple studying in school. i'll definitely be in the lib. with melvin. haha. so, feel free to join us k. :)

love,
-cher

on the 12 days of Christmas, CSS gave to me..

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:04:00 +0000

Hello one and all!

Just a heads up but there are a few things happening in the month of our Savouir's birth you would like to lookout for!

MM : Carollings!
If you would like to join in the fun and spirit of Christmas through bringing cheer and songs to people's houses and hospitals, do get involved in Carolling! :) it's being handled by our CSS Music Ministry. no prior experience needed, just come for the practices! venues and dates
TBA.
* Jessica and Yvonne

6th: Lourdes Experience Event
A healing rally happening at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on the 6th, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the apparition of the virgin Mary in Lourdes, France. Some of you have already signed up as volunteers, pls remember to mark the date down in your diaries.
Cherylyn will be letting you all know more about the details soon. :)
*Cherylyn

14th: Christmas comm fundarising carwash
Come and help the Christmas Comm raise funds for their project to reach out to the children at Sunbeam Place. They have planned an interesting day of activities and need some help to defray the costs of the event.
St. Joseph's Church (Bukit Timah)
*Majella Loh

16-18th: CSS Retreat
It's time to come together as a community to take some time out to reflect on the sem past and all the blessings we received, and also to recharge for the sem ahead, and all the challenges that we may face. Come for our annual CSS Retreat and let God into your life again. :)
St. Theresa's Church
* Shimon and Cheryl

22nd: Christmas Comm Event
Here is our chance to give a little back to the greater community - come and spend a day with the children of Sunbeam Place! :) The Christmas Comm has planned exciting activities, a play and plenty of interaction time with these children.. come and brighten their Christmas! :)
Sunbeam Place
* Ivan and Denise

Arts Comm: Arts year end gathering!
Artsies, we shall gather together as a community in thanksgiving for the sem that has passed, and to celebrate the festivities of christmas and new year together! :) The Arts Comm is still planning, we will let you all know more after the exams have ended.
TBA.
* Eugene

Yours truly,
Arts Comm 08/09

*PS: I have removed the hp no.s of the contact pple.. just to be safe. you can find this in your emails. so check back there for the info kkaes. :)

exam mass! :)

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:28:00 +0000

And even though we may not be meeting up as a CG these last two weeks leading up to exams, the fellowship does not have to come to an end. Let us continue to pray for each other and support each other through these stressful times. Meet up for lunch, or study together with your CG mates if you can, or even go for daily masses together. :)

if all else fails, and its difficult to get through the remaining hurdles ahead.. pray. or ask friends to pray for you too. or find any of us to complain to. chances are, you won't be the only one facing the i-n-e-r-t-i-a and distress. we're all in it together.. and it's alright.. there's light at the end of the tunnel :)

here's a little exam prayer i have to share with you:

THE PRAYER OF A STUDENT

Holy Spirit, be behind me to support me,

in front of my to guide me,

above me to grant me wisdom,

beside me to hold my hand and walk with me,

within me to help me live life abundantly,

and give me all the graces that i need

to live and move and breathe the life of Jesus in me,

so that my foundation would be built

on the power of the Word of God

flowing from the Scriptures.

Dear Blessed Mother, help me to say

"Yes" to God so that i would, like you,

Magnify the Lord and problaim,

"The Almighty has done great things for me,

Holy is his Name."

S. Pereira CSsR
Redemptorist Seminary

----

EXAM MASS! :D
exciting exciting stuff! :)

There's going to be an exam mass this friday. It's a special to close off the sem.
Mass will be at LT17.. and we've a few exciting features this time.

There will be some PRAISE AND WORSHIP before the mass, at 6.10pm. :)
come early and join in if you can.
let's give thanks to God for bringing us through the past sem.. all the ups and all of the downs.

Also, there will be FREE DINNER provided after the mass. :) no need to worry about how much time it will take to travel to holland village, or clementi or vivo. dinner arrangements have already been made. :D all you have to do is come and enjoy.

so.. this friday.. as exams draw closer, let us take some time out to thank Him, and also to gain encouragement and strength from experiencing Him through the mass. :) feel free to bring a friend along as well.

god bless all! :)

love,
-cher

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:05:00 +0000

on friday, sometime past 1pm, a group of css people were talking about some lines from one of Blake's poems, at our arts corner in the canteen. this reminded me of a reflection i had some time back.

the lines they were talking about were these:

To see a world in a grain of sand
And Heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

it appears to me that i can read into these verses a description of what happens at Mass.

To see the world in a grain of sand --> to be able to see the Host containing something (someone) much larger than it actually is

And Heaven in a wild flower --> to see the Divine in the products of earth (Bread and Wine)

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand --> thats what happens when the Host is put onto your hand

And eternity in an hour --> Mass is about an hour long, and it is a re-presentation of the Sacrifice at Calvary. in that one hour (approximately) we are immersed in something that transcends the chronological confines of time.

of course, this is just my reading into it, and i am in no way asserting that Blake had these thoughts and intentions when he composed his poem.

Auguries of innocence is a rather long poem, though most people are only familiar with these first four verses. here is a link to the full poem by Blake: http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/368.html

cheers,

Damien

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 08:55:00 +0000

HELLO ARTS PEOPLE

i hope you are all doing well with revisions and final deadlines.

i'm about to write my film essay. actually i'm about to decide on which film to write on before deciding what to write about that film. to be more precise, i first have to re-initiate myself into the world of film analysis and pick up its reins of knowledge and soak myself in its ways, before i can see with the sight of a film student to choose which film to write on, then to decide what to write about it.

as you can see, i'm working at the last minute again. the deadline is monday.

i just thought of this short clip that we were shown in film art months ago that i thought was intriguing, sad, funny, nostalgic, and captivating all at the same time. and it has a great tune playing in the background from midway in the clip.

its from the opening scenes of a hungarian film by Bela Tarr, called Werckmeister Harmonies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFmu7BYbthY

enjoy (:

damien

niño de milagro

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:10:00 +0000

Hello everybody! What are you doing during December?
I hope you're going for Retreat!

To quote Gabriel Fu: going for mass is taking a big breath to survive the next six days of the week.
So, going for Retreat would be taking that big breath.

Going for niño de milagro would be expelling that breath in a beautiful way.

(Credits to the awesome Mark)

On 22nd December, CSS will be going to Sunbeam Place for a day of fun activities with the adorable kids there! The age of the kids are around primary school level.

We still need child buddies and cast members!
Child buddies are there to befriend the kids. A child buddy will be attached to every child and he/she will be accompanying the child for the whole day.
We need a Mary, Joseph, 2 shephards, 3 wisemen, Angel Gabriel etc. [there's always room for discussion! ;)]

Please email me at indigoslash (at) gmail (dot) com if there are any questions, or if you want to SIGN UP. I reply to emails within 24 hours because I'm such an email addict. (Email = FREE SMS!!)

Also look out for our Facebook event page! You can also sign up via there!

If you want to contribute more to this year's Christmas, pleae join us for our fundraising car wash at St Joseph's. It's going to be on 14 December, just right before Retreat! For more details or to SIGN UP, please contact Majella Loh at majella_Lcy (at) hotmail (dot) com.

<3 Therese

thank you everybody! :)

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:45:00 +0000

firstly.. we have to thank a very special person for the new layout which is so lovely.

we've made a few changes, added a few features, removed a few features.
if you have any feedback, dont hesitate to share it kkaes. :)

and next, i'd just like to thank EVERY SINGLE PERSON who turned up for our "night under the stars" on friday night after All Saint's Mass. YOU ALL made it a very special and enjoyable night. im glad that so many pple managed to come and join in the laughter, merry-making and revelry of the night. it was truly a blessed experience and i could feel the warmth and love all around us. :]

*special mention to Mag who skipped forensic to come! :) HAHA great choice mag!
and for Albert.. who thankfully enough happened to bring his camera for his project that day. LUCKY US! :):)
and for ALL the drivers who made our travelling time SO much shorter and who brought us all safely and comfortably to Vivo! :D

i hope that the event was a special one to you too. albert and i have both uploaded our pics of the event.. so go take a look kkaes. and comment too! :) i'll be putting together a collage of it soon. tmr hopefully.. once im free from the dreaded essays. :sand we've put up the big group picture that we took that night at vivo on the template! :)

if you have any feedback at all, do leave a comment in the entries, or tag our board on the left hand sidebar! :) we'd SO love to hear from you.

and thank you therese for contributing the interesting entry! :)
*rmbr to leave your name if you're contributing an entry kkaes. :]

guys.. just a reminder, this week will be the last round of CGs for the sem.. so do try and make it for your respective CGs if you can kkaes. :)

love,
-cher

new layout is finally up

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:53:00 +0000

yippee!!
if there is anything you want to see here
(or something you don't), say it.
it's your space after all!

Chaplet of Divine Mercy

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 07:51:00 +0000

Surrogate Parenthood?

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:38:00 +0000

A few days ago, while I was making yet another change to my hairstyle (don't worry, I didn't dye it green - just had a cut), I came upon this article about surrogate mothers in India. I managed to finish the whole article, had a reflection about it and also had a little nap in the chair. Because my hair is a b***h to handle as it's so thick.

It was in the Marie Claire UK version. October issue, I think. (God knows why the Singapore magazines don't carry such articles), and it was interesting.

Surrogate parenthood offered childless couples in the UK a glimpse of light where it was dark. Some of the couples had been trying for years for a kid, but failed because of health reasons (the lady had a health issue which made her automatically miscarry in the 1st trimester) or because they were too old to conceive. Either way, a child in their families would be dearly beloved.

On the other hand, Indian families had problems sending their kids to school or feeding them. The Indian women who agree to be surrogate parents are there out of their own free will - they are interviewed by the clinic before they are accepted into the clinic. Women who were deemed to be forced by their family members were sent home. Women there wanted the best for their children. It was like a job to them. However, surrogate mothers faced a social problem if they were seen outside with a big stomach. Some of their neighbours did not believe that a child could be placed inside a womb if it's not by the usual way. *ahem*

There are two types of surrogate parenthood - full surrogate parenthood and partial parenthood. Full parenthood is when the egg and sperm is from the UK couple. Partial parenthood is when the egg is provided by the surrogate mother.

It looked like a win-win situation to me: the childless couple gets a child to love, hold and adore, and the surrogate mother gets the money to continue sending her kids to school. I'm talking about full surrogate parenthood here. I think partial surrogate parenthood will create problems in all aspects of life.

But of course, playing with biotechnology always reminds people of playing God.

What about adoption?
I used to work with a anti-child trafficking Cambodian NGO based in Singapore (actually, I still go over if she screams for help). I know the founder personally and she's like an elder sister to me. She used to tell me (oh wait, she's still saying this) that it was difficult to adopt children from outside the US or Europe. I know of an American woman who still lives in Phnom Penh today because the US would not give her adopted Cambodian boy citizenship status. She has been living in Phnom Penh for 5 years, and she speaks Khmer(!!!) relatively well. She has been separated from her husband for 5 years.

And there are the child trafficking people in Cambodia and Vietnam. These people buy children from drug addict parents. In other words, they tear families apart because some idiot wants to feed his own drug habit by selling his own children. These children then become 'orphans' ready for adoption by foreign couples. Foreign couples who adopt these 'orphans' pay a hefty sum (in US dollars) to the middlemen. Some girls sold by their parents become prostitutes (I met one who is my age - 23 - and she seems so much older than I am and she has been in business for 5 or 6 years, I think) after being purchased by pimps.

Then it makes sense for parents to go through surrogate parenthood clinics in order to get their much wanted child. Wanting to adopt children may lead to the disintegration of families, if the wrong people are approached. Many potential adoptive parents go through much pain and distress for many years before finally getting the right to adopt their children, only to find out that their adoptive children were sold by their original family.

Only some adoption cases are genuine.

What scars do children have to go through?
Which is better - renting the womb, or selling children?

The jury in my head is still out on this matter. Email me at indigoslash (at) gmail (dot) com if you got any viewpoints.

Now, I'm going back to reading biotechnology.
%^@$@$*&!!! Blast the exams!

-Therese (2nd year, SEAsian Studies major)
P.S: Year 1s, if you are confused about majors and are interested in SEAsia Studies as a major, also feel free to email me. =)

special gift and Arts dinner gathering

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:36:00 +0000

Hello one and all,

it's your Arts Pub once more! As the time draws near once more for all of us to start again on our quests for the grades, let us not forget our friends and the fellowship that we all share. The great thing is that we have one more chance to make yet another wonderful memory!

Come to the Arts Corner to collect a special gift this week! :) Available during this week only.. just a little something from us (Arts Comm) to you. Don't forget to come and join in our morning and evening prayers if you have time. 9.30am and 4pm at the Arts Corner, you can claim your special gift before/after prayers too. :]

Arts will also be having a fun and uplifting dinner get-together after mass this coming Friday! It's time again for the warm and familiar, the laughs and the smiles. It will be at Vivo City. From after mass till whenever you feel like. ;) selection will be buffet-style! Dining area will be under the stars, on the rooftop. So pick your choice and head on up!

So won't you come and join us under the stars?

Your's truly,

Eugene

(on behalf of Arts Comm 08/09)

*girls, if you're joining us for dinner at the rooftop on friday.. it might be a good idea to not wear a skirt. :)

MM Praise and Worship- trilogy finale! :)

noreply@blogger.com (CSS Arts! :)) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:22:00 +0000

hi everyone! :)

just want to help MM publicise their final segment of the Praise and Worship trilogy. :)
it's happening this coming Thursday and they've got some very exciting stuff planned. I know that there is some clashes with Thursday CG.. and there aren't thaat many CGs left. but if you feel called to attend the MM session and think that Praise and Worship might be something for you, do go ahead and support MM. your CGs will just miss you for one week. :)
-make sure you come back and help out with the singing and praise and worship in your cgs! lol :]

More information below:

"Come and join us for our LAST installment of the P&W trilogy and MM's  LAST session for this year too. Just spare us one more thursday evening  alrights? Jarvis Tan from Holy Spirit will come down to share with us.  He's really experienced and anointed! We will also be learning about  the technical aspects of leading P&W. Pretty please with sugar on top,  do try to join us for this one thursday okay? And I'm really sorry if  our thursday session clashes with the many CGs, we'll pray and hope for  a change next semester.   Also, because we've invited a guest speaker for this thursay, we will  not be practising our carols this week. We'll probably resume caroling  practices after the exams.

  P&W Part 3: How to LEAD a P&W
Session  Time: 6.15pm 
Date: 30th October, Thursday
 Venue: SDE Seminar Rooms, somewhere near and above the SDE Coop. 

love,
-cher

(on behalf of MM).