Flying is my life, geddit?

Pietá.

2011-02-22T13:08:00.001+08:00

Pietá., originally uploaded by Ian Nicholas Michael Koh.

2009-09-19T11:12:00.003+08:00

We should have done this ages ago.
Like the 15th Century at the height of the Reformation

much ado about fishing

2009-01-18T21:08:00.012+08:00

My friday was spent at East Coast Parkway and at Bedok Jetty with Daniel, Samuel and Thipak...

and we fished, like fiends...

Our catch was impressive, 166 fishes, 4 crabs, 3 pufferfish, 1 seahorse and 1 motherfucking queen fish...

Preparing Pandora's Box with the Pariss Buffet

Unloading from Thipak's car

The first catch of the day; my silvery eel thingy

Next, 4-in-a-row

It was damn bloody fun, I swear to god

Thipak's full house!

Samuel and Daniel

Daniel's big-assed Queenfish

It didn't want to let go

Resulting in lots of blood

He was damn happy sia

Next came the Crayfish

2 fishes, to scale

Then the crab came along

Highlight of the day

We tried force feeding the crab, but to no avail

Gutsy little bastard

I wore my Singapore Poly T-shirt to get it stained with blood; blood of the innocent!

Sunset

Changing the water

3 happy people

lots and lots of fishes

i caught this weird demonic fish again

Really fish from hell

at night, we all went crazy

a seahorse ended up in pandora's box

Samuel's Pond of Mysteries

All edible, by the way

final tally

fisherman of the day

damn fucking smelly at that point in time

the weird ones

Thipak, Daniel, Samuel and I

4 really satisfied people

nice right

packing everything home

catch of the day

St. Augustine

2009-01-14T02:33:00.000+08:00

"You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you."

Saint Augustine

2009-01-05T21:31:00.002+08:00

spot the similarities!

Cambodian Nativity Scene at the Catholic Church of Kampong Cham

2008-12-29T21:29:00.001+08:00

Cambodian Nativity Scene at the Catholic Church of Kampong Cham, originally uploaded by Ian Nicholas Michael Koh.

We celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family yesterday in honour of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his foster father, Saint Joseph, as a family.

The first Sunday after Christmas is always the Feast of the Holy Family.

2008-12-25T01:10:00.008+08:00

GLORIA, GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO!

Unto us a Saviour is born!

Today, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates with great joy, the birth of Jesus Christ...

As we wish each other "Merry Christmases" and so forth, let us pause to recall why do we celebrate this joyous event in the first place.

If you are an honest, sincere and discerning Christian, please read on; if not, you might as well stop right here.

The World Book Encyclopedia defines "Christmas" as follows: "The word Christmas comes from "Cristes Mœsse", an early English phrase that means "Mass of Christ."

It is interesting to note that the word "Mass", as used by the Roman Catholics, has traditionally been rejected by the so-called Protestants, such as Anglicans, Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals and so on.

The word "Mass" is strictly a Catholic word and thus, so is "Christ-Mass."

It would stand to reason, that since all of these denominations love and embrace "Christ-Mass", that December 25th is the great homecoming day, when all of the Protestants become Catholic for a day.

It would seem that all of the so-called "wayward daughters" of the Romish church return to their mother.

Thus, all of the so-called Protestant churches could sing to the Pope that popular song "I'll be home for Christmas."

2008 years ago, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary bearing the great news of the Annunciation.

A couple of months later, the Son of God became man in a mangy manger in Bethlehem.

That promise made in scripture was fulfilled on that fateful day.

The promise of salvation through the birth and subsequent death of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, chose to become a man to be put to death to ensure our "resurrection of the body and the life everlasting" was not to be compromised.

So this Christmas, why don't you get off your high horse thinking that Christmas is about you, and getting a litany list of presents?

Christmas is celebrating the decision Jesus made to become man, and we wait in anticipation for his second coming before the end of time.

After all, we sing that Christmas Hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel..."

How many of you actually know that Emmanuel means that "God is with us."

Precisely the very same reason why the Roman Catholic Church celebrates Christmas.

Through the wrongs and shortcomings of the secular world and certain protestant sects, the true and beautiful meaning of Christmas is diluted beyond hope.

Christmas is not all about giving and receiving gifts, and was never practiced until St. Nicholas came along, even then, he was a Roman Catholic Bishop.

After the Season of Advent, where we purified our spirits through the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, we wait patiently for Christ's coming, ever keeping vigil.

Christmas is for Jesus, it's definitely not about YOU!

Please, remember the true meaning of this truly Holy Day!

Happy 2008th Birthday Jesus!

2008-12-14T13:52:00.004+08:00

Rejoice! Rejoice dear people of God!

Today is Gaudete Sunday, we rejoice we're 1 week away from the birth of our Saviour and our advent preparations of penance are coming to fruition!

The pink liturgical vestments worn by all the clergy represents the joy of the coming of Jesus...

In these days of penance and preparation leading up to the feast of our Savior's birth, it reminds us of the joy that is to come, and serves, amid this season of penance, as a kind of 'break' when we recall the hope we have because of the coming of Jesus.

In Advent, we not only celebrate the first coming of our Lord, but eagerly prepare for His Second Coming as well, when the restoration of all things takes place.

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice; let your forbearance be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.

(Roman Rite Catholic Mass years A, B and C).

"que soy era Immaculada Councepciou." ✠

2008-12-14T13:42:00.001+08:00

"que soy era Immaculada Councepciou." ✠, originally uploaded by Ian Nicholas Michael Koh.

I just like this picture of His Grace and our Blessed Mother too much!

2008-12-08T20:00:00.008+08:00

Today is an important feastday in our liturgical calendar as well as the Islamic calendar.

Its the Feast of the Immaculate Conception for us Roman Catholics and the Muslims celebrate their Hari Raya Haji.

The Immaculate Conception doesn't refer to Jesus, but to our Blessed Mother.

Her immaculate conception in the womb of her mother, by normal sexual intercourse, should not be confused with the doctrine of the virginal conception of her son Jesus.

Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin committed by Adam and Eve when they ate the forbidden fruit. Mary remained sinless all the way till her death and subsequent assumption into Heaven.

For the Roman Catholic Church the dogma of the Immaculate Conception gained additional significance from the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1858. In Lourdes a 14-year-old girl, Bernadette Soubirous, claimed a beautiful lady appeared to her. The lady said "I am the Immaculate Conception" and the faithful believe her to be the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Remember, Mary said, " que søy era Immaculada Councepciou ".
She is the Immaculate Conception.
Our Mediatrix and co-Redemptrix.
Queen of the Rosary.
Queen of all Saints.
The Mother of God.
Queen of Heaven.
My Mother.
✠

Explanation of the Dogma

1. The essence of Original Sin consists formally in the lack of sanctifying grace. Being preserved from Original Sin, Mary entered existence in a state of sanctifying grace.

2. Mary's freedom from Original Sin was an unmerited gift of God's grace.

3. The efficient cause of the Immaculate Conception was Almighty God.

4. The meritorious cause was the Redemption by Jesus Christ. It follows from this that even Mary was in need of redemption, and was, in fact, redeemed "by the grace of Christ," in a more perfect way than other human beings. Christ's redemption frees all humanity from Original Sin. The uniqueness of what Christ has done for Mary is that she was freed from Original Sin before ever inheriting it, while the rest of humanity is freed after it has been inherited from Adam and Eve. Thus, this dogma in no way contradicts the dogma that all children of Adam are subject to Original Sin and in need of a savior.

5. The final cause of the Immaculate Conception is her Motherhood of God

On Saturday, I went for the Lourdes Experience with Ranson. Since many of the Catholics here don't have the opportunity to visit Lourdes, The Singapore Order of Malta brought the experience here.

It was exciting to say the least... This was the largest gathering of Roman Catholics I've ever encountered...

10,000 Catholics all in all!

I thank the Knights and Dames of the Order of Malta for giving us the opportunity to experience it.

This is the 150th Anniversary of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin to the poor peasant Bernadette Soubirous ( the future St. Bernadette) and the Lourdes experience gave me a chance to spend 6 wonderful hours with my Blessed Mother and Christ in humble Eucharistic Adoration.

First, the experience started off with the Stations of the Cross where we follow Jesus' last events of his life and his eventual death.

The 15 Stations of the Cross are:

Jesus is condemned to death.
Jesus takes up his cross.
Jesus falls for the first time.
Jesus meets his mother.
Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his cross.
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.
Jesus falls for the second time.
The women of Jerusalem weep for Jesus.
Jesus falls for the third time.
Jesus is stripped of his garments.
Jesus is nailed to the cross.
Jesus dies on the cross.
Jesus' body is taken down from the cross.
Jesus in the tomb awaits his resurrection.
Love is stronger than death.

Following the stations of the cross was a testimony by Father Leslie Raj who went on the pilgrimage to Lourdes and came back changed.

After a short break, it was Holy Mass celebrated by His Grace, Archbishop Nicholas Chia, the Bishop of the Diocese of Singapore.

Straight after Mass was the Eucharistic Celebration which involved the Benediction and the monstrance.

Lastly, we had the recitaiton of the Holy Rosary in 10 languages of the region. The languages used were, English, Mandarin, Teochew, Cantonese, Tamil, Bahasa Indonesia, Malayalam, Korean and Tagalog. It was beautiful saying the Rosary in so many languages, as it shows the universality of the Roman Catholic Church...

1.5 Billion Catholics and still counting... ✠

Altar before the Lourdes Experience

Cathedral Choir of the Risen Christ

Christ is our Light this Advent

Hail Mary, Full of Grace!

His Grace, Archbishop Nicholas Chia, wearing the cream cassock with purple trimmings

Sir Peter Low in Pontifical Choir Dress

Stadium packed in anticipation of Holy Mass

Entrance procession with the Archbishop at the back

Count the 30 Parish Churches in our Diocese

Entrance procession with the heralds representing the 30 parishes

Approaching the altar

Spot the illuminated crucifix

We bow towards the altar as a sign of reverence to the platform where Christ's sacrifice is celebrated

This is my favourite picture.
His Grace and Our Blessed Lady

He moves very quickly for someone his age

Preparing for Mass

Kissing the altar

Censing the altar

Censing the crucifix with incense

And the Liturgy of the Word begins...

When the crosier isn't held by a Bishop, the crook is faced backward

I really like his Mitre

Preparation of the Gifts;
i.e Holy Communion for 10,ooo Catholics

Incensing the gifts

Censing the altar again

This practice may seem anarchic, but we've been doing it for 2000 years!

His Grace Archbishop Nicholas Chia

My Lord Bishop!

His assistant placing his mitre back on

Reverend Father Eugene Chong leading the Eucharistic Adoration

That's the Humeral Veil he's wearing

Jesus Christ is staring right back at me...

And now He's walking past me

His Grace concluding the adoration

The thing which makes us different from protestants; pure gold!

I have a huge amount of respect for this man

Dismissal

Walking off the altar

I like his vestments

Signing off

See, he moves very fast

High Altar with Choir

Mother of Christ
Mother of Mine

She's the Immaculate Conception

Ora Pro Nobis
Pray for Us!

2008-11-23T22:55:00.002+08:00

Today is the Solemnity of the feast of Christ the King,
this is the last holy Sunday in the our liturgical calendar.

We believe in Christ's kingship so who says we do not have a social system based on monarchy?

Next week will be the start of the Season of Advent, which means, 32 days to Christmas from today!

2008-11-18T23:51:00.000+08:00

"Prayer is not telling God what we want and do not want, as if we are addressing Santa Claus in a department store.
Prayer is a petition to God, asking Him to conform our imperfect will to His Perfect Will."

2008-11-18T21:57:00.002+08:00

WE LOVE HIM!

2008-11-09T00:00:00.003+08:00

Today is feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran or the Basilica of the Holy Saviour, the Mother of all Churches.

The proper name of the basilica in Latin is
"Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris et Sancti Iohannes Baptista et Evangelista in Laterano".
(Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour, St. John Baptist and St. John the Evangelist at the Lateran)

We all know that St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City is the most popular church in the world, and commonly associated with the Papacy and the Pope.

As the Bishop of Rome, the Pope is given a See, or a Cathedral throne, just as any other Bishop/Cardinal, on which to govern from.

BUT, his Cathedral is not St. Peter's Basilica as many people would assume.
Instead, his Cathedral and Parish Church is the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the oldest Basilica in Rome and was given to the Roman Catholic Church in the year 311AD by the Emperor Constantine, together with the ajoining Lateran Palace.

It thus holds the title of Ecumenical Mother Church (mother church of the whole inhabited world).

In addition to that, the Lateran Palace also houses the Holy Steps.
These were the stairs that Jesus ascended for his trial in front of Pontius Pilate during his Passion.
St. Helena, the mother of the Constantine the Great brought the steps from Calvary.
The stairs are sanctified by the footsteps of Jesus Christ and pilgrims climb up the stairs on their knees in penance.
The wooden table on which St. Peter celebrated Mass on is said to be kept in the Basilica, including part of the table used for the Last Supper.

Celebrating the dedication of the Pope’s cathedral today shows our unity with the Pope and our love and respect for him. Not only that, but it shows that we are united with each other in the Roman Catholic Church.

As we celebrate today the dedication of the “the mother and mistress of all churches of Rome and the world” let us pray also for those who have got lost going through life that they find the Church as a true mother to them and that Jesus may become the foundation stone and corner stone of their lives.

2008-11-02T00:01:00.001+08:00

All Souls' Day

That's the day we remember and pray for our faithfully departed...

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.

2008-11-01T00:01:00.000+08:00

All Saints' Day

Litany of the Saints

God the Father
God the Son
God the Holy Ghost
Mary, Virgin Mother of God
St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse
St. Peter
St. John
St. Thomas
St. Jude Thaddeus
All other Apostles
St. Luke the Evangelist
St. Michael the Archangel
Sts. Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels
St. John the Baptist
St. Stephen
St. Mary Magdalene
St. Vincent de Paul
St. John Vianney
St. Augustine
St. Nicholas
St. Benedict
St. Dominic
St. Bartholomew
St. Catherine
St. Joan of Arc
St. Anastasia
Pope St. Gregory the Great
Pope St. Leo the Great
Pope St. Pius X
Pope St. Pius V
Pope St. Sixtus II
Pope St. Callistus I
Pope St. Sylvester I
Pope St. Clement I
Pope St. Celestine
St. John Baptist de la Salle
St. Anthony
St. Francis Xavier
St. Francis of Assisi
St. Helen
St. Elizabeth
St. Cecelia
St. Lucy
St. Agatha
St. Teresa of Avila
St. Teresa of the Child Jesus
St. Pio
St. Thomas Aquinas
St. John Bosco
St. Perpetua
St. Felicity
St. Patrick
St. Athanasius
St. Bonaventure
Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of Mary
St. Ignatius
St. Maximilian Kolbe
St. John Chrysostom
St. Andrew Kim Taegon
And all other Martyrs
St. Hedwig
St. Margaret
St. Agnes
St. Bridget of Sweden
St. Clare
St. Cyril
St. Constantine
St. Faustina
St. Isidore
St. Joanna
St. Nicholas of Japan
St. Veronica
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Servant of the Servants of God;
Pope John Paul II

All you Holy men and women,

Pray for us!

2008-10-30T23:19:00.002+08:00

Leslie sent me this picture,
I thought it was hilarious!

2008-10-27T22:47:00.006+08:00

Have you all wondered why my blog had received the "Mature Content" advisory...

Its not because of pornographic content...

Its mainly because of this!

BECAUSE OF HER!

I present to you the most useless module S.P has ever introduced...

Organisational Management!

But who's this?

That's Priscilla

You gotta ask yourself,
"what the hell's up with that weird hand gesture?"

That's Farah Teh Alia

She's actually rather pleasant

But look at Jiaqi's incredulous expression when staring at her!

And she has absolutely no manners at all and has a farking potty mouth!

Yes. O.M is freaking boring we resorted to taking pictures

That's Role Playing for the class...

How I wished it wasn't so...

FYI, that's Priscilla under the desk, talking on her phone...

It was so totally like, "Smile, we're on candid camera"

Shukrie says she looks like she is on drugs or sniffing glue...
Farah says 'hi' to Johnny behind...

2008-10-14T23:17:00.006+08:00

Okay, here's some more pictures...

Here's Pang Boon, Jesus Christ †, Edwin and I having lunch at Pariss on the last day of the holidays...

Jesus Cristian and Me

We had like 2 black pepper crabs each

Edwin and Pang Boon

The crab was actually quite nice

Cristian

Too many prawns and sashimi

That's Edwin eating a Bull's Testicle

The dumpling wasn't nice

The prawns were damn nice and like free liddat

Last Prawns of the day

The buffet ended at 2 30 'o clock according to the waitress

We were all definitely the happiest people on earth that day

That's the lan jiao with his 4 mango puddings
* Pictures taken by Edwin Low

A few of the Gate 3 people on the second day...
* Picture taken by Justin Leow

The complete collection of Gate 3
* Picture taken by Dai Kai

2008-10-06T00:20:00.011+08:00

Here is a smorgasbord of pictures since the 8th of September 2008:

✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈

8th September 2008
Shine Jesus Shine Youth Rally at Novena Church

That's Me, Francesca and Clarissa

Francesca, Clarissa and Wesley

"Jesus Christ, Our Hope"

Wes and I...

This is a traditional yearly picture

✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈

15th September 2008
My Twentieth Birthday

Jerelyn insisted on getting me a cake for my birthday, I cannot remember what I was thinking or doing at that point in time...

The cake was damn shiok... and see Justin in the background..

✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈

19th September 2008
Night Cycling from Pasir Ris to Pasir Ris via ECP

Fed-Ex MD-11 at the SASCO Hangers

Northwest Airlines Boeing 747-451

Leslie, Mason and Shaman

Then we found this trolley

Then came along this nondescript underpass

and, BAM!
it fell

✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈

25th September 2008
Sheesha with 3/4 of the 4 Musketeers

I want that hair colour

My canines are particularly attractive

And long hair so isn't my thing

Hantu

Useless Ah Beng

Puffy hair which kindda looks like Edwin's

Shesha and Heineken.
Farking shiok!

Apple and Mint Flavoured

Damn good

Wesley with a cold

Beard Papa?

Parliament House
This was taken by my humble Canon point-n-shoot

Night Fever, Night Fever!

That's supposed to be Salsa

This is an Audi R8..
I still like my Lancer

✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈

26th to 28th September 2008
SingTel 2008 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix

This is Cheryl Thia, my cousin...
She's super un-glam all the time

The notorious Gate 7

Merchandise Stall

Dinner at the Esplanade.............carpark

That's Desiree KOH!

That's Tyler

That's Desiree KOH and Toh Lin

Small kid with an oversized Ferrari flag

Stamford Grandstands

Desiree, after 3 days of inspecting tickets

Toh Lin: after 3 days of inspecting tickets

Justin Leow, after 3 days of inspecting tickets

Rahul, Justin, Desiree, Toh Lin, me and Dave

They jumped

We all jumped...

✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈

Sacerdos POV

2008-09-25T10:35:00.001+08:00

Sacerdos POV, originally uploaded by Pater JPM.

Like I said, Flickr got damn good pictures!

Our Lady's Grotto in St. Patrick's School, Singapore. my alma mater

2008-09-08T02:18:00.001+08:00

Our Lady's Grotto in St. Patrick's School, Singapore. my alma mater, originally uploaded by Ian Nicholas Michael Koh.

Today, the 8th of September, marks the birthday of our Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven.

" As I kneel before you,
As I bow my head in prayer,
Take this day, make it yours
and fill me with your love.

Ave Maria,
Gratia plena,
Dominus tecum,
Benedicta tu.

All I have I give you,
Every dream and wish are yours,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of mine,
present them to my Lord.

Ave Maria,
Gratia plena,
Dominus tecum,
Benedicta tu.

As I kneel before you,
And I see your smiling face,
Ev'ry thought, ev'ry word
Is lost in your embrace.

Ave Maria,
Gratia plena,
Dominus tecum,
Benedicta tu. "

Pope in the Crowd

2008-09-05T03:07:00.001+08:00

Pope in the Crowd, originally uploaded by Pater JPM.

This picture is so darn nice...
There are really nice pictures on Flickr, I can spend ages just browsing through them...

2008-09-02T02:04:00.004+08:00

Pics from the RSAF Open House, Baybeats 2008 and my Changi Airport Trek with Toh Lin & Leslie...

This was on the bus to Paya Lebar Airbase

F16 of the Black Knights

The business end of the F16

The KC-135, converted from a Boeing 707

And we got the chance to climb it

Port wing view with a C130

Starboard wing view with a Fokker 50

Disembarking the airstairs

Side fuselage

Powerplants

Boeing hubcaps

Lets say it altogether now;

strut
drag link
locking pins
actuators
tyres
wheels
torque link

Refueling boom

Side view of the engines

Such a classic aircraft

Side outside view of the C130

F16 taxiing for take off, in front of us!

There you go

F5

Chinook dumping some Funvees

Airframe Systems nightmare

This band at the Baybeats was really good

Like, damn good

This guy could play the guitar, but unfortunately, couldn't sing to save his life

Seriously

Top of the Esplanade's roof

And on the other hand...

A look down perhaps

And again

Merlion

As seen from Merlion park

Seeee.....

A view of Airport Boulevard

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777

Long exposure of the South Cross...
The 2 streaks of lights came from a passing van

See the approaching plane coming in for landing

A kindda nice picture of South Cross

Highlight: Taxiing Airbus A380-841 20m in front of us!

We all got ready to take pics in a hurry

It was gargantuan

And passed us by all too quickly

The best pic of the new Queen of the Skies

Departure Gates at Terminal 3

2008-08-23T19:56:00.002+08:00

Like, finally!
The paper bag summarises everything up nicely...

The iPhone 3G completes my Trinity...
Macbook, iPod and iPhone

2008-08-20T22:23:00.000+08:00

SOON!

2008-08-15T08:41:00.006+08:00

Today is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This is the day that our Blessed Mother was taken up into Heaven, with body and soul intact.

God prevented decay from ever touching her body simply because it was in her spotless womb that his son was conceived, She was protected from original sin through her immaculate conception and she is the most perfect of god's creatures. She is both the mother of Christ and also mother of mine.

First Reading from the Book of the Apocalypse 11:19; 12:1-6, 10

" A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne; and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming,
‘Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Messiah,
for the accuser of our comrades* has been thrown down,
who accuses them day and night before our God. "

We thank you, heavenly father, for giving us Mary to be our mother.
She's so loving, so thoughtful, so understanding and so kind.
We thank you for her.

2008-08-09T23:53:00.003+08:00

Since Toh Lin posted it...

I thought I should follow suit...

And yes, we ♥ Bang Toong Kiang...

REALLY!

2008-08-05T21:28:00.006+08:00

To my dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ †;

I implore you to bear these in mind...

Sola Fide; Heretical Poppycock

Sola Scriptura; Blasphemous Rubbish

Would faith and scripture alone promise us our salvation?

No, I don't think so!

What we require to attain that state of divine grace is much more complex than just those 2.
For example, the Eucharist is paramount, so are the 7 sacraments, good work, and the most neglected; hope in Christ's second coming. Besides, its only after the Final Judgment that we are truly brought into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Based on the doctrine of "Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus" by the Holy Mother Church;
here are excerpts of speeches and encyclicals given by past Popes, Saints and Doctors of the Roman Catholic Church.

God's punishments were very harsh in the Old Testament and God does not change however you must not forget that something very important did happen between the old and new testament... Christ shed his blood for us. Christ's infinite mercy and the intercession of our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, must not be discounted and trusting to these we should not fear.

That being said we MUST as Catholics accept every single one of the defined Dogmas of the Catholic Faith or we are no longer Catholic.

Solemn Definitions by the Church through the ages:

"The universal Church of the faithful is one outside of which none is saved."
-Pope Innocent III, ex cathedra, Fourth Lateran Council (1215 AD)

"We declare, say , define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff."
-Pope Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam (1302 AD)

"The Most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, also Jews, heretics, and schismatics can ever be partakers of eternal life, but that they are to go into the eternal fire 'which was prepared for the devil and his angels' (Mt. 25:41) unless before death they are joined with Her... No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ can be saved unless they abide within the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church."
-Pope Eugene IV, in the Bull Cantate Domino, (1441 AD)

Further teaching of Popes, Saints, as well as Fathers and Doctors of the Church:

"The Church is the entrance to life; all others are thieves and robbers. On this account we are bound to avoid them . . . . We hear it declared of the unbelieving and the blinded of this world that they shall not inherit the world of life which is to come . . . . Resist them in defense of the only true and life giving faith, which the Church has received from the Apostles and imparted to her sons."
-St. Irenaeus (130-202), Bishop and Martyr

"No man can find salvation except in the Catholic Church. Outside the Catholic Church one can have everything except salvation. One can have honor, one can have sacraments, one can sing alleluia, one can answer amen, one can have faith in the Name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and preach it too, but never can one find salvation except in the Catholic Church."
-St. Augustine (354-430), Bishop and Doctor of the Church

"Most firmly hold and never doubt that not only pagans, but also Jews, all heretics, and all schismatics who finish this life outside of the Catholic Church, will go into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."
-St. Fulgentius (468-533), Bishop

"The holy universal Church teaches that it is not possible to worship God truly except in Her and asserts that all who are outside of Her will not be saved."
-Pope Saint Gregory the Great (590-604), Father and Doctor of the Church

"All who have not believed that Jesus Christ was really the Son of God are doomed. Also, all who see the Sacrament of the Body of Christ and do not believe it is really the most holy Body and Blood of the Lord . . . these also are doomed!"
-Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)

"There is no entering into salvation outside the Catholic Church, just as in the time of the Flood there was not salvation outside the Ark, which denotes the Church."
-Saint Thomas Aquinas (1226-1274), the Angelic Doctor

"There is no salvation outside the Catholic Church. Anyone who resists this truth perishes."
-Saint Louis Marie de Montfort (1673-1716)

"Outside the Church there is no salvation...therefore in the symbol (Apostles Creed) we join together the Church with the remission of sins: 'I believe in the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins"...For this reason the Church is compared to the Ark of Noah, because just as during the deluge, everyone perished who was not in the ark, so now those perish who are not in the Church."
-Saint Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621), Bishop and Doctor of the Church

"All the misfortunes of unbelievers spring from too great an attachment to the things of life. This sickness of heart weakens and darkens the understanding, and leads to eternal ruin. If they would try to heal their hearts by purging them of their vices, they would soon receive light, which would show them the necessity of joining the Catholic Church, where alone is salvation. We should constantly thank the Lord for having granted us the gift of the true Faith, by associating us with the children of the Holy Catholic Church ... How many are the infidels, heretics, and schismatics who do not enjoy the happiness of the true Faith! Earth is full of them and they are all lost!"
-Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787), Bishop and Doctor of the Church

"By Faith it is to be firmly held that outside the Apostolic Roman Church none can achieve salvation. This is the only ark of salvation. He who does not enter into it will perish in the flood. Nevertheless equally certainly it is to be held that those who suffer from invincible ignorance of the true religion, are not for this reason guilty in the eyes of the Lord."
-Blessed Pope Pius IX (1792-1878)

"Some say they are not bound by the doctrine which teaches that the Mystical Body of Christ and the Roman Catholic Church are one and the same thing. Some reduce to a meaningless formula the necessity of belonging to the true Church in order to gain eternal salvation. Others finally belittle the reasonable character of the credibility of Christian Faith. These and like ERRORS, it is clear, have crept in among certain of our sons who are deceived by imprudent zeal for souls or by false science."
-Venerable Pope Pius XII (1876-1958)

Also we must note the words of our Lord. "Unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you."

Only Catholics can do this in participating in the Eucharist, logic follows that only Catholics posses the life Christ was speaking of.

Now, I am really seriously considering Priesthood!

~~

Inspired by my new found friend, Ranson from my new found CCA...
I have rekindled my old thoughts, petitions and ideology.

REINSTITUTIONALISE THE PAPAL TIARA!
REVIVE THE LATIN TRIDENTINE MASS!
REVIVE THE CRUSADES!

and I also wish that the Great Schism of 1054 AD between the Western and Eastern Rite Churches be mended.

The tiara has been a symbol of Popes for ages now. Made of 3 distinct layers, it is usually constructed using silver and gold, precious stones and diamonds enough to buy over a small country.

It is the symbol of papal authority over the college of Bishops which we are seeing taking more authoritarian roles in the Church. The Tiara is the symbol of Christ Himself: the true Prophet, Priest and King. That is also what the three crowns represent: the Pope as the true Teacher of the Church, (Prophet) the true Head of the Church (King) and the true Successor to Jesus-Christ as the High Priest. (Priest).

Patrem Principum et Regum, Rectorem orbis, in terra Vicarium Salvatoris Nostri Iesu Christi!

(part of the text used in a papal coronation with the Papal Tiara, it says that the Pope is the "Father of Princes and Kings, Ruler of the World, Vicar on Earth of our Savior Jesus Christ")

Blessed Pope John XXIII wearing his Papal Tiara during his Urbi et Orbi (to the City of Rome and to the World) blessing...

Pope Pius XII

~~

2008-08-04T22:30:00.003+08:00

I have decided to link the personal blog belonging to His Eminence, Cardinal Seán O'Malley of the the Archdiocese of Boston...

2008-07-31T23:23:00.002+08:00

I, Ian Nicholas Michael Koh Zhi Xiong, do not have a brother!

That's all I have to say and you can quote me on that!

2008-07-30T22:09:00.014+08:00

MY INAUGURAL DRIVE TO SCHOOL!

and the conclusion of the Aerospace Materials Project.

Announcing the commencement of a once-weekly service from Kang Choo Bin Walk to Singapore Polytechnic!

I thank the Holy Family for protection on the roads.

Farah Teh Alia

Adding final touch ups to the Aeroma PPT

Last view of the Materials II Lab

After lunch, I took a drive and visited the Parish of St. Mary's of the Angels.

I haven't came back to this parish since I was a baby...

I like the interior, its very very zen

My passengers wanted to see the Confessionals at the right nave.

Exterior of St. Mary's of the Angels.

Farah and Priscilla taking a picture of JiaQi and his Aunt.

She's damn high all the time!

And she helped me make this collage!

So, THANKS Farah!

I cannot wear Toh Lin's shoe.

And now, pictures from Mr. Ong JiaQi's Camera.

At the Aeroma Presentation

Farah is convinced we have something going on

That's Faustina, the Mitsubishi Lancer.

I was finally realising my dream of driving to SP

Those 2 sure can camwhore

Black Macbook, Black Mitsubishi Lancer...

Pris and Farah

I don't mind hitting ppl with my Macbook

These kindda pictures Farah also must take..

Haiyah......

And I dedicate the next section of this post to my FAVOURITEST people in the world!

The Friday (ex) C.Y.As...

They somehow manage to keep me sane and honestly, I cannot possibly imagine nicer people!

I met up with them last night for dinner at Changi Airport, we should do this more often...

These were the people I looked forward to meeting every Friday evening for airport duty...

Sim Wei Xuan!

JERELYN FOOOOO!

Female toilet at the Crowne Plaza at Terminal 3.

Beth and Jerelyn got rather spooked...

Shitty cushion

Or black grapes?

Or just acting cute?

A lump of shit?

5 Sec Exposure

Wei Xuan gets amazed by everything

Group Shot

Everyone moved except Beth

Dark and dreary Wei Xuan

This was in some balcony we found...

The best picture of the night

Then just camwhoring

Jerelyn and Beth

These 2 damn power, can climb walls

Typically Ah Lian

Burka, hahahahaha

Then trolley racing

Justin, Beth and Ridzwan

jerelyn, need i remind you we're 20 this year?

In fact, all 3 of us are 20 this year...

Damn fun ah

They like jumping

The best cocktail so far!

A choco-tini...

Beth's Peppermint tea

Oreo something

Jerelyn's hazelnut something

Ridzwan

Ah Xuan!

T.C.C

Damn nice ah, that choco-tini

2008-07-21T23:47:00.008+08:00

As the World Youth Day (WYD) celebrations drew to a close in Sydney, Australia, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI announced that the 2011 WYD will be held in Madrid, Spain.

His Holiness made that announcement at the conclusion of the final Mass for WYD SYD...

I was most disappointed that I wasn't able to go for this year's one owing to the ongoing academic semester.
I really envy my cousin, Teresa, who went with the Parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour...
I saw her picture in the Catholic News, haha...

Here's a random thought... Thinking of the masses of people who flocked down to Sydney, have you realised that there are so many Roman Catholics...

There are 1.2 billion Roman Catholics in the world, just us and no one else!

*This figure doesn't include Protestants, not 1 at all!

Now, that's a lot of followers, which makes us the largest religion in the world...

SO statistically, it means that 1 out of every 6 people on Earth is Roman Catholic, now, what are the odds?

And we have our own little country for ourselves...!

I promise I will definitely die-die go to Madrid in 2011!
EH Francesca, Wesley! Start saving up for this one!!!!!

His Holiness

His Holy Plane
A Charted Alitalia 777, yet again...
Nonstop flight from Rome to some RAAF Base in Northern Australia

The Cardinal Pell kissing the Pope's ring.
All Catholics should kiss the Pope's ring when having an audience with him.

White= Pope
Scarlet= Cardinal
Amethyst= Bishop/Archbishop

The Cardinals and Bishops of the Church

All celebrants kiss the altar where the sacrifice of the Eucharist is offered.

The Spaniards after learning that they will be hosting the next WYD

His Holiness' Final Blessing

2008-07-12T15:03:00.004+08:00

For those out there who don't know, I hang a rosary in my car as a form of protection when I am driving...

When the car is fast, inertia invariably makes the rosary swing backwards...

Imagine if I go a little too fast...

2008-07-06T20:44:00.002+08:00

WE GOT TURBANISED!

2008-06-28T23:31:00.003+08:00

Today is the Feastday of Saints Peter and Paul.
They are the 2 greatest saints of the Roman Catholic Church...

St. Peter was to whom Jesus entrusted the keys of heaven to. He was also the rock on which Jesus built his Church on (Matthew 16:18-19). It basically means that St. Peter was the first Pope and Christ's Vicar and Representative here on Earth. Pope Benedict XVI is St Peter's 265th successor in Apostolic Succession.

St. Paul, on the other hand, was a major persecutor of the early Church. Upon seeing a vision on the highway, he woke up his idea and became one of the greatest saints and preachers of the church, churning our apostolic letters and epistles like nobody's business...

Both saints were martyred. Saint Peter was crucified upside down since he felt he didn't deserve to die the same way as his master. On the other hand, Saint Paul was decapitated.

This is the year of Saint Paul. The 2000th anniversary of his birth...

This morning, when I read the Sunday Times, there's was a spot of bad news for us...
The Archbishop Emeritus Gregory Yong, had passed away last night at St. Joseph's home...

Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.

2008-06-24T21:36:00.002+08:00

Vista is actually quite an intuitive operating system...
I quite enjoy using it...

2008-06-19T23:28:00.017+08:00

So I shall post about our recent Malacca / Genting trip!

Our convoy waiting for the rest of the cars to catch up at the Malacca exit from the N-S Highway

And we resumed our journey

The antique phone in the Malacca hotel's lobby still works

The lobby in question...
Its rather quaint and homey

The camera's lens is where Celestines eye would have been.

Peranakan Lunch

My Brother and his fish head

Pictures in the restaurant's entrance

Malacca town

I will not use Malaysian rubber, even if my life depended on it

Christ Church

Cousins playing Daytona!
Alas, 8 machines for 9 of us...

Over at the other end

She's terrified of my camera now

Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation.
Commonly referred to as Saint Paul's.

Church of Saint Francis Xavier

I saw this at a Bak Kwa Stall...
Malaysians must be really dumb or are just simpletons...

Shophouses

Pasar Malam

I wanted the Blue Hamster...
Screw animals rights and PETA, and SPCA...
I want one!

Record player still in working condition...

Waiting in the Lobby for....

DRINKING!
15 bottles for RM99.90!

There was Anchor, Tiger and Heineken

Me and Joel

Just happy to be drinking on holiday!

Our small room...

Gotong Jaya, pitstop for lunch...
Its 20 minutes away to the peak...

The Lancer climbing up the mountain..

It was damn crowded!

And foggy too!

Our room in Resort Hotel.
I was impressed

Those dancers all had abs...
All 6 of them!

In front of the Casino...
3 years, 2 years and 1 year more before each of us gets to enter, respectively...

The clowns were damn ugly...

In Singapore, I would've followed instructions..
But, this was Malaysia!

On the Escalator

My Aunty was also damn spontaneous...
The 2 Ah Peks behind are not related to us...

Had to split up for Pizza Hut...

And the other half...

Just to let the people in Snow World know where we are from...

That's us

Muslim inspired swimming attire

First World

First World Theme Park

Escalator to somewhere

WHY?

Planning how to steal those nice ceramic Starbucks cups...

This is how the Chao Ah Lians do it

That way also can

Us at Starbucks

See the venti sized cup I stole

If I were Malaysian, I wouldn't be so proud as to display we won Middle Rocks.
Much less plant a flag on it and sing the National Anthem proudly...

In the Mist, there weren't Aliens..
Just Malaysians

Theme Park wrist bands

Our first ride, just for the warm up

Followed by Jumbo, our childhood favourite...

All of us were reliving our childhood long past...

Myself included...

Them too...

The last time I checked, the Malaysian Aeronautical and Space Agency had made much headway into their Space Program. They plan to go to space shortly...

We feared that rides would close on account of the weather

The créme-de-la-créme of Genting rides, the Corkscrew!
There was surprisingly no queue, so we went on it twice in a row

The tracks of the Corkscrew

Genting Highlands

Space Shot!
I was having a conversation with my cousin when we dropped down...
My words got cut off abruptly and I never managed to complete my sentence...

Flying Coaster...
Just like how Superman would feel when he flies...

Garishly Malaysian...

Resort Hotel...

And the highlight of every Malaysian trip, A & W at Ayer Keroh!
Shame those Malaysians ran out of waffles...

2008-06-17T18:52:00.006+08:00

I was bored today, so I went for afternoon Mass at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd. And met Marcus Arriola to look for an xbox for him...

I'll post the Malaysia trip pictures later.

I bought Windows Vista Ultimate in Malacca for RM10 only!

And it works and doesn't require a CD-key...

Installing Vista after I partitioned my Macbook's hard drive...

Great Success

Cathedral of the Good Shepherd: The seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore. The seat is currently held by His Grace, Archbishop Nicholas Chia.
That's his seat under the crucifix with his Bishopric Coat of Arms.

Cathedral exterior

Monument to the Late Pope John Paul II the Great...

celebrating 25 years of diplomatic relations between the Vatican City and Singapore...

2008-06-12T23:57:00.001+08:00

I'm off to Malacca and Genting!
I hope i get to drive

2008-06-12T01:07:00.001+08:00

2008-06-11T01:43:00.002+08:00

Aren't cousins just the funnest people around?!

Tripod Cheryl

Cheryl Thia

My Brother

Celestine and Amos...
Celestine; I'm not cruel enough to post your OTHER pic!

god bless apple inc.!
god bless steve jobs!
god bless america!

2008-06-07T20:32:00.003+08:00

Well, since most people (including me) think that my blog is rather plain and boring, I'm gonna write up a post!

We on holiday now!
Since last week, to be precise...

I screwed up the Aerospace Materials paper...
Our AeroMa Project is down in the doldrums...

We haven't done anything for F.Y.P. yet...
Its all part and parcel of Year 3, I suppose...

There's this insatiable wanting to just slap some people...

I went out for Dim Sum with my Grandmother and my Cousins yesterday...
It was nice...

I'm meeting my other Cousins tomorrow for my other-side Grandmother's Birthday...
I can't wait!

I'll be driving to Malacca and Genting next week with my cousins...
Its gonna be exciting!

I'm gonna go to Dempsey Hill for drinks with my good friends from St. Pat's...
I gotta ask John Tay to organise quickly...

Basically, I'm enjoying this holiday...
A respite from the rigours of academia...

There, Dim Sum...
Its wonderful to be Cantonese..
Heh heh

2008-05-31T23:54:00.007+08:00

Yesterday was the Feast of the Most Sacred of Jesus.

Today is the Feasts of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and The Visitation.

The Annunciation was when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she was to be the Virgin Mother of God.

Mary, having heard at the Annunciation that Elizabeth, Mary's Cousin, was six months pregnant with Saint John the Baptist, left her home to visit her.

Elizabeth and John the Baptist were inspired by the Holy Spirit at her arrival, and Elizabeth prophesied.

Like most feasts of Mary, it is closely connected with Jesus and his saving work. The more visible actors in the visitation drama (see Luke 1:39-45) are Mary and Elizabeth. However, Jesus and John the Baptist steal the scene in a hidden way. Jesus makes John leap with joy—the joy of messianic salvation. Elizabeth, in turn, is filled with the Holy Spirit and addresses words of praise to Mary—words that echo down through the ages.

It is helpful to recall that we do not have a journalist’s account of this meeting. Rather, Luke, speaking for the Church, gives a prayerful poet’s rendition of the scene. Elizabeth’s praise of Mary as “the mother of my Lord” can be viewed as the earliest Church’s devotion to Mary. As with all authentic devotion to Mary, Elizabeth’s (the Church’s) words first praise God for what God has done to Mary. Only secondly does she praise Mary for trusting God’s words.

Then comes the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). Here Mary herself (like the Church) traces all her greatness to God.

The following prayers stem from this one single biblical event; the Hail Mary, the Angelus and the Magnificat.

The Angelus (said traditionally at 12pm and 6pm daily):

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary
And she conceived of the the Holy Spirit

Hail Mary, full of Grace,
the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
now,
and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

And the Word was made Flesh.
And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary:
Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion.

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus:
The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Catholic art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, surrounded by a crown of thorns, and bleeding. Sometimes the image is over Jesus' body with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of love.

Litany:

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus; Have Mercy on Us
Immaculate Heart of Mary: Pray for Us...

2008-05-29T22:46:00.002+08:00

Easter Sequence...
Still used during the Masses at the Parish of St. Michael's...
Its better if recited as if it were a poem...

Christians,
to the Paschal victim offer sacrifice and praise.
The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb; and Christ, the undefiled,
hath sinners to his Father reconciled.
Death with life contended:
combat strangely ended!
Life's own Champion, slain,
yet lives to reign.
Tell us, Mary: say what thou didst see upon the way.
The tomb the Living did enclose;
I saw Christ's glory as He rose!
The angels there attesting;
shroud with grave-clothes resting.
Christ, my hope, has risen:
He goes before you into Galilee.
That Christ is truly risen from the dead we know.
Victorious King, Thy mercy show!
Amen. Alleluia.

2008-05-25T02:18:00.006+08:00

Today we celebrate Corpus Christi Sunday;
the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.

We just refer to it to as the Blessed Sacrament or the Eucharist.

It is not bread that is worshipped, but Christ, who becomes present under the appearance of bread and wine during the Mass through the Words of Institution followed by the epiclesis.

The Words of Institution:

Take this, all of you, and eat it:
this is my body which will be given up for you.
Take this, all of you, and drink from it:
this is the cup of my blood,
the blood of the new and everlasting covenant.
It will be shed for you and for all
so that sins may be forgiven.
Do this in memory of me.

Pre-consecration epiclesis:

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts.
We ask you to make them holy by the power of your Spirit,
that they may become the body and blood
of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
at whose command we celebrate this eucharist.

Post-consecration epiclesis:

Look with favour on your Church's offering,
and see the Victim whose death has reconciled us to yourself.
Grant that we, who are nourished by his body and blood,
may be filled with his Holy Spirit,
and become one body, one spirit in Christ.

After transubstantiation, the bread and wine are literally the living body and blood of Jesus as seen in the bolded italics in the above passage.

Hard to grasp, but this is a 2000 year old doctrine.
Imagine learning all of this in preparation of our First Holy Communion when we were all Primary 3...
Not easy at all!

At every Mass, we eat Jesus' flesh and drink his blood in the Eucharist.

So you naysayers can call us Catholics, Cannibals or Vampires, we're used to it...

In conclusion, we share Christ's passion and his sacrifice at every Mass by participating in the Eucharist and partaking in the Most Blessed Sacrament...

However, the Blessed Sacrament can also be venerated by means of a Monstrance during the Benediction.

"Down in adoration falling,
This great Sacrament we hail.
Ancient types have long departed,
Newer rites of grace prevail.
Faith for all defects supplying,
Where the feeble senses fail.

Glory let us give and blessing.
To the Father and the Son,
Honour, Might and Praise addressing,
While eternal ages run;
Equal praise to him confessing
Who proceeds from both as one."

In Catholic Churches, the Blessed Sacrament is kept in the Tabernacle, therefore, we always genuflect at the sides of the pews before sitting as a mark of respect to Jesus who is present in the Tabernacle.

We can also venerate the Blessed Sacrament in the Adoration Room.

I was baptised on the 2nd of October 1988 at the Parish of the Blessed Sacrament located at Queensway...
Just for your info...

2008-05-23T01:00:00.004+08:00

Late night rendezvous with Wesley!

On a Skype webcam conversation, that is!

Its just too boring at nights!

2008-05-22T22:01:00.003+08:00

I bought 4 more planes today!

- Airbus A340-500 in Airbus House Colours

- British Airways 777-200ER with "Whale Rider" World Tail

- British Airways 747-400 with "Nalanji" World Tail

- British Airways 747-400 with "Wunala" World Tail

2008-05-18T15:54:00.003+08:00

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

Trinity Sunday celebrates the Catholic doctrine of the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

The term "Holy Ghost" is used interchangeably with "Holy Spirit".
I will always remember my Grandfather referring to the Holy Spirit as the Holy Ghost since his generation were the pre-Vatican II Catholics.

Many people have problems grasping the concept of the "Three Persons in One" doctrine.

But using our Catholic Trinitarian formula;

God The Father
God The Son
God The Holy Spirit...

The Trinity is a Catholic doctrine, stating that God is one Being Who exists, simultaneously and eternally, as a mutual indwelling of three persons: the Father, the Son (incarnate as Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.

Since the beginning of the third century the doctrine of the Trinity has been stated as three Persons in one God, all three of whom, as distinct and co-eternal persons, are of one indivisible Divine essence, a simple being.

Closely linked with this doctrine is that according to which the Son has two distinct natures, one fully divine and the other fully human, united in a hypostatic union. Belief in the doctrine of the Trinity is known as Trinitarianism.

One of the most common uses of the Trinitarian invocation is when Catholics make the Sign of the Cross while reciting the formula.

Anyway, I drove around Seletar Airport and the SLE/TPE today...
The wind in my hair, Mayday Parade blasting on the radio...
Pure bliss!!!

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us, always!

2008-05-14T21:29:00.010+08:00

Today damn fun!

Went to Dempsey Road with Wesley and Phipps for Ben & Jerry's...

Had damn a lot of fun driving Wes' car through Jurassic Park...

Play this video, I insist... and make the audio volume loud loud...
hear the ost!

Driving and laughing like hell through the muddy plains...

Sigh, isn't it good to finally have a license after so so so long?

Spent ages on Photo Booth...

2008-05-12T21:55:00.004+08:00

There's a new driver let loose in this town today,

and his name is

Ian Nicholas Michael Koh Zhi Xiong!

Soon, I will be driving this around after my parents trust me enough...

It took the better part of a year and a half to successfully acquire the coveted driving license and I am eternally grateful to those who played a part or helped me out with a prayer during the duration of the period from Oct'06 till now!

2008-05-11T12:45:00.004+08:00

Today is Pentecost Sunday and Mother's Day.

Its the anniversary of the founding of the Roman Catholic Church 2 millennia
ago with the descent of the Holy Spirit!

According to Catholic tradition, the Holy Spirit in the form of tongues of fire came down to Mother Mary, the 12 Apostles and a couple more disciples who were all gathered in the Upper Room. It is believed that it was the same room where Jesus had his Last Supper the day before his crucifixion. Filled with the Holy Spirit sent from above, they proceeded out with zeal to spread the gospel and basically, built up the early Church.

"When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place.
Suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the spirit enabled them to speak"

Acts of the Apostles 2:1-4

Now, to Mother's Day to both my Mum and our Blessed Mother!

Me and my Mum
We took this picture before boarding KL 1007 from Amsterdam to London Heathrow

My Mother is also Queen of Heaven!

PRAISE HER WITH A FLOWER

Who wipes my tears away?
Who melts my frown?
Who always saves my day?
The one who wears the crown.

Thank you for granting things
For our answered prayers
And for the hope you bring
To many who are in their dark despair.

Praise her with a flower
Thank heaven for our Mother
For her gift of love
Sent from up above
Brightens every hour.

From the highest tower
Shower her with flowers
Mother and a friend
From my grateful hands
Accept my humble flower.

Happy Mother's Day to both of them!

2008-05-09T15:40:00.001+08:00

Since my driving practical test is next Monday, and I am probably gonna fail it anyways...

I shall do a sort write up on the "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road"...

This is a document written by the Vatican City, or more specifically, the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers headed by Cardinal Renato Martino.

It calls for Roman Catholic road users to obey traffic regulations, drive with a moral sense and to pray when behind the wheel.

Cardinal Renato Martino noted that the Bible was full of people on the move, including Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus - and that his office was responsible for dealing with all "itinerant" people - from refugees to prostitutes, truck drivers to the homeless.

The document calls for drivers to obey speed limits and to exercise a host of Christian virtues: charity to fellow drivers, prudence on the roads, hope of arriving safely and justice in the event of crashes.

And it suggests prayer might come in handy - performing the sign of the cross before starting off and saying the Rosary along the way. The Rosary was particularly well-suited to recitation by all in the car since its "rhythm and gentle repetition does not distract the driver's attention."

And now, the "Ten Commandments" for Drivers issued by the Vatican City and the Roman Catholic Church's Magisterium:

1. You shall not kill.

2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.

5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

7. Support the families of accident victims.

8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

10. Feel responsible toward others.

St. Jude Thaddeus; Patron Saint of Hopeless Cases, St. Christopher; Patron Saint of Automobile Users and Travelers and the Blessed Virgin Mary; Mother of God and us,

PRAY FOR ME!!!

2008-05-07T20:45:00.002+08:00

Prayer of Pope John Paul II
December 8, 2003

Queen of peace, pray for us!
Our gaze is directed toward you in great fear, to you do we turn with ever-more insistent faith in these times marked by many uncertainties and fears for the present and future of our planet.
Together we lift our confident and sorrowful petition to you, the first fruit of humanity redeemed by Christ, finally freed from the slavery of evil and sin: hear the cry of the pain of victims of war and so many forms of violence that bloody the earth. Clear away the darkness of sorrow and worry, of hate and vengeance. Open up our minds and hearts to faith and forgiveness!

Mother of mercy and hope:
Help every human being of every race and culture to find and embrace Jesus, who
came to earth in the mystery of Christmas to give us 'His' peace.
Mary, Queen of peace, give us Christ, true peace in the world!