After months of grueling rehearsals, the drama ministry of City Harvest Church (CHC) staged a revolutionary Easter drama production entitled ‘The Final Solution’. “What if Science discovered a genetic cure for the moral defects of mankind?” — the voiceover of the drama trailer served as a teaser for CHC members and friends alike who flocked to the various church services held in different venues, to watch the highly anticipated drama.

The first scene opened with an intriguing prison setting where a fight broke out between hardcore prisoners Maximus Brutto and Titus Pullo. The fight ended when the Chief of Police intervened and introduced the top physician of Jerusalem, Dr. Silas, to the prisoners. Silas then summoned a notorious serial killer causing the rest of the prisoners to shrink back in fear. But there was something different in ‘Chen Bao’, he has become a peaceful person after receiving an injection shot of a blue fluid, the contents of the Final Solution.

The Final Solution was a potion created by Silas to remove from the human heart any desire to commit sin. Silas had created this potion as a result of his own heartbreak when his wife, Miriam, died in cold blooded murder. Silas now had a proposal for the prisoners: receive freedom like Chen Bao (after receiving a jab of the Final Solution) or death penalty for their crimes. Upon seeing an opportunity to escape the gallows, all the prisoners jumped at the idea of a ticket to freedom.

Dr. Luke, a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth, who was also Silas’s ex-classmate and best friend, noted the similarities between Jesus and Silas, in that they both want to see salvation in mankind. As a result, he introduced the two men to each other.
At the other end of the city, Carmen, Silas’s daughter, was having the time of her life partying. She quickly became the object of every boy’s attention. However, it was soon discovered that she had no interest in any of the guys, as she was attracted to another girl! Carmen and her girlfriend were caught in the act by Silas, who lost his temper and struck Carmen. With the blow, Carmen fainted and Silas, seeing no other option, injects her with the Final Solution, in a bid to make his own child obedient.

Silas’ relationship with his business partner Dinah turned sour after he spurned her affections. The spiteful Dinah plotted to deliver one last prisoner to Silas to receive an injection of the Final Solution. To Silas’ horror, the prisoner was none other than the murderer who killed Miriam! Silas, in a moment of folly, lost himself to anger and stabbed the prisoner, killing him in one blow.

At that moment, Luke came to visit Silas and found out that Silas had committed murder. Carmen was also starting to feel the ill-effects of the potion and just as the police came to arrest Silas, she collapsed. After being locked up and beaten to the pulp by the prison guards, Silas stretched out his hands to Jesus, who was also locked up in the same cell by the Chief of Police (in cahoots with the Pharisees). The healing power flowed out of Jesus and into Silas’ body. Silas was overcome by the love and forgiveness of Jesus.

At the trials, as it was customary to release one prisoner during the Passover, Pontius Pilate wanted to release Jesus as he could not find any fault in Him. His good intentions were overthrown by the Pharisees and the crowd, who chanted loudly for Silas Barrabas to be released instead. Fearing a riot, Pontius Pilate released Silas, whom he called a mass murderer (all the recipients of his potion were either dead or in critical condition).

PHOTOS: Albert Soh, Daniel Poh, Gay Sen Min, Gary Sim

As Jesus carried the Cross on the road to Calvary to be crucified, the crowd (and the audience) could only watch helplessly as the lashes from the Roman soldiers cut deep into the back of Jesus. Taunted, cursed at, Jesus wore the crown of thorns before He was eventually nailed to the cross and awaited death, taking the place of guilt-stricken Silas.

Three days later, a heartbroken Silas tried to revive Carmen who had been lying dead for 2 days when Luke tried in vain to comfort him. Just when things seemed hopeless, Jesus appeared to both Luke and Silas. “Arise!” At the word of Jesus, Carmen awoke from death and Silas was reunited with his daughter, bringing an end to this brilliant Easter story.
“This year, the focus was many aspects of real life as we see it today. From status quo, to homosexuality and science; not forgetting the endless issues of love and forgiveness. At the end of the day, no matter what solution man can come up with, the real solution is still Jesus Christ!” says Alan Raj, one of the ‘Pharisees’. “As Easter drew nearer, we had to rehearse from 6pm to 2am- 3am! I’m glad that it was all worth it.” He adds.

Lim Hong Bin, member of City Harvest commented, “This year’s drama is awesome because the plot of the drama, not to mention the ‘solid’ acting, makes the experience more real and intense for us viewers. It really gripped my attention, watching it.”

Once again, the CHC drama ministry did not fail to disappoint, delivering the message of the Cross in a totally new and creative perspective.

“The wealth of the wicked is laid up for the children of God, and the time to harvest is now!”, declared Dr John Avanzini, admist hearty agreement from the congregation. On the weekend of 25 to 26 April, Avanzini, the most widely published and well-known author and speaker on the topic of biblical economics, inspired fresh faith for prosperity as he ministered the Word of God. Avanzini’s Debt Free rallies and Financial Freedom seminars have helped thousands of people find their way out of debt, and men and women have learned how to walk in financial freedom and abundance, living a generous life with more than enough.

Using the illustration of Jacob in Genesis 47, Avanzini showed the congregation how prosperity and abundance are possible even in the midst of an economic meltdown. Keeping the story close to home, Avanzini paralleled the present economic meltdown to Jacob’s story. As the famine prevailed in the land, the family of Jacob prospered and increased in the prime land of Goshen. Not only did the children of God have provisions and lodging, they found employment in positions of high influence.

PHOTOS: Lee Boon Bee

Faith arose in the hearts of the people as Avanzini declared, “God can provide for you, just as He provided for the family of Jacob. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Avanzini challenged the congregation to always put God first in their finances by tithing, and being quick to fulfill their pledges to God. He exhorted the people to always carry a “holy dissatisfaction” toward their situation of unfulfilled debts. Indeed, as God’s people put His kingdom first, may God’s riches and blessings overtake them, for His glory!

21 April seemed like an ordinary Tuesday afternoon — except for the hordes of students congregating in various locations across Singapore for a scoop of free ice-cream at Ben & Jerry’s!

At its Cathay branch, the queue snaked all the way from level two of the mall all the way to level three. The building security had to come in and maintain crowd control.

There was so much buzz even innocent passers-by (like me) joined in the queue for a free cone. A friendly Ben & Jerry’s crew member offered each one a range of flavours to choose from: Vanilla, Chocolate, Coffee, Chocolate Fudge Brownie or Chocolate Macadamia.

It seemed like it was not just free ice cream but a fun day out for all. At Cathay there was even entertainment, with a live band providing background sounds as one savored one’s ice cream.

While the cones were free, the crowd was encouraged to support Ben & Jerry’s adopted charity partner for the year, the Singapore Children’s Society, in aid of neglected and abused children. The society’s donation boxes were placed at convenient spots for those who felt inspired to give a little love and cash — after all, Ben & Jerry’s was already setting a great example!

Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day started as the company’s way of thanking loyal customers all over the world for their support and giving those who aren’t yet familiar with Ben & Jerry’s to give their ice cream a shot. Today, Ben & Jerry’s Singapore has 11 outlets, offering 22 flavors from Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough to Chunky Monkey to the hot favorite, Chocolate Fudge Brownie!

PHOTOS: Eugene Tay

Heng Tong Yan, who queued for a cone, shared: “I think [Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day] something that I will look forward to every year. It’s intriguing to see so many people queue up for free ice cream.” She adds, “Personally I feel that the whole atmosphere and layout provided at the Ben & Jerry’s at the Cathay Branch all adds up to making the trip to Ben & Jerry’s, an awesome experience.”

Michelle, an employee of Ben & Jerry’s told City News, “Through Ben & Jerry’s vision of giving back to the community, I personally learned the importance of giving back to the community. For me, Ben & Jerry’s is a fun place to work at. Even if I wasn’t working for Ben & Jerry’s, I would definitely queue up for a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream!”

Judging by the size of the crowds, it’s clear that Ben & Jerry’s has scored some serious brownie points in Singapore — a public relations effort that should ensure a sweet payoff.

Meet you in queue at next year’s Free Cone Day!

Frustrated with a lack of accounting solutions as a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME)? Tired of spending too much time poring over computer codes only to receive mediocre Internet traffic for your company’s homepage? Creative eWorld was set up to provide the answer to these problems.

“Creative eWorld was set up 14 years ago precisely for these reasons,” says Sofia Phang, 31, a Senior Sales Executive in the company. She relates that they have helped local SMEs get valuable business software subsidies and funding from major governmental bodies such as Spring Singapore and the Infocomm Developmental Authority of Singapore (IDA). They have helped SMEs receive up to a whopping S$3 million in funding. Not bad for an accounting and web solutions provider.

PHOTOS: Xavier Tan

The company’s star products are likely to be Easypay Enterprise (EPE), a comprehensive Human Resource software and AutoCount, a comprehensive accounting and inventory system that provides solutions for SMEs. These are but two out of a whole plethora of software solutions in Creative eWorld’s arsenal of tools to help combat the various administrative problems that SMEs face. Simple and easy to use, they are a boon to such enterprises who are looking for inexpensive solutions to their everyday problems.

At the Marketplace SME Fiesta 2009, Creative eWorld was offering an attractive 50 per cent discount upon signing up for their accounting and web solutions software programmes. In addition, the company even offered a gift of a 4GB Ipod Nano with any sign up of an EPE package during the Fiesta.

Their mission statement reads: “Our purpose is to help make it easier for our customers to manage their business process.” Clearly, Creative eWorld is highly customer-oriented and will continue providing relevant software for SMEs in the years to come.

The 8,000 fans who jam packed the Max Pavilion last Saturday night for Hong Kong singer Joey Yung’s Starlight Joey concert won’t be forgetting it any time soon.

Even though they had to endure a slight delay to the start of the concert, any hint of displeasure immediately disappeared once Joey rose from a platform, like the ballerina in a music box, and kicked off the show with a heartfelt rendition of ‘蜃樓’ (‘Mirage’).

Before fans had time to recover from that haunting opener, the versatile songbird transformed into a foxy siren, mesmerizing them with a series of highly energetic and innovative dance numbers. There was no let up at any point of the show, as Yung demonstrated the multi-faceted dexterity and vocal prowess that have made her arguably Hong Kong’s, and one of the region’s, most adored singers.

The 28-year-old had little trouble completing a staggering 24-song set, belting out hit after hit, covering both past and present favorites, such as ‘心花怒放’ (‘Overjoyed’) , ‘跑步機上’ (‘On the Treadmill’) to ‘怯’ (‘Fear’).

PHOTOS: Daniel Poh

Noticeably encouraged by the strong support from her fans in Singapore, Yung made sure to take the time to show her appreciation. Addressing her legions of supporters in Cantonese, she said she always wanted to perform in Singapore so that she could share some of her favorite songs with them.

But the concert wasn’t just a treat for the ears and heart. It was also a visual spectacle — as Yung modelled a dazzling array of costumes throughout her already stunning performance. The crowd made sure Yung knew they appreciated her performance: Whistles and chants of “Joey! Joey!” rang out across the auditorium throughout the concert and a sea of light sticks swayed to each beat of every song.

Truly befitting the name of her show, on this night, Joey Yung shone like the most brilliant star.

The storyline of Taken isn’t particularly spectacular or original. Ex-special forces agent Bryan Mills is on the phone with his daughter just before she is kidnapped while on holiday in Paris. With his various “talents and abilities” he begins his relentless vigilante rampage through the French gutters to rescue her.

Taken has Liam Neeson as the leading man in this action thrill ride. He is convincing as both the brooding father and action hero. He could be likened to James Bourne of the Bourne trilogy, except throw in a daughter, a disgruntled ex-wife and an extra 15 years to our man with a mission.

The script is co-written by Luc Besson (The Professional, The Fifth Element) and is directed by Pierre Morel (13^th District). This lethal pairing of Besson and Morel delivered the high octane 13^th District in 2006. They have since evolved and sharpened their craft to produce an action feature that is drum-tight and razor sharp. The action is relentless to the point where audiences can forgive the lack of Hollywood frills as well as character and plot development. Taken is not a feature length film. It is an extended fight sequence.

It is clear that this movie was not intended to push the envelope or contend for a spot as a classic. Taken is focused and single-minded its mission of providing pure grit and bloody-knuckled action. In this, it has met its mark with pin-point accuracy. Those that derive a deep (if slightly twisted) satisfaction from watching lone vigilantes torture and destroy bad guys will undoubtedly have their fill.

Rating:

Ed Ong’s work for a Belgian client at Laguna 88 sets a new standard for East-meets-West interior design.

Ed Ong’s design work has so impressed The Business Times that the newspaper ran a feature on his project at Laguna 88 condominium, located in the East.

The founder and creative director of Dwell Interior Design blended Asian antiques with modern details, creating a modern, warm home that positions its owner’s prized antique collection to full effect.

Owner Carl Schelfhaut chose Ong to design his 2013-sq ft, three-bedroom home because Ong “understood what I was trying to achieve”.

Ong has over seven years’ experience in interior design, executing over 100 projects ranging from retail to residential spaces. His team’s design philosophy — working closely with clients “with an emphasis on fostering a close and long-term working relationship with them” — is apparent in this instance.

Schelfhaut prizes his antiques not just for their value, but for the way they “look nice and exude warmth”. To him, this is the most essential feature of any home. To him, many Asian homes lack this essential warmth. Mismatched, ill-considered furniture and lighting are his pet peeves, along with a lack of storage space.

Given these design cues, Ong created design highlights like a texture wall to show off these antique pieces to their fullest. His blending of antiques with modern amenities is subtle yet practical. In the bedroom, an antique cabinet stands between a walk—in wardrobe and a bathroom, both of which are hidden behind paneled sliding doors; in the study, specially — constructed bookcases incorporate an antique rosewood table. These details wrap Schelfhaut in what he describes as “a welcoming warmth” the moment he enters his home.

Schelfhaut’s open — concept kitchen reflects both his love for cooking Asian cuisine and his “conservative and timeless” taste. It is dominated by a black granite counter top, with white cupboards and bright lighting.

The project’s extraordinary success is the result of the marriage of Schelfhaut’s vision and Ong’s creativity in interpreting that vision. The tasteful blend of influences, old and new, East and West, is a rarity that’s more than welcome in Singapore’s interior design industry.

Contributed by Sonia Kwek

On 18 April 2009, members of the AN zone headed to Conference Room 2 at the Singapore Expo Hall 8, for a time of fellowship and entertainment, after their church service. A simple but scrumptious spread of finger food, which included crispy chicken nuggets, succulent curry vegetable samosas and savory chocolate muffins, had been laid for members and friends to tuck into while preparation was underway. There were even a few waiters present, who went around serving drinks and collecting used glasses, showing how no detail was spared when it came to excellent hospitality. The place was soon abuzz with noise as people milled about, partaking in easy conversation as everyone got to know one another.

To start things off, AN zone member Pamela Choo, accompanied by Yap Pow Wee on guitars and Edmund Ong on bass, sang a few songs, such as ‘Stop and Stare’ and ‘Check Yes Juliet’, to warm up the crowd; these are all contemporary radio hits popular with youth today. As people started to stream in and fill up the room, there was a palpable sense of excitement; adding to the cheer of the atmosphere were gold and silver balloons that decked the room.

By the time special guest, Wing 罗文裕, appeared to perform, the entire room was all hyped up and ready. Decked out stylishly in an ensemble of checkered shirt, vest, jeans and boots, Wing, singer/songwriter from Taiwan, cut a fine figure onstage. He quickly launched into the rousing crowd-pleaser, ‘Good Day’, immediately stirring up enthusiastic clapping and singing-along from the crowd. He also covered the immensely popular Jay Chou 周杰伦 hit, ‘稻香’ (‘Dao Xiang’), showing off the versatility in his vocal range. Wing even invited a girl to join him onstage in belting out a rendition of ‘我可以’ (‘Wo Ke Yi’), earning him a stamp of approval from the adoring audience, who cheered even louder and more raucously.

PHOTOS: Esther Tan

Performing a repertoire of five songs throughout the night with just a guitar in his hand, Wing continually engaged the crowd, a testimony to his showmanship and natural charisma. He was affable and amiable, openly sharing his life story in between songs. He gave praise to God for blessing him with his talent, attributing his rise from being just a little village boy to the successful, cutting-edge musician of today, all to the grace of God. Wing was also forthcoming in speaking about his past, telling the crowd of how he used to be so intent on making money and pursuing fame when he first started out, and how he ended up feeling empty and hollow inside. He also told of his addiction to an online gambing site, which he had used as an outlet to vent his frustration, but ended up accumulating debts when he started to gamble his wealth away. Wing’s honesty and willingness to admit his past weaknesses was refreshing, especially since celebrities in the showbiz world are known to be reticent about their private lives to upkeep an image.

Wing spoke of how an invitation to church came when he was at his lowest point in life. Truly, God’s love encompasses all, for even a celebrity like Wing was touched during worship, “wiping away all past hurts, gaining a new lease of life through God”, as he went forward to receive the Lord Jesus into his heart. He went on to pen his first song in 4 years on that very night. It was also in church where he met his mentor 刘耕宏 (Liu Geng Hong), whom he affectionately calls his guardian angel, who encouraged him not just to write songs but to also come forward in singing them onstage. He was then finally able to emerge out of his shell, as he realized the power in music to inspire people and help them out of their depression.

Wing then sang ‘我有多久没有对你说我爱你’ (‘Wo You Duo Jiu Mei You Dui Ni Shuo Wo Ai Ni’), a song which he had specially written for his mother, to tell her he loves her; a reminder to the youth not to take parents for granted, but to always cherish them. Finally, Wing left the crowd with one last song, ‘爱情漫游’ (‘Ai Qing Man You’), but not before exhorting the youth to be faithful in maintaining a close relationship with the church and to walk even closer to God.

Actress Belinda Lee has trumped the likes of popular host Guo Liang to win the Best Infotainment Host award at the MediaCorp Star Awards last Sunday, 26 April.

Lee, 31, received two nominations in the same category — Best Infotainment Host — for her sparkling turns in the travelogues Find Me A Singaporean (Season 2) and Come Dance With Me. She won the award for Come Dance With Me.

Come Dance With Me was an entertaining and highly unique show that brought Lee all over the world to learn different styles of dance, from Irish tap-dancing (which nearly busted her ankle) to Japanese geisha dancing. “It was a dream come true for me! I always wanted to be a dancer,” she says. In each episode through her energetic involvement, Lee brought the unusual cultures of these countries to viewers back home.

In Find Me A Singaporean, Lee traveled round the world to hunt down Singaporeans who have relocated — some to destinations as far and strange as the mountaintops of Yunnan — and find out what they are doing and how they are making a difference in this world as a Singaporean. It was the first of its kind when Lee filmed Season 1, and the response was so overwhelming that a second season was commissioned.

“I was totally shocked by the double nomination,” says Lee, who is one of only two actors who received two nominations at the Star Awards. The other is veteran Chinese TV actress Chen Li Ping who has been nominated for Best Actress in two different shows.

“But I wasn’t surprised that it was Come Dance With Me that won me the award. Either one, and I would be very happy. The hard work and effort I put in for both shows were equal.

“It was totally a miracle,” continues Lee. In past years, Lee had done a much wider variety of work (from hosting to serials). However, these past two years, she focused entirely on the two travelogues alone. That she has been nominated for both is “really a blessing”.

“These two years, my appearances, endorsements, magazine coverage have never been so low. But God opened these doors and I got two nominations!”

When Lee stepped forward to receive her award, her first thank you went to “my Heavenly Father for this gift”. 

“I had a vision a few weeks ago that I was standing on a stage receiving an award,” she shares. “It really happened!”

The award is important for Lee because “it is a form of affirmation; it’s important to be recognized for my effort. It’s a privilege.”

Lee also shares that since her win, “people look at me differently”. She was invited immediately to a very exclusive closed door party organized by a fashion brand.

Lee is currently filming “the longest drama ever!” I Want To Hold Your Hand will air late this year and will run for a record eight months! “The exposure is huge.

“This is a very competitive industry,” says Lee. “I know from the bottom of my heart that these opportunities are from God. He has intervened in this whole thing – I’ve done what I love, and I’ve been recognized for it.”

Watch Belinda Lee receive her award on the repeat telecast of the Star Awards 2009 this Sunday, 3 May, on Channel 8 at 6pm.

Contributed by Lee Jingwei

Members from Zone Supervisor Darren Tan’s zone came together for the Zoe Conference at the Research University on Leadership at The Riverwalk. The theme for this year’s conference was “Resurrection” and it encouraged the youths to step out in faith and have their dead dreams and talents resurrected.

It consisted of two sessions and five workshops.

The morning session started with the conference’s theme song, ‘Eternity With You’, an original number written by zone member Ryan Wong. Following that, Andrew Tan also delivered a beautiful rendition of his song ‘Xin Li Wei Yi’. Darren Tan shared the principles of God’s creative life and encouraged the attendees to have faith and step out of their comfort zone.

In all, there were five different workshops, namely photography, song writing, dance, public speaking and shoe design and all of them were conducted by the members in the organizing committee.

Centered on active participation, attendees of the songwriting workshop wrote their own songs on the spot with help from the workshop coordinators, while fashion lovers had a go at designing their own shoes in the shoe design workshop. The photography workshop also sent budding photographers outdoors to practice the theories they learnt.

One of the most popular workshops was public speaking. “Public speaking is a lost art as Singaporeans often refrain to speak out,” said workshop coordinator Francis Yu. During the workshop, he spoke about the importance of mastering good speaking skills as they are not only applicable in the public realm, but also in personal relationships with others.

Those who took part in the event enjoyed the workshops tremendously.

“I have always been wary of painting, but through this workshop, I’ve discovered the joy of painting and am inspired to design more shoes,” said 19 year old Sheryne Seah who attended the shoe design workshop.

Participants were given ample opportunities to display their work and talents. Representatives from the song writing, dance and public speaking workshops were given a platform to showcase what they learnt during the night sessions. Selected photographs and shoes were also put on display.

PHOTOS: Angela Yong

In addition to the workshop performances, the crowd was inspired by Jack Koh’s testimony during the night session. A singer and songwriter, Koh shared about his resurrected dreams after connecting back with God.

“Only with a resurrection, the cross has its full meaning,” said Tan to the crowd of youths. Before an awakened life begins, there must be a death of the old self. Tan likened our failures and lost dreams to the death we must go through before experiencing the power of resurrection. He encouraged everyone to stop defining ourselves by our own expectations, but by God’s because He wants us to possess a radically different nature.

The meeting ended with Tan praying for the people in the room. Many went forward to experience the touch of God and received new visions and dreams and many dead dreams were resurrected that night.