colourfully peccavi...

Wanderlust...

2012-01-28T21:47:00.000+08:00

Reading the Lonely Planet magazine is a surefire way to induce wanderlust in anyone. This year, other than my Bangkok trip, I have an exciting March trip, a June trip to Korea possibly, and hopefully a China trip with mummy in Dec. Oh yes, maybe another Bangkok trip in August. Quite trodden paths indeed.

Some new places I would like to visit:

Sarawak or Sabah: Just to see East Malaysia. The lush forests and sanctuaries for orang utans would appeal to me :)
Myanmar: Just want to see how life is like given all the bad press Myanmar used to get
India: Enough stereotyping. Maybe I should really see the place for myself to see if the negative preconceptions are justified.
Israel: To see where it all started... Where He walked :)

It's all a dream! Must save more money!! :)

Isaiah 43:18-19

2012-01-23T17:06:00.003+08:00

¹⁸ “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.

Went for the training for CGLs at church last Saturday and was particularly struck by these verses shared by Pastor Lian. But before I share my reflections on these verses, let me just say that I am excited about Rock Kidz this year. Although there will be changes (already, in my short half year here, I have seen new people join us, a new leader for my team, a new leader for the department) - such as a new way of running the Fearless department with the cell group structure, starting cell groups for the girls, leading one for myself, a new team and eventually maybe a new venue - the Lord is good and He promises to equip us and see us through the changes. There's gonna be a lot of discomfort as we face changes but someday we will look back and realise that change is not necessarily unwelcome!

Well, if only I can apply this and believe it as firmly in matters related to work. I knew last year when I accepted the post that there would be a steep learning curve. Thank God things have been quite slow so far and my biggest challenge to date is to stay awake through all the meetings. I have been slowly learning the new work. Because God has always helped me through my tough times (even when I didn't realise it was Him and thought it was through my own strength) and my ex-boss has also reminded me of his own experience that this was true, I know this year will go by smoothly too.

Yet Isa 43:18-19 reminds us not to even dwell on the past. God has done good things for me before in the past, but I need not dwell on how good He was then. By faith, because He has promised so, regardless of how good He has been, I should trust that He will continue to deliver.

New things are scary, that much I agree. But He is making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Where there is no path, God has gone ahead to tread one for me. Where things are dry, His waters spring forth.

Now, isn't that a wonderful and reassuring thought to start the year with? :) It makes me want to look forward to see how things will unfold for me this year.

And the church verse of the year...

⁷“ Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
And whose hope is the LORD.
⁸ For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

A tree planted by the waters - that's an imagery used quite frequently in the Bible. Someone lovingly planted me by the water. Trees are planted to bear fruit, give shade, do something useful in general. Nobody has purposely planted a tree in somewhere unfavourable to watch it die... So I shall look forward to the challenges ahead as conditions to grow myself in... I am in reach of ready waters, even when the heat comes, and I need not be anxious, for drought or not, it will be a fruitful season!

Welcome Year of the Dragon

2012-01-23T15:35:00.001+08:00

Goodbye Year of the Bunny, Hello Year of the Dragon :)

Chinese New Year preparation was as usual a hectic process, especially for Mummy but she kept on at it because it's for her favourite festival. This year, we switched from the usual cooking of 9 courses to a steamboat dinner but the preparation was not much less. To secure the freshest ingredients, we went to several markets. I had fun following her.

It's also the second year I am helping out in the kitchen. Both parents of mine are hinting that it's high time I pick up some culinary skills so that I can cook for my family in future. :P

No visitation but will be spending a lot of time at home just enjoying the company of my family, and slacking!

Here's wishing one and all a Prosperous, Healthy, Wealthy, Peaceful Year of the Dragon!

Tea at Sheraton (a two-episode event)

2012-01-19T09:41:00.003+08:00

Having high tea is a must for me during the school holidays. It makes me feel like a tai-tai and there are only probably two things that make me feel even more like a tai-tai – having afternoon tea during school days and marrying a rich man. However, without a tai-tai allowance, I was on the hunt for a cheaper place and Daniel found Sheraton Towers Lobby Bar had a one-for-one offer with any credit card.

The Lobby Bar

The place was quiet and we managed to get a sofa seat. That was the easy part. The difficult part was deciding between the Japanese menu and the English tea.

Gosh, I was too excited to take the picture properly. Pardon me!

Daniel’s preference was for English tea so that’s what we went for. There are fewer items than the tea we had at Regent Hotel but then again this was a cheaper option so I am not complaining. My main gripe was that service was slow even though customers were few. The tea set came with one drink per person and no, it was not a refillable drink. I had a decent cranberry juice.

Tadah! Here comes the food!

I read that the scones came with clotted cream and handmade jam so I had to attack that first. Verdict? Crumbly and I liked it enough.

Scones – the perfect vehicle for all the cream and strawberry jam I want

Next came the savoury choices.

I really took my time to decide what to try first.

Egg white and tomato. I am ignoring the olive.

This was quite yummy!

Apricot and cheese on focaccia

I like this rather unusual combination and enjoyed the fragrance of the focaccia.

Smoked salmon roll

Took a break from the sandwiches to try the smoked salmon roll. The wrap was tasteless and I found the salmon too salty. Sheraton was very generous with the salmon though.

Ham and cheese croissant

This was a simple combination but I think it’s my second favourite from the selection! It is the first time I saw this item on high tea menus though.

Prawn and roe on focaccia

My favourite item amongst the savoury food has got to be this. Crunchy fresh prawn - simply yummy. Having ended the savoury plate on a high note, I moved on to desserts!

Ooohhh which should I start with?

Imagine white chocolate shaving on a moist brownie which is then laid on a chocolate chip cookie. Does it sound like your idea of heavenly? That's the picture above. I am not a chocoholic so this might have been wasted on me but I liked the components eaten separately. The cake was soft and not too dense while the cookie was crispy.

Cheesecake with blueberry

The cheesecake was moist and dense, but why was there only one berry on the cake?

Raspberry tart

At this point I had reached my maximum utility but I braved on to taste everything. Glad I did so because the slightly sour but still sweet taste of the raspberries matched the custard well!

Chocolate tart

Chocolatey is the best word I could come up with to describe this. (It seems the food blogger has to be equipped with a good camera AND a wide vocabulary!) The chocolate was rich and had crunchy bits inside that I liked.

And for the grand finale, we attacked the macarons!

Excuse me, can we have two of each please?

Daniel opted for the raspberry one (nope, we couldn’t tell that it was raspberry by the look so more accurately he went for the red one). His verdict – the filling was sour but the shell was exceedingly sweet. Put together? Sweet and sour. (Sigh, the aftermath of his China trip I suppose.)

I found the shell too soft but I loved the subtle taste of my coffee macaron and the texture that the contrasting coffee grains provided. Definitely my favourite item amongst the sweets.

My overall verdict was that there was no item that rated horribly but there was also none spectacular. It is however a good way to enjoy an afternoon and at $33++ for two sets, it was still a good deal. I was also offered complimentary parking so that made up for the poor service earlier.

Just before the school hols ended, I needed a place for a girlfriend gathering and picked Sheraton for the quietness and the fact that I couldn't get the Japense set out of my mind. My friends tried the English set and commented that the latte and hot chocolate were tasteless. So order juice just like I did!

The most impressive part about the Japanese tea was its presentation, which got a unanimous oooh-and-aaahing from us.

The full works

Close up of the plate of savouries

The soba (not in close up) was too salty and the maki was so-so. The inari was sweet and the roe crunchy. Way better. But the star of the plate?

Definitely the fresh, succulent slices of salmon!

Nori Rice Crackers

I am not a fan of rice crackers in general but you might like something salty and crunchy to munch on!

Grape jelly

Pretty jelly that was light in taste and good for cleansing the palette between courses!

Does this look like a dark chocolate cake with a white praline on it? My friend thought so and was disappointed to discover otherwise. On the other hand, I was delighted with the bean paste and black sesame combination.

The red bean pudding with lotus seed was a disappointment though. Sweet and smooth but would have preferred it with red beans within!

This photograph is lousy but the subject (whitebean and chestnut cake) was great!

The soya pudding with Japanese soya powder was too bland though.

There are three other items that were wonderful but I didn’t photograph. A mochi with red bean filling and matcha powder (always a great Japanese combination), a wasabi praline that was slightly salty but an unimaginably great combination and the green tea ice cream that came at the end of the meal. Please feel free to go for the tea, photograph the three items and send me the photos so that this blog entry is more complete!

The English tea is more consistent – the items are not bad though not spectacular. The Japanese tea is more unique, though the items were either way better or much worse that those in the English tea. My recommendation would be to go for the Japanese set though. The novelty factor and the highs will more than compensate for the misses. I am not sure when the one-for-one offer will end because when I called in January the staff had to check with her manager and get back to me so try to get your hands on this before the offer ends!

From Marshall Memo... How Important Is Happiness On and Off the Job?

2012-01-04T12:43:00.000+08:00

In this Harvard Business Review interview, Harvard psychology professor Daniel Gilbert talks with Gardiner Morse about his research on happiness. Some key points:

• Most people do better work when they’re happy. Some managers think their employees will work better if they’re a little uncomfortable, a bit anxious about their jobs, and point to cranky artists and geniuses who do amazing work. For the vast majority of people, that’s baloney, says Gilbert. “I know of no data showing that anxious, fearful employees are more creative or productive.” Contented people don’t sit around staring at a wall, he says. People hate being bored. They are happiest when they’re working toward goals that are challenging but attainable.

• Rewards work better than threats and punishments. One boss might say, “If you don’t get this to me by Friday, you’re fired.” The employee will get it done, but after that, will never do more than what’s required and may even sabotage the organization. A smarter boss would say, “I don’t think most people could get this done by Friday. But I have full faith and confidence that you can. And it’s hugely important to the entire team.”

• People are more resilient than they think. “When bad things happen, we weep and whine for a while and then pick ourselves up and get on with it,” says Gilbert. “One of the most reliable findings of the happiness studies is that we do not have to go running to a therapist every time our shoelaces break. We have a remarkable ability to make the best of things.” We find silver linings, rationalize, and adjust to the new realities. Pete Best, who was replaced by Ringo Starr as the Beatles’ drummer in 1962 just before the band surged to international fame and is now a session musician, said, “I’m happier than I would have been with the Beatles.”

• Social contact is central to happiness. “We are by far the most social species on Earth,” says Gilbert. “If I wanted to predict your happiness, and I could know only one thing about you, I wouldn’t want to know your gender, religion, health, or income. I’d want to know about your social network – about your friends and family and the strength of the bonds with them.”

• The quantity of good experiences is more important than the quality. “Someone who has a dozen mildly nice things happen each day is likely to be happier than somebody who has a single truly amazing thing happen,” says Gilbert. “So wear comfortable shoes, give your wife a big kiss, sneak a French fry. It sounds like small stuff, but the small stuff matters… But you have to do them every day…”

• There are some basics to happiness. “The main thing is to commit to some simple behaviors,” says Gilbert, “meditating, exercising, getting enough sleep – and to practice altruism… And nurture your social connections. Twice a week, write down three things you’re grateful for, and tell someone why. I know these sound like homilies from your grandmother. Well, your grandmother was smart.”

• But happiness is complicated. People who have children are typically less happy on a moment-to-moment basis than people without children, but there are rewards. “What kind of happiness should we want?” asks Gilbert. “Do we want lives free of pain and heartache, or is there value in those experiences? Science will soon be able to tell us how to live the lives we want, but it will never tell us what kinds of lives we should want to live. That will be for us to decide.”

• Happiness differs more from moment to moment than it does from person to person. “This suggests that it’s not the stable conditions of our lives, such as where we live or whether we’re married, that are the principal drivers of happiness,” says researcher Matthew Killingsworth, who has tracked the happiness levels of 15,000 people in 83 countries via an iPhone app that asks them to say what they’re doing and rate their happiness at random moments during the week. “It could be the small, everyday things that count the most. It also suggests that happiness on the job may depend more on our moment-to-moment experiences – our routine interactions with coworkers, the projects we’re involved in, our daily contributions – than on the stable conditions thought to promote happiness, such as a high salary or a prestigious title.”

“The Science Behind the Smile”, an interview with Daniel Gilbert by Gardiner Morse in Harvard Business Review, January-February 2012 (Vol. 90, #1-2, p. 84-90)

Batam Build 2011

2011-12-30T19:30:00.000+08:00

I have been back from Batam for two weeks! Looking back, it was still a wonderful experience! I was a bit wary and weary of overseas service learning projects, since my previous partner from Laos was not exactly totally upfront with where our money went and the students I went with really proved they needed to change their perspectives. But I guess the theme of this trip is really “Misconceptions” for me personally.

Even though the trip was short, we did more work than my previous team did in two weeks in Laos. Of course productivity should not be mistaken for how meaningful a project is. However, there was really involvement from our partner Habitat for Humanity Singapore in explaining the objectives of the project and the general movement, something which I appreciate a lot.

The second misconception I got cleared up rather quickly was that since I had gone for a project and a recce in Batam before, it should be easy for me. No matter how mentally prepared I tried to be, there was always something new to shock me. For me, I guess the intensity of the work was a surprise. Perhaps the three-day duration was much shorter than my Laos project and there was really no time to slowly induct us to the work. However, the hard work on Day 1 also meant students felt they were really involved, and were so tired out that they had no energy to sneak out at night.

The last misconception I cleared up was about students. I was wondering if some of the students were going to be troublemakers (e.g. slackers) but I was glad to be entirely mistaken in this case! What it teaches me is to not judge people by appearances again!

Enough said. Pictures now!

I didn't take a photo at the start of Day 1 but it was a totally flat and untouched plot! End of Day 1 above.

A deep trench. Almost 1.2m deep and according to my friend who went through NS, it was tough work!

Work could involve backbreaking digging. Even by the girls.

Or mixing cement.

Passing items along by human chain

My favourite - twisting metal rods into rings for the reinforcement bars.

Relatively more lull - several of us to one reinforcement bar. Usually just two to one!

Those without the additional "technology" of a stand built the reinforcement bars on the ground.

Completed bar

Interacting with local children during break times

End of Day 2. Cement poured into the foundation.

Day 3 - laying bricks

Saying bye - photo with home partner and HfH Batam staff

My group and me!

Well taken care of by Harris Resort. Lovely room!

Eating loads of breakfast to build strength

Typical lunch at worksite

Finally enjoying the scenery at Batam

Stormy weather after we stopped building. We were blessed with sunny weather throughout our building period (and cursed with sunburnt weeks after)!

Touring Singapore

2011-12-22T23:21:00.000+08:00

Welcomed two groups of Malaysian relatives over the past two weekends. Grandma and the youngest aunt and family stayed over at Hougang while we hosted Second Uncle and his family.

What I like about hosting and showing them around the country is that it allows me to see Singapore from the perspective of a tourist.

Hosting tea. Finally used the Royal Albert teaset!

Revisited USS

Long long queue for Transformers :(

Rock climbing!

Ming En, Ming Yan and Jia Yi (cousins)

Singapore Flyer - Xmas Edition (see the "snow"?)

See the wishes spheres in the bay?

Rainforest at the Flyer

Hwa Onn and Hwa Hong

Tea at Regent Hotel

2011-12-22T22:48:00.000+08:00

Dan and I had our usual holiday meet-up at a hotel having high tea. He suggested Regent and having read the review by my friend 365days2play, I readily agreed. Things have changed slightly from the time my friend reviewed. Prices have gone up from $36++ to $38++ but thankfully the free-flow hot/iced chocoloate is now included in the price and in fact, after two glasses of iced chocolate, the staff offered a change of drink to free-flow tea instead. Such great service. I love the fact that it was so quiet during the weekday, and we could lounge there with no interruptions!

Enough words... Here comes the pictures!

Christmas time!

All set for tea!

Nice and quiet on a weekday

Here comes the 3-tier! Note to self: always share if not hungry!

The savoury sandwiches

The savouries. Not really my fave but ok lah :)

Yummy scones. A good vehicle to carry the clotted cream I want!

Not a big selection but I found a few I liked!

My fave tier - the sweets!

Menu changed to reflect the festive season

Cats (not the musical)

2011-12-22T21:40:00.000+08:00

My brother and I love cats and while we can't keep one (Mum's against it), it doesn't stop us from snapping photos of the cuties we meet. :)

The Raffles Cat. Has its own FB fan page too! Intelligent looking

Slurping water... spotted in AMK

Cats laze anywhere, including in a drain in AMK!

Chris has been cat-sitting Baby so here are some shots I got on a visit!

I lured Baby into a bag... Don't let the cat out of the bag!

So so so cute

Don't be tricked by Baby's innocent look. He scratches and bites.

A leashed cat in AMK. Looks indignant.

The Batam kitty walked away when he realised we were not gonna feed it.

Winter Solstice

2011-12-22T21:02:00.000+08:00

It's Dongzhi again and in line with our family tradition, we ate tang yuan again! We had wanted to make our own glutinous rice flour dumplings from scratch (fine, from the flour itself) but what with the tiny kitchen and many of our kitchen stuff still packed in boxes, we decided to go the easy way out and buy the ready made ones from the supermarket. However, picky mummy wanted to look for some special sugar "pian tang" for the soup so our hunt for that elusive sugar enabled us to explore the AMK central more!

Mum, Bro and I are sick though :( But that didn't stop us from enjoying a family day out. Or eating loads!

updates

2011-11-22T13:24:00.000+08:00

Been busy with year end exam duties, handing over my portfolio to my successor and also taking over the new portfolio. It's scary to think what 2012 will bring but I know it's really divine intervention at work. From the beginning of the year, I have been showered with favour and I see His hand at work in reviving my department and also blessing me with a boss who is encouraging and also a good friend who watches out for my walk with Jesus. He gives godly advice and is not afraid to turn our meetings into fellowshipping instead and I am really thankful for a boss like this. Will miss Ad as a boss but he is looking forward to welcoming me as a fellow head. I know it's a big step forward and I will be seeing even more of God at work. *shivers*

But anyway, with school and family a major part of life, plus the usual tuition and also church stuff ongoing, I have been happily engaged with my time. Really hope for more time to spend with my friends, spend alone for reflection and work out as I have been sick more frequently in 2011 and I think it's really due to a lack of exercising!

In other news, staff dinner at MBS was fantastic (food quite good and company way better) and the Malaysian trip to attend Ah Leong's wedding was a good break for the family too.

Like this photo of me with CK at MBS!

My lovely colleagues :)

Roadtrip to Msia - scenic!

Back at Ah Gong's place

We had a festive time!

Love the kampung feel

Bye Msia!

Moving!

2011-11-08T22:04:00.000+08:00

With much fanfare, I have (partially) moved to the new place!

Bright, breezy, cosy - I like!

:)

2011-10-14T00:11:00.000+08:00

In BAB's edm!

Happy Birthday to me (soon)

2011-09-28T11:30:00.000+08:00

The big three-oh is looming but as usual, I am just gonna concentrate on hanging out with friends and not focusing on the age. It's just a number, no panic yet!

But seriously I am looking forward to turning 30 even though physically and emotionally there is not gonna be a difference. It's just more of a milestone to mark the passing of my youth, and I am excited to see what's in store for me. One thing I know for sure, God really sets me up for blessings! I have been ~~showered~~ flooded with favour at work to the point of it being overwhelming but I am not complaining! I know whatever blessings (and additional workload) comes, He will equip me to deal with it!

The pre-birthday celebrations have started though. On Sat the TTA met up with the dreaded I theme but it was quite good! Non-threatening, especially since the fake theme we do traditionally was supposedly a getai theme. We took photos in embarrassingly loud hairbands at Vivo and Keppel Bay and with the polaroids we did scrap pages for each other. On Sun, PQ treated me to a lovely scrapbooking class to make a scrapbook that opens up to a doll house!

Thanks babes!

Sat photos

Photos from Sun

HC's lovely surprise gift - a beautiful frame and gorgeous earrings!

Close up of the chirashi don from Itacho. Yum yum!

Moving time!

2011-09-28T11:20:00.001+08:00

After waiting for three years, my DBSS flat is finally ready! September has been a month of excitement as we checked out the new place and start planning for the big move!

Bye bye to my home for 23 years soon :(

Welcome to Park Central!

My block...

The flat is small but the living room (plus dining room) is big!

My fave bedroom with a planter and bay window. Bro wants the room though.

Yet more food! A meaty issue this time...

2011-09-28T10:56:00.000+08:00

Since I talked about Alex Village in my xinghua post, I must share what the carnivores in my family enjoy. We have been going Alex V for breakfast a lot during the weekends and for lunch, we will dabao (takeaway) from two stalls always!

Chen Ji Roasted Meat

Braised Meat from the Teochew braised duck stall

I know you can't see the meat but I didn't really want you to see how much fat I eat with the braised meat. Nonetheless, the gravy is superb, and the food is cheap!

The battle of the xinghua food stalls

2011-09-28T10:49:00.000+08:00

Since we are on the topic of food, let me blog about something that has been on my mind (and in my tummy) a lot - Xinghua food or heng hwa cuisine.

But what exactly is heng hwa food? I have no idea, even after googling (and ending up oogling the pictures in all the food blogs) but the heng hwas are from Fujian province. The food is characterised by light natural flavour. Based on what I have tried from various xinghua stalls, the xinghua bee hoon, lor mee, cabbage soup with clams, homemade tofu, fried ma jiao fish seem to be common across different stalls.

I was first introduced to heng hwa food by the Pu Tien restaurant. The taste was light and the ingredients plenty and from the first moment I tried the xinghua ~~bee hoon~~, ~~the cabbage soup~~, ~~the seafood~~, everything, I was hooked. However, dining in a restuarant can be very pricey so I was glad to chance upon two alternatives! One in Geylang Bahru and one in Alexander Village.

And oops, being the non-food blogger I am, I totally didn't take pictures of the stall or even note the location. But just go down to the main hawker centres in these two places and you should have no problem locating the stalls. After all, heng hwa food is still not so prevalent and these two stalls are the only ones around in the food centres.

Without further ado, let me present to you...

Xinghua bee hoon at Kallang Bahru

From the Kallang Bahru stall. Soup was flavourful but I prefer cabbage and clam soup in pu tien restaurant. Meat was well marinated. Tastes very home cooked!

From Kallang Bahru stall. Veg with beancurd skin. Yummy!

From Kallang Bahru stall. Fried majiao fish

Lor Mee from Alex V. Yummy!

Fried Mee Sua from Alex V. Yummy comfort food!

Bee hoon from Alex V.

I must say the hawker alternatives tasted just as good as the restaurant versions but at a much affordable price. The bee hoon costs about the same as a tze char hor fun but comes with a flavourful broth from the clams, meat, dried shrimp added and coupled with seaweed and toasted peanut - really quite worthwhile!

Between the two stalls, I would prefer the bee hoon from Kallang Bahru. The Alex V one was too dry though the lor mee and mee sua were good! The lacking part about the Kallang Bahru stall was that their chilli was too ordinary!

Backlog + Meeting Old Friends

2011-09-28T10:22:00.001+08:00

Really, sometimes I am so busy with various things I hardly get enough time to sleep, let alone blog.

So I let the (virtual) cobwebs gather while I keep getting various ideas for blog posts.

So in this brief respite between rushing marking + finishing syllabus before exams and the marking of the exams, let me post some of the (outdated) stuff :)

Shall start with the Sept hols, when I caught up with some old friends.

K came back so I treated him to tea. Shall remember never to bring him to nice place with good ambience because this boy is only impressed by good food and not ambience. But to be fair, I have to admit that the price tag for high tea at House@Dempsey was really more for the ambience than for the food.

Vintage themed high tea buffet at House@Dempsey

I like the cupboard!

Help yourself to tea. Not the herbal tasting one though. Ginger tea was great!

Food was almost gone when I had my first round but look at how pretty the presentation was!

Reminds me of English tea!

Large groups can be accommodated too. I like how the table was built around the pillars.

Round 1... I like the green cupcake!

The spring roll and squid ink mini pizza from Skinny Pizza were not bad.

My fave was actually the bread condiments. The what?? Next to the bread lah! Thai chicken, mushrooms...

In deciding on the venue, I looked to my source of inspiration -- DVW's blog 365days2play. Was telling her she should start reviewing places good for non-dates, places where you can take your guy pal (or female lah if you are a guy) to without either party having the wrong idea. Haha!

Dan and I also took time off to bring tea and cake to Geri and HS's place. Haven't seen them for so long but I guess that's what happens when your friends become parents. They have their hands full! :) With three boys, I am sure we totally understand. The tea was much welcome and the gracious hosts chatted with us! Good to catch up with old friends.

I was quite saddened by what happened to their family but I know there is a purpose in whatever happens. I am glad though that HS and Geri proved to be pillars of strength to each other. This couple really inspires me!

A shot of Daddy HS and his carbon copies!

Devotional - The Power of the Holy Spirit in Us (by Sharon Jaynes)

2011-09-07T10:41:00.000+08:00

Today’s Truth
Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8 NIV).

Friend to Friend
“I’m not good enough.” Have you ever said or thought those words?

The truth is if you have made Jesus the Lord of your life, then you have the power of the Holy Spirit living in you and working through you. Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8). You have God’s incomparably great power at your disposal. “That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…” (Ephesians 1:19-20). The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work within us? Yep. The same power.

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth” (don’t you just love it when He says that), anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Did He just say that? Yep. What does going to the Father have to do with the power we receive? Because once Jesus went to the Father, the Holy Spirit came to live in believers. “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-the Spirit of truth” (John 14:15-16).

Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom spent the last years of her life speaking to men and women all around the world about the God who sustained her during her imprisonment and who delivered her from the Nazi prison camps. During one of her presentations, she held up a lady’s white glove.

“What can this white glove do?” she asked. Then she went on to explain…

“The glove can do nothing. “Oh, but if my hand is in the glove, it can do many things…cook, play the piano, write. Well, you say that is not the glove but the hand in the glove that does it. Yes, that is so. I tell you that we are nothing but gloves. The hand in the glove is the Holy Spirit of God. Can the glove do something if it is very near the hand? No! The glove must be filled with the hand to do the work. That is exactly the same for us: We must be filled with the Holy Spirit to do the work God has for us to do.”

It is time to see yourself as God sees you. No more living in a house of mirrors looking at a distorted image of who you are. This is how God sees you.

You are a child of God. John 1:12
You are justified- completely forgiven. Romans 5:1
You are free from condemnation. Romans 8:1
You have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16
You have been made righteous. 2 Corinthians 5:21
You have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. Ephesians 1:3
You are righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:24
You have been redeemed and forgiven of all your sins. Colossians 1:14
You are a dwelling place for Christ. He lives in you. Colossians 1:27
You are complete in Christ. Colossians 2:10
You are chosen of God, holy and dearly loved. Colossians 3:12
You have been given a spirit of power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7
You have been given exceedingly great and precious promises by God by which you are a partaker of God’s divine nature. 2 Peter 1:4

And that, my friend is only the beginning! Say these verses out loud. Speak to your soul. Believe the truth about who you are. You are more than good enough because of who lives in you and works through you.
Let’s Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to live in me, to work through me, and give power to me. I pray that I will plug into the power source every day. Forgive me when I act like a powerless spiritual invalid rather than a spirit-empowered soldier. Regardless of what my feelings tell me today, I choose to believe that I am a dearly loved, chosen, holy child of God who is enveloped by Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

happy

2011-08-12T21:15:00.000+08:00

I am in bliss whenever I realise how much I truly like my job and the kids. There are yucky bits like admin etc but all these will pass with His grace. :)

Life is super busy, and I have a packed schedule and regret that I can't work out as much. But really, I think I can truly say I am contented and secure now :)

Baptised!

2011-08-12T21:10:00.001+08:00

I used to think it really doesn't matter if we are baptised. Belief in Christ will save us.

I still stand by this belief today. But after almost a year in New Creation, I feel a change in me.

I recognise whose I am, I recognise how loved I am.

And I want to tell the world (ok, my closest friends) that I am His!

Yes, I am baptised :) Welcome, Hannah!

Photos of a very wet me and celebration at Level 33:

Gasp! Bald spot!

Long time no see!

2011-06-27T01:40:00.000+08:00

Been a while since I last blogged. I guess the older I get, the less I feel a need to pen things down for the public eye. After all, my life is mine to live and not yours to share ultimately.

Having said that, let me post some pictures of my UK trip :)

Waiting for Change of Guards

Meeting my old friend ZX

At Greenwich

Guest House at Bath Abbey was the best!

I love Bath!

Salisbury was surprisingly enchanting for us.

Not underwhelmed!

No Cotswolds but Lacook was pretty!

My fave day at Lyme Regis

Real men wear kilts!

Another good day at Scottish Seabird Centre

Follow Jesus on Twitter...

2011-04-23T20:41:00.001+08:00

From Pastor Prince's devotional - I Am Who I Am (Exodus 3:14)

2011-04-04T08:13:00.000+08:00

Whatever your challenge is today, whether it is physical, emotional, financial or marital, the great I Am declares to you: “I am to you what you need Me to be.”

Do you need healing? He says, “I am the Lord who heals you. (Exodus 15:26) And as you believe Me, you will see your healing manifest thirtyfold, sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

Are you groping in the dark, not knowing what to do? He says, “I am the light of the world. (John 8:12) When you walk in Me, you will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Are you looking for a way out of a bad situation? He says, “I am your deliverer. I will reach down from on high, take hold of your hand and draw you out of the deep waters.” (Psalm 18:2, 16)

Are you wondering if there is more to life than merely existing from day to day? He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. (John 11:25) I came to give you life. And where there is life, there cannot be death. You will have life and life more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Are you fearful of what is ahead of you? He says, “I am the good shepherd (John 10:11), who leads you to pastures of tender, green grass and waters of rest. You will not suffer lack.” (Psalm 23:1–3)

Are you confused by the opinions and reports of man? He says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. (Revelation 1:11) I have the final word in your life. The doctors do not have the final word. The experts do not have the final word. I have the first word and the last word in your situation.”

My friend, do not be fearful of the problems you face. The great I Am declares to you, “Fear not! For I am to you what you need Me to be!”

Looking forward

2011-04-01T12:13:00.000+08:00

Day off from school today for the good results we got last year. Although I had planned to work hard for today and tomorrow to clear my work, it's not been successful so far haha!

Something to look forward to - it's just about two months to my UK trip and I have booked my air ticket, accommodation in the different places and train tickets to major towns and cities!

What I will (possibly) cover in the trip with the excellent company of two of my closest friends:

London

The major sights and major spending in London, including Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, Oxford Street, Camden Market and shopping in Harrods, Marks and Spencer, Harvey Nichols, Oxford Street...

Stratford-upon-Avon or Cotswolds

Visiting a lovely village somewhere in Stratford or the Cotswolds.

Bath

Visiting the Roman Bath, Thermae Spa Bath, and other day trips from Bath such as the following...

Stonehenge

Stonehenge and possibly Salisbury...

Longleat House and Safari Park

Longleat House (and have tea there), the Safari Park, the maze, etc. Act like a kid for a day!

Exeter

I haven't heard of Exeter as a major tourist attraction but shall see if it works as our base to Jurassic and Dartmoor. Exeter has some attractions of its own - the historic quay area and underground passages.

Jurassic Coast

So many lovely stretches of the coast, so little time...

Dartmoor National Park

A day out in the sun!

Edinburgh

The old town, the new town, the castle, etc...

Glasgow

A different feel with lovely architecture!

Updates

2011-03-30T16:55:00.000+08:00

Find myself being consumed by school work so not much time to blog! Today was especially tiring with pract, lecture, tutorial and meetings but by His strength and after a nap, I feel much better now.

The students are out of their honeymoon periods and sometimes it pains me to hear of them complaining of how stressed they feel. My heart goes out to them but unless they are willing to give up sports, school work, other CCA, or simpley something, it looks like they will continue being stressed. This batch is still adorable and lovable so far and I find myself missing some of them, especially my form class and my "NT" class over the weekend.

As for non-work related issues, I did many fun things such as going to KL for Jay Chou's concert (fantabulous!), going BKK for a shopping trip (ouch!), celebrating XP's birthday with tea and dinner on two days. I am going for an interview to see if I can serve at children's ministry in church and if I do get in, that's going to be another exciting event :)

Financially, I have been blessed with a huge bonus and a promotion again so I can say I am contented at this point :)

Going forward? Lecture may be tough but it's my fave topic to lecture and I will survive no matter what (with many prayers of course). I have planned much of the June trip so that is something I am really looking forward to!

In short, the whole point of this entry is really to say I am very happy with life now :)

Evil - a new definition

2011-03-19T01:31:00.001+08:00

The devotionals and Bible passage I have been reading the last two days spoke to me about evil.

Evil is most easily recognised by atrocious deeds that cause harm to others. However, do you know that evil can be defined differently?

"In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. When the LORD heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: 'Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers, except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.'" (Deut 1:32-36)

The passage recounted the story of the Israelite spies, who went to survey the land they were about to enter. So what evil deeds did they do? By the world's definition, nothing. All they did was to fear and to come together to give a report of what they saw - giants and warriors. It wasn't even a lie, because they did see that.

So what did Caleb (and Joshua) do, that set them apart from the "evil generation"? They saw what was good - the land that the Lord would be giving them was blessed and fertile, and they trusted that the Lord would place the enemies into their hands.

David adnomished in Ps 37 - Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. (Ps 37:8-9)

Again, what sets one apart from "evil men"? Hoping in the LORD! If our enemies have the upper hand, do not fret for it causes us to lose hope in God's supply!

Faithbook

2011-03-19T01:21:00.000+08:00

Bought a new tee that says this:

I am definitely going to wear it often!

Ps 71:20

2011-02-25T12:53:00.002+08:00

Though you have made me see troubles,
   many and bitter,
   you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
   you will again bring me up.

Google doodles...

2011-02-19T10:32:00.000+08:00

While bored (which is what happens when I try to work during the weekends), I surfed for doodles and here are some I like! All images are from Google of course!

Discovery of Aztec sunstone

For Agatha Christie's birthday anniversary

Doraemon

Earth Day 03

Earth Day 04

Earth Day 07

Earth Day 08

Earth Day 09

Flintstones

Halloween 03

Buckyball Discovery - I intend to use this in my lect!

Leap Year 2004

Paddington Bear

Anniversary of publication of Pinocchio

The last of a series on Sesame Street

Jules Vernes' 20000 leagues under the sea - comes with a control to move the submarine view!

Autumn Festival

From my GotQuestions.org subscription - What does it mean that God is love?

2011-02-12T10:35:00.003+08:00

During the Valentine's period, let us reflect on the true nature of love! For this is love - not that we love Him first but He loves us first!

Let’s look at how the Bible describes love, and then we will see a few ways in which God is the essence of love. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a). This is God's description of love, and because God is love (1 John 4:8), this is what He is like.

Love (God) does not force Himself on anyone. Those who come to Him do so in response to His love. Love (God) shows kindness to all. Love (Jesus) went about doing good to everyone without partiality. Love (Jesus) did not covet what others had, living a humble life without complaining. Love (Jesus) did not brag about who He was in the flesh, although He could have overpowered anyone He ever came in contact with. Love (God) does not demand obedience. God did not demand obedience from His Son, but rather, Jesus willingly obeyed His Father in heaven. “The world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me” (John 14:31). Love (Jesus) was/is always looking out for the interests of others.

The greatest expression of God's love is communicated to us in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Romans 5:8 proclaims the same message: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We can see from these verses that it is God's greatest desire that we join Him in His eternal home, heaven. He has made the way possible by paying the price for our sins. He loves us because He chose to as an act of His will. Love forgives. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

So, what does it mean that God is love? Love is an attribute of God. Love is a core aspect of God’s character, His Person. God’s love is in no sense in conflict with His holiness, righteousness, justice, or even His wrath. All of God’s attributes are in perfect harmony. Everything God does is loving, just as everything He does is just and right. God is the perfect example of true love. Amazingly, God has given those who receive His Son Jesus as their personal Savior the ability to love as He does, through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1, 23-24).

Belated post - My staycation at Hard Rock Hotel, Resorts World Sentosa

2011-02-04T15:26:00.000+08:00

I went to the RWS for a staycation just before school officially reopened to cheer myself up. Perhaps it is unfair to compare the two especially since I went to Marina Bay Sands when it was just newly opened and over the National Day period when there was full occupancy but I really did enjoy the RWS experience more than MBS. Oh well, let's see if RWS matches up when I stay there for National Day this year.

I will let the photos do the talking but I would say despite the lack of a bath tub, which is an essential in the TTA staycations, we did enjoy the comfortable rooms, the great pool and the variety of shops and eateries in RWS. :)

What we first saw after stepping out of Festive Walk

Exterior of hotel

Rooms had the rock theme

My day bed - quite cold. Overlooking a construction site haha!

Toiletries placed in cute holder

Welcome!

Watched Voyage de la Vie at Festive Grand. Cool acrobatics! I love the acts!

PQ, XP and HC

Me with XP and HC

Candylicious provided some entertainment...

Shy candy haha... But the candies outside are available for camwhoring.

Time out on Mars, anyone?

Dinner at Big Easy. Queue early at other eateries in future!

Seafood gumbo. Fresh prawns and crabmeat.

Chicken and sausage gumbo

Huge pork burger

Free Crane Dance show at 9 pm. Lame but nice play of water and lights.

Second free show at Lake of Dreams, 9.30 p.m. Musical Fountains v2.0, way nicer!

Another shot of the Lake of Dreams show.

Day 2: Checking out the pools. Private cabana areas.

Slide for little children and not so little adults

The famous fake beach with soft sand and clear water

CNY Cooking 101

2011-02-04T15:11:00.001+08:00

Mum surprised us by offering to let us watch her cook for CNY, when in the past the kitchen was out of bounds :) Unfortunately it would be too crammed for three of us so my bro let me have the chance...

Realised a cook must really multitask - cut while watching a pot boil, stir a pot while stir frying another dish. I think I would be super lost in the kitchen without my mum! To make things complicated, we actually hung the clothes out to dry given the rare sun and we had to watch the weather and take in the laundry and stop all cooking every time it drizzled!

After the cooking, my mum and I cleaned up the kitchen. It was hard work to do a little of the cooking and the scrubbing so I really appreciated my mum's single-handed efforts in cooking up a storm and cleaning up year after year. I can really feel her love!

What we had for CNY, and short notes on the cooking:

Fried noodles with prawn, meat, leek, cabbage, mushroom, fried beancurd

As the fried beancurd and prawns would be used in another dish later, we panfried the beancurd and stirfried the prawns in advance and put aside for later use. Fried shallot was done after frying fish too.

Stir fry garlic and sliced mushrooms until fragrant, add prawns and beancurds, meat, leeks and cabbage. Add noodles and dark soy sauce and mix everything up. When food is almost cooked, add chicken stock and cover to simmer. Add fried shallots for garnish.

Fav dish of the family - leeks with prawn, meat and beancurd

Stir fry diced garlic and leeks until fragrant, then add meat, prawn and beancurd. Add chicken stock and cover to simmer.

Another family favourite - braised trotters and mushrooms and sea cucumber. Sea cucumber looks lighter as it was thrown in last.

Trotters were blanched first to get rid of the stink, then pan fried in the non-stick pan. Diced garlic (we don't use whole cloves for this dish in my family) and mushrooms were stir fried, then pig trotters transferred over to the wok. Add rock sugar and then dark soy sauce, and the water that mushrooms were soaked in (Mum's secret ingredient). Cover and bring to boil. Throw in sea cucumber last (as we had the experience of the seafood shrinking until it almost disappeared). Add salt to taste.

Dad's favourite - curry pork ribs and bamboo shoots

This used to be difficult to do in a wok because the curry paste burnt easily but the newly bought non-stick pan worked like magic so it was much easier for me to cook this.

Fry the Hai's brand curry paste until fragrant. Add pork ribs (blanched first) and bamboo shoots (which we blanched too) and stir fry in the paste until almost cooked. Add coconut milk, stir until the mixture becomes homogeneous. Bring to boil.

Fried fish

The most difficult thing to master well and the one that my mum didn't even allow me to touch because I would spoil the look of the fish. Basically, just throw it in oil, and get out of the way because the oil would splatter like mad. Which was unavoidable as I was also cooking the curry while fish was frying!

This took patience, as the fish skin would stick to the wok if the fish was turned over too early.

Dressed up fish!

Add fried shallot, dark soy sauce and chopped chilli to garnish!

Day 2 morning - chicken

Haha, no secret. Mum just blanched the chicken and covered it with boiling water and left it to cook over a small flame for almost half an hour.

Mee suah

Mee suah was cooked separately in chicken stock first, with constant stirrng to prevent the strands from sticking together. Chicken soup was made from the water from boiling the water. Abalone and hard boiled egg (dyed by Bro) added after cooking.

It's A Great Great World 大世界

2011-01-29T17:45:00.001+08:00

Watched It's A Great Great World with Mum and Bro yesterday and I must declare this is my favourite local movie to date! Kelvin Tong did a great job bringing the characters to life and showing us how the old amusement park was a big part of their lives. The story is told through the lok-lok hawker Goh Ah Beng (played by Chew Chor Meng) and his narrative to the granddaughter of a photographer (who worked in the amusement park) is divided into four - the first, a funny but touching story, the next two romantic albeit cliched and the last, my favourite, which caused me to cry. I am glad someone made a show like this. I hear stories about my mum's youth and wonder about the places she visited so the movie helped me visualise. Good for heritage :)

Definitely an exportable show, and a must-watch for people who frequented the amusement park. It will bring back fond memories for them :)

Art class

2011-01-25T22:34:00.000+08:00

Had an interesting weekend when Q and I joined Tinkle Art Room for a polymer clay pendant class! For more than two hours, the three students slaved over making two pendants and while I was stressed with trying to refine my work, it was still great fun! Q is thinking of going for other classes such as the polymer clay angel class.

Pendant by Q

Q's second creation

My first creation

My second creation

All pendants combined

Devotional - Standing Firm in the Storms of Life (Part 2)

2011-01-07T15:36:00.003+08:00

Today's Truth
2 Corinthians 6:6 (NLT) "We have proved ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, our sincere love, and the power of the Holy Spirit."

Friend to Friend
It would be just fine with me if I never had to go through another storm. However, God is more committed to my character than He is to my comfort. Every storm is an opportunity to grow in Christ and trust Him more.
The Apostle Paul was well acquainted with vicious storms and harsh realities. In his writings to the church at Corinth Paul offers five truths that - when applied - will enable us to stand firm in the storm.

Truth 4: Practice kindness.
When bad things happen, we cry out in desperation for someone to care. More people come to Christ during a crisis than at any other time. Kindness is simply compassion at work and love in action. We need to constantly refocus our success-targeted eyes, crucify each self-promoting heart motive and look for the needs around us. I often wonder just how amazed we will be when we get to Heaven and find the unlikely, unknown but devoted servants of God exalted above all others - rewarded for their quiet and often unseen acts of kindness.

A preacher once described his mother as a woman of great compassion. One day he came home from school to find her sitting at the table with an elderly, homeless man. Apparently, she had gone shopping, met the man on the way and invited him home for a warm meal. During their conversation the visitor said, "I wish there were more people in the world like you." The woman said quickly, "Oh there are! You just have to look for them!" The old man simply shook his head and smiled, "But lady, I didn't need to look for you. You looked for me!"

Needs constantly parade before us day after day but we don't see them. We are too busy to see the broken lambs the Shepherd sends our way. We view them as intrusions or annoying interruptions in our very important schedule. These uninvited and unscheduled guests may very well be divine appointments sent by God. The warning of Hebrews 13:2 is a haunting one. "Remember to welcome strangers, because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it." How many angels have we missed because we were too busy?

Perhaps we fail to be kind simply because we don't care enough. A little girl was sent by her mother on an errand. She was gone far too long so when the little girl returned, the mother demanded an explanation. The little girl said that on her way she had met a friend who was crying because she had broken her doll. "Oh," said the mother, "then you stopped to help her fix her doll?" "Oh, no!" replied the little girl. "I stopped to help her cry!" We are never more like our Father than when weathering relationship storms with kindness and love. Jesus says that if we really love God we will really love each other. Kindness and compassion are directly related to the health of our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The truths in 1 John 4:20 are clear, "If people say, 'I love God,' but hate their brothers or sisters, they are liars. Those who do not love their brothers and sisters, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have never seen." We can be very religious and not care enough. Kindness does not look for reasons. Compassion doesn't ask for limitations. It searches for opportunity.

Truth 5: Experience and practice love.
We not only need God in the midst of the storm, we need each other. The essence of love is tested within the context of relationships. Paul writes that we must "prove" ourselves by being patient and kind. How we handle relationships exhibits the depth and validity of God's love at work in and through us.

Ephesians 4: 2-3 (NCV) "Always be humble, gentle, and patient, accepting each other in love. You are joined together with peace through the Spirit, so make every effort to continue together in this way."
Learning to build healthy relationships is crucial to a fulfilled life. Someone will always be disappointed, disgruntled, or displeased with us. We have a choice to make - to honor God by waging peace or venerate Satan himself by entertaining conflict in relationships. God is committed to unity. If we don't make "every effort" to eradicate discord, a storm may come to help us do so.

I have a friend who raises and works with horses. She once explained how a group of thoroughbred horses confronts an enemy. They stand in a circle, facing each other and, with their back legs, kick out at the enemy. Donkeys do just the opposite, facing the enemy and kicking each other. Enough said.

When golf balls were first manufactured, their covers were smooth. Golfers soon discovered that after a ball had been roughed up a bit they were able to get more distance out of it. Manufacturers then began producing golf balls with dimpled covers. Life is a lot like that. It takes some rough spots to make us go our farthest. It takes some storms to teach us that God is faithful. When was the last time you threw a party to celebrate a trial or storm in your life?

James 1:2-3 (NLT) "Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow."

God's ways are higher than our ways and most human reactions are in direct opposition to the paradoxical ways of God. Honestly, there are times when what He has asked me to do simply does not make sense - to me. And there we find the problem. Faith is a matter of blind obedience, not human logic. At the heart of every storm is victory - waiting to be claimed!

What storm is raging in your life today? What step do you need to take in order to experience His strength for that storm? Your Father stands ready to meet you in your darkest hour. He longs to wrap His arms around you until the winds die down and the waves are stilled. Right now - surrender. Celebrate the storm that dashed your battered life on the shores of His unyielding love and let Him give you the strength to stand firm.

Let's Pray Lord, thank You for being with me every step of the way - especially in the storms of life. I praise You for Your sufficiency in my life and for Your love that never fails. I pray that I will learn how to stand firm in the storms ahead and grasp the lesson each storm holds. I want to please You, Father. Change my comfortable heart to an obedient heart, a heart that is always ready to praise You - no matter what!

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T22:11:00.000+08:00

Let's just say the year started on a good note :)

Pastor shared with us the rhema message of the year. God spoke strongly to him - 2011 will be a year of crowned goodness!

I don't know about you, but when God wants to bless us, dress us with clothings of blessing and goodness, I more than welcome it.

Was telling Qing and XP that we wear branded goods and subconsciously behave more confidently. Let us wear this crown of God's goodness like branded goods then! It will be a shield of protection and a cloak of blessings and we will be unable to help it but shine from within.

With such a powerful message, I am really looking forward to 2011. Now I feel strengthened especially since in Nov 2010 I did have a surge of confidence about the year.

Ps 65:11 You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your path drips with fatness.

The goodness and abundance of God is ours to claim! In fact, on 1 Jan, Qing already received an answer to her specific prayer of place and time, and on 2 Jan, her cell girls released the same verse to her. I really believe for her that 2011 will be a really blessed year of goodness for her. XP similarly already experienced the goodness - she lost her iphone and got it back! It was lost at Carrefour but delivered to Gallery West where I picked it up for her! Fion, my trainer, prayed for wisdom and was directed to Ps 56:11, a reminder to place her trust in God and fear no man!

With so many examples of God already hard at work in the first few days of the year, I feel strengthened!

Devotional - Standing Firm in the Storms of Life

2011-01-04T22:00:00.000+08:00

Today's Truth
2 Corinthians 6:6 (NLT) "We have proved ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, our sincere love, and the power of the Holy Spirit."

Friend to Friend
Just as storms in life are a certainty, so is the provision of God. Life can be messy and bad things will happen but every crisis and every storm is also an opportunity to trust God. He calls us to a heavenly perspective when facing challenging times. He calls us to see the storms of life as He sees them - opportunities for His power and purpose to be illustrated in human terms. How can we face the storms of life in a way that honors God?

First truth: Live a pure life.2 Corinthians 6:6 (NLT) "We have proved ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience."
The apostle Paul was certainly no stranger to storms. In his writings to the church at Corinth, Paul lists several actions we can take to survive and even thrive in those storms. Notice that purity is listed first. Paul is sending a clear and certain message. Integrity and power for daily life are the result of a heart committed to purity. A clean heart unleashes the authority of God in us and through us. Impurity corrodes stability while purity generates a supernatural strength. It is that power and stability that keeps us from falling.

Psalm 51:10 (NASB) "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
The Psalmist links a pure heart with a steadfast spirit. "Steadfast" literally means "fixed or unchanging" and defines the kind of strength that can only be found in a right relationship with God. Stability is essential when those blustery winds of life storms are raging. Some storms come to uncover that cherished sin we try so hard to bury. But make no mistake - the purpose of the storm is always to purify - then empower. If we refuse to deal with the sin in our life, God will urge us toward obedience by allowing the storms to come.
Second truth: Seek understanding.
2 Corinthians 6:6 (NLT) "We have proved ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience."
Understanding is only as good as its place of origin. Human understanding is limited and tainted while Godly understanding is infinite and unspoiled. Our greatest lessons are learned in the fiercest storms. I know you have heard that statement many times - but are those words a living reality in your life?

A teacher was asked a question by one of his students who had come across Deuteronomy 6:6 that says, "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts." The student asked, "Why does it say to put God's commandments upon our hearts instead of in our hearts?" The wise teacher responded, "It is not within man's power to deposit truth directly into his heart. All we can do is place truth on the surface of the heart so that when the heart breaks, it will fall in."

Every circumstance that results in brokenness is designed to produce greater self-control and a fresh perspective. We can face every storm with confidence, knowing that God will redeem it for understanding and truth.

Third truth: Learn to be patient. 2 Corinthians 6:6 (NLT) "We have proved ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience."
I must confess that I am not the epitome of patience. In fact, I hate to wait - on anyone or anything - which may very well explain the presence of certain storms and trials in my life. James had the same problem but a much better attitude.

James 1:2-8 (NIV) "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

I tend to consider it pure joy when I can escape trials of many kinds, but James tells us that trials can and should be faced with patience and an attitude of joy. Not joy for the trials but joy in the trials. Don't miss this vital truth. Joy is deeply-rooted confidence that God is in control. Joy is a chosen attitude and understands that trials are not punishment.

Take a $5.00 bar of steel. If you cut that bar into ordinary horseshoes, it is worth about $10.00. That same $5.00 bar of steel cut into needles is worth $350 but cut into delicate springs for watches, that same $5.00 bar of steel is worth $250,000.

Trials are a test, a measurement of growth. Patience gives God permission to work and even expects to be tested. We go to great lengths to avoid trials and shelter ourselves from the storms of life. The result is spiritual immaturity. God will not build our character without our cooperation and He will not work in us without our permission. We must surrender, invite Him to work and then by faith, patiently embrace that work in our life. Warren Wiersbe writes, "When God permits his children to go through the furnace, He keeps his eye on the clock and his hand on the thermostat." Doubt puts our circumstance between us and God while faith puts God between us and our circumstances. Patience comes when we give up the responsibility for the outcome to God.
Let's Pray
Thank You, Father, for Your faithfulness in my life. Sometimes my motives are not pure and are so often self-serving. Right now, please cleanse my heart of all sin. Give me eyes to see the treasure buried at the heart of every trial and help me to choose joy - even when I don't understand what You are doing in my life. Teach me, Lord. Let my life be an illustration of Your strength perfected in my weakness.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T14:15:00.000+08:00

Christmas season may be over-commercialised with too much shopping and too little giving but it is still a season to be celebrated!

This is the season to celebrate friendships, and to reflect on the goodness in the year that has almost passed. This is the season to be thankful for everything :)

But most importantly, this is the season to reflect on the meaning of the holiday. The birth of Jesus - why do we celebrate it? This is because God so loved us that despite his grief, He sent Jesus Christ to earth, so that Christ could die for us, so that we have a way back to His presence again despite our sins. And despite knowing He was sent here to die, Jesus said yes!

Because of the depth of such love, we have full confidence to move on in the new year, secure in the knowledge that God will look after us and protect us!

Christmas Eve with family

2010-12-25T14:08:00.000+08:00

Had dinner at Chin Chin Eating House (19 Purvis Street). Driving through Bugis area and parking was easier than I thought. Chin Chin was not crowded at all, and we got seats immediately. Food was decent and service was good. I think I will recommend this place for the TTA Chinese New Year gathering in 2011!

Bittergourd soup - normal zi-char standard

Chap chye - yummy! Rich taste from the dried shrimp and hee peow

Hainanese chicken - quite tender, and I like the chilli

Claypot tofu - another normal zi-char dish

Hainanese pork chop - highly raved about in reviews. Not bad indeed!

We braved the crowds and drove through Orchard for a last look at the Christmas lights! Was fun - we spotted two tourist buses with waving passengers, a cute family with a blond little girl, a family all wearing Xmas hats (including the maid, which we thought was nice), and a dog that was wearing Xmas suit and a collar with fairy lights! I was the driver so no photos to show!

December shopping

2010-12-20T21:49:00.000+08:00

1 Cor 2:9

2010-12-11T17:23:00.001+08:00

However, as it is written:
   “What no eye has seen,
   what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”
   the things God has prepared for those who love him.

神为爱他的人所准备的是眼睛未曾看见，耳朵未曾听见和人心未曾想像过的。

The Chinese version of 1 Cor 2:9 (ref Isa 64:4) is on my newest keychain. Somehow, I am very captivated by the verse. It speaks of untold promises, good things that we don't even have the capacity to imagine yet.

And with this verse, I dare say I am ready to face 2011, and beyond.

Why not?

Look at the sunrise and sunset each day. Recall the little and big things your loved ones and friends did for you, and the laughter that rocks you each time you share good times with these people. Bring to mind your favourite music, and the sounds of children laughing, bells tinking, and whatever you love.

And these are just the good things we have come to experience in this fallen world already. Imagine this - God has prepared even more things, good things that we have never seen, nor heard, nor even conceived. All His gifts are good - so if in this world we already have so much we love, what more in future?

Daddy, thank You!

Cast of Characters - Max Lucado

2010-12-11T15:25:00.001+08:00

The book is about common people - people who are just like you and me. People who have cheated and let God down, people who worry, people who doubt.

Why would Max Lucado write a book about such common people? Who knows these common people anyway?

Oh but we do. The cast of characters is Lucado's selection of Biblical heroes and heroines. In the hands of an uncommon God, these common people were transformed into the characters we know so well, the people who pastors use for sermon illustrations, heroes and heroines made for everlasting fame as their walks were recorded in our Bible. :)

Lucado has his usual way of making the biblical accounts sound more like everyday encounters. Who says the Bible is not relevant anymore?

Some of the characters whom I admire or relate to:

Peter - Peter denied the Lord. Not once. Not twice. But thrice. He who boasted loudly that he loved Jesus and would not desert Him did so three times. How did he feel as he heard the news of His teacher's death, and realised that he left the teacher to die on His own? Cowardly? Ashamed? But after His resurrection, Jesus ensured the disciples and Peter were informed of His return. Peter was not left out. Even as our Saviour came back to bring His final teachings, He remembered to let Peter know first that he had a second chance. :) And the second chance did wonders - Peter did become a rock for the early church and was equipped with courage to preach and defend the gospel in Acts.
Paul - The most zealous Christian killer recorded in the Bible turned into an apostle for Christ. As Paul travelled throughout the region and was plaqued with misfortune after misfortune, what was his response? Nothing but praise for Him. Would I give up if the people I preach to turn around to stone me, or quarrel with one another or turn back to their old ways? Without a doubt, I say yes. But did Paul to the same? No. So Lucado's point is this: even though Paul looked like an unlikely hero, he persevered and ended up shaping history. Tomorrow's hero could be anyone, even us.
David - David was a young shepherd when he faced Goliath. David, who was uneducated and untrained in martial arts, did not even hesitate as he challenged Goliath. What was the reason for his insanity as he challenged the giant so much bigger than he was, and wearing full aromour to boot? David's faith that God would deliver him. And God did! Would I dare to challenge the giant, even if God told me to go ahead because He was behind me? I think I would probably engage in a long debate with God seeking confirmation every 5 seconds. Focus on God and you crush your giants. Focus on giants, and the giants will crush you.

If...

2010-12-05T23:50:00.002+08:00

If
Songwriters: Gates, David;

If a picture paints a thousand words
Then why can't I paint you?
The words will never show, the you I've come to know
If a face could launch a thousand ships
Then where am I to go?
There's no one home but you, you're all that's left me too

And when my love for life is running dry
You come and pour yourself on me

If a man could be two places at one time
I'd be with you
Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way
If the world should stop revolvin' spinning slowly down to die
I'd spend the end with you
And when the world was through

Then one by one the stars would all go out
Then you and I would simply fly away

Greece 2011?

2010-12-04T15:16:00.003+08:00

Lessons I learnt

2010-12-01T21:59:00.000+08:00

So last mon this invigilator did her am duty but missed the pm duty... We called her and she said she would turn up on Tue, which she didn't. We were peeved by then. And we reminded her of make-up duties on Wed... And again she didn't turn up. Nor answer her phone.

What would you do then? I definitely felt she was quite irresponsible and we called SEAB to complain... SEAB tried to get her but failed...

No news... until the following Mon. The invigilator had died on Wed but her body was only found on Sat as she lived alone.

I suddenly felt very guilty as I had been too hasty in judging. It's scary - and I can't help but wonder if the moments we called her on Wed had been her last. I could have offered her a prayer, but I offered condemnation and accusations of her being irresponsible instead.

Another lesson... Life is fleeting. We read such news in the newspapers but when it happens to someone who you have just seen a few days ago, it's scary, even if you don't know the person well at all.

And her scenario - living alone in her 50s, and dying without anyone knowing for 3 days. I can suddenly imagine that happening to me. The newspaper article said she gave her best years at teaching. What would have once sounded like a lifetime achievement to me suddenly sounds so lonesome. What would I want to be described as when the day comes?

Anyway these were just some emo thoughts that I had today. I think it's the December-so-let's-reflect mood striking.

holidays...

2010-11-25T17:46:00.000+08:00

Can feel more of a holiday mood with the A-levels almost over! Things I want to do soon? Read up for lectures next year, attend Muay Thai classes, go out for tea and workouts with buddies soon...

Excited also because I have a staycation coming up - at Hard Rock Hotel at RWS this time.

And also strangely excited for another lunch/tea coming up. :) Quite silly but excited nonetheless!

Note by Lunch Actually - What can single women do to lose their singlehood?

2010-11-18T21:58:00.000+08:00

The truth is, before I become a professional matchmaker, I thought I knew all there was to know about dating, since I met my husband when I was 20 and we got married when I was 25. However, after entering the dating industry, I realised that there are actually many harsh realities about dating that people do not know. And that is why I decided to share my learning and insights in my book so that single ladies out there know what are the myths vs. realities. At least, after they know this, they can then make intelligent and informed decisions on what they wish to do to increase their chances of finding the right one!

Single ladies need to realise that finding the right one is NOT simply about meeting the right one.

Most singles if you ask them would tell you that the reason they are single is because they have not met the right one. However, meeting is just one of the three components. The other two components are ‘being the right one’ and ‘choosing the right one’. I have met many singles who come to use our services. Some of them successfully meet someone, and some don’t.

After some analysing, we realise that people who actually meet someone through us, they are generally:

Open minded and have a positive attitude
Flexible when it comes to their dating preferences and criteria
Take each date as an enjoyable experience of meeting a new friend
Partner with their dating consultant by providing honest feedback and also receiving feedback given by the dating consultant

All single ladies out there need to realise that:
1. Time is not on their side. As much as they would like to build a successful career, they must also give priority to their social life.

2. First impressions matter to men. As much as we do not want to change ourselves, we should appreciate that men are very visual creatures, and hence there’s no harm putting our best foot forward in each date.

3. Dating is a numbers game. You need to meet people to meet the right one. If you spend your Saturday night at home doing your laundry, your Prince Charming is not going to jump out of the washing machine!

4. There is no shame in increasing your own chances of success in finding the right partner. Let me ask you, if you were to go for a job interview, wouldn’t you put on your best suit? Style your hair? Brush up on your CV? Prepare for your answers? Arrive on time? Isn’t your lifelong happiness worth at least the same effort as looking for a job?

At the end of the day, you need to realise this… when you are single and alone, your boss will not be there to look after you. I know all the bosses out there are not very happy with me right now! You have to love yourself more. You need to prioritise your time!

I was asked this question at a talk I gave recently… “Violet, is it possible to have it all? A career, a marriage and a family?”

The answer is… a resounding ‘YES!’

However, in order to achieve that, you have to look at your priorities. It’s not going to happen if you spend all your waking moments at work! If you want to have it all, you need to spend equal time on both work and social!

Many people out there will be wet blankets, maybe even saying, “Are you so desperate?” But just let them say whatever they want to say. In one of my favourite books, “Tuesdays with Morrie’ by Mitch Albom, there’s something Morrie said that will always stick in my mind… “Create your own culture!” The world is sometimes not a very nice place… people will put us down, or make us conform to what is known as the norm. However, you don’t need to conform to other people’s culture. Create your own… and go out there and find your own happiness!
Happy dating!

Note by Lunch Actually - Why are so many career women in Singapore still single?

2010-11-18T21:56:00.000+08:00

There has been a lot of talk that many career women in Singapore are still single… In the first part of this 2-part series, we are going to talk about the characteristics of some of the single ladies that I have met.

To be fair, not only many career women in Singapore are still single. It is the same with any other modern cities around the world e.g. Hong Kong, New York, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai etc. The thing is… more and more singles are delaying marriage. In the past, women marry in their early 20s. If you were to marry in your mid-20s, it is considered old. But now, many women are still not married by the time they are in their 30s. A lot of times, it is because these women are so focused on building their career in the early part of their life. And when they finally decide to settle down, they learn that it is not as easy to find a partner in their 30s as opposed to when they are in their 20s. One of the realities that I have shared in my book ‘Lessons From 15,000 First Dates’ is that ultimately many men are looking to date younger women as they would like to start a family eventually. So they would start to think, if I date a woman who is in her mid-30s, after 2 years of dating, 2 years of honeymoon period after the marriage, would it be too late to start a family?

Single ladies can be generally categorised into 4 groups. Of course these are generalisations and stereotypes and they are not exhaustive.

1. The Dragon Lady: Dragon ladies are women who have done very well for themselves in the workplace. And as the skillset of women such as communication skills, interpersonal skills, multitasking skills are being more sought after in the workplace, more and more women are rising fast in the corporate world, sometimes even faster than their male counterparts. Women often feel that they have to adopt a more domineering and aggressive demeanour to climb up the corporate ladder. And often, they bring these characteristics with them wherever they go even when they are on dates. However, I always say to my single female clients, ‘Men are looking to date and marry women, not men!’ Women need to realise that they are on a date and not a debate. They do not need to challenge every single thing the guy say, or have the last say all the time. My advice to the dragon ladies is to indulge in your femininity and leave the fist-thumping in the boardroom.

2. The Waiter a.k.a. The Fixer: These are ladies who might be seeing someone, but they have been in the same relationship for 3 years, 5 years, or 9 years but the relationship just does not seem to be going anywhere. The reason is, the man keeps telling the woman that he’s not ready to settle down, and the woman is willing to just sit by and wait, hence the name ‘waiter’. And some of them are also fixers meaning they believe they can fix the guy, even though women who preceded them have failed. They believe that they are unique and special. My advice to this group of ladies is to give the guy an ultimatum. Give him a deadline, and if he does not adhere to it, then move on. You have to love yourself more because time is not on the side of the women. Just move on. If he loves you enough, he will ask you back and ask for your hand. If he does not, then he was never worth your time in the first place.

3. The Princess (and her Prince): A lot of single ladies for into this category. They probably have read too many fairy tales or indulge in too many Hollywood movies or Korean dramas. They would like to meet their prince charming ‘by chance’ because they believe that it is not romantic if they do anything extra to meet him. I believe that dating is a numbers game. Out of every 10 single men you meet, probably there are only 5 whom you are interested to know more about and he too would like to know you better. From the 5, you will probably go on a first date with 3 or 4. And from that 3 or 4, you will probably only go on more dates with 2 or 3. And from there, hopefully, you meet the one. Hence, the question is, if you do not even meet 10 single men in a month or even for some a year, what are the chances you would meet the one? I always ask the princesses, do you wish to be romantically single for the rest of your life, or be more proactive and find your prince charming? My advice is, give yourself more opportunities and find more platform to widen your social circle and meet more new people.

4. The Clueless: Some ladies do not have a lot of relationship experience or have not dated in a long time. Hence, they have no idea of what to expect when it comes to dating or might have unrealistic expectations when it comes to dating. They would tell me things like, “Why should I do anything different? They should like me for who I am. If they don’t, then they are not worth my time!” when I suggest that they put on some light makeup when they go on a date. My question to them is, “There are many guys out there who are very nice and have great personality, however they might not meet your height preference (height is very important for most ladies!), then why don’t you like them for who they are as well?” My advice is that we should challenge our own list of criteria and preferences. Ultimately, we judge others, others judge us as well. When we look at each of our criterion, we should ask ourselves, is this a ‘must have’ or a ‘good to have’. If he is 1.75m, does it mean that he would be a better husband or a better father?

Happenings!

2010-11-18T21:50:00.000+08:00

Oct - Nov have been very happening for me. Some pictorial updates:

Halloween at Paulano Brauhaus

Farewell High Tea for Jen and HB

Shanghai Tang - Dinner and Dance

Our gangster table

In my new cheongsam

At One-26 with the lovely bride YW

Class outing with Sec 4 girls!

English breakfast at Wild Honey - yummy!

Tunisian breakfast - also yummy!

Delicious sandwiches at Royal Copenhagen

Delectable almond cake at Royal Copenhagen

Beyond the A-levels duties, I attended weddings, went out with the gals as usual and just put myself in the holiday mood!

Devotional - Tell It Like It Is

2010-11-18T20:50:00.001+08:00

Today's Truth
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV) "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

Friend to Friend
Okay. It's Sunday morning and you are frantically trying to get ready for church. You somehow managed to set your alarm for PM instead of AM and you are running late. No time for breakfast - which is just as well since you did not have time to go to the grocery store and the only thing in your refrigerator is an almost empty jar of Mayonnaise and a block of molded cheese. Your daughter throws a tantrum because she is not about to wear any of the "dorky" clothes hanging in her closet. Your son is actually wearing his dorky clothes, but he got bored waiting on everyone else to get ready and headed outside to play in the puddles created from last night's storm. It was the perfect opportunity to see if his new shoes really were waterproof like the salesman said. His clothes are now caked in mud, the shoes are definitely not waterproof and he is yelling for help. "Check the dirty clothes basket" you yell back. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Your husband, oblivious to the chaos around him, is sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper and drinking his coffee. When he announces that it is time for everyone to get in the car or you will be late for church, your last and completely frazzled nerve snaps. "Why do I have to do everything on Sunday morning - and every other morning for that matter?" you demand. "I have one morning a week that I can relax and have a few minutes to myself," he snaps back. Great! One more thing for your ever growing list of "things we need to work on in our marriage." Whatever! You don't have time to process that information because everyone is finally in the car and ready to go.

Your husband decides to drive the speed limit for once in his life which means you are going to be late - and you hate being late. You could cut the tension in the car with a knife, but when you reach the holy asphalt of the church parking lot, you smile and nod as people greet you with, "Good morning! How are you?" But they don't really want to know, and you don't really want them to know. "Great! Everything is just great!" you answer to no one in particular.

Here's my question. Where is the transparency? Why do we feel like we cannot be honest with each other? What is so frightening about saying, "If you really want to know, it has been a lousy morning and I'm ready to explode?"

I think there are several reasons we are afraid to be transparent, but pride is at the root of most of them. We are not willing for others to see us as we really are - a frail human being. I'm not saying that we should launch into a liturgy of complaints every time someone asks how we are, but I am saying that we need to be more transparent. Jesus was.

Jesus wept when His friend, Lazarus, died. When money-changers defiled the temple, Jesus was furious and drove them out with a whip. On the cross, Jesus cried out to God, "Why have You forsaken me?" Jesus was a frequent guest at wedding celebrations and had a sense of humor. He was authentic and real and wants us to live our life with that same emotional integrity and transparency.

In order to understand what transparency is, we need to understand what it is not. Transparency is not a spiritual license to rip someone apart or tell them off. I know what it is like to take an emotional risk only to be blasted under the guise of "just being honest." Transparency is not revenge in disguise nor does it give us permission to unload every problem we have on everyone we meet.

Transparency is being willing to let others see who we really are and what is really going on in our heart and life. In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, the Apostle Paul writes, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." In other words, comfort and encouragement are cyclical.

When I choose to be transparent about my struggle with clinical depression, I position myself to receive and give comfort and encouragement to others fighting that same battle. It sounds so simple, doesn't it? It is - if we choose to be transparent.

Let's Pray
Father, please help me to take off the masks I hide behind. I want to be real and authentic in a way that pleases You and encourages others. I am sometimes afraid to be honest about who I am and what I am going through. Give me the strength to walk through that fear and be the transparent woman of God You created me to be.

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

A Lifetime Companion...

2010-11-07T23:15:00.000+08:00

Non Sequitur, 7 Nov 2010

Holidays...

2010-11-07T22:59:00.000+08:00

The examiner duties are starting this week (actually we had a day of duty so far) and I am seeing it as the time to finish up recommendations and testimonials in between free blocks as well. I am sure that by the time the duties end in December, I will more than welcome the school hols.

Not going anywhere this year. Shall use the time to clean my cubicle at work, work out more and catch up on reading.

What's on my reading list?

Cast of Characters by Max Lucado
Come Thirsty by Max Lucado
Grace for the Moment by Max Lucado (very lopsided I know)
The Names of God by Marilyn Hickey

Still want to get Max Lucado's Outlive Yourself and Women of the Bible: The Life and Times of Every Woman in the Bible by Sue Poorman Richards and Lawrence O. Richards.

Time flies!

2010-11-04T20:53:00.000+08:00

Gasp, there's less than 2 months remaining in the year!

So what's up in Nov? A-level duties, dinner and dance, 4 weddings (and 3 in Dec and 2 in Jan) to attend, wearing my new cheongsam haha...

Cut my hair short too for a new look!

And planning lessons for next year - January elective, lectures for next year, activities for the theme we adopt (i.e. Sustainability in conjunction with International Year of Chemistry in 2011).

Next year will be an equally packed year! But I will get through it!

Like/Dislike...

2010-10-27T10:16:00.000+08:00

This is for Qing...

You know how you used to say if only there is a way to like my posts? Hee Blogger has added reaction buttons so I created the like and dislike buttons just for you!

“Lecture” Is Not a Dirty Word, Says Rick Wormeli

2010-10-27T10:12:00.001+08:00

I can't wait to try some of these techniques in my lectures next year, especially since I will be dealing with the lower-end students. Would love to try co-lecturing, provided I can find someone interested, as well as invite contrarianism, although that may not work with my group. Some of these tips, such as priming the pump, using hook and ending powerfully are actually ideas NIE tried to impart. But I think I need these reminders!

Gosh, I am really looking forward to the Dec break so that I can use it to plan my lessons next year!

In this article in Middle Ground, Virginia-based author/consultant Rick Wormeli says that lectures, if done right, can be powerful learning experiences. Wormeli believes that 90 percent of what students learn from classroom lectures (the most popular teaching technique in secondary schools) comes from the speaker’s physical movements, vocal inflections, and facial expressions. “Students need these extras to understand the message,” he says. “Lectures can hold students’ attention if the presenter uses adequate forethought and has a skillful delivery. The best lecturers are storytellers at heart, and just as stories have plots, lectures have road maps and points of interest and enticements to keep the audience listening.” Wormeli suggests ways to make lectures effective:

Prime the pump – Prepare students for what’s coming and build interest and anticipation.
Use hooks – Students need these at the beginning and at several points during a lecture to pique curiosity.
Preview outcomes, concepts, and details – Say up front what students should know and be able to do by the end of the lecture – and don’t have more than five major concepts, connected in a logical sequence.
Connect – Pepper lectures with key words, effective visuals to clarify and emphasize, and humor – but make the humor relevant to the content. It’s helpful to memorize the first five minutes to maximize eye contact and dramatic presence.
Check in – Include lots of back-and-forth with students to establish rapport. Use effective on-the-spot assessments at several points to see whether the content is sinking in.
Help students recode – Use analogies, metaphors, anecdotes, personal asides, connections to background knowledge, material from other classes, previous experiences, and summarization to get students personalizing the information.
Invite contrarianism – Challenge students to spot incorrect information and arguable ideas you’ve planted in the lecture. “Arguing with and correcting adults’ mistakes are very compelling activities for middle-grades students,” says Wormeli.
Use novelty – Props, costumes, magic tricks, imitating historical or literary characters, having someone burst into the classroom with late-breaking news on the subject – all these help make lectures memorable. (I’m a semicolon and I’m lonely. Nobody understands me, and I’m never used. I can be a lot of help, however, especially when a period at the end of the sentence is too strong a sentiment.) You should also include references to places familiar to students, popular music groups, websites, and movies.
Limit and structure note-taking – Wormeli believes that students feverishly taking notes during lectures detracts from engagement and rarely produces quality notes for later use. Instead, he suggests stopping every 10-15 minutes and leading students in processing what they just experienced through note-taking or some other form of summarization.
Co-lecture – Consider having a student, parent, colleague, librarian or media specialist, expert, or administrator join you for a lecture. “Two voices are more interesting than the singular voice students hear every day,” says Wormeli.
End powerfully – “Conclusions need to reveal a powerful punch, a provocative idea, or a closed loop,” says Wormeli. Conclusions should revisit important information and incorporate an apt metaphor, quick anecdote, or graphic that pulls the threads together. “Don’t default conclusions to the school bell,” he says.

Devotional - First Class Living

2010-10-27T08:29:00.001+08:00

The revelation I have for this week is that God gives us life - not only the eternal life in heaven but also abundant life in all areas in this present age! In fact, knowing that my life, already overflowing with blessings, can be even more abundant, makes me very very excited! I can't wait to see how my life will unfold before me, and how much more praises I can sing of His wonderful goodness and generosity!

Are you ready to open up all the doors in your life and invite Jesus to step through and make the difference for you? I am! Be it my Christian walk, family, relationships, career, health, finances, I believe I can have abundant life in all these aspects! I am made for first class living!

Today's Truth
John 10:10 (NLT) "Jesus said, "My purpose is to give life in all its fullness."

Friend To Friend
I will never forget the first time I flew first class. Dan and I were on our way to North Carolina for a few days of much needed vacation. We were both exhausted, having just returned from a wonderful but grueling mission trip to Peru. I couldn't wait to get on that plane, grab a pillow and blanket and sleep my way to North Carolina.

When I spotted an abnormally long line of people and realized it was the check-in line for our gate, my attitude took a nose dive. I was tired. I was hungry. We had missed both breakfast and lunch in order to make our flight and that tiny little pouch of honey roasted peanuts waiting for me on board the plane was just not going to cut it! Oh, and did I mention how much I hate to wait - for anyone or anything? Patience is definitely not one of my strongest qualities.

Suddenly, a man dressed in a pilot's uniform stepped up to the ticket counter. "He looks familiar," I thought to myself, but since Dan was the pastor of a large church in town, we often ran into people who attended one of the five weekend services. My husband is great at remembering names and faces, but me - not so much. The fact that the pilot looked familiar did not register as pertinent information - until he waved in our direction and said, "Please step forward."

Wait! Was he talking to us?

"Pastor Dan and Mary, will you please step up to the counter?" the pilot repeated. Dan immediately recognized him as John Littleton, a new believer who was attending the church.

"I knew you were a pilot, John, but I didn't realize that you worked for this airline," Dan said. Things were definitely looking up. Maybe I could score two pouches of honey roasted peanuts.

"Where are you headed?" my new best friend asked. When we told him, John promptly moved us from coach to first class and escorted us past all of the other waiting - and now glaring - passengers. I was a little uncomfortable "cutting" in line, but any hesitation on my part quickly faded as John showed us to our seats and instructed the stewardess to take good care of his "pastors." I love that man!

I soon discovered that I was a real person in first class, assigned to a spacious and extremely comfortable leather recliner where I actually had room to move and breathe without assaulting the person next to me. My meal was not wrapped in paper and they actually trusted me with real eating utensils. I was presented with cloth napkins, hot food, good movies, current magazines and a stewardess who seemed totally committed to my comfort.

I immediately decided that I was born to fly first class! The only problem with that decision is that I simply cannot afford to purchase a first class airline ticket. Someone will have to buy it for me.

You and I were created to live a full and abundant life - a first class kind of life. In John 10:10, Jesus said, "My purpose is to give life in all its fullness."

The good news is that Jesus has already paid the price, not only for our "ticket" to heaven, but for a life of purpose and power here on earth. We cannot begin to understand all that God's "fullness" holds but I do know that what He wants for me far exceeds anything I could possibly imagine. And I can imagine a lot.

God is calling you to follow Him. He is asking for 100% commitment and, in return, He will fill your life, now and eternally, with the fullness that only comes through knowing and serving the Master. Don't settle for anything less than living life - first class.

Let's Pray
Father, my heart hungers for Your power to flow through my life. I choose to obey You. I will seek You with my whole heart and I will follow You wherever You lead me. I know that Your plan for my life is amazing and I don't want to miss any of it. Today, I choose to set aside my agenda and rest in the abundant life only You can give.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Balance

2010-10-23T23:08:00.000+08:00

Watched Eat, Pray, Love and felt underwhelmed.

Maybe my expectations of the show went up cos Ling said it was from her favourite book. However, after watching the show, I was quite disgusted at the protangonist Liz. It wasn't really about her search for self or her self-discovery journey. I really felt she was irresponsible and selfish in not trying to work things out, but always throwing everything away at her whims of seeing the world! Maybe the book is better? Maybe I was not moved at all because of her focus on finding God through meditating in India and visiting medicine men in Bali. I am biased in this aspect of course but I still felt the self-discovery issue was just an excuse for her to throw away her life which she is no longer happy with!

In the show, it was mentioned she discovered how to treat herself better and enjoy life in Italy, and how she searched for God in India. In Bali, she found a balance between the two. She struggled to give in to love again, thinking that the balance that she fought hard to find would be lost. Ketut, the medicine man, told her that falling in love and losing the balance could be part of the balance of life itself.

Mysticism aside, I think balance is a big part of my life now. Pastor's teaching about labouring to enter God's rest comes to mind - I now value rest more and now that school and tuition are winding down, I feel lost and almost bored, but at the same time grateful for more rest and more time to work out, read His word, spend with my family.

I used to be more ambitious but I think I am coming to a point where the workload I want to deal with and the money/position I seek are in equilibrium. If I climb higher, I might not handle the load, nor do I want to sacrifice time and effort to take on more. I am beginning to value the rest and free time more than the money.

This could become a very important factor in my decision to stay or go, two years down the road...

Updates

2010-10-23T22:55:00.001+08:00

Think the older I get, the less I want to share what goes on in my head/heart.

So the blog degenerates a bit into a mindless rambling, or a depository of good devotionals I read.

Here's an update of the (not-even-recent) happenings in my life:

Birthday

The birthday came and left peacefully though my eyes couldn't stop rolling thanks to the colleagues' gift of a photoshopped picture of J and me.

The TTA celebration was great though! I enjoyed the two-part celebration -- first a flea market, then kite-making and kite-flying followed by a great dinner at Dozo.

Posing prettily

Birthday celebration in school

Busy at work at the flea market

My kite

Turning Girly

I think the impact of turning yet another year older is that I become vainer! Haha! Qing gave me a lovely treat - eyelash extensions! Thicker and longer lashes for 2 weeks! Add that to my brown contacts and I get this alien eyes look!

Despite my sky high card bills, I shopped.

Longer and fuller lashes!

Alien eyes!

New work dress which I bought cos I felt slimmer in it!

In a pinky girly mood!

School happenings

The J2s have officially graduated, and are hibernating at home preparing for the examinations. Most of my working time is spent giving them consultations, catching up on admin work and preparing for Presiding Examiners duties.

I miss this batch already!

With my form class on their last day in school

Spoke to J and got what I wanted next year - teaching the lower band lecture group and H1 Chem. I foresee a lot of heartaches and headaches but it is still what I want. Excited because this is the first time I am teaching a J1 batch from the beginning!

Eating too much

Haha I put on weight! Not surprising given how much good food I have been eating lately. Beyond the mooncakes and birthday cakes, I indulged in a porridge buffet last week at Teochew Muay, and dinner with DW at The Disgruntled Chef (should call it The Satisfied Customer) and dim sum lunch today.

Need to work out more, especially since I have more free time now! Aqua class at Amore Tampines 1 turned out to be a great workout that was fun and challenging! I like! Has been quite some time since I felt so hyped up about a class.

Porridge at Teochew Muay - Cheap and good deal!

Dimsum lunch at Pioneer Wharf - food is quite nice but we overordered!

Steak tartare at The Disgruntled Chef

Chicken Liver Parfait at The Disgruntled Chef

Baked Bone Marrow at The Disgruntled Chef

Baked Camembert Fondue at The Disgruntled Chef

Curried Mussels at The Disgruntled Chef

I read of DW's interest to visit The Disgruntled Chef and decided to catch up with this old friend at the restaurant. We expected a rowdier ambience but it was pretty quiet until a group of slightly drunk guests came in.

The food was good! DW complained there was too much carbs (true since the dishes we ordered all came with some bread or fries) but each item really was outdone by the next! The chicken liver parfait was smooth and tasty. The steak tartare didn't taste too raw, and the mild spiciness was to my liking. The baked bone marrow was unusual - fatty and the green paste that came with it was garlicky but all went well together! The baked camembert was not too heavy, and the apple sauce plus cheese made a nice dessert. Curried mussels was probably my favourite (eh wait, I can't really decide...) with a savoury thin curry that carried a hint of saltiness that reminded me of the sea!

Anyway, if you are always wondering about new places to try, can check out DW's blog!

Devotional - Are You Ready?

2010-10-07T11:03:00.002+08:00

Today's Truth

1 Timothy 6:17 (NLT) "Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment."

Friend To Friend
It's that time of year again. I went shopping today and could not believe what I saw. One store displayed Halloween costumes, Thanksgiving turkeys and a fully decorated Christmas tree all at the same time. Now I am all about being prepared and planning ahead ... but I think we may have taken things just a bit too far when it comes to the holidays. I am absolutely not going to allow myself to get caught up in the materialistic aspect of the 2010 holidays - for two reasons.

First, money is tight.

Our economy is in trouble. Many people have lost the job they have had for many years. Others have lost the house in which they raised their family. Some people are facing each day, praying and hoping to find a job ... any job ... to put food on the table. The retail industry is responding by having "the biggest sale of the year" every other week and trying to get a head start on holiday spending. We need to put money and "stuff" in its right place.

The great Bible teacher, Howard Hendricks, was invited, along with his wife, to have dinner at the home of a very wealthy man. The Hendricks were slightly apprehensive about spending an entire evening with someone so powerful and famous but as the meal progressed, they discovered that their host was completely unassuming and surprisingly down to earth. As they were leaving, Howard Hendricks turned and asked the man, "How could you grow up in such wealth and not be consumed by materialism?" The man smiled and replied, "My parents wisely taught us that everything in our home was either an idol or a tool." What a great truth for all of us!

In Philippians 4:12 the Apostle Paul writes, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

Paul is driving home the point that his contentment does not depend upon "stuff" and neither should ours. Having experienced both wealth and poverty, Paul had learned to be content within - no matter what the circumstances without might be.

Notice that Paul "learned" to be content; it did not come naturally. "Learn" literally means "initiated into the secret." In other words, Paul's circumstances were his introduction to the life truth that real contentment has nothing to do with either prosperity or poverty. Contentment is an inside job, the result of knowing God and living life against the backdrop of eternity.

Second, time is short.

The psalmist writes, "Teach us how short our lives really are so that we may be wise" (Psalm 90:12). Each day is a gift from God. We need to be wise in how we use that gift. Wisdom sees time - not as something to spend - but as something to invest. The way we spend our time is an eternal investment.

Speaking of eternity ...

Just last week, a family friend died in his sleep. His death was sudden and unexpected from an earthly viewpoint, but I know there was a party going on in heaven when he arrived. We have known Jamall Badry for over thirty years and have been so blessed by his ministry of music and his heart for sharing Christ. As I tried to wrap my mind around his death, I got to thinking about the night he died. I don't think he knew that before the night was done, he would meet Jesus face to face. Jamall went to sleep in his earthly home and woke up in his heavenly home. He was ready. Are you?

I sometimes think we spend more time preparing for the holiday season than we spend preparing for eternity. Not this year! Let's truly celebrate Jesus and give Him thanks by coming to Him in complete surrender.

Let's Pray
Father, my heart and life are so often filled with greed and discontent. Right now, I choose to take my eyes off of "things" and focus on You and what You want for my life. Thank You for all that you have given to me and for what You have done in my heart. I praise You, knowing that in You, I have everything I need.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

And the wow factor goes up!

2010-09-29T10:21:00.000+08:00

We like to tease a colleague about being rich but he is really thrifty and can even pay for his car with cash straightaway. I really should learn from thrifty people like my bro and J!

But the wow factor is that he didn't really want the car but after his dad's car was scraped, knowing how reliant on private transport his dad was and that his dad was reluctant to fork out savings for a new car, he decided to tell his dad he wanted to drive and just bought the car for his dad's use! So sweet!

Yay!

2010-09-27T21:15:00.000+08:00

Ask me again what I want for my birthday and instead of telling you an MC, I would definitely reply, "I want to go back to sch!"

Got my wish again, two days early in fact! Doctor has cleared me to go back from tomorrow!

Yes!! God heard my prayers!!

Thoughts on Exodus 25 - 30

2010-09-26T20:57:00.001+08:00

I make no secret of the fact that the drier chapters in the OT put me to sleep more effectively than a sleeping pill. I always wondered why the long laws are included and find my eyes glossing over the dimensions of the altar and ark, and the animals required for sacrifice.

Usually my prayer at this point would be thank God the perfect sacrifice was sent once and for all.

The Lord put a new question to me yesterday. Which is easier - for us to sacrifice lambs or for Him to send His one and only Son?

I was quite stumped. Sending livestock for sacrifice should be quite easy. Just look for an unblemished animal, follow the rituals...

But I know how lazy I can be in following laws. Sooner or later, I would have cut corners, missed out on this some day and on that another day. Easy? Not really!

What about giving up an only son? The human heart would have revolted at this thought but thankfully His love for us is not measured by human measure.

It is more difficult to give His Son but He did it anyway because left to us, we would never be able to bridge the gap, if the only redeeming factor is our diligence in following the rituals and the laws.

New look!

2010-09-26T14:32:00.002+08:00

Bored enough by the pox to update the look of the blog! Many likes!

Melting

2010-09-25T22:34:00.001+08:00

CK told our chem rep that I was down with chicken pox and these two days, messages flooded in, even from the kids in CK's half. Touched by their concern, and how some have apparently read wikipedia to learn how to relieve symptoms of chicken pox in adults.

I wanna recover soon so that I can go back to them soon! I can't believe my MC covers me just nicely till the last day of formal lessons. I refuse to use up my leave!

I wanna go back to sch!!

Thankful attitude

2010-09-24T15:47:00.000+08:00

Was totally blown away by Pastor Prince's sermons...

Was listening to Debunking the Common Myths of Prayer and some salient points I recall:

God is not impressed by the length or intensity of our prayers. He sees ours hearts and knows what we need before we ask. He also sees the faith (or lack of) when we ask Him.
Prayer is not just about asking. When Paul says to pray unceasingly (1 Thess 5:17), we should also remember the context. Paul also said to be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances (1Thess 5:16-18). The prayer we should offer continually is the prayer of thanks!
The tongue has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21) and the words we say have the power to come true. The bad things we say come true quickly more than the good - because we believe in bad things more than good. Also, our language has been conditioned to be more negative than positive (e.g. I am dying to eat this cake rather than I am living to eat this cake, even though one can't die then eat cake) so more bad things may come true.
Since we have more faith in bad things, and find it easier to curse than bless, we can start exercising our faith in cursing the bad things. (Jesus did curse a fig tree.) E.g. curse the pimples away haha.

I must say the message spoke very strongly to me because of the two negative things I said this week. First, on Monday, I jokingly told our admin staff I would give her a call if we ran out of question papers (which happened last week due to an error). In the end, J's side really had a shortfall. Then yesterday, at breakfast, when my colleagues asked what I wanted for my birthday, I said I wanted an MC. And I got it straightaway.

If such is the power of the tongue, I think I must learn to speak only good things, be less of a gossip and speak truths that would life people and are edifying. I have long known this in my heart, but perhaps it is time to put it in practice...

And speaking of having a thankful spirit, I think my mum, who is an unbeliever, exhibits this better than me. She was thankful I had chicken pox, so that explained all the little illnesses the past week. She said she would rather know that the root cause is cleared up than for me to keep suffering the coughs, flu, headaches and not know why.

I must learn to be more thankful. Really.

Blessings

2010-09-23T20:01:00.001+08:00

Be careful what we ask for - I jokingly mentioned wanting an MC for my birthday and ended up with 14 days of leave. This gels with what I heard - God always overanswers our prayers :) because He can't wait to shower us with blessings haha!

The chicken pox could be an answer to my prayer for more time to spend in His company though. Have been listening to the sermon discs that J lent me and on one hand I thirst to hear more, while on the other, I want to sit down and list down all the new things I have learnt.

Have two weeks to do that, though I firmly believe I will recover before the end of my leave period and return to school for the final classes with my beloved classes.

Food for thought

2010-09-12T13:02:00.001+08:00

The preaching of the gospel is simply one beggar telling another where to get food; we are all equal in falling short of God's standards.

Sloan Photographers

2010-09-09T12:51:00.000+08:00

The home rest imposed by the wisdom tooth extraction resulted in more productive work, more rest and more surfing...

Chanced upon this great photography team, but too bad they are based in the US (not that I have occasion to use them anyway)!

Dramatic, vibrant shots!

In everything...

2010-09-08T19:33:00.002+08:00

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:16-17

I have come to rely very heavily on these two verses over the last week. I was studying the Bible to learn more about praying, and the "in everything" phrase struck me a lot.

I used to think we should only bother the Lord in prayer for "big things", and when I read of people praying to recover lost data in thumbdrives, lost earrings, I would be a little uneasy.

But this verse really cleared up the uneasiness. If I believe He is loving and wants to give me showers of blessings, why shouldn't I believe that He is God who would care about everything? After all, it's not as if He is too busy looking after all of us - He is omnipotent after all, so why not?

Pastor Prince's teaching comes to mind - Grace supplies, love gives, faith takes. Faith is admitting that we are weak, and we cannot supply to provide for all our needs, and we recognise there is a generous, compassionate and gracious Provider in our lives. Faith is admitting that we know He can take care of us, and will do so. Faith is daring to lean on Him to provide, daring to open ourselves up to disappointment of failed prayers then finding ourselves immensely blessed because our prayers do get answered instead.

And in little things, I have started to ask Him to help. A funny anecdote to share - somehow, after the very last consultation on Fri, my body must have picked up the signals that the hols have started and hence I fell sick! I was supposed to meet ZX who just got back overseas and didn't want to cancel the appointment since it was a long time since Bro and I caught up with her and Chern. So I started praying for the fever to be taken away.

The next day, the fever was gone! But I was bothered by phlegm (from an inflamed throat) on Saturday, and in the end I started praying for the inflammation to be gone.

On Sunday, it was really cleared up. Then came the runny nose. Shared the whole tale with XP, who said I should just pray for everything to be cleared up. Jesus answers our prayers very specifically indeed! Haha...

Jokes aside, prayer can be a very powerful tool in our lives. ZX and Chern saw how I was afraid of the pain from the wisdom tooth surgery and said they would pray for me. XP prayed too :) And from Monday, the fear just left. I tried worrying about the surgery (just conjure up all the horror tales from friends) but it's as if I was numb to the concept of pain :)

The surgery went well today. I prayed very hard before and during the surgery. Before the surgery, I thanked Him for taking away the fear of the pain and prayed for no pain during the surgery, and it was impressed upon me that even if the surgery would hurt, it was only a temporary pain. Even if I were to be stricken with diseases in future, any pain is temporary because in heaven, there would be no more pain, and it's for eternity. Was really much calmed by this.

Was praying all the time during the surgery for the work of the dentist to be blessed and her hands to be steady and the surgery to be smooth and fast. It was quite disconcerting to listen to the running commentary by the dentist (amidst the drilling and pulling) but I would have freaked out more if I had to imagine what was happening. The dentist didn't realise I wanted all 4 teeth out but thankfully the extraction was relatively smooth and everything could be completed in the 1.5 h allocated. The dentist did joke that I looked like I was pulling all my fingers apart with my wringing of hands.

Of course the human heart is seldom fully at peace and with one worry down, my mind jumped to the next - how to survive the pain (which according to friends who have gone through this would be unbearable especially after the anesthesia wears off) and how to eat (Liquid Diets 101). However, there was no pain! Of course I took painkillers in anticipation of the pain but so far, nothing too painful. I even managed to take mee sua for lunch!

All in all, I would say I am very thankful that the surgery is over. As for prayer, I can see why we should come to Him often with requests - it really strengthens our faith and we see Him for the generous giver He is. If we bother our earthly fathers for all things, our Heavenly Father is waiting to bless us even more greatly, not just in big things, but in everything!

Fried Rice Paradise, Nasi Goreng Very Nice

2010-09-08T19:02:00.000+08:00

Caught Fried Rice Paradise with Dan yesterday and I enjoyed myself! The cast was quite good and the plot is familiar and close to our hearts - neighbourly relations in multiracial Singapore, to stay or to move, to pursue dreams or not...

My only complaint is that the love triangle was so easily resolved! Johan just stepped aside to let XO have Bee Lean! No fight at all :(

Taufik's performance was fantastic though! Great singing from our idol!

Giving thanks

2010-09-02T20:28:00.000+08:00

It has been an amazing 8 days!

J's sharing and XP's encouragement as well as her invitation to church has opened me to the idea of getting closer to God again!

These past 8 days have been amazing and I am thankful for:

A great sermon by Pastor Prince on being dead to sin and alive in Christ, and what this passage (Romans 6) really means
Great sharing on their walks by friends
Being encouraged by Qing's response - we are all here to encourage one another on this walk
Learning about how the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and what it means. My response? Perfect love drives out fear.
An immense sense of joy
Having a laugh out of how He works. E.g. I was really sleepy and dozed off while reading the Word before gym. Prayed that He would take away the tiredness so that I can concentrate. Bought a coffee next and drank it. Results? Tuition tonight got cancelled, and I was so sick by the coffee I puked it out. I actually felt more rejuvenated after that. He was trying to show me the real source of my tiredness I guess.

Isn't it amazing no matter how far we wander, we will still find our way back? This is not due to an amazing navigational skill or an inbuilt GPS on our part - it's because He is so steadfast in His love for us that no matter how far we run, He will be able and is still willing to call us back. :)

It's often our love, not His, that is conditional. We love Him based on how many blessings we count, how close we feel to Him, how faithful we are to reading the Word. We fall when we fail in these areas. But really, He never failed us and we cannot do more to add to Him. So just enjoy this relationship, regardless of conditions we pose on ourselves unnecessarily. :)

Devotional - May She Rest in Peace

2010-09-02T07:23:00.000+08:00

Today's Truth

Isaiah 26:3-4 (ICB) "You, Lord, give true peace. You give peace to those who depend on you. You give peace to those who trust you. So, trust the Lord always. Trust the Lord because he is our Rock forever."

Friend to Friend
We often associate the phrase "rest in peace" with death and the loss of a loved one. In fact, these words of comfort are often spoken at some point in most funerals I attend or are included in the inscription on many headstones.

Today, I want us to associate the words "rest in peace" with life instead of death.

Yes, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sin so that we can rest in peace when we die, but God also gave His one and only Son so that we can rest in peace every minute of every day. Does that sound like your life? Would the people who know you best describe you as a peaceful person? As I ask myself that question, the words "not so much" come to mind.

The Mayo Clinic once stated that the illnesses in 80 to 85% of their caseload were caused by stress. An article in a leading medical journal entitled "Is Stress the Cause of All Disease?" said that at the beginning of the century, bacteria were the leading cause of illness but today stress has replaced bacteria.

We all long for an inner calm - especially in the valleys of life. We all want, pray for and pursue peace. At the point of desperation, some people pursue peace by numbing their pain with alcohol, drugs, sex ... food ... success ... the list is endless. Remember the old country song that says we look for love in all the wrong places and on the wrong faces? The same can be said about peace.

Some people tend to believe that peace is simply the absence of problems, valleys and trials. Not so! Peace is a calm confidence that the Lord of the mountains is still on the throne - no matter how deep the valley may be. Peace recognizes Jesus walking on the water as He calms the crashing waves and stills the howling winds in your life. Trials become opportunities to trust God when peace reigns in a heart. That kind of peace can only be found in God.

Notice that I did not say we can find peace in church membership, in doing good things, in giving large sums of money to a charity or ministry, or even in being a really good person. Peace is a gift. When we enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we enter into true peace.

Romans 5:1 (NCV) "Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ."

We cannot bargain for or earn peace, girlfriends, but we will experience peace when we are willing to move away from our sin toward the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, in a personal relationship. Then, and only then, will His peace become our peace.

When John Paton was translating the Bible for a South Seas Island tribe, he discovered that they had no word for peace. One day, a native who had been running very hard for several miles came to the missionary's house, flopped down into a large chair and tried to catch his breath. "It's good to rest my whole weight on this chair" the runner said. Paton thought for a minute before replying, "I'll translate peace as the result of resting one's whole weight on God." Exactly!

We hear from so many women across the world who would give everything they have for just one minute of peace. I know the list of trials and storms is long. I honestly do not know how some people get out of bed each morning to face the trials and hard times in their life. I understand that the problems we deal with every single day can weigh us down; but I also know that every problem can be given to God. When we surrender the weight of our trials and pain to Him, we will experience peace. As we allow God to carry the weight of worry, the burden of anxiety and the penalty of every sin in our life, peace will reign and leave no room for the deadly trap of stress. Today, girlfriend, I pray that you will rest in Peace.

Let's Pray
Father, it seems that anxiety and doubt are constant companions right now. This valley seems so deep and so dark. By faith, I choose to trust You, my Shepherd. I am so tired, Father. Will You please carry me? I cannot see what is ahead. Will You please guide me? I am discouraged and ready to quit. Will You please be my strength? I love You and want to please You with my life. Empower me to be all You created me to be.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Come hungry

2010-08-31T12:34:00.001+08:00

Woke up with these two words on my mind.

And i knew the msg of the day is to come hungry and yearning for His word...

August

2010-08-26T19:05:00.000+08:00

Ever since I got back from France in July, I have been busy catching up on work and giving consultations.

Nonetheless, August proved to be a busy month that came with pockets of much-appreciated breaks.

Marina Bay Sands staycation
We celebrated my bro's birthday by staying at MBS for National Day. I was looking forward to catching the fireworks and the view was definitely not disappointing. What was disappointing though was the level of service at MBS, which hardly had the capacity to deal with a full house. The pool was also overcrowded. Thankfully, at least we got to check in at 4 and managed to secure a late checkout at 3 p.m. the following day, unlike the poor guy who wrote in to complain that he only got to check in at 7 and was asked to check out at noon.The pool was also much less crowded and much more enjoyable the next day.

Verdict? Not too bad but may not be worth the $600 plus I paid, nor the long waits at the lift lobby. Do not stay over a busy period, you won't be able to enjoy peace nor feel exclusive.

The room we had

This wasn't even the maximum crowd I saw!

Enjoying the infinity pool

Farewell for K
The friend of ten years has quitted school (as a teacher) and is moving to far flung Finland for school (as a masters student). Ironically, ever since I got back to the school, I actually spoke to him less than when I was at another ministry. We were actually working together over science camp but always talked shop instead, though we did leave little gifts and cards on each other's desks occasionally.

So the farewell dinner proved to be a good opportunity to catch up. I haven't had such a great chat with him since 2006! We talked about our classes, our experiences in teaching, and laughed over the standard of food, dress sense etc.

Will miss him, but wishing him all the best!

Bye my friend! :)

Picnic at ECP
Part 1 of the birthday celebration was supposed to be the Japanese Summer Festival on 21 August but thanks to a ranking meeting, I wasn't free to drive down and queue for tickets earlier, so we switched plans to picnic at ECP instead. A simple affair but much enjoyed by all.

Now, part 2 will be this Sat *hee*

After many timer shots...

Birthday Girl 1 and me (I was pointing at the Japanese word for incest. Really.)

Birthday Girl 2 and me

Enjoying work
The team is encouraging one another on now that the end is nearly in sight. J and I spent a lot of time at the consultation corners and I have been talking more to this brother. In fact I find him good to talk to. Meanwhile, I have the support of CK of course :) Colleagues really make a lot of difference to the job.

NCC
Have been praying about the issue of attending church and I tried looking for a church in Bishan. Will be trying NCC this weekend. Shall see how things go. :)

黃大煒-你把我灌醉

2010-08-25T22:58:00.002+08:00

This MV cracks the TTA up a lot because of the absurd plot.

But my brother kept playing this song and I suddenly remembered when I first started singing this song at KTV.

在某年某月，你陪我和一群朋友唱歌，这是你点的其中一首歌。

当时的我还是暗恋着你，听这首歌的歌词时，就觉得真的被你灌醉了。
没想到六年后，再次有着这种不该有的心情。
有些“酒“，最好别碰，免得难以自拔。

Devotional - Meeting the Man of Your Dreams

2010-08-25T22:19:00.000+08:00

Read the title of today's devotional and was excited for a split second, wondering why the devotional will teach us to meet the man of our dreams.

Of course that man refers to Jesus! :)

Indeed, if we could make Him the man of our dreams, to yearn for Him and to seek Him, it would iron out a lot of issues in our lives, and prevent us from falling for the wrong things (men included) in life.

I seek to make Him the centre of my life! Only when He is at the throne of my life will I be living a full life! I will learn to be thirsty for Him!

Incidentally, the devotional below carries two words that two friends have used on me today -- no condemnation! I shall claim that as truth :)

Today's Truth
"I who speak to you am he" (John 4:26 NIV).

Friend to Friend
The harsh mid-day sun beat down through a cloudless sky. The morning breeze had long since stilled as the heavy air weighed a body down. The weary, worn woman picked up her empty water jug, a reflection of her empty life, and headed to Jacob's well to draw her daily supply.
Jacob's well was a bustling place for community life among the women in the small village. It was their one chance to leave the confines of home and mingle with friends. They caught up on the latest gossip, exchanged village news, and shared homemaking tips. Most women came to the well in groups...no surprise there. But Ramona ventured out alone.

"It would be nice if I could go to the well in the cool of the morning or the calm of the evening like all the other women," she mumbled to herself. "But it's just not worth it. I'm tired of the condescending stares, the buzzing gossip, and the snide snickers. Why, last week, Mariah yanked her five-year old daughter's arm to keep her from getting too close to me. What? Did she think I would contaminate her if she brushed my robe? No, I prefer the searing sun to their glaring gazes."

Ramona peeked out of the door. "High noon. The coast is clear."

The Samaritan woman easily balanced the five-gallon water jug atop her veiled head and made her way to the community well. Her thoughts of rejection continued as she plodded down the dusty trail. She felt as empty as the jug she carried. All I've ever wanted was to be loved. What's so wrong with that? Five times I've tried and five times I've been rejected. Married and divorced, married and divorced. Tossed away like an old worn sandal. Rejected by men. Shunned by former friends. I guess I'm just a throw-away person that nobody really wants.

Ramona's thoughts were interrupted as she reached her destination and noticed a lone man sitting by the well's edge. What's a Jew like that doing in a place like this? She mused. I'll just keep my eyes down and pretend he isn't here.

But he was there. And he was there for a purpose.

His unexpected words pierced the silence.

"Will you give me a drink," He asked.

A Jewish man would never stoop so low as to speak to a Samaritan woman, she thought. He's just like all other men. He won't speak to me in public where people can see, but he is all too eager to engage when he wants something. I'll show him.

With a hint of sarcasm, the woman replied. "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink? Isn't that against the rules?"

Jesus ignored her sarcasm and cut right to the chase. He was more interested in winning the woman than winning the war of words. "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asked you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

Now he had her attention. What in the world is living water? What is the gift? Who is this man? Without realizing it, she lowered her water jug and began lowering her emotional walls as well.

"And how are you going to get this living water?" she laughed. "You don't even have a bucket? Are you just going to reach down in the well with your hands? Our forefather, Jacob, gave us this well. Are you saying that you are greater than Jacob? That you can give us something better than he has given?"

Even though Jesus was trying to move her thinking from a physical need to spiritual truth, she was not quick to follow.

"Drink from this well," Jesus continued, "and you'll be thirsty again. But if you drink from the well that I'm speaking of, the well of living water, your thirst will be quenched forever. Not only that, you'll have a spring of water living inside you that will bubble up and spill over onto those around you."

"Give me that water!" she said. "Oh how I'd love to never come to this well again!"

The woman didn't understand what "living water" was all about, but if it meant that she didn't have to come to the well every day and face the condemning comments and stoic stares from the other women in the town, she wanted it.

"Go, call your husband and come back."

Suddenly, the warmth she had felt earlier began to seep from her soul and the empty chill returned with a vengeance.

"I don't have a husband," she flatly replied, retreating behind harsh features and a practiced face.

"You are right," Jesus continued. "I'm glad that you admitted it. I applaud your honesty. The truth is, you have had five husbands and the man you're living with right now is not your husband. So you are telling the truth when you say you don't have a husband."

There was not a hint of condemnation in Jesus' voice. He simply stated the facts like he would have noted the day's weather condition or the price of eggs at the market.

Suddenly the years of her pitiful life passed before her and she saw herself all alone...emotionally empty and desperately thirsty. How did he know that about me? She wondered. Who is this man? Is he a prophet?

Trying to skirt the real issue at hand, the woman tried to engage Jesus in a theological debate. She tried to divert the conversation away from her life and onto a safer subject. "Sir, I get the idea that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem. Which is it?"

"Believe me," Jesus said, "one day you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. A time is coming and actually has now come, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. That's what God really wants. It is not about where you worship but whom and how."

"Oh well," she shrugged, "I know that Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

Jesus looked intently at the woman, and for the first time in his ministry, he told someone his true identity. "I who speak to you am he."

She wanted to laugh, to cry, to worship at his feet, but before she could do any of those things, a cloud of dust and the rumble of male voices interrupted their conversation. Jesus' friends had returned from the market and stopped short; amazed that Jesus was talking to a woman alone. But even more startling than who he was talking to, was what he had just said..."I am he."

Then leaving her water pot, she ran back to town and told the townsfolk about the Messiah she met at Jacob's well. She had met the man of her dreams-- what she had been longing for all her life. She had met the Messiah.

Let's Pray
Lord, I am that woman. No, I haven't been married and divorced five times, but I do come thirsty. Thank You for giving me Your living water! Today, I drink deeply and share freely. Forgive me for going to "other wells" seeking satisfaction. I know that You are the only One who will satisfy my soul completely.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

My Life Would Suck Without You

2010-08-24T20:59:00.003+08:00

Playing Glee while trying to update Cockpit...

The lyrics "I really shouldn't miss you, but I just can't let you go" really strike a chord.

:(

I know it's a bad habit and I should break out of it after so long but I can't help but miss him!

Devotional - Strength for the Storm

2010-08-12T17:47:00.002+08:00

Today's Truth
Romans 5:3-5 (NLT) "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us--they help us learn to endure. Endurance then develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation."

Friend To Friend
Life is filled with storms of one kind or another. In the midst of those storms, we tend to respond as if God has somehow been caught off guard. The storm makes no sense. We can't explain why terminal illness strikes godly people. We don't understand how our strongest friends can become our fiercest critics. The anguish of a broken marriage or the overwhelming heartbreak of a prodigal child drives us to doubt God's purpose, plan and provision. The fear of financial ruin paralyzes us. God understands.

The Bible is filled with men and women who were storm survivors - people of God who endured great pain and weathered intense life storms because they chose to follow Him. The Apostle Paul, known for persecuting and murdering Christians, was forever changed when he met Jesus Christ. While God gave him a life of great power and eternal impact, it was also a life filled with great storms. Paul learned to "patiently" endure the troubles, hardships and calamities that came his way. (2 Corinthians 6:4 NLT)

Because grain was a precious food source to the Romans, threshing grain was a natural part of every day in ancient Rome. In pictures of early Rome, one man is always seen stirring up the sheaves while another rides over them in a crude cart equipped with rollers instead of wheels. Sharp stones and rough bits of iron were attached to these wheels to help separate the husks from the grain. This simple cart was called a "tribulum" from which we get our word "tribulation."

No Roman ever used his tribulum as a tool of destruction - only refinement. God uses our trials and storms as tools of refinement to build in us endurance. The word "endure" comes from two Greek words that when combined, give the meaning "to remain under." It is the capacity to stay under the load, to remain in the circumstances without running away or looking for the easy way out.

The purpose of every storm is to purify and cultivate endurance. Like Paul, we may sometimes feel as if we are being torn to pieces under the pressure of circumstances. But his challenge to the Romans compels us to re-examine our perspective and response to each storm we face. "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us--they help us learn to endure. Endurance then develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation" (Romans 5:3-5 NLT).

Endurance is never passive. It is the picture of a soldier staying in the heat of the battle under terrible opposition but still pressing forward to gain the victory.

There are few things that we can count on in this unpredictable life - but we can count on storms to come. We can also count on God's continual and unfailing strength for those storms. When the hard times come, when bad things happen, we do not have to wonder where God is. Instead we can hold on to the promise that is found in Jeremiah 16:19, "Lord, you are my strength, and my protection. You are a safe place for me to run in times of trouble" (NLT).

An old seaman once said, "In fierce storms we can do but one thing. There is only one way to survive. We must put the ship in a certain position and keep her there." Richard Fuller commented on the old seaman's words:

"This, Christian, is what you must do. Sometimes, like Paul, you can see neither sun nor stars, and no small tempest lies on you. Reason cannot help you. Past experiences give you no light. Only a single course is left. You must stay upon the Lord; and come what may -- winds, waves, cross seas, thunder, lightning, frowning rocks, roaring breakers -- no matter what, you must lash yourself to the helm and hold fast your confidence in God's faithfulness and his everlasting love in Christ Jesus."

No matter what storm rages in your life today - no matter how fierce the winds or how high the waves may be - where you are is no surprise to God. Heaven is not in a panic. Keep your gaze on Him and your glance on the raging waters. "Lash yourself" to Him and He will supply everything you need to stand firm in the storm.

Let's Pray
Father, I am so tired of trying to weather the storms of life on my own. I need Your power and strength to face each one. Please teach me to turn to you first. Help me learn to patiently endure the hard times and honor You in the midst of them as I walk by faith.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Happy 45th!

2010-08-09T00:47:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday Singapore!

Reasons why I love this place:

I was born here and it's mine!
No natural disasters
Politically stable
Sunny weather - no need to bother with winter clothes
Friends and family are here
Local food
The education system here is relatively cheap and good.
This is a well connected place -- easy to travel!

Going to celebrate bro's birthday at our MBS room later - great way to catch the fireworks too!

Happy 28th birthday to my beloved brother of course!

Shape Run

2010-08-08T22:25:00.001+08:00

Timing is out!

38 min 31 seconds, placed 1144th.

I am happy to cut my timing by more than 10 minutes.

Shall aim for 36.5 min next year!

A Walk to Remember

2010-08-08T21:32:00.000+08:00

Enjoyed myself thoroughly chatting with Qing over a 6km walk around Pandan Reservoir and then shoe-shopping with her. Of course I updated her on the latest "misfortune".

The conclusion I drew was that I should stop myself sinking deeper.

Though Qing rightly pointed out that the fact that I was contemplating the issue meant I was not stopping myself.

Darn.

Those who are looking for a place to walk could try the 6km route. Very simple route, and while the factories kill the scenery for some stretch, the expanse of water and the greenery that is put up recently, not to mention the suntanning pangolin we saw, made it a close enough encounter with nature.

Devotional - A Box of Socks

2010-08-08T21:28:00.002+08:00

Today's Truth Matthew 21:22 (NIV) "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Friend To Friend
My sister loves socks! One day, we were shopping and happened to walk into a department store where neither one of us could afford to buy one single thing. We were just passing through, on our way to find the bargains we could afford. With a sigh and a wistful look on her face, Betty said, "I wish I could afford to shop in this store." When I asked her what she would buy, she immediately replied with a smile, "Socks! I want a big box of socks. I would wear a different pair every day." I could think of several things I would have liked to buy in that store and socks was not one of them. I guess it is a matter of perspective. What was important to her was not important to me.

I sometimes think my prayer requests are insignificant and unimpressive to God. After all, He is God. Does He really have the time or the desire to hear and answer my prayers? Yes! The truth is that if it is important to me, it is important to God.

Each Christmas, Operation Shoebox collects and sends over eight million shoeboxes stuffed with small gifts such as candy, school supplies, small toys, toothbrushes, soap, and shampoo to children across the world. In Mexico, hundreds of boys and girls gathered at the church in a small village, excitedly anticipating the arrival of their precious shoeboxes.

Delightful chaos erupted as bulging shoeboxes, wrapped in brightly colored paper and ribbon were passed into the small, eager hands of each child. Wrapping paper was hurriedly ripped into pieces and tossed aside, a smile spreading across the face of each child as their long awaited Christmas treasures were revealed. However, one little boy dissolved into tears as he lifted the lid of his box and peered inside to see what he had received for Christmas this year.

One of the Operation Shoebox volunteers spotted the little boy and hurriedly made his way across the church to see what the problem could possibly be. With the help of an interpreter, the volunteer asked the now sobbing little boy, "What is wrong? What is in your box?" With tears streaming down his face, the little boy said, "Socks!" The worker instantly understood and assured the little boy that he could trade his box of socks for another box that might have crayons or a piece of candy in it.

Alarm spread across the face of the child as he vigorously shook his head and quickly jerked the box away from the now somewhat confused worker. Clutching the shoebox to his chest, the boy began sobbing out an explanation to the interpreter who listened for a few moments and then, with tears spilling out of his own eyes, turned to the volunteer and said, "You won't believe this!"

Taking a deep, steadying breath, the interpreter explained, "This little boy has a rare skin condition with which he was born. It seems to affect his feet more than any other spot on his body. The doctors have tried various medications and treatments but finally told the little boy that nothing will work and his feet will never heal unless he begins wearing cotton socks. His parents cannot even afford food for this boy; much less provide socks for their son. So, all year long, he has been praying for socks."

Socks were at the top of the little boy's prayer list. As a matter of fact, they were his list. The mere sight of ordinary cotton socks brought tears to his eyes as he stared in awe at the priceless gift in his hands - socks. You see, they were more than just socks. They were the profound answer from our extraordinary God to a child's simple prayer. One unknown and seemingly insignificant boy in Mexico prayed. God heard him and said "Let me take care of you."

No matter how small or trivial your prayers may seem, remember God's perspective. If it is important to you, it is important to Him.

Let's Pray
Father, thank You for the privilege of coming before You in prayer. I want prayer to be as natural to me as breathing out and breathing in. I refuse to believe the lie that my prayers are too small or unimportant for You to hear. You are my Father. You are my God and You long to hear my voice. I will bring every prayer of my heart to You.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Awesome

2010-08-03T22:17:00.000+08:00

I re-realised this week that I love my job a lot. It's the most rewarding one, especially when the kids tell me thanks or how much they appreciate my lessons or consultations, or how they think I am knowledgeable. I love chatting with them in between classes, giving them advice that may hopefully shed some light onto their future, knowing them better as students.

This is really one of the most awesome jobs around.

A call for Mrs Ng...

2010-07-31T13:59:00.000+08:00

A student called my extension looking for Mrs Ng when he wanted to look for me. When I corrected him and said I was Ms Soh, the student apologised and said someone told him I was Mrs Ng.

Highly amused, I recounted this to CK, who promptly pointed to J as the most obvious Mr Ng around. He asked if I would consider J and I kiddingly said yes. This sparked an immediate offer to matchmake J and me, whereupon I told him I was not suitable for J but another colleague might be.

But I was honest and confessed that the thought about J and me had crossed my mind, though I was too tired to put in emotions and efforts to try for a new relationship. CK started nagging me about how life is more about love than work and achievements.

Sigh.

That is the problem of being single at nearly 30. All well-meaning friends who are married or attached will start nagging and matching you to single men around you. :P

This reminded me of a recent rant about being singly His from a friend's blog. I think the fear of being left on the shelf is a real one for singletons who are approaching a certain age. Given a choice, I think we would rather be attached like the majority but, yes, I still stand by the fact that it is tiring to invest in a relationship.

J once told me that at his age, instead of being desperate and settling for lower, he finds that he has gotten along well with his own company and the thought of accommodating another person in his life is more of a sacrifice than an enjoyment, especially if the person is really different from him.

Despite being much younger, I totally agree.

There is really no need to give in to societal pressures to be hitched. I think living life largely and enjoying each moment can be equally satisfying.

Of course, deep down somewhere, we may harbour the thought that someone will come along. CK's advice will come in useful then - be open to people and not say it is tiring to invest in a relationship.

Till then, let's not worry about something we have no control about :)

the heart stirs

2010-07-27T23:07:00.000+08:00

Though like the rest of me, it is more tempted to rest than stir too much.

When does friendship turn to admiration? When does concern transit to become wanting the best to happen for him?

===

And today, I realised a side to a friend that I haven't seen for long.

"If he wants me to treat my staff like this, I won't want to work for him..."

He defended his subordinates and stood up to his boss.

If this happens to me, will I have the moral courage to stand up like he did?

Suddenly, I am filled with admiration, but of a different kind, for him.