Wednesday, December 28, 2005
The Year in Retrospect
Doesn't the title sound familiar??
I dun usually have the habit of writing the year in retrospect kinda thing, not even in my own diary. Neither do I like to make new year resolution, becos I always end up neva keeping them hehe. But after reading Dr Keck and Samantha's email and Yueheng's blog, I kinda got into the thinking mode since it's now lull period at work when I'm left alone to do a quiet writing that is not very heavy.
2005 has been a memorable year for me, the most obvious milestone being that marking the end of my life as a student and the beginning of one as a working adult.
As a student, the Honours year had been the most beautiful period in my whole undergrad life. While talking to Yvonne last night, I learnt that, if it wasn't becos I decided to go for the 4th year, I wouldn't have had so many frens to congratulate and cheer with during the convo. She told me that she only knew 1 other person at her convo and that her frens in uni are those she already knew from JC or sec sch. I am very blessed to be able to attend the 4th year and get to know so many good, supportive frens as well as cool professors. Indeed the people factor was the loveliest part of being in the Hon year.
I was very grateful to God for giving me my Hon degree too. I came in with much apprehension and self-doubt due to my battered CAP point after having too much fun in hall. The Dean's office sternly warned my cousin, whom I had authorised to help me withdraw my file for grad, that I wasn't gonna make it so it was best not to try. After much praying, agonising and asking frens and family members, I finally decided to go ahead, a decision that at first absolutely horrified me due to the big jump in standard but later turned out to be the most enriching indeed.
I oso took a step towards a more active role in serving God in 2005. Though I felt that the non-year 4s were more suitable to the position, I stepped in as assistant cell grp leader for the last sem. It was a good experience to learn about shepherding bros and sis in Christs instead of being fed as always. I had also learnt about what Tommy Tenney put as "preparation meets potential" in his book about Queen Esther as I do my best in everything and leave the results to God. He has been more than good. Although at times I find it hard to juggle between that and my ISM, God has rewarded me richly and drawn me into deeper fellowship with Him in the process.
A sad note in 2005 was the fact that I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. The impact hit me hard at 1st, esp when I din know wat it was all about. I din tell anybody, but I was close to depression then due to the fact that I din know wat to expect. Esp when the medication gave me gastric at 1 point...I simply couldn't stand the thought of living with that for 2 years. And not being able to take seafood made me upset to say the least. My medication makes my face bloated and I swore neva to take any photo henceforth. But over time, I learnt that the condition is more common than I had known and that I am very fortunate becos it's not terminal and it doesn't hurt. Esp after the doc reduced my medication and so I bec free of gastric. Furthermore, there is a chance of total healing from it. I guess it oso brought me closer to God becos I sincerely prayed for healing and leaned on Him becos of it.
Soon after, I was hit by the case of quarter-life crisis and became a walking wounded for a period of time. A combi of factors was to blame but, as dear Audrey puts it, we always learn from everything that happens to us. I thank God for once again sending faithful old frens as well as new wonderful frens my way that supported me thru all these, taking the trouble to pray for me in the midst of their exams, etc and talking to me to the wee hours of the night. Most of all, thank you for loving me enough to tell me harsh words when I need to hear them. I cannot thank you enough. I am happy that they allow me into their lives to help them when they are down and need support as well.
I am getting more used to working life, traumatising as it was at first. Though I din like where I was put becos they kinda din tell me, I thank God for where I am becos it is a position furthest away from the line of fire. My direct supervisor is a very pretty lady and nice to boot. And my colleagues are simply nice, nice, nice. We don't have politics here...we support one another. But I will move when the time comes to pursue my dreams and experience more of life, which I hope will happen in 2006.
My one regret is not having spent enough time with my family in Jakarta, realising it only when I accepted the job offer. It was a contributing factor to my being a walking wounded, but I suppose sometimes u just gotta learn to treasure things.
I also feel that I cannot talk about 2005 without talking about my church, the Third Place. As I grow more involved there, I learnt the joys of true fellowship with Christians without the pretensions of being holy. I must put a side note here to say that I learnt that through my VCF CG as well! Through them, God is teaching me that what the world calls Christianity should really be about following Him and deepening in relationship with Him and channelling the blessings to other and not about knowing certain things that makes us exclusive, so to speak.
The most important lesson I have learnt through this period is that I have moved to a different phase in life and I must learn to make changes to accomodate. Guess I am a slow adaptor, but thank God not slow enough to be wiped out heh. Once I got this into perspective, things became better.
This is not an exhaustive entry about what I had experienced in the year. Some matters are too delicate to be mentioned just yet and others I prefer to keep safely in my bosom, to take out once in a while to reflect upon privately.
May 2006 be another exciting, lesson-filled year!
I dun usually have the habit of writing the year in retrospect kinda thing, not even in my own diary. Neither do I like to make new year resolution, becos I always end up neva keeping them hehe. But after reading Dr Keck and Samantha's email and Yueheng's blog, I kinda got into the thinking mode since it's now lull period at work when I'm left alone to do a quiet writing that is not very heavy.
2005 has been a memorable year for me, the most obvious milestone being that marking the end of my life as a student and the beginning of one as a working adult.
As a student, the Honours year had been the most beautiful period in my whole undergrad life. While talking to Yvonne last night, I learnt that, if it wasn't becos I decided to go for the 4th year, I wouldn't have had so many frens to congratulate and cheer with during the convo. She told me that she only knew 1 other person at her convo and that her frens in uni are those she already knew from JC or sec sch. I am very blessed to be able to attend the 4th year and get to know so many good, supportive frens as well as cool professors. Indeed the people factor was the loveliest part of being in the Hon year.
I was very grateful to God for giving me my Hon degree too. I came in with much apprehension and self-doubt due to my battered CAP point after having too much fun in hall. The Dean's office sternly warned my cousin, whom I had authorised to help me withdraw my file for grad, that I wasn't gonna make it so it was best not to try. After much praying, agonising and asking frens and family members, I finally decided to go ahead, a decision that at first absolutely horrified me due to the big jump in standard but later turned out to be the most enriching indeed.
I oso took a step towards a more active role in serving God in 2005. Though I felt that the non-year 4s were more suitable to the position, I stepped in as assistant cell grp leader for the last sem. It was a good experience to learn about shepherding bros and sis in Christs instead of being fed as always. I had also learnt about what Tommy Tenney put as "preparation meets potential" in his book about Queen Esther as I do my best in everything and leave the results to God. He has been more than good. Although at times I find it hard to juggle between that and my ISM, God has rewarded me richly and drawn me into deeper fellowship with Him in the process.
A sad note in 2005 was the fact that I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. The impact hit me hard at 1st, esp when I din know wat it was all about. I din tell anybody, but I was close to depression then due to the fact that I din know wat to expect. Esp when the medication gave me gastric at 1 point...I simply couldn't stand the thought of living with that for 2 years. And not being able to take seafood made me upset to say the least. My medication makes my face bloated and I swore neva to take any photo henceforth. But over time, I learnt that the condition is more common than I had known and that I am very fortunate becos it's not terminal and it doesn't hurt. Esp after the doc reduced my medication and so I bec free of gastric. Furthermore, there is a chance of total healing from it. I guess it oso brought me closer to God becos I sincerely prayed for healing and leaned on Him becos of it.
Soon after, I was hit by the case of quarter-life crisis and became a walking wounded for a period of time. A combi of factors was to blame but, as dear Audrey puts it, we always learn from everything that happens to us. I thank God for once again sending faithful old frens as well as new wonderful frens my way that supported me thru all these, taking the trouble to pray for me in the midst of their exams, etc and talking to me to the wee hours of the night. Most of all, thank you for loving me enough to tell me harsh words when I need to hear them. I cannot thank you enough. I am happy that they allow me into their lives to help them when they are down and need support as well.
I am getting more used to working life, traumatising as it was at first. Though I din like where I was put becos they kinda din tell me, I thank God for where I am becos it is a position furthest away from the line of fire. My direct supervisor is a very pretty lady and nice to boot. And my colleagues are simply nice, nice, nice. We don't have politics here...we support one another. But I will move when the time comes to pursue my dreams and experience more of life, which I hope will happen in 2006.
My one regret is not having spent enough time with my family in Jakarta, realising it only when I accepted the job offer. It was a contributing factor to my being a walking wounded, but I suppose sometimes u just gotta learn to treasure things.
I also feel that I cannot talk about 2005 without talking about my church, the Third Place. As I grow more involved there, I learnt the joys of true fellowship with Christians without the pretensions of being holy. I must put a side note here to say that I learnt that through my VCF CG as well! Through them, God is teaching me that what the world calls Christianity should really be about following Him and deepening in relationship with Him and channelling the blessings to other and not about knowing certain things that makes us exclusive, so to speak.
The most important lesson I have learnt through this period is that I have moved to a different phase in life and I must learn to make changes to accomodate. Guess I am a slow adaptor, but thank God not slow enough to be wiped out heh. Once I got this into perspective, things became better.
This is not an exhaustive entry about what I had experienced in the year. Some matters are too delicate to be mentioned just yet and others I prefer to keep safely in my bosom, to take out once in a while to reflect upon privately.
May 2006 be another exciting, lesson-filled year!
Colleague was buying a scrunchie at Sinma when my attention was directed onto the rows of watches that claimed to be the "Best Quality Singapore". The brand of the watches is ...*drumroll* :"WATEVER"
Imagine this scenario:
Person A: Eh, wat is that brand of the watch you are wearing ah?
Person B: WATEVER!
Person A: Huh?
Person B: WATEVER lah!!!
Now, how about a whole range of watch called: WHEREEVER, HOWEVER, WHOMEVER? :)
Imagine this scenario:
Person A: Eh, wat is that brand of the watch you are wearing ah?
Person B: WATEVER!
Person A: Huh?
Person B: WATEVER lah!!!
Now, how about a whole range of watch called: WHEREEVER, HOWEVER, WHOMEVER? :)
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
First of all, happy belated (at least on the blog) birthday to my dear Mom! Felt sad that I can't celebrate with her nor even have the decency to at least send her a birthday card, but oh well. Hopefully can make up for it somehow.
Had a quiet Christmas, with occasional moments of fun and that warm fuzzy feeling.
The eve of Christmas eve was spent giving out and receiving nice little presents of sweets and chocolates with my colleagues and supervisors. Then it was a mind-numbing, monotonous day of trying to complete an urgent task while moaning whether we could go home at 5.30 pm. It was good to work with another person, though. Kinda missed the days of project work when the burden was shared. Glad to be able to talk and giggle around with my colleague...to the point of making another telling us jokingly to keep the volume down. Thank God my another assignment din manage to make it so I was free by 6.
Off I went to meet Sarah for a nice little dinner at Curry Flavour before going to the Esplanade to watch the ACJC Choir performance. Lovely! The choir lives up to their high reputation. Made me recall my days at AJC Choir as well. I din manage to do carolling back then, but I remember the fun we had performing "Peter and the Dragon" in CHIJMES and Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Aspects of Love" in VCH. We went walking about the Esplanade to the Fullerton Hotel afterwards, which is especially lovely at this time of the year. The photos I took of the Fullerton decorations din do justice to its actual beauty. The decor is basically red in theme, with red candles, mistletoes and poinsettias. It is the nicest I have seen thus far.
Christmas eve morning and afternoon was spent catching up on sleep before going to church in the late afternoon. We had a game where we had to dress a person up as Santa Claus with the materials provided and poor Steven kena the model part again, though he tried to make me the model, citing the fact that I was late. The prize was actually for the "Sexiest Santa" and we won, thanks to Steven, who complained that he couldn't see how he looked after we dress him up! This despite the other group, who gave their Santa a bikini top and made him say,"I can make all your dreams come true!" Tsk tsk.
Some of the lucky peeps I gave presents and cards to have theirs sealed with this special old-fashioned red seal that those Europeans used in the past. Saw it in the Philatelic Museum and couldn't resist buying it. Hee.
Pearl had kindly invited some of us over for a nice cosy little Christmas dinner at her place. Thought the plates and little cups she used were very pretty indeed. My family is never that dainty heh.
It was hilarious to see her and Hong Xian rush over to preen themselves when all I wanted was to take their photos and make them into my handphone caller ID!
This gal...she took so many nice picts of the various History classes but never once had she shown us any of them till now! Felt so nice to see how we were like about 1 year or so ago. Indeed, life has changed for all of us and it is nice to have mementos like the photos to remember those carefree undergraduate times by.
Watched "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" with Sarah yesterday. My aunt dismissed it as merely a children's show, but I think there is a deeper meaning to the whole movie. Tried to read CS Lewis' "Mere Christianity" last year, but never got beyond the 3rd chapter. Found him a bit difficult to understand. But perhaps I may get the "Chronicles of Narnia" after all. Speaking of which, I really need a good devotional. Will try to make a trip down to Techman to browse soon. Oso feel that I've reading too little lately. Dun like the feeling of a starving brain...
Had a quiet Christmas, with occasional moments of fun and that warm fuzzy feeling.
The eve of Christmas eve was spent giving out and receiving nice little presents of sweets and chocolates with my colleagues and supervisors. Then it was a mind-numbing, monotonous day of trying to complete an urgent task while moaning whether we could go home at 5.30 pm. It was good to work with another person, though. Kinda missed the days of project work when the burden was shared. Glad to be able to talk and giggle around with my colleague...to the point of making another telling us jokingly to keep the volume down. Thank God my another assignment din manage to make it so I was free by 6.
Off I went to meet Sarah for a nice little dinner at Curry Flavour before going to the Esplanade to watch the ACJC Choir performance. Lovely! The choir lives up to their high reputation. Made me recall my days at AJC Choir as well. I din manage to do carolling back then, but I remember the fun we had performing "Peter and the Dragon" in CHIJMES and Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Aspects of Love" in VCH. We went walking about the Esplanade to the Fullerton Hotel afterwards, which is especially lovely at this time of the year. The photos I took of the Fullerton decorations din do justice to its actual beauty. The decor is basically red in theme, with red candles, mistletoes and poinsettias. It is the nicest I have seen thus far.
Christmas eve morning and afternoon was spent catching up on sleep before going to church in the late afternoon. We had a game where we had to dress a person up as Santa Claus with the materials provided and poor Steven kena the model part again, though he tried to make me the model, citing the fact that I was late. The prize was actually for the "Sexiest Santa" and we won, thanks to Steven, who complained that he couldn't see how he looked after we dress him up! This despite the other group, who gave their Santa a bikini top and made him say,"I can make all your dreams come true!" Tsk tsk.
Some of the lucky peeps I gave presents and cards to have theirs sealed with this special old-fashioned red seal that those Europeans used in the past. Saw it in the Philatelic Museum and couldn't resist buying it. Hee.
Pearl had kindly invited some of us over for a nice cosy little Christmas dinner at her place. Thought the plates and little cups she used were very pretty indeed. My family is never that dainty heh.
It was hilarious to see her and Hong Xian rush over to preen themselves when all I wanted was to take their photos and make them into my handphone caller ID!
This gal...she took so many nice picts of the various History classes but never once had she shown us any of them till now! Felt so nice to see how we were like about 1 year or so ago. Indeed, life has changed for all of us and it is nice to have mementos like the photos to remember those carefree undergraduate times by.
Watched "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" with Sarah yesterday. My aunt dismissed it as merely a children's show, but I think there is a deeper meaning to the whole movie. Tried to read CS Lewis' "Mere Christianity" last year, but never got beyond the 3rd chapter. Found him a bit difficult to understand. But perhaps I may get the "Chronicles of Narnia" after all. Speaking of which, I really need a good devotional. Will try to make a trip down to Techman to browse soon. Oso feel that I've reading too little lately. Dun like the feeling of a starving brain...
Thursday, December 22, 2005
First Christmas
An exhilirating, rushed morning. Anticipation of a rushed day.
Suddenly, a thought struck me hard. This will be the 1st Christmas ever that I am spending away from my family. True, I can finally spend it in a Godly way. I can finally go to church to celebrate Jesus' birth. At last, thank God, no more objection by the folks. But still the thought of Jakarta during the festive season and my folks brought tears to my eyes.
No time to dwell on this. Back to work I go...
Suddenly, a thought struck me hard. This will be the 1st Christmas ever that I am spending away from my family. True, I can finally spend it in a Godly way. I can finally go to church to celebrate Jesus' birth. At last, thank God, no more objection by the folks. But still the thought of Jakarta during the festive season and my folks brought tears to my eyes.
No time to dwell on this. Back to work I go...
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Shanghai tan
Glad that the Shanghai Tan party on Sat was enjoyed by all. Pity that we din go up to play the piano like the other time. But love some of the creative ideas that people put into the costume, making the theme party what it should be ;) 山本色狼's car was simply hilarious, not to mention his moustache and poster. Love the standoff between him and our very own Mr. Henchman, whom I hope din scare off passers-by with that hunting gun. Love posing for our photos, with Colonel Phibun Songkram and to 山本色狼's shouts of "中国姑娘!" and cheongsam-clad ladies.
Thanks to Dr. Keck and his wife, Samantha for coming! Your nice mask is now part of my Shanghai Christmas tree ornament, Samantha! :) Dr. Aung-Thwin sent his regrets for not coming. I only saw it on Mon cos my home PC is down. We missed him!
Enjoyed the night and the morning after the party also, with heart-to-heart talks and all. Wish that these times neva end. But indeed, 天下无不散之宴席. Felt that when we sang "何日君再来". Oh well. Guess life is like that.
On another note. Walking wounded. Perhaps it's a sign of quarter life crisis. To all walking woundeds out there: ganbatte!
Thanks to Dr. Keck and his wife, Samantha for coming! Your nice mask is now part of my Shanghai Christmas tree ornament, Samantha! :) Dr. Aung-Thwin sent his regrets for not coming. I only saw it on Mon cos my home PC is down. We missed him!
Enjoyed the night and the morning after the party also, with heart-to-heart talks and all. Wish that these times neva end. But indeed, 天下无不散之宴席. Felt that when we sang "何日君再来". Oh well. Guess life is like that.
On another note. Walking wounded. Perhaps it's a sign of quarter life crisis. To all walking woundeds out there: ganbatte!
Friday, December 16, 2005
Catching Up
Had met up and will be meeting up with some people I haven't seen for a long, long time. My dearest buddy, Audrey and I will be catching up over dinner tonight. This gal...it's very difficult to fit into her busy schedule and I have taken to msg her before calling her, just to make sure she is not gonna sleep or be away on some activities. Joan joked that there will usually be a lull of what seemed like eternity and she will at times give out signals like an SMS to show that she is still alive. Haha. Finally last week I received her SMS to ask me if I'm in S'pore (I'm usually in Jakarta by this time every year) and that she is sending me a X'mas card. Audrey has been my long-time (and oso long lost) best fren since Sec 1. Usually when crisis hits, I find that I can always rely on her for solid, wise advice because we share the same values and opinions on things. She told me before that we think very much alike and I find that it is still true today, even though life has taken both of us in very different paths and we dun meet up as often as we would like to.
Wee Su msged me a few days ago out of the blue and will be meeting up with him next week. We met at the Red Cross FOC which I was part of the organising committee and he decided to run for presidency at the next AGM. Although Kelvin liked to think that this FOC that he chaired somehow rejuvenated the tired membership of Red Cross, it is sad becos in the subsequent years, we never managed to hold anymore FOCs becos of the silly admin of our HQ which was aiming to centralise their control over different chapters during this time. But I still got to know a lot of good frens through that memorable FOC. Alex had a cool idea of awarding fruit awards during our FOC pageant. Wee Su won the durian award, which meant that he got a lot of 男人味 hahaha. Used to always go for 1st aid courses with Wee Su, Alex and Norman and after that we would chill out over tau hua etc. And I will always be grateful for the advice he gave me after my break-up.
Had a rather interesting night having a X'mas dinner and later ktv session with my colleagues. Haven't been to Marche for donkey years. It hasn't changed much. Had a chocolate cake with an interesting name: "Death by Chocolate" and it literally lived up to its name! Almost din wanna drag myself out of bed this morning cos we went back pretty late.
A surprising revelation: seems that a lot of people around me are pregnant! Wonder if that will aid the aging population issue that the govt is grappling with somehow haha. Pearl and I agree that we would prefer boys if we are fortunate enough to get married and have kids in the future. Not becos 重男轻女 or wat lah. But boys are cute mah and there are too many gals around haha. Ok I am being rubbishy after not having enough sleep again. Will try to hit the sack early tonight.
The things scientists haven't found out and your doctors never knew: cramps are contagious! In this working place apparently. Argh! I dun want to get it too. Dun curse me, stupid colleague! I have been problem-free in this aspect so far and I intend to keep it that way!!!
Looking forward to the party tomorrow.
Wee Su msged me a few days ago out of the blue and will be meeting up with him next week. We met at the Red Cross FOC which I was part of the organising committee and he decided to run for presidency at the next AGM. Although Kelvin liked to think that this FOC that he chaired somehow rejuvenated the tired membership of Red Cross, it is sad becos in the subsequent years, we never managed to hold anymore FOCs becos of the silly admin of our HQ which was aiming to centralise their control over different chapters during this time. But I still got to know a lot of good frens through that memorable FOC. Alex had a cool idea of awarding fruit awards during our FOC pageant. Wee Su won the durian award, which meant that he got a lot of 男人味 hahaha. Used to always go for 1st aid courses with Wee Su, Alex and Norman and after that we would chill out over tau hua etc. And I will always be grateful for the advice he gave me after my break-up.
Had a rather interesting night having a X'mas dinner and later ktv session with my colleagues. Haven't been to Marche for donkey years. It hasn't changed much. Had a chocolate cake with an interesting name: "Death by Chocolate" and it literally lived up to its name! Almost din wanna drag myself out of bed this morning cos we went back pretty late.
A surprising revelation: seems that a lot of people around me are pregnant! Wonder if that will aid the aging population issue that the govt is grappling with somehow haha. Pearl and I agree that we would prefer boys if we are fortunate enough to get married and have kids in the future. Not becos 重男轻女 or wat lah. But boys are cute mah and there are too many gals around haha. Ok I am being rubbishy after not having enough sleep again. Will try to hit the sack early tonight.
The things scientists haven't found out and your doctors never knew: cramps are contagious! In this working place apparently. Argh! I dun want to get it too. Dun curse me, stupid colleague! I have been problem-free in this aspect so far and I intend to keep it that way!!!
Looking forward to the party tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Hmm...
| How You Are In Love |
 You give completely and unconditionally in relationships. You need your space and privacy. You don't like to be smothered. You love your partner unconditionally and don't try to make them change. You are fickle and tend to fall out of love easily. You bounce from romance to romance. |
How Are You In Love?
Quite accurate!
| Your Personality Is |
You are a passionate, caring, and unique person.You are good at expressing yourself and sharing your ideals. You are the most compassionate of all types and connect with others easily.Your heart tends to rule you. You can't make decisions without considering feelings. You seek out other empathetic people to befriend.Truth and authenticity matters in your friendships. In love, you give everything you have to relationships. You fall in love easily. At work, you crave personal expression and meaning in your career. With others, you communicate well. You can spend all night talking with someone. As far as your looks go, you've likely taken the time to develop your own personal style. On weekends, you like to be with others. Charity work is also a favorite pastime of yours. |
The Three Question Personality Test
Friday, December 09, 2005
Was walking the slope home after a tiring workout when I felt something poking my feet. I looked down at what I thought was a piece of branch and realised to my horror that it was a piece of rusty nail! It actually pierced thru the side of my shoes into my feet, making it bleed. Went for a anti-tetanus jab in the hospital that costed me a bomb. *Sigh* Now the shoulder where I was given the injection is aching so that it's a bit hard to lift up. Reminds me of BCG days haha.
Wearing a dress that actually belonged to my Mum back when she was much younger and my size. It fits perfectly! Except around the shoulder, cos mine is broader than hers. It's such a nice piece of vintage! I am happy as punch now. Man sound so bimbotic!
On our way back from lunch, a bunch of school boys in a van outside the Philatelic Museum waved to us. I smiled and waved back. It came as a bit of a surprise, but a pleasant one. Looking at their innocent and eager faces transported me back to the student days when life was all taken care of and we never needed to worry for more than having to do well in our studies. I remembered that it was fun whenever the school organised outings to the zoo or Science Centre. These days apparently they include the Philatelic Museum in the itinery too. Thank God for using the boys to bring back that bit of sunshine into our lives yesterday.
Tried Burmese food for lunch today. Very interesting. The dishes tend towards being a bit sour and sweet, and a bit spicy. Reminded me of Dr. Aung-Thwin and "Not Out of Hate". And of Project Pyinna Tazaung, which I was one of the team members but did not manage to go with them to Myanmar because we only knew we got permit to go very late. One of my biggest regrets in NUS was to miss the chance of going on overseas community projects, though I told myself sem after sem that I would definitely go. As usual, I procrastinated. Heh. A bad habit that should be overcome.
Speaking of which, I can't go for mission trip tomorrow to Balai organised by my church tomorrow becos I am an Indonesian PR and will have to pay a huge fiscal sum when I come back to Singapore. Ah, I don't believe they will ever abolish that law, although there was a big discussion and seeming commitment to want to do so last year. Too much revenue is at stake here. *shrug* Hopefully, I'll be able to go for the next mission trip to someplace else.
Wearing a dress that actually belonged to my Mum back when she was much younger and my size. It fits perfectly! Except around the shoulder, cos mine is broader than hers. It's such a nice piece of vintage! I am happy as punch now. Man sound so bimbotic!
On our way back from lunch, a bunch of school boys in a van outside the Philatelic Museum waved to us. I smiled and waved back. It came as a bit of a surprise, but a pleasant one. Looking at their innocent and eager faces transported me back to the student days when life was all taken care of and we never needed to worry for more than having to do well in our studies. I remembered that it was fun whenever the school organised outings to the zoo or Science Centre. These days apparently they include the Philatelic Museum in the itinery too. Thank God for using the boys to bring back that bit of sunshine into our lives yesterday.
Tried Burmese food for lunch today. Very interesting. The dishes tend towards being a bit sour and sweet, and a bit spicy. Reminded me of Dr. Aung-Thwin and "Not Out of Hate". And of Project Pyinna Tazaung, which I was one of the team members but did not manage to go with them to Myanmar because we only knew we got permit to go very late. One of my biggest regrets in NUS was to miss the chance of going on overseas community projects, though I told myself sem after sem that I would definitely go. As usual, I procrastinated. Heh. A bad habit that should be overcome.
Speaking of which, I can't go for mission trip tomorrow to Balai organised by my church tomorrow becos I am an Indonesian PR and will have to pay a huge fiscal sum when I come back to Singapore. Ah, I don't believe they will ever abolish that law, although there was a big discussion and seeming commitment to want to do so last year. Too much revenue is at stake here. *shrug* Hopefully, I'll be able to go for the next mission trip to someplace else.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Of Love and other things
Not exactly the best way to start a day. Din sleep enough again. Had a mini misunderstanding with my grandpa due to my tone when speaking. Ruined my beautiful necklace when bending down to help a little boy pick up his school bag in the bus. Then while waiting for the traffic light to turn green, a bird crapped on my shoes.
I dun like myself at this time. I am turning into a dissatisfied, complaining person. I also found out that I have a sizeable amount of pride and selfishness inside me. Or does circumstances merely reveal who I actually am inside? It is easy to be a sweet and nice Godly gal whom everyone likes when everything in your life in nice and rosy. But I guess trials are the true revealer of character. And it just shows that I am not nice. It truly humbles me and makes me aware of the fact that we ought to rely on God and continually refresh ourselves with His Word and love in order to react to circumstances in His loving way.
The various postings on love and marriage by my classmates made me ponder. Yes, feelings are contrary and who is to say when they run their course? Infidelity and divorce hurt everyone directly or indirectly involved. I like Dr. James Dobson, a Christian family counsellor's take on this. What it takes to keep a marriage in this complicated age and where feelings are so unreliable is nothing less than iron-clad determination to stick to it. Love is not simply about feelings. It is primarily a decision. A decision to care and put the needs of the other party above one's own, in spite of the waxing and waning of feelings. I agree that even the most happily married couple does not feel loving towards each other all the time. There will be times of crankiness or even apathy. It may not be wise to act upon feelings, which may be temporary.
Shaoyun's marriage awaken me to the fact the marriage is no longer at some elusive distance for us. Charmaine surprised me when she suddenly turned to ask me when do I want to get married some time ago. Hmm..ideally I suppose is between 26 to 30 years old for me. The problem for all of us, of course, is finding the right person to spend the rest of our lives with. Too often we have given a lot of our hearts to the wrong person and become too wary to open up our hearts anymore when the right person comes along. This is understandable and no one is to be blamed I suppose. But at times, destiny knocks only once, so we should seize it.
Yueheng & Shizhi's posts on love touched me immensely. More than feelings of wellness, I feel that loving someone should make us strive to be a better person for the person's sake. Have you ever experienced the strange sensation when your heart seems to beat together with the other party, when you yearn for the same thing? When you sense what the person is going through and weep together with him/her when he/ her weep and are filled with joy when you know that he/ she is happy? When you always want the best to happen to the person regardless of whether you are doing well yourself? When, though you have seen a less than nice side of the person, you react in an accepting way. When you want to do everything possible within your power to make life better for the other person. When, upon realising that you have hurt him/ her, you hurt even more. I think this is the essence of love: giving. I hope to be able to do that.
Just my 2 cents worth of thought. Now I feel more ready to take on the day's work. Ganbatte to everyone out there!
I dun like myself at this time. I am turning into a dissatisfied, complaining person. I also found out that I have a sizeable amount of pride and selfishness inside me. Or does circumstances merely reveal who I actually am inside? It is easy to be a sweet and nice Godly gal whom everyone likes when everything in your life in nice and rosy. But I guess trials are the true revealer of character. And it just shows that I am not nice. It truly humbles me and makes me aware of the fact that we ought to rely on God and continually refresh ourselves with His Word and love in order to react to circumstances in His loving way.
The various postings on love and marriage by my classmates made me ponder. Yes, feelings are contrary and who is to say when they run their course? Infidelity and divorce hurt everyone directly or indirectly involved. I like Dr. James Dobson, a Christian family counsellor's take on this. What it takes to keep a marriage in this complicated age and where feelings are so unreliable is nothing less than iron-clad determination to stick to it. Love is not simply about feelings. It is primarily a decision. A decision to care and put the needs of the other party above one's own, in spite of the waxing and waning of feelings. I agree that even the most happily married couple does not feel loving towards each other all the time. There will be times of crankiness or even apathy. It may not be wise to act upon feelings, which may be temporary.
Shaoyun's marriage awaken me to the fact the marriage is no longer at some elusive distance for us. Charmaine surprised me when she suddenly turned to ask me when do I want to get married some time ago. Hmm..ideally I suppose is between 26 to 30 years old for me. The problem for all of us, of course, is finding the right person to spend the rest of our lives with. Too often we have given a lot of our hearts to the wrong person and become too wary to open up our hearts anymore when the right person comes along. This is understandable and no one is to be blamed I suppose. But at times, destiny knocks only once, so we should seize it.
Yueheng & Shizhi's posts on love touched me immensely. More than feelings of wellness, I feel that loving someone should make us strive to be a better person for the person's sake. Have you ever experienced the strange sensation when your heart seems to beat together with the other party, when you yearn for the same thing? When you sense what the person is going through and weep together with him/her when he/ her weep and are filled with joy when you know that he/ she is happy? When you always want the best to happen to the person regardless of whether you are doing well yourself? When, though you have seen a less than nice side of the person, you react in an accepting way. When you want to do everything possible within your power to make life better for the other person. When, upon realising that you have hurt him/ her, you hurt even more. I think this is the essence of love: giving. I hope to be able to do that.
Just my 2 cents worth of thought. Now I feel more ready to take on the day's work. Ganbatte to everyone out there!
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Tired...
It's 15 minutes to official knock-off time and I already cannot tahan. Just feel so exhausted and brain-dead. And I know why heh. I shall just leave on time today. Will be meeting my cousin to shop for her D&D dress. Had thot that will be impossible, given what I have to do. But oh well, it's not so bad; I have finished the most urgent tasks for today.
D&D. I will be skipping mine becos none of my closer collegues are going. Besides, we are all dying from work and we anticipate that things will be even more hectic by the time it comes.
St. Nicks grad ceremony was held in the school compound itself. I remember we were all grumbling, esp after the fact that the seniors one year above us had theirs at Mandarin Hotel and that was an "experiment" for that batch as well. It had always been a tradition for SNG to hold grad ceremony in school. And 校长 insisted that we uphold our other tradition of wearing white dresses. They were so strict I recalled my classmate, Germaine, was stopped from wearing her beautiful cream-colored mules. Jeanette groaned that it would have been easier to score 6 distinctions than find a single white dress in town! But in the end, we all managed somehow. haha. It was quite an experience. I did up my hair and make-up myself, with some help from my aunt, something that I keep to doing whenever I attend dinners and parties. Just feel that I am never satisfied with professional hairstylist and make-up artists somehow. My juniors were snickering when they saw me in a dress and contact lenses for the first time. After all those time of being their fierce Ma'am.
The next D&D was my JC prom, which was quite a disaster. Back then, I was at my skinniest. And not exactly the happiest time of my life, especially during the D&D. It is a long story, but again, it was another chapter I am glad to have gone through and learnt, because it shaped me a great deal to become the person I am today. More about that another day perhaps.
Back to work before going off... Jia you peeps out there!
D&D. I will be skipping mine becos none of my closer collegues are going. Besides, we are all dying from work and we anticipate that things will be even more hectic by the time it comes.
St. Nicks grad ceremony was held in the school compound itself. I remember we were all grumbling, esp after the fact that the seniors one year above us had theirs at Mandarin Hotel and that was an "experiment" for that batch as well. It had always been a tradition for SNG to hold grad ceremony in school. And 校长 insisted that we uphold our other tradition of wearing white dresses. They were so strict I recalled my classmate, Germaine, was stopped from wearing her beautiful cream-colored mules. Jeanette groaned that it would have been easier to score 6 distinctions than find a single white dress in town! But in the end, we all managed somehow. haha. It was quite an experience. I did up my hair and make-up myself, with some help from my aunt, something that I keep to doing whenever I attend dinners and parties. Just feel that I am never satisfied with professional hairstylist and make-up artists somehow. My juniors were snickering when they saw me in a dress and contact lenses for the first time. After all those time of being their fierce Ma'am.
The next D&D was my JC prom, which was quite a disaster. Back then, I was at my skinniest. And not exactly the happiest time of my life, especially during the D&D. It is a long story, but again, it was another chapter I am glad to have gone through and learnt, because it shaped me a great deal to become the person I am today. More about that another day perhaps.
Back to work before going off... Jia you peeps out there!
Monday, December 05, 2005
Something from Weijin's blog
| Your Ideal Relationship is Marriage |
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Well...ok...I am a bit uncomfortable with the result actually. Hahaha.
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