Today is the start of a fresh year 2008. It was a very restful day which began with a good sleep in and waking up slowly (as oppose to the radio alarm clock). I then had coffee at one of my favourite cafe, Simply Bread. The coffee there is fantastic (like the ones in Melbourne where the milk is thick and nicely frofted up). The thick slice of honey glazed ham dipped in runny egg yoke is so deliciously ...slurrp! The jam on thick slabs of toast ends it off very well. As you can see, breakfast was quite an elaborate affair.
In the afternoon, i spent time reading the bible and praying which was very good. I journaled abit. Did more reading back at Simply Bread with some almond pastry and more yummy coffee. I was reading abt Henri Nouwen thru the eyes of Philip Yeancey. A fantastic read. Quotes fm Nouwen reasonate and strengthen my spirits!!!
Went for a scenic run by the river (long kang) by Sunset way. Came home and cooked a simple dinner. Then spent most of the night replying a difficult but long over dued letter. It was very liberating as i wrote, re-collected memories and teared quite a bit...
Did abit more reading abt Ghandi and now its time for bed.....
A very satisfying day : ) A wonderful start of the new year : )
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Thursday, April 12, 2007
I love my ipod : )
I can't believe it took me so long to buy an ipod. We are now inseparable. I love my ipod : )
Music is like drugs. When I'm tired and stressed, it soothes my nerves. When i'm lethagic and listless, its rhythms coax my body to move. When i'm depress, it expresses my feelings exactly when words fail. I get lost in music. I need my fix now...
Music is like drugs. When I'm tired and stressed, it soothes my nerves. When i'm lethagic and listless, its rhythms coax my body to move. When i'm depress, it expresses my feelings exactly when words fail. I get lost in music. I need my fix now...
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Doing what's right
I'm reminded again that doing what's right is more important than doing what I want. However, doing what's right is never easy. I'm sure Moses, Abraham, Jonah and Gideon all struggled to do what's right in the sight of God. They may take some time to mull over it, even sulk over it but by God's grace, they eventually did what's right. Some experience the rewards of obedience almost immediately (like Gidoen) some only after their death (like Moses) but all obeyed.
Jesus did what's right and not what he desired his obedience led to his death on the cross but the salvaltion to all mankind!!! "For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross".
I also realise that there is a tremendous peace that comes with obedience. Like Jacob when he finally let go of the angel and wrestled no more.
I pray that obedience will be more and more evident in my life as God's grace enables me : )
Jesus did what's right and not what he desired his obedience led to his death on the cross but the salvaltion to all mankind!!! "For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross".
I also realise that there is a tremendous peace that comes with obedience. Like Jacob when he finally let go of the angel and wrestled no more.
I pray that obedience will be more and more evident in my life as God's grace enables me : )
Saturday, March 10, 2007
at the airport...
We are at the airport and our flight to Myanmar has been delayed for two hours.
D is playing the xbox, K is checking his email, S is on the phone. We are all excited and relief to be not working for the next few days : )
Wish us luck as we go!!! (we are going on a church missions to minister to kids in a orphange, do some mannual work, facilitate english classes etc)
My prayer is that we'll bring abit of missions back with us in Singapore!
D is playing the xbox, K is checking his email, S is on the phone. We are all excited and relief to be not working for the next few days : )
Wish us luck as we go!!! (we are going on a church missions to minister to kids in a orphange, do some mannual work, facilitate english classes etc)
My prayer is that we'll bring abit of missions back with us in Singapore!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Opps I did it again!
That is Sin I mean.
Is Sin ever worth it? A defiant "Yes" you say (and me too, more often than not, sadly....) The Tempter (or ourselves) starts with an innocent delectable thot in our minds, pepper it with doubts of God's goodness, stir in a huge dose of self pity and layer it with a icing coating of self-gratification and wa-lah, you hv full blown sin, creamed in sugary death, a-la-mode.
As you try a slice of it. "A little wont hurt" you say (famous last words...). Your taste buds goes wild as sin tingles and titillate. You throw caution to the wind. You ask for seconds, "sligtly bigger slice pls" you venture. It went down faster than the first. You go for thirds, "is this the largest you hv?" you demanded. Slice by slice its goes down and for a brief fleeting moment you feel satisfied and ecstatic. You begin to wonder why you haven't had this in years. You were right all along, God was just a party pooper.
You realise you're still hungry. Maybe even hungrier than before. "Give me the lot" you demanded, but all is left is a plateful of crumbs and an addiction that wont go away like a pesky blow fly in Australia's summer heat. Your belligerent demands wears down to a sobbing whimper as you realised that sin didn't fill. It could never to begin with.
"17-20But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
21-23It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
24I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?
25The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different
1-2With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. 3-4God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn't deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all. The law code, weakened as it always was by fractured human nature, could never have done that.
Romans 7 & 8 (The Message Bible, fm www.biblegateway.com )
Is Sin ever worth it? A defiant "Yes" you say (and me too, more often than not, sadly....) The Tempter (or ourselves) starts with an innocent delectable thot in our minds, pepper it with doubts of God's goodness, stir in a huge dose of self pity and layer it with a icing coating of self-gratification and wa-lah, you hv full blown sin, creamed in sugary death, a-la-mode.
As you try a slice of it. "A little wont hurt" you say (famous last words...). Your taste buds goes wild as sin tingles and titillate. You throw caution to the wind. You ask for seconds, "sligtly bigger slice pls" you venture. It went down faster than the first. You go for thirds, "is this the largest you hv?" you demanded. Slice by slice its goes down and for a brief fleeting moment you feel satisfied and ecstatic. You begin to wonder why you haven't had this in years. You were right all along, God was just a party pooper.
You realise you're still hungry. Maybe even hungrier than before. "Give me the lot" you demanded, but all is left is a plateful of crumbs and an addiction that wont go away like a pesky blow fly in Australia's summer heat. Your belligerent demands wears down to a sobbing whimper as you realised that sin didn't fill. It could never to begin with.
"17-20But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
21-23It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
24I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?
25The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different
1-2With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. 3-4God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn't deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all. The law code, weakened as it always was by fractured human nature, could never have done that.
Romans 7 & 8 (The Message Bible, fm www.biblegateway.com )
Friday, February 23, 2007
Why lecture?
Below is an exerpt fm my application form to be a lecturer:
20. Reasons for applying for this post and why I consider myself well suited.
I desire to influence people in a positive manner and inspire them to fulfill their greatest potential. I was a volunteer English tutor for refugee students from Sudan for about two year during my undergrad days at The University of Melbourne and I found the experience very rewarding and challenging at the same time. Rewarding because I see the students growing intellectually and also in character. Challenging because it’s a very slow and tedious process and sometimes the students give up.
Currently I’m also enrolled in my company’s mentorship program with Chestnut Drive Secondary School where we meet regularly with students at Sungie Buloh to encourage them. I also started an informal peer-tutoring group in my department to help new Operators get up to speed in their work. Currently I’m leading a team of four Operators on the LPG Desk. All these experiences confirm (to myself at least), that I am able to effectively coach and influence people for growth (both intellectually and character wise). Not to mention I get a tremendous high in the process!
Apart from teaching, I’m an advocate for research. I believe there is great value in good thinking. Fm my year long honours research paper (“The impact of a computerised routing technology: a socio-technological approach”), I discovered the joys and pains of academic research. Honing my ability to think well is a skill I want to further develop. My current job does not allow me to think broadly enough. And I think that teaching will be able to provide a platform for that.
20. Reasons for applying for this post and why I consider myself well suited.
I desire to influence people in a positive manner and inspire them to fulfill their greatest potential. I was a volunteer English tutor for refugee students from Sudan for about two year during my undergrad days at The University of Melbourne and I found the experience very rewarding and challenging at the same time. Rewarding because I see the students growing intellectually and also in character. Challenging because it’s a very slow and tedious process and sometimes the students give up.
Currently I’m also enrolled in my company’s mentorship program with Chestnut Drive Secondary School where we meet regularly with students at Sungie Buloh to encourage them. I also started an informal peer-tutoring group in my department to help new Operators get up to speed in their work. Currently I’m leading a team of four Operators on the LPG Desk. All these experiences confirm (to myself at least), that I am able to effectively coach and influence people for growth (both intellectually and character wise). Not to mention I get a tremendous high in the process!
Apart from teaching, I’m an advocate for research. I believe there is great value in good thinking. Fm my year long honours research paper (“The impact of a computerised routing technology: a socio-technological approach”), I discovered the joys and pains of academic research. Honing my ability to think well is a skill I want to further develop. My current job does not allow me to think broadly enough. And I think that teaching will be able to provide a platform for that.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
A prayer answered : )
Today i went back to work to face the on-slaught of being away for 4 straight days. And on top of that covering for a colleague. I prayed for God's grace and strength. I told God I didn't expect the situation to change but grant me the peace to know that He is sovereign and that He will provide. So instead of cursing under my breath when something goes wrong, i take a deep breath and remind myself of His help. And help He did!!! Surprisingly one of my teammates came over and asked if he could help. Not once did he ask but twice!!!! (i'm not sure why he did so, maybe out of seer pity...) After completing what i requested which took quite a bit of time and effort, he further volunteered to do more. I'm dumbfounded!!! Let me remind you that i work in a bottle line driven department and such charity is rare if not non-existent (ok i'm exaggerating a little here). All I can say is praise God!!! ; )
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