Archive for the ‘joy’ Category

« Older Entries

No words.

May 23, 2011

I probably had one of the most perfect weeks ever. I’m amazed by how God never ceases to amaze. This is a year whereby I’m growing into me, and hey, it’s actually someone I quite like.

I got told two things by people I have never, ever heard anyone tell me – that I was outgoing, and that I was an inspiration.

But always, it is so easy to take my eyes off the goal. I must constantly remind myself of Paul’s words:

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13)

And also – to take full responsibility for what I have control over, and leave the rest.

Fear nothing but God.

Posted in Christian living, joy | Leave a Comment »

Eye-openers

May 15, 2011

Went to a former church friend’s wedding on Saturday and I was really glad to hear a refreshing message from the pastor on marriage – a reminder to look on it as a OUTWARD-looking partnership. He illustrated this by comparing 2 lakes in the US, Salt Lake in Utah and Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada. Salt Lake is a lake that has no outlet, and simply accumulates water and stagnates. As a result, it stinks. Lake Tahoe, on the other hand, is high up on the mountains with many outlet streams flowing out. It is crystal clear as as a result. Simple but vivid takeaway – look out, not in.

—————-

Also read this passage in Haggai yesterday that kept me awake for a while, which hits so close to home in the marketplace:

 3 Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 4“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”

 5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

 7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD. 9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.”

—————-

More recently as well, I am seeing that God really knows exactly what I need, and has been more than generous in providing, in His perfect timing :)

Posted in Christian living, inspirations, joy, reminder, work | Leave a Comment »

Clean.

January 13, 2011

And before the might of all that’s true
I’ll raise my head and wake to dream anew
With a clean pair of eyes

A clean pair of eyes
Don’t need no-one to blame
Don’t need no disguise
No sugar to sweet my brain
A clean pair of eyes

(David Gray, A Clean Pair of Eyes)

Posted in joy | Leave a Comment »

I like making things.

January 6, 2011

So it’s been really great to

#1: Help with Christmas dinner – yummiest salad ever with ingredients my sister thought up – orange slices, feta cheese, cashew nuts and cherry tomatoes, and of course the guacamole;

#2: Make gift boxes for my colleagues with whiteboard lids- I probably had the most fun choosing fabrics to personify each person;

#3: Cook seafood stew – which was delicious and easy to make.

Posted in designs, fun stuff, joy | Leave a Comment »

Have a blessed Christmas.

December 24, 2010

My light and temporary trials
Have worked out for my good.
To know it brought Him glory
When I misunderstood.
Though we’ve had our sorrows
They can never compare…

To what Jesus has in store for us,
No language can share.

(Don Moen, If You Could See Me Now)

Let it go,
Let it roll right off your shoulder
Don’t you know
The hardest part is over
Let it in,
Let your clarity define you
In the end
We will only just remember how it feels

Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders,
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours,
These small hours still remain

Let it slide,
Let your troubles fall behind you
Let it shine
Until you feel it all around you
And I don’t mind
If it’s me you need to turn to
We’ll get by,
It’s the heart that really matters in the end

Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders,
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours,
These small hours still remain

All of my regret
Will wash away somehow
But i cannot forget
The way I feel right now

In these small hours
These little wonders
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away but these small hours
These small hours, still remain.

(Rob Thomas, Little Wonders)

Posted in joy | Leave a Comment »

December 10, 2010

Is it the end of 2010? Seriously?

2010 has kicked some serious ass. So many unexpected firsts for me, I am going to have some serious expectations for next year.

I have been a very bad blogger. I haven’t even blogged about Korea from, eh, September, even though it was the best trip in my life.

There has been lots of fun. There has been lots of joy. There has been lots of pain. There has been lots of fear. There has been lots of stepping out. There has been lots of stupidity. There has been lots of strength. So much to say.

Which I will do. Soon.

Posted in joy, love, resolutions | Leave a Comment »

National Day, and other treasures

August 20, 2010

National Day 2009 was memorable.. 2010 was no less.

A spontaneous decision to hang out with some couch-surfers was indeed a great one- met many lovely people from.. 9 different nationalities!

Cooking in the jacuzzi as per last year’s ritual. This was before the funny part happened, when 2 American architects joined us at a random hour of the morning and we realized that they were part of the team behind Marina Bay Sands.

Alaska brought her new ukelele, which resulted in us playing it all over the place.

And yesterday was about meeting Mr David Choi himself at Timbre, while meeting Yong for the last time before he flies back to the US! Have a great semester and you are the true Korean star! :)

Posted in friendship, joy | 1 Comment »

Somos mar y arena (We are the sea and sand)

August 3, 2010

Just a few weeks ago Alaska asked me to go for the Open Water Diver certification with her. Going diving was something that has never crossed my mind, but because of the importance of trying new things I decided to go ahead with it.

“The more situations you expose yourself to, the higher the chance of finding what really sets you off on the inside. This is the same as the concept of heuristics – it refers to the process of continuously searching to find the optimal solution to a problem. In a matter of time, the process of trial and error will eventually lead you to your real purpose which clicks within you.” (via Celestine Chua)

Now I don’t regret. There’s something so very addictive about diving- it can be so tiring when you’re doing it but once it’s over you want to do it all over again. There’s just something about arriving on the jetty at 3 am and walking along in the darkness, seeing the shapes of the surrounding highlands loom above you, Something about sitting at the side of the boat dangling your legs over the water and watching the fish come up, and sitting atop the boat with good company watching the sunset.

Some things I gathered from the trip:

1) If you have the opportunity to learn something new, do it! You’ll always discover something new about yourself you didn’t know previously. I’m not the sporty type but I realized it’s something I really enjoy ;)

2) Being a good teacher. Being a teacher/coach in work/church to some degree, it makes me more sensitive to observing others when they are in the process of doing so. From Derrick, I observed the balance between making sure that what needs to be done gets done, while allowing the participants to enjoy the trip. How he also shared personal experiences so was very real to us. How he was really approachable and clicked with all sorts of participants, making anyone feel instantly comfortable with him. Regardless of whether they were mainly Mandarin/Hokkien-speaking Singaporeans or Australians or Russians. From Shao Mei, I learned two of the most important traits of a teacher is being approachable and patient. Thanks for keeping such a watchful eye on us all! You guys really have a gift for teaching/coaching and thank you for making our first diving experience so very awesome :)

3) People people – I am grateful for the bunch of Singaporeans we met on the bus and eventually grouped up with for being so incredibly entertaining the whole time. I learned from my new friends about genuine friendliness and being inclusive to all, and trying one’s best to get to know someone even if you have nothing in common. It’s a very selfless thing to put aside your comfort zone and put yourself on the line to talk to someone you are different from- something I definitely have to learn to do more.

4) Enjoying the moment – I have a tendency to worry about random things and forget to enjoy what is going on presently. This was something I could have done more especially when these sorts of great experiences don’t come by that often.

5) Being grateful - no injuries on the trip, a time to see God’s wonders down under- if I feel grumpy about things, I will look back on this trip as one of the many things that reflect God’s goodness. <3

More photos under the cut!

(more…)

Posted in friendship, fun stuff, inspirations, joy, travels | 1 Comment »

A lovely Saturday

July 19, 2010

Helene invited us to her place on Saturday for dinner. It was really hilarious because her elevator broke down and she stays on the 11th floor. So she thought she wouldn’t be able to go out to buy ingredients. And then she later realized that only one of the two lifts had broken. Anyway it was good fun going grocery shopping with her on the spur of the moment. I haven’t done anything cooking related since my birthday last year and I’ve forgotten how fun it is. Though this time I mainly watched while Helene cooked.

The lovely view from her apartment: we even saw the fireworks from the NDP rehearsal.

The industrious chef…

The salmon and spinach..

Homemade salmon and spinach quiche!

Wanzhi the budding pastry chef with her pannacotta/chocolate mousse pudding. Yum!

I love this pic- MJ racing in after setting the timer. And the look on Helene’s face!

A final shot of Helene at the Night Festival at SMU.

Posted in friendship, fun stuff, joy | Leave a Comment »

New reads

June 29, 2010

I got 2 new books yesterday: The Idea Book by Swedish speaker Fredrik Härén (who’s known for his talks on creativity) and Working for You Isn’t Working for Me by Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster.

I am fond of books with new ideas. The former is the typical sort of book I like to read (i.e. books about thinking out of the box), but I found out about Working for You Isn’t Working for Me through the newspaper. It’s a book about managing difficult bosses. I’ve read the first chapter so far, and I like it for its fresh, practical advice that can be put to use immediately. My 4 takeaways:

1. Don’t sabotage yourself. Even if it is tempting to act out in response to a boss’s (insert suitable adjective) behaviour, I have to remember that being unprofessional gets me nowhere. In acting out, the only one that loses is myself. Furthermore, if your boss loses, usually you lose too. One has to stay in perspective and focus on the job.

2. Take charge of what you do have control over. I can’t control my boss’s behaviour, but I can control my own- both in and out of work. At work, I can still strive to do my best, with or without my boss.

3. Which leads to: Take care of yourself. I can control my life out of work. Dealing with the boss will require a great deal of energy- all the more I must take care of myself, both emotionally and physically. This means spending time with positive people, keeping healthy, and putting aside time to work on what I love.

4. Fears are not facts, but False Evidence Appearing Real. I’m not a fan of acronyms, but this made sense. Insecurities as a result of a negative work relationship of not being able to do well at work just leads to a vicious self-fulfilling prophecy. Positive self-talk needs to be worked on. Also do more apparently challenging new tasks at work- the more I do, the greater my comfort zone and in proportion, the fewer my insecurities.

The book seems comprehensive and practical, and I’m excited to get through it!

In lieu of Point 3, I went to the gym during lunch today. It’s the first time visiting the gym in a loooong time. I had to rush quite a bit and it was a little tiring walking back and forth in the glaring sun today, but exercising at the gym did have a calming effect. Aside from feeling a wave of nostalgia being back in school, it felt good to get my butt moving again, even if my muscles were screaming in protest. And I was very alert for the 2nd half of the day so it’s all good! :) Here’s to regular exercise in the weeks to come!

Posted in joy, reminder, work | 1 Comment »

« Older Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.