Big Ang Pows and another Busy week ahead

I am soo tired this weekend.... so so tired... i didn't even feel the long weekend. It must be the wedding gig that we did on Saturday. After the youth fellowship day (monthly now), i rushed over to the Ritz Carlton for the sound-check, and forgot file so went home to get it again. Despite the rush over the whole Fri (Rehearsal) & Sat (performance), the night was rewarding... the couple (L & D) was ever so graceful and polite, even gave us an ang-pow on top of the payment we would get. SO amazingly generous. They are a christian family, and it makes so much testimony to being a christian, by these actions. I was touched by their generosity and graciousness. No pettiness. And what a big ang-pow, that could be split by the 4 musicians - and that amount could top up my Petrol tank and last for 2 weeks! (say, around $75 per person!). That's a $75 dollar tip! I am Still SO amazed.

Anyway, will need a breather within the coming week but not sure if I can find any... my Jap test is on 6th DEC and have not touched a single of my notes.

Not only that, this Saturday I will be attending the Christ@ Work conference (not to mention there is actually my church's Family Carnival on the same 5th DEC Saturday), and Youth Canteen duty prep on Sat night, and on Sun morning there is the Canteen Duty and the JLPT test at 10am! Everything is clashing... Plus events over 12 & 13, 19 & 20 Dec.. there is really no break.

This Christmas, all I want is a quiet one, to do nothing absolutely nothing. I won't even arrange for social gatherings out... i wanna be at home... and I will play some christmas songs like Silent Night... and ask God to give me a break... ahahaaaa..

Busy week!

Oh gosh... what a busy week... and messy one.. yet filled with both joy, sadness, and reflections.

Things that I had to do/happened this week...

- youth comm mtg
- taking cab to orchard 3 nights this week, that's like $15 each time at least..
- arrange for printing of youth min posters to put up by weekend
- arrange for revision of one of the posters for youth ministry project
- zapping/getting songs for PY for Friday rehearsal
- going out with CSA Alumni friends for dinner!
- dad's car kena knocked slightly at the back bumper when he jam-braked. But thank God it's not that bad and other party is so nice too. Wake up call Dad said.
- missing someone at work.. i hope she is ok.
- unmet deadlines at work.. giving me a headache.
- forgot to call aunty Jackie to see if she can cook for youth canteen run.
- arrange to get Cello from KY tmrw (drive up to Jurong to collect fr him!!)
- arranging tennis on 7th Dec
- arranging practice for Abi's wedding this Sunday..
- arranging for food this Sat youth meet... my mama penny is helping me prepare spaghetti..
- checking whether songs for christmas carolling is ok or not?
- arranging canteen duty instructions to brief others..
SIGH...

So many things on my mind..

Well, the things that I really liked this week so far:
- The lil car accident - wake up call - the feeling of thankfulness
- Jap lesson. We learnt honorific / humble form. SOOO CHEEM
- Meeting up with CSA Friends

The things i really disliked this week:
- That I don't know to ask for help for the myriad of things i have to do. Is it only me that can do it? Is this my weakness (doing everything myself)? or is it just no one's fault and just a time where i have to work harder for the sake of everyone?
- That I have the key to the Cage (then again, just whining once again).

There, all out. I'm cool again. Just needed to WHINE!

SID...

Just some crazy rants...

Man... i just got into listening to SID ("Shi-do")... and kinda like their songs! hahaaa.... for the lack of anyone with similar tastes to rant to,.. I shall just blog about it... ;)

Chillout @ Love the World Bistro & Bar

This is a belated blog for last thurs 19th, where I heard a talk by Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, in a Q&A session with young adults organised by the CAYC. It was really nice. I learnt a few things or was reminded of these...

- That Freedom is really Freedom to love spontaneously, rather than the freedom to do what I want and stay away from other people (that is not freedom). Sometimes, we rather do our own thing than be with others, but sometimes, being with people is our gift to them...

- That God is Love. Anyone who loves, has a part in God.

- That our bodies and what we do with it is a gift to our parents, who gave us this body we have. We don't feel anything at all, but to our parents, who saw us from babies, everything we are, is everything to them. If we do not treasure our bodies, we hurt our parents indirectly.

- That "Progress" is a word that is common to society today and a very good principle to have, but we have to remember that we aren't commanded in the Gospel, to "make progress". The whole point is whether we are living our faith fully, rather than "making progress" in terms of events, programmes and numbers of members. So we don't have to focus on "progress".

- That the whole point about being christian is to have that inner Joy. The freedom to love.

- That when gossip happens, we, as christians, should try to offer a good word for the person, and don't pass on the gossip.

Just wanted to jot it down somewhere before i forget it totally!

Hataraki Man!

hhaa... recently watched this j-dorama called Hataraki Man! Oh gosh i think it's so relevant for me at least... it's about a 28 yr-old woman who finds joy and fulfillment in her work. She, matsukata-san, is an editor of a weekly magazine called "Jidai" that requires her to get feature news every week. She is nicknamed "hataraki-man" in office because once she enters her "hataraki-man" mode, she is able to work 3 times faster and pull all-nighters, etc.

View drama details at: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Hataraki_Man
Review at: http://vissione.wordpress.com/2007/10/07/review-hataraki-man-tv/



Watching through till around episode 8 now.. i just have one thought - I definitely can relate to her!

;)

Praying in tongues

Haven't prayed in tongues for a long time but recently at our intercessory session at YAM, we prayed in tongues and did ministering for each other's needs. It was amazing. The next day today, I feel so "high"... rather, spiritually uplifted. I feel like God is near, I KNOW that God is near... and i feel His waves of mercy wash over me and cleanse me, and it is just amazing.


I am brought to humility before GOd and i am refreshed in my work in the church and i can 'attack' again with renewed vigour. It is just amazing what the power of pRayer can do. And it is so nice to hear younger members like Kenneth asking about it, wanting to learn. I am so touched. Praise the Lord.


We need faith, to believe in God and the power of Prayer. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Amen.

Gav & Jane are married!!!

Finally first wedding over! Gavin & JaNe had a wonderful wedding today and I am privileged to be helping out. Indeed, it is a joy to give, and though sometimes you sacrifice something, like time, money or energy, you feel the joy of the giving a reward in itself.

Anyway, I'm really glad for them. It is just a mystery to me how 2 people can come together and really love each other so deeply to want to spend an entire life together. Looking at Gav and Jane and the wonderful times they have shared together, just gives anyone inspiration to go out and begin to Love. I think they have a gift from God which is to love each other and to be an example for us, especially our community where no one is married yet! ho ho ho!

Talking about weddings I have an amazing 6 to attend this season. Suddenly the wedding fever attacks me too,... I've always been hearing friends having lots of weddings to attend and now I'm also one of them. Speaks of the age... sigh...

Ok let's seee, Gav+Jane done... next coming up would be Paula & Avrian, then Oka & Maya, then my Jazzicalbelles Lobang where we'll be playing at RITZ!!!! OOOHh.... AND Then ABi & Joseph, and then Michael & HyeonJu. oH gosh... it is truly crazy!!!

Anyway, as for updates for me,... not much really. Doing work is the same week in and week out... there are new projects, new events, etc every other week, but i think my larger question that pertains to me and my life in general is this - can I do this in the long-term and what do I really want in my life?

For this question, I really can't answer. So this contributes to a general feeling of being lost once again, if I were to be perfectly honest with myself.

IF i were to be technically correct, I should say life is perfect. GOod job, doing lotsa churchy stuff, very good, and all things good. If I were to be ambitious, I'd say, i'm going no where. If I were to be simple, I'd say, i'm happy and that's all that matters. IF i were to be negative, i'd say, life sux, i hate working.

So how should one behave? I have realised it is all about perspective. Whatever the situation, we develop an opinion, a perspective on it. IF we have Godly perspective, we will see things in a different light. Without God, we walk our own ways and truly depend on our own thinking, maybe self-help books or learning from influential people around us and thinking we are really on the right track. BUt what if we adopted God's perspective? What we thought was right could be wrong. and what was wrong could be right. So there is truly no absolute. I'm arguing FOR God here. So someone could jolly well also say, that God's perpective could be just a bunch of nonsense and what was right there, is actually wrong.

Well, not going to debate here coz i'm a lousy debator. I will adopt a positive perspective and godly perspective, which is to think of all things that are good, pure, and positive (aka PHilippians 4:8) = Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

And I will also adopt a GOd-perspective =="For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:11-13, NIV).

THanks Gav and Sury for reminding me of this verse...