always find the meaning, never lose sight of the purpose

today is the last day of one of our team leaders- serene. she is being promoted to senior manager in another cdc. i was moved by her farewell email in which that she shared about her passion in this line of work and cited a few real stories of her encounters with her clients. I was deeply touched as I was reminded of being a compassionate person in this job. how often, I was carried away by the numerous calls and requests from clients which i forgot about how a small gesture of care could bring an impact to someone's life.

i want to continue to find the meaning in what i do and never lose sight of the purpose here :)

help me, G.

girls jus wanna have some fun

last week, we met together for a belated birthday dinner for livi. ooh, i really like this picture alot. the colors, the pose and of course the ladies :p

another post- cny outing with some of my colleagues at KTV. we were belting out many chinese songs with some english songs sung by pin sung too :p hehe.

from left: yiping, peiru, esther, ruiling, me.

have so much to say, but don't know where to start

a surprise visit

i was very blessed by a few lovely peeps who popped by with a surprise visit :) :) its gonna be a nice sleep with lotsa sweet dreams.

ID2010

A very happy belated New Year to you! :D

Last weekend was really a great time at our first combined service 2010 at Suntec! I also had my first chance to sit among the congregation, a refreshed break for me. I danced so hard, not remembering that Suntec floor shakes. I recalled Shirls' sermon few weeks ago on The Worshiping Community. extreme Devotion with extreme Emotion = Extravagant Worship! Qianjin led really well for the second praise- Real. The lights effects were so creatively and aptly done!

Much thanks to the endless coughing & sneezing, I got to stay at home today to also digest ID2010 sermon by Ps Jeff. A very clear call for us all in 2010: To be a disciple and to be a disciple-maker. I was reminded of my own God's Aim, how am I doing in my personal God's Aim. As a believer for years, spiritual habits are really a personal responsibility. I need to faithfully and quietly read the bible everyday. God reveals alot (and really alot) through our personal God's Aim time. The truth that I need to hear, sometimes, is painful but needful. I'm excited to learn more in-depth about Matthew 5-7.

Next, i also evaluated how am I doing to disciple someone. how often, the word- "disciple-maker" sounds like a very huge word, its like only big shots like bill hybels or billy graham can be called a disciple-maker. however, the sermon changed my perspective. a disciple-maker encourages a heart. a disciple-maker adjusts a misconception. a disciple-maker affirms a right. a disciple- maker corrects a wrong. Now, these are some things which I can do. I can model a right attitude. I can share my past experiences or new things I learnt. All these can be done in DAILY living :) I need to add "intentionality" in doing so and not live my days anyhow. I don't mean to say that we need to get into the whole act of planning and scheduling and trying to slot in activities for our schedule. Rather, to ask God to heighten our sensing of Him everyday, so that whoever we meet, whatever we do, we are living in the present, at the moment.

I am excited about this year and what's is to come :)

4 days to Christmas!

aaaiiiyyyoooooo! i haven blog for so long >.<>

a week ago...

Shirls: "hello shuz ar, you and roy free for a dinner on 19 Dec? yups lor, i wanna go enjoy good food after my pre-cmas sermon..."

19 Dec...

After finishing our ramens, we were chatting over our green tea when suddenly, "he" appeared in front of us!!! *gasps* i let out a scream & roy stared in shock for a few secs.

Its SENG! :D :D :D

It surprised me because he told us he was coming back on 27 Dec. :) It was a very pleasant & happy surprise by a good friend! and shirls actually knew of the surprise plot. what a fun night!

Discerning leaders of artistic teams hold loosely the way things are done,

always recognize that if there is a better way to do process,

we need to be bold enough to

make the change.

Pg 83- An Hour on Sunday

Gangsters Paradise!

Attended my first D&D on 4th Nov! :) it was a whole lot of fun and laughter during the night! Everyone was dressed up for the theme "Gangsters Paradise" and KUDOS to Ian (aka iannie... hahaha ^^) for organizing the event for us. most of all, here are some pics to formally intro my great colleagues at CS CDC!

Pic 1

Extreme left is Jolain, one of our senior managers! She has a cute cute son~

2nd on the left is my kawaii team leader (TL), Chew Leng. her nick sounds as cute- "chew chew". She is the one handling most of my cases for approval and she is encouraging! sometimes, i'll make some careless mistakes here and there, she will patiently point out to me and guide me along, esp in my sentence structure (hoho~)

Next to ChewChew is Carina (the one with the biker look *whistle*). Just caught a movie- song of sparrows with her yesterday! so arty that we dont quite get the meaning of the ending. hahahah~

Next to Carina is Andrea!! my wonderful & always-so-bubbly covering buddy! In CS CDC, every officer has a covering buddy for our duties if we are on MC or on leave. She is really a wonderful person, very helpful in follow-upping on my cases or clients whenever i'm on MC. and oh, she luvvv KOI the bubble tea!! ^^

and then....we have Jane Tan! recently got married too! she won the first prize of the D&D- LCD TV!

Extreme right is Xiangru (aka xiangxiang or ah xiang). She specializes in our payment stuffs. a sweet lady who enjoy reading.

Pic 2

Posing with me is Jane Lee. She is from our employment dept. Just today, she brought me to her fav hangout- specs shop!! I cant wait to collect my specs!! :D Jane has a cheerful personality~
Pic 3

Welcome to the Ah-Lians gang! hoh! Lady in Pink is my Senior Manager, Elizabeth aka Eliz! Can you believe it?! she is the same age as me! Eliz is a very approachable person, patiently guide me in my assessment of cases.

Lady in green is Janelle! i always think that she has a eurasian look. maybe because of her sharp features :)

(we'll skip the lady in white first ;p)

Lady in yellow is Pei Ching aka Mdm Teo or ah teo. She is another very helpful person during my initial weeks in CDC.

Lady in blue is Ling Ling, sometimes we called her "Ms Neo". Also one of our senior managers, on most days, she will have her own kawaii pink lunch box.
Pic 4

here are the newbies who joined CDC this year!

(from left) We have Xavier (aka ah tiong), Adel, Joreen, Pin Sung, Jasmin (me la) & Kumaran! It was a good chit-chat time after the D&D in Joreen's room.
Pic 5

Tada! This is Adeline aka Adel. She is also the one in white suit during the event. My days in CDC have been filled with much laughter and joy because of Adel. we are toilet partners, lunch kakis, blah blah. 3 fun things about Adel: Adel LOVES to SHOPP! She could buy 3 things within 30 minutes! i have to pull her out of the shop. hah~ Adel LOVES to dragon-boat! She has been going for DB twice a wk to train for an upcoming competition in PA. Adel LOVES to say "Is my hair okay ar?" keke teeheehee!

amplifying every detail of the Christian life

- It’s where our Bible study becomes much more intense, because we’re not merely reading Scripture as a devotional or academic exercise, but we’re searching for fresh insights and wisdom to use in reaching our spiritually confused neighbors.

- It’s where our prayer life becomes ever more focused, because we’re pleading for God’s help and guidance in bringing the gospel to family members who don’t know Christ.

- It’s where our worship becomes increasingly heartfelt, because we’re praising the God of the second chance, who in his astonishing grace loves our wandering friends even more than we do.

- It’s where our dependence on God reaches new heights, because we know that apart from the Holy Spirit there’s no way we can bring anyone to the point of putting their trust in Jesus.

(adapted from an article by Lee Strobel)

The article serves as a fresh reminder for me about reaching out to someone. Its the time of the rain again. Entering fall season. Christmas is here.

Wedding bells still ringing?

5 months after the wedding, i realized there were still some photos coming in :) Here are some to share. cant found on facebook too. haha. enjoy!

my darling aunt Jane

my dearie hougang neighbors!!! Ying & You!

my gals are so spiritual sia... bible quiz for gate-crashing?!

my handsome daddy!

my impish sister! i luv her

this is one of my fav! check out their very diff poses! Hendra wins!

many many very pretty cakes/kuehs were displayed. most of them hand-made by Rendy's mother! (Rendy is Roy's niece, how cool right!) i was so tempted to eat them mans :S but we were too busy going through the tea ceremony. i wish to eat them again in future.

:p teeheehee >.< (observe the witnesses' names)

surfing replies

something interesting I'm going to do for this post- will be the replies to the random blogs I've read tonight :)

to the Dancer

dont you feel that how come people grow up so fast? sometimes TOO fast that we have not got enough time to think through thoroughly what we want to do in our life? or perhaps what do we want to do as our career? many many thoughts swimming in our mind when we near our last lap in our studies. but i really like your last para, to think about the big picture again :) its never about us, but about Him & how things are linked with Him. I believe the faithful Him will not leave u clueless when you are at any crossroads.

owner of Caramel

your recent post got me thinking about my faith as well. Why do I choose to believe Him as well. I shared a testimony in services weeks ago about how I grew up in church & how various people guided and impacted my life. Yet, nothing beats this: the very tangible experiences with Him. He was here to comfort when my mum passed away. He was here to guide when I entered my teenlife (all crazy & notty things in student life). He was here to supply strength & wisdom when I sat for my O's. He was here to encourage when I started my first job. and many many. Its a good time to remember :)

Miss Jonah

Out of your 10 things, point 5 hit me!

Briefly distance yourself from a decision in order to find reflective space and gain clarity. Look at the situation from a different reference point.

often times, I find myself too quick to offer an answer or solution to a situation/problem arise. Well, on another hand, leaders are trained to think quick on the spot to provide a way out (at least). However, the above statement displayed the next level of wisdom one could have. A leader should have enough discernment to know which situation or problem that need the space for thinking. Having the ability to see things on a broader perspective helps the leader to weigh things out in a more wholistic manner. Well, if a familiar situation comes around to find you again, perhaps the plain answer is to find more reference points :)

Taropanda (new nick!)

your latest post is so short & direct. i also agreed la, I will re-phrase like this:

Tough times are growth times! Rejoice!

Anyway, congrats for your presentation work today! I believe God has staged it in such a way to let you be a beam of light. You really inspire me alot in having excellent attitude at work. e.g. Servicing a client is not about how to avoid or reject additional work/ tasks, saying "oo... cant be done la... you never tell us to do in the first place" Rather, we ought to give our best service to clients & helping their business, in any ways we could. I know your team leader isnt the nicest boss around, like to arrow you & your colleagues to answer to clients when she doesnt know how to. Yet, you perservere to keep a right spirit about her. Hats off. Want to learn from you more :)

A Bday Lays

hahahah! yups, Y-Comm has a brand new name! Creatives! See you back soon! ^^

Alrightey, thats all for tonight. I can feel that my migrane is back to haunt me again ><><

An advance blissful marriage to Ron & Biqing! See ya at your wedding later! =)

plus.... THUR & FRI !

Praise God for today cause' its....... MIDWEEK WED! :D yahoo! just 2 more days to a longer weekend~ Just met Jinqi over dinner for a catchup. drank huge bowls of soups from souperlicious soup spoon and dug into our durian puree and mango sago desserts! believe us, we were bloated @_@ nonetheless, it was a good time spent together, yakking away about our lives and work. Its really exciting to know that she is gonna be away for the next 5 days for a mission trip. its her first time, believe its gonna be real fruitful time! Jia you, JQ! :)

On a TUE 1030pm, Roy & I were beaming with joy as we drove to PJ's house with our very own apple tart- freshly baked from the oven! It was a belated birthday gift to him after a failed attempt on the 6th Sep :p An sms that followed warmed us up: "just wolf-ed down a chunk of it. Nice!" (i wonder how is that done... ^^)

Happy Birthday to....... MEI MEI! yups! We gathered for a family dinner on MON evening at my dad's favorite zicha stall to celebrate my lil imp sis' birthday! I think every year, i say almost the same thing to my meimei, she is really my constant friend, 24th listening ear and a very kind person who is sensitive to people's needs. She is really dear to me. Apart from that, the dinner was a happy one also due to the fact that the 2 boys joined us too. my dad's face literally lit up *light bulb*

I will never forget my dinner last SUN... crispy durian dessert, this-super-tasty-noodle, yummy soup- Da Hua, a cantonese fusion restaurant which Esmond brought us. Double thumbs UP! *salivating*

Attended my first annual District Meeting of Central Spore CDC last SAT. came at 1045am & left at 9pm. coincidence, it was themed as "Heroes". When I was going through the whole progress, it felt like I'm attending another camp (I've been to both the Youth Heroes camp & Adults Heroes camp) :p haha~ I was glad to be involved in the event as one of the stage person during the prize-giving moment. I observed and learnt a few good points too. its the post-event activity that i enjoyed the most- i went for coffee with some of my colleagues. It was really a good informal time to spend together. for the first time, I really enjoy working life. I felt that God is really so good to me, He blessed me with great & helpful colleagues in my current workplace. I'm glad that I stayed and "passed" the test in my first job. It really mold and trained my attitude in being a joyful and responsible employee.

As i'm closing off, Roy is on his way home from caregroup and he just called to say that he will buy a bowl of warm tau huey to share together :)

He's back!! Good night!!

9

9 takes place in a world parallel to our own, in which the very legacy of humanity is threatened. A group of sapient rag dolls, living a post-apocalyptic existence find one of their own, 9 (Elijah Wood), who displays leadership qualities that may help them to survive.

The conflicted, but resilient group includes 1 (Christopher Plummer), a domineering war veteran; 2 (Martin Landau), an aged inventor; 5 (John C. Reilly), a stalwart mechanic; 6 (Crispin Glover), a visionary and artist; and 7 (Jennifer Connelly), a brave warrior.

There are at least several malevolent creatures up against this group; namely, the cat-skulled creature from the short film, a split-headed flying being that resembles both a bat and a manta ray in wing shape, and an insectoid creature with jointed legs and a pod-like body.

what is mature love?

seeking understanding and reconciliation and not to prove your own perception as the only logical way to interpret what has happened.

Focus

"...if you want the necessary to stand out,

you have to get rid of the unnecessary..."

missing 53rd cohort days...

Hello world! Its been sometimes since i last blogged >.<>this was the first prata outing - visiting Raju and his prata. hoh! they have this prata called Chilli Prata. no joke, its crimson red in color and all who tried gave two thumbs up!
we went to water venture for some dragonboating too! it was my first time! and seriously its SUPER fun! :D posing with me is this guy - Stanly (yes, his Stanly is without an "e"). He is our cohort IC aka class monitor la. He's working in the Buona Vista CC, near holland V.
luvv this pic ALOT! it looks as if we are like super sporty and sunshine-y girls! hohoh! she is Shirlee, a very sporty girl. enjoys outdoor and water sports. she is real good at dragonboating mans!
ahh haaa! we had our farewell dinner themed "MisMatch" hee! posing with me is my secret pal! oh well, we had this secret pal game and i picked the name "Kevin". i was supposed to encourage, say nice things, buy nice snacks for him. hoho~ He is working in PA HQ.
Posing with the 3 ladies (from left): Shirlee, Yoke Ling and Canny. we were getting ready for our final project presentation! *gasps*
One more prata outing which was on my last night together.
Posing for a group pic while waiting for our food~~ Extreme left is Ian who works in Central Spore CDC too! :) He's been really nice, often text to offer breakfast delivery! :D

okays........lastly, HOW ARE YOU GUYS mans??? We have one more time to meet again, for our re-course! hoh! see you guys real soon! ><

53rd Cohort

Am gonna see you guys one more official chance on coming Monday...

mixed feelings. excited to see our pictures of our "Mismatch" farewell dinner. cant wait to know who are the "Snow White & Prince, and the 7 dwarfs" too. looking forward to do lunch + tea breaks with you guys on Monday. Yet, its really mixed feelings inside to know that its our last official meetup together. Lets have reunion soon! :) hoho!

to 53rd cohort: you guys are a crazy & fun-loving & passionate bunch of people!

“… at the end of the day, our church services are all about life change. If people drive away on Sunday mornings no different from when they came in, we haven’t accomplished anything that matters. We’re aiming for an enormous goal. We want people to make decisions… Our Daddy is in the business of changing human hearts… he has chosen to partner with the likes of us… We are called to prepare services that have the greatest potential for human beings to quiet their souls, to feel emotions deeply, and to choose growth and change. It is An Hour on Sunday."

(from An hour on Sunday by Nancy Beach)

Booked out for the weekend

yesshh.... I am in the midst of my work induction camp :p before the camp, i was feeling all gloom and sian about it, cant leave behind my work (cases pile up as the clock ticks?), cant leave behind my people in midst of our Ess, cant leave behind ernie also (good thing is that he has the whole bed to himeself! ;p) However.......... after 4 days of the camp, I really and totally enjoyed it! :D Firstly, the average age is around 26-27, thus, it really does feel like back-to-school-days feeling! can click with most of my cohortmates (we are the 53th cohort induction). Secondly, I did dragonboating for the first time! It was really fun, except that it left me lots aches after that, including my butt-aches (haha!). Thirdly, I started on An Hour on Sunday! It is like a personal retreat for me, to do what i like- Reading! Am looking forward to this week of camp- we are going to OBS (YAY!!), doing some outdoor cooking plus our farewell dinner (I proposed the theme to be "Mismatch"!! How cool mans! Am gonna wear the same what i wore few youth camps ago.... hahahaha!)

Apart from the camp fun, I wanna say a huge huge SHOUT-OUTs to......................

Yao kor kor & Nate dude! they totally rocked us with an awesome & hilarious ESS program yesterday! (Kudos to Nate!)

YongDeong! I just have to blog about him- He is so FUNNYYYY, doing that guitaarrrr SOLOOOO *his own voice effects*

Pete! mans, I was laughing so hard with Philo besides me during his performance! It was one of the biggest "Da Dong Zhuo" I ever saw Pete in action!

Huiyang & Peter! Thks for playing my fav-est piece from FF. Its so melting la!

To the rest out there, if you missed out ESS part 1, pls pls pls dont miss out the 2nd! Its this weekend- 1 Aug! See ya there! :D

just one more thing before my next entry....

"...without vision alignment, the people are busy doing something else..."

(from "it" by Craig Groeschel)