I overheard this conversation recently...
(Background: Girl A was trying to tell Girl B that she will not be able to make it for choir practice at by 630pm during the weekdays.)
Girl A: Hey I have a problem here, I won't not be able to make it on time for the weekday practices because I knock off at 6 and it takes me at least an hour to get here.
Girl B: Just try to come on time lah, we have a lot to cover.
Girl A: Yah, but I just want you to know that it is impossible for me to make it on time cos' I can only leave work at 6 the earliest. And I'm not going to make it here by 630.
Girl B: Ok... just try...
Girl A: Sigh... ok. Anyway, I'm just letting you know in advance.
Me: ?????
Which part of "I won't not be able to make it on time for the weekday practices because I knock off at 6 and it takes me at least an hour to get here." did Girl B not understand??? Ok...I'm sure she didn't mean to ignore Girl A's plight but one could not help but wonder if Girl B was simply being too task oriented. In this scenario, Girl A was simply being courteous by informing the person in charge that we was going to be late. Key word - INFORM. She was not asking for permission to be late. Thus, the conversation should have gone like this:
Girl A: Hey I have a problem here, I won't not be able to make it on time for the weekday practices because I knock off at 6 and it takes me at least an hour to get here.
Girl B: Oh, is there anyway for you to knock off earlier?
Girl A: I'm really sorry but I cannot leave before 6.
Girl B: Ok then, I'll take note of it.
Bonus statements which could be made by Girl B:
1) Thanks for being available.
2) Please make sure you grab something to eat on the way here yah...
Personally, I would have prefered this set of dialogue but I guess we often find ourselves becoming like Girl B, too task oriented and thus missing the obvious need - showing that we understand and that we empathise with the situation.
Not too long ago, I too was at the receiving end of such insensitvity. I was having a very bad flu on the day of choir practice so I had to see a doctor before that. A fellow choir mate was sweet enough to drive me to the clinic so that I didn't have to rush. But there were a lot of people at the clinic so I made a courtesy call to the person in charge to INFORM her that I was still at the clinic and that my friend will send me down after that. And what did the person in charge say to me? "Oh...then what is the earliest time you can be here?" Duh??? I'm in the clinic cos' I was sick and all you are concern about is what time I can get there??? Can somebody show me some love?
I realised that both the above incidents happend around the same time.... during Easter/Missions/Cell Conference period. This is the period where Church is at its busiest and everyone is very busy...maybe a little too busy "serving" God and getting people "saved" and we forget to let God's touch our neighbour by simply loving the people serving with us. I pray that this year will be different for us. Let us appreciate our co-labourers in Christ and not take them for granted. Let us not just reserve God's love for the people who don't know God. And because we cannot give what we don't have, let us make sure that we are all first filled with God's love...via each other. Let us be real.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
God Provides
It's really amazing how God shows you that He was not joking when He said that He is our provider. It is so easy to miss it sometimes especially when we take things for granted. I was very hesitant to give a special offering to God today cos' i knew that financially we were very tight and I needed all the cash I am holding on now. But God challenged me to tithe my Ang Pow 'earnings" and so I did the sensible thing by giving 10% back to God. I was pretty worried about my cashflow after that cos' I know that I may not have enough to last me till my next payday. Please do not get me wrong, it's not that I don't manage my finances well, it's just that there are so many unexpected expences and the fact that this is the Chinese New Year season did not make it any easier.
But God showed his faithfulness in a very tangible way today. Usually Hunny and I spend a lot on transportation cos' it is really inconvenient for her to take public transport. It is proven that 9 out of 10 Singaporeans are either blind or illiterate or just too tired to give up their seat to a pregnant lady. Thus we end up taking taxis most of the time...ok ok, I'm signing up for my driving lessons ok? Now back to today...after giving the special offering, we were left with only enough cash for 1 taxi trip. We had a problem... hunny needed to go back home to change first before heading down to church again for class... while I needed to rush back to church at Adam road by 130 pm after service at Paya Lebar ends at 1 pm. So we decided that Hunny will take take the cab back home, change, pick up more cash and then head down to church after that. As for me, I'll just pray that someboday will be kind enough to give me a ride back to Adam road.
But God's plan was much better than that cos' we could not get a single taxi to stop and if any did stop, they were only willing to drive around that area. And by divine appointment, a colleague of mine came back to drop his wife off after church (our church is just beside his condo) and he was heading off to our area after that, so he offered to send Hunny home! Wow! That cannot be a coincidence! And just as Hunny was about to call a cab from home to get to Adam for class, another friend who was staying nearby called and offered to send her to church! If God did not instigate this, I don't know who did. As for me, God graciously made room in my friend's vehicle for me so that i can get to Adam in time for practice. As a result, we did not spend a single cent on transportation today after church. And God went beyond our expectation as usual cos' my ex cell leaders who was staying at the next block was at the same practice so we ended up getting a ride back home after having dinner with them. Cool right? And things just got better cos' I'll be on course the whole of next week and my colleague has graciously offered to pick me up on the way so that means that I'll be saving a week's worth of taxi fare. Total savings on cab fare including that of today's is close to $150...that is many times more than what I gave to God today.
The bible says in Luke 6:38
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Indeed my cup runs over and I know that it will never be empty because my God shall supply all my needs. I share this today as a testimony of God's faithfulness and I pray that you'll be encouraged and know that my God is one who's dependable and He takes pleasure in blessing His children.
============================================================================
On a separate note, something else beautiful today...
I attempted to listen to my baby's movement in her mummy's tummy today so I placed my face against Hunny's tummy and tried to figure out the sounds I was hearing. And without warning my playful little darling gave me a huge kick in my face! Sigh.... what am I going to do with her? Not even born yet and she's trying to show me who's boss... ha ha. I can't wait to hold her in my arms...
But God showed his faithfulness in a very tangible way today. Usually Hunny and I spend a lot on transportation cos' it is really inconvenient for her to take public transport. It is proven that 9 out of 10 Singaporeans are either blind or illiterate or just too tired to give up their seat to a pregnant lady. Thus we end up taking taxis most of the time...ok ok, I'm signing up for my driving lessons ok? Now back to today...after giving the special offering, we were left with only enough cash for 1 taxi trip. We had a problem... hunny needed to go back home to change first before heading down to church again for class... while I needed to rush back to church at Adam road by 130 pm after service at Paya Lebar ends at 1 pm. So we decided that Hunny will take take the cab back home, change, pick up more cash and then head down to church after that. As for me, I'll just pray that someboday will be kind enough to give me a ride back to Adam road.
But God's plan was much better than that cos' we could not get a single taxi to stop and if any did stop, they were only willing to drive around that area. And by divine appointment, a colleague of mine came back to drop his wife off after church (our church is just beside his condo) and he was heading off to our area after that, so he offered to send Hunny home! Wow! That cannot be a coincidence! And just as Hunny was about to call a cab from home to get to Adam for class, another friend who was staying nearby called and offered to send her to church! If God did not instigate this, I don't know who did. As for me, God graciously made room in my friend's vehicle for me so that i can get to Adam in time for practice. As a result, we did not spend a single cent on transportation today after church. And God went beyond our expectation as usual cos' my ex cell leaders who was staying at the next block was at the same practice so we ended up getting a ride back home after having dinner with them. Cool right? And things just got better cos' I'll be on course the whole of next week and my colleague has graciously offered to pick me up on the way so that means that I'll be saving a week's worth of taxi fare. Total savings on cab fare including that of today's is close to $150...that is many times more than what I gave to God today.
The bible says in Luke 6:38
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Indeed my cup runs over and I know that it will never be empty because my God shall supply all my needs. I share this today as a testimony of God's faithfulness and I pray that you'll be encouraged and know that my God is one who's dependable and He takes pleasure in blessing His children.
============================================================================
On a separate note, something else beautiful today...
I attempted to listen to my baby's movement in her mummy's tummy today so I placed my face against Hunny's tummy and tried to figure out the sounds I was hearing. And without warning my playful little darling gave me a huge kick in my face! Sigh.... what am I going to do with her? Not even born yet and she's trying to show me who's boss... ha ha. I can't wait to hold her in my arms...
Thursday, February 15, 2007
I'm gonna have a daughter!!!
God gave us a beautiful Valentine's day gift today. He allowed us to see for the first time the face of our yet to be born daughter...
She looked so cute doing her little para para dance in her mummy's tummy. The doctor had a hard time trying to do the detailed scans cos' she was just so active! Oh no... does that mean she's gonna be hyperactive like me? Ha ha...
Anyway, the doc took quite a number of shots... most of which I didn't know what he was talking about cos' I was so eager to find out the gender of my baby ha ha. So to everyone who has been praying for us, thank you very much and please allow us to share our joy with you!
Here's the picture of the nasal bone and some other stuff...
...the brain...I think...
...and the heart...
...ok, now a 2-D scan of the face...you are supposed to see her lips in the picture on the right, but I can't seem to see it...
Ok, the picture I wanted to show next was actually the most exciting one cos' it finally reveals the gender of the baby, but hunny says too RA so cannot show haha...anyway, here's a shot of the kidneys...
... the tiny feet...
...and finally the cute little hands...
Ok, that's all for now...until the next "photo shoot"...tata!
She looked so cute doing her little para para dance in her mummy's tummy. The doctor had a hard time trying to do the detailed scans cos' she was just so active! Oh no... does that mean she's gonna be hyperactive like me? Ha ha...
Anyway, the doc took quite a number of shots... most of which I didn't know what he was talking about cos' I was so eager to find out the gender of my baby ha ha. So to everyone who has been praying for us, thank you very much and please allow us to share our joy with you!
Here's the picture of the nasal bone and some other stuff...
...the brain...I think...
...and the heart...
...ok, now a 2-D scan of the face...you are supposed to see her lips in the picture on the right, but I can't seem to see it...
Ok, the picture I wanted to show next was actually the most exciting one cos' it finally reveals the gender of the baby, but hunny says too RA so cannot show haha...anyway, here's a shot of the kidneys...
... the tiny feet...
...and finally the cute little hands...
Ok, that's all for now...until the next "photo shoot"...tata!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
IPPT Training
I.P.P.T...put these 4 letters together in that order and it will send shivers down the spine of most NSmen. The single most distressing event for me every year is the annual IPPT or Individual Physical Proficiency Test. I can never pass on the first attempt, and ever since my OCS days, I've never been able to attain a silver standard. The reason is very simple...my body was never conditioned for it. Well, that's all gonna change this year!
I just started my exercise regime 2 days ago and although I'm "suffering the effects" now, I actually feel better, more alert and I sleep better! But it didn't come easy...every bone in my body screams for me to take a break and relax after work, but I knew that I had to start training for the IPPT in March. I'm concentrating more on the running portion because that has always been my weakest link.
It's interesting how when I was doing my quiet time just now, the Lord reminded me just how similar things are with my spiritual life. Here's how:
1) Regular training keeps me in tip top condition. Likewise, feeding myself regularly with His word allows me to apply it when the going gets tough.
2) It's painful but it will bear results eventually if done right. Likewise, the correct understanding of the word gives me the tools to handle tough situations.
3) I used to be able to do 15 chin-ups at one go, but now I can only manage 6 due to the lack of training. Likewise, I used to write 3 songs a month, but ever since I stopped attempting to write, I have no more inspiration.
4) There are no short cuts to keeping fit, no pain, no gain. Likewise, there is no replacement for the word of God. I can't forever do quiet time by reading only interesting Christian literature or simply listening to Christian music - I won't grow.
I've come to realise that I take my spiritual IPPT every week in the form of Worship leading. It is impossible to be an effective worship leader if I'm only gonna seek HIM and ask for songs once a week a night before I serve. I lead better when I've sought Him the whole week and heard from Him. Every time I don't "exercise", I perform badly for the "IPPT". Training takes commitment and so does learning His word.
True, it's never easy to work out when my schedule is so tight, plus I tend to give up when my legs are tired. But thank God for a personal trainer...hunny. She encourages me, pushes me and sometimes forces me to perform certain exercises to build the different muscle groups. It is the same with my walk with God, he sends me a helper...the Holy Spirit.
I'm aiming to do well for my annual IPPT this year, I hope I do well for the weekly one as well.
I just started my exercise regime 2 days ago and although I'm "suffering the effects" now, I actually feel better, more alert and I sleep better! But it didn't come easy...every bone in my body screams for me to take a break and relax after work, but I knew that I had to start training for the IPPT in March. I'm concentrating more on the running portion because that has always been my weakest link.
It's interesting how when I was doing my quiet time just now, the Lord reminded me just how similar things are with my spiritual life. Here's how:
1) Regular training keeps me in tip top condition. Likewise, feeding myself regularly with His word allows me to apply it when the going gets tough.
2) It's painful but it will bear results eventually if done right. Likewise, the correct understanding of the word gives me the tools to handle tough situations.
3) I used to be able to do 15 chin-ups at one go, but now I can only manage 6 due to the lack of training. Likewise, I used to write 3 songs a month, but ever since I stopped attempting to write, I have no more inspiration.
4) There are no short cuts to keeping fit, no pain, no gain. Likewise, there is no replacement for the word of God. I can't forever do quiet time by reading only interesting Christian literature or simply listening to Christian music - I won't grow.
I've come to realise that I take my spiritual IPPT every week in the form of Worship leading. It is impossible to be an effective worship leader if I'm only gonna seek HIM and ask for songs once a week a night before I serve. I lead better when I've sought Him the whole week and heard from Him. Every time I don't "exercise", I perform badly for the "IPPT". Training takes commitment and so does learning His word.
True, it's never easy to work out when my schedule is so tight, plus I tend to give up when my legs are tired. But thank God for a personal trainer...hunny. She encourages me, pushes me and sometimes forces me to perform certain exercises to build the different muscle groups. It is the same with my walk with God, he sends me a helper...the Holy Spirit.
I'm aiming to do well for my annual IPPT this year, I hope I do well for the weekly one as well.
Monday, February 5, 2007
1 Year Already!!!
Yippie!! I'm officially married for a year and 1 day now. My initial plan was to book a hotel room (preferably in Sentosa) so that we can re-live our dating days by spending the day at the beach but I was faced with 2 obstacles:
1) Could not get more than 1/2 day leave.
2) It's 5 days to pay day, so I'm pretty broke.
Thank goodness hunny was very understanding and she decided that we should just spend our money on what we enjoy most... EAT! Since it's our special day, we decided to pamper ourselves a little by finally visiting the critically acclaimed Les Amis Au Jardin at the Singapore Botanic Garden. You can find out more about the place here. We were there a little early, so we had the opportunity to take a nice stroll in the park. Incidently, this was the same place that hunny first fed me ice-cream ha ha...
For those who don't know, I used to work at Au Jardin, so this was quite a home-coming for me. Nothing much has changed, except maybe most of the staff, but the service and atmosphere is still the same- old school fine dining in the midst of nature (with air-conditioning of course). What added to the experience was the personalised service from my old friends and the thought of finally getting served by the people you used to work under ha ha...!
We were very hungry by the time we got to the restaurant, thus we opted for the Degustation Menu, which is an 8-course tasting menu. Typical french cuisine - BIG PLATES, small portions. But surprisingly, we were pretty full by the end of the dinner. Must be the bread, ha ha.
Traditionally, before the start of the dinner proper, they will serve a pre-appetizer appetizer. This dish usually changes everyday so it is really up to the chef to decide what he wants to tease your palate with. For tonight, we were greeted with an crabmeat concasse served IN a half boiled egg. It is kind of like an half boiled egg with crabmeat at the bottom and foamed egg and cream on the top...all in the shell.
We planned to take pictures of every course but the food looked so good when it came out we just started eating. We only realised that we forgot to take a picture first after we gobbled up the food... Anyway, the first course was really nice, it was marinated langoustine with caviar and baby mache. Because the langoustine was prepared raw, the chef was kind enough to prepare a special portion of scallops for hunny instead since she is expecting and not supposed to take raw stuff.
The second course was the famous pan fried foie gras, this time served with confit chicken wing and pickled raisin puree. I still stand by my opinion that the Les Amis group still serves the best foie gras ever - crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside... yummy... This was hunny's favourite dish, she almost wanted to order another portion of this after the main course.
The Pan Fried John Dory with black olive couscous was next (it's a fish for those who don't know... I used to think it was a name of some guy). We didn't get any pictures of this although we should have. The presentation was beautiful and the taste was even better. The mouth-watering foie gras made us so hungry that we totally forgot about the camera when the fish came.
Luckily, we managed to get a shot of the Maine Lobster with vine tomato fondue. This dish was just heavenly, probably my favourite dish of the night. The lobster was not too cooked thus the flesh still tasted sweet and crunchy.
The next dish was absolutely sinful... confit grilled Bigorre Pork Belly with braised lettuce. It was all fat and no meat. Every bite made me feel more and more guilty and conscious about my protruding tummy. Hunny has an excuse for hers, I don't. I think after this dish I looked more pregnant than her.
Finally the main course came... the pan roasted Venison tenderloin with chestnuts. Very nicely done without the typical over powering taste of the venison. My only complaint is that the portion was too small.
By this time, we were feeling quite satisfied with our meal. The Jackfruit sorbet which came next was a refreshing complement to the heavy meat courses we had before.
We ended the dinner with caramelized Figs on puff pastry, a simple dessert that was not too sweet. We forgot to take a shot of this one which was quite a shame cos' the presentation was really nice too. The restaurant gave us a nice surprise since it was our anniversary - a nice little chocolate layered cake. Not too sweet and the portion was just enough to fill our tummies to the brim.
You can tell from the look of our faces that we were very satisfied with our dinner.
Mmmmm.... cannot wait to do this again. Gonna start saving up for next year ha ha!
1) Could not get more than 1/2 day leave.
2) It's 5 days to pay day, so I'm pretty broke.
Thank goodness hunny was very understanding and she decided that we should just spend our money on what we enjoy most... EAT! Since it's our special day, we decided to pamper ourselves a little by finally visiting the critically acclaimed Les Amis Au Jardin at the Singapore Botanic Garden. You can find out more about the place here. We were there a little early, so we had the opportunity to take a nice stroll in the park. Incidently, this was the same place that hunny first fed me ice-cream ha ha...
For those who don't know, I used to work at Au Jardin, so this was quite a home-coming for me. Nothing much has changed, except maybe most of the staff, but the service and atmosphere is still the same- old school fine dining in the midst of nature (with air-conditioning of course). What added to the experience was the personalised service from my old friends and the thought of finally getting served by the people you used to work under ha ha...!
We were very hungry by the time we got to the restaurant, thus we opted for the Degustation Menu, which is an 8-course tasting menu. Typical french cuisine - BIG PLATES, small portions. But surprisingly, we were pretty full by the end of the dinner. Must be the bread, ha ha.
Traditionally, before the start of the dinner proper, they will serve a pre-appetizer appetizer. This dish usually changes everyday so it is really up to the chef to decide what he wants to tease your palate with. For tonight, we were greeted with an crabmeat concasse served IN a half boiled egg. It is kind of like an half boiled egg with crabmeat at the bottom and foamed egg and cream on the top...all in the shell.
We planned to take pictures of every course but the food looked so good when it came out we just started eating. We only realised that we forgot to take a picture first after we gobbled up the food... Anyway, the first course was really nice, it was marinated langoustine with caviar and baby mache. Because the langoustine was prepared raw, the chef was kind enough to prepare a special portion of scallops for hunny instead since she is expecting and not supposed to take raw stuff.
The second course was the famous pan fried foie gras, this time served with confit chicken wing and pickled raisin puree. I still stand by my opinion that the Les Amis group still serves the best foie gras ever - crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside... yummy... This was hunny's favourite dish, she almost wanted to order another portion of this after the main course.
The Pan Fried John Dory with black olive couscous was next (it's a fish for those who don't know... I used to think it was a name of some guy). We didn't get any pictures of this although we should have. The presentation was beautiful and the taste was even better. The mouth-watering foie gras made us so hungry that we totally forgot about the camera when the fish came.
Luckily, we managed to get a shot of the Maine Lobster with vine tomato fondue. This dish was just heavenly, probably my favourite dish of the night. The lobster was not too cooked thus the flesh still tasted sweet and crunchy.
The next dish was absolutely sinful... confit grilled Bigorre Pork Belly with braised lettuce. It was all fat and no meat. Every bite made me feel more and more guilty and conscious about my protruding tummy. Hunny has an excuse for hers, I don't. I think after this dish I looked more pregnant than her.
Finally the main course came... the pan roasted Venison tenderloin with chestnuts. Very nicely done without the typical over powering taste of the venison. My only complaint is that the portion was too small.
By this time, we were feeling quite satisfied with our meal. The Jackfruit sorbet which came next was a refreshing complement to the heavy meat courses we had before.
We ended the dinner with caramelized Figs on puff pastry, a simple dessert that was not too sweet. We forgot to take a shot of this one which was quite a shame cos' the presentation was really nice too. The restaurant gave us a nice surprise since it was our anniversary - a nice little chocolate layered cake. Not too sweet and the portion was just enough to fill our tummies to the brim.
You can tell from the look of our faces that we were very satisfied with our dinner.
Mmmmm.... cannot wait to do this again. Gonna start saving up for next year ha ha!
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