A Strawberry filled life: July 2005

Housi...bright and sunny!

Dining table..

Comfy couch

Not too bad for a start huh! :)

Midnight supper @ Jalan Kayu

Famous one woo

Initial D model! Trueno! Finally saw one in Singapore!

Trueno...what a babe

Reali look like the Tou Fu car Jay drove!

My Helper, the Holy Spirit

I am really thankful for the Holy Spirit's prompt whenever i am near danger. It could never have been my imagination because who would tell yourself "Hey you are in danger"? Anyway, i know my God is a good God and the Holy Spirit within me is also keeping watch over me. Once the Holy Spirit has spoken, its up to you if you want to heed it or not.

Today i am supposed to have an SYF meeting in the afternoon. A relief teacher has already been employed for me today. But as i was brushing my teeth, i suddenly feel very uneasy and the Holy Spirit prompted me to confirm the meeting before i go. I thought there was no need since it was already clear information but i felt so uneasy and i started to have stomachache (whenever i am worried!). I began to make several calls to confirm the meeting and true enough, the chairman of the committee has taken leave and apparently he did not inform us that the meeting is cancelled! My Oh My!

I immediately called my school to cancel the relief teacher. I cant imagine what would happen should i still go for the meeting and not only my kids will be short-changed, my school will definitely scream at me for that. Really thank God for pulling me before i fell!

In fact the Holy Spirit never cease to speak or warn us. He is God's helper for us. Should we exercise our Spiritual ears more and lean more on the knowledge and plans or God, we could have saved ourselves from alot of problems and dangerous situations. Today, i make a committment to always listen with my Spiritual ears and to hold on close to the Holy Spirit.

Power & Position

I had a talk with my supervisor and i was really disappointed. I couldnt really enjoy my lunch too...

She told me that since i am in the position of the coordinator, i have the "power" and ofcos the "position". My very good friend marcia seems to be doing a lot of this for the art scene and marcia and i are both very clear of our individual roles though many may not. My sup told me that i cannot let people have the impression that marcia is overthrowing me. frankly speaking, i dont really care. I would gladly give up the post to marcia, anytime! Sup told me that i have to come up with ways to let people see her as beneath me and that i am the "supreme" one. I want my friendship with marcia, not a relationship trying to overthrow one another seeing who has the ultimate "power". I know she too feels this way.

I am greatly burdened because this world don't seem to allow me to be a person of simplicity. I just want to serve and work the best way i can. You ask me if i want promotions or positions, seriously, i don't. Everything i do, i do it with a clear conscience. God sees and my promotion is in Him.

To the people in this world, don't let power and position steal your soul. It's not worth it.

After BS on our way to Selegie famous Tau Huey again!

Hee hee...blur Gary..

Two of us ate 3 tau huey, 2 egg tarts and 5 dunno what ball ball?!

This is the unknown ball ball!

Yummy Portugese Egg tart!

My Girl, Esther. She said she wanna be like queen Esther!

Calvin, many teachers say he like very good looking! Gary and i call him "SongBong Kid" Muah ha ha..

Seriously doing project..

Huh??!!

Diligently making "houses"

Whole class enjoy doing project!

Oh...whos that?!

God of no Fears

I made a really grave mistake just now. I heard from other teachers that i am sure "dead" and that my HOD was literally fuming! I dunno the intensity until Mrs Thang came and told me i submitted the wrong exam papers! Oh NO!!! That's like the worst thing that can happen to you and probably the worst blunder you could ever make! I knew she wanted to see me and gosh...my heart was pounding as if i just ran 2.4km! She was famous for yelling at teachers even at their slightest mistake!

I checked through the mistakes and quickly prepared the right one. On my way down to the HOD room, i was really praying and God... take away all my fears! I rehearsed all my lines and when i saw her, i kept apologising.

BAM!.... God did a miracle for me! My HOD was peeling the skin of the banana and she was like *blur* She even dropped half her banana on the desk and laughed. I apologised to her and she was like *Ok ok* and said *bananas are good!* She just told me to be more careful next time. Thats all!

Thank you God! I know you hate seeing fears in me. Thank you for giving me such a great miracle!

With every END comes a BEGINNING

Last week during cell group, sis kless taught us that our endings is really God's beginning. It is often when we are near "death" then we will see God's hand lifting us up. Not because God enjoys seeing us at our wits ends always but really, He desires to see our hearts dependent on Him and nothing else. We cannot fully let God take over until we see how helpless we can be in situations.

I have been thinking about how this works but God again showed me through real life experiences. Gary told me that he was really down on Monday because he had not found any job. I believe that's his "dead end". We prayed very hard and i know with the dead end will come the beginning. true enough, God started opening doors for him. Today, he received not one but three openings! two calls from Philips and CAAS asking him for interviews. His friend also called and asked him if he wanted to take over his position. Wow! Now you see how God works! He gives you more than you can ever imagine! Praise God! i pray that God will grant him a good job, a place where He will be glorified the most.

I have experienced my dead end here in school too. I do not have any good friends and i almost wanted to quit and just go. It was a bitter state and i am really "dying". I prayed for many many hours just for a breakthrough in my workplace in terms of relationships and true enough, God showed me His faithfulness again. He blessed me with not one, but three very good friends! Now i am really happy to be in school! Cant thank God enough for all His beginnings!

Gary n I made this bowl garden! Nice?? We're keeping it for Housi :)

A different one (also made by us oh), we gave it to Aunty Lisa who is always so nice to us

This is a bigger one, made for my mother-in-law. She said its beautiful!

We went to far east Flora to get the gardening materials

This freezer is so cold! Where all the flowers were kept

Gary amazed by the many beautiful plants

Thats me in the "jungle"

Plants everywhere!

Giant cactus! Nicey!

Hairy Cactus...eeee...

Heres what we ve got to start our gardening project :) Thank God Gary likes gardening too!

Coco yawning after working on the com for so long :P

Hmm...wheres the switch?

House of Love

God also rested one day from all His work. I am also resting while Gary is in church..Hee....

We had a long day yesterday and truly a home is built on the love level, not on the beautiful or expensive things you put in. You can have the nicest things in the house but when people walk in, it wont feel like a home should love not be felt. Gary and i agreed that we'll always maintain the love level in Housi.

Angeline and Nelson signed the papers for a new Condo yesterday. I was thrilled and really happy for them! A condo! Yeah!!! I can go their place to swim! It will be ready in December and they're getting married in June next year. It was really a happy news. i am really happy for the two of them, because they will have a beautiful house and their own lovenest. Same principle goes too, Guys, keep the love level high! It doesnt matter how big or expensive your house may be, its the love level that counts! I am sure you two will do a good job on that and i cant wait to see your house!!!

Talking about our houses, lets look at God's House! Its the same too...houses...yeah... Presence of God will be able to be felt should the love level be high and real. The love level of who? People and God, People among one another, leaders among one another and the church as a whole. Should all the members truly love God and one another, i can guarantee presence of God will be there! Its not so easy because we are not perfect but one thing we can play a role in is to try our best. Cell group is a house too. Disagreements bury love. Unteachable spirit buries love. Pride buries love. Self-centredness buries love. Disrespect buries love...so many and so many but there are just a few of us in the cell. imagine if each one of us carries one of the above, the love level will be ZERO!

We can start right here. Forgive and forget. Respect those we need to respect. Love covers and should not be harboured. We can play a part in keeping the love level high, and now you know that the presence of God doesnt depend in the guitarist, on the people singing, or even on the leader. It depends on all of us!

Hee Hee...walking to Carsi after shopping shopping :)

Gary looking at Congee stall..hmm...wonder what was he thinking!?

Yippee! Grandma bought us a rice cooker! Nicey Nicey!

Putting rice cooker into the boot, next destination..IKEA SALE!

Delivery man here fixing our dining table oh

Our platform bed :)

What drives you?

Power, positions and material possessions are important. Many people would love to have them and being human, whenever we see people having them, we will want them too, even though there is no concrete motivation behind.

i tend to stray away sometimes, in trying to convince myself that i should have this and that too. Thankfully the Holy Spirit always brings me back on track. Whatever things i possess, whether its power or position, if its not from God, if its not out of the right motivation, they will slip away eventually and we wont be able to be performing it as well as we should.

I wanna keep my focus right. Need God to continue telling me where i should head. I know why i want to be a teacher. I know the motivation behind, thats why i can keep going. I hope wherever place i serve, it will also be out of the right motivation. No one to impress, no one to boast... all for one audience, God. Even i remain a nobody, i want to serve the best way i can, as if serving God in His palace. Its not about fame, not about feeling bigger, because if its not of the right driving force, you wont be able to sustain it and still lose it. Why put yourself through that when you already know right from the start?

If God tells you that you will be like this forever, serving only Him and no specific position, will you still serve as hard? Does it matter so much to you? Weigh it! If your audience is not God, i would advise you to let it go now. Go for something that has the right driving force and is really approved by God.

Breakfast at LIDO open air Mac, nice feeling!