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From just now...

"It's the last day of the fifth month of 2008... also marks one year to the day dear dear and I are to tie the knot... let the preparations BEGIN. Hahaha... I'm currently at Great World City's foodcourt typing this entry offline, we came here to check out Planet Fitness (in hope of engaging together in some anti-gastronomical but slightly more wasitline economical activity) but the prices appear a little too steep for comfort. Did a free trial lesson called "Body Balance" though... and gah it was tough. :| Haha... Verdict: we'll be checking out cheaper alternatives for classes - no worrying for gym facilities as the school one pretty much matches that of the commercial ones out there."

I'm currently blogging from Vivocity's Pacific Coffee Company... it's been a couple of hours since I'd typed the paragraph above. In between, we made a visit to SKS, a Christian warehouse bookstore, where we lingered quite a bit. It's really been a long time since I've had such a lazy day out. And it helps, it really does. :)

Glad to have stopped by SKS - browsing through books and soaking in the worship songs... it brought about a feeling that's seemingly lost or severely dormant in me these days. God created man to worship, and when the object of worship is correct, you get the kind of connectedness and oneness you won't find elsewhere, not in self, not in money.

Flipped through a yearly devotional book and read the 30th May entry, hoping that God would use it to speak to me. And it comforts me that He still does, in full splendour of His grace, despite all the inertia and things I've done (and not done) that I wouldn't imagine would grace any of these pages (at least not now).

I've traded God's abiding joy time and again with temporal things...  and from time to time I do get sick of using the excuse that I'm "just human"  and I'm supposed to be fallible. It's so easy to forget the great and wonderful moments basking in the immense presence of our Lord on high when you're faced with things and situations that'll bring about instant gratification.

Holy... that's how some of my students are seeing me. But the truth is I'm far, far from that. Somehow, I'd forgotten the reason to persevere on this road of sanctification, to be more like Jesus. Had it not for this lazy day out...

Now I'm reminded that joy comes forth as we strive to abide in Him. And there's no better time then now, as always. And I'm just thankful that He's sent someone so dear to walk alongside this journey with me. Not just her, but many others who're running alongside. :)

Having God in our hearts places things in perspective for us; what used to be an endless pursuit of happiness by means of getting caught in the rat race of life gets turned around, knowing that He is in control, and that joy is ever present in this constant relationship that we have with Him. Relationships in general take centrestage over getting things done, or in the world's context, using one another and backstabbing one another for selfish means.

I know this sounds like a pretty weird discourse... I meant this entry as a mid year review / reflection for myself, but well, however He leads me to write. :)

Char and I each bought a pocket version of the English Standard Version of the Bible. Hopefully it'll become very giam chai (salted vegetables) a year from now after being used many times. :P

Baby Esther

I paid a visit to Kel and Grace at Kadang Kerbau Hospital (KK Hospital) the day before... to witness God's grace at work. :P It's really a great feeling to see your dear friends beaming with joy! :) Really appreciate the catchup with Kel... and I'm eternally grateful to have a brother as such - from what used to be chats about studies, to girlfriends, to future, to marriage, to babies! Hahaha... I must qualify that I do not have many friends as such, as opposed to most who've got many peer friends.. like my dear dear and her sisters. :P

Will post photos once I've gotten them onto my laptop!

Celebration of Faithfulness

The Kakis met on Monday evening to celebrate my belated birthday. This is the 5th or 6th time round already... with Matty calling from Aussieland as per previous years. I really learn a lot from the friendship forged with these three brothers and now with Char and Jacq in the picture as well. This is one bunch of people I never found deserving to have, as in, there's really nothing much I'm doing in keeping it together. It stems from a common love and a common concern, and the commitment of a few individuals, so unwavering.... and the amazing thing is that I feel secure to know that it's not about the being together all the time that's going to keep us together, nor is it about all the doing... it's simply the being.. the commitment.

And I just want to say again that hey. Can never thank you bunch enough. I finished the other half of the tiramisu cake the very next day. HUR HUR HUR. 8)

ThinkQuest

The results for this year's ThinkQuest competition came out 4am this morning. One of my teams clinched a 2nd placing in the 15 and below division and another clinched an honorable mention in the same division. It's a sort of yet another ThinkQuest "vindication" personally, to know that Hwa Chong is capable, if only the students are willing to try and give of their best. Am personally excited at the prospect of being able to travel again... hur hur. It's been quite an amazing year, first to Australia, now America, and a possible visitation trip to the United Kingdom at the end of the year. Again, those from well to do families may never understand where I'm coming from... and I can only attribute all these to a Papa who watches over His children and gives abundantly and exceedingly. :) 

Really hope that those who didn't manage to win anything this year will press on - they've put in so much more work this year! Mmmm... let's see what can be done. :)

A little more reflection and I shall be done...

Dear dear's been patiently reading her book while I type on...  hur. Okay. Srsly. I don't know what's going to happen the next half of the year with so many things going on and changes coming along the way. I do hope that my job scope will stablize in the next two terms... but I don't know. I've offered to help my colleague take over his classes once again as he goes overseas for student recruitment... but this means more work next term for me, on top of my new scope as a boarding master (yes, I'm shifting to boarding school - that will warrant a post on its own which I will write some other time). It's one which I'm taking on willingly though - it exposes me to at least seven secondary one classes... and who knows how these relationships would help in the future in the course of their journeys. I can only hope that He'll grant me the strength and the joy, to be able to see through His eyes, especially when I meet boys who are seemingly problematic. Haha... thing is, they often end up as friends. ;)

I'll appreciate every prayer that you can pray for me, and my family, and for the one that is to come. Many transitions to go through... and then I remember the mission statement of my home church, that is to grow Christ's disciples who will master life's transitions, to know that God is the constant, the never changing, the ever faithful One, and as I'm reminded through one of my students' msn nickname, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, that in Him love, joy and peace shall permeate.

Okay la. That's it for now. If you've read everything in full do drop a comment or a tag! ;)