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I'm currently waiting for lunch to be ready at the ARK Cafe with Dori my sister... thought it'll be a good time to drop an update and let the reader in a lil' on what's been going on. The ARK Cafe is located at Ann Siang Hill by the way... and it's opened by JJ Lin. It's funny sometimes to hear of Dori's stories of her personal encounters with him... haha. And the cafe's currently blasting Chris Tomlin's latest album! :)

Anyways, was at SGH with her earlier in the morning for her quarterly bone marrow test and check up. Dori has been responding well to the trial drug which she has been on for the past nine months... besides the initial reactions and hospitalisation last year, all's been alright thus far, the blood test results, bone marrow test results... thank God. :)

Marriage life has been sweet thus far... evident by my weight gain. Hahaha... nah. I was standing in the bus this morning on the way to the hospital when the thankfulness came once more... I guess there were many things that Char and I worked out during our courtship days that led to this rather good transition... and now that we're staying together, we find ourselves having more opportunities to be together, to do things together, to go out together... amidst all the family and friend gatherings... yay to that! :) There are things to work out still... like our sleeping patterns - Char cannot sleep too late into the night because she has to wake up early for work the next day while I find myself more productive work-wise in the wee hours... well, when two become one, we'll have to work out our schedules to become one bah. Some of my boys came by yesterday... it's heartening to see how they're rather at ease with one another. (:

Dad, mom, Char and I were in the same room last weekend when we returned to visit... I was doing my work on the comp while mom looked on in bed... Char was doing hers when dad started talking about his work... then she started replying to him. As I looked back... I'm really thankful how God so graciously allowed us to be favoured by our respective in-laws and sisters... in that as much as it means much to us, it's also a sign to us that it's a God-blessed union. Hahaha oh... I realised I'm in another season of having a smiley at the end of every paragraph! :P

A few more days and it's officially back to work... with the H1N1 situation, no one really knows if the home learning would occur for the first week... but regardless, Char and I are both making preparations. There are things to do that I've been putting off which I know I can no longer put off... and it's not because of inertia, but rather a little tinge of helplessness within me to know that it really isn't my cup of tea when it comes to event management. Well, shan't say much for now... just hoping that things will turn out okay eventually.

And yeah... I'll be shifting office soon. I've been in this student lounge type place the past year or so playing caretaker to the place for the boys... now management feels that it's not good for me to be isolated from the rest of the staff, and with the under-utilization of the place, they've decided to shut it down and move me to the staff room. I have to admit about the isolation part... think it isn't really healthy for an introvert... Mmm. So on one hand, while I'm looking forward to the prospect of being better integrated with my colleagues, I am aware of the loss of opportunity to interact with the boys who would pay a visit once in a while. Well... somehow I don't find it so hard to let go this time round. Some things... I finally found it easier to leave in God's hands then to constantly seek for the circumstance that I would want. :)

I must admit that there are times now and then when I actually ask myself if it's worth the energies to constantly step out of my comfort zones in my current job. I must confess that the temptation to fall back on the things that I've placed on my backburners are great - firstly would be the time freed up... and of course, the ability to better support the family in terms of finances... It's getting harder to remember the reason why I'm back here in the first place. Was taking the photo messages that my boys did for me for my birthday last month out of their frames yesterday morning... reading some of the messages again made me remember. Sometimes I don't know if they realise how powerful their words of encouragement can be... they are, at least to me. And the amazing thing is that some of the most meaningful ones came from those whom I don't have the privilege of time and situation to interact with them. One of them thanked me for the hard work and encouraged me to be the same for future batches to come... another one reflected on what I wrote to them before on relationships. Yeah, I write to them from time to time (to most, I would probably be just an online persona since I don't meet them in their classrooms) not knowing if any of them would actually remember any teenie bit of the things I write... well, apparently some, if not, one, did. :)

And yeah... haha. More than a teacher... more than I can ever think of...? That message was short... but I looked at it for a long time. :)

Haha yeah... I don't how the next half a year would be like... but if anything, I'll continue to learn to do as God says... and continue to live this life of thanksgiving along the way. I will be involved in a worship concert coming up in July... looking forward to seeing the Oops! Asia family! :)

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Hello. (:

I've been away with Char for the past two weeks in Koh Samui for our honeymoon... probably won't get to post photos here due to time constraints, but for those who're linked in Facebook, you can check out the albums over there. I must say it'd been a good break of sort... but yeah, I've put on some weight. Quite terrible actually. Must try to get back in shape again! Haha...

It's been meeting after meeting right after we're back... tonight we caught the movie "Dance, Subaru!" together with our sisters and Char's parents at Orchard Cineleisure.

It's getting harder and harder for me to make new postings... cause time after time I've found nothing post"worthy" to write... or perhaps it's due to the limited time that I have to let my mind wander these days, nothing really hits me hard enough for me to write an entry on. I've got some afterthoughts after watching this manga-turned-movie... so I thought it'll be good to jot them down here.

In short, the movie depicts a girl (Subaru) with a passion for dancing... and how her perseverance paid off in spite of all the hardships and heartaches that she went through from young (loss of mother, brother, and a really good mentor and friend). Just two takeaways...:

Subaru's mentor who coached her from young refused to sign her up for a dance competition under her wing and be her dance coach even though that would mean losing her (shan't disclose too much lest it becomes spoiler)... her words hit home: "there's nothing left that I can teach her".

Letting go is never easy... and I realise that it's a fine line of being selfish or for the other party. Years ago, I didn't understand... but now I do. There are seasons when I'll be called into people's lives... and sometimes it's easy to be tempted to stretch the time beyond my expiry date because of the bonds forged. That's where I've to keep reminding myself that whereas the seasons may be gone, the bonds, Lord willing, would go on.

We had a rather late dinner at the BBQ Chicken outlet there thereafter... and as those afterthoughts twirled round and round my mind in the midst of eating and chatting with deardear, our sisters and my new set of parents, I just felt thankful... that how God has been so good all the while, in that He places wonderful people in my life through and through to encourage me on.

(:

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I've just gone through the two biggest days of my life. Don't think I'll write long... but just to jot down the highlights.

29th May was filled with last minute packing and preparations for the wedding. There was so much to do and settle I thought I wouldn't be able to get the ample rest that everyone's asking me to have... but thank God, I managed to get to rest at about 10-ish. It was hard getting to sleep... partly because of the constant flow of smses that just kept coming in... and me having the tendency to read and reply to them... Haha. Managed to get 5 - 6 hours of sleep eventually.

I started 30th May pretty much on a blank state of mind... I guess I was quite overwhelmed by all the things that was to come... so my mind kind of went into autopilot mode? Haha... Deardear looked beautiful. :)

For all the things that happened, I could only thank God for making them happen, blessing Deardear and I with so many wonderful brothers, sisters and friends around us, most who went out of their way to ensure that the day's proceedings went well. The list of people whom we want to thank is very, very long.. and this wouldn't be the best of avenue for me to list them. We would probably spend time over our honeymoon to work them out. :) But seriously... we give thanks for the graciousness and love that our Heavenly Dad has shown us through the sacrificial love many others have showered upon our lives. :)

And yeah... am especially thankful to see so many of our students being a part of this very special occasion, both the helpers and the attendees. :)

We were going through the red packets when I came across one given by my student. The red packet contained a folded up piece of foolscap paper... on which was a note which he'd written for me. I almost teared la. Haha... I guess it wasn't so much of what he'd written for me, but it's a joy to see how they've slowly but surely learnt to express themselves and in doing so, benefitting themselves and others along the way. Yes... I am touched... and your writing didn't sux. ;)

Which brings me to 31st May 2009. The Integrated Boarding Programe held her last programme for the cycle - the IBP Family Day, which marked the end of the batch's stay in the programme. The guys presented some special items... let's just say that I am extremely thankful not to have missed them. It really has been a blessing to be part of this initiative, to have this kind of opportunity and environment to grow along with this bunch of wonderful youths... but more so, it would be a constant joy to see how they grow along in life and fulfill their life's calling in the future... and to have prodded along with them this leg of their journeys. Programmes may end, people may part... but just as how I've been in contact with some of the WEBs people, albeit not as frequent anymore, I hope that out of this batch of people there would be some whom I would be able to keep in long term contact.

And I hope that each day... that He would constantly tutor me to constantly look at life with a cheerful and thankful heart, no matter what the circumstances may be, good or bad, happy or sad.

Deardear and I prayed together this morning before heading down for breakfast... I don't really know how to explain this, but it makes me even more thankful that it happened, because I know that I definitely couldn't have done so by myself. :)

Haha okay the laptop battery's running low... shall return it to the staff and go back to the hotel room already. Till the next entry! ;)