Kids in the house!

The joy of being a Sunday School teacher/helper is... interacting with the kids! Today we invited the worship team over for a little post-PSLE get-together cum "meeting" to discuss the songs for the next two months.

 

First time we are doing that, and it was because one of the older ones said it's better to give them heads-up on what songs we choose, so that they can lead the session better. 

 

So we had pizza, fried chicken wings, fries, potato chips, coke etc. It was a short two hours and we probably screamed the whole estate down. But it was great having this bubbly bunch over; their unlimited level of energy was almost contagious.

 

Pizza by the balcony.

 

"What songs should we choose?"

It was quite funny how earlier in the day at church we were approached by parents who had concerned looks on their faces. "We heard that you are having an 'open house' today for the kids," they said, half-jokingly followed by a good-luck-to-you and I-hope-you-know-what-you-are-getting-into kind of look.

 

Granted, we had to do some major cleaning up after the kids left (we do that every time we had guests anyway). But the kids were awesome and I think they did their best to keep clean and tidy.

 

You know what people say, about how you go into something thinking that you are giving but in the end you are receiving? That's exactly how I felt today.

 

So thank you kids, for the wonderful time today. And most of all thank you God, for the chance to experience your love through your wonderful little creations.

 

 

 

 

 





Resigned

Paid back my work debts after the long leave and ended up leaving the office at 10pm.

 

The highlight of Day 1 back to the office had to be.... my resignation. I was rather sad because I had grown to love this job, including all the tight deadlines which I have gotten used to.

 

And there is still so much to learn. While I'm looking forward to another phase in life and moving to a place where life would be much slower, I'm going to miss walking with a purpose, stretching myself to the max and learning new things every day at work.

 

But who knows? My life thus far has been full of pleasant surprises (thank you Lord) and I await the next challenge God is putting me up for. In the meantime, faith, patience and obedience.

 

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

 

Amen!

 



 

Interrupted Mr. Jang's in-flight movie nidway to take pic.
Loved the transition from frown to forced smile. Ha.

Core leave. Last leg.

Two more days till the end of my core leave.

Mr. Jang joined me in Hong Kong yesterday, arriving very early in the morning with a 5am flight. I was still fast asleep when he called me to say he's already downstairs. This is the first time both of us are in Hong Kong without my parents and we took the opportunity to sleep till noon time. Thereafter, it was another day spent at Sham Shui Po, one of my favourite places for cheap bargains in Hong Kong.

The following day I took him on a nostalgic route to my old neighbourhood in Quarry Bay. Nothing changed much since I left more than twenty odd years ago - The kindergarten where I studied and the playgrounds at which Sis, Bob and I spent our childhood were still the same. It's kind of like a trip back to the past especially when I saw little kids playing on the slides. The feeling is almost surreal. I wondered if a 6-year-old me had ever imagined bringing the husband here for a visit more than two decades later.

As an early celebration of Gugu's birthday, Mom treated us, as well as Gugu and Gu Cheung, to a nice dinner at Dragon Seal Restaurant at Sky 101, which boasts a panoramic view of Hong Kong's skyline at night. We had a table by the window and the view is simply breathtaking. The food is also fantastic although the dessert is not value-for-money in my opinion, as it comes in too small a portion for the price.

 

 

We spent the second half of the evening at Sky Lounge bar, which sits on the 18th floor of Sheraton Hotel in Tsim Tsa Tsui. The bar also offers a splendid night view of Hong Kong, but the highlight for me is the wine tasting corner which allows you to try different wines by inserting a pre-paid wine card and choosing the quantity you want to drink (2.5cl to 15cl). I had loads of fun tasting wines from different years and regions!

Tomorrow will be a simple day with the grandparents before we head back to Singapore on Sunday. Hope to find more good buys in Yuen Long, where we plan to go with Grandma and Granny.

All in all it's been a great holiday thus far. I will be looking forward to going back to work on Monday, even if it's only to earn more $$ for my next trip.

My first (and probably last) core leave

The perks of working in a bank is... you HAVE to take 10 days of core leave in a row in accordance with the guidelines set by the government. The fact that you need to be physically away from the office and you can't access emails during this period makes it all the more appealing. No obligations to log in remotely from time to time to check on work emails and answer queries etc. (Did I hear a woohoo?)

My first (and probably last) core leave started out pretty well with an once-in-a-year reunion with the boys. It's almost a tradition to celebrate their birthdays together. This year, I particularly noted how much we have aged. We needed to squint at the screen and sit really close to see what songs to tick for the KTV session. It's just wonderful... seeing each other grow for the past 18 years. Hope to have many, many more birthday celebrations together.

Bert gave Mr. Jang and I tickets to the Harry Potter exhibition. Although the experience was somewhat marred by Art Science Museum staff constantly trying to milk money from us, it was still fantastic seeing all the exhibits from the Harry Potter movies. I am a major HP fan and was rather depressed after the series ended. This exhibition helped to fill the void.

 

 

And then I was off to Hong Kong, just in time for Baby Jovan's "press conference". It certainly felt like one as all the relatives were extremely anxious to meet the boy and the dinner became a major phototaking session for the baby, the parents, and whoever wishes to queue up for a photo. If Baby Jovan could hold a pen, they'd probably ask for an autograph.

 

 

As a detour, I flew to Shanghai from Hong Kong with Mom so that we could spend a few days with Dad and see where he was staying. From Shanghai, we drove around to many other places. One of which is a quaint little town called 周庄 which is essentially a 水乡 in China. It's almost like what you would see in a Chinese 武侠小说 - red lanterns, stone houses, wooden boats, worn and narrow pathways.

 

Also met up with Adel who's been working in Shanghai for the past 3.5 years. She has the best recommendation for food in Shanghai! And entertainment too... she brought us to this new KTV outlet in town which has a mini platform and standing mic. A favourite with Dad who loves to sing to an audience.

 

On my last night in Shanghai, Dad brought us to this place called 老外街 which is an area lined with pubs and eateries with live music. The atmosphere was good and he said it's better than 新天地 - the prices are also more reasonable.

Hence, thus far my core leave has been great. Loads of shopping, eating, and spending time with friends and family. Five more days to go before heading back to work (and before I have the talk with boss)!

Amazing Bangkok. Part 2.

I TOLD YOU.

I told you I will go again when I have the chance and I DID! Pestered Mr. Jang like crazy and woohoo! We went back to BKK again last weekend to pick up where we left off! Mind you, this came at a price. Mr. Jang covered the airfare while I paid for hotel and the spending money for the both of us (doubled that of last trip) but I haven't been happier! ^ ^ At last, I have enough shopping and eating money!

And we were smarter this time round. Did all our necessary must-have shopping within the first day (went CTC, Platinum, MBK, Victory Monument and Terminal 21). On the second day, we laze around in the hotel and had a good swim in the pool (and eating fries by the poolside) before heading out. The highlight has got to be Sortrel where there's good music and air-con (unlike Banrie which is mostly outdoors).

I think these two trips have more or less satisfied my Bangkok cravings. But then again, I will never grow tired of this place (just now how I will never grow tired of France.) Looking forward to the next trip there. ^_________________________^

This place at CTC sells the most wonderful fried chicken. Ordered two round.

Back at Banrie to relive the Tom Yum and try the Pad Thai.

Mr. Jang chose pink (!) for a top at Terminal 21.

My new boyfriend at Terminal 21. I wanted to sit in his lap but alas! The butt has grown a little too fat for that.

The mooooooo cheesecake and pudding.

We look more like BFF. Hahahaha... @Sortrel near Chong Nongsi.

Ok this one look more like husband and wife.

Ottoya at half the price in Singapore!

My new leather Labrador organiser. B2S @Central World

Angel boy

"Out 0128." BIL WhatsApp-ed us.

A short sentence to announce the birth of J, one of the most adorable babies we've ever seen two and a half weeks ago.

At 2.94kg J appeared tiny and wrinkled when we visited him first thing in the morning. Like all babies, he was fast asleep but I couldn't resist poking him (like how I used to poke Sis' tummy). I couldn't believe I have a nephew and Sis couldn't believe that she is a mother now. "That thing that was in my tummy," she said when she pointed to J.

Fast forward to today, it's been a short 15 days since J's arrival and already he is the apple of our eyes. A quiet baby who only cries when he is hungry or when he has pooed, he appears to be one of the easiest babies to handle. He is already learning how to smile, and that is the sweetest thing that I've ever seen.

People always say that newborns are the cutest because they are at their most innocent state. As the days go by they will grow to become more "scheming" as they pick up tricks to manipulate the adults.

I do hope J will stay a sweet, innocent baby longer. He would really look like a tiny angel boy if given a pair of baby wings.

Amazing Bangkok

"I WANT TO GO BANGKOK!!!"

That was my desperate cry to Mr. Jang a week ago. I really, really needed a short getaway and Bangkok popped into my mind immediately because of the food, the shopping, the whatever whatever. I've been there umpteenth times and I'd never, never grow bored of Bangkok. It's THE PLACE to go if you just want a quick overseas perk-me-up! So Mr. Jang worked his magic. He bought tickets on Wednesday and then off we went on Friday morning!

Needless to say, the trip was just full of... eating and shopping. It was a trip of new discoveries and old familiar places for me. On our first day, we chanced upon Terminal 21, a new shopping mall next to Westin Hotel, and after grabbing a bite we went around floor by floor to look at the different stalls. Every level is uniquely themed around a different city, even the toilets are designed according to the country/city's culture!

Pad Thai and Fried Rice

Tokyo fashion in Terminal 21

And then, following a short rest back at the hotel and a failed attempt to shop at Platinum Mall, Mr. Jang brought me to this charming place frequented by locals. Ban Rie is an outdoor restaurant next to Ekkamai station which serves local food and western bites, and has a fantastic live band singing a mix of Thai and English songs.

Give the lady a Singha!

OMG-so-shiok Tom Yum Soup

The next morning, while waiting for Mr. Jang's Thai friend Dream to swing by to pick us up, we crossed the road to this breakfast cafe Au Bon Pain to have fresh croissants with egg and bacon with cafe latte. It's simply heavenly (so much so that we came back to have the same thing the next day!)

If only Singapore has this!

After visiting Pang Pang Big Size and her new born baby (I shan't upload the photos here because Mr. Jang said her in-laws are very strict), Dream dropped us off at Chatuchak market where ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE. There's ain't many photos of shopping because obviously I was too busy to take out the camera but yes, it was just madness! The major unfortunate thing was that when we tried to change for more money to shop, the money changer was closed! That sort of left a big hole in my heart and till now, five days after we came back, I still go "grrrrr" at Mr. Jang cos I think we should have changed more before we left SG.

Pork chop at Chatuchak

Mr. Jang's burger... looks quite juicy, I think!

Ever so happy when he gets to sit down and eat/drink.

Yakitori cravings satisfied.

On the last day of the trip, we wanted to go to Siam Square but alas! The only place was under some kind of reconstruction. The only other place we could go in the interest of time was MBK. So off we went and we ate like, two rounds of Japanese ramen because it was so cheap - 120Baht for a bowl of ramen, six gyoza and a drink. The rest of the money (or whatever was left) was spent on buying snacks for our colleagues.

I really hope I'd get a chance to visit Bangkok again soon... like in the next two months? I feel that my retail therapy stopped too abruptly due to the lack of capital and I haven't eaten enough yet! Mr. Jang said he is checking out the ticket prices again, so if I could I would really go again - this time fully-prepared with $$$!!!

Happy Dobby

We broke record - this is the highest no. of pax in our house!

Mr. Jang always takes on the role of Dobby whenever my friends are around, so when I learnt that his whole team would be coming down to our house for team bonding, I took leave so that I can be his Dobby and help out in the kitchen and other miscellaneous tasks.

Had a great time chatting with his colleagues in between cleaning up and putting out more food and drinks on the table.

I think I made a happy and diligent Dobby!

Inspiring lives, realising dreams.

With the event mascots on the last day of the event. Check out the eye bags that came with the 3hrs of sleep per day week! 

My poor paint-stained "brokenstock" after days of walking, climbing stairs and tripping over paint brushes.

We did it! Over four consecutive days we reached out to close to 90 low income families to help their children create a more conducive environment to study, so that they can concentrate on getting a proper education and take one step closer to realising their dreams and ambition.

Personally, it was the toughest event ever (not even APEC can match it) because I was the overall planner and coordinator for internal comms, scheduling the video crew and photographers and producing daily coverage on the website until post midnight. Thank God for my hardworking intern who slogged it out with me at the base and in the office (and also for 2B for her help in getting the interviews and vetting our content). I was quite pleased with the results and grateful that the coverage was rather well-received. Our efforts have not gone into waste.

One of the more touching moments for me during this event was when my "students" from the earlier camp recognised me and gave me bear hugs (yes I was covered in paint!) and big smiles when I visited their homes. I realised truly what it meant when my dad told me "people might not remember what you say, but they will always remember how you made them feel." Even though I had to drag myself out of bed early on Saturday for that camp, I found that it really pays to make that effort and make a difference in these children's lives. They may not remember the money concepts I've taught them, but they remembered that someone care enough to teach them that day.

In another 2-3 months' time there is a possibility of me not being with the current company anymore. It's really a short stint but I enjoyed the portfolio while it lasted and am glad that I made some good friends there. Every job is an opportunity to grow wiser and better in developing skill sets and handling interpersonal relationships. I hope my colleagues have also found me a pleasant colleague to work with. :)

Train a child in the way he should go...

"They have short attention span." " They lack joy in worship." "They don't know how to pray." "We need more parents' involvement in the children's spiritual life...." "We need more teachers!" "Got more budget?"

Interesting thoughts from about 20 of us at the Children Ministry retreat held at the British Club today. I had thought that only the worship team (where Mr. Jang and I were involved) faces such issue since we deal with a big group of kids but in fact, the smaller care groups are facing just the same challenges as we do.

My 1000km/h brain immediately thought of the solutions to all these and I was wondering why PC, who was organising the session, kept asking us to hold discussions on the solutions. I realised after lunch that she wants us to think through why we are here in the first place: Our purpose (the "mission" of Children Ministry), Our product (we actually want the children to be disciples of God who produce more and more disciples!), and Our priorities (building an atmostphere of love, a dependence on prayer, a tripartite relationship with parents and the larger church, a word-centred ministry and inculcating the proper knowledge of Christ and the Gospel).

And then we think about Our processes - do we want more parents-teachers interaction, do we want to plan local missions to orphanages and old folks homes, do we try to have a greater alignment of adult worship and children worship? All these will have to be thought through with the first 3 Ps in mind.

The session was peppered with funny moments too - thanks to Mr. Jang. Our team tried to come up with hilarious acrostics e.g. for the values of Children Ministry, we had "iSWAT" - i) not "I" but "others", ii) Servanthood, iii) a heart of Worship, iv) Applying biblical wisdom to life and v) Togetherness in prayer, sharing of each other's burdens and encouragement.

I was also secretly glad that Mr. Jang and I were in the same team - more that just being husband and wife, I think we complement each other well in that I take down notes and do the writing while he does the talking (what he is good at). Also got to learn much from H and EK, who had loads of insightful thoughts.

The session was finally over after long discussions and presentations (and loads and loads of food!) The road to building an effective Children Minstry won't be easy with so many distractions for the kids today, but at least this team of dedicated teachers will persevere to the end despite occasional burntouts! A demonstration of servanthood indeed!

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it." - Proverbs 22:6

Solitude

I love being alone. I love the quietness, the sense of peace and tranquility that makes you go "hmmm, I am breathing in a beautiful, amazing world."

I love the quality time spent with myself be it sitting there pondering over something or picking up my ukulele and singing gentle worship songs. Clears my eyes and mind to "troubles" that shouldn't even be defined as such in the first place, and restores the inner balance I need after a long, hectic day at work.

I love just penning down my thoughts in moments like this, because having the ability to write is something that we take for granted most of the time, let alone typing on a laptop when some poorer parts in the world are still coping with the lack of electricity and illiteracy.

When I am alone, I also learnt to appreciate what good company means, and how I need to strike a balance to ensure the growth of a healthy relationship.

Grow old with me

Something about this photo moved me. I think it speaks of the admiration this uncle has for his lady companion while she went on stage to sing.

He even whipped out his camera and took a photo of her.

I think there is nothing sweeter in this world than knowing that love is still in the air even as you reach your 70s. (^ ^)



Everybody wants to be a hero

It would be quite a pointless question if I were to ask how many people have watched the Avengers. It's one of the hotttest, most action packed movies this season and clearly everyone, or at least 8 out of 10 people, would have seen it.

I grew up with Heman, Sheila and other superheros in HK when I was young too. As a child, I dreamt of flying, doing dangerous stunts, rescuing victims and getting my face plastered all over the newspapers so that the citizens can applaud in awe of my bravery and humanly-impossible heroic acts.

There is nothing wrong with having a hero to look up too, whether they are fictitious or real. It also teaches us that good always triumps over evil. But as I grew older, come across different people and witness different politics in the course of work, I took a different perspective on this issue and ask: Do we really need to be a (super)hero?

1. The superhero wins all the time
The superhero always triumps at the end of the movie. It's a given - no matter what obstacles they come across, they will ride over it (most of the time with their super powers) and gain victory. Good lessons learnt on using your wit, assets and abilities. But learning how to deal with defeats are equally important as gaining victory. Without tasting defeat, and learning how to accept them, you will not experience the true joy of success. Are we then teaching our kids enough about defeat, so that when they grow up, they learn to handle it graciously, take it in their stride, and try harder next time?

2. The superhero is always right
The superhero is always right - his predictions, his reasoning... his words has a sense of aura around him. We always want to be right too, to gain that recognition from others that we smarter, more intelligent, and more enlightened than the rest. But the fact is, we can never always be right! So don't assume for a second that we can. The sooner we accept that, the better we are in being humble in our atttitude in continuous learning.

3. The villain is bad, bad, bad
The villain is always bad in the movie and we are taught that following his ways will lead us to doomsville. But in real life, are we confusing "villains" with just simply nasty people? Putting aside the unpleasant feeling of dealing with theses people, can we find something that we can learn? Develop a habit of staying objective (and sometimes immune) to the meanness of the other person, and then we can find that there is something to be learnt, even from the "villain"!

A night. Packed with action.

Was helping out at Fel's event tonight and was expecting a straight foward event - simple registration duties, taking note of a couple of figures, distributing game sheets and door gifts. Little did I expect that it would be a night filled with drama:
1) Fel cut her finger really badly when she caught it in between the glass door (a spoilt one) as it swung shut. It was literally like a murder scene. Blood was splashed against the glass, dripping down her wrist on the floor and staining the registration table. I think her nail was also split open by the impact. She was ever so calm (like she always is) and I was practically fainting inside. Wanted to get the first aid box but it was beside the stage and the event has already started with Min as GOH. Ran to a nearby shop and nearly screamed for help ("Sorry!!!! First aid, first aid!!!!!!!"). Managed to bundle up her finger together with Yv then gotta redo it again an hour later cos it was just bleeding so badly. She only went to see a doctor after the event is over. Boy, is she my heroine.

2) Saw my former colleague who was there to support Min (I miss them so much!)... it was such a nice surprise cos I didn't expect to see him at all though I did wonder who will be coming down and if I'd know him/her since I was in CS for so long. It's so cool that we are at the same work event together, even though we ain't colleagues anymore!

3) Overheard that someone has fainted while taking part in one of the night's activities. Saw his pale looking face when we changed Fel's dressing at the room beside the hall. Wonder if any media has caught that dramatic moment.

It was still overall a good event - one that I enjoyed despite being really tired by the end of it. I think what makes me feel great is that for the first time since coming, I feel a sense of team spirit. For me, this is what makes me want to stay in a work place. Great colleagues and team work definitely make work fun and worth the effort.

Goodbyes

It was Irys' last day with us at the office on Friday. Although I've only known her for 9 months (we came in at the same time last year), I felt rather attached to her because our characters are quite alike and she is one of the very few people in the office I could truly talk to. That common background from the civil service probably helped... Though there are still nice souls around the current organisation, it is a totally different culture out here. Definitely competitive and not the cosy, family kind of environment from my previous jobs. I will miss her loads! Bye bye girl and hope you will continue to shine in your new job! :(

On Friday, we also said goodbye to the old office in town as we will be moving into a swing space in the wild wild west for the next two months while the current office undergoes renovation. I am actually quite glad to be moving out of the old office, because the place was really getting a tad cluttered from all the stuff handed down from the previous generation of predecessors. It was a painful process of packing and throwing out stuff though and there were quite a few human casualties - poor Irys, in her last few weeks with us, suffered a nose bleed from all the dust from the packing, and I cut myself on the finger from a broken painting. I really hope we can keep the new office tidy!

Une goutte de pluie

Tout ce que je veux, c'est devenir une goutte de pluie. Je voyagerai le monde tout entier et quand j'arrive a la fin de ma vie, j'irais au paradis.

 

Jayesslee in CHC 2 (on 9 Jul 2011)

Have always loved their voices.

Their testimony here is very touching. Maybe because Mom also had cancer before, I can somewhat relate.

Thank God, that He gave Mom another chance at life and to be a testimony of His love - being a volunteer on weekends and a bible study leader on weekdays.

And yes, rejoice in all circumstances!

You jumped...

Over the course of three weeks, I have heard three cases of youngster suicides. Nope, not from the newspapers, but from colleagues and friends which made it all the more "real". I suppose it is nothing new, people choose to end their lives for all sorts of reasons. But it makes me ponder: if you have the courage to jump, why not the courage to live?

It is especially sad to hear young suicide cases because they have so much potential to pick themselves up again after failures. Even if the society seems to give no room for mistakes, can we ourselves learn to break loose from the expectations we or others place on ourselves? It is equally important - learning to succeed and learning to fail.

I don't know if there are any books on learning to fail (I know plenty about learning to succeed). My personal experience from trying to be a perfectionist is to make it a habit to forgive yourself. Forgiving does not equate to justifying your actions or making excuses, but admitting that you were wrong and you made a mistake, sometimes grave enough to hurt more than just yourself. In which case, accept the punishment or consequences with humility, and face tomorrow with a new heart and new hope.

my little buddy

Feeling terribly feverish with an itchy throat since Sunday evening. In fact, I haven't had the time to rest at all the whole week due to vol work on Sat morn and CM duties on Sunday and I was working pretty late last week.

But I couldn't miss seeing my little buddy... wanted to pat his head and to bear hug him though I know he hates it - he probably thinks I am messing up his fur for nothing.

Sis said he has been behaving weirdly, scratching the door (the wrong side of it) in the middle of the night for nothing, barking out of the blue. Definitely signs of old age.

One day, his eyes will fail him but I hope he will always remember those soft touches to his head and the not-so-gentle hugs when I pounce on him. I am always prepared for the day when he will go because I know it will come sooner or late. Till then, I will try to spend as much time with him as I can and hope that he is enjoying his last years on earth with us as a family.

"Surprise!" says God.

"I sent you an email. Read it before you open the letter," B said.

I said a timid "OK" before turning to my comp. It was bonus day (or so they called it) and bosses were handing out letters. But he joked that some of us might need to start packing our bags after opening our letters.

I am about six months into the job and I still haven't received a confirmation letter/email yet. Although HR said no news is good news (meaning confirmation might have already happened without you being informed in this company), the worrisome part of me still went "oh no, is he going to explain why he can't confirm me due to headcount freeze/restructuring etc?" :/

The email read something to the effect of B thinking I did a good job during the short time I am here, and he wants to reflect that in my salary.

I did a double-take when I saw the new figure in the letter. Not because it is a sky-high increment (it isn't), but because it is much more than I expected, given that it's supposed to be pro-rated (if any at all). And certainly it is more than what I think I deserved.

Am once again amazed by all the wonderful surprises God is giving out from time to time. Deeply humbled, and very thankful.