Confirmation

I am posting because I really have to thank God for the way He's been moving in my life. He's been confirming my mission and really comforting me, I've been getting the feeling that if I am faithful to Him with business as my ministry, then He'll be faithful and give to me my heart's one desire: a loving home with wife and kids.

Small things like yesterday, I talked with an immigration lawyer and he gave a contact for evaluating my degree. It was my mistake to not save the text file I had written it in but when I was helping my mom with her Sunday school stuff, I accidentally killed my text file. I absolutely panicked. But armed with only an area code, a vague recollection of the person's last name, and the fact that it was a degree evaluation company, God helped me google out the name and contact. I was so relieved. Incredible. My mom said that God takes care of those who do His work and I believe that is true.

Later that day, for my friend's going out party, one of her friends was chatting and I found out she used to be a knowledge manager at two of the Big 4 accounting firms and her husband was a consultant, with a software background, at Arthur Anderson. I got both some great advice and confirmation that I was on the right track. They told me that being a consultant was very much about personality - you had to be able to be independent, identify the client's needs, come up with the solution, convince people to use the solution; you had to get it done and no excuses about it. Well, roughly that's what I remember. Haha, I just mainly remember I'm on the right track. Great people. And my friend's awesome. Haha.

And the verse that spoke to me this morning: John 12:24-25 "Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal."

Oh. In case you don't know my mission: to develop communities, by helping people improve their businesses, for the glory of God. Sounds like consulting to me and they thought so too. =)

Been happier and more stable these past few days / weeks (my memory's kinda melded). A colleague even complimented me for being "emotionally stable". Cool. Haha!

Buzzed.

For reasons I don't fully understand (but yes, I'm well aware of my sexual orientation) I've been feeling very happy today studying at a university well known for its very pretty female students. And no, I'm still being decidedly anti-social (though attending the young adult worship session on Sundays and hopefully eventually the small groups involved therein will change that) so I'm not really doing anything about that. Just being happy. Haha!

On other news, I'm feeling amused at discovering that I might be turning into a slight workaholic. Slight. Two jobs, one of which simultaneously scares the crap out of me while making me feel excited at the challenge, and the other just provides some cash. A far better disciplined approach to school than I've ever mounted. Ever. Though I can still do better.

So as of today, I'm just very grateful to God. He's been good. I'm just really thinking that in terms of the social thing, I should step up more while letting go of things to him more. You know, in Singapore, He pretty much pieced together the support network I really badly needed. It wasn't even close to meeting me halfway, it was more like 90% of the way, kinda like, you better say yes, Joe. Though without the pressure. I mean, I was the one who pressured myself cuz I knew how badly I was doing.

Anyway, no, this post isn't really significant as to whether this blog will be revived. Heck, I might start a new one. You know, with a better name. Or rename this. Or something. Wishing well to all my friends and still slightly buzzed from having a very pretty girl sitting across the library table, see ya!

Housing

My daily trod through the bible yielded this interesting tidbit:

Leviticus 25:35-38 "If one of your brothers becomes indigent and cannot support himself, help him, the same as you would a foreigner or a guest so that he can continue to live in your neighborhood. Don't gouge him with interest charges; out of reverence for your God help your brother to continue to live with you in the neighborhood. Don't take advantage of his plight by running up big interest charges on his loans, and don't give him food for profit. I am your God who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God."

Thought it was rather relevant to today's news.

a sign of change?

metamorphisis. i like that. i know what you're talking about Shirlyn and i'm glad to read that you and Mary had a good time in Tioman; for me, i gotta come out of my cocoon. i've been spending too much time with myself and not with others. anyway, i cut my hair (literally though my dad decided to "fix" it up a bit afterwards) so here's me:



this was taken via the lovely LG Shine procurred through a new family mobile contract. lol, Mary i remember you were trying to decide between your current phone and the Shine. it's too sexy. haha.



anyway, we'll see how things go. i gotta get free of my head. the next two weeks, i'm gonna write a 15page research paper on the recently signed Intellectual Property Protection Act which looks like more of the same battle between content providers and tech providers. i've a corporate finance test next monday and i think i should do well (how'd you find yours, Mary?). i've a business proposal to submit by next thursday plus a few short chapter summaries. there's also that corporate finance project that is due sometime but no info so not thinking about it. haha. finally, there's the 2 day class that i have to take, world-view leadership, happening on the 24-25th. dunno how that'll go. we'll see.

hopefully, i'll check the blogs more often. then start responding to emails again. and go on from there.

Oops

Ehehe, haven't looked at this blog in a while. Actually, haven't been reading blogs much at all. Things have been fine since I arrived in the US. Somewhat busy. Making friends and all. Getting email addresses. Meeting pretty babes. If I was wont to repeat jokes, I'd write about a girl I met in the library that I fell hopelessly in love with but I used that one while I was in Australia. Haha.

At any rate, life's looking up. APU's looking to be better and better. Did you know that Bryan Clay, the decathlon gold medalist is APU alumni and trains at APU pretty much daily? Or that my course is AACSB accredited, something only about 312 Business Schools in the world have, a list that includes Harvard and Wharton? Fascinating.

The people are looking to be great people and I think that's a fabulous thing given that environment was the main reason I chose APU. Anyway, 2 days of orientation done, should be settling my registration by tomorrow.

Great Evenings

Wow, two great evenings in a row. Yesterday night, I had a really great time with my choir friends at Hanabi; great company plus I ate like a pig. Hehehe. All that training with the people in HRMC paid off. Cleaning up Din Tai Fung orders has shown me the path to how to stuff myself thoroughly. Hahaha.

Tonight, I had a great time with Liling. Laksa at Toastbox plus foot reflexology plus random shopping. Fun! Haha! She's wonderful to be around. A great end to a trying day at work.

I really thank God for the beautiful people He's placed in my life and for teaching me how to appreciate and to love them more and more. Life with You is truly better, Your ways and Your love I really cannot do without.

Good Day

today was a good day at work. tiring and in some ways blur but good. was almost late for work -- went to bed 2:30am and struggled to get out of bed. hehe. was still in time though i missed breakfast.. which was ok because lunch was bak kut teh! woot! good stuff. God is good. hehe.

anyway, ran about with a packet of pocky because i couldn't get myself to say no effectively and firmly enough. but it was alright. i mean, i usually don't snack but i went around giving pocky to kids who'd finished their lunch and haha, i'd say the lunch went pretty well. they were going crazy over it. haha.

homework time was pretty amazing even when i had to take the class solo.. can't remember why but i was alone. then i just told everyone that they can talk BUT if i can identify the voice, that person gets IT time reduced. good tactic but execution can be better. the idea is to really bring down the hammer on the first person to exceed the line, even by a bit, but i was too focused on helping some of the kids with their homework and.. yeah. i'm not sure where or when it started but i just don't notice the background noise when i'm concentrating. end result -- a lot of names on the board but hey, it was amazingly quiet compared to the usual chaos. hehe.

gretel also gave me a fairly loud *complete* sentence today. something along the lines of "timothy doesn't want to give yvette's brush back" plus a few more words i didn't catch. wow. she must really care about yvette to speak like that. i mean, it was audible. i wasn't specifically listening for it and i could still catch her meaning. wow. i mean, it's like jenny volume. soft, shy, but clear within a small radius. i feel really blessed and honored, really, thinking about it. one of my fellow teachers hasn't even heard her speak before and i've already gotten plenty of talk-time. mostly from making her read homework questions together with me but also some of the fun times when she forgets that i'm a "teacher". hehe. her throat-clearing can also be surprisingly loud. as in, whoa, gretel can make such a loud noise?! i have a vague suspicion that she's doing it on purpose. hehe.

caleb almost cried on me today yet in the end, he did his work. it was tricky but i felt i handled it well. i gave him a choice to do some of his work and get some playtime in later or just sit beside me while i help gretel with her homework. it was really give and take. i think i got conned by his school bus argument but given how emotional he was feeling, it's entirely possible he forgot his dad was picking him up. anyway, he went from, i don't know how to do, don't know to do, can never learn how to do to just needing to confirm his answers with me. i consider that a great success even if he only did 1 question without any input from me.

and speaking of helping. wah. gretel almost defeated me but for the grace of God. she is... one tough cookie. from 4:50pm till 5:55pm, she did a grand total of 2 math questions. ouch. most of the time was spent just her doing her sway. wow. what endurance. i thank God for yvette -- i have a strong suspicion that it was her argument that she was willing to sacrifice her playtime to be beside gretel, her constant encouragement for gretel to be willing to learn and to do.. ok, i'm convinced it was yvette that got gretel to finally do the question. i mean, it took her about all of 20 seconds to write out the working and the answer for the question. she must really, really hate doing math. she's likes english and chinese though. something to take note of. =)

and yeah, i was ready to give up at 6pm. it's torture for both gretel and i to just sit there, me intermittantly trying to teach her, encourage her, blah blah blah and her for the most part, doing her silent sway with roving eyes. oh she has pretty eyes by the way. i noticed after i cajoled her into more eye contact. hehe. yeah, i feel really blessed that she would still feel comfortable around me -- we've had more than one of these "torture sessions" before.

also had a good chat with ling lao shi. i had a feeling she really knew her stuff and now i know for sure she really knows her stuff. got a few tips, few insights, and some encouragement. what teachers really need is ai xing and nai xing and she says i have both. good stuff. =)

if you haven't gathered by now, i adore these kids even though they can really manage to both irritate and wear me down. thank God for giving me such a good training environment. i've got lots of improvement to go, but i've improved a lot.

EODM - End of Month Debrief

heh, end of the month.. end of the day debrief. still remember 2WO Lim going through the massive stacks of EODDs for alpha battery. i have to say that out of the different non-commissioned officers in 18da, i respect him the most.

anyway, the symposium is over. i got... very busy. somehow i was held accountable for the stage, registration, and technical aspects plus some of the signage. messy that was. at any rate, i'm told i did a good job and they did kinda look sincere as they said it so i'm just going to leave it at that and plop this symposium onto my resume. whatever happened, it was a good learning experience.

oh and Romi was a cool guy. stay calm. be cool. things are all good. haha, picked up a few control room tricks from the technician. he does concerts, gigs, and equipment rentals too and one thing i like which he mentioned is bringing backup music -- if the customer's cd isn't mastered (volume normalized, etc) properly, then he'll just use his own. no need to go all crazy over a small issue -- in the end, it's the ambiance and flow that counts, not the exact music used.

and i must thank God for bringing me through. i had been falling sick for weeks and the week of the symposium i was really hitting the rocks. maybe cuz i wasn't doing a lot of telemarketing anymore and correspondingly drinking less water. whatever the case, i'm glad that the crash came on earlier this week. wow. earlier this week.

wow. the symposium really felt like it was ages and ages ago. must have been a really long week and in a way, it was. i'm getting better with the kids now, being more firm and all.

on other fronts, PCM is getting better. getting closer too. choir will be throwing me a farewell dinner 7th of August. looking forward to that. will also have to look for a venue since they're leaving it up to me. haha!

this blog post is starting to really wander so i'm just going to bring it to a close with two things. first are two lines from the last song i'm singing with the choir before i leave, Wherever You Are - "but the will of God won't lead you / where the grace of God can't keep you". they're so nice, they let me pick the song. haha.

the second is a video of Michael Jackson performing Man in the Mirror. the lyrics have been on my mind for sometime, especially the part "that's why i'm starting with me". starting. not if it's to be, it's up to me but if it's to be, it starts with me. i like that. i really do.

Symposium

wow.. i keep saying that life's been plodding along but i hadn't quite realized that it's been so long since i last posted on this blog. erm.. lemme see, life is ok. busy these days since the symposium on protecting your child against the cyber menace 24:7 is just next saturday. i'd been roped in to do telemarketing.. then it transitioned to include being in charge of the registration team on the day itself.. and then it became i'd be the hands-off ic instead and focus on getting the tech-team to be ready since the original dudes won't be back in time to recce the place. i really hope we get to set up the night before or at least before 9am. 9am gives us 30 minutes to get every bit of IT and sound up and running and tested, including integrating the speakers presentations in. oh well, should be fun.

on other news, avita's anniversary is doing black light theatre instead of dance. a little disappointing and surprising at the same time. blt is a blast from the past. it's been 8 years or so since i last did it.. but haha, muscle memory still seems to kicking about.

and on other notes, i'm contemplating purchasing a contemporary bag. one of those sideslung ones. been browsing about, converse seems to have a nice one. i suppose it's appropriate to show the briefcase that i'm planning on getting:

you can take a closer look at it here: ShopMarriott Minimalist Briefcase

whaddya think? liked it after spending quite a bit of time browsing through different briefcases online. i like clean lines and simplicity. haha.

Life

Life is once more plodding along. Telemarketing in the morning. Childcare in the afternoon. Nights are random. After watching Kung Fu Panda with Ziliang and The Incredible Hulk by myself, I've decided to implement a new habit which is a movie every weekend. Current plan is Hancock tomorrow night 8pm. Next week is still undecided. Anyone who wants to go watch a movie together can just sms me. It'll be guaranteed that I'll be watching *something*.

Started reading up Boundaries again. Will lend if others are interested, will finish it if no one is. Still going through You were Born Rich. Let Go and Let God is making more sense now. I'll be moving on soon.

And just as an aside, before I leave, I'd like Gretel to become comfortable enough to not mind-blank the moment I go near. Maybe even hold a conversation. Haha. We'll see.

Keep whistling "Don't Worry Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin. Trying not to in class. Haha. Whistling not allowed.

Just three things really: a hymn, a verse, and an email

1. Hymn

Because He Lives

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives.
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone!
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives!

~ William and Gloria Gaither

2. Verse

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

3. Email
Don't give up, because He did not

One day, I decided to quit...
I quit my job, my relationship, and my spirituality.
I wanted to quit my life.

I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.
'God', I asked, 'Can you give me one good reason not to quit?'
His answer surprised me...

'Look around', He said. 'Do you see the fern and the bamboo?'
'Yes', I replied.

'When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water.

The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor.

Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year, the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed.

But I did not quit on the bamboo', He said.

'In year three, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.
But I did not quit.

In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit', He said.

'Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant.

But just 6 months later, the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.
It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.

I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle', He said.

He asked me, 'Did you know, my child, that all this time that you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots?'

'I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don't compare yourself to others', He said.

'The bamboo had a different Purpose from the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.

Your time will come', God said to me.

'You will rise high'
'How high should I rise?' I asked.
'How high will the bamboo rise?' He asked in return.
'As high as it can?' I questioned.
'Yes.' He said, 'Give me glory by rising as high as you can.'

I left the forest and brought back this story.
I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.

Never, Never, Never Give up.

For the Christians, Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.
Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is,

Tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

Rick Warren Interviewed by Larry King

i did say i'd be going to sleep soon and indeed i have to. i got started reading a transcript of Rick Warren being interviewed by Larry King and well, i very much respect Rick Warren and ended up reading all ten pages worth of the interview. i recommend it for reading as well.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0503/22/lkl.01.html

and on that note, i'm going to look up my Purpose-Driven Life (hopefully it's in Singapore) and start reading it again. =)

edit: oops, linkie without text..

just plodding along

mm.. yet another update to just keep plodding along, keep in the habit of posting to this blog. mmm.. started a new book, You Were Born Rich, recommended by my mentor and thus far finding it really thought-provoking. i've never gone through a book so slowly and thoroughly before, save those journal articles that require a check in the dictionary every few words or so. amazing stuff. i'm not done yet, but i'd recommend the book to anyone.

on other fronts, i've picked up a job in a daycare centre; should be good. i like kids. =)

on other other news, i did a good job on my solo in choir today. happy. =)

Where in Heaven is Mozart?

wow, it seems every time i visit youtube, something fascinating and inspiring pops up. this one is of a family that decided to take a leap of faith and tour the world, letting their daughter experience the world in a way i definitely wish to let mine own future children experience.


explanation: the girl's nickname is Mozart, the music is by Pachelbel.

miaarose

ran into this singer, Maria Antonia Sampaio Rosa aka Mia Rose, on youtube. inspired really. first is a music video, second a message to her fans.

murder on the dance floor

for some reason, this tune popped back into my mind. it's really catchy and stems from my days in AIESEC. every one danced to this tune. haha! at any rate, the tune's one thing, but this video is a whole different story. it's funny!

Sophie Ellis Bextor - Murder On The
Uploaded by hakim93200

i keep thinking i've posted this somewhere but i can't quite remember where...

dawn of war 2!

woah! a peek at gamespot.com revealed that Dawn of War 2 is in the works! a few pretty pictures to boot! this would all be very exciting except that i'm no longer a hardcore gamer.. heck, i'm barely a casual gamer now. haha, nevertheless, i still find the Warhammer 40k universe to be exciting... kinda. all that blood and gore gets old after a while. real life is getting more and more interesting. haha!

anyway, it's been a few days since i updated. in the meantime, i've gotten my US visa, discovered that the person i was cracking jokes with on monday was actually a SIA pilot getting his aircrew pass (turns out Canadian aircrew need to get these if they're based somewhere other than Canada), read a wonderful book called "Instant Millionaire", met a few interesting people, gained a few leads on employment, tried out a free session with a personal trainer, and discovered that i've improved my IPPT 2.4km timing by at least 30 seconds.

the most interesting thing this week would be getting short-changed by Recruit Express -- they sent me down to Kallang for an interview even though I can't commit to the minimum time required by the employer. now the interesting part was that while getting rejected took all of 1 minute, the boss and i proceeded to have an conversation 140 minutes long! haha! cool guy. i really would have enjoyed working with him, i like his style. funny how i went looking for a job and went away with a business contact and possible future business collaboration.

mm.. and that's about it. my laptop's battery levels are low so i'm signing off but if you want details, just ask away.

gonna get me visa soon!

yippee, went to the US embassy today or rather i should term it Fortress USA, cuz it really looks like one of those old school castles with a more oriental bent but all stone. learned a few things:

1. the delays of the earlier time slots ripple downwards -- though i was supposed to start queuing up at 10am, i only got to do so at 10:15am. it would seem that picking the earliest time slot would lead to fewer delays.

2. don't arrive too early. you'll just have to wait until your appointed time anyway and if there are delays.. well.

3. it's a sprint! you can start queuing up for your time slot only after the guard calls it out and you've got around 6+ people at the same time; so just be aware and ready. hehe, i bagged 2nd spot for my line -- the first guy was really quick, like an old hand. haha. and yes, it matters. processing at the front may be relatively quick but the timings are gonna pile up once you start the application process proper -- i waited about an hour+ after i got in.

at any rate, the whole thing went smoothly and i should be able to pick up my passport with its newly minted visa on wednesday afternoon. yipee!

mm.. other news.. sleepy, had to take a nap in the afternoon. and managed to turn off my alarm clock without knowing it. then i cleaned up my room. it was.. not clean. so i'm unpacked and it's looking good. now to try and nab a decent night's sleep so i can have an early start tomorrow. =)

itsa mario!

or "i need to come up with better random titles day"

ok, another update.

1. I've officially moved to Ang Mo Kio as of today. Thanks go out to Wei Jie and Yi Po for helping me lug stuff around yesterday and to Karen and her husband for giving me a hand and a lift today.
2. I've successfully handed over the unit to the tenant's agent. Successfully in that the unit was presentable when they came in to look it over and inventory the stuff. Glad that one went down smoothly. Interesting to see how they go about it. As I myself would have done, the other agent went about photographing the unit. Nothing like evidence to show that no funny business happened under her tenants stay.
3. I've found an even better place to do my internet stuff. Thanks to whoever, I think it was Yingyu, mentioned that McDonald's is a good spot. 24 hours sounds good to me. My CCK McDonald's had neither 24 hours nor internet.
4. Called my mum and sis today after a long break. Well, 1 week feels like a long time. Feels good. Something I needed to do.
5. New place is not bad. Friendly owners. Cute daughter. And in a very weird twist of events, yes Feng, even though you don't know the existence of this blog, it seems that your "lonely daughter of owner" scenario can finally occur. Well, not really. She's 3 years old. It's funny hearing her shout out "koko". As mentioned, cute kid.

mm.. not much more to write. so signing off.

update

haha.. have to remind myself to post every now and then. hmm.. lemme see. visa interview postponed to june 2. still not feeling so well. have a tendency to conk out at weird times.. like today. 5-9pm. oh, and today my voice didn't function so well. wonder if it was the bread i had for breakfast or the chips i've had the past few days. or the fact that i'm not well. heh.

the song "Crucified with Christ" was passed out today in choir. i like that song, sang it in the choir in Perth. find the lyrics meaningful. lovely alto solos. =)

mm.. oh and Mary's bday photos were out. got a few funny ones. hehehe. i note that she didn't tag herself though. oi! how can you be listed as only having one photo when you've got a whole album? =P

speaking of photos, i was going through an old box and found a bunch of really old photos. i mean, old. i get to see my parents before either my brother and i were born. then i get to see us as babies and toddlers till about 8 years old or so. haha, funny. some i remember, some i really don't. i looked cute then. hahaha. when i smiled anyway.

oh and new resolution: having thought about it, lol is a really lousy word. one, it's an acronym and saying it out loud really doesn't sound like anything. two, over-used. haha, really over-used. haha is a much better expression. hehehe.