ANOTHER BREAKAWAY… SURPRISE, TOO!!

Langkawi, aahhh… yes, a family holiday getaway is what I needed… the longer the better, haha =D just needed to relieve myself of all the work stress I'm currently facing… we left on Tuesday morn, took us about 5 and a half hours to arrive at the jetty, afterwhich it took us another 1 and a half to get across to the island… my parents were a teeny bit worried it might be inconvenient getting into the boat, but thank God it wasn’t a big problem after all!!

Hmm, somehow it kinda reminded me of the Camporama we had last year… or rather it reminded me of Corinne… dono lar, just somehow thought of her, of the times we spent 2gether, getting to know more of each other, hehe… hey gurl, cheers to u… all the best in everything ~ hugz ~

All in all, I had a great time there… some pics taken, but they’re still in the process… will be posting them up soon, eheh…

Ooh, yea… just a little sidetrack… I mentioned in the second and the third entry before this that I was being excited about the offer andrew told me about… ok, a brief lil explanation on this: i was chatting with andrew a couple weeks back about my job frustrations bla bla and as he was thinking of a solution to this, it suddenly just occurred to him that I fit in to the requirements for this Leadership Training in Japan: A Program for Persons with Disability where I’d be sent there to study and learn INDEPENDENCE and LEADERSHIP as well… he’d asked me if I was interested… wow, honestly, when I first heard that, I was nodding in agreement to it and was smiling ever so widely =D who’d be silly enuff to let this opportunity slip by? 机会, 失去了不在回来, 把握它吧!!

So, yea, I was all hyped up about it and obviously I began praying real hard about this… I wanted it to be from the Lord… I didn’t wanna let my own emotions and desires overcome me… then somehow, when he did not reply me, I told myself not to put my hopes too high; the higher I put my hopes, the greater the impact if it ever falls and breaks!! 希望越大, 失望越大!! But then, as I was in the boat, journeying back from Langkawi, I got a call from Elaine Sia, one of BG’s staff, telling me that she’d brought the form for me to fill in, asking me to collect it from BG… Lord, can that be considered a sign from you?

I asked for a sign, wanting to be sure that this is all from Him… so I told the Lord that if andrew replies me this time, it would be a confirmation!! True enuff, when I checked my mailbox the next day, he’d sent me a reply… yoohoo!! I didn’t wanna spread this out to everyone yet, just in case Andrew and Elaine didn’t get back to me, and it turned out to be a disappointment… so, the very first two persons to whom I shared this with were only pastor sam and wei… but now that andrew and elaine have gotten back to me with the reply, to all those who are reading this, please keep me in your prayers for I really truly wanna go for it =) pray that if it’s God's will, all will turn out well and I’d be short listed for the interview here in Malaysia before going over…

Lord, have your way in me… la la la la

GOD KNOWS BEST...

God just speaks/works in ways we least expect, really… I have a habit of playing songs randomly while working on my comp (just to keep me awake, haha), and as I was typing the last entry about my irritation and frustrations, these 2 songs were on… Coincidence or what? well, He knows what He’s doin, amen? no one except He Himself will know what is going to happen in the future…

Thank You, Jesus!!

DIA BUKA JALAN (translation from God Will Make A Way)

Korus:
Dia buka jalan
Saat tiada jalan
Dengan cara yang ajaib
Dia buka jalan bagiku

Dia menuntun ku
Dan memeluk diriku
Dengan kasih dan kuasa-Nya
Dia buka jalan
Dia buka jalan

Di belantara Dia tetap menuntun ku
Sungai di gurun ku temui
Syurga (seharusnya dinyanyikan: langit) bumi
Kan lenyap
Tapi firman-Nya tetap
Saat ini, Dia buka jalan

[solois: Bram Manusama]

TIADA S’PERTI KAU (translation from There Is None Like You)

Korus:
Tiada s’perti Kau
Yang t’lah menjamah
Segenap hatiku
Tak seorang pun di dalam hidup in
S’perti Kau Tuhan

Kasih-Mu s’perti sungai mengalir
Kuasa-Mu menyembuhkan
Air mata pun Engkau hapuskan
Tiada s’perti Kau

[solois: Tirza Sahertian]

IRRITATED, FRUSTRATED!!

Oh gosh… I'm just so not in the mood to work!! Ever since I received this email from my boss on the 11th, my mood to continue working just sky-rocketed downwards =\ imagine cutting our pay by 75%??!! from RM 1.50 per call to RM 0.50 per call? Wanna cut costs, konon!! I find it kinda ridiculous… not only that, he sent us that mail on the 11th, but the new payment adjustments was stated to be effective on the 1st… see that?? Mana boleh??!!

(just a bit of explanation here… I'm doin telemarketing, so my job requires me to make phone calls to companies, making sure their details in the database are accurate and up-to-date… and I'm paid RM 1.50 per full record, so to cover up for my phone bills as well)

I’ve been with this company (BG Information Services) for one year plus liao… I liked it working with them… but now that this has happened, I kinda want something better, if you know what I mean… I’ve always liked working outside though, the real office environment… but then again, it’s the facilities of the company that I gotta take into consideration… haihz…

So, anyways, after much discussion with my colleague, wai ling (who’s also working from her home) and my parents, we came to a conclusion that we remain paying our own phone bills (which we’ve always been doin, anyway), and now we are willing to pay for the streamyx as well, with request that they give us RM 1.50 per call… wai ling suggest that I talk to our boss, she just chip in here n there… ok, fine!! I proposed 2 options… either they pay us RM 1.00 plus our streamyx, or they remain paying us RM 1.50 and streamyx we “kau tim” ourselves…

She said to let her know latest by that week itself, but when we wanted to speak to her about it, she was rushing off to somewhere and obviously not free at that time, haihz… seriously, we’re not quite in the mood to work already la (hmm, but still have to, for income sake… haihz) so STRESSED!! Hrrghhh!!

Lord, i need your direction!! Honestly Lord, I want that offer Andrew told me about =D I want something new, hehe… ooh, I'm just so excited about the whole thing!!

Waiting… still waiting…

HAPPENINGS...

Ok, before I go any further, let me just send my wishes out to pastor sam… yeap, it’s his big day today!! Blessed birthday to you, Pastor Sam!! All the best in everything you set your heart to do… thanx for being such a great and wonderful friend, leader, mentor… well, i'm waiting for ur next big day, haha ><

Now down to the actual event… The 3rd part of the BG Let Love Grow (LLG) event has arrived again, but this time around I wasn’t involved in anything… even so, they'd actually put my name in for translation, but seriously, it was kinda last minute, and I was worried about how it would turn out without any practice, so I requested that I was being excused… well, maybe next time *winkz*

Hmm, let’s just say the whole thing went well, with God's help… on Saturday, we had some games which we played in pairs that consist of one able-bodied and one OKU… it shows team spirit as were doing our best to complete the task/game… kinda fun, hehe ><


Next up is my favourite speaker who frequents BG for their weekly cell meetings… name’s andrew… having sat in/heard 90% of his sharing, I truly admire his love for God (and missions, too) and the way he cares so much for the community, esp the orang asli’s and those less fortunate… both he and his wife have truly made a big difference in my life, seriously!! andrew, if u happen to be reading this, I just wanna say thanx a lot (tell your wife this as well) for believing in us =D

Hey andrew, honestly speaking, I'm excited about what you told me the other day, seriously, hehe… I take it as an open door from God for me to move on to greater heights, learning new things, and gaining new experiences… but regardless of how excited I am, it’s indeed a really big decision and I’ve gotta start seeking God and praying reeeal hard about this decision… Lord, intervene!! Wateva your plans for me, I pray that at the end of the day, it’ll glorify your name… amen!!

The following is some random pic of some guy from China, performing his martial arts or kung fu (or wateva you call it)…

TAGGED... (LONG OVERDUE)

This should have been done n posted long, long ago… but I just couldn’t think of what to write, so I kinda procrastinated, haha… Anyways, here goes:

7 things I wanna do before I die

· Be a role model, making an impact in the lives of the kids/children whom God brings into my life

· Get right and restore any and all broken friendships/relationships in my life and make sure there are no more hard feelings held

· Fulfill God's calling for my life… go on missions!! (yes, he has spoken)

· I'll make sure I tell “him” I love him (well, you know how nowadays people say it’s not too big a deal even if a girl makes the first move… NOT ME, THO… but if I’d already know I'm gonna die, then I WOULD open my mouth and get it out instead of dying with regrets)

· Meet up with all my friends (including those volunteers who have come and made a diff in my life)… An appreciation nite for all of them would be cool… basically, just hang out *winkz*

· Visit the old folks, orphanage or any other homes, to put smiles on their faces, spend time, bringing hope and making a difference in their lives

· Attend at least once of each HILLSONGS and PLANET SHAKERS concert… my first two all-time fave band!! Cool… They rawk, man…

7 things I could do now

· Lose weight!! Haha =p (hey, don’t laugh!! I'm SERIOUS!! I lost 2kg’s in three days, anyway… so, it’s quite a motivation for me to go on trying to lose sumore *lolx* ><)

· Learn up all the chinese [mandarin/canto] songs there is in the music industry (dono how come I'm kinda into it these days)

· Which means I could also improve on my mandarin vocab… gotta brush it up all over again

· Go buy a whole box of ice cream and enjoy it… ehehehe

· Look for a new job

· Save up for the trips & retreats that are coming up (very soon sumore, haha)

· Plan a birthday party/gathering just among close friends (seriously, THAT is something that’s running in my head now… haha)

7 celebrity crushes

[err, I'm not very into all this celebrity stuff, so don’t really know much… so, let’s just skip this whole part]



7 often repeated words

· Haaah??

· Apalah…

· Joker la u…

· Siau ar??

· Ya la…

· Cool, man

· Oi, nonsense fella!!

7 physical traits I look for in the opposite sex

· Smile (one that can make me melt, haha)

· Hmm, 6 footer… ok, I know I shouldn’t demand too much… as long as he’s taller than me, I'm happy, haha ><

· Eyes (not too small, please… haha)

· Hair (spiked, if possible… but then again, it has to suit him… otherwise it’s not necessary)

[physical traits are not that all important to me… what matters most is in the heart, so I think dats juz a few that I can think of]



7 people to tag

· Hong Yin

· Shin Yee

· Shin Wee

· Cindy

· Daniel

· Debbie

· Timothy

TIMES OF REFRESHING

Times of refreshing
Here in your presence
No greater blessing
Than being with you
My heart is restored,
My mind is renewed
There’s no greater joy, Lord
Than being with you.

Indeed, thank you, Lord for such a great time of refreshing… thanx for making me realize the things I never seemed to realize before…
(worship led by eddie quay)

1st service message:
A NEW WINE SKIN
Matt 9 : 16 - 17
V16 – “…and who would patch an old garment with unshrunk cloth? For the patch shrinks and pulls away from the old sloth, leaving an even bigger hole than before.
V17 – and no one puts new wine into old wineskins. The old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine & ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins. That way, both the wine and the wineskins are preserved.”

· The church is experiencing new things; new life, new ministries, new opportunities, new wine… as the years go by, there will be new things coming into our lives… it all depends on us to grab hold of the opportunity.

· It’s a total waste if you pour new wine into old wineskins. If you wanna experience new things, PREPARE YOURSELF, because old wine cannot contain the new wine that is coming. You cant advance into new things or a new level unless you change your thinking.

· What’s the point of us knowing the Word of God, but not putting it into pratice? Start THINKING DIFFERENTLY!!

1. GET RID OF OLD NEGATIVE MINDSETS
If we don’t change our negative mindsets, God cannot work a change in our lives. Not only should we change our mindsets about ourselves, but also about others.
What you perceive in your mind, you receive it in the natural. What do you see when you look at yourself? Why don’t we start looking at ourselves positively? Focus only on the positive side?

2. MAKE ROOM IN YOUR THINKING
Start thinking big… increase, promotion, move on ahead. God is a progressive God, he keeps on growing. God will keep on prospering you (amen!), so you gotta make room for the big God. Rise up your level of expectancy. If your level of expectancy is little, he will make it little. But if you expect much, then he will give you much. Jesus said, “Let it be done according to your faith.” Psalm 23:6 says, “…surely goodness & love will follow me all the days of my life. David expected the best for himself. God loves us not bcoz of what we do, but bcoz of who we are.

3. DEVELOP A HEALTHY SELF-IMAGE OF OURSELVES IN OUR MIND
Don worry about what others think of us. We should be sensitive to what God wants to speak to us, not be influenced by what others say about us. Begin to agree with God. Judges 6:15 says, “Gideon felt weak, but God still see him as someone strong.” Focus on God, not our weakness; on God, not ourselves. Don’t believe little, don’t expect little, don’t look down on ourselves.

*********************************************

2nd service message:
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SEE
Jn 6 : 9-14
v9 – “there’s a young boy with 5 loaves & 2 fishes. But what good is it with this huge crowd?”
v10 – “tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus ordered. So all of them – the men alone numbered 5 thousand – sat down on the grassy slopes.
V11 – then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanx to God, and passed them out to the people. Afterward, he did the same with the fishes. And they all ate until they were full.
V12 – “now gather the leftovers,” Jesus told his disciples, “so that nothing is wasted.”
V13 – there were only 5 loaves to begin with, but 12 baskets were filled with the leftovers from the crowd!
V14 – when the people saw this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “surely he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”

· God is not looking for an army. He is looking for only ONE person who is WILLING to RESPOND!

· When he asks, “who is willing to go?” it is a general call… so, the one who says, “here am I, Lord… send me” is the person who answered that call. Are we someone who will rise up & respond to that call?

· He is not bothered about what you do not have; rather he is more interested in WHAT YOU HAVE. Are we faithful in the little things he has given us? How can we handle big things when we cant be faithful in little things? The little things that we have, are we willing to bring it to Him & let him use it for his glory? Are we willing to sow our LIVES?

· Be that man/woman who will MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!! (haha… sounds familiar? ehehe)

· What you see is what you get!! If we see faith, we will be filled with faith, and vice versa… so, be wise & choose what we feed into our minds…

· When the disciples gave out the 5 loaves & 2 fishes, the miracle of abundance was evident (the multiplication)… similarly, when we start GIVING, we will also begin to receive… and he will flow a river of blessings into our lives!!
(message by ps frankie khoo)

OPEN DOORS...

hmm, was scheduled for a hospital appt yesterday and my mom was already hinting that she would not be there the whole time to wait til I finish my session, since she had some stuff to do at home… so, I had to handle myself, after where she left me (at the registration counter)… well, all in all, it was a good experience doing it all by myself, hehe… kinda sesat la, but at least it gives me a lil more exposure, and I’d say a preparation ground for me when December comes, haha… just cant wait… s’pore, here I come!! Yoohoo… nah, was just crapping… how could I compare s’pore, which has so much exploration waiting for me, to a frequently-visited hosp? haha ><

Now, as I was making the “transit” from physio therapy (PT) to occupational therapy (OT) [btw, those are terms referring to de various therapy i had to go thru to improve my physical condition], I met one of my ex kindergarten student, shafikah (when I was teaching in the Spastic Children’s Association a couple years back)… how could I not remember/recognize her, that adorable lil girl, haha… She didn’t seem to have any idea who I was and besides, there was a doctor attending to her, so I just said goodbye and left, not wanting to distract…

Then as I was waiting for my parents to come pick me up, met her parents while they were arranging for her next appt at the reg counter… so, I managed to catch up a lil with them and on how shafikah was doin… she’s grown so much now, in Standard 3 edi… but then, hearing the stories frm her parents really made me think back of my own schooling years and be thankful that I had real proper primary & sec education *smilez* yes, initially, it was tough for us too… my dad tried applying for me to enter a normal school, but there were some problems with the head of the school not wanting to take me in, reason being they were uncertain of what to expect with such a situation… but somehow, after my dad reaaally insisted for me to study there, they took me in, and I was having fun going to school and mixing around, haha… knowing me, i juz love making frens, so dat was the fun part *winkz*

The same happened to shafikah… parents took her out of the Centre, thinking that it would be a good chance for her to try mixing and learning in a normal sch, together with the rest of the other normal kids… putting her disability aside, she’s indeed a smart & intelligent girl, and can really do well, if there were proper guidance in her education… there and then, this tot came to mind… I cant be sure of whether or not it was from the Lord, but the idea was that I can start a tuition class, see if there’s anything at all I can do to help Shafikah… (haha, here again, I'm dealing with kids *winkz*) hmm, well… gotta pray hard for an answer frm Above!!

Someone suggested this to me some time ago, when I just quit my admin job in Tadika Grace Community a.k.a. TGC (a kindy supported by my church)… but somehow, it didn’t quite work out… I guess partly coz I wasn’t prepared, being a TOTAL freshie, and didn’t know what to expect… but after having a lil experience with my cousin somewhere during de hols last year, I'm kinda ok with the idea, so just see where He leads la, hehe… hmm, so that’s my new aim for the moment *smilez*