life has been good, in general. perhaps a slower pace of life suits us all sometimes. like what T\itus said, youths today are trying too hard to live up to expectations imposed upon them by the society, that we hardly take time to smell the flowers and pursue the things that we really wanted to do with our lives.
I thank God for this 8-month long respite. I supposed this holiday or imposed break has allowed me to pursue some of the things which I've been wanting to do for a long time - experimenting with designer tool G\imp, Japanese lessons (at least I can speak and write some decent foreign lang hurhur) and reading the newspapers for endless hours especially during the weekends, researching on topics which I've been wanting to find out about since like a thousand years ago but never had the time to do it (Nietszche, the Ma'at, Hammurabi etc).
work has been good in an enriching way, albeit tiring and tending to end at 7+ pm late into the evening. colleagues call me "xiao mei" there because i think i'm really the youngest there (and like what one colleague said, "you're even younger than my sister lor"). they have been feeding me with snacks and sweets etc etc. nice sinful indulgence haha. not to mention that h\ong l\im food centre has loads of yummy food that makes for delightful lunches.
books that seduce me:
1. The World Is Flat - Thomas Friedman
2. The Undercover Economist - Tim Harford
3. Freakonomics (have been meaning to get this for a long time but well, i never got down to doing it either)
4. He Chose The Nails - Max Lucado
after the essay I wrote today, i wondered if i should have engaged in a macro discussion of legal paternalism in Singapore, apart from delving into the issue directly at hand. well..
listened to the sermon on the passage of Ephesians 6, namely the helmet of salvation that God has provided as part of the armour. According to guys, the helmet is one of the things (or, the main thing)which makes them feel stupid. haha. however, I suppose after this sermon, I have a better understanding and appreciation of the figurative meaning of the helmet - as a spiritual protection for the most essential part of the body, our minds - which the devil has been trying to gain a stronghold over.
looking forward to the coming week.
see going to work as going to church, where your labour is worship to God - Ps K\hong
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Saturday, April 7, 2007
This is amazingly accurate.. most of it
My profile type: X.
Dependable, reliable and trustworthy, they like to belong to solid organisations that are reasonable in their ambitions and loyal to their employees. They feel useful when their roles and responsibilities are clearly established and they can monitor their activities and productivity in tangible ways. They tend to be rather modest, traditional and conventional, to like sensible clothing, to be thrifty, careful and wise with both money and possessions.
Once they accept a project, they will see it to the end. They manage their time well and are realistic about how much time and resources will be needed.
They tend to like to stay in one neighbourhood, often choosing to live close to where they were themselves raised. They are often involved with volunteer organisations and have a developed sense of citizenship and accountability. When they purchase something, it is after careful consideration; rarely will they buy something without having a known need or use for it. They may keep possessions for a lifetime and treasure those that were given to them.
They tend to have a good memory for specific facts that are necessary in their day-to-day life at work and at home. They accumulate facts and details to orient themselves, relying on repeated experiences that have been proven trustworthy. A fact once experienced may be the product of circumstance and happenstance; it is not in and of itself reliable. When an X type hears an idea, they rummage through reams of archived facts to find an experience that provides information for the relevance and realism of an idea. When an X type utters, "It's never been done!" they are saying that no information about the relevance or usefulness of the idea is available to them. They tend to shy away from surprises and what is perceived as unnecessary change.
Dependable, reliable and trustworthy, they like to belong to solid organisations that are reasonable in their ambitions and loyal to their employees. They feel useful when their roles and responsibilities are clearly established and they can monitor their activities and productivity in tangible ways. They tend to be rather modest, traditional and conventional, to like sensible clothing, to be thrifty, careful and wise with both money and possessions.
Once they accept a project, they will see it to the end. They manage their time well and are realistic about how much time and resources will be needed.
They tend to like to stay in one neighbourhood, often choosing to live close to where they were themselves raised. They are often involved with volunteer organisations and have a developed sense of citizenship and accountability. When they purchase something, it is after careful consideration; rarely will they buy something without having a known need or use for it. They may keep possessions for a lifetime and treasure those that were given to them.
They tend to have a good memory for specific facts that are necessary in their day-to-day life at work and at home. They accumulate facts and details to orient themselves, relying on repeated experiences that have been proven trustworthy. A fact once experienced may be the product of circumstance and happenstance; it is not in and of itself reliable. When an X type hears an idea, they rummage through reams of archived facts to find an experience that provides information for the relevance and realism of an idea. When an X type utters, "It's never been done!" they are saying that no information about the relevance or usefulness of the idea is available to them. They tend to shy away from surprises and what is perceived as unnecessary change.
Thanksgiving
The Good Friday holiday brings a respite from busy workdays and hectic schedules, and I'm just glad that I have more time to myself and my closed ones. Spent the day(s) reading a variety of non-related news articles, finishing up Driven by Eternity and pondering about the issues that will hit me as I am at this crossroads of my life, peering over the edge of the cliff with anticipation and excitement for what the future holds.
Like what one senior HR manager told me, the decisions I make now will affect what I do for the rest of my life. I suppose that applies in spiritual terms as well. The things that I do and perspectives that I adopt now on earth will affect how I spend eternity.
Have been thinking about many things recently; like how I managed to (somewhat) finish strong in R/JC with the God's amazing&abundant&unceasing grace, like how many JC mates have crossed my path but diverged thereafter, how the relationships with JC mates and P/L mates differ etc, what His plans for me will be in 5,10,15 years's time.
In many ways I am a product of Singapore's education system: I have been tested and assessed in so many ways: written tests, informal assessments, personality tests, SPAs, project work. I suppose I have to thank it for helping me come out of it with an enquiring mind, to read The Straits Times and get the distinct impression that I am reading propaganda articles (especially those by the political editor, Chua Mui Hoong, who talks about the PAP), to know well enough that I have the opportunity to scale the social strata if I have enough drive, determination and verve in me to do it, etc. However, although I believe that there is equality of opportunities in education, public perception of elitism appears unchanged, and that is the reason why self-sufficing elitism still perpetuates the system. Somehow there is a distinction between 'pure-blood R/afflesians' (eg. RGPS-RGS-RJC) and 'half-blood R/afflesians' (sorry I have read too much of Harry Potter). It is not direct or confrontational, but rather subversive, a subconscious thought that lays dormant in the recesses of one's mind. I suppose this somehow affects the manner in which we perceive people and their social 'status' in school, or their networks which grants them more opportunities.
I am simply recording my observations of the happenings around me, which is why I don't necessariy have any particular point to make about the above paragraph. :)
I have also endeavoured to make this blog, as far as possible, an un-photoblog. Being the voyeur that I am, I've come across many many blogs in which the authors post up glamourous pictures of themselves, their friends, the food they eat at restaurants and other random things. No need for that, I feel(this is my personal opinion). Somehow it makes the blog entries more surface-skimming, superficial, and simply punctuated with many smiley faces.
The reason why I placed a counter on this site, was to monitor the number of blogsurfers that traverse this place. I suppose I will be quite comfortable in having a small/regular number of blog-visitors/friends here, but not too many. That's why I usually end up locking private entries which I fear may be read by undesired visitors /spammers. Then again, there's no such thing as a 'private blog' (a certain MP said that and took his word back). I suppose i have to balance between the narcisscism of seeing my voice in materialized virtual print and the privacy thingy. Ok, lor :P
All of the above seem to have no direct relation with the blog title, but here's something that I want to be thankful for. Many a times I've felt that I am really undeserving of His grace/love/blessings, since I am such a _____ person (fill in the blanks haha). But God has been good and hears my prayers. I shall learn to go deep, look far and ask big in this year, to really see and receive His calling for my life, and fulfill it to the best of my capabilities, by His spirit.
Like what one senior HR manager told me, the decisions I make now will affect what I do for the rest of my life. I suppose that applies in spiritual terms as well. The things that I do and perspectives that I adopt now on earth will affect how I spend eternity.
Have been thinking about many things recently; like how I managed to (somewhat) finish strong in R/JC with the God's amazing&abundant&unceasing grace, like how many JC mates have crossed my path but diverged thereafter, how the relationships with JC mates and P/L mates differ etc, what His plans for me will be in 5,10,15 years's time.
In many ways I am a product of Singapore's education system: I have been tested and assessed in so many ways: written tests, informal assessments, personality tests, SPAs, project work. I suppose I have to thank it for helping me come out of it with an enquiring mind, to read The Straits Times and get the distinct impression that I am reading propaganda articles (especially those by the political editor, Chua Mui Hoong, who talks about the PAP), to know well enough that I have the opportunity to scale the social strata if I have enough drive, determination and verve in me to do it, etc. However, although I believe that there is equality of opportunities in education, public perception of elitism appears unchanged, and that is the reason why self-sufficing elitism still perpetuates the system. Somehow there is a distinction between 'pure-blood R/afflesians' (eg. RGPS-RGS-RJC) and 'half-blood R/afflesians' (sorry I have read too much of Harry Potter). It is not direct or confrontational, but rather subversive, a subconscious thought that lays dormant in the recesses of one's mind. I suppose this somehow affects the manner in which we perceive people and their social 'status' in school, or their networks which grants them more opportunities.
I am simply recording my observations of the happenings around me, which is why I don't necessariy have any particular point to make about the above paragraph. :)
I have also endeavoured to make this blog, as far as possible, an un-photoblog. Being the voyeur that I am, I've come across many many blogs in which the authors post up glamourous pictures of themselves, their friends, the food they eat at restaurants and other random things. No need for that, I feel(this is my personal opinion). Somehow it makes the blog entries more surface-skimming, superficial, and simply punctuated with many smiley faces.
The reason why I placed a counter on this site, was to monitor the number of blogsurfers that traverse this place. I suppose I will be quite comfortable in having a small/regular number of blog-visitors/friends here, but not too many. That's why I usually end up locking private entries which I fear may be read by undesired visitors /spammers. Then again, there's no such thing as a 'private blog' (a certain MP said that and took his word back). I suppose i have to balance between the narcisscism of seeing my voice in materialized virtual print and the privacy thingy. Ok, lor :P
All of the above seem to have no direct relation with the blog title, but here's something that I want to be thankful for. Many a times I've felt that I am really undeserving of His grace/love/blessings, since I am such a _____ person (fill in the blanks haha). But God has been good and hears my prayers. I shall learn to go deep, look far and ask big in this year, to really see and receive His calling for my life, and fulfill it to the best of my capabilities, by His spirit.
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