Photoshoot

Had our photoshoot yesterday (19th Oct 2009)... And I must say, it was an enjoyable process.

We had a great ball of time together. And well, it was the FIRST TIME I had my eyebrow shaved too... hahaha.... :) Thank God for Wendy who gave up her off day to drive us around. The photographer (Kenny) was nice and he made us feel very comfortable... :) There wasn't any pressure 'posing', and he was patient to travel around with us too (We went to 4 places namely: Old playground@ Dover Blk 35, The railway track behind Commonwealth Drive Blk 55, One room rental flat@ Indus Blk 79, and we ended our day, caught our sunset@ Upper Seletar). And WOW, the weather was FANTASTIC!!!... God answered our prayer!!!... And the timing was just right, with ample time for lunch too. It doesn't feel rush though we knew that we were rushing against time. Moreover, we managed to catch a nice sunset at Upper Seletar... :)

Though we were both physically tired during night time, especially after our dinner... :p But deep within, it was refreshing!!!... For now, can't wait to see the photos... :)

Month of September 09

Woo... it's the month of October now... Wonder why time seems to 'fly' so fast... :p

Anyway, month of September has been good. Well, some updates:

Mum was discharged on the 7th Sep... :p Since then, she has been doing well. Last Saturday (26th Sep), she had 'officially' joined us for 'family breakfast' (we eat out almost every Sat morning). All thanks to this 'equipment' (don't know the exact name for it... :p). Dad was so sweet to have bought this for mum, and it is indeed very helpful for her. Occasionally, dad and I will step on it to have some 'fun' too.

Another highlight in September was the Music workshop held at Gerald's place on the 19th Sep. We had a good time of learning and fellowshipping together with our team-mates, who serve alongside with us week in and week out. It was nice to meet up in an informal setting. We talked about music dynamics, some fundamentals about band playing, and also spent time interpreting some songs. What hits home is this video we showed by Ron Kenoly (Song: I see the Lord). We did a debrief after watching the video. It sums up all that we wanna cover for this workshop. This song has since then, 'rang' in my head for a good few days... :)

Played badminton with 2 gals after the workshop and sigh!!!... Thought it was easy but w/o proper warm up, or rather, w/o any warm up, had a bad sprain... :( Only realised it few hours after the game. Felt "pregnant-ted" throughout the next few days. But Thank God, it was Hari Raya on the 21st Sep and it gave me a good opportunity to rest... :)

Well, we are in the month of October now. For now, I'm looking forward to a good brother's wedding... :) Am privileged to be one of his brother. It is yet another happy occassion for the Wamers.

*Counting down*...

Life without mum... (temporary)

My mum underwent an operation on the right knee joint on the 24th Aug (Mon), due to the cartilage, which has been worn off over time... since then, she was warded in SGH for a week, and subsequently, transferred to Ang Mo Kio – Thye Hua Kwan Hospital for rehabilitation. Time flies... Tomorrow, she will be discharged!!!... :) And I must really thank God for this speedy recovery. There are 2 reasons for it: Mum was motivated to do physio, with the thought of not staying in the hospital for too long... In addition, the climbing of staircase for the past 1 yr (I stay on the 3rd floor) does contributed to the speedy recovery... :p

Yup... 'Managing' a house by 2 men can be quite 'amusing'... Recalling back, I could remember that dad and me bickering over trivial household matter. Having said that, we 'took charge' of different aspect of the household chores during these 2 weeks. He is 'in charge' of watering the plant, and making coffee every morning... :p I will do the laundry, and boil water everyday... Thinking back, these are chores that is easily taken for granted when mum is around to ensure that it is done... :)

Well, it was quite an experience... :) I guess even though mum is back home tomorrow, I will still try my best to help her out in some household stuffs (unless she refuse... :p) in order to 'relieve' her from straining her knee joint too much...

Looking forward to having her back home... :)

Positive Parenting

Don't get a shock!!!... I am not attending a course which teaches me how to be a parent... Instead, it was a session taught by a volunteer trainer to train us as Community Worker, in order to help us in our daily work with the families. Parenting is one important aspect to learn because very often, this is one stressor faced by the clients we served. Knowing some tips does help us to engage and be of help to them.

The trainer is good. Put aside all the 'theories' which he went through with us over the powerpoint slide, what I brought back with me is the practical examples he shared. We took turn to ask him questions. And almost every questions we asked, he was able to 'tackle' them. Advise like 'Consistency', 'Setting routine', 'Investing time for the child' etc... is his belief of being a good parent. Which also means that unbeliefs like 'It's just a phase...', 'It's all my fault, he's the way he is...' etc... doesn't help in parenting. Throughout the session, he keep stressing that ROLE MODELLING is a very important 'tool' in parenting. Well, children 'sense' all the time. If there is any tinge of inconsistency (not saying what they mean, and meaning what they say) in a parent, they are able to 'detect' it very quickly. This is 'dangerous' because children can use it to work around their parents to get their ways, and wants. However, he also added that there are NO BORN parents. Parenting in itself, is a learning process, which means to say that making mistake during the process is inevitable. How comforting is that...

Indeed, one of the privilege working in a Children & Youth Agency is having the opportunity to attend such sessions... Indirectly, also picked up some parenting tips too... :)

Learnt lots!!!... Looking forward to Session 3 on next Monday...

'Shepherding' - A refreshing time!!!

This morning, I was having 'shepherding' (mentoring time) with Spenc before service... We were just exploring on the topic of Worship. During the session, I was actually reminding myself that worship isn't something that we do for God - 'It is the gift of participating through the Spirit in the incarnate Son's communion with the Father' (quoted from Glenn Packiam's article). Other truths includes 'Christ taking the offering of our lives - broken and imperfect - and makes it acceptable to the Father'. BUT what I really brought back with me, hopefully to him too, is this: 'Gratitude is the impulse for worship - Not more vows or commitments. Not more sweat and tears. Simply GRATITUDE'.

We began to talk a little bit on gratitude. I asked him, 'What are something which you can be grateful and thankful for'?? I guess that is a very important question that we need to constantly reflect as a Christ follower. Because as a matter of fact, life is NEVER smooth consistently. And we need to recognise that life is FULL of ups and downs. As much as we long to have a life free of problems and struggles, it can NEVER be the case. The question however, always bounce back to how we respond during difficult times. You see, almost every character in the bible went through difficult period in their lives. However, because they stood tall and trusted God for their situation, that became an important lesson learnt for all of us today.

So... are we going through a 'mountain top', or a 'valley low' experience now?? OR, can our Christian walk be simply 'cruising' in the desert'?? More importantly, do we know 'where we are now'??... Having said that, it is comforting to know that 'wherever' we are, there is always this freewill to CHOOSE, to be grateful and thankful to God. Stay secure in Him because life is really beyond us. Was inspired to share this quote with Spenc, and as a reminder to myself too. A quote which I first heard in the Kuching LC: 'Mountain top are great time for inspiration; BUT fruits are found in the valley'!!!...

God's plan is for us to LAST, however, the process takes a LIFETIME!!!...

Weekend - Saturday

Today, I woke up early in the morning to bid my parents goodbye as they headed off to Genting for a short trip with their friends. Today, is also the 1st day of my Diploma in Social Service Practice course (Intensive Lectures Term 3). To my surprise, I was 'fully awake' after I woke up. I thought I will be tossing and turning on my bed for a while before I actually wake up, but I did not. I guess part of me is feeling excited about this new term, but there is also another part of me that dread to go for the course as a way to spend my weekend... :) Feeling a little 'edgy', walked up and down my house, not knowing what to do to kill time, am afraid that I may wake up late if I sleep in again,... I decided to head for a swim. It was my 1st time swimming at Bouna Vista Swimming Complex. For the longest time, I have always wanted to 'visit' the swimming pool since I started working in Ghim Moh 2 years ago. Today, I finally fulfilled my 'wish'... :) It was a refreshing and therapeutic time though. After the swim, I was fully 'geared up' for the course... :p

Today, we revised on the topic of laws, and learnt how it may affects our daily work. I thought that I've absorbed much today, as compared to Term 1 when we first touched on this topic. It was explained with much patience, instead of rushing through it, and being "bombarded" with the various legal terms. I was also 'amazed' at myself for staying awake throughout the lesson (I guess the swim helps; am going to do it next Sat... :p). After the lesson, I realised that the usage of verbs are actually soooo... important when it comes to interpreting the law, and that alone makes 'studying' law interesting today. At least, I am aware that by knowing the law, it does somehow, change the way we approach our work, with the perspective of rendering help and support to the best interest of our clients.

Night time is "Home Alone"... :) It is rare when there is 'silence' at home. 'Enjoying' the moment... Looking forward to Sunday!!!... :)

Corrinne May - Journey (with lyrics)

I was listening to this song in my ipod on my way to work this morning. Was 'captured' by the lyrics and the way she delivered this song. It was sung with so much emotions, with her feelings totally engaged in the song... Wooh...

Well, sets me in a reflective mood. As I was listening to the song, I wondered to myself, is life all about striving, or achieving some goals alone? Is success determine by how much one gain and achieve? Or, can we take a step back to embrace what life really is? The process, lessons learnt, experience that comes along, and truly, life in essence (in my opinion), is Not so much about reaching a destination per se, BUT appreciating the journey...

'It's a long long journey....' It is with no question of doubt that life is filled with many uncertainties ahead. I have occupied a 'space' on this earth for a good 30 over years, and I wonder how many 'destinations' have I reached? Yes, a couple of them though, but along with reaching those 'destinations', did I miss out enjoying the process? Did I learnt something out of it? Do I celebrate life as it should be? And upon reaching those 'destinations', my questions will always be, 'What is next?' After all, nothing in this world is constant; Change in fact, is the only constant in this world. However, what remains constant is ONLY the Love and Grace of our Heavenly Father.

I guess the only destination in life eventually, is HOME with our Heavenly Father... 'Sad' to acknowledge to some extent, BUT comforting to know... :)

*Random thoughts*