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*

Piano Lesson with Eugene

I have been enjoying giving piano lessons. Not that I doesn't enjoy it in the past, just not as much because I am merely just focusing on teaching the 'skill set' to the student. Of late, I find myself imparting not just music knowledge alone, BUT as much as I can, also life lesson that the student can take back home with them.

In my lesson with Eugene today, I corrected his finger technique. For the longest time, I have reminded him over and over again that the strength of playing the piano should comes from the fingers, and NOT from the whole arm. As I was explaining myself, a 'wise' illustration (in my opinion) came into my mind. Throughout the lesson, Eugene has been 'complaining' that he gets tired doing finger exercises.

Me: 'The reason why your fingers get tired is because you are using the wrong technique. Imagine with me, a tennis player using the wrist to hit the ball??'
Eugene: 'Wooh... That is tiring...'
Me: And I went on, 'Does it ever cross your mind, why does a soccer player don't feel the pain when he heads or kicks the ball'??
Eugene: *Eyes sparkled*
Me: 'Exactly. They use the right technique!!! That's why, their legs or heads will never feel painful, and thus, able to last throughout the game. Same here, if you gets the right technique in your piano playing, your fingers will not grow tired. Moreover, you will have the ability to play faster.' I then did some demo...
Eugene: *Eyes sparkled again*
Me: So, what must you do??'
Eugene: 'Practise' (said it quite reluctantly though, hee...)
Me: 'Yes, and be aware of yourself whenever you practise. Make sure the strength of playing comes from the fingers. In other words, only the fingers are "supposed" to move.'

This to me, is an important lesson which I left off with Eugene today. Apart from getting him to play with the correct technique, the lesson here is also on discipline. It's only with good discipline that he can get his technique right. I'm so glad that he acknowledged that practise is the key for him to set things right. At least for now, he sees the value of playing with the correct technique in order to 'suffer' less... :)

Mamma Mia! - The Winner Takes It All

Just last Sunday, I caught this show with San over DVD. I was totally mesmerised and captured by this song in the show (originally by ABBA). It left me humming it for the next few days... :)

The composition is GREAT, and the lyrics is so well written!!!... In addition, the music blend in really well with the lyrics. I simply LOVE the way Meryl Streep expresses herself towards Pierce Brosnan (her lover in the show) during her singing. The initial part when Meryl Streep sang the sentence 'The Winner Takes It All', it carries a kind of negative, small, 'lost it all' kind of feeling. BUT towards the end of the song, she turns it around, coupled with the change of music, 'The Winner Takes It All' was sung in a Stronger, Powerful, when she sort of 'claim' herself as the winner despite of her confusion and heart pain. When I hear her sings, I can literally feel the pain that she felt at that point in time. It was simply so engaging.

The lyrics can be found here.

This show is highly recommended!!!... Do check it out if you can... :) You will probably hear many hit songs by the popular '70s group ABBA in it too... :p

Updates...

A fren commented that it's easy to start a blog, but hard to 'maintain' it... Hee... how true!!!... When busyness sets in, blogging is the last thing in the list... :p

Time flies... Literally flies... We are in the month of July now...

Well, for the month of June, after so much has happened, I only started work on the 16th. And not long after, it was work retreat on the 19th. Initially, I felt really 'disoriented'. Before I can get into the momentum of working, it was 'disrupted' by the retreat. Well, it turns out pretty well. Though it left me feeling more tired... :p

Check out the no. of guys in this photo... :p

Then, it was the 'assignment' week. I need to hand in the assignment by the end of the month, but I have not even started reading on it. Physically, emotionally, I wasn't ready for it. Somehow, I felt calm though, knowing that it will be in good hands, as I am quite an 'expert' in last min work... :) As I was abt to embark on 'burying' myself in the assignment, the deadline was postponed. Praise God!!!... He does know my 'limitation'...

Well, July has jus begun. One of the highlight is the 'Durian session' with some CG mates at Highland Centre. Wooh... The durian there is simply 'AWESOME'!!!... Check out the link here. Bought 2 boxes back for my parents, and I was so glad to see that they enjoyed it so much, though it does burn a hole in my pocket... :p Nevertheless, their smiles 'compensated' everything... :)

'Mao Shan Wang'... isn't it 'AWESOME'??? Wooh...

Adult Camp 09 - HEROES

I felt like going thru an 'emotional roller coaster' for the past 2 weeks; The passing of Grandma, followed by Adult Camp. Honestly, it's hard to feel excited & prepared for the camp... In addition, the need to stay up late almost every nite during the wake... OOH... That adds on to the tiredness...

Admist the tiredness, camp was good!!!... In my opinion, camp is only good if I am able to bring back something with me to work on... :) Since the theme of the camp is 'HEROES', there are many bible characters that were being taught to us... And I realised that there is one common trait in the life of these heroes: Their r/s with God. Every single one of them had a close, intimate r/s with God. They knew God as a multi-dimensional God, both as a loving Father, as well as a great coach. Their r/s with God sustained them thru various situations & difficult times.

One thing that I brought back with me is the aspect on my faith in God. 'Active Faith vs Passive Faith'!!!... The question I asked myself is, 'How am I living out my faith in God?'... Upon reflection, I realised that my faith in God is rather passive. I often find myself trapped in not standing up for my faith when situation calls for it. To me, NOT DOING the wrong thing is good enough, as compared to CHOOSING to do the right one. Again, I asked myself, 'What does others see in me?'... Do they see CHRIST in me, the quality of God's character, confidence in God, conviction in my faith? etc...

I was blew!!!... Living out an authentic Christian life is not easy, or should I say, it's Tough?... However, doesn't God wants us to learn what perseverance actually means? Having to go thru some struggles in life is not necessary a bad thing... :p At least thru them, we know that we still need Him daily to do life with us, and that in itself, produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, HOPE. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us (Rom 5:3-5). Isn't He good?... :)

Lots to learn & grow...

Demise of Grandma (3rd June 09)

1st post in remembrance of my grandma...

Many have sms-ed and asked 'How are you'?... My standard ans to them will be... 'It was sudden, though prepared'... It's true, I guess one can never be totally prepared to accept the death of a loved one... But on the other hand, I am glad that grandma don't have to suffer any longer. She din put up with much struggles and pain prior to her passing, and she did pass away peacefully...

On Wed evening, I received an sms from Gerald, asking me to rush down to grandma's plc to visit her, and he told me that she was in quite a bad shape. I was actually on my way sending a kid (My colleague's case) home before going to CG. When I read the sms, I felt panicky... And it was during this time that this boy have to tell me that he left his wallet in my office... *faintz*... For a moment, I was SOOOoooo angry with him. We have already walked quite a distance from my office to the bus stop opposite Queenstown MRT Station. Without any choice, I walked him back, in a very fast pace... 'Passed' him to a colleague of mine (thank God that she can take over the sending back of the boy) before I cabbed to grandma's place.When I was JUST about to reach grandma's place, dad called. With a sad tone, he told me that grandma has passed on. I also heard crying & wailing sound at the background. After alighting from the cab, I ran up to the 5th floor and I saw grandma lying on the bed, not moving. I walked over, shaked her leg, and broke down... I was like 'SHIT, am I late'?... I stared at her, speechless... 2nd aunt and the maid was crying very badly. I was just 'stunned' for a good 10 - 15 mins. In my mind, I started to 'blame' myself for being late, I 'blamed' the boy, I 'blamed' the taxi driver etc... It was ard 7:41pm then, which was the time when I sms-ed san to inform her of grandma's passing.

While waiting for san to arrive, the doctor came and pronounced her dead. A few things were going on. 5th uncle was chanting away in the living room... Everyone was just 'waiting', some walking around... As for me, I remained in a 'daze' mood. Tears rolled down my eyes once in a while... Was asked to have my dinner though I had no appetite at all... But still, I 'obeyed'. I ate a little... I went to grandma's room to 'look' at her once in a while. Also sms-ed some frens & colleagues, informing them of the news. My 3rd auntie was also chanting in the room etc... Honestly, I din feel good. The chanting makes me real uncomfortable... I was sadden by the fact that it was an eternal separation from grandma... :(

Felt much better when san arrived. Together, we went to 'see' grandma for the last time in the room. We just stayed around in the living room and before we left, 2nd auntie told me that I wasn't 'late'. She told me that I arrived on the dot, and it was not long after I arrived that she breathe her last. Tears rolled down my eyes once again. I guessed she knew best cos she was of close proximity to grandma at that moment. Phew... I was just glad that I wasn't late after all.

All in all, after recollecting my emotions of losing a loved one, I thank God that the timing of grandma's passing was actually just right.

1) If grandma was to pass away next week, it will clash with the annual church camp.
2) If the boy didn't leave his wallet in the office, I would not have walk him back and cab down to grandma's place from there. If I am to send him back home, I will reach grandma's place even later. By then, I will really not been able to catch her for the last time.
3) The cab came almost immediately when I reached the gate of my office. No waiting at all...
4) Thank God I choose to run up the stairs than taking the lift. Else, I will probably 'miss' her passing by a few mins.

I also wanna take this time to thank God for the support from frens and colleagues. Grandma, will be missing you...