The sun shines on both the good and evil.
I must meditate upon this truth to keep me sane, while exasperation and anger welled up within me. I've been treated unfairly and unkindly.
Who can i turn to pour out my grievances?
I have just finished reading The Last Battle, last book of Chronicles of Narnia. Haven't i just been reminded that the world i live in is imperfect? That my hope lies in knowing that one day i'll be truly home - in a perfect world without sin. Let me hence live this life with good cheer, knowing that we're strangers in this land. So there is no way i can be totally happy and comfortable in this place, for this is only but a shadow - a poor one - or type of what there is to come.
Joy is a decision. Peace is of the noble. Love is the greatest.
Let me continue to meditate, and continue to be hopeful.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Passion
I like people who are passionate in what they do. With that layer of emotion, it seems to add a whole new purpose to the mundane task.
I like musicians who are passionate about their music - you can feel it in their music, chefs who are passionate about their cooking - you can taste it in their cooking, business people who are so passionate about their business - you can almost see it in their eyes.
I can feel it in Joshua Bell's violin tunes, Leslie Tan's Cello.
I love Jamie Oliver - his passion fuels my inspiration.
And recently i met a lady who runs her own research company - i can see it in her eyes that passion is the main driving factor in her biz.
It has all along been my desire to live my life passionately!
Passionate in being who i am
Passionate in living out what i believe in
Passionate in my relationships
Passionate in my work
Passionate in doing what i enjoy
I guess i'm about a toe into it now, and that will be my guiding principle to focus on for this year to come. It's something fundamental and essential to me :)
I like musicians who are passionate about their music - you can feel it in their music, chefs who are passionate about their cooking - you can taste it in their cooking, business people who are so passionate about their business - you can almost see it in their eyes.
I can feel it in Joshua Bell's violin tunes, Leslie Tan's Cello.
I love Jamie Oliver - his passion fuels my inspiration.
And recently i met a lady who runs her own research company - i can see it in her eyes that passion is the main driving factor in her biz.
It has all along been my desire to live my life passionately!
Passionate in being who i am
Passionate in living out what i believe in
Passionate in my relationships
Passionate in my work
Passionate in doing what i enjoy
I guess i'm about a toe into it now, and that will be my guiding principle to focus on for this year to come. It's something fundamental and essential to me :)
Friday, November 23, 2007
10th year reunion @ St Nicks
Went back to St Nicks for our 10th year reunion since we've graduated. Gosh we felt so old! Met up with Yanping, Siew Yee, Adele and a bunch of others to go down together. To our dismay, we realised that the usual feeder bus service 262 is discontinued, but fortunately being replaced by 269.
It's so nostalgic to walk down the lane leading to the school. The baby crocodiles are no longer there; it's now a little pavilion. Entering the canteen i was surprised to see a couple of hundreds of ladies there, despite it being a friday evening. Yes ladies, all grown up, no longer the kids we used to be. Some are already mothers, carrying their little ones around. But interestingly, not a single one brought their partner along, despite the outright invitation. Hmm, a sign of feminism?
It's so great to see everyone - the heartwarming feeling is indescribable! :) I'm glad i went - it's so nice to revisit the days of old, retelling those stories of the past.
Oh and 2 stall owners did open their stalls specially for us:
and this aunty and uncle actually remembers me! :) after 10 yrs!
This is Uncle Mobin's assistant; he's not around though. I missed his teh tarik!
All in all, it was truly a wonderful time together, reminiscing the past. And yes ladies, i'll remember to invite you for my wedding lah! :P
It's so nostalgic to walk down the lane leading to the school. The baby crocodiles are no longer there; it's now a little pavilion. Entering the canteen i was surprised to see a couple of hundreds of ladies there, despite it being a friday evening. Yes ladies, all grown up, no longer the kids we used to be. Some are already mothers, carrying their little ones around. But interestingly, not a single one brought their partner along, despite the outright invitation. Hmm, a sign of feminism?
It's so great to see everyone - the heartwarming feeling is indescribable! :) I'm glad i went - it's so nice to revisit the days of old, retelling those stories of the past.
Oh and 2 stall owners did open their stalls specially for us:
and this aunty and uncle actually remembers me! :) after 10 yrs!
This is Uncle Mobin's assistant; he's not around though. I missed his teh tarik!
All in all, it was truly a wonderful time together, reminiscing the past. And yes ladies, i'll remember to invite you for my wedding lah! :P
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
baby eevee
Went to Thomson Medical to visit Isabel & Alan (my 'ah kor'), and their lovely little Eevee! :)
This is Alan posing for the photoshoot after my comment on 'why is he lying on the patient's bed watching TV instead of the wife?!'
Hence this picture shall be named: 'Mother' and Baby. Heh.
This is Alan posing for the photoshoot after my comment on 'why is he lying on the patient's bed watching TV instead of the wife?!'
Hence this picture shall be named: 'Mother' and Baby. Heh.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Love in more ways than one
I was trying to plan our itinerary for the Hanoi trip when i came across this Hoa Sua School - a F&B establishment set up to train the disadvantaged youths. I thought it's real meaningful and would be a good idea to visit them and learn more from them :) It's like Shatec for the disadvantaged.
Well, we have several examples in the local context too - In the middle of halfway house compound, Social Enterprise Ark in Geylang's Lorong 23, housed 11 businesses set up by Christian halfway house, The Highpoint. These included Goshen restaurant, a furniture shop and a car polish service, that created more than 70 jobs, most of which were filled by the halfway house's 58 residents.
Goshen was helmed by executive chef Benny Se Teo and 17 crew members - 15 of whom were ex-offenders. However despite raved reviews, Goshen Restaurant closed down last May after one year of operation due to lack of financing.
In his stint, Benny was very inspired by Jamie Oliver's Fifteen:-
Jamie Oliver combined two ambitions: to open a top class restaurant and to give disadvantaged youngsters the chance to gain professional training that would set them up for an independent, inspired and productive life. And five years on, Fifteen is still achieving both, improving and expanding all the time.
Same goal; different outcomes.
A bit of background: Jamie is my all-time inspiration in the art of cooking. But with or without him, i already had great passion in food and cooking since childhood. And it has been my dream to venture into F&B in the course of time - and not just that, i would want it to be a non-profit organization, where every penny earned is sown back to helping more people.
The case studies above have reminded me to be wise and prudent - otherwise i'll end up shattering the dreams of those i have helped to build. I must seriously prepare myself if i intend to put my foot into this. Or rather, my heart, my mind, my soul.
Well, we have several examples in the local context too - In the middle of halfway house compound, Social Enterprise Ark in Geylang's Lorong 23, housed 11 businesses set up by Christian halfway house, The Highpoint. These included Goshen restaurant, a furniture shop and a car polish service, that created more than 70 jobs, most of which were filled by the halfway house's 58 residents.
Goshen was helmed by executive chef Benny Se Teo and 17 crew members - 15 of whom were ex-offenders. However despite raved reviews, Goshen Restaurant closed down last May after one year of operation due to lack of financing.
In his stint, Benny was very inspired by Jamie Oliver's Fifteen:-
Jamie Oliver combined two ambitions: to open a top class restaurant and to give disadvantaged youngsters the chance to gain professional training that would set them up for an independent, inspired and productive life. And five years on, Fifteen is still achieving both, improving and expanding all the time.
Same goal; different outcomes.
A bit of background: Jamie is my all-time inspiration in the art of cooking. But with or without him, i already had great passion in food and cooking since childhood. And it has been my dream to venture into F&B in the course of time - and not just that, i would want it to be a non-profit organization, where every penny earned is sown back to helping more people.
The case studies above have reminded me to be wise and prudent - otherwise i'll end up shattering the dreams of those i have helped to build. I must seriously prepare myself if i intend to put my foot into this. Or rather, my heart, my mind, my soul.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Poisoned!
Went with bf to a wedding dinner last night at Swissotel Stamford (Westin). Indeed as what my bf says, it can be rather confusing and daunting to find the way to the right ballroom esp if you happened to be attending a dinner in one of the smaller ballrooms ie. one big ballroom split into 3 wedding dinners. Gosh, the common sight is seeing guests hopping around to get into the right one.
That said, we did manage to find ours, thanks to the hotel ushers :) It was a simple event, but yet you can easily detect the romance in the air! I just love weddings - ohhh you can see the love and bliss in the eyes of the wedded couple. And that never fails to add warmth and romance :)
To review the ballroom and the food - i can just say it's of 3 star quality. It's rather different from the Bridal Show held at the hotel last year - we went to scout the banquet offerings and found the food pretty good - they even provided a dessert chef to customise for us any dessert we would like to have. I found the idea refreshing.
But to our disappointment, yesterday's food is slightly below average. Nothing impresses. But they managed to amuse us:
1) the lady who poured the chinese tea was most amusing: she poured it from the pot vertically such that everytime she poured, she did it with a violent splash. Scary!
2) the cold dish was a self-service dish, when the 2nd dish came - shark's fin soup, the waitstaff had no idea who or how to portion it. so she went off and ended with a debate with 3 persons who should be the one. Eventually a lady came and timidly served us.
3) the next dish scallops with asparagus was served by another boy: who served the 1st few plates with 6 scallops, and the last few with one or two. He looked so inexperienced that we offered our help to turn the table wheel and push over the plates one by one.
4) yam ring: this lady is so amusing and yet so endearing. she nicely portioned out all the ingredients in the yam ring and then she stopped. She just gazed at the yam ring on the big plate. She looked so helpless that my bf's uncle offered her a knife for cutting. She took it but continue staring at the ring fearfully. Then came her supervisor who decided to help her out. She continued to stand there holding the knife, so i suggested to her maybe she would like to return the knife to the uncle instead, which she did.
5) Ee-Mee:
Nothing wrong, but this is my first time i had ee-mee served on a plate instead of the usual bowl. And when dessert came (mango sago), he placed plates again, and we laughed.
Okay now you may wonder why this posting is titled 'Poisoned!' That's because i had food poisoning as a result of the food at this dinner. Sigh, visited a doc this morning and ended up spending my entire sunday at home. And i'm still suffering from the painful effects now :(
I'm just happy we didn't end up choosing Swissotel Stamford for our wedding!
That said, we did manage to find ours, thanks to the hotel ushers :) It was a simple event, but yet you can easily detect the romance in the air! I just love weddings - ohhh you can see the love and bliss in the eyes of the wedded couple. And that never fails to add warmth and romance :)
To review the ballroom and the food - i can just say it's of 3 star quality. It's rather different from the Bridal Show held at the hotel last year - we went to scout the banquet offerings and found the food pretty good - they even provided a dessert chef to customise for us any dessert we would like to have. I found the idea refreshing.
But to our disappointment, yesterday's food is slightly below average. Nothing impresses. But they managed to amuse us:
1) the lady who poured the chinese tea was most amusing: she poured it from the pot vertically such that everytime she poured, she did it with a violent splash. Scary!
2) the cold dish was a self-service dish, when the 2nd dish came - shark's fin soup, the waitstaff had no idea who or how to portion it. so she went off and ended with a debate with 3 persons who should be the one. Eventually a lady came and timidly served us.
3) the next dish scallops with asparagus was served by another boy: who served the 1st few plates with 6 scallops, and the last few with one or two. He looked so inexperienced that we offered our help to turn the table wheel and push over the plates one by one.
4) yam ring: this lady is so amusing and yet so endearing. she nicely portioned out all the ingredients in the yam ring and then she stopped. She just gazed at the yam ring on the big plate. She looked so helpless that my bf's uncle offered her a knife for cutting. She took it but continue staring at the ring fearfully. Then came her supervisor who decided to help her out. She continued to stand there holding the knife, so i suggested to her maybe she would like to return the knife to the uncle instead, which she did.
5) Ee-Mee:
Nothing wrong, but this is my first time i had ee-mee served on a plate instead of the usual bowl. And when dessert came (mango sago), he placed plates again, and we laughed.
Okay now you may wonder why this posting is titled 'Poisoned!' That's because i had food poisoning as a result of the food at this dinner. Sigh, visited a doc this morning and ended up spending my entire sunday at home. And i'm still suffering from the painful effects now :(
I'm just happy we didn't end up choosing Swissotel Stamford for our wedding!
Friday, November 16, 2007
creative marketing
The lazy lamb woke up to a cool saturday afternoon, after a night's marathon of Anime watching. Ate only a donut for dinner last night, my tummy is growling. Too lazy to go out for b'fast (or lunch really!), i went to the kitchen to look for snacks - found some Banana cake, Digestives, and Oreo peanut n choco creme.
I made a pot of Houji Cha - my fave highly aromatic Roasted Green tea. And plop onto the couch, ready for my weekly routine of reading the newspapers, and logging online to check my emails.
I reached for my Oreo. And stopped - the little advertising on the packaging caught my eye. It says 1. Twist 2. Lick 3. Dunk
What ingenius idea even for a plain creme biscuit, to differentiate from the plain vanillas by injecting creativity.
This reminds me of two other experiences in this recent week: Kettle Chips & Sandwich Shop.
I used to wonder who will spend abt $5 to purchase a bag of chips, and somemore, my bf was crazy enough to grab 3 in a go. But if you have never read what was on the back of the bag of chips - go read it. You won't regret!
Every bag has personified of the character (& USP) of the chips' type, for eg. my bf's fave Unsalted Chips:
"Let's face it. Not all chips taste good naked. Insecure in themselves, they cover over sad potato flavor with extreme flavorings. Not so for our unsalted potato chips. Because we've searched the world over for the Perfect Potato, we're letting this chip out of the bag completely naked, in all its small batch-cooked perfect potato glory. With nothing but the rich, rustic flavor nature gave them, our Unsalted Kettle(TM) brand potato chips can't wait to get out of the bag and show you what they're made of. "
Check out my fave Honey Dijon:
Dijon mustard is sophisticated and a bit snooty. Honey is sweet and wild. Sparks fly when they meet...it's love at first sight. Honey mellows and softens mustard's sharp edge. Yes, we know, we're talking about potato chips here. But take a bite of these sweet, savory lovelies and you just might get obsessed. We are.
I like to frequent the Sandwich Shop @ Hitachi Towers, esp after my yoga session at Planet Fitness. They served the most delicious sandwiches in the region - eg. smoked salmon with avocado; crayfish with arugula leaves. Yum!!
Their advertising behind every pack of sandwich and on every piece of their serviettes leverages on their strengths: freshly made daily, leftovers given to their friends in the homes, use of premium ingredients etc.
Going back to sipping on my tea, and thinking how can i use this to leverage on positioning the products i'm involved in right now....
I made a pot of Houji Cha - my fave highly aromatic Roasted Green tea. And plop onto the couch, ready for my weekly routine of reading the newspapers, and logging online to check my emails.
I reached for my Oreo. And stopped - the little advertising on the packaging caught my eye. It says 1. Twist 2. Lick 3. Dunk
What ingenius idea even for a plain creme biscuit, to differentiate from the plain vanillas by injecting creativity.
This reminds me of two other experiences in this recent week: Kettle Chips & Sandwich Shop.
I used to wonder who will spend abt $5 to purchase a bag of chips, and somemore, my bf was crazy enough to grab 3 in a go. But if you have never read what was on the back of the bag of chips - go read it. You won't regret!
Every bag has personified of the character (& USP) of the chips' type, for eg. my bf's fave Unsalted Chips:
"Let's face it. Not all chips taste good naked. Insecure in themselves, they cover over sad potato flavor with extreme flavorings. Not so for our unsalted potato chips. Because we've searched the world over for the Perfect Potato, we're letting this chip out of the bag completely naked, in all its small batch-cooked perfect potato glory. With nothing but the rich, rustic flavor nature gave them, our Unsalted Kettle(TM) brand potato chips can't wait to get out of the bag and show you what they're made of. "
Check out my fave Honey Dijon:
Dijon mustard is sophisticated and a bit snooty. Honey is sweet and wild. Sparks fly when they meet...it's love at first sight. Honey mellows and softens mustard's sharp edge. Yes, we know, we're talking about potato chips here. But take a bite of these sweet, savory lovelies and you just might get obsessed. We are.
I like to frequent the Sandwich Shop @ Hitachi Towers, esp after my yoga session at Planet Fitness. They served the most delicious sandwiches in the region - eg. smoked salmon with avocado; crayfish with arugula leaves. Yum!!
Their advertising behind every pack of sandwich and on every piece of their serviettes leverages on their strengths: freshly made daily, leftovers given to their friends in the homes, use of premium ingredients etc.
Going back to sipping on my tea, and thinking how can i use this to leverage on positioning the products i'm involved in right now....
the red sea
Really wish i could split open the red sea! :P
Well, the STI this week has been a sea of red, mirroring the Aug phenomena. But the effect for me was greater than in Aug, my stocks plunged $16K in a week. Yes, that's my loss.
My daring stock, Cosco, dropped from a peak of $8.20 to $6.45 within a week :( Predicting that year end will see a rally in the stock market, i valiantly vested further in Cosco today.
If you think that my situation is bad, and i must be panicking, you're wrong. Volatility is part and parcel of trading in the equity market. And opportunities come only when there is votality. If the market is flat throughout, who can profit from it?
Well, my principle is to take calculated risks, and to invest only the amount that i can bear to lose. That means that i'm not taking the speculative route, but looking at long term investment in fundamentally strong stocks.
It's really fun to play the market - like strategy gaming. Well i had my fair share of mistakes too - energy and technology stocks have been plunging like mad. But all these are hopefully a valuable lesson to me.
Haha, anyway do hope my prediction is right and i'll have a Merry Xmas. Otherwise, hmmm you can give me a treat :)
Well, the STI this week has been a sea of red, mirroring the Aug phenomena. But the effect for me was greater than in Aug, my stocks plunged $16K in a week. Yes, that's my loss.
My daring stock, Cosco, dropped from a peak of $8.20 to $6.45 within a week :( Predicting that year end will see a rally in the stock market, i valiantly vested further in Cosco today.
If you think that my situation is bad, and i must be panicking, you're wrong. Volatility is part and parcel of trading in the equity market. And opportunities come only when there is votality. If the market is flat throughout, who can profit from it?
Well, my principle is to take calculated risks, and to invest only the amount that i can bear to lose. That means that i'm not taking the speculative route, but looking at long term investment in fundamentally strong stocks.
It's really fun to play the market - like strategy gaming. Well i had my fair share of mistakes too - energy and technology stocks have been plunging like mad. But all these are hopefully a valuable lesson to me.
Haha, anyway do hope my prediction is right and i'll have a Merry Xmas. Otherwise, hmmm you can give me a treat :)
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Finding joy in contentment
Prodded by the melancholy in me, i started flipping to Ecclesiastes on my morning routine in the mrt to work. Pleasure is vanity, and labor is grasping for the wind. Even the wise man dies as the fool! So then what profit have i?
It is great blessing to be blessed with everything i ever wanted. Yet in all these, i find temporal security but no satisfaction. I have never been too concerned with material things; wealth and power have also never been that desirable. Where then can i find joy and satisfaction?
Sometimes it's in the little things that i found meaning and joy: watching a little squirrel bouncing across my path. It never fails to amaze me whenever i look at creation - the sky, the sea, the mountains, the fishes, the animals, the flowers, the bees, the birds, the snow, the rain, the clouds...
And wonder how small i am compared to the magnitude of the universe - like a drop in the ocean.
I love God and the beauty of His Creation. How can i live a life as if there's no God, when the world is a witness of Himself? And How forgetful can i be - that He needs to remind me daily of His Presence :)
~Amazing love how can it be, that you my King should die for me
Amazing love i know it's true, and it's my joy to honor you
In all i do, i honor you~
It is great blessing to be blessed with everything i ever wanted. Yet in all these, i find temporal security but no satisfaction. I have never been too concerned with material things; wealth and power have also never been that desirable. Where then can i find joy and satisfaction?
Sometimes it's in the little things that i found meaning and joy: watching a little squirrel bouncing across my path. It never fails to amaze me whenever i look at creation - the sky, the sea, the mountains, the fishes, the animals, the flowers, the bees, the birds, the snow, the rain, the clouds...
And wonder how small i am compared to the magnitude of the universe - like a drop in the ocean.
I love God and the beauty of His Creation. How can i live a life as if there's no God, when the world is a witness of Himself? And How forgetful can i be - that He needs to remind me daily of His Presence :)
~Amazing love how can it be, that you my King should die for me
Amazing love i know it's true, and it's my joy to honor you
In all i do, i honor you~
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
meaninglessness and dread
I'm stuck in this melancholic mood for some days now. Going back to work today simply made it worse. Attended a meeting on next yr's credit card budget...Did my appraisal with boss....Cleared the spate of emails in my inbox, a result of 2 days of leave. The events were overall not unpleasant actually, just that my mood got into me and i ponder over the meaninglessness of the events: this little rat race of 'meeting targets' is somewhat a dread for me.
To this i ask myself: would these have mattered when i'm 80 years old and dying? Otherwise then, what would have mattered? What will be something i hope to have achieved or be proud of?
on top of my list would be to love and be loved - and spent quality time with my loved ones and friends. And to love the unlovable.
and secondly, to gain wisdom, understanding and knowledge.
To this i ask myself: would these have mattered when i'm 80 years old and dying? Otherwise then, what would have mattered? What will be something i hope to have achieved or be proud of?
on top of my list would be to love and be loved - and spent quality time with my loved ones and friends. And to love the unlovable.
and secondly, to gain wisdom, understanding and knowledge.
then again, have i taken for granted that i'll live till 80? (life expectancy) have i forgotten that i have no control over the sands of time?
i remembered the first time i visited a cancer patient, mrs tan, as part of my volunteer ministry. what struck me most was how fragile and unpredictable life is! A month ago she was just thinking that she had a minor cough, and a month later she found out she had last stage lung cancer.
let us not take what we cannot predict for granted, but live each day as if it's the last - in this, we'll treasure and use it for what truly matters to us the most. every additional breath we take is in itself a blessing from God, and something we should thank God for :)
Monday, November 12, 2007
e beginning of e little musings
I was lazing by the beach, gazing at the cloudy sky. What a beautiful afternoon - to be off work, to be alone by the beach, and to mull over the little happenings of my recent life. Feeling rather introspective, i began the 1st posting of this little blog.
But I have to first attribute my gratitude to the singapore govt: kudos for the wireless@sg, otherwise this blog cannot be borned into this tiny isle of sentosa.
In Ecclesiates, the Preacher said "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity". How true! Much i've pursued was just grasping for the wind. And how meaningless!
My mind was drawn to the slate of events that happened in the last 12 mths:
New job & new industry
New church & new ministry
Preparing for a new marital status & new home
New gym membership: new yoga
New financial investing: equities and funds
These changes did have substantial amounts of impact on me. Yet it amazes me that i’m recently feeling rather apathetic towards all these changes. Was i getting old? Or slightly jaded? Where was my childlike fervour? Or was it because i have realised that all is just grasping for the wind?
Then that would give me another reason to continue lazing by the beach, and gazing at the sky, feeling the breeze on my face, knowing that this too is also ephemeral.
But sadly my work-conditioned mind gently reminds me that perhaps it is time i should do some inner reflection and recalibrate my energies. While at the same time, of cos, continue to laze on the beach...
But I have to first attribute my gratitude to the singapore govt: kudos for the wireless@sg, otherwise this blog cannot be borned into this tiny isle of sentosa.
In Ecclesiates, the Preacher said "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity". How true! Much i've pursued was just grasping for the wind. And how meaningless!
My mind was drawn to the slate of events that happened in the last 12 mths:
New job & new industry
New church & new ministry
Preparing for a new marital status & new home
New gym membership: new yoga
New financial investing: equities and funds
These changes did have substantial amounts of impact on me. Yet it amazes me that i’m recently feeling rather apathetic towards all these changes. Was i getting old? Or slightly jaded? Where was my childlike fervour? Or was it because i have realised that all is just grasping for the wind?
Then that would give me another reason to continue lazing by the beach, and gazing at the sky, feeling the breeze on my face, knowing that this too is also ephemeral.
But sadly my work-conditioned mind gently reminds me that perhaps it is time i should do some inner reflection and recalibrate my energies. While at the same time, of cos, continue to laze on the beach...
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