Christmas Blessings

This week has been one filled with loads of makan (aka dining), meeting up with friends and rehearsals for this Sunday's service. And the highlight of the week will be today at approximately 5.15pm when D comes home from HK.

It has been most amazing how D & I have managed to survive these past 9 months apart and now that this experience is coming to an end in another 7 hours, I am just thankful of God's grace and love for us. This Christmas is especially made more meaningful by the fact that we had been apart and the importance of having the family together.

I am also thankful that God answers prayers. As the school term drew to a close late last month, I had been worried about the difficulties in looking for a job in HK and paying for my fixed costs back home. I had sent in my CV either online or emails to various recruitment agencies or schools, but there wasn't any replies.

Just a few nights ago, I had prayed to God for His guidance and peace; that I will be obedient and follow His will. The next day, I received an email from an International School in HK if I was interested to take up a teaching position till June 05. I do not think it is coincidence and definitely thank God for His faithfulness.

I am not sure what will happen after June 05, and I try not to think too far or make too many future plans. But one thing I know for sure is that God, even after 2 milleniums, is real and His miracles abound. Have a blessed Christmas everyone.

Melancholic Morning, Slow Night

This is one of those days I feel quite low. Maybe it's the overcast skies, maybe it's utter boredom, maybe it's just that I miss D badly (this time next week, he will be home... Yeah). Or perhaps it's all the things that I will miss when I move to HK - family, job (or lack of it which is kind of worrying), friends and the comfy life I have in this country.

Woke up early this morning to go to the polyclinic for my flu vaccination. I thought I could use my Civil Service Card (CSC) to pay for this jab hence decided to brave the Saturday crowd and long wait. Unfortunately my CSC isn't that powerful a card to foot the bill and I was stuck in the wait. I couldn't fathom why of all the rooms that were opened for consultation, the one that I was waiting for had to be locked till about an hour later. With the huge crowd, I wouldn't be surprised if I come down with flu even after my vaccination.

This coming Sunday 26th Dec will be the final time I will be doing sound with my wonderful crew.

There were times that I do dread waking up early for the setup (I'm not exactly a morning person). Sometimes I become peeved when the best of our intentions were not appreciated or were overwritten by the upper echelons.

But all these things become irrelevant when (1) it is God that I serve; (2) I am working with this bunch of great people; and (3) I learnt much from 2 sound maestros (Jerry and Esther). Mixing sound in church (or perhaps anywhere for the matter) is not just a matter of technical knowhow, but a certain level of sensitivity and feelings must be included in the overall mix, so that the music can touch the listeners.

This time round, the band and worship team will be new to us, and it seems like the setup is quite big. But I am sure with God on our side, everything will work in His glory.

Slow Week, Fast Tech

Can't believe it is just Wednesday. Time seems to have a mind of its own... when you least expect it, the minutes and seconds zip by so fast that all you realise is the start of another week, but when you try to be particular with time, it taunts with its incredible slow-mo movements.

I have been updating, importing and exporting my outlook email addresses to my new email account with Gmail. Pretty impressive email system, quite pleased with it except that I would like to have different fonts, font colours and font sizes.

A friend of mine had reminded me twice to send her postcards from HK, 'cos she enjoys receiving it. She is also the same person who likes to send Xmas cards and asked me if I send them. I look at her sheepishly and said that the last time I sent xmas cards was when I was in secondary school. And even then, I was quite selective with whom I sent the cards to. I simply don't have the habit of sending cards of whatever purpose and asked her if e-cards will suffice.

The first thing I do when I wake up is to switch on my notebook and whenever I am free during the day, I am in front of it. With that, I realise how dependent I am on technology. I doubt I can live very well without my notebook/PC, the Internet and my emails. Even my NIV bible is on my PDA while the commentary is on my PC. A couple of times, I forgot to take my mobile phone along with me and found public telephones to be alien. I had lost my mobile phone once and had to get a replacement the next day. Thanks to the contacts on my PDA, I managed to retrieve 85% of my contacts. It's a necessary evil, I suppose.

I will be doing something different today, a haircut and highlights this afternoon followed by dinner and massage at a spa. But when I get home, the notebook beckons....

Loose Ends

Past couple of weeks, I have been doing lots of packing. I can't believe the amount of "junk" I have accumulated over 3 years. Books, files, worksheets, notes, countless stationery etc. And this is just the stuff on my workstation in school.

As I delved through those things, it's the endless "Should I trash?" or "Should I not" that run through my mind. It's a major decision that I have to make.

I went through the entire process slowly, wondering if parts of my past will be dumped into the black depths of this nice big trash bag, or will it be saved in the last-minute. All those hard work, late nights, multi-tasking in a short notice, beating deadlines & caffeine-guided results become a thing of the past. Some ended as trash, whilst most were given away to people.

Now that I have tied up this bunch of loose ends, it's time to think about the ones at home. What are the things I truly need to pack and send to HK, bearing in mind that the apartment in HK is much smaller.

I never think that packing and unpacking can be mentally draining, physically yes, but mentally? It isn't just the whole decision process (see above), but the notion of uprooting from what has been comfortable to beginning life anew and somewhat unclear.

Change can be exciting, but yet unsettling. It can be incredibly enticing, with the many possiblities ahead but no clear endpoint. Change can be good and worthwhile, only if the people involved are willing to ride along with it and not be overly affected when change resists change itself.

Take 1... Action!!!

Caught two movies this week - Alexander on Tues and National Treasure on Wed. Felt that Oliver Stone romanticised Alex a lil' too much but Angelina Jolie was great in the movie. It must have been most stressful to live in a family which was so dysfunctional, and a court filled with intrigue and treachery. Maybe that was why Alex continued in his dream and travelled further away from home. Back home, Alexander is given a M-18 rating, i.e. the show is only for those who are 18 yrs and above. The nice auntie i/c of the theatre door actually asked for my identity card and didn't want to see my 2 friends' ID cards. Gee, I suppose I should take that as a compliment... that I still look under 18?!? Or maybe, the nice auntie just want to have a good laugh after looking at my ID card. National Treasure was fine... action was quite well-paced, and it is always good to engage the audience in solving the clues so that the audience would not be bored during the movie. But of course the movie really wants to show everything positive about being American, not-too subtle propaganda really. Even with VCDs, DVDs, LCDs, Plasma or HDTVs... movies and movie-going are going to be around for a long long time. The whole idea of being entertained, in the dark on nice cushy seats, by the huge characters on the screen and having our ears blasted by the great surround system... it's just something that can't be replicated by watching the same show at home. But then again, I will not have to hiss and shush at people, who either don't know how to turn their mobiles to silent mode, or who decide to tell their friend what will happen next in the movie. One thing for sure, I can't bear watching horror movies in the cinema... the theatre is just too dark and I can't pause, fast-forward or stop the part when terror strikes. The only thing I can do is to close my eyes and grab the armrests tightly, and hoping that nothing cold or sharp rubs against my bare hands or neck. What is most terrifying is when some fellow movie-goers scream even before the scary parts of the movie, and instinctively, I will close my eyes. But when I open them, that's also when the crazed hooded/masked killer/monster decides to slash/gouge/torment the victim. D has already said he wants to watch Blade Trinity and Ocean 12 when he returns in another 14 days. Something to look forward to.

Luv Match

I had attended a wedding dinner last evening - couple looked good together, food was fine, wine was weak, people that I sat with was a fun bunch, irritated a friend and felt bad after that. Wedding dinners do remind me of mine held two and a half years ago. My wedding was held over two days - Part 1 being the church reception and Part 2 the wedding dinner. It would have been great to do without Part 2 so that we could just use the money and splurge on a wonderful and long honeymoon. But we had to cater to the parents who felt that they need to be fed and to show every relative, known and unknown to us, that these two are married. Some silly moments: 1. D continued eating and watching NBA match while I waited and wondered what was taking him so long to enter my bedroom with the bouquet. 2. I had to ask my videographer to get D to move his butt and come in. 3. D thought that I was not ready and hence ate and waited. 4. I tried to memorise my vows in the car while waiting for the go-ahead to drive into the church compound, and realise I felt really nervous. 5. The pastor asked if I was really who I was because it was the first time he saw me in a dress. 6. D seemed to be tearing while I was walking closer towards him down the aisle, and I felt like crying when I saw his teary eyes, but thought better of ruining my mascara. 7. Before our kiss, the pastor reminded us that a peck would not do and we had to try a second time. 8. Our pastor again reminded D that he couldn't change his mind at this juncture even if he wanted to. 9. My dad forgot that he was the witness when D and I signed our lives to one another and I had to call him from the pew before we could sign. 10. I was not allowed to wash my gel-up, spray-fixed hair by my mother-in-law (MIL) when I got home that night... reasons unknown although I have my theories. 11. Didn't do anything with D that night because I was just too bothered with my unwashed hair. 12. I woke up early the next morning, just to wash my hair. 13. Both D and I mingled with guests during the dinner separately and we had a tough time finding one another in the banquet hall. 14. The silly stacked-up glasses didn't fill up properly when we poured the champagne into them. Most of the good champagne went to waste. 15. D drank a potent concoction of cognac and excellent red wine and held it well. His mum insisted to everyone that he couldn't drink. 16. I was appointed to go to the registry to submit our wedding certificate the next morning, while D stayed in the hotel to pack up. Wonder why I was chosen for the job.

Action & Reaction

Recently news broke on the plan for automatic HIV testing for pregnant mums, unless they opt out of it. This is over and above other medical tests that pregnant mums, for the benefit of their unborn children, will need to go for. I suppose that is fine, I mean, I would want the best for my kid. So if something is found to be not quite right, the child can be given the best help that I can afford.

We must also be aware that not all HIV cases are due to irresponsible sexual behaviours or drug-related actions, although these are the more common reasons. There are cases of careless or insufficient checks done prior to blood transfusion. Regardless of whether the reason is more common or not, all situations are equally important.

Now, there is talk about extending the HIV tests to pre-marital couples. A simple survey was done by the TV station and it seems most of the interviewees were fine with the idea. For the minority who disgreed, personal rights and privacy were given as reasons.

Here in this fine (puns intended) island where I am born and bred, individual rights are important but when circumstances dictate, we have been taught to put the good of the family first.

"Mum, dad, can we eat Macs for dinner?" asked the daughter.

"No lah, rice," answered mum.

"Your grandma, grandpa, brothers, sisters and I want to eat rice, so you can't eat Macs today," dad reinterated.

And if group rights (e.g. family's) are important, when major things happen, the good of the country should come before that.

"Ok, now that you have graduated, you must find a job, get married and stay married, have kids as soon as possible because the country needs you to be gainfully employed and boost the national marriage and childbirth statistics... Ours have been falling over the last few years, we have fewer jobs, people are delaying marriage and too few children are born. In the next few generations, we will not have that big a local workforce, because there are just too few children now."

I suppose that's the way things are like back home, and there are two sides of the coin, positives and negatives, good and bad. And I will not be surprised if the HIV testing is extended to pre-marital couples. It will just be another thing that we have to do because someone says so, for the good of everyone.

Still I hope that people can be truthful in the relationships and deserve one another's trust. That dating couples understand the need for a strong foundation in their relationships, by keeping themselves pure and uphold one another in a respectful and loving manner. That they do not need tests to inform them of mistakes and errorneous ways, but to come clean, seek forgiveness and resolve to treasure second chances when given.