an unexpected highlight of my day was meeting up wif greg. we met after team retreat at KAP macs- a place swarming with teens! i havent hung out there in a long while. enjoyed the place tho, insisted on not feeling too old n out-of-place in the sea of sch uniforms. it was a good time tog despite his "marriage promotion".
---
the difference between our 2 year old self n our 22-yr old or 32 yr old self is that the older versions of ourselves fail to comprehend that we r still making "poo poos"- messes - that we cannot even begin to clean up ourselves. n sometimes toodlers mistakenly take their "poo poos" to be chocolates n attempt to eat them (not me!but i've known some 2,3 year olds who did that!) the older version of ourselves may look at our actual messes n think they are good stuff we've come up with n pride ourselves with them.
---
was reading an article on perceptions fr 21/08's ST RECRUIT. was reminded that pp's perception determines their reality. i've seen n experienced this almost everyday of my life as a trained and registered SW, as a full time christian worker. pp say and work out their perceptions leaving others in a cloud of puzzlement created by their actions n reactions. n worse so when pp think they are smart, or understanding, n say so themselves often leaving their hearers aghast- "do not think yourselves more highly than you should."
then the other thing dat is affecting us ALL is this concept of righteousness. everyone seems righteous in his own eyes - "what i did was right" or even when he himself is willing to admit he is wrong, tries to justify with "but..." or when pinned about a difficult situation, sees himself as a victim rather than perpetrator. these 2 malaise put together, you get a person who believes in a reality contrary to the accounts of others and asserting that he is right.
n sometimes... juz sometimes... i'm guilty as charged.
---
we cannot feed pp wat they cannot digest - YK
i cannot invite others to live a life i m not living. - article fr leadership journal
good reminder as i prep 4 sunday's message. a bit not easy eh...
---
on tues n wed, God keep reminding me that THE LORD REIGNS, OUR GOD REIGNS... it's not something i was consciously meditating on. rather it's an answer to my prayers. the way it kept popping up was so randomly God-incidental... n also the way it popped into my mind. it has a very different quality of thought and feel to it - different from my own thoughts n feelings if u noe wat i mean. well... such assurance was much needed. MUCH needed. yes... our God reigns!

went to pierce my ears today. finally got it done! the 1st time was 10 years ago, n i had let both sides closed up. had a little shock when it hurt more than i rem! my ear lobes are fiercely red for an hour or two and whenever i accidentally touch it, like when i changed out of my clothes, or tugged my hair behind my ear, it shot a biting protest to my brain.

had the extra push from shu-en when after a dg hearing abt me walking in the bazar looking at ear rings, she went n bought a pair for me. she had wanted to give me last fri but we missed each other. so yesterday at AGM, she gave me. it brings a smile to my fave juz recalling how she was kinda excited abt it all, and tried to add suspense saying, " i got something for you, but i'm not giving u now" wif a twinkle in her eye. i wondered if she knew i didnt have pierced ears like her.

so yeah,,, now nursing my throbbing ears... n hopefully soon enuf can wear the nice doggy ear rings she gave.

charm sms me on mon to say sge missed me. so nice 2 noe!

had OA141 meeting tonight. such a load off my shoulders that we got our timeline out and we are launching on 7 oct. the comm was gr8 and so bursting with ideas i had a little bit of difficulty getting them back fr throwing ideas to settling on some to work on and putting into our schedules. but yeah. m glad we settled the prog n work for the next 6 weeks!

i ve learnt alot abt myself these past 2 weeks.
thru staff summit n connect conf n juz working n doing min.

i've learnt that i blame myself ALOT. way too much. i have to learn to regulate and be fair to myself in that way.
i've learnt that to love means to give up always having to be right.
love covers a multitude of sins/wrongs.
love is patient, love is kind, love does not keep a record of wrongs...love bears all things.
to love is to give up my self-righteousness.
yet at the same time, not to take up being wrong when there's no wrongs on my part to bear.

i've come to deeper realisation of what it means that the Lord is our vindicator, our advocate, our mediator. and how He takes on slime, slander and blame EVERYDAY abt His character, abt what He has allowed in the world... n how we cannot even take being maligned for a sec. we try to fight n get justice for ourselves etc.

i've learnt to ask, "what is the Christ-like thing to do in this situation?" not so like the WWDJ question which i tihnk has become more a cliche that a help.

i've learnt to lean on others, to receive their support and love. to trust in them being able to catch me.

i've learnt to learn, unlearn, relearn. huge difference these 3.

apple has done it again... really... these guys are dedicated to b number 1, n dedicated to outdo themselves! competitors... eat their dust!

check out Steve Jobs' sept presentation

http://stream.qtv.apple.com/events/sep/s83522y/m_63827621b_650_ref.mov



quotes from the presentation:



"That’s what we set out to do, and we think we did a pretty good job at it."

to the cheers fr the audience when he presented the ipod classic. "But... we're not done yet!"

"when we released ipod in jan people say it is the best ever.. but we have better yet.. "and goes on to introduce the ipod touch.



wow watching the pres on ipod touch, not a few ideas popped up in my head on how i can use it for evangelism, for work on campus! safari n youtube on ipod touch with wifi capabilities! n the screen is so cool, can see the webpage properly, unlike other pdas with wifi. n it's juz 8mm thick!



haha.. but but... i'll wait a year or two! cos i owned my ishuffle for barely a year and we now have new, better stuff! so yeah... wait...

was trying to prep my sunday message. but have been v tired n had other things dat threw me off course. today at connect conf, evan (SP) came up to me and said hi. n told emily (N2) whom i was talking to dat we(the 2 evans) met each other cos she attended my workshop last dec's conf, which, according to her, was v good. n she told me that she can still rem it! n proceeded to tell me wat she rem. i felt v encouraged. v. esp when i ve not prep like i wanted to for this sun message. n she ended saying God will use me. i m so saying "amen!"to it! typing this now cos i m juz to lazy n distracted to journal.

i sometimes get so irritated by how the boarding passengers block the exiting passengers trying to squeeze past them before they can get off. and yesterday, i was so so tired. and i was standing in front of these 2 persons who got off. and before i can make a move to claim a seat cos i m the closest standing passenger, a lady tried to squeeze pass me. so i let her. and she obnoxiously put her hand onto the empty seat beside her and called to her friend. her friend didnt want to sit and hence a "no i dont want to sit" "seeeet lahhhh" for 3 minutes! then they called to their friend who was talking on the phone at the far end of the cabin. and after some time, that 3rd lady finally came to sit. -_-

well, today my dad sms me this:
MRT pledge -
we, the passengers of MRT, poise ourselves as one kan cheong people. regardless of old folks, kids or pregnant women, to rush for unoccupied seats, based on pushing and shoving, so as to achieve rest, slumber and sleep for our comfort.

pls........

had started typing at this entry pretty happily. but sian now. my mood changed so fast! esp wen i m tired. so sorry then. had wanted to blog quite a bit.
well, shall keep it to the bare minimum.
today's the 7th anniversary of my Jesus ring. got it in 2000 19 sept. cheers to being His.

watched Rataouille with charlene n joanne. was good... made us really want 2 eat... n if there was a dish "ratatouille" selling nearby, we'd b sure patrons of the eatery. so yeah... got me all interested... n after searching online, i realised how it is so almost impossible a dish to be set b4 the world's most critical critic! remember how anton ego n skinner were taken aback that they were served ratatouille? it's like chap choi in french style. you've got a million ways to do this 'everyday-anyhow' dish. it's a dish mostly taken for granted so really no one serves it in a high class restaurant, much less to the chef's most nightmare, the world's most critical food critic! makes me wonder how one can get such a reaction from eating it (think vege stew... chap choi... can u actually get so moved from tasting it? *scratch head*

included the recipe below.tell me how it turns out should u b bold (or free) enough 2 give it a shot!

Ratatouille Recipe
Ratatouille is essentally a vegetable stew, and as with most stews, the quantities and proportions are variable. Ratatouille is good served over pasta, rice or couscous; or as a vegetable side dish. Tradition preparation of this dish requires browning each vegetable separately to develop individual flavors, then combining them for further cooking to blend the flavors.

Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant, or several smaller ones
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 onion
- 1 pepper
- 2 tomatoes (more if small)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil, oregano or marjoram (or a mix)
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil salt

Container: large skillet with cover
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Directions
Cut eggplant, zucchini, pepper and onion into cubes of about 1/2 inch. Mince or press the garlic. Finely chop the tomatoes, retaining seeds and juice.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the eggplant until it begins to brown a little. Remove eggplant, add to the pan the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onions, zucchini and peppers. Cover, reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes.
Add garlic and tomatoes and cook 5 minutes. Add the browned eggplant and the chopped herbs and cook until all vegetables are tender - 10 to 15 minutes.
Add salt to taste and serve hot or at room temperature.

source:http://www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/t--1946/ratatouille.asp

nua the weekend away... stayed home except for a short while to jog. my brain juz refuses to work despite knowing that i have tons to do.
well meaning friends tell me i needed to rest, dat s y. but i noe better... juz needed time off to be by myself. hee. shall go off to do more of my anti social behaviour... shall go offline now... maybe will sleep soon... yawn...
tmr on retreat leave... haha.. yay!

THE LORD'S PRAYER IN SPANISH
Padre nuestro que estás en los cielos Santificado sea tu Nombre Venga tu reino Hágase tu voluntad En la tierra como en el cielo Danos hoy el pan de este día y perdona nuestras deudas como nosotros perdonamos nuestros deudores y no nos dejes caer en al tentacion sino que líbranos del malo.
Amen/Así sea

bought a ring ytd.. dat has this on it. was love at 1st sight. finally... was looking for a thumb ring for the longest time since the red leather one that Di gave me looked more n more like rags. was glad after i purchased it. after that i went to buy the bag i had been wanting to get for the longest time too...yep was in a weird mood yesterday... guess dat s wat being cooped up for the whole week got me feeling. haha... spent $50 in total for my 2 buys.

sorry for disappearing from the cyberworld for so long. to all netizens out there...I'M BACK! was so busy, didnt feel like coming online, then went for staff summit all week...
so yeah... brave yourselves...!

was home all day... felt good retreating into my world with TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. finally got to finish it. lamented dat i didnt get 2 do it 4 sec sch lit. joked to KH at summit dat i was reading it to reclaim my childhood. cooked dinner... a sudden whim came over me when mum suggested to dine out. the enlightening realisation that i really dun like eating out (which i do ALL the time cos i work most evenings). i've never considered myself a homebody... but seriously wouldnt die if i was to stay in for a whole week... got enuf to amuse myself with at home.

so yeah... the day's passed by lazily... restfully... contentedly... juz tot i'd pay a quick penance b4 i run off to NTUC... didnt noe i m so domesticated huh? LOL...
turning into a huang lian po...

random notes... still trying to put my notes n ppt tog. blogging unrelated tots to dispel some of the stress.
- if u dun care for the people you minister to, you cant minister to them.
- if people walk away from your message thinking "what a great speaker!" you have failed.
you would have succeeded when they say, "what a great God!"
- y did Jesus choose Judas?
it wasnt a mistake. Jesus loved judas all the way. wat an example. you dont love only the people who love you. dat, the ungodly also can do.
- wat bus do you most frequently take? it's the USB (universal serial bus)!

SOLEAD teaching tmr. GIG training on fri.
now pia-ing to come up with student notes, ppt, n my lesson. my HDD konged out on me... my notes n ppt presentation is gone. now trying to srcamble to get it all together.

a few of you have been asking how u can b praying for me. i'll put up a prayer request segment where u'll find wen u click the "3rd heart". but since i m v swamped with prep now, i shall do it next week. so for now, i'll update you here.
pray for
- clarity of mind n organisation of thought n student notes,
- good grasp of materials
- clear presentation and effective teaching that the trainees and students will be able to learn n use the training.
- good rest at night

thanks!
oh... i'm packed all the way till next weekend. so sorry... cant hang out!

juz came back from work. poiema lyd msn me... wanting to chat cos she says "
im in the crap mood" but was sensitive enuf to ask me wat i was doing. n after finding out, typed
"i shall leave the bz evan-almighty-not to work"
i tot dat was cute cos i'm gonna watch Evan Almighty with them this sun. ahaha.

anyway, today was a very lousy day for me. cos i was feeling so terribly low n tired.

n now while i m typing the above line, this came in from msn:
MA says:
*hugs*
MA says:
hello! and i hope you are okay!
MA says:
that is all.
evanTUALLY фиоритура says:
huh how u noe
MA says:
how i know what?
evanTUALLY фиоритура says:
how u noe i need "hugs"
MA says:
erm
MA says:
i don
evanTUALLY фиоритура says:
WOW!
MA says:
do you?
evanTUALLY фиоритура says:
been pretty low these days
MA says:
*more hugs*
evanTUALLY фиоритура says:
really lousy wash out low
MA says:
awww... that sucks.
evanTUALLY фиоритура says:
couldnt hold myself tog cry in DG kind of low
MA says:
oh dear... are you better now, or are you still low?
evanTUALLY фиоритура says:
u have such perfect timing!
evanTUALLY фиоритура says:
i love you!
MA says:
my timing is imperfect
MA says:
God's timing is perfect
evanTUALLY фиоритура says:
i dun believe this!
evanTUALLY фиоритура says:
yah
evanTUALLY фиоритура says:
how God always uses u to love me
MA says:
God just push my button "activate"
MA says:
tee hee hee
evanTUALLY фиоритура says:
i m awed
evanTUALLY фиоритура says:
wow.. God is so good
evanTUALLY фиоритура says:
i m kinda blown away
MA says:
awww
MA says:
praise God then
evanTUALLY фиоритура says:
yep i m
MA says:
*hugs hugs hugs*
MA says:
love you lots and lots!
MA says:
and i think you are too busy.

wow... God IS amazing! i'm encouraged!
ok... now evan almighty-not will get right back to work.

Happy teachers' day to all you 'Chers out there!

got a surprise sms from M1 lois last night:
dunno if this is techincally accurate. but i don't think there's a disciplers' day..so happy teachers' day Evan! x) may God's truth be your joy each day. thank you for giving :-) glad for you.Heh.
(31 aug 12.20am)
n this (after i replied w smthg like "thanks, you've blessed my soul. refreshing surprise..."):
heeh :-D i know you have been a blessing to me and many others. Even though, you know, we've only known each other two months :p God bless the work of your hands :-)

blogging this cos i felt really blessed and appreciated. esp since i didnt expect it. and it's amazingly timely too since today started out to be a dreadfully sian day for me! n seriously, besides the God-orchestrated lessons, i blame it on PMS. argh.

woke up to the reality that i had mistakenly set the alarm clock to 7PM instead of AM. had trouble waking up (wat's new). decided to take cab so as not to be late for M2 DG at 930. walked to quite a few places n taxi stands but got pp. finally got onto a cab whose driver took me on a big round 2 get to PIE (very much to my displeasure). cab fare - $18.90, being late 30min nonetheless - priceless. argh.

the only thing i could find to give thanks for was that last night's prayer to have the ache of knowing how much we need God (kindly prefer to below) was being answered even till now; that everything inside of me was whining, growling, sulking; that this had put me in a place of need n i desperately know i need God.

my DG gals knew it. cos they could see it. and i had to confess it. and i felt it was all the better for us all to see the vulnerability, the struggle, the growl during the not-so-good days, and to see that i m really not-so-gotten-together.

and re-reading lois' sms b4 my N2 DG at 3pm, something hit home. i knew i needed joy. today i walked ard like Oscar the grouch. her "may God's truth be your joy each day" was something i do need. n i realised i needed to claim n live God's truth even in my "argh-i-ness" and make His Word my joy, my delight. to delight in His truth, His statues, His laws, His ways. well, that helped.

another thing that helped was God showing me and reminding me how He really works in me during DG. i really do enjoy sharing the truths and seeing the gals getting wide-eyed n the invisible light-bulb going on in their mind. n i m humbled that it really is God n i, n honoured that He chose to use me.

besides that, it was a keener awareness of my needs for Him, for support, for prayers, for love. and the day ended well with spending time with lb, dinner, work n all.

came home after midnight n got my cheques from cashing out my investments. i didnt lose that much in the market crash afterall. after i decided to cut my losses, i felt so guilty abt being a bad steward n prayed so hard that my losses wouldnt b that bad. well, the markets picked up juz b4 i sold. Praise God!

a masterful writing of yet another day by the Author of life, i must say. it's another "wow!" to God. applause.