Buay Sian ah! (Are you not sick of it?)

I have to blog this... before things change.

We have a big group here, and obviously some are closer to you than others. Obviously, as a matter of protecting your esteem, one tend to be closer to those who are more inferior than yourself (*cue* ZW, Siller, Thinmothy and Sha Ren)

Aiyah.. i side tracked again...

Anyway... as I was trying to quote Thinmothy... we had "that conversation" again.. let me quote from his MSN... it's darn funny in my opinion

T!M$UM says:
we come here read each other's shit everyday
T!M$UM says:
despite meeting each other
T!M$UM says:
and tokkong to each other
Yiren (blessedyiren.blogspot.com) says:
and msn
T!M$UM says:
EVERYDAY!!
Yiren (blessedyiren.blogspot.com) says:
only when we pang sai and pang jio or when we are bathing
Yiren (blessedyiren.blogspot.com) says:
do we not talk to each other

End of message...

Some call it fate... some call it conincidence... But don't you find it amazing... (I am a believer of God created and planned every SINGLE event that is happening... nothing is fated unless fated=God planned)

One extended period of time, you build up such great relationship (eg JC, Army, Uni)... then the time come for u to move on to other things, some greater, some less.... Then, life just moved on.

One thing I really like to share with myself is how different pple will see me, as compared to how I see myself in places...

Some pple tend to think... "wah seh... I am so high profile in this place, so close to my colleagues, on such good terms with everyone... surely everyone will feel the void when I leave"

But based on personal experience, I know that life will simply go on... pple move on... things carry on... no one, and usually nothing much stops to think about you even when you are gone...

Is it sad? No lah... I pray to God to give me the ability to realise how small I am in this world, and wherever I am in (not in an inferior way, but in a humble way). Such that I should appreciate every thought that pple have of me, every kind words said. And if someone doesnt read your blog, doesnt want to do things according to your wishes, dont get pissed... like I told someone close:"No one owes you a living, except your really close other half"

Quite confusing hor... actually I just wanna say... me, and you... yes, we... we are really small... but we are unique and we are important in our very own way... yet not that important. So... stop thinking that everyone's life rotates around you... wake up and be considerate towards others... appreciate others if they are nice to you, they REALLY dont owe u a living. eh... even more confusing...

Just be nice lah... honestly... appreciate pple ard you... ur frens, ur family (I always say:"Thank you ma!" after each meal she cooked for me, unless I am angry with her... haha... I do this not to "tick against a checklist", but to sincerely thank her for cooking for me without really wanting anything in return, but just my satisfaction from a home cooked meal. *tears man!* And I do this, just to let her know that I really appreciate every good or bad meal she cooks for me...) I miss home now... haha..

Most importantly, I really pray that I can sincerely appreciate Christ's death for me on the cross... somehow not so much gan chu (emotions) at this point. "God... pump my heart please... dont let it die"

Hmm... very long winded... but again... it's for my record sake... thanks for persevering to this end... appreciate that (preaching what I say)

Life changes... faster than you think... at times...

Life changes... before u know it too... But... do you really have to know "it"? Is change really that bad? Is unpredictability such a bad thing? Isnt it cool to have things that are constantly evolving (like my schedule..)

Actually... the above is quite out of point. I was simply in the "philosophical mood" again. As u can see, I am someone who likes to challenge "negative norms". (Eg. Change is bad, unpredictability is bad, work is bad....)

As I was talking about my more than 3-week long break, life takes a turn. As Yiren would have put it:"Becareful what you pray for, you might get it!" If u happen to see my 2nd post regarding my free weeks, and was feeling worried for me (or angry at me) that I have so many free weeks... fret not, after this week, I will be assigned on an engagement for the next SEVEN WEEKS!

Mixed feelings... on one hand, really happy that I can be on something for a solid period... I like to get to know the place, get comfortable, know where i can chao geng, etc etc... I like to know the pple, know my progress... know the end...

On the other hand... wah seh... after loboing for 3.5 weeks... must chiong for 7 weeks... must really be mentally prepared... I am glad the senior on the job appears pretty nice.

But God really answers prayers. It is indeed what I have unconciously prayed for. Something interesting. It's a waste management type of job... a different company from all that I have worked on before... Really looking forward to that.

What else.... I learnt a couple of things which I always hope I can do. That is... to look at the positives from each of these changes. To appreciate the fact that God do answer prayers.....

Actually quite badly structure post... but heck! I just want this for record sake (As Thinmothy would have put it... EXCOOSES)

Photos from the visit to the Azalea Trail..

I have attached the link to the photos for the trip to the Azalea Trail that Zhiying, Sharon, Thinmothy and I went to. Attached the "poster" that I come up with for the trip.

You may think:"Why in the world is this guy going to see flowers?" And may even question the number of times the 4 of us have been to the Botonical Gardens in the last ten years. ( I think the answer is ZERO!)

You see... we are trying to experience a different lifestyle here. Do different things lah!

Eh... actually.... we are cracking our head on where to go each weekend (1stly, we are free, 2ndly it's kinda boring to stay at home)... so we decided to go for this trail. Thank God for the pple that are placed around me... if not u will see me die in Houston, out of boredom. Haha!

But it was really good. The flowers were really nice, plus it was really good to take walks in the cool afternoon sun (correct, not warm and humid like singapore). We really had fun. It was topped up by a visit to the Memorial Herman Park. Nice place to chill..

So.... after all these crap.... here is the link. Not much commentary for this one though... just simple flowers, and you can see how sucky i am at Macros (Photography term... mai sng siao! Means taking something close up.. I think).

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2107935511&code=21363691&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite

Bible thought of the day

I try to do this before all the enthusiasm dies down.

This is from my quiet time(very irregular due to the abundance of time i have... ironic).

Mark 7:15
Nothing outside a man can make him "unclean" by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of his body.

Isn't it amazing? Jesus' words... For some pple, it make seem a little confusing, but dont worry.. and he went on to explain in v18 to v23.

"Nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'. For it doesnt go into his heart, but into his stomach and then out of his body.".. "From within men's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean'."

While we think we KNOW what is unclean... our knowledge of what we perceived as 'unclean', actually stops us from understanding what 'unclean' really means.

Many pple try to fathom the maker of the world... why? Becoz we think we are intelligent beings....

Taking this example, on a scale of one to ten (ten being the perfect intelligence of God), i think the supposedly "clever pple" may rank nearer to the bottom than "ignorant/stupid pple".

Why? Let me explain. God knows "unclean" NESS comes from within man (so he scores 10), stupid pple doesnt know anything, hence they are neither right nor wrong, (scores 5), clever pple thinks that "unclean"NESS results from what goes into a man, hence they are on the other end of the scale (hence shd deserve a ZERO or ONE on that scale).

Does that mean that we should be "stupid" and ignorant? No! It means that we should appreciate the power of knowledge that God gifted to us, we should not let it blind us. I am not quoting this as a person who have attained "nirvana" or achieved the perfect ten score, I am speaking from a position of weakness. I am writing this blog to remind myself (or meself as Carragher will put it), so that I will not fall into the trap that is clearly set for me.

Like I have quoted on my MSN... We are sometimes blinded by what we see. Isnt that so true sometimes?

Thought of the day

It is sometimes not what happens to you that makes u happy, it is the way you see the thing that happens to you....

And how do u see things in a happy way.... one person can do that... u really wanna know? Ask me...

The dreaded part 2

continue from previous post...

After the initial euphoria, I suddenly felt a little loss. I didnt want to be unassigned for the whole part of my time here. While I am not looking to work towards partnership, I wanna feel useful... I wanna feel "USED" (SLUT!). Just as this matter was bothering me... I got an email and found out that I am going out of town!! Wohoo!! (this term is always used by Zhanwen, i find it irritating, but it seems apt to use it here).

I have always wondered how it feels like to travel out of town, living out of suitcases... having those free meals... and staying in the hotels... When I found out that it is finally my turn, I was cheering inside!

After a few hours of struggling with the inefficient American system, I finally managed to book my flights and hotel....

Sadly.... and greatly to my amazement... I was asked to cancel my trip on the following Tuesday (shortlived joy..). The reason... an impt person making the trip could not make the trip, hence it has to be postponed to a further date (which I will prob not be able to make it.)

This time, I will be unassign for at least 3 more weeks, which means in total, 5.5 weeks of unassign time.... Am I wasting my life away (while I could chill out, I certainly wanna make myself useful to pple). I had to seek the "help" of my planner to make myself gainfully employed... (I HAD TO ASK FOR MYSELF TO BE BOOKED!!).

She willingly obliged... and booked me on a job which I will start on the week after this coming one.

I am happy... I dunno why... maybe becoz I feel "useful"... I like to feel "used" sometimes...

Before the fire burns out... 2-month update part 1

Just before the fires burns out.... let me do a long update of my previous few months: (This is more for record purpose... i strongly suggest u dont read it unless u are so darn free, like me)

My original schedule was that I am supposed to be booked on a 5 week job, and followed by another 5 week job, with a week of unassign time in between. I thot that is good as my first job was pretty much done after 3 weeks and I was merely going through motion and settling some petty matters and managers' review points during the last two weeks.

My one week break was good... we managed to go to Austin during the Friday and had a long weekend. (unofficial of coz)

My 2nd 5-week job started as expected. This was a small company, which is headquartered in UK/France... Boring engineering firm. As this was the first time that they had to under go audit (yes! isnt it crazy? But companies here do not require audit report if they are not listed or do not need bank loans)....

Being the first time, they were ill prepared with their schedules and were also caught off guard by the intensity of our questions.

I am indeed blessed! It was 6pm everyday, or even earlier... i was able to do things at a damn slow pace, as even my senior didnt have much to do.

After one week of audit, we could see that the Controller was under a little too much stress than he could manage. He was starting to lose his temper a little, and began to talk (esp to me, the only guy there) with sacarsm. I knew he didnt mean it, he merely didnt know how to react. My questions were totally valid, but was too much for him.

After 1.5 weeks on the job (on the 2nd wednesday)... the President of the company went to my senior and told us to chill off for the week... As he felt that the Controller was under too much stress, and his only assistant was not coping too well either. (Her collections were late for two weeks).

We had to return to the office for Thurs and Friday. On thursday, I learnt that the controller's sis-in-law passed away, and he had to return to Canada. As such, we were released for another three days... till the following thurs. (Hooray I cheered! Relax and lobo time!)

Deep down inside me, i was hoping that this job will be removed, as i learn nothing from this job. (It's too small and boring).

On Wednesday that week, I found out that the job was released!! Which means... I am unassigned INDEFINITELY!! Joy for the initial few days... (to quote one of my ex-colleague: you mean you have nothing to do, while my frens in slog like dogs?)....

To be continued..

Tech savy me!

Wah.. I am very impressed with myself leh... so tech savy... twenty thousand years after God created blogging... i finally caught up! Dont play play.... mai siao siao (or better hokkien would be mai sng siao)

This is just a small space for me to learn to praise God (as preached in today's sermon at West Houston Chinese Church).

Whenever u are free, do drop by to see the wonders of God in me... How he made such a small man (not in terms of size, weight or waist line), a simple man.... so satisfied with his life (albeit with a little complains here and there... grace grace).

Also, i will drop one or two photos time and again to tempt you... I am trying to improve my photography skills (or shd I say... I am trying to have a little photography skill).

So.... watch this space.. (as Cantona would have put it)

me me me