Little conversation

Conversation between Jojo (3.5 yrs old) and myself

J: Yiyi, why don't you have another wedding?
Me: Cos Yiyi is already married to Uncle LC! (Pointing to XLQ). Jojo, we only get married once.
J: Only one time? Why? (In her coarse, deadpan voice)
Me: Yes. One gal is married to only one boy.
J: One gal only one boy?
Me: Yes
J: What if there are not enough boys?
HAHAHAHA... I was trying so hard not to laugh by then!!!!!
Me: Jojo, don't worry, God made many gals and many boys! There are enough boys...
And she laughed...

Actually, what she said has some truth! In many instances, there are actually more Christian women than men... =P

Unluckiest week in Little Ms Absent-minded's life!

This sounds like a primary school composition title doesn't it? But seriously, this is quite an unfortunate week I've had so far... if I didn't believe in God, I will really think I'm down on my luck... but because I believe that God is God, who is in control of this universe, despite my haywire week, I am thankful that I am still sane... basically whatever can go wrong has gone wrong... here's the recap:

1. Monday morning- when I reached the office, I discovered that I forgot to bring my LAPTOP to work!! How can this even happen? Seriously bobo... how to work without my laptop? It's like a policeman who reached the police station and realized he left his gun at home. I was already so upset with myself, as I got home, i realized I forgot to bring my house keys!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh... real bad start to the week!!! Only managed to start work in the office at 10.30 am. =(

2. Monday afternoon- reached client's office for a short training session. Realized I forgot to bring my laptop charger!! So I sheepishly told my client that he only has 2 hours (cos that's how long my lap top can last without the charger...) Thankfully they were nice clients and the training was shorter than expected anyway.

3. Tuesday night around 11pm- found out that something I need to work on is not saved on my laptop but sitting in the office server!!!! XLQ was so kind to accompany me back to the office to get it... I was REALLY upset with myself by then... because I know I probably have to pull an all nighter because of all the time wasted... and tears of frustration rolled down uncontrollably...

4. Wednesday early morning at client's place, which is today- for some STRANGE reason, the work that I've done the night before between 12 am to 3.30 am mysteriously disappeared... I seriously PANICKED cos I'm supposed to give it to my client... Maybe I was too tired I forgot to save it? I don't know... at this point, I really felt like crying... especially when my boss and I were late for the meeting which was supposed to start at 8.30am... we got there close to 9 am because there was an accident along Lornie Road and we were on the Marymount/Lornie stretch for 45 MINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe that? Before I could start my presentation, I already felt exhausted... from lack of sleep and severe motion sickness. Thankfully I could send the stuff over to my client in the afternoon after I reached the office... but I had to redo a major part of it cos I simply can't find it in my laptop...

5. Then, when I reached the office, I realized that I have left my laptop charger in my client's office! CHAMPION- I am the champion of the world. Speechless.... absolutely speechless... One thing I'm thankful for... I thought today's meeting with the client will be super tough because they are rather demanding, but thank God it went really well and the client seemed to appreciate what we did...

BUT today is only Wednesday... the question is, can I survive Thursday and Friday? =( weekend, pls come quickly... the plea of a working folk.

Thankfully, life for Christians is really not about work... I think I will be a depressed individual if it is... even as a Christian, sometimes I get down thinking about work. God reminds us that we are whole and complete in Him, we don't have to find our identity in anything besides Jesus Christ, who has saved us from ultimate condemnation. But sometimes when you're swamped with work, you simply forget those facts of life... you simply get drowned in the work, the negative atmosphere, the gossip and politics involved...

I have to constantly watch myself and remind myself that I am a Christian first and foremost... there's really nothing more important than that in life. What a difficult struggle it is sometimes... But I always remind myself of my aim in life... to be a happy grandmother. =) Hopefully a god fearing, prayerful grandmother... maybe I should start this aim soon by having a kid soon. HAHA. Ok, that's me talking in a delirious state. Not ready. All right, before I ramble on... will sign off to enjoy this precious free weeknight...

Bits N Pieces

Haven't blogged for quite a while... been so busy! Work, family, ministry... it aint gonna get any easier, is it? It's bit sad, but somehow life in Singapore always seems that way...

Wonder if anyone is actually reading my blog. Haha, cos I'm tempted not to update it many times. Honestly, I'm still very wary of what I put up here because it IS the world wide web after all. I sink in comfort of the old school diary, speaking of which, I haven't written in in ages.

Random bits n pieces of stuff that come to mind:

In no order of preference:

9 weddings to attend in 8 months!
I have 9 more weddings to attend from now until the end of the year! They're such happy occassions especially this year cos so many of my good friends are getting married. Whenever I attend a wedding, I get reminded of my own last year and it never fails to bring a smile. BUT, don't worry, I will not ask XLQ to do it all over again, cos I will not forget how intense the prep was and how high strung I was trying to juggle everything... For the upcoming weddings, I'm asked to be emcee for one, coordinator for another... it's quite exciting! =) This past sat, I heard an excellent sermon on marriage from Ephesians 5. Such faithful preaching and what a challenge it is to live out married life with Christ and the church as example.

Recycle & reuse!
Recycling is catching up in Singapore!! I'm actually really happy about this... =) I used to recycle soooooo much, separating bottles, paper, plastic etc. And my roommates used to purposely throw things in the regular trash just to kick up a reaction. Haha. I miss those days guys. Singapore supermarkets may start charging for plastic bags in the near future. Radical move I must say! The HDB aunties must be complaining like mad. My colleagues and I were talking abt it and we were saying that the supermkts here are actually TOO generous in giving out plastic bags in the first place, or rather, people are too picky about needing separate bags for the things they purchase... as a result, we really take the plastic bags for granted... now they're starting to charge in order to deter the wastage. I think people's behavior may change. I myself make it a point not to ask for bags and try to bring my own bag to the supermarket. I did that the other day, but it was so silly... I brought a bag that was too small and in the end, I still had to ask for a plastic bag. Ha! But few issues...
a. What happens to people who purchase in bulk? HOw can they bring their own bags to fit everything?
b. When we throw out our trash, plastic bags are still the main "containers" we use to hold our trash. Is there any replacement for that at all? Can you imagine if people do not use plastic bags and simply throw out the trash directly in the rubbish chute? I can't imagine the "xiao qiangs" which will probably multiply and take over the earth...
Maybe we shld do a limit per person to 2 bags per trip type thing? Will paper bags solve the problem? I give it to Ikea to start charging for all their bags. Courageous move!

My cosy home
Ikea- one of my best friends. 4 months into married life and I still go to Ikea so very often. Curtains, cups, photoframes... there are just so many things you can buy at any point of time to do up your house... XLQ and I are really thankful for our home. I'm really enjoying the times I spend at home and just soaking in the fact that XLQ and I have our own place! It's really nice to be able to invite pp over and just chill.

We just completed furnishing our home! Guest room is done, so whoever is coming from overseas, you can definitely stay with us! =) Just completed the study too... I regretted a bit on the color of the table, cos it's more reddish than I imagined... but what the heck. I shld really stop fretting abt these silly little things!

My silly dog
Obi is staying at XLQ's parents place and I am so thankful for them... he love my father in law and they are now best friends. I can tell that Obi's attention is not as undivided towards me anymore... even though he still gets extremely excited to see me. But it's ok... I rather he be well taken care of...

Church affairs
Meetings and more meetings- that's how things have been for the last 2 months, with PUNJ and TNYF merging into STAR- Students at Adam Road... it's been a rather tough 2 months for XLQ and myself... cos we have officially moved to TNYF. It's quite a sudden move, and it's really tough because we have been in PUNJ for like... 5 years for me, 7 years for him probably... and we've seen so many people come and go in PUNJ. We've been deeply encouraged by the old leaders, the Post PUNJers, the current PUNJers... it's just been such an integral part of our lives! That's where XLQ and I met each other as well! =) However, through these things, I'm reminded...
-Ministry is God's. He grows people in their faith, not us. So, stop thinking we're indispensable! Or tie our identity to where we're serving. It doesn't work that way.
-We're called to be faithful stewards wherever we are, that includes ministry. Even though there may be many different opinions on how things can be done, we just need to be faithful and teach God's word to those under our charge.
-uncertainty is sometimes God's way of teaching us to depend on Him and Him alone. It's a tough lesson which I'm still learning each and every day.

How's married life?
It's been good! Not too different from dating life actually... cos we see each other a lot while we were dating. There is higher tendency to take each other's company for granted... we can be spending a lot of quantity time together, but not quality time. So we've made it a point to spend Friday nites with each other. =) No quirks that are driving me nuts YET. Haha. But I've actually learned to sleep without a/c! AMAZING. For a person who has been sleeping in a/c room her whole life, I think it's a good accomplishment! Haha... it's actually helping my sinus problem.

My prayer request that we will never take each other for granted and that we will always put God in the centre of our relationship. I'm so thankful that he's my confidante, friend and ministry partner... thank God for providing me with a partner during this lifetime.

All righty, quite a long post! Will try and update again soon. =)

Pre-wedding photos

Hey guys!

Haha, yes, after 3 mths, I finally received the soft copy of my pre wedding shots! Lichuan and I looked through them again, brought back sweet memories of the day when we went out to take the photos... =) I wonder if we will think they're super cheesy when we look back in 30 years' time... I'm sure we will. Haha...

Here are some of my favourite shots

XLQ doesn't really like these shots, but I had so much fun with the clothes! Haha... we look funny.

Which couple in the world take such unglam jumping shots during their wedding photoshoot? The lady in the shop said I am by far the bride-to-be who jumped the highest! HAHA.

I like this shot cos it's a natural shot of me laughing. I can't even remember why I was laughing...

NZ photos!

Some of NZ photos to share! Sorry it's been so long...

New Zealand is currently among the top 3 of my favorite countries in the world!! It's such a beautiful place, no hustling and bustling, filled with nature's goodness and God's wonderful creation. It's a country where you can really take a deep breath, sit back and relax! XLQ and I had such great memories of the place. I will love to go back again someday to explore more places! And do more hikes! =)

One of my favoritest part of the trip!! Seeing a whale do the infamous flip as he dives underwater... isn't that super cool? While I was enjoying myself, XLQ was getting really seasick as the boat had to come to a complete halt as we wait for the sperm whales to appear...

XLQ on a pony at the farm we stayed at. It was a beautiful place!

One of the countless postcard-looking picturesque places in NZ! Look at the "blueness" of the water... it looks fake huh? This is one of my favorite scenery photos that I took during the trip... but I kinda forgot what lake this was... =(

XLQ and myself at Frans Josef Glacier, hiking up the huge ice block! It was cold, tiring but fun!

Check out the magnificent backdrop of this photo! God's creation is simply breath-taking!

My hodge podge wish list

I wish I can meet up with more PUNJers

I wish I can spend more time with my close friends

I wish I can spend more good quality time with my husband

I wish I have more self discipline to do my QT EVERY day

I wish I can finish reading the bible this year

I wish I can do bible study with more gals

I wish I won’t neglect my family

I wish I have more time to spend with my dog

I wish my house can be fully furnished by end of March

I wish I can cook more often

I wish I can be more prayerful

I wish I can take time to reflect and ponder about God more

I wish I don’t have to grow up and worry abt loans, bills, CPF etc.

I wish there are 48 hours in a day (Do I really?)

I wish I can blink and the crowds in Singapore will disappear

I wish that the government is kidding about targeting the population at 6.5 million

I wish I am less snappy and more patient
I wish there is more nature around us!

I wish I read more

So many things I wish to do, so little time to accomplish!

Wedding photos

Some photos from the wedding which I should have posted long time ago!! But I give up after only being able to upload 2 photos... hahaha... Another time maybe!

Encouraged!

Encouraged! This is written last Fri... didn't have time to post it... =)

It's amazing to see how peole grow and mature in Christ! Over the last few weeks, I had the opportunity to catch up with some friends and learn of how they're doing in their christian walk. No doubt everyone faces struggles in their lives, but I'm amazed at how God shapes us and moulds us.

I have 2 friends who are getting married soon. And they are bit worried abt the finances coming ahead, but I see how he tries his very best to trust God in all situations and really trust God to provide for him and thank God, He has been providing! The 2 of them are both juggling with part time studies as well and only get to see each other twice a week. Yet, they are just as committed to serving God in their small group and spending time preparing for studies and taking care of their group… I truly see God as priority in their lives, and I thank God for them in investing their time for gospel work.

Another friend has grown leaps and bounds after being overseas for a year. I can see the fire and passion in his eyes when he talks about ministry and the gospel. I can see that the gospel has hit him real hard and he really wants to live his life for God. His love for others and concern for pp around him is just so heartwarming. He has always been a real loving person, but now, his motivations seemed to have changed… the source of it all now is really for God and for the gospel.

I heard about another friend who has also opened up his heart more and really started to share his life with others. He has opened up his house for fellowship more and volunteers to do mundane administrative things for the small group. That's really amazing to me as this friend of ours used to be a lot more private and does things very much out of duty.

My super good gal friend has also shown incredible growth in the understanding of God's word in her life. She is so willing to open up her heart and share with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. She has come to understand that Christian life is not meant to be solitary and has taken much efforts to build relationships with the small group. She has definitely grown in her other people centredness and tries to serve God in her own ways.

My super good gal friend No. 2 posed me a question a few years back, commenting that Christians can seem to be boring because God wants everyone to be the same- loving, godly, kind… aren't they all the same? It's like factory production… maybe different cookie mould shapes are used, but the ingredients are the same! This question has been on my mind for a while, I didn't have an answer for her back then, I don't think I have a concrete answer now either… but I do think that God is such a creative God, cos He has given us such different personalities and struggles in our lives. One may struggle to be less selfish, another may struggle to be less bitter & cynical etc. I will like to think of the analogy this way… we are all struggling to be famous amous cookies (cos I think they're by far the best in the world!) Haha… I mean ALL famous amous cookies are made with SUPERIOR quality right? The same type of flour, same type of sugar. But, they're different in their own little ways, cos they come in different flavors- double chocolate chip, Macadamia nut, pecan nut crunch! So all of us come with our own little chocolate chip and nuts (our quirks and what nots), but fundamentally, we're striving to have the same quality of flour and sugar in us to be the best cookies! Ok, my analogy is getting out of hand… but U know what I mean? Hahaha…

When I witness all these changes around me, I can only attribute them to God and the Spirit's work in our lives. Sometimes I wonder if people will see changes in me, because I don't seem to see changes in myself at times… =( In the past, when I project my own life into the future, I wanted to see myself as a happy grandmother! Haha… that hasn't changed much actually. But now, not only do I just want to be happy cos that can be quite meaningless if the source of happiness is of and from ourselves, I want to be a faithful, god-fearing, prayerful grandmother. You know those old grannies who spend SO much time praying for everyone? Whenever you see them, they always go, "I prayed for you last night about this, about that…" Man, these grannies sometimes bring tears to my eyes! I've met a couple of them in the states. Yes, my ambition is to become one of those grannies! =) Haha… so unambitious in the worldly sense huh? I hope and pray that God will give me lots of love... so that I am able to love Him back.

All righty, have a good week ahead! Will leave you with some of my wedding photos...

Happy belated New year!

I haven't blogged in such a LOOOOONG time!! A few reasons:
1. I can't access blogspot in the office
2. I've been so busy with many many things...

Ok, since it's rather late, it's going to be a point form blog. =) Things that have happened:
1. I am now officially MRS HSU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yikes!!
2. I have moved out of my parents' place to our own place.. =)
3. Year 2006 is over... with many good memories
4. My new place is still full of boxes and probably will be for a while! Haha.
5. We went to New Zealand for a 14 day holiday and have thoroughly enjoyed it! Christmas was spent quietly in a little church in Christchurch

2006 was a year filled with preparations for me. Preparations for the wedding and the new flat took up much of my time, energy and effort. Through that, I also got to know XLQ MUCH better than I used to. Haha... Before I know it, the wedding is over and life is kinda back to normal. =) Except for the fact that I'm now Mdm Lee. Haha. I think I can be rather self indulgent at times and just keep dreaming and reliving the wedding in my head... But I do realize I need to snap out of it, cos there are still so many things to work towards! Marriage has just begun for me... the lifetime relationship has barely started...

Some of my resolutions and thoughts for the new year:
1. Be more regular in my quiet time- really need to be secure in the Lord and find identity in God. To first and foremost take care of my own spiritual health. =)
2. Get back to work in PUNJ!! Exciting year ahead, probably with lots of changes, but I'm ready to serve alongside with the other leaders after MIA-ing for 2 mths or so!
3. Settle well into married life and to learn how to prioritize amongst many responsibilities.
4. Support XLQ in his new job and his transition to his new phase in life.
5. Share God & Jesus with people around me

I got reminded by a Christian speaker that Christian ministry is really for the long run... there's no use starting out being a rhino, charging fast and hard and burning out too fast... we really should pace ourselves and go slow and steady. Different pp do it differently cos all our personalities differ... but I think it's important to think long term, cos serving God is something of a lifetime... =) But most importantly, we're not saved by our service or ministry, but solely by God's grace, so it shld really take the burden away...

Ok, I will try and blog again soon... and upload some photos.. =)

Hen afternoon party

Haha... yes, I just had my Hen afternoon party! For the benefit of those who are Non Singapore, hen and stag parties are parties meant for the bride and groom to be right before their wedding. It's like, the night of a lifetime sorta thing... usually, things can get real crazy, with strippers, truth or dare, getting super drunk and stuff like that...

Thankfully, my sec sch friends know that I'm really not the party sort, they made it a very wholesome hen afternoon party for my sake! =) Haha... HEre it goes:

5pm- Met at Orchard MRT- sat on the floor on the quieter side of the station (something I haven't done in YEARS!)

6pm- Yes, some of them were late for ONE hour. I was made to put on GLOVES, a TIARA, BRIDAL VEIL, and carry a MAGIC wand. I LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT.

Task at hand: They gave me a list of "types of people" i had to look out for along Orchard Road and once I spot them, I have to go up to them, tell them I'm getting married and stuff, and ask to take a polaroid photo with them!!! The task will be considered successful if I manage to take photos with 5 out of the 12 types of people they have specified. My first reaction... OH MY GOSH, I hope i don't see my boss!! Haha... Anywayz, with this group of friends, there's no such thing as NO, so I went.

Victim No. 1- Bald Caucasian man. What a nice Caucasian couple! They kept congratulating me and they were so spontaneous. I hate to stereotype against my own fellow countrymen, but I must say foreigners are generally more sporting when it comes to such things...

Victim No. 2- Couple with matching outfits. Nice couple, smiley and all. Looked bit embarassed, but very spontaneous!

Victim No. 3- A group of 4 guys. My conclusion: Singapore teenage boys are awkward and "act cool" Haha... the first bunch of boys I approach, before I could say anything, the boy went, " I don't know you!" Haha, in the end, I managed to get another group of boys to take photo with me

Victim No. 4- Man with more than 3 shopping bags. I just asked this man with his family who was carrying 4 takashimaya bags to take a photo with. Quite nice and sporting as well!

-Along the way, I tried to complete the task by taking photo with 2 C Fitness employees as they are counted under "2 men wearing singlets"... however, they were so unfriendly and just signalled me to go away, saying "No need" and walked off... kinda spoilt my mood a bit. Later on, they were waiting at the traffic light, my friend asked me to try again... I was like, NO WAY, I HAVE INTEGRITY! Haha...

Victim No. 5- A group of skateboarders. We went to the youth park area and I approached these 2 teenagers who are skateboarders. They didn't say a single word to me but allowed me to take a photo with them. When I saw the photo later on, they were both smiling... awww... so sweet.

After that, my friends treated me to a buffet and we ended the night with coffee at NYDC. It was a real memorable day!

I have known this group of friends for like 14 years (same bunch as the photos in the halloween party). They kept saying how I'm Ms goody-2-shoes etc... I wish I could tell them that I'm just a sinner saved by grace! Sometimes, I wish I have more guts to share the gospel with them... I have shared on past ocassions, but I always feel that I'm not sharing enough, not telling them the importance and urgency of the gospel message. Sigh. I really hope and pray that the wedding message will speak to their hearts and that I can continue to witness for Christ... Our worldviews are so different and they are pretty much post modernist. It's tough voicing out my CHristian views sometimes cos they see me as conservative and myopic... how I wish I can have more one on one time with each and every one of them to explain my faith thoroughly to them. Sigh... so much to do, but so little time!

I'm very glad for today... because it was such a relaxing day for me. I hung out with my mum in the morning, visited XLQ in the afternoon, and met my friends in the evening... I felt almost guilty for not feeling stressed abt the wedding today... STUPID RIGHT? Haha, anywayz, thanks for reading! It's late and I better sleep to wake up in time for church tomorrow... =)