L.O.V.E.

HAPPY NEW YEAR COOL DUDES!!!
my first blog post for 2011!
and it's on a theme that is close to my own theme, "pressing in" for this year.

Love is patient, Love is kind

i need more patience this year. I must admit, sometimes i can become very impatient. and under stressful situations, i can often "blow up". by those who know me, my form of "blowing up" is not like the usual shouting and slamming on the table. my form of blowing up comes either in walking away abruptly from the situation, or turning acid sarcasm into verbal poetry.

yeah.
that's me blowing up.

but yet 1Cor13:4 says that love is patient, love is kind.
the kindness and goodness that Paul talks about is the essence of love, and don't we all need to show a little more love?
i definitely do.
patience. kindness.
i need some anger management fine tuning in this year 2011.
people and situations will sometimes disappoint, but i need to learn to take a deep breath, withdraw a step and then learn how to tackle the situation with cool-headedness and tact.
that is definitely top of my resolution for 2011.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud

don't compare.
there's a chinese saying "ren2 bi3 ren2, qi4 si4 ren2"
this is not saying that i should not strive towards a higher standard, but rather, that i should not be envious of what others have around me.
money is always a sensitive issue, and it is the chief cause of all unhappiness in relationships.
this year, i shall strive to go from glory to glory in all things, health, relationships, career and my walk with God, but at the same time being thankful always for the Goodness He has placed in my life and the wonderful people that is around me.
i will not complain and ask the "what if" question.
asking too many "what ifs" will only result in aimless wandering in the desert for 40 years.
just ask the Israelites.

love is about breaking down the pride.
the areas in life that is still not broken in me, i want to work on them.
sometimes, it is really not about Me or I, it is about Him or her.
the final resolution for 2011 is that my pride will be broken.
i want to be more humble, learning always from people around me, and being quick to admit a mistake, take responsibility and find ways to rectify the mistake.
those 3 stages are important if we are to learn from the mistakes we made.
(refer to "the Last Lecture")

All in all, 2011 will be the BEST YEAR YET, and i'm SOOOOO looking forward to this year!

HUAT AHHHHHH

Pressing in. 2010 goodbyes. Hello 2011!!

PRESSING IN.

the theme for 2011.

as i sat down to write this post, i looked back at my end of year entries for the previous years...

2009: the regrets of 2009 and looking forward to 2010
2008: travelling in europe
2007, 06: no reflections

i was just telling my darling, that my posts over the years have become less, but each post have become deeper and more personal.

now, as i head towards the end of this year, i just want to share on my theme for next year.
first of all, i want to draw closer to my heavenly Father. the work life has taken time away from my spiritual walk, and i really want to commit more time to Him.
the only way to build spiritual intimacy is to really spend time in the Lord.
as a leader, i will really have to do what i preach. i want to press into the Holy of Holies, and dwell longer in His presence.
next, i want to spend more time with my dearest. next year, she will be a full time student, and i want to support her in all ways that i can. i believe that we will grow more and more in love with each passing day, as we head towards the BIG day, which will mark the start of an awesome lifetime spent together.

18.12.11

sa-rang-hei-o.

:)

i also want to spend more time with my family. my mom, dad and brother. work has taken away much of my time, and in this year, juggling SOT as well for half a year, i really did not spend much time, and to start the year right, i'm really looking forward to the bandung trip! (hopefully my dad is able to join, as his schedule is still unconfirmed)

next, my closest brudder. JD! and also Kenneth, Jinhui, Changhan... let's hang out more! i apologise for "pang seh" as my hours are odd (retail line you see), but i will try my best to set aside time for you guys.

finally, my cell members. i want to share in the joy and challenges of your lives. as we grow up into an adult cell group, we are entering new phases of our lives. different things, different challenges, but same people to stand by.
that's what a family's for:)
to laugh, cry, play, work hard together...

pressing in requires sacrifice.
it is not easy; juggling different things that call out for my attention.
however, i am determined to set my heart right.
i am determined to set my priorties, and to stay focused on my goals.

i thank God for an awesome 2010, for my darling, now my fiancee, for my family, mom, dad and brother, and for my close brudders and friends, for my awesome colleagues in the drug business.
i thank God for an even more awesome year ahead!
2011.
here i come!!! WOOOHOOO!

season of giving

For He so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son...

as we approach this wonderful season to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, I would like to talk about giving.

yes. giving.

(there's a sermon based on that verse alone, but that's for another day;)

first of all, let us explore the world view on giving. giving is not an inborn nature in all of us. the world views giving and taking as a zero-sum game. you take and give in equal measures.
but the natural tendency is always to take more than you give, so that you will gain at the expense of another party.
our resource (time, money, energy etc) is finite; if someone GAINS, someone else must LOSE
that is why in business, you have profit and loss. you must make profit to be sustainable. in other words, don't "give" more than you "take".

but God is INFINITE.

His love is infinite. To God, giving is more blessed than receiving. Giving creates a win-win situation. Our normal reaction to God sending Jesus to die on the cross is "God must have "lost" a lot in this "transaction"..."
To God, He never sees it as a loss. Jesus died for our sins, but He was resurrected on the third day and is now seated at the right hand of the Father.
His sacrifice gave us a chance to be reconciled back to our Father and live an abundant and successful life with God again.

We won. He wins.

Why am i sharing something that seems suited for Easter?

This is because He is the reason for this Season. The birth of Christ is really about celebrating a season of GIVING.

He was born so that generations to come can be reconciled once again to our Father.

once again, dear friends, give. give of yourself to others, be it in terms of money, time or energy. do not be so self-centered and measure everything in terms of profit/loss.

think like Him. every situation becomes a win-win situation. let His will be done in our lives, not our own selfish wills.
in business, if you make the customers happy (going the extra mile, definitely not easy i tell you), they will come back again and again.
in family and relationships, sow of your time, energy and finances. yes. money.
remember Abraham and Lot? Abraham was kind and gracious, even when Lot was demanding and calculative. "I want that better portion of land...you can have the trash"
we'ld say, "No, you take the bad, i take the good!"
Abraham said, "sure, go ahead!"
God said, "well done, Abraham my son. I will bless your possessions and multiply your descendants."

...that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have life everlasting.

Merry Christmas!