Conversations

CNY seems to have passed by in a flash this year. Usually I'm bored to tears...but I actually quite enjoyed this CNY, to my surprise. Apart from the obscene amount of good food, I had many great laughs and conversations with my extended family members. 2 separate conversations with 2 different cousins even led to the subject of Christianity. Wow! Gave me a chance to invite my cousin to church. Who knew that me working in church would become such an interesting topic? haha! Awesome.

My aunt and cousins from Sabah are in town again. It amazes me how much they can shop and eat. haha! I was watching Inkheart at the cinema with them, and it suddenly hit me, "its actually so fun hanging out with family!" Then I got the warm n fuzzies. :)

One Story

This is an excerpt from the new book I'm reading now by Donald Miller, "Through Painted Deserts- Light, God and Beauty on the Open Road." His writing is at once bold, spirited and poetic. This passage in particular, seized my restless heart.

I wonder what's around the bend....

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"My prayer is that your story will have involved some leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming out like children in a play. My hope is your story will be about changing, about getting something something beautiful born inside of you, about learning to love a woman or a man, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God.

We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it?

It might be time for you to go. It might be time to change, to shine out.

I want to repeat one word for you:
Leave.

Roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. It is a beautiful word, isn't it? So strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. And you will not be alone. You have never been alone. Don't worry. Everything will still be here when you get back. It is you who will have changed."
- Donald Miller, 'Through Painted Deserts- Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road'

"Always Be My Baby"

I was at Dawnie's place this evening, practising KT Tunstall's "Healer" and selecting other songs for our acousticky band with Nigel Old Soul, when I found David Cook's "Always Be My Baby" on her Macbook. It's not a new song but I never had the mp3! I really love this song lah! For a couple of reasons...

1) It's infectiously catchy and fun to sing
2) It's so romantic. BUT not a good song for a wedding, cos its about a girl leaving. haha!
3) It reminds me of the time when the song was released by Mariah(around 1995), and I was holidaying in beautiful Hawaii! :) Ahhh...the lovely memories.

"Tune My Heart To Sing Thy Praise"

Joining the Dots....

I Muse, I Write, I Sing...

It's a great thing when you can marry your passions with your art. That's what I've been feeling all week. Like God is showing me how He's joining the dots together. :)

I feel it when I'm anchoring an editorial meeting for the Missions Newsletter, and brainstorming ideas for the publicity of food/clothing drives...when I'm doing research at the Esplanade library on documentary authorship....when I'm cracking my brains to write a meaningful article on child sponsorship.....when I'm thinking of ideas to inspire a choir to grow in passion and Godly authority. I'm blessed to be able to release my creativity into a meaningful cause, and to be in a position of influence.

What's not so great? Dealing with the reality that not everyone is as passionate or ready to run with the things that I care immensely about. Well actually, its more of dealing with my own impatience and my dislike of structure and timelines. But of course, I can't have everything as I want it to be. I'm learning that everyone is on their own journey as well. I just wish they'd get there faster. haha!

On a totally unrelated note....I don't understand why technology is breaking down on me all at once. Recently my fossil watch died on me....and then my handphone started to act up. I got both replaced, and NOW....my external hdd is getting dangerously temparemental (and I have to back-up the back-up! argh!), my hairdryer fried and died (literally), and the worst is this.....Went, my trusty iPod, needs to be sent for repair for unresponsive buttons. :(

I'm really not rich enough for this...

Boo Fwen @ RiverLife

Look who popped by for a surprise visit today!! Danny, my Boo Fwen! :) I was focussed intently on my comp screen when I heard someone tap on the glass window pane beside me. I think I must have dropped my jaw for at least 10 secs when I saw Danny. haha! Turns out he met Andrea for lunch nearby. Think they both had a good laugh at my shocked reaction.

It was a really pleasant surprise and a very fruitful time too! We actually pulled together a wedding gig for next week in like 10 mins! This guy ah...always rope me in for last min gig. haha!

Behind the Scenes with an Author....

I read Kem Meyer's blog quite frequently for ideas as she's the Communications Director of Granger Community Church. And today, she had a funny little post with what she calls her "little worthless insight on what happens on her writing days."

This excerpt sounds uncannily like my work days at home (but my mum prefers to call it "wasting electricity at home.")

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Vocabulary I make up words when I'm locked in a room by myself.

• Isolativity: Combination of lonely isolation and productivity. The up and downside of writing.
• Manuscrap: Combination of manuscript and crap. Potential outcome without productive days and an outsider's perspective of my work

Exercise. I'm failing miserably. It looks like this:

• • Walk from my desk to the coffee pot, and return.
  • Walk from my desk to the bathroom and return.
  • Walk from my desk to the chocolate stash and return.
    
  
  

Obama Fever

I joined in the post-election fun and got myself Obamicized on Paste Magazine!

Vote for Michelle as the President of the "Most Siao On" Society. haha! I shall get Ricky Weeren to conduct the invocation, afterall, he IS the President of the "Act Holy" Society. haha! Dawnie you can sing with Arun the Guru at my Inauguration ok? haha! Abi you can read some really random poem.

"The time has come....for change, for a new era of responsibility!"

Repose

1) Yesterday was quite a nerve-wrecking day as I conducted the choir for the very first time in my entire life. I screwed up the Thur rehearsal big time, and I got so super emo and discouraged from that experience. BUT God really pulled me through the actual services, and they went pretty well. Phew! So in the end, I'm glad I got pushed to the edge.....I experienced first-hand how God could use me in spite of my inadequacies. And I've grown so much from it.

I'm amazed by how much the choir has improved over the last few months, and seeing the sea of radiant, worshipful faces before me really moved my heart. God was worshipped that day! :) It was really good to connect deeper with different members of the choir too.

2) After running on adrenalin the whole of Sun, I crashed out and woke up at 9.30am (guess the retreat in Malacca screwed with my nocturnal ways).

3) I went to trade-in my temperamental W660i phone, for the Sony Ericsson C905 kick-ass camera phone (8mp baby!). It was on special offer, and I thought $398 was a pretty gd price for a new handphone AND point-and-shoot camera. Dawnie is happy cos I won't have to rely on her camera anymore (which is also 8mp). They actually sell tripods for this phone model! Amazing.

4) I headed to "Toast" cafe at a secluded corner of Taka, to enjoy a chix casear sandwich, mocha, and to read my Keith Green book. It felt REALLY good to have that pocket of space to be still. I was trying not to cry while reading the book in the cafe. haha!

5) I moved on to Borders to source for books on screen-writing, documentary filming, and to redeem a $10 voucher. I used it on Chris Tomlin's "Live at Austin Music Hall" album, which is absolutely fabulous. Only Chris can SOUND cute on his albums. haha!

6) I got a really hilarious phone call from Dawnie which made me laugh out loud in the middle of Orchard Road.

7) When I got home, I tried to get acquainted with my new phone. After an initial frustrating phase, I think we're both getting along better now. Still, Muffin you can help me look out for that bf we talked about. Remember he must:
- be able to help me with techy stuff
- be able to pour drinks for me without spilling
- be able to sing/play an instrument, or better still lead worship
- be willing to travel to Australia with me frequently
- accept and hopefully agree that Joel is always #1
- Oh...and must like dogs! haha!

8) All in all, it was a pretty fruitful day. It feels surprisingly good to be able to rest on Mon (my new off day) after being bz in church on Suns. :)

Girls' Nite Out

Had a lovely reunion with the gals-Berno, Erica and Abi, at Sizzler's Suntec last nite. I really missed hanging out with them and it's always great fun with this crazy and super random bunch. Haha! I'm learning that normal pple are NOT random, we are actually the weird ones! But we're just so used to each other's randomness. Anyway, it's so great to be totally at ease with this bunch.

Abi being super animated as usual. And what's that in front of us? A rack of pork ribs. Eeee! (It was Erica's)

Berno enjoying her veggies and garlic mooshrooms

I was holding my plate and hanging around the ice-cream bar, in a slightly dubious fashion. Just before I was about to do the deed, Abi saw me, read my mind, and yelled from across the bar, "NO!! You are NOT putting rainbow sprinkles on your fruits!" HAHA! It was freaking hilarious. She knows my weird tendency to mix and experiment with diff food types (e.g wafers in Tom Yam soup/ Pandan cake with grass jelly) Anyway...I DID IT! And the peaches tasted great with the rainbow sprinkles! Very weird meh? At least they're both sweet.

Berno actually got a whole cup of sprinkles and choc chips for me. Awww! :) And Erica said I looked like a happy kid sprinkling them on my ice-cream. haha! If you haven't realized by now, rainbow sprinkles are one of my fav food groups! :) They look so cheerful.

Garlic Mushroom Ice-cream cone?? Hmmm....don't worry, Abi didn't actually eat it like that.

Oh yes, Erica said we were all supposed to turn up in long skirts for this dinner. Why? Cos she had a new skirt, and wanted an excuse to wear it. (Note to self: The recent windy weather can make wearing long skirts a pretty precarious affair) Abi is hiding behind, cos she thought Erica was joking and turned up in...

SHORTS!!! haha! Berno looks like she's going to attend a wedding! heh!

And Steph, Abi's younger sis, came down to join us at the end. :) We're all going to watch "The Soloist" in Feb! A muso movie starring Robert Downey Jr and Jamie Foxx. Its based on a true story abt a journalist who discovers a former classical music prodigy, playing his violin on the streets of L.A. As the journalist helps the homeless man find his way back, a unique, life-changing friendship is forged. The trailer looks awesome, and I think the movie will be pretty good cos its directed by Joe Wright, who also directed "Pride & Prejudice" and "Atonement." Yayness! :)