Notes from Biting the Bamboo

Despite of the insane pace of work the past year, there have been opportunities to grab a few good reads intermittently. Most memorably, I wrote to an author and received a reply! Totally unexpected and honoured.

Wish I could write about all the reads, but I'll just log briefly about the most recent one.

It was national day and our students' investiture, and the school aptly invited Dr Tan Lai Yong as our guest of honour. It was such a great choice for a speaker to inspire the girls, teachers and parents. He is a medical doctor who, together with his family, humbly served the rural Yunnan community for 18 years, setting up clinics and equipping village doctors. I'm writing about him because his perspective of his work there and life back in Singapore left an impression. It was a given that I was going to buy his book to read more about his experiences in Yunnan.

Biting the Bamboo is a collection of anecdotes from the years his family had spent with the communities there. I appreciated the honest recount of the sweet memories, successes, dilemmas, challenges and setbacks faced - sometimes with no resolution. and that's reality.

As an educator, I was deeply impressed by the way he constantly worked to adapt his urban medical expertise to the rural context. He is ingenious and creative in designing curriculum to train village doctors who were almost illiterate. His vision and work consisted of so many things going in tandem - rendering medical treatment, empowering village doctors and equipping clinics, building friendships, developing communities through small entrepreneurial projects, conserving and enhancing the environment. It's really insightful because he understood both the bigger picture and the intricacies of how all of the above are connected in the communities' lifestyles. They are all part of the parcel of developing medical accessibility in the rural highlands.

Dr Tan quoted these wise words of the ancient philosopher as a reflection of his desire and vision.

Go to the people, live among them.
Learn from them. Love them.
Start with what they know; build on what they have.
But (for) the best leaders, when their task is accomplished,
their work is done, the people will remark,
"We have done it ourselves."

- Lao Tze


But beyond the lessons learnt from his work with the community, something else left a very deep impression on me.
This wedding prayer of him and his wife was found on the dedication page of his book (which was dedicated to his wife who gave up an academic career to join him in Yunnan).

"Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, 'Who is the LORD?'
Or I may become poor and steal, 
and so dishonour the name of my God."

(Proverbs 30:7)

Set thinking by A Rocha

Just four months into teaching a subject that I really love, the reality of constraints posed by our curriculum and the lack of time have set in squarely in my face. It is pretty astonishing how quickly I got disinterested in the physical geography I was bringing into the classroom. I'd gotten so disgruntled and bored by the content that I saw it as a hindrance more than a tool to relating with my students. All the complaints and struggles often lamented by experienced teachers were beginning to surface in my own classroom life. I now feel foolish for being so naive as to have judged them for not trying hard enough. It is tough keeping a sense of amazement going.

Moreover, it became clear to me that I struggled not simply with the must-knows of a physical geography curriculum, but also with values education and problem-based learning classes that deal with general environmental issues. These issues have been a raging topic of concern and discussion (that is sadly also commodified). It is clear how crucial and important they are, given the amount of resources governments, non-profit and profit organizations alike have poured into them.

However, I have to admit that the onslaught of environmental issues I've been hearing about for more than half my lifetime have degenerated to a mere cliche. Don't get me wrong - I'm not cold towards environmental needs. In fact, I understand the weight of our environmental problems, and I do my part to reduce personal consumption and waste. I know that there is something urgent about this all. Yet, the unsettling thing is that no matter how hard I tried to muster a drop of passion, I couldn't find anything that struck a deep and genuine chord. It is one thing to find something interesting, but another to have a drive and be actively engaged with it.

My desire is for the latter, which is the reason for the huge discomfort towards my own attitude. I don't know whether this desire is born out of my identity has a geographer and a teacher of our environment. And it isn't that I am not trying to get there.

At this juncture, I'm more than thankful for a break in normal curriculum classes (examinations are here!) that allow me some space to rethink my attitude towards the geography content, my vision as a geography teacher to hundreds of students, and my personal relationship with our environment.

A friend bought me a book "God Doesn't Do Waste" by Dave Bookless (quite certain this author's had a mountain of jokes on the irony of his surname) a week ago and this cannot be any more timely. I saw a glimpse of God's heart toward His creation and its caretakers. It broadened my understanding of God's redemptive purposes and critiqued my man-centered belief about Creation.

God loves His creation and all that is in it. He loves every plant and animal - on land or in the deep sea, whether known or unknown to man - as much as He loves us.  His redemption for all doesn't stop at the redemption of desolate human souls, but also the redemption of our desolate wastelands... restoring it to its original glory as it was when Adam and Eve first saw the earth.

When Adam and Eve were first placed in the perfect garden of Eden, they were created in relation with God's creation of wildlife, to tend and to care for it. Stewards, that's what we are.

Beyond saving our planet for the future sustainability of human life - to meet our needs and lifestyles, a heart for the environment and a desire for conservation and restoration is so pertinent to Christian life is because of its intrinsic value to God - whether or not they have souls. He loves them.

Practically, it provides for us in uncountable ways - you can't think of anything that didn't originate form a natural material. Spiritually, our natural world is God's way of revealing his reality and power to human souls. I hadn't realized that God pours His love into everything He touches. I'd forgotten the sanctity that extends to everything that originates from God. Reading about the Bookless family's journey has reminded me of how God often uses the natural world to speak to me. He'd used it first to ignite a hunger for something deeper and beyond what my eyes could grasp; He'd used it as a firm declaration of His existence as a Creator God when I was searching and confused; He uses it time and time again as a reflection of His beauty, stirring an inexplicable sense of praise and wonder.

Our misuse has destroyed this sanctity.

The Bookless family and the A Rocha vision have also modeled how a godly care and love for the environment can be put into a practical reality. There are a few lessons that can be drawn from their experience:

Firstly, we have to do something about the disconnect between our lives and nature. When we lose this contact, it is an impoverishment that extends spiritually.

Secondly, environmental care can hardly work as a table-top exercise. It has to be practiced and lived out. A hands-on and really tangible engagement with environmental care is crucial.

Thirdly, it would be great as a community-based engagement. If environmental care is something to be practiced, ur own backyards would be a great place to start. Doing this at the scale of a local community or even smaller would be very relevant.

Fourthly, it is a great opportunity for people to come into direct contact with God and develop a sense of wonder through his Creation (human and non-human!)

There are many many more lessons, but this is where I'd like to start. It has set me thinking - what can I do in my own communities - at home, at church and in school? It was God's purpose to have me as a geography teacher in my school today. What is it that He wants me to do with the reach that He's placed me in with a few hundred students passing through my geography classroom each week.

This is a time to start pressing in for a renewed vision and for tangible ways to transform our geography classroom into one that engages the teacher and students with the environment beyond its four walls. And mostly importantly, to invite God into every nook and crook of classroom life.

The Tiger Parent

I think it has been months since the controversy stirred by Amy Chua’s chronicle of her Tiger Mothering days. I had read excerpts of the book on circulating Internet articles. But it was only last week when I stumbled upon it while Ming introduced me to the world of children’s books in the kids’ section of the library.

I totally admire the way she’d raised her children; how she and her two daughters had stuck it out. I value the Chinese way of discipline, focus, hard work, the desire for excellence and nothing less, and only wished I embodied them all.

I now know what had gone wrong in my life.

Let me backtrack a little. My parents had raised me half a tiger cub. They were nowhere nearly as ferocious as Amy Chua but they were strict with my academic work, morality and manners. And I’m glad my parents never let up during my crucial growing-up years. Even today, I think four times before doing something I know they would dislike.

I did work hard under my father’s tutelage and enjoyed both the hard work and the fruits of success. As I grew older, my father thought he could begin to let go because he believed I was driven enough. But something changed when I was 16. I had the best teacher I ever had, and to this day I still reckon she was my best. She opened my eyes to a world where I learnt how to smell the roses and appreciate the finer things of life. I learnt what Amy Chua noted as the “Western” way of looking at failure as a part of life’s experiences – it’s not the end. I began to start letting alternative routes in life into my consciousness. It was great. But now I realize that at that age – I had misinterpreted it all.

I'd thought, “Oh gosh, what a wonderful life to smell the roses all the time! I shouldn’t worry so much and it’s okay even if I don’t work hard. Somehow, things will work out fine… just go with the flow!” As I began to let go, I discovered how easy and carefree I was not striving hard. I was getting by just fine. Not excellently, but passable. No biggie. Live life. In essence, laziness began creeping into my lifestyle; a weed camouflaged by its pretty-looking flowers. It grew throughout my junior college and university life. I got by fine, participated in a zillion activities, gained experiences but was academically average by the standards I’d kept as a younger girl. I kept reassuring myself that life is never about an academic grade, but truth to be told – and I can finally say this honestly – I was disappointed in myself. Because I knew that it was far from my best. The amount of time I had put into academic study was almost laughable. If I were even more honest, I’d say that I hadn’t given my best effort in all the other activities I did either. I know I could’ve worked way harder.

I have never truly admitted all of these to myself, until this moment.

My teacher had been addressing a bunch of girls in an elite school steeped in Chinese tradition. I think it would be safe to say that the Tiger Mom style of parenting would be no stranger to 90% of my classmates. The essence of her influence was in encouraging us to go through life with our eyes wide open, and not following the herd blindly on the well-trodden path to stereotypical pinnacles of success – which most of us were. It wasn’t an excuse for us to be lazy or not to give 100% in what we do. She wanted us to think about what we were doing and know why we were doing what we were doing. And in whatever we choose to do, do our best.

In spite of all the criticism of the author’s overbearing drive for her daughters’ excellence, I do agree that it is a gift that will take them through adult life. With God in my life, I have something even more special. There will be an eternal purpose in the drive for excellence, with fruits and rewards that I will taste in heaven. God is not someone I can push all the hard work to just because He establishes our steps. Instead, He establishes my steps as I work hard according to His will. To think of it, God hovers over us and trains us, takes us through trials and testing, refining us (unpleasantly most of the time) into something bigger and better fit for a heavenly society. Yet, there is always a whole lot of love, a personal friendship, and security. This, my friends, is exactly Amy Chua’s “Chinese” tiger parenting.

It feels a little early for penning New Year’s resolutions. But what the heck, shops are playing Chinese New Year songs already! So I am not going to wait any longer. My resolution from now on is to be excellent (by that I mean giving my honest best) in all I do, as I trust in the Lord to direct my life. Every potential in my being is God-given; and much as I mustn’t waste the “talents” He has placed in my custody, all glory must be returned to the God who enables all life.

Here’s to a new season of weeding!

5.15am black morning call

This is my first time losing a family member. It was heartbreaking for Dad and I as we watched my mother receive the news about my Grandma's passing. The three of us huddled and wept. :(
That morning, I stood by the bed staring at my grandma's lifeless body. The golden question has finally hit me hard - where do our souls really go to? Where is grandma now?

I know about Jesus and heaven. But but but I have so many buts in my head! I spent the rest of the day going back to daily life, reuniting with friends in classes, thinking about Jesus, heaven, the netherworld and Grandma, and trying to bury all the regretful pangs of 'if only's.

It is kind of strange that the person I really wish I could talk to right now is my BSF leader, Elly. She would know the right things to say even if she didn't have all the answers.

In-flight Entertainment

This morning, I enjoyed one hour and ten minutes of in-flight entertainment through my window pane :) Dad and I traveled up to Kedah, but we went on separate flights. So I had the whole time to myself..sipping juice and plastering my face to the fingerprint-covered window (eck!).

Spent the entire journey studying cloud covers, thinking about my friend's curiosity sparked by a straight kueh-lapis rainbow she saw out of a plane's window on her holiday... I noticed how clouds form at exact latitudes, which explains the level of air pressure in that area and the immaculately neat layers of stratus clouds. To my amazement, I saw clouds that looked like a troop of caterpillars crawling through the sky, a thousand legs dangling off their bodies. Guess those "legs" were traces of water vapour. From above, I tracked the meanders and tributaries, and studied the silt collection at river mouths. I thought hard about a hypothesis my tutor made about how rivers may meander because they have so much energy that they have to expand sidewards, rather than take the straight and narrow path. I think it actually depends on the type of soil and rock the river is flowing over and through. I could even spot the different industries that were going on from the air... fields and factories... fisheries and homes... and tried to make sense of them based on their relative location from the coast or river.

It was an awesome geography lesson - live. The feeling of drawing connections between what I see and the things I have learnt is amazing. If only I could bring something like that to my students. Hmm....

I thought about something else that amazed me. I think a creation even greater than our earth is - our eyes! I was just boggled by the way eyes were made to function so that they can take in all of what I was seeing. After our brain, I think that is the most mind blowing part of our body. I also thought about how everything is so beautifully connected.. how things that are produced and interact - objects, light rays, frequencies, colours, shapes, silhouettes - can be received the way they are through our eyes, our nerves, our minds.

~

It is always good to be here at my grandparents'. The first day is always the best. Fresh from traveling and adjusting to a different place from home. I always forget that my grandpa actually loves me and is happy to see me. When I was young I was usually too afraid of him to think that way. By the way, I was afraid of just about everybody when I was a kid. And he has grown more affectionate over the years. He couldn't believe that I was on a month's holiday and am still getting paid a full salary... and bonus some more. Treasure God's blessing while it lasts :)

It's scorching hot here, doesn't matter whether I'm in or out of the house. It's just boiling haha. Things to do this evening: buy a pair of shoes, go for a run when the sun decides to take a break, get a good shower, go for a big dinner with everybody (it's like CNY again!), and get a good good goooood sleep!

I was reading the daily bread page about the story of Moses striking the rock in Numbers 20. God had commanded Moses to take his staff and before the assembly of grumbling Israelites, speak to the rock before their eyes and it will pour out water. But instead of speaking to the rock, Moses struck the rock twice - the way it had happened in a previous incident - and failed to honour God as holy in the sight of the Israelites. The moral of the story was that in times of exasperation, we have to be careful in listening closely to God's instruction before acting.

I love the feeling of uncovering nuggets in the bible that reveal some pretty interesting aspects of God. The bigger lesson that I took away from this story was a realization that I always assume that God will work based on an extrapolation of my past experiences with Him. It is hard to imagine God when He is, in the first place, beyond our imagination. But I guess the key is never to assume but to pay close attention and have the faith to expect greater and different things from God.

~

Tonight, I just returned from a full evening of church service and fellowship. It has been sometime since I sat down and thought about the purpose of my time spent week in and week out in church. It became so routine that it got easy to go to church just because it is so. Well, today it was kind of different. I felt like I really gave my heart in serving God, in different ways, and God spoke and encouraged in various ways too. Recalling the gazillion sermons I've heard over the years, this is God's very desire for us in gathering to worship Him. Beyond our physical presence, it is that we have an encounter with Him that brings our faith deeper and higher, and be encouraged and refreshed in the Lord.

Pastor spoke from 2 Chron 3-4 today. At first glance, I thought that he would probably skip these chapters because they're just the knitty gritty about the temple's construction - building dimensions, measurements, specifications, the furnishing, yadah yadah. But when he told me that he was going to preach from these 2 chapters, I had no choice but to take a second look. True enough, the bible wastes no words. Much of the specifics are actually very symbolic and significant to encountering God, even today. After all, this temple was the place of worship where the people of Israel had the chance to encounter God. What really resonated in my mind as I sat listening and scribbling... was how Jesus so perfectly plays the role of our Great High Priest, our sacrifice at the altar, and in tearing the curtain that separates the Most Holy Place with His death. I was struck by how God's standards have never ever changed since the Old Testament time till this very second, and even with those very standards He still provided a way for us to commune with Him the way we do today - through Christ. Genius or what?

Anyway, on a different note, Pastor also left us some indicators of spiritual growth, which I thought was some pretty consolidated insight :)

• A greater level of faith
• More passionate in seeking after God
• Less distracted by things of the world/circumstances
• A more sensitive spiritual radar
• Giving all our heart to the Lord in service
• Going beyond our minds in calculating and analyzing using the human intellect

And the end result is that we will be blessed, as proven by the history of Judah.

(sigh.. you know MOE has gotten into your head when you start trying to form acronyms..!!)

...like the dew drop on the leaf, they are together yet separate.
- Lagaan (a Hindi movie, 2001)

I was reliving the India days with the movie haha. It is by far the best Hindi movie I've watched, recommended to me by Jingyun :) Set in a village of the 1890s, it is a story of Indian patriotism, passion, and cricket. three cheers for anti-colonialism! The quote was taken from the lyrics of one of the movie's (sort-of) love songs. I just liked the analogy a lot haha.

What I really long to do is to re-read Shantaram! But each time the thought comes to mind, I'll always postpone it. The longer the interval between my first read and the next, the better the second read will be!

~

On another topic, this whole series of study on Isaiah and the whole general election fever in Singapore has led to a lot of thinking about my country. A conversation with Kevin a few days ago brought my perspective back to God's sovereignty over our nation.

For many weeks, we have been studying about Isaiah and his prophecies of God bringing His destruction over proud nations who defile His name, and even His chosen nation had turned away from Him. Two nights ago, I really wondered what God thought of our country. I mean.. when I look at my own generation and the next, I cannot help but worry. I don't mean to sound self righteous.. because I'm a part of it. But there are some things that are obviously wrong. Yet, the postmodernist current is extremely strong among the young people. We are so, so eager to embrace every value that sounds good or seems right that it has become difficult to stand up for what I know is right/wrong without getting attacked from all corners. Today, almost everyone operates on a grey scale. But more often than we think, reality is full of blacks and whites.

The morning after GE results were released, my grandpa called from Kedah and spoke to my family. He told us how all the coffee shops in his town was rife with talk about our elections. They have been following the whole process, well aware of all the hot button national issues. Not to demean the plight of people struggling in Singapore, but the Malaysian Chinese are just shaking their heads at us. "Bu zhi zu", they said, which means "never knowing contentment". The level of angst against the government, all the finger pointing at the ministers, all the complains hurled and resentment stirred among the people towards our government. "Over here," he said, "we are like third class citizens and we work hard against all the odds. And over there, you all are first class citizens with a silver spoon to your mouth and you complain like the sky fell over. And you want to punish your government for not giving you an easy life."

The following Monday morning, I walked into class only to hear the same sentiments from my tutor. She is a Singaporean by the way. "Shame on us! Look how pampered we are. All the foreigners are just shaking their heads at us... 7 mins wait time at the MRT station and the opposition also dare to bring it up...yadah yadah yadah."

Well, I couldn't disagree with them. Putting aside all the other arguments about alternative voices and whatnot, it is true that we are becoming a people who believe that we have the right not to struggle much in life. It is especially so among the younger generations. I think that way by default too, until something wakes me up to the truth. I'm afraid that 20 years down the road, we are going to pay a painful, painful price.

Anyway, I've decided to read the WP's manifesto carefully. I really want to know what their agenda is, and exactly what kind of alternative voice our people are bringing into parliament. 5 years later, their number may just multiply. For good or for worse? I want to get a good feel of it.
So far, I'm really happy to read that they are advocating for the mandatory death sentence to be abolished. YES! that is one of the most frightening laws... I'm very sure there have been innocent lives lost. more thoughts on this another time!

The God who watches...

This is what the Lord says to me: "I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest." - Is 18:4

When I first read this verse while doing the bible study homework, it resonated strongly. In times like ours..where the world is one big insane mess. full of fighting and disasters and death and innocent suffering, and even worse.. full of derogatory culture. and everybody wonders where God is? Well...there He is. Looking on from His dwelling place. Sounds like one cold and cruel God? No. It was a knowledge of assurance that swept over me. His eyes are never turned away..He may choose to be quiet and we think He isn't there, but He is always watching. The rich and powerful, the oppressive and God-less of our world may think they have it all..but no...

For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches. They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the wild animals all winter.
- Is 18:5-6

There was something else that stood out in another chapter (22) about the prophecy of Jerusalem. There was trouble and the Lord called for them to turn to Him for help. Instead, they were eating meat and drinking wine, saying "Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die!", and the Lord said in response, "Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned for."

Doesn't that "Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die!" sound familiar? I hear that all the time today, just packaged differently. Everybody knows that life in this world is chaotic and fleeting. It is full of trouble and suffering..everybody suffers in their own way. Among the people of my generation, the popular response is this: LIVE FOR THE MOMENT. who cares? life is short and so fleeting.. you may not get to see tomorrow so you better do whatever you want to right now.
sigh.. that is the worst and most dangerous response to the fear of life's uncertainty and the fear of death. People don't believe that they can find an answer that takes us to the very heart of these fears, conquers them, and makes sense of our world's and life's reality. All we have to do is to turn to the very Maker of this life on earth.

Barely the beginning

When I think about the weight of the time my students spend in my classroom, it frightens me.
Being responsible for their education and, for most of them, their lives is no child's play at all.
I'm not just being humble by saying that I feel utterly incompetent to do that. I truly wonder if I ever will be. If there's anything these months of training have taught me, it is that there is so much to learn. Being a good teacher is really a gift that very few have. And I'm so afraid that I'll unintentionally ruin somebody's life and leave him or her to spend the next number of years getting it back. It happened to me in primary school, and on hindsight I don't believe my teacher ever intentionally meant to do that. but it happened and I am just fortunate that God never left me alone.

I just stumbled across some link and ended up rewatching Freedom Writers. This show always makes me reminisce about my secondary four days in my english teacher's class. She is the most amazing woman I've ever known. I am absolutely sure that she'd prayed for me as my teacher, because I remember the comments she'd written on my essays. God had heard her and answered her prayers. I'd always known that if I ever become one, I'd be the kind of teacher she was to us.
Looking at Erin Gruwell and my own English teacher encourages me a lot but at the same time they make me wonder if I'd ever be fit to be one.

Anyhow, a thought just crossed my mind. I found out recently that she is teaching at our sports school, and my current edpsych tutor's son is in the school. I haven't been able to find her email contact. Perhaps, I could ask for my tutor's help. It'd be so wonderful if I could meet her again :) I wonder if she's still the same person.

Winding down...

ahh... finally some time to unwind from a month full of busyness and..strangeness.

The past few weeks have been weird and unsettling, to say the least. The circumstances I found myself in wouldn't have been that strange if they'd occurred separately, but they all happened as a series of things that just came one after another. Put together, they felt quite bizarre and displaced me out of my comfort zone, pushing me to cope while trying to make sense of them. If I could make some sense and have some answers, it'd probably have helped.. but I don't have them. I'm actually feeling tired from all these unusual situations. and not to mention extremely distracted from my school work.

Besides its strangeness, I had a particularly humbling week. I was losing the attitude of learning and daring to fall and try again to an attitude pride and self-glorification. kinda saddened by how I have changed over the recent years. what had happened to the teachable heart that wasn't afraid of making mistakes? Nevertheless, I'm thankful for this wake up call. This is what happens when my face is not kept heavenward.

It hit me in the shower just now that maybe these few weeks have been a season of testing. I feel stretched because in every situation, one after another, I had to make the decision whether I was going to translate my faith into action. Seriously, nothing was easy. Yet, the truth of what was written in James 2 about true faith being demonstrated through our deeds came home to me. Faith isn't true until it has been put under trial and testing and emerges stronger than before. It was so much easier to know it in my heart that I believe in Jesus, and that I have the heart to love His people and to serve them. But these few weeks, I found out for myself just how much of it was true and how much I fell short of God's standard. How much do I really believe in Jesus and how far am I willing to go for His people? The thing that really troubles me is that through all of this, I'm just struggling and struggling. Where is God in this, what is He trying to do, why is He doing all these and where is the heavenly joy and peace I once recognized?

I'd also like to write about something I deeply regret. During the first week of bible study a few weeks back, one of the discussion questions asked: "Do you recall a time when you thought you were glorifying God but in actual fact, you weren't?" During the sharing, a lawyer from my group shared about how she used to argue and engage in debates about God with non-believers, thinking that she was helping to win the case for Jesus. But she later learnt that hey... God isn't interested in winning an argument as much as He loves the person who is arguing against Him.
This stayed with me every single day till tonight. I think about it often and each time I think about it, I regret making that mistake more and more. I used to boil each time someone criticized God and the truth about Jesus, ridiculing Christians. I just had to give a piece of my mind. Some friends weren't that extreme...they were happy to engage in a dialogue. And I remember thinking that I just have to win this by having the last say and by disproving their arguments. When I look back now, it's so foolish. Not that it isn't good to have a stand, but all of those came out of a very wrong spirit. It was a very prideful spirit thinking that I could prove God's case. Who am I to do that? and I didn't even have to...God's case is already proven. I completely forgot how God passionately loved the people whom I argued with. On hindsight, if I'd come from a loving spirit at that time, perhaps some things would've been different today.

Anyway, it was quite an incredible night spent at nol's place with my ex classmates and other friends. I miss this lighthearted fun and banter we used to share everyday. I had quite the encounter tonight spending the last hour of my week with a blind man. At first, I couldn't understand why he went on and on and on and kept repeating the same questions over and over again. Then I thought.. if I couldn't see a thing and I was completely shut off from things that are changing constantly before me, how terribly insecure I'd feel. What amazed me most was how he knew a gazillion bus routes using kinesthetic memory; using his sense of movement to trace each turn and stop and remembering them by heart. I thought to myself, "How heightened and disciplined his senses are!"

God was illustrating something. Just like the blind man, sometimes, I can't see what is before me when everything seems beyond my comprehension. It scares me, and I feel terribly insecure. This is when it is so important to be able to trace God's voice by heart and navigate using that heightened and disciplined sense of where God is moving. Writing this now, I recall the cloudy vision that pastor saw, where I wouldn't be able to see clearly. But my ears were sharp to hear from God. gosh!! perhaps it's really coming to pass... hmm.... but somehow sharpness feels a little blunt these days.

owells... time to shut my tired eyes :) no alarm clock tonight! whoo! love this genting weather today. please stay for sometime and let us Singaporeans enjoy it while it lasts!

speaking of which... the crazy 8.9 earthtquake + tsunami + infernos + potential nuclear disaster in Japan is so traumatizing I don't really know where to begin praying for them. :(