*the love and grace of God in my life..*

Monday, December 31, 2007

in office right now though i'm on leave
met raymond and gang for breakfast at yakun this morning and thus, i'm back. =)
what a relaxing day; just back to pack and make my workstation neater.

off for lunch soon, then rest at home
and make my way to church at 8pm later.
watch-night service at 9pm - midnight and i'm super excited! =)

last post of the year
2007 has been a good year but 2008 will be even better!

2008 - a brand new year with God! =)

//posted by ivy @ 12:00//

Saturday, December 29, 2007

doesn't feel like a saturday today
woke up at 8.30am, washed up and headed to meet my uni frens for a trip over the causeway
the queue for the bus at kranji and at JB custom was madness!
reached city square around 11.45am; bought movie tics before we stuffed ourselves with food from the HK cafe
everything came in such large portion today!

yanyang, huijun and jennifer went to watch "i m legend" while i headed for "alvin and the chipmunks" by myself since the shows were at the same timing
yami yogurt after the show and shopped around
bought another dress for myself, even though i really had NO intention of making any purchase today..
off for foot massage with huijun then dinner with the rest at taman sentosa
nice yummy food! =)

back to singapore
total damage done - RM$180

//posted by ivy @ 22:42//

Thursday, December 27, 2007

i was so excited for today that i only fell asleep at 4.30am this morning even though i went to bed at around 2.30am.
my new queen-sized bed arrived today! yippie.. it was quite interesting waiting for the bed to arrive and to be set-up.
baby came over just on time as well and he ended up helping me with the bedsheet, pillow covers and my quilt cover
just by the way he did up my bed today and ensured that everything was fine, i know that i can trust him in ensuring that i'll be well taken care of in future. =)

caught national treasure after that and a simple dinner
since it was still early, we took a walk to the new neighbourhood and went up to our unit as well
i can't wait to get the keys to check out the interiors!
oh..that's something really funny!
we were at the mail-box area and competing to see who can find our mailbox first (#08-309) when the following caught my eye --> #80-309
what an error!
shall see what they are gonna do about it.. it would be interesting not to report the defect and let it be? haha.

got to do some curriculum review tmr for NLB lesson and the rest of the day would be cleaning up my cupboard, packing my clothes properly and do some reflection/planning for the year 2007/2008.
might leave that for monday morning if tmr is too rushed.

//posted by ivy @ 22:45//

been on leave since 19th dec and i haven blogged since then; a good 2 weeks of catching up with what hasn't been done, spending time with my boyfriend and others, spending some time at home, and of course, being refreshed and learning many new lessons from God.

first time at bukit timah nature reserve few days back; drove there with baby and took a slow walk up to the summit
the nature always makes me feel at ease and to feel as though there're no worries to handle/manage.. what a good place to reflect, to meditate on the scripture and to give thanks for God's creation!
maybe i should suggest to my cell leader that the cell can have a retreat next year.. not at some function rooms or chalets but to take a slow walk up the summit together as a cell, to bring a guitar up, to sing and to praise God together, to read and spend time listening and after which, to share together! =)

that brings me to the wonderful wed i had last week
met baby for breakfast in town, then caught a morning show - "the ten commandments"
it was certainly a thumbs-up show though i have to admit that i wasn't exactly looking forward 100% to watching the show initially.. ended up as a movie with so much reminders and lessons for me personally!
the show talks about moses being spared from death when he was young - found by pharaoh's daughter - grew up as the grandson of pharaoh - fled for his life when he was older because he killed someone - ended up in the land of midian - got married and set up a family - called by God to return to egypt and bring the people out from there - the confrontation between moses and pharaoh - the way God works in egypt and finally the people got out of egypt and make their way to the promised land - the difficulties moses faced in the desert with the people as they start to waver in their faith - first generation of the people died and the second generation onwards entered the promised land.
it was a familiar passage in the Bible but when i spent time to reflect on the show again that night, the reminders or warnings were so, so real and really shook me, from the way my life is right now

had a cell thanksgiving dinner yesterday and i was thankful for all that vincent prayed for and shared
almost the same as what was going through my mind about our attitudes towards cell, towards our lives, towards our work, towards God
for the first time after i submitted my cell evaluation, i really told God that i meant every word i said in relation to one of the questions which i answered "i'm willing to contribute in whatever ways possible to the cell, except perhaps leading worship"
"contribute in whatever ways possible" - i'm not proficient in everything but if there's a need or a gap to fill, i'll do it.
"except perhaps leading worship" - it's a personal choice but i'm still struggling a bit with this because it's one area that i'm truly weak and not comfortable at all but in my weakness, i know God can be glorified because it's not me who will ultimately do it, but God through me... but, yes, i'm still hesitating quite a bit.

these few days of being away from work have been refreshing
even though it broke the trend of me going abroad every term break but i enjoyed myself even through the various events like CCIS at orchard, cell's dinner and the upcoming watchnight service!
i'm a rather relational person and so, i was quite thankful for the ability to still talk to quite a bit of the youths even though i've lost touch with the youths for quite a long time
and to end it off, i'm quite excited about watchnight service and the new year ahead!

//posted by ivy @ 00:50//

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

i had wanted to head to sleep an hour ago but decided to check my emails first since i won't be home tmr till evening probably
scrolling through emails in the past brought back many precious memories - be it joyful and hurtful

there were emails from my boyfriend - some which almost makes me cry and knock myself silly for the things i've done to upset him but there were others which really makes me smile
there were emails from arlene, tina, andrew and charlie - still recall that we were sharing our lives through emails in the past. reading those mails made me think back of the many lessons that God taught me in relationships and in serving in youth and music ministries in the past

alright, off to bed
for the first time in a long, long while, i'm meeting my boyfriend for breakfast and movie in town on a weekday morning! =)

//posted by ivy @ 23:34//

Sunday, December 16, 2007

open-house is boring.
over the years, it just doesn't seem to be better - i still like the first open-house duty i had; though logistically messy but it was fun. back then, we were still operating in tanglin campus but had our open-house at the new woodlands campus

before i slept last night, quite some time was spent recalling the phone conversation i had with a friend on fri
thinking back on the past few years i've known her and some others as well, i realised that i've been the one who is the most harsh to her in terms of advising her in her various situations.
sometimes, i just want to be nice, listen to her and give her some nice general advise and that's it.. wouldn't that be good? she won't be skeptical of calling me if ever she needs any help in future.. because i know if she has anything, she is likely to share with the other two-three common friends we have because they will never scold her or put things across in the serious tone

after a short struggle (it wasn't exactly a struggle; i knew what was right and the right thing is not to make man happy) last night and praying about how should i approach this whole situation should the meet-up for dinner materialises soon, God spoke and it was amazing!
i know exactly what to say now but it's also scary for me because i don't know how it will turn out
ultimately, it's all about bringing her closer to God again.
the closeness of my relationship with her, would be secondary and not of importance.

//posted by ivy @ 14:05//

Saturday, December 15, 2007

i'm a teacher and that means the education of my students is my main priority and top concern but on the last day of my lessons with my day 3 class this term, i probably did exactly the opposite!
the day started off with 20 students and by 3rd meeting, it was down to 10
while others might wonder why, i was probably jumping with joy (inwardly of course) because that means the 3rd meeting can proceed being more meaningful and it's going to be a breeze grading them
i wasn't wrong; the entire two teams' presentations plus mine took an hour and by 3.45pm, i was strolling happily back to office. =)

another reason why thurs passed so fast and i was excited for it to end is because i knew what i was going to have at the end of the day! - i was going to meet my dear boyfriend!
hung around life bookstore while waiting for baby for dinner and some books caught my attention; will decide to get it next year likely
dinner was at fish & co; been a long time since we went and after that, walked around and i bought a top for myself

last night, i met danwen, suria, jennifer and huijun for dinner + coffee at vivocity and we stayed till quite late
so i took a cab from sembawang after we managed to catch the last train headed to kranji
the cabby driver was nice
firstly, he didn't speed despite the time of 12.45am and the road was absolutely clear; that makes me feel safe enough to nap a while on the way back
secondly, after a minute of conversation with me, he didn't go on and on like some other uncles i've seen; he even asked me to take a rest
and lastly, before i alighted, he made a comment that my area was so quiet and if i wanted him to wait at the lift lobby to ensure that i reached my floor safely
how nice! the uncle ended my day with a happy note though i was so sleepy.

met huijun and yanyang for lunch today at causeway point
there's something about meeting up with uni friends at the end of the year or something..haha. while i haven seen huijun for almost half a year, i saw her last night and this afternoon.
had a yummy lunch at jack's place and it was on yanyang..how sweet of him when he just got his job two months back. went to walk around and i got myself a dress! oh man.. the bonus just came in yesterday..and i'm already spending quite a bit.

came home for dinner then went with my dad to get his new phone and spent the last hour figuring out the phone functions and ensuring that he knows how to use.
and now.. i'm sleepy.

i can't wait to head to JB with my colleagues on monday evening.. and the bunch of us are attending an external course on tues and most of us are then on leave till almost the end of the month
so technically, after monday, i won't be back in office till 2008. wheeee. =)
though i might head back on 24th morning cos raymond might be visiting.. oooh, i miss ya kun breakfast..

//posted by ivy @ 22:40//

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

through the night, i learnt an important lesson and though they seem like familiar passages, it's one of those times that i saw how directly God was revealing certain understanding that wasn't complete.

Luke 16:13
"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

when i first started working, i remembered being very specific and asking God to teach me not to view earthly possessions and material things as being important and through the years working in RP, i know that i do not love wealth. i'm happy staying here despite the pay because i know it's more important to impact the lives of the people around me than to accumulate a fat bank account.
having said that, of course, i welcome the 2-months bonus, one-time off special payouts etc - these are all additional things that God has given and i'm perfectly happy with or without them. i wouldn't go into depression if there's no bonus payout so it has never crossed my mind that "wealth" will be an area that i'll struggle with.. not until last night before i went to sleep.

have been thinking and talking to baby regarding the AHG that we applied for because we're getting our flat
well, the gist of it being that we would need to submit our ROM cert on the day we take possession of the key if we're going ahead to take the grant from the government - either 5K or 10K and of course, HDB has got weird scheme regarding the submission of cert
so.. in another shorter summary - i would like the best of both worlds if it's possible! being able to sign my cert in church and to get the grant! wheee... wouldn't that be nice?
i thought so too! ... until God said otherwise.

wanting to get the grant because it would save us cash and it's free money.. who wouldn't want? but because the wanting to get it can sometimes make me wonder if we should sign the cert at an earlier time.. to change the plan a little maybe? these are definitely thoughts that i've entertained before and i realised last night how these thoughts mean something.. and it means that i've put it above God!
it's a really a personal struggle.. and i know i won't be able to share it here but i really thank God for the deeper understanding of the verse, despite the fact that i can probably memorise it after coming across it many, many years ago.

then this morning.. another verse spoke to me and yet, it's another verse that is ever so familiar. we use it in prayer meeting, use it to encourage people.. and again, it just jumped at me today!

Isaiah 55:8-9
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."

for those of you who have known me long enough, you would know that i'm pretty much an organized person who probably has an idea of what i want to do for a certain event etc. I would do my planning ahead so that i wouldn't need to rush into a mess at the last minute but yet, i can make some changes if it's required.
so.. in another summary of the entire picture, i have thought about various factors that may arise regarding the flat, regarding the wedding in future etc.. nothing wrong with planning ahead right?
i thought so too.. i mean, i'm definitely aware that God has a plan for me and when there's need, i''ll alter my original plans, because God knows best. there's certainly nothing wrong with planning ahead..
and so i strongly believed.. until God spoke again.
but i went uh huh.. i'm not unwilling to change, God, and i'm waiting for You to reveal what should and can be done, so why this verse? what's the message behind this?
and it's simple.. even though i may be open and willing to listen to God, i've allowed my plans to pre-occupy my thoughts, to the extent that i'm not thinking about the things that really matter to God.

ahhh. what a revelation!
the two verses which are ever so familiar.. speak a totally different understanding!

//posted by ivy @ 17:39//

Monday, December 10, 2007

raymond's last day in RP was last thurs but way before that, the girls decided to spring a surprise dinner for him.
what's so surprising for him was that he totally wasn't aware that he was heading for dinner with a bunch of girls that night! haha.

went for a simple dinner near campus - bottle tree village
and this is my dumb dumb buddy, jane.. (who happened to be blocking half the bottle tree!)

the girls at the swing while waiting for the table to be set-up and enjoying the sunset as well.

ta-da! presenting the group picture for the night!

top: jane, jacqueline, lena, me, elena

bottom: jasmine, raymond, joyce

included the rest of the people for the farewell gift too and we presented him this board with all our pictures on it so that he'll never be able to forget us! =)

and with a pink shirt, which we're so proud of it because we got the right size plus a tie and tie-pin that also comes with a namecard box.

the perfect picture-card! =)

1st column: jacob, choon hou, germin, victor

2nd column: elena, lena, kevin, jasmine

3rd column, jane, joyce, leslie

4th column, jacqueline, gail, wee leng, me

i think we were all a bit emotional on the last day

gail started crying even before we gave the gift to raymond

and after seeing his email, elena, lena and i got a bit sad too and the worst was we all had to be away for PP assessment till 530pm so we couldn't really spend time talking to him after class

but well, there's a time for everything and we all wish him all the best in... his new company! =)

couldn't join him and the rest of the girls for dinner because i was meeting my "mummy" at city hall with jasmine

the dinner was spent well too, updating each other about our lives for the past half a year

sau yee was telling us about the bride-to-be (we met on thurs, the wedding was sat) who broke her leg the day before and now, the whole ceremony of marching in etc has to be changed because of that

in summary, the parents of the bride-to-be decided that she could just walk in from the side straight to the altar..just a short distance and not march in instead

she was so so sad!

i told my boyfriend about it and i asked him what will he do if it happens to me

"i will carry you down the aisle"

*smiles. i've the sweetest boyfriend! =)

//posted by ivy @ 23:58//

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

driving in the rain 3 times today is no joke!
the worse was when i was heading to baby's place and i was filtering into the left lane to exit, there came a truck which splashed and rained water over my car and for a good 3 seconds, my wipers were doing their best to clear my windscreen and i had absolutely zero vision
the only thing i could do was to brake and wait for the windscreen to be clear again and mind you, i was on the expressway!
who brakes on the expressway? i was so worried that someone might bang into me from behind because the view was really bad
the moment i could see the view, i realised the traffic has built up quite a bit behind but was thankful most of us kept a safe following distance.
how scary!

//posted by ivy @ 23:17//

Saturday, December 01, 2007

what a tiring week and so much outstanding grading to be done, not forgetting the UT marking as well!

yesterday during lunch, jacq was asking us to head over to the weighing machine after lunch and so the three of us (joyce, elena and me) decided to go with her
it was all the way at sports complex and it was the machine which tells you your weight, body fat and segmental analysis of leg, arm and trunk
we got so excited when the instructor brought us the roll of paper so that we can have a printout
and throughout the journey back to office, we were all comparing and exclaiming how we want to go jogging even more regularly
i think we're going to go back to the machine once a month!

desirable fat range for my age: 17-24%
lalala.. im in that range! =)
so i'm not fat.. whee! though i think it's highly possible that i'll soon be out of that range if i continue munching so much junk food at my workplace and not jog as regularly as before.

so not ready for tmr's run although it's only 10km and i've done it twice already.

//posted by ivy @ 19:24//