Thursday, January 29, 2009
今年是牛年！有别与往年，今年我回了我的姑姑家和外公家拜年。
星期六一早， 帮妈妈抹窗抹地过后，便讯述的穿好衣服等后出发。
由于之前已经有到过姑姑的家，这次 登们拜访也没有很大的盼望和期许，只是想到了肉干和逛街。 哈哈！
爸爸在车上安装了GPS， 时不时传来“请放慢行车速度!” 的提醒(GPS不只有指导行路的功能)。
但在马来西亚行驶是每小时一百公里或以上，GPS 的不断提醒让我们稍闲烦躁多此一 举，索性在某些高速公路上就把它给关掉，以减少杂音。
GPS 所指导的方向也不是很 准确，幸好没盲目的跟随，要不然肯定迷路！
只是这次三姑曾经跌倒过，腿动过了手术没能向以往来去自如，四姑又得时不时看着她，而且暂时还没找到工作，顿时为她们的生活感到担忧。
但好在她们煮的一手好菜，厨艺非凡，还能往这方面发展。也就没有多大的问题了。
上个月还到过了KL，对此地以不感到陌生。
吃了很多肉干，蒸/煎的吮手指的肥美大鱼，和捞了两次的鱼生，想必一定胖了几公斤。
哈哈！去到了堂哥的家，看到他们三层楼的公寓，羡慕不已。每间房都有浴室，简直大到能在他家跑二点四公里。
哈哈，有一点夸张，但把相机留在姑姑家没法拍到他家的“风景”有点可惜。
最后一天的行程到了外公家SEGAMAT，许多亲戚以在那聚集了。
拿的红包也相当合理，但全都是马币！
哈哈哈。和表弟谈了谈，然后再去四叔所刚刚开设的养燕子的地方，还蛮大的，满地到处是燕子的粪便，但也看到不少的燕窝，想必以后就有燕窝吃了。MUAHAHA！
新的一年新希望！也该继续做我的FYP 了。哎。。。。。。
Friday, January 16, 2009
Today was a fine day. I woke up even before my alarm rang to go to SGH to collect data from the clinicians there for my fyp. I reached there in about 40 minutes time even before my supervisor reached. When I called him, he said he would be reaching soon in a sleepy voice. I can tell that doctors are not easy profession. It must have been a tiring week for him. Everything went well as I gave a short talk, collected the forms and left. Everything was done swiftly in less than 15 minutes. Dr Lim is really a nice supervisor who did alot for me. He even drafted out the questionnair and arranged for me to meet with other clinicians. Blessed to have him as my supervisor!
I found a direct bus back home which I can conveniently use my bus concession instead of taking MRT. Saves some money as I am seeking tuition job now to give BF as well as make some earnings to salvage my dying bank account. Friends' birthdays coming, two cg weddings in June but glad that Chinese New Year is approaching so I can have some red packets, and that is if I go back to Malaysia. If not...no money....
Hope I can get some tuition jobs soon. Should be going for SOT this year and hopefully am able to clear my BF. oh yea~
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Just finished reading the ninth chapter of the book "Driven by Eternity" by Rev John Bevere. This book talks about, like what the title speaks of, eternity in essence. Throughout the book, I find that the emphasis on the judgement of God quite heavy, but yet the love element of God described balances it up appropriately. Nonetheless, this book is an interesting and worthwhile book to read as it reminds us to live our lives not for the now, but for the eternity. As we stand before God one day, all that is not in line with the will of God will be burned up. It may be a majority or it may be a minority of our time and effort on this earth depending on how we live our lives. God will also want us to give an account of the souls He has entrusted us to take care of.
This book sets me thinking about eternity and the things that I am doing now on earth. Personally, I did not lead alot of people to Christ even though I may have sown some seeds along the paths of some. There is one brother whom I remember vividly three years back when I led him to Christ while doing door to door knocking and sharing the four spiritual laws, one of the reaching out events through a camp by Campus Crusade for Christ. He responded after a simple sharing of a small booklet concerning basic spiritual truths and I led him in the sinners' prayer. However, after that, I just submitted his name to the committee people but never really did a close followup on him thereafter. Although I have been trying hard to invite him to church on several occasions, but due to the delay in time, we grew distant from each other and he became quite reluctant in meeting me up since then. I have tried to invite him for Christmas services last year and the year before but yet, he would have something on and in the end couldnt make it. But I thank God that at least he is still keeping in touch with me and there is still a chance in which I can really follow up on him and bring him back to discipleship. I guess through this book, the issue of being responsible for the souls that God has entrusted into my hands surfaced. Even though I was still quite a new believer that time, it still is my responsibility to guide him and lead him properly after getting him saved. Imagine if this was accounted for and I wasnt able to give a proper account of his life before God. I will be found guilty of being irresponsible and negligent in God's entrustment to me!!
As such it is very important that the things we do now reflect the heartbeat of God.
True enough, like what the book mentioned, there may be 1000 good things that we do externally. But God not only judges our words and actions, He judges our minds, hearts, motives, everything! All those that are done in secret shall be exposed under His scrutiny and everything shall be reviewed. As I think back, it may be the time when I stole $10 from my brother just to donate to charity in front of my friends during primary school days to make myself look good, or it may be the time I helped my juniors in army cheat in their tests just so that credit can be given to me as being a good and hardworking instructor. All these although, seemingly appear good on the outside, shall be burnt away under God's light as it reveals all the wrong motives and intentions that I had in "doing good".
Eternity is a difficult thing. The bible says that it is hard for men to understand eternity but He still chose to put eternity in our hearts. Although our minds and senses cannot fully comprehend eternity, but the eternal depths of HIs love and mercy shall always exist and endures with us forever and ever.
God bless~
Friday, January 9, 2009
The heart of true giving expects no returns.
The bible says it is more blessed to give than to recieve. You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving. The world we are living in emphasizes taking. But yet the kingdom of God is always about giving. All through society now, we see people wanting to gain power, knowledge and wealth for their own glory, for their own selfishness, at the expense of others. My fren's grandma just passed away, but yet the family is arguing, getting into fights over the issue of money. She is getting so frustrated and dont know what to do even as the sad news of her grandma hit her. Such is the state of society, greediness and selfishness abound.
But yet, sometimes, I see non christians being very considerate and giving. There is this friend of mine who has been sending me christmas card by post nearly every year without fail even sometimes, I forget to send him back. He used to give me expensive presents every year last time when we were still schooling... Such is the attitude of true giving, one that really gives from the heart, even when the other person does not give him back anything in return.
This is also true in the area of relationships. All too often, in a relationship, it is usually one person putting in more effort, contributing more than the other party. Very seldom can we see both parties putting in the same amount of effort and hard work. It is hard to measure who puts in more as well. Do we measure by the amount of time one initiates to spend with the other? Or do we measure by the amount of presents one party gives to the other? No. That is not the main thing. And that should not be an issue. The issue is whether one has been giving, to the best of his ability or if not, one has been committing to a relationship or tried anything to make it work. Of course, expectation is always there. We cannot think that a person who puts in effort must really be forbidden to expect anything in return. It is just like a mother putting in effort to look after the kids in the family. She wakes up early in the morning, sends them to school, do the grocery shopping, cleans the home, washes the clothes, and cooks when the kids come back home from school. The mother can be giving out of duty or true love, but she can also expect that the kids will be obedient and filial to her. Even when sometimes, the kids do get rebellious and refuse to listen to her, she still loves her children unconditionally to give the best to them. Therefore, expectation can happen as we expect something from others even as we give. But the point here is the motivation in giving. The very initial motive of why we are doing what we are doing. If the heart is right, then when we do not get what we expect we should get, at least we do know that we have been wanting to contribute in the relationship and trying our best to make it work. God expects us to be like that.
Having said that, giving to God operates in a similar way. Our response to give should be always out of the desire to bless and to love. Giving in expectancy for our blessings and God's providance are secondary. Of course, God promises in His word that if we give, He will not shortchange us but those who sow abundantly shall reap abundantly. With such a promise at hand, we can really afford to keep on giving in faith until our breakthrough comes. Therefore, people who only give for a period of time gives because they have been wanting that blessing to come...so much that their giving is out of a desire to get. But if we truly give out of love, then it will be a life style of continual giving, just like how Jesus continues to give throughout his ministry and is also giving now, by interceding for us and giving eternal life to those who are saved.
Having said that, for 2009, should we start giving ourselves more to God and to our friends and loved ones in various ways? Let this year be a breakthrough year for me and for all my friends. God bless.=)