Birthday Tribute For Jennifer a.k.a Miss Beautiful Hair
(I hope this doesn't sound like a eulogy! haha.)


I'm never one to remember birthdays,
and Jen is one who remembers EVERYONE's birthdays,
so one day i made a resolution to remember hers.


13 is a number i remember easily,
and i ingrained it in my head that her birthday was 13 with the order reversed.


So a few years back, I decided to surprise her by giving her a birthday card on the 31st.
and in it i was so excited abt remembering her birthday i kept writing "i remembered your birthday!"


Sometime later in the day Jen sms-ed me:
"My birthday is 30th not 31st you kuku. and you wrote 'I remembered!' so many times somemore!"


ah.
so it's 13 with the order reversed in mandarin. (as in shi san and san shi).

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There are many things I thank God for
and going to a neighbourhood pri sch is one of them.


Simply because all of us stay within walking distance of each other.
It's so much easier to catch up when we can all walk to the nearest Macs,
and if any are too lazy to walk out,
we'd even go right down to the void deck and drag the person down to meet us.


There's something about interacting with friends from school.
we never seem to grow out of the phase we knew each other from.


And so it is with the primary school folks,
meeting them is always very enjoyable.
we're loud and unguarded and dun give a hoot of who you are now.


Somehow we still communicate with the spirit of the 10 year olds in us,
the age of innocence,
and the part i think that remains as our essence no matter how buried it gets through adulthood.


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Jen and I were classmates in Pri 5 and 6.
By some strange childish clique system,
we were supposed to have our own "best friends" but got so pissed off with them that we chatted with each other everday on the phone.


(There was once I fell asleep while she was talking and when i woke she was still talking! :) )


From then on we were partners in crime.
Getting into the prefectorial board together, trading shiny idol cards, playing chinese chess....
(chatting abt Jacky Cheung and Desmond Shen and Bai Yan....)

we were still close in sec sch,
even though we went to different schools.
Jen is one of those pple with a knack of *networking. (*euphemism time!)
So she knows something about everybody,
like who's angie's latest boyfriend and so on,
so there was always plenty to talk about.

There were many frequent meetups at that time with the rest of the gang as well,
all were enjoyable and none really sticks up in memory now,
perhaps only the one at the Downtown East chalet,
where Vera was desperately trying to massage marinate the chicken wings that turned out so tasteless we persuaded the people at the next pit to take them.

that's also the one vera woke and sat up suddenly crying in the middle of the night with an arm cramp.
And the one that was the last outing with WC before she passed away.

Whenever there were gatherings,
there were always a "core team",
pple who must be present to make the gatherings fun,
and Jen was one of them,
along with the Loud Sisters. :)

there was something about the gatherings that brought us all back to the kids we were,
and i know Jen made these gatherings a priority as well. (even though she won't admit it. =) )

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and now i have a rush of memories of other gatherings.

the ones at my place,
where we'd play mahjong while steph watched days of our lives (!!),
where we played some weird card game where we stick cards on our foreheads and drank water as punishment (thought up by gamemaster vera),
the BBQs at Jen's place where all the classmates from far reaching ends of the earth turned up,
irene's wedding where she gave us a front table,
the latest ones where we managed to drag out Mrs Ban (!) our form teacher from nowhere.

Granted the gatherings don't take place as often as we'd like now,
and I haven't even caught up with Jen for a long time now,
but the characteristic of close friendship is the connection we still have whenever we meet,
and not the time actually spent together,
and i think that's the case here.

Perhaps it's due to my blog,
so Jen knows what's happening in my life (with the occasional "eh your blog sounds like bible.com" sms from her).

well i dunno what's happening in your life missy :)
time for an update!

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Sometime in late sec school we completely fell out.
It was something about waiting for each other in the airport and then I didn't wait and we stopped talking after that.
Completely stopped talking.

i think we both knew the crack but was too busy to fix it,
and after a while we forgot why we were even mad but it was too awkward to fix
(at least that's my perspective! haha)

(Sidetrack: Funny how in every close friendship I have, there will be ONE major fallout. Just one, only one, but major one. it's like some initiation ritual!)

And it would have been left like that,
if Janice my JC classmate and Jen's table tennis team mate hadn't linked us up again.

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I remember Jen's encounter with my Band of Brothers in university.
hahahahahaa.

One of them annoyed her so much,
one time she literally pulled me off the bus so we could shake him off.
(THAT was sooo mean!!!! hahahahaa)

And then another one said she has "beautiful hair"
so ALL was forgiven.
hahahaha.

And then there was the cute rich and young insurance guy (remember Ms Beautiful Hair?),
and that evening by the poolside.

"He said he wants to concentrate on his business"
"So did you take the insurance papers and tear them to bits and throw them into the pool?"
"No it was all handled very maturely thank you very much"

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In recent years I had one incident that plunged me into the depths of confused despair I've rarely encountered.
Something beyond what I can usually handle.

And so in the midst of the night,
I smsed Jen and Poot,
both who are teachers and so sleep at baby hours, so i couldn't call them.

Both called back. :)

With Jen going,
"I woke up to niao4 niao4 and saw your sms. What happened?" she asked in sleepy concern.

And after i talked through things with her,
I still remember her insight that only someone who really knows me can point out.

"You know, even though you think (blah and blah)....the real reason why you're upset is (blah and blah)"

It made me see the thing differently,
something i was blinded by at that moment,
and on hindsight she absolutely hit the nail on the spot.

Thanks Jen for calling back. :)
That experience taught me two things.

1) You're one of the pple I can call in my depths of despair and you'll be there.
2) it's so impt to have pple to count on in times of despair, and just as you guys were there for me, I feel the need now to be there for whoever that needs me.

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In Alabama I spent a year there on my own.
and there were certainly ups and downs,
coping with the new work, the new work environment, and figuring out how to get apartments and cars (couldn't even drive at first!) and everything in order in weathers i've never been through and getting strickened with illnesses i've never experienced (and not knowing where the doc is)

I thank God for this blog because it kept pple here aware of my condition there.

Occasionally after a wretched blog post,
i'd get long distance calls from pple here. =)

And on one occasion, Jen suddenly called one day with,

"Your grandma passed away right, are you ok?"
"She passed away?"
"er...ya. oh shucks you don't know? it's in the obituary, it's your house address and your names are there.."

Turned out my parents didn't want to worry me with it so they didn't tell me,
and when i told them my mom was like "Who told you???"

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So that was a walk down memory lane.
Honestly if i hadn't met Jen in primary school,
we would probably never be close friends,
given how we are outwardly so different.

I can't tell a Gucci from a Giodarno,
she is Miss Prada Queen.

it bewilders some of our mutual friends how we maintain the friendship.

But beyond the Prada bling bling,
Jen is one of the most loyal pple i know.
She will go out of her way for friendship.
One of those Jiang Hu sisters.

she is included in my list of people-to-call-before-I-jump-off-the-ledge,
(so be careful not to miss my calls! haha)
someone with the insight, ability and willingness to pull me out of holes i dig myself in.


So Thank you for your friendship Miss Beautiful Hair.
It's rare indeed to have someone grow along with you and to see how our hairstyles have evolved through the years.

We REALLY should catch up soon.
you're only 3 bus-stops away!

Have a fabulous happy birthday Jen. =)

TIRED.....

I think I used up my happiness quotient for the month.
or maybe i'm just really tired.

Had to stand up today while doing technical readings so i don't fall asleep.

"If i suddenly topple over," I told my colleague, "Don't panic. I didn't faint, I just fell asleep that's all"
"So if you crack your head and bleed all over and facility personnel comes to find out what's the safety risk, we tell them you just fell asleep that's all?"

"ya"

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Or maybe the whole week started gloomily because the first thing i read on Mon is on death.
Borrowed a book on Paul (the apostle, not the Pope!) that was due on Mon,
so I was speed reading, on the way to work, through the last chapter before returning the book.
And the last thing it talked abt was how Paul got beheaded.

what a way to start the work week.

It caught me this week,
the similarities of all these saints/apostles/heros and Jesus in the face of death.

Forgiveness. Jesus, Stephen (who got stoned) and Paul. They all asked God for forgiveness for those who killed/abandoned them.

Closeness to God. Paul asked for his parchments, Mother Teresa asked for some holy box thing (i forgot what it's called but it was a symbol of God) that gave her so much comfort the doctors had to hurriedly tell the Sisters to "bring the box" whenever Mother Teresa was critically ill.

"What box?" the sisters asked.
"I don't know," the docs replied, "the one where Mother can stare for hours and be completely serene and calm in its presence."

and this week i finished a book on the letters of a priest or Brother or something. Dun really know who but his letters reflect a deeply spiritual being. Again such a deep attachment to God, and he died too at the end of the book, with the last words of his letter being "I hope from His mercy the favour to see Him within a few days."

Complete Humility. Paul, Mother Teresa and the Brother Priest person. A very profound sense of humility, of nothingness, and so ironic that it's because of their "nothingness" that they can do more than what most pple can do.

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The first time I fasted in the office was for Bangkok.
the 2nd time is this week.

"Who's going abroad this time?" my colleague asked immediately after i told them i'm skipping lunch with them.
"haha, nobody's going abroad...."
"Oh pls don't tell me you're fasting to decide on which phone to buy! samsung vs motorola!"
"noooooo......"

This week the projects have been raining in.
It doesn't rain, it pours.
We've been attending so many project meetings we've gone from anxious to resigned.

"when is this one? september again? like the other 3 projects?" we'd ask with blank faces.

"SISTER! FAST FOR ME!" my colleague suddenly grabbed me today.
"I eat for you la, you fast for yourself. I eat, you fast. I pray, you pay."

Everytime we hear of a project or hiccup now someone will inevitably go "SISTER! FAST FOR US!"

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met up with the cambodia team yesterday.
looking through photos of the trip brought back fond memories.

it really is a different sort of experience,
i highly recommend it.
you don't come back quite the same.

Of Phalic Presents and Pushing *Poundaries
*A desperate attempt at alliteration

Met with Poot yesterday to cycle along east coast.
As usual we cycled way too little and ate way too much.

I love eating at places like east coast hawker and chomp chomp.
Very fond memories of great food and great friends.

They even had a live band there singing Guns N Roses.
You know you're from a different era when you rock to Guns N Roses songs.

"Hey I have a gift for you," Poot proudly announced. "It's my first gift for you since i lost your surf board in australia."

(quick recap. Poot happily tells me she bought me a surf board clock while in australia. After getting me all excited abt how cool it is, she tells me she left it along some highway there and forgot to bring it back.)

"Hmm," I looked at Mr Tiger with the Ball. "The ball is in a very strategic place."
"It's a FAN", Poot beamed.

(I pulled off the head of Mr Tiger with the Ball to see what's inside)

"HMMMMMM....you know what it looks like......hahahahahaa"

"it's A FAN."

"Gosh when i switch it on it even makes some strange vibrational sound!"

"IT'S A FAN!!"

"Imagine if i pass this on innocently to a church friend like 'here, i think you need this', you're gonna get me banned from church!"

"IT'S A FAAAAANNNNNN!!!!!!!"

we had a pretty good laugh over Mr Tiger with the Ball.
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I just finished the super itchy backside task of 4 speeches in two weeks!
Just to get a perspective,
i did my first 10 projects in 10 months. so that's 1 project a month.
and then i took 16 months to do ONE advance project. so that's 1 project in 16 months.

and suddenly i decide to do FOUR projects in TWO weeks.

it's the kind of attempt that takes up every second of my consciousness.
the speeches were ALWAYS at the back of my mind for the last 2 weeks.

(after describing to DH what my projects were about)
DH: That sounds very stressful. And you're doing it for fun?
Me: Well...it's kind of like juggling performances you know? It's stressful and you go crazy preparing for it, but at the end you look back and it IS pretty fun and satisfying.


I remember when i first started, in that 1 project per month pace,
asking myself how in the world I was gonna try to be a professional speaker if i can only do 1 speech a month.

So i guess this is a breakthrough of sorts.
it IS possible to do 4 in two weeks.
you just go a little insane that's all.

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I'm having a lot of fun these few weeks.
i'm in the Pink Flamingos inspired mode again.

suddenly everything seemed to have elevated to a new level.

Meeting up with random pple in and for Cambodia have really opened my eyes to what it means to say we're all one family in Christ.
it's inspiring to see strangers just openly helping one another for no reason other than for the One greater than us.

Suddenly all the strangers I meet everywhere seem very interesting,
it's like they all have a story behind them,
and i want to know their stories.

sometimes when you keep whacking,
you never know what leads appear.

I'm having fun with my speeches.
Perhaps it's because i'm now working on the Humourous Speech manual and the Entertaining Speaker series,
but i've certainly veered away from my usual solemn soulful style and jumped into Pink Flamingo mode.

It cracked me up when i opened the programme sheet and right there in bold, these words screamed:

"special talk - "Yvonne's Evaluations: The Naked Truth, WARTS and all"

i mean, they HAD to put it there, cos that was what i said the title of my speech was.
and i think the club kind of knows me enough now to take it in their stride,
but it's pretty funny when i think of how there are like 60 pple in the club and some are quite serious corporate people.

(eh and the title makes sense ok, it's not a random thing. I did the speech based on W-A-R-T-S)

And i inserted a story on cow dung to illustrate a point,
actually the word "shit" would have enhanced the story more,
but there must be a boundary somewhere.

The audience quite enjoyed the speech i think,
but it cracked me again when i opened my book and my evaluator's first line was
"I love the story on the cow dung."

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Still have bible class homework and a BBQ to organise!
ARgh!

I'm looking for a new phone and the whole office got excited with me abt all the new gadgets in town.
My manager got so on he even headed down to plaza sing while i was there playing with the newest phone and msg-ed him that a demo was available.

Both of us were at the booth beaming the phone's light everywhere,
on the ceiling and walls and pillars,
it was actually quite funny.

considering he was my manager.

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As I walked to the speech venue on thursday,
while munching on my crabby cartoon mini mooncake dinner,
it dawned on me that "All the World's a stage, and all of us merely players."

And if my life on stage,
as a juggler and speaker,
is about connection with the audience,
then maybe all the world's a stage,
and my life is about connection.

I've also realised,
that Joyfulness is a gift from God.
And it must be treasured and protected,
because it is a gift,
don't let it be easily taken away.

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SMS from an old friend:

"I think that's what finding God has made you.
More in touch with your emotions
and a whole lot more vocal about your inner thoughts and feelings
which i used to think never existed.

In other words,
your ego seems to have given way and humility kicks in.

it's amazing.

i wonder if it's because you became like that first
so it was easier for you to accept God
or the other way."


My first thought when i read her msg was
Was I really proud in the past? How come I didn't know.

then i realise what an oxymoron that was.

and to answer the question,
it was "the other way." :)

"But maybe it doesn't have to be quite so full of anguish
if you never happened to believe, in the first place,
that the most extraordinary aspects of your being came from you.
But maybe if you just believe that they are on loan to you
from some unimaginable source for some exquisite portion of your life
to be passed along when you're finished, with somebody else.

don't be afraid.
don't be daunted.
just do your job.
continue to show up for your piece of it, whatever that might be.
if your job is to dance, do your dance.

if the divine, cockeyed genius assigned to your case
decides to let some sort of wonderment be glimpsed for just one moment
through your efforts, then "ole".

And if not, do your dance anyhow.
and ole to you nonetheless,
just for having the sheer human love and stubborness
to keep showing up."

-Elizabeth Gilbert

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Voyage De Something

I REALLY should be working on my speech now.
a speech that is really two speeches,
and for some itchy backside reason i'm making a boring informational "how to do it" speech using the Entertaining Speaker Advance Manual.

ARGHGHGGHGHGHGHG.

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so today i skipped exco dinner and was all up into preparing the speech for the rest of the night,
and DH suddenly calls with a "I have free tix to the RWS circus show. You on?"

"OMG the one at sentosa?"
"yes"
"the one with viktor kee?"
"yes"
"ARGGHHGHGHGHGHGGHG"

you can't say no to free tix to watch Viktor Kee live!
An hr later we were all gathered at Vivo city to take the bus to the circus.

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Cirque Du Soleil is still the master of theatrical circus,
but Voyage De something is not bad.
There were some parts that were quite cheesy,
and the theme was kind of strange too (can't remember what the "lessons" were),
but some of the acts were pretty good.

Most memorable was the arrow shooting one,
for the sheer danger of it.
And also the poor talented trapeze lady who doubled up as the "apple-on-head-so-shoot-me" assistant.
If she got shot it'd be such a waste of talent don't you think.

As I watched the aerial artistes swing and fly around,
I recalled a portion from a cirque Du Soleil documentary.

The narrator says,
at Cirque, the band always plays when they practise.
and once in a while, something very bad happens.
bodies crash, bones crack, sometimes even death.

But never once,
did the band ever stop playing.
the music must never stop.

it's how they remind themselves,
that the show must go on.

As I watch the artistes in the air,
i felt the real dangers they face.
one wrong move, even a 1% chance, and they'll get seriously injured.

And it's not like they get paid well,
it's for the sheer love for what they do.

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At Cirque, all the stage techs have to go through the acts they're involved in at least once.
So that they understand what it means to have your life in someone's hands.
When the show starts,
the artistes' lives, depend on the stage techs who fix the equipment and safety harnesses.

it kind of deepens your perspective of the circus.

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When the curtain call came and they all came onto stage,
i wondered how much the production costs came up to,
and how many shows they'll have to do to break even.

And then i wonder,
as I watch the performers and audience interact merrily with giant balloons,
at what price would you slap onto the opportunity to connect with the audience?

at the end of the day,
amidst the dangers and pain and fatigue,
i'm sure all the performers on stage live for that moment,
when they connect with the audience with the art they so love.

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I can die happy now after seeing Viktor Kee live in action with his famous G-string routine.
it's been 10 years!
I can still remember Alvin trying to learn parts of his routine at youth park!

Toastmaster Madness

just had a splendid time at AIA TMC.
the pple there are outrageous,
it's like being in a comedy club,
which means you get to hear really hilarious lewd jokes.

Their new exco installation night is like a who's who's list of toastmasters.
Almost like a district gathering,
all the big shots are there.

Incredibly honoured to have been invited,
and given a role with stage time too.

As i sat on the "panel" with all the other distinguished members from all over the place,
the thought fleetingly came to me that perhaps this means i've "made it".

it's the kind of thought you have to squash immediately,
or it'd be the beginning of the end.

Still a long way to go,
and besides,
a reminder never to let these things get into my head.

it's never abt them,
we answer to an audience of only one.

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Brainstorming for a speech title.
"Yvonne's Evaluations: The Naked Truth, Warts and all"

I like it.
sounds very R(A).

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Watching the world cup yesterday made me lose precious sleep.
almost fell asleep standing up today.
time to sleep!

Nostalgia

For some reason this week
i became nostalgic.

Suddenly remembered Ginger and then my old buddy Wayne.

Wayne.
i wonder how he's doing now.

Sometimes when i get really frustrated and acutely aware that i'm frowning away,
i can picture wayne coming to me, smiling away, going
"You are really pissed off aren't you?" *chuckle chuckle*
"shut up wayne"
"You can't let these things get to you. You're supposed to be the bigger person here."
"I'm also the woman. we're supposed to be petty."

wayne wayne.

"Hey look at that korean woman there. she's hot"
"Do i care?"
"Do you know how i know she's hot?"
"Do i really look like i care?"
"Because she was just standing in front of this fan, going 'i'm hot!'" *chuckle chuckle*

And on the one occasion i got some strange itchy skin allergy....

"You know the remedy for hives, take oat baths" he said.
"you mean quaker oats?"
"no dummy, they sell powder oats in Walmart. Yeah you just go ahead and pour quaker oats in your bathtub and tell me what the maintaneance guy says when you call him in to unclog your bath tub" *chuckle chuckle* "Hey my bathtub's choked! i think it's cos i poured quaker oats in there..."

"i'll just take these allergy pills..."
"you don't believe me do you, here ask Shirley. She's old, you have to ask old pple abt such things, they know every weird thing because they have so many kids"

(shirley stopped walking and turned) "Who's OLD?"

"Nobody. *chuckle chuckle* Shirley come tell her that oat baths are good for hives."
"Oat baths are good for hives. Or you can take pills," Shirley said.
"Wayne says these pills will stop me from having babies" I told her.
"WAYNE!" Shirley glared at him while he chuckles again. "No dear, these pills are harmless. Now you double check with me everything that he tells you from now on."

Funny how clearly i remember the conversations above like it happened yesterday.
The people there in alabama are just hilarious. Every normal conversation with them was like a stand up comedy routine.
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I began thinking abt the 5 influential ladies again,
and wondered what have i learnt, or should i learn, from them.

From Ginger it was servant leadership.
from the operators to the engineers to the directors,
she talked to us all.

She personally took responsibility of every product on the floor.
She walked around so much, sometimes she would just help carry the products from one station to the other, since it was along the way and it would move things along faster.

"how many project managers do you know," Wayne would say as we watch Ginger walk across the plant carrying trays of products for the hundredth time, "actually come to the floor and touch these stuff?"

"only Ginger," i would reply.

Ginger.
Very very fiesty lady.
with gd humour too.

"My husband just called to say he wanted a better lunch. I told him well then he should get a better wife!" *hearty laugh*

And of course, the one line from her that i'll never forget.

"It's ok guys," she said with sternly as the others played the blame game, "I am the project manager. The blame stops with me."

I miss alabama sometimes.
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From Rhitu it was pure dedication, and calmness.

She would send emails even at 2am, sometimes from the office,
and her hair would be messy sometimes,
but she was always a picture of calmness.

No finger pointing, just problem solving.
and we had so much shit going on, all the time.

But she was always the eye of the hurricane,
the calm point amidst the madness,
on top of things and keeping everything together.

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I've not had much chance to interact closely with Kris,
but her contest winning speech was prob one of the first to inspire me,
i still remember parts of it today years later.

a speaker, trainer and coach by profession,
she was the first to offer extra mentoring help whenever i won contests.

Storytellers rule the world.
if i have a wishlist of personal mentors,
she'd be in there.

From Kris it'll be to learn passion and energy.
Confidence without arrogance,
poise and charisma.

From Mad Mama i saw how to be an effective leader.
she came, she conquered, she left and the mission was done before we even knew what happened.

Again the energy, the vision, the timeline,
the don't stop till we get our goal attitude.
can be awfully direct at times to kick butts but nicely balanced with sincerity and affirmation.

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From Delia i saw a life dedicated to the love of God and people.
An eclectic mix of sterness and gentleness,
a curious swing from flashes of impatience to extreme patience.

a life of purpose can be a very inspiring one,
especially when coupled with traces of all the other leadership qualities above.

she is close to a model of what a Godly person should be i think,
dedicated to God, prinicipled, with a genuine relational love and concern for people.
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As I walk along with God,
slowly i begin to understand that everyone's purpose in life is different.

There is no generic "purpose to life",
There is only a specific "purpose to MY life".

i'm beginning to see the unique mix God has placed in me,
things that are more suited for some things than others.

That is why they say the Bible/Jesus has come to give you "life to the full",
because as we walk with God,
we will slowly come to understand what His purpose for our lives are.
and how everything comes together.
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Quotable Quotes

Poot: "Why you all go all the way to cambodia to build a bus stop?"
Me: "What BUS STOP. It's a SCHOOL."

Sms from fren in the morning: "my constipation giving me headache."
i replied the sms during lunch: "Are you feeling better?"
Sms from fren: "Did you pray for me in the morning? cos now i got lao sai"

Msn from Lao da: "Let me guess your spiritual gifts"
me: ok
Lao da: *listed down one gift*
Me: Hmm, that's near the bottom of my list.
lao da: *listed down another gift*
Me: this one is even lower than the other one!
lao da: *listed down a few more gifts*
Me: You have the gift of listing down all the gifts at the bottom of my list.
Lao da: That's the gift of DISCERNMENT.
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I had a lovely time juggling yesterday.
realised how much i missed it.
(also realised how unfit i am since i got tired easily and now i have muscle aches)

Met up with two entreprenuerial guys who wanted to do a book interview on pple with interesting money-making hobbies.

I had a good time chatting with them and turned out we're all toastmasters so more to talk about.

"I remember a juggler once told me this in Las Vegas. I asked him how he motivates himself to juggle for so many hours a day. He told me if i needed motivation to juggle, then maybe i should get myself another hobby.

I would advise people who want to do this to earn money; Don't do it for the money. Try juggling and love it for what it is, the money is a bonus. I would still be juggling regardless of whether someone is paying me.

When you go to conventions, you'll realise that jugglers are very laid back people, very relaxed, and we don't take ourselves seriously. We're supposed to be "clowns" remember. But when you see the stuff they do, 7 balls, 8 balls, you realise the amount of dedication and determination that goes on behind the scenes. it takes years of practice, of picking balls, to do it. YEARS.

That's what life should be about. Do things seriously but don't take yourself seriously.

There was a stage i was thinking of doing this full time. I'm not at that stage now. But it'll always be a part of my life i think. In future perhaps i hope to use it as a form of outreach, to get to know people, to know youths, to share this art with them."

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The 2 of them look fairly interested and inspired, dare i say.
"I think what you're doing is great!" one of them beamed.

It got me thinking.
whether God can use my life one day to inspire, as the 5 have done for me.
what would it take to live an inspired and inspiring life?

Later on while i juggled at SMU,
i started chatting with another bunch of SMU rollerblading youths,
curiously circling around me.

the more i moved away from them to give them space to run,
the more they moved towards me.
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I also realised yesterday that i look young.
"you look 24!"one guy quipped.

That's one instance.

After that, while i was juggling at SMU, DH smsed me to say watch for the guard because they walk around checking if the pple there are students.

5 min later the guard did walk by.
He gave me a glance and walked off.

Jugglers never seem to warrant any attention from authorities.
There were times at the esplanade,
when we'll be waving juggling knives,
and they're the length of parangs mind you, not the mini dagger kind.

And the police will walk pass us,
with hardly a glance,
and proceed to take down the ICs of some youths lying down near the pillars with their skateboards.

"even with knives the police ignores us!" i told my bro.
"that shows how nerdy you guys are" bro says.

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i just spoke with Sea God today.
i understand now.

"In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well...
If your gift is serving others, serve them well.
If you are a teacher, teach well.
If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. ...
And if you have the gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. ...
Hold tightly to what is good.
Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other."
Romans 12:6-10

If you are wise and understand God's ways,
prove it by living an honourable life,
doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom."
James 3:13