Word For 2011: Possibilities
Met up with Alia on christmas eve.
On our way home we passed by a hotel lounge cafe with helium balloons hanging all over the place.
Naturally i grabbed one and tied it to Alia's bag,
so she walked out a 5 star hotel dragging a floating balloon behind her.
We decided to release the balloon at the open parking lot of the hotel.
"Make a wish ok" she told me. "After we both make our wishes, we'll release the balloon together."
I made my wish and looked skywards as i excitedly released my hand holding the balloon.
"Oh watch it go!! EH!" The balloon floated a little and then stopped and i turned down to look at Alia's beaming face,
"Two wishes!" she laughed as she continued to hang on to the balloon.
We finally released the balloon and stood there watching it fly up the sky.
"We're standing in the middle of a busy parking lot Alia, if we get hit by a car, then no need for any more wishes."
--------------------------------------------------
the new year is looking to be incredibly exciting.
there are so many things floating around that grab my imagination.
the annoying thing is that they may not be fixed,
all may be just ideas that puff off in a cloud of dust.
or maybe that's the gem of it all,
that they are not fixed.
and hence the concept of possibilities.
---------------------------------------------------
"The Road to Kandal"
It is highly probable that i will do a speech series called "the road to Kandal".
it will chronicle everything that has overwhelmed me on the journey to Cambodia.
i'm not the most normal person in the country,
but even then,
going to Cambodia ranks as one of my craziest pursuits.
how do you fight against facing the unknown?
how do you fight against taking a path that radically changes many things in life in the long run?
how do you fight against taking up an overseas masters scholarship doing something close to the dream vs doing something that nobody understands or wants to do?
how do you fight against the expectations of society?
the challenge is to present a highly spiritual journey in non-spiritual ways a secular audience can identify with.
the challenge is to add in entertaining value (since i'm now doing the "entertaining speaker" and "humorous speeches" series) to a speech i will typically bring on a serious inspirational path.
i've always felt that entertaining and inspirational speeches are extremely powerful.
it's time i learnt how to combine both elements in one single speech.
Advice from Shan during last year's contest: "You need to add some humour in that speech"
"i'm not sure how to do that though."
"of course you can! you're funny!"
I feel a compelling urge to share for some reason.
not to put myself on the pedestal or anything like that,
but i feel that stories have a way of inspiring pple.
and i know that someone in the audience can take something from it and do something sometime.
I have seen and now i must tell.
"And this is the love that will inspire Man. That My People will lay down their lives for other people." - Quote from the book "The Call"
On the personal front,
my speeches have always served as sermons to myself,
writing them has always been thereaupetic because i only do speeches on things that really matter to me.
i'm probably the most inspired audience of my speeches.
i'm looking forward to "The Road to Kandal".
my last speech here may even coincide with the contest.
i already know what i'm going do for the contest.
Toastmasters has help me grow more than i've ever imagined.
-----------------------------------------------------
The Real Road to Kandal - FundRaising
we're getting down to serious planning for the expedition.
there is now a target budget to raise.
an incredible amount i don't know how we're going to get there.
and yet,
a part of me is excited abt, again, the possibilities.
and another part of me knows that God will again do His magic.
Already i've experienced some magic by emailing an entreprenuer in the speaking circle.
my intention was to enquire abt speaking gigs,
and we moved on to discussing abt what we're doing in Cambodia.
She's excited abt what we want to do and pledges her support,
and she's even offering me a book writing opportunity!
the book writing option is just blowing my mind away at the moment.
it'll be the written form of "The Road to Kandal"!
All these are only at very prelim stages of course,
and they may just burst in a cloud of dust,
but still,
the possibilities.
"I have never asked for fund raisers,
I only ask that the rich give their time and love to the poor." - Mother Teresa
--------------------------------------------------------
it's time i got back to juggling.
the combination of lack of time, plus the general shift towards technical juggling (yes i dislike it because i can't do it), and the opp Toastmasters give me to satisfy my audience experimentation craving means that juggling is now the orphaned child of my hobbies.
and yet, i just saw the Gandinis and it'll be a dream come true if we can finally get down to creating a group to do something simple like this.
(the gandini jugglers, by the way, are pure geniuses technically and in artistry.)
--------------------------------------------------
Here's to the Future
the entire 2010 has been peppered with spiritual stories.
all the outstanding milestones have been adventures with God.
From the resignation of Permanent PMS after i finally gave up and silently pledged to deal with this biblically because i was at my wit's end.
"Can i scream at him like a bitch, God? Perhaps that's the only way to control him!"
"A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people." 2 Tim 2:24
came the slap in the head.
to the amazing Toastmasters contest last year where i targetted an amount to raise by faith (it was met with a last minute large amount donation), where i got a mysteriously serious cough i've never gotten before, where i won the Division contest (a rare feat for the whole club), and where eventually i had to forgo the District contest in Bangkok as an act of setting aside the ego (it was very very painful by the way).
"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." Heb 6:10
to the struggles on the road to Kandal.
the most amazing magic of God has to be the time i was truly disheartened, and a couple came down the train one day, passed me words that they said God has impressed upon them to tell me, and then went up the train again to wherever they were going. talk abt messages from Heaven!
"for when i am weak, then i am strong" 2 cor 12:10
"temptations are not always bad, some of them are good things at the wrong timing." - Study Bible
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." isaiah 41:10
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,"
says the LORD, who has compassion on you." isaiah 54:10
Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." mark 4:25
So here's to 2011.
the year of possibilities.
and much of it will be spent with
Sok Klang -the upright gentle affable leader who almost threw trash into my parent's large china vase thinking it's the bin, also the one who is a dreamer like me and we'll get all excited abt our big plans until the rest pull us back to earth
Sok Son - the ever so caring fatherly figure. also the best cook in the team who loves vegetables so i'm sure to lose weight
Sau Phea - the gentle motherly figure. and yet also the youngest in the team. and we share the same birthday!
Sau Poan (Pok Pok) - the easily excitable one. Singer in the church so she's easily the queen of our band.
we're all blessed with a sense of humour and more importantly,
similar passions for the community, making a difference and God.
one of the best things in life is being together with pple who share the same passion.
all is well, all is well, all is well.
Met up with Alia on christmas eve.
On our way home we passed by a hotel lounge cafe with helium balloons hanging all over the place.
Naturally i grabbed one and tied it to Alia's bag,
so she walked out a 5 star hotel dragging a floating balloon behind her.
We decided to release the balloon at the open parking lot of the hotel.
"Make a wish ok" she told me. "After we both make our wishes, we'll release the balloon together."
I made my wish and looked skywards as i excitedly released my hand holding the balloon.
"Oh watch it go!! EH!" The balloon floated a little and then stopped and i turned down to look at Alia's beaming face,
"Two wishes!" she laughed as she continued to hang on to the balloon.
We finally released the balloon and stood there watching it fly up the sky.
"We're standing in the middle of a busy parking lot Alia, if we get hit by a car, then no need for any more wishes."
--------------------------------------------------
the new year is looking to be incredibly exciting.
there are so many things floating around that grab my imagination.
the annoying thing is that they may not be fixed,
all may be just ideas that puff off in a cloud of dust.
or maybe that's the gem of it all,
that they are not fixed.
and hence the concept of possibilities.
---------------------------------------------------
"The Road to Kandal"
It is highly probable that i will do a speech series called "the road to Kandal".
it will chronicle everything that has overwhelmed me on the journey to Cambodia.
i'm not the most normal person in the country,
but even then,
going to Cambodia ranks as one of my craziest pursuits.
how do you fight against facing the unknown?
how do you fight against taking a path that radically changes many things in life in the long run?
how do you fight against taking up an overseas masters scholarship doing something close to the dream vs doing something that nobody understands or wants to do?
how do you fight against the expectations of society?
the challenge is to present a highly spiritual journey in non-spiritual ways a secular audience can identify with.
the challenge is to add in entertaining value (since i'm now doing the "entertaining speaker" and "humorous speeches" series) to a speech i will typically bring on a serious inspirational path.
i've always felt that entertaining and inspirational speeches are extremely powerful.
it's time i learnt how to combine both elements in one single speech.
Advice from Shan during last year's contest: "You need to add some humour in that speech"
"i'm not sure how to do that though."
"of course you can! you're funny!"
I feel a compelling urge to share for some reason.
not to put myself on the pedestal or anything like that,
but i feel that stories have a way of inspiring pple.
and i know that someone in the audience can take something from it and do something sometime.
I have seen and now i must tell.
"And this is the love that will inspire Man. That My People will lay down their lives for other people." - Quote from the book "The Call"
On the personal front,
my speeches have always served as sermons to myself,
writing them has always been thereaupetic because i only do speeches on things that really matter to me.
i'm probably the most inspired audience of my speeches.
i'm looking forward to "The Road to Kandal".
my last speech here may even coincide with the contest.
i already know what i'm going do for the contest.
Toastmasters has help me grow more than i've ever imagined.
-----------------------------------------------------
The Real Road to Kandal - FundRaising
we're getting down to serious planning for the expedition.
there is now a target budget to raise.
an incredible amount i don't know how we're going to get there.
and yet,
a part of me is excited abt, again, the possibilities.
and another part of me knows that God will again do His magic.
Already i've experienced some magic by emailing an entreprenuer in the speaking circle.
my intention was to enquire abt speaking gigs,
and we moved on to discussing abt what we're doing in Cambodia.
She's excited abt what we want to do and pledges her support,
and she's even offering me a book writing opportunity!
the book writing option is just blowing my mind away at the moment.
it'll be the written form of "The Road to Kandal"!
All these are only at very prelim stages of course,
and they may just burst in a cloud of dust,
but still,
the possibilities.
"I have never asked for fund raisers,
I only ask that the rich give their time and love to the poor." - Mother Teresa
--------------------------------------------------------
it's time i got back to juggling.
the combination of lack of time, plus the general shift towards technical juggling (yes i dislike it because i can't do it), and the opp Toastmasters give me to satisfy my audience experimentation craving means that juggling is now the orphaned child of my hobbies.
and yet, i just saw the Gandinis and it'll be a dream come true if we can finally get down to creating a group to do something simple like this.
(the gandini jugglers, by the way, are pure geniuses technically and in artistry.)
--------------------------------------------------
Here's to the Future
the entire 2010 has been peppered with spiritual stories.
all the outstanding milestones have been adventures with God.
From the resignation of Permanent PMS after i finally gave up and silently pledged to deal with this biblically because i was at my wit's end.
"Can i scream at him like a bitch, God? Perhaps that's the only way to control him!"
"A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people." 2 Tim 2:24
came the slap in the head.
to the amazing Toastmasters contest last year where i targetted an amount to raise by faith (it was met with a last minute large amount donation), where i got a mysteriously serious cough i've never gotten before, where i won the Division contest (a rare feat for the whole club), and where eventually i had to forgo the District contest in Bangkok as an act of setting aside the ego (it was very very painful by the way).
"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." Heb 6:10
to the struggles on the road to Kandal.
the most amazing magic of God has to be the time i was truly disheartened, and a couple came down the train one day, passed me words that they said God has impressed upon them to tell me, and then went up the train again to wherever they were going. talk abt messages from Heaven!
"for when i am weak, then i am strong" 2 cor 12:10
"temptations are not always bad, some of them are good things at the wrong timing." - Study Bible
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." isaiah 41:10
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,"
says the LORD, who has compassion on you." isaiah 54:10
Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." mark 4:25
So here's to 2011.
the year of possibilities.
and much of it will be spent with
Sok Klang -the upright gentle affable leader who almost threw trash into my parent's large china vase thinking it's the bin, also the one who is a dreamer like me and we'll get all excited abt our big plans until the rest pull us back to earth
Sok Son - the ever so caring fatherly figure. also the best cook in the team who loves vegetables so i'm sure to lose weight
Sau Phea - the gentle motherly figure. and yet also the youngest in the team. and we share the same birthday!
Sau Poan (Pok Pok) - the easily excitable one. Singer in the church so she's easily the queen of our band.
we're all blessed with a sense of humour and more importantly,
similar passions for the community, making a difference and God.
one of the best things in life is being together with pple who share the same passion.
all is well, all is well, all is well.
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