I am a Miracle Maker

It's Christmas time again... Merry Christmas my friends.

It has been awhile since I last wrote. It has been a really busy time at work, learning new stuff and clocking in the extra hours as issues arises in a major project, and with new projects pouring in like the River Nile. It has been a challenge juggling work and home but I'm thankful God has sustained me beyond my imagination.

In this season of advent, I managed to squeeze in some time during my drives to work after dropping Angie off at the train station, to prepare for Christmas. Through the meditation of the rosary, I was constantly reminded about the miracle of Christ's birth into the world we live in. A friend of mine stunned me once when he said,"I am a miralce maker." He might have meant it in a different way but I choose to believe that his words contained so much wisdom. It is even so during this time of Advent and Christmas. I believe that we are all called to be miracle makers in this world. God is calling us in our own special way to create miracles where He has placed us. He wants us to make possible what would be the impossible in the eyes of those of this world. I think doing the right thing, even if it might seem to be contrary to the ways of this world, makes real the miracle of Christ. As His birth was a miracle, and His deeds as well, we all have that natural tendency to create miracles.

I am challenged to do just that. Though it may be difficult in certain situations, and though I may fail at times, I pray for God's strength and grace to help me get there. As we celebrate Christmas this year, let us continue the work of Christ, and be our own unique miracle maker in this world.

God Bless you loads and have an awesome Merry Merry Christmas! :)

Today you will be with me in paradise

It has been quite a few weeks, wrapping things up in the Uni and getting settled into the new job. Tonight I managed to find some time to write this reflection. Jesus mutter this phrase:"Today you will be with me in paradise." to the repentent thief. This was part of the Gospel passage last week I think...

This phrase has been stuck in my head for awhile now. I have always been affected by the response of people, especially the bad and horrible ones. Just the other day, there was this young chap in church, who was perpectually with a black face, on the two occasions I turned in his direction. First at the start of mass when we were invited to greet those around us and during the sign of peace. I'm not sure about you but it always stirs up the anger within me when people do that. I found it very very difficult to initiate a smile, let alone extend the sign of peace, but I know it is really God's peace that we extend to people. I had to force a smile, and when I returned to face the altar, looking at Christ hanging on the cross, I remembered this phrase. This chap in church may represent the unrepentent thief, but he may also represent the repentent thief in the future. Nobody knows for sure but one thing is certain, is that God loves everyone, irregardless of whether we are good or bad. As long as we are repentent in the end, that is the most important. We will be in paradise with Christ. I pray for that chap but also for myself to acknowledge that I need to be Christlike even to those who may annoy me.


This week being the first week of advent, which coincidentally is also my first week at work, I pray that God prepare my heart as we welcome Chirst's birth. In the process, I pray that I will be more like Christ in my dealings and interactions with people.

May we all experience Chirst's birth in a very special way this Christmas and shine His Light in the world.

I am the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob

This was proclaimed to Moses and it was not until Father mentioned the implied meaning, that the light-bulb in my head went up. Apparently, this was told to the Sadducees, who at that time did not believe in the resurrected Lord. This story was related to them to convince them that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead.

I have been reflecting quite abit about what it means to believe in the resurrected Lord. Everyday as I lay awake in bed, refusing to give in to the reality of life beckoning at me to get up for work, I tell myself I could just sleep forever. It seems the routine of life has stung me and I feel so much of the absence of God. Amazingly though, as I force myself out of bed, the energy and drive to begin on a brand new day never fails to get me going. Most of the time at least... The anxieties and worries of the day soon cloud my mind and I find myself fighting these thoughts and hoping that the day pans out well. At the end of the day, I ask myself is my life one that proclaims the resurrected Lord? The only answer I can find is that in my daily struggles I draw strength in knowing that Christ is risen and He will lift me up.

Recently, a string of events brought about much hope for me. I got an interview, which followed the appointment I made to speak with my Professors with regards to my decision to leave. Somehow, my concrete decision to leave was affirmed by the prospect of a new job. Soon, the interview was over, with mixed feelings on how it went. I was then faced with the dauting task of informing my Professors the very next day. Though I was asked to reconsider, I felt it was best to leave. I did however convinced myself to continue if nothing came out of the interview. Finally when I was offered the job, I struggled to come to terms with the mightly low salary. Though I got some repreive from an arrangement to get an increment after the probation period, I had to bite my teeth and trust that God will pull us through this initial period. Now, as I break the news to my Professors, I'm thinking how I can wrap things up on their side. I must say that God really works in His own ways and though we try our hardest to live our lives the best we can, it is really God who glues all things together. He is always there though we cannot comprehen with our senses. Always believe that our God is risen and He lives among us. He will carry us through the struggles of our daily grind and reveal moments of joy and His Glory in the things of the earth.

God bless you all and perserve in life. God has your back.

Thank you Lord for your omi-presence.

To be little, not belittle yourself

 

It has been quite a week, busy catching up with family and friends. We managed to sneak in a novena session which turned out to be good spiritual input for the soul, as always.

 

Father spoke about humility, that we are all called to follow Christ's act of humility. "Thse who humbles themselves will be exalted and those who exalts themselves will be humbled." This phrase, if I remembered correctly, is from one of the letters of St Paul. I once had the perception that to be humble, one has to think lowly of one's self in relation to others. This is attuned to false modesty, which is the wrong way to look at humility. Rather, we have to bring ourselves to the level of others, so that we can be equal and understanding. 

 

Father said that we should be little and not belittle ourselves. This I thought helped to clarify the term humility. Christ became man, so that He was equal to us human beings. His very act was to be little, but at the same time, He was still God Almighty. Therefore, we should strive to be like Chirst, no matter how successful we become, to always remember to be little, rather than to belittle ourselves.

 

As I reflect upon the happenings in my life, I find that at times I have been displaying false modesty, such that negativity has become who I am. As I look ahead, I pray that God will help me be little, rather than to belittle myself. May He be the Light that continues to enlighten us in understanding His ways.

 

God bless and thank you all for being such a blessing in our lives.   

Be Generous in giving

Two weeks back in his homily, Father told us to be generous in our giving. We are to be like Christ who is never lacking in generosity, to the extent of giving His life for us.


I have been asking myself how I can be generous since. Only until recently after a dramatic encounter at home that I realised that I can be generous with not only the material things but also the intangible things. We had a slight problem at home the other day and our friends whom we turned to for help did not hesitate to come over to help us deal with it. We are really thankful and grateful for that.


At the end of that long day, Angie asked me a question I did not expect. She said: “If the tables were turned, would I have no qualms about going over to help a friend in need?”. My obvious reply was ‘Of course!’. Now that I had time to ponder about that question, I’m not sure what my response would be in that particular situation. Delving deeper into that question, I realise that it calls for me to be generous with my time. Although I would gladly help a friend in need but if my time was occupied, that would change the whole scenario completely. I can only wish that God grants me the grace to prioritise the urgent from the rest and a heart of generosity.


The other story of generosity is my Dad, who came for a holiday but offered a huge hand in clearing our backyard and planting of new plants. I can't imagine doing all that by myself... And I am truely grateful for Daddy.


I hope that you may experience the joy of giving, be it your wealth, your time or your talents wherever you may be... God’s love and blessings be upon you always.

Suffering an ingredient in life

Last week truly brought to life the word suffering to me. I might have experienced one of a billionth of Christ's suffering and humiliation on the cross, or maybe even less. Though to me, it was kind of devastating.

I had an encounter with this particular person who was really nasty and horrible, because of mood swings. I did not know how to respond and somehow the encounter which felt like eternity, was over. It was after a few days, did Father's words during homily that particular weekend that passed, came to mind. Suffering is a part of our lives. Our Father allowed Christ to suffer so that we can be saved. In the same way, we need to experience suffering to be saved. We will grow stronger from it though every episode brings new perspective and meaning to the word suffering.
Indeed, suffering is an ingredient in life and without it, life would not be the same. I'm not trying to sound sadistic here but it gives us that inner strength to live life to the full. I thought I was crushed and defeated after that encounter but I'm back up on my feet and trying my best, even struggling to live life.
"The Lord is my strength, there is nothing I shall want." What a beautiful prayer by the palsmist. May my life be strengthen by you dear Lord. May all of us be strengthen by Him.

Be humble

Another week has gone by in a flash. How true it is that time passes very quickly when you are busy. This week has been packed with trying to meet a deadline at work and hoping to get some decent results for the research.I have been thinking and reflecting on what Father brought up over the weekend mass. We are to be humble as God has. Jesus showed His humility by taking the form of a human person and dying on the cross for us. I know this for a fact but his words really reminded me of this profound truth. Father shared about one of our previous Pope, who constantly reminded himself to be humble as Jesus is. In his position, I reckon it can be so easy to fall into that proud stupor.
I was edified by that story and as I look at my life, though I am not in such a position, I know that one day I may be in one and I pray that I can follow the example of Christ. I know that it is so easy to fall into the pride category, I see it everyday in the actions of people. Some of them strangers, others I know. All I can do is to say a little prayer for them that they may come to realise that we are all equal in the eyes of God.
Grant me wisdom Lord, that I may always be humble in all my dealings with anyone.

Wrestle your way

Last Sunday's Gospel from Luke 13:22-30 spoke about those who will be saved. Jesus said this: "Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed."


This message seemed pretty common to me, having heard it like a zillion times. I tend to focus on the first part of the message, which I interpret as doing what is right. This is often the hardest thing to do, since we all want the easy path. Father shared the Greek interpretation which was kind of enlightening. He said that to try your best in Greek meant to wrestle your way. We really have to wrestle and put in our every effort in get into that narrow door in order to be saved. Choosing the easy way is really not an option.


Throughout the week, I asked my self what it would be like to wrestle in the daily stuff that filled my day. Every time I felt lazy and in my comfort zone, I remind myself that I needed to keep going, to wrestle with my state of mind, to do the right thing. The right thing being to glorify God in my work in the laboratory, my research work at the Uni, and my work in upkeeping the home. It has been quite a struggle but at the end of it, though I cannot explain how I managed to complete the stuff that I did, I know for certain that God strengthens us in all that we do. He is our strength.


Something else that reinforced this was an article I read by Bo Sanchez. He wrote about giving our 10,000 hours in what we do and God will reward us many fold. Every time we find ourselves slacking, let us look ahead at the reward that will welcome us in God's time.


Keep me in your sight Lord and let my every waking moment do great works for you.

Mary is our hope in this world

Last Sunday was the Assumption of our Blessed Mother Mary. As Mass began, Father shared that Mary is our hope in this world. She was brought up into Heaven body and soul, and to undertake her role as our intercessor.
Wow, what an immense realisation that indeed Mary is always interceding at the right hand of our Lord Jesus. She is interceding not for anyone but for you and me, us as individuals. That certainly gives me a whole deal of hope. In this world we live in, hope is something we fail to see everyday, though it is around us all the time. The smile from a child's face, a driver slowing down for an elderly lady to cross the street, someone holding the door for you... There are so many instances if we only open our eyes to see.
There have been days these past few weeks when I couldn't see beyond my present situation and the thought of it was very depressing. Now, I remind myself that Mother Mary is interceding for me and Angie, and we are always in her prayers. Mary is really amazing and the reason that allowed the salvation plan of God to be carried out. Her fiat with God made it possible for God to come amongst us and ultimately redempt us all.
Finally, a story that Father shared which sums up our salvation story; There was a king who wanted to see God but all the priests and bishops could not show him God. A shepherd boldly told the king that his eyes were not good enough to see God but he could see what God does. The king immediately asked the shepherd to show him what God does. To this the shepherd asked the king to exchange his royal robes for his shepherd clothes, which the king reluctantly did. The shepherd then said: "This is what God does..."
To a God who comes down to our level, to the extent of being like us, Thank you for being our saviour and friend.

Learn to distinguish between your needs and wants

We went to Mater Christi Church again last Sunday. It was a chilly morning and though the sun was up and shining magnificantly on us, we felt the chill in our bones...


It was another beautiful day and we were just taking in all that was happening around us when this family came by and sat at the pew in front of us. The grandparents brought their two little granddaughters and it was a joy watching them just being themselves. I was distracted by them for awhile until Father's sermon. What he said struck a raw nerve within me. He mentioned a story about this sick person who was told to stay indoors but he felt he really needed to go out and experience life. He finally went and he actually got better. He knew he needed it rather then justing wanting it.


It is really an art and skill to know what we really need and what we merely want. We need to learn to distinguish between our needs and wants. Catering for our needs make us better people while our wants make us unfulfilled and ironically, wanting more. Looking at my life, I find that more often than not, I seem to be catering to my wants rather than my needs. Many of my decisions are based mainly on money. It's like a vicisous cycle, on one hand wanting to earn more money so that I can purchase more stuff for myself and Angie, and in the future for our kids, and on the other hand wanting to save as much as I can for the future. It's like life being one big wheel revolving around earning, spending and saving dough. Not a very pleasant picture. It's like I'm missing out on life's real purpose, relationships and people above material things. This is especially so for those dear to me. I'm sure Angie can identify with this, me being insensitive to her feelings on most occassions.


It's going to be a long journey but I want to make it better. Where better to start than with my family. Help me Lord to know what my needs are rather than my wants and guide me through this learning process.

Stay connected with God

It has been almost a month now that we are at our new home and last Sunday, we finally googled the church nearest our home and went there for mass. It is the Mater Christi church, and it was a beautiful church which overlooked a lake. A very nice and serene place.


The name of the church struck a cord with me, Mater Christi meaning Mother of Christ. Mother Mary being so important to us and a role model for us to follow. At mass, Father shared about prayer. He mentioned that there were two types of prayer. One is the prayer of embrassement and the other being the prayer of hindsight. It is indeed an interesting way of looking at prayer.

The prayer of embrassement is really petitions. We ask God for something when we cannot obtain it on our own merit. Embrassed because we need to ask someone to get that particular something for us. As I pondered, it doesn't really seem to be an embrassing thing because we do it so very often. Sometimes, we do not even try ourselves and just go straight and ask God for it. I guess we need to include God in all that we do, but to jump straight to asking Him for stuff when we have not even tried to obtain it using the faculties that He has blessed us with is just wrong. We have probably been immuned to it that it does not seem embrassing to us...

Anyway, the prayer of hindsight really got me thinking... It facilitates the culture of reflection, as we think about the workings of God in our life, and it is through that where we realised that God has His hand in everything that we do. This is really a prayer of gratitude. I feel that I do reflect more nowadays and I must admit that I do see His hand moving in the events of my life, which sometimes scare me too. It's like you know He is directing you along life's journey but we need to be discerning to follow His lead. We need to stay connected to God all the time to know exactly where to go. What happens if we don't... I know that He will lead us back but I can't imagine having to always be on my toes and be aware of where He is leading me... It seems so tiring...

Well, I am really thankful that I am more aware of this now and I do pray that God will lead me and on my part, I will cooporate with Him. Grant me the strength to stay connected to you Lord.

Spend some time in prayer

It has been quite an activity-packed period since we returned from our trip, with home stuff to attend to and the conferences at work. This has left me with little or almost no time to pray in the mornings, which has been my daily ritual when I arrive at work. Today, as Father spoke about the need to be like Mary, and listen to what Jesus has to say, I felt I needed to once again spend some time in prayer on a daily basis.


In the Gospel today, Martha was complaining to Jesus about Mary, who instead of helping her, just sat listening to Jesus. Many of us are like Martha, busying ourselves with our work and all the things that occupy our time, that we fail to really set aside time to just listen to God. Father reminded me that we need to have both the active and contemplative side. It is good to busy ourselves in serving in ministry but we also need to spend time with the Blessed Sacrament and be renewed and strengthen to continue in our ministry. One time that struck me was this sentence that Father shared: “Necessity, when paid undue attention, becomes a monster.” A simple phrase but packed with so much meaning.


As I reflect on where I have been focusing my time and energy, I realized that I may have been paying too much attention on certain things that it might have consumed me and made me someone not so pleasant… I think it’s high time I start to avail myself to listen to God, to be directed by him and not by me.


I remember last week’s Gospel message: “Love your neighbor.” This is something I found very difficult, especially when faced with people who never fail to be unkind and mean. This verse in the song As Bread that is broken really sums it up: “Help us to begin where we are, help us love the people near to your heart, give our faith a mission field, wherever you may call, love the world through each of us, until you’ve touched them all.”


We can be anywhere in the world but we are called to love as Christ loves. This is probably the hardest thing to do but Christ himself strengthens us, and the only way we can allow him to, is to spend time with Him in prayer. Let us unite in prayer and be recharged to love the difficult people in our lives.

God provides us with what we need

Our short trip to Singapore came and went too quickly. The weekend before we left, two separate sermons from two priests helped put some perspective to my present situation.

The first was about our all knowing God. He knows what is best for us and gives us only what we need. Father shared a story about a father who refuses to give his young son a knife although he wanted to play with it. It is akin to us asking God for stuff that we are dead sure we need and when we do not get them, we fret and lament. I feel that I have been asking God to provide me with certain things which probably is not what I need at this present moment. God wants us to trust that He will provide us with what we need and not what we think we need. I pray that God will shed some light on the things that I need at this present moment so I can go and pursue it.

The second was about evangelising. We must be prepared for both failure and success. It is much easier to handle success as compared to failure and we need to bear in mind that there is bound to be these two outcomes peppered in the daily grind of our lives. We should not allow the fear of failure to stop us from spreading the word of God in our lives. I realised that I have allowed fear of failure to consume me, forcing myself into a place of security, not stepping out into the possibility of both success and failure in the things that I envision in the little brain stucked in my head. Help me to acknowledge this Lord and constantly seek to spread your word through my words and actions.

Success and failure which can be epitomised in the game of soccer... The recent World Cup 2010 final was a fine example of how in the quest for the biggest prize in world soccer, there will be success for one team and failure for the opposing team. Kudos to the spanish team, you guys played amazingly and are always a joy to watch. Ole Espanol!

Everyone of us has our own daily cross to bear

We are back in Singapore for a short visit to surprise Angie's mum on her birthday in a few days time. It has been quite a week sorting things out at home that this was a welcome break. At the same time, we were able to drop by the LISS retreat which was in progress...

It was amazing being involved in the outpouring session, witnessing the mighty Hand of God moving within the participants and all in the service team. It brought back memories of my involvement in past seminars and once again affirmed me of God's abiding presence in the community and in our midst. After the session, we were treated with testimonies from participants and service team people alike and it re-affirmed God's greatness and generosity. Mass followed and the homily of Father Tom Curran provided a reality check for everyone that we will still have our daily cross to bear. It may be at work, at home or wherever God has placed us. Even Jesus, in all His divinity, had His cross to bear when He began His ministry, being rejected by the people of Samaria when He and the disciples were looking for a place to rest there.

This was a gentle reminder to me that in spite of all the good things that God has done and is doing, we will still be faced with our cross to carry. It struck me even more deeply when Father mentioned that parents have the cross of caring for their babies, waking in the middle of the night to feed them. I looked at myself and pondered if I would have the capacity to carry this particular cross when the time comes. It just seemed too heavy a cross for me... But I'm consoled by the fact that God will always provide the strength we need when we need it.

Help me carry my daily cross O Lord, though I might not feel that I am up to it.

God will help us carry our cross

Today is a momentuous day for us. We will be officially shifting to our new place. I was quite excited and was up even before my alarm rang...

We had a nice quaint breakfast at Hungry Jacks (aka Burger King :) nearby and off to mass we went. Another enlightening time at mass for me and renewed strength to face the week ahead. Father shared about 2 main points to reflect upon from the Gospel passage, which opened my eyes and my heart once again.

Firstly, Who is Jesus to us? The disciples were post this question by Jesus: "Who do you say I am?". Jesus is asking this same question to us. This question will ultimately return to us as who we see ourselves. It is not what we do but rather who we are as a person. Something to ponder on this coming week...

Secondly, Are we willing to carry our crosses and follow Christ? Father shared a story, which some of you might have heard before. There was this guy who asked God for a lighter cross as the one he had was too overbearing for him. God directed him to a room full of crosses and instructed him to choose one which pleases him. He finally found one which he felt was right for him and happily went to God with it. He was asked to look at the back of the cross and on it was his name inscribed on it. He had chosen the very cross which he was carrying all these years.

God knows us and will not give us a cross which we cannot carry. We all have our crosses to carry but Christ has assured us that He will help us carry our cross. He has died for us and there is nothing He cannot do for us. It then dawned upon me that I have been too focused on my own burdens and feeling crushed by the cross I am carrying. But everyone has their crosses to carry and we are not the only ones with crosses to carry. Suddenly, the many problems I face at work seem so small compared to bigger problems others may face. The best part is that Christ will help us bear our crosses for He has promised us that His yoke is easy and His burden light.

Do not be discouraged by the burdens you might be facing in life now, for Christ is always there with a helping hand. Thank you Lord for this comforting assurance.  

Communicate Love

What an awesome time at mass today. There was a group of physically and intellectually challenged people in the congregation today and there I was so inspired by their strength and tenacity.



It was a healing time for me as the words of the song Power of your Love was sang at communion. I felt that God was renewing my whole being and teaching me to communicate love to those around me, especially those close to my heart. Father shared that in the gospel today, the sinner came uninvited to the house of the pharisee who had Jesus over for a meal. She cleaned His feet with water, kissed His feet and poured expensive perfume on His feet. She communicated love through her actions. Unlike the pharisee who did not offer Jesus a drink when He came, no water to wash his hands and feet, and face, and certainly no oilment to refresh and cure the aches from His journey. Apparently, in the middle east, when a guest visits, it is a custom to offer a drink for your guest, as a sign of acceptance. It is also customary to provide water for your guest to clean up after the journey to your place as well as oilment to soothe any aches and cover any stench from the journey. "Interesting..."


I reflected on my week and I felt that I have been too focused on tasks I had to do and failed to communicate with people, especially with my dearie Angie. It's more the unspoken language rather than the words, something which I had a taste of myself in Ikea just yesterday. I was enquiring about stuff at the customer service counter and the lady behind the counter was actually replying me with her eyes glued to the computer screen apparently working on something and at the same time attending to me. I think I now know how it feels when I sometimes reply Angie without looking at her while I am working on something...


Teach me Lord the importance of human relationship and the need to communicate love through unspoken language instead of the common language of words.

God was and is present among us

Today is Corpus Christi and we went to mass as usual. It wasn't until we got to church did we realise that it was the feast of Corpus Christi.

As I pondered about the meaning of this feast to our present situation, God had the uncanny way of replying through Father's sermon. A somewhat gentle reminder I must say...

Father started with the history of how we came to celebrate this feast, which was meant to be celebrated on Maundy Thursday when Jesus instituted the Eucharist. However, due to the overshadowing of the passion and ressurection of Christ, it was decided by the church to celebrate it 60 days after Easter instead.

The real meat came when Father shared the three components of Corpus Christi. The first being the celebration of Christ's physical presence in our world some 2000 years ago. The second being the celebration of Christ's spiritual presence in the church community in our world today. The last and probably the most striking to me is the celebration of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist. This last component, as mentioned by Father is very often neglected but really is essential to our faith. Something that cannot be explained by science and reasoning. He said this that reminded me of how God is beyond our understanding, "Faith begins when reasoning ends." Such simple words but they carry so much meaning.

As I reflected on my year thus far, I begin to see God's gentle reminder to me, that He was and is present among us, especially in the Eucharist. I realised that it has been a long while since I just spent time in front of the Eucharist. I know that He is there in the Eucharist ready to meet us as long as we are willing to come meet Him.

Let us remember Him always as we live each day, be it good or bad, beautiful or horrible, know that God was and is present among us. We odd to acknowledge that in our every waking moment.

Thank you Lord for your gentle reminder.

The sign of the cross is a powerful symbol of faith

Today is Trinity Sunday. We got up alittle later, deciding to sleep in abit. The cold morning gave us that added incentive. Soon, we were up for breakfast and off to St John and Paul Church for Mass.


Father shared a very enlightening story of how a little boy, after a lesson on the Holy Trinity, asked him if God as three persons in one can be liken to his hand, five fingers in one hand. It is such a simple yet profound analogy. To think many theologians try to explain this mystery without much success. What followed simply gave me a whole new meaning to the sign of the cross we make so often but belittle it's significiance, or rather not giving it due recognition.


Father explained that the sign of the cross is a powerful symbol of faith. He gave examples of sports people acknowledging God in their presence through the sign of the cross before the start of a game and at the end as well. I'm sure we would have seen that in soccer matches ever so often. When we place our fingers on our forehead, it reminds us that God is our creator who made us. As we move to our lower chest, it signifies that Jesus has redeemed us, and as we move our hand from our left shoulder to the right, it means that we will go from darkness into light, death into life. As I sat there listening to this, I felt overwhelmed by the information. It brought new meaning to the reason we sign ourselves every time we begin our prayer, our work, our studies, and anything we do.


If you are going through a rough time right now, remember that God is with us. He created us, sent His Son to redeem us and will bring us out of our darkness into His marvelous Light. Let every sign of the cross you make be that reminder for you. New hope is radiating within me as I ponder about what this life holds for me. With every struggle and obstacle I face, at my workplace and within me, I know deep down that God is with me and He will bring me out into His glorious Light.


Thank you God and I pray that I will always be reminded of your presence and the reason we sign ourselves every time I make the sign of the cross. May I live out my faith in this world every single day of my life.

Reflect on what the Holy Spirit has done for you to chart your path ahead

How time flies, it seemed like yesterday that my dad, brother and bernie was here with us. It was such an incredible time that it's still etched in my memory. Since then, life has been "Bang Bang!", on the "Go Go Go...". Now, it's coming to the end of May.

Looking back, much has changed. We managed to put in an offer for a place we really liked, though we tried to negotiate for a better price, the sellers were not willing to budge much, in the end we settled close to their asking price. No regrets though, it's a nice place in a quiet neighbourhood, so we're happy! :) Praying hard that our loan application will be smooth and easy.

Just before we embarked on our house viewings which would lead to the successful agreement on the price of our future home, Auntie broke the news to us that she would need us to vacate our present place by September this year. Indeed, God's providence is so timely.

Today being the feast of the Pentecost, I was enlightened by what was said by the visiting priest at the Church of St John and Paul. It kind of changed my perspective of my understanding of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. All along, I always prayed that the Holy Spirit would guide us in our decisions, in our daily living and in our actions. Not that it's wrong, but I never seem to be able to be aware that the Holy Spirit is guiding me every step of the way.

This new perspective that I hear re-enforces the concept of the Holy Spirit's guidance in our lives but instead of being aware of His presence working in our daily lives at the present, our reflection of what the Holy Spirit has done for us helps us chart our path ahead such that the sign post that He has been showing us along the way points towards where He wants to lead us. It all makes sense to me in this context how do we discern the Holy Spirit's guide in our lives.

Now as I reflect on the events that has happened the past few months, I'm beginning to wonder if God is leading me to the field of acadamia. It seems frightening but I will continue to reflect on His perfect call for me. Be with me Lord as I contemplate on your workings in my life to progress ahead in the right path.

Hope in God's promises for us especially in times of difficulties

It has been quite a week. The recent hail storm that hit Perth caused much damage to cars and property, and our car was not spared. However, we are thankful that we are both safe and our place is still around with electricity available.

The news reported that 7000 homes and businesses were affected by the storm and did not have access to electricity. Western Power was working overtime to address the problems and until today, some homes are still without electricity.

God provides

It has taken quite awhile for this to sink in. Just before the weekend, we received a wonderful piece of news. If you were not aware, we were both facing the prospect of finding for alternative accomodation in June. This has been quite a big deal for us as it would mean having to go look for a place to rent and shifting house once again, when we have just started to get used to this new place.

Well, the wonderful news was that we were told by Auntie Ann that her niece would not be coming to stay with her and would not need to occupy the place that we are currently staying at. We were thus able to get an extension till at least the end of August. This would give us some time to look for a place of our own and hopefully, if all goes well, we should be able to qualify to purchase a house then.

I must say that this has been very sudden for us and a huge relief off our chest. We were really hoping and praying that God will work His magic once again and help us in our time of need. He has indeed granted us a lifeline and blessed us with this miracle. God provides and in this instance He has been very prompt and quick in His help and blessing.

Looking back I wondered if it was really necessary to worry about this issue. Though deep down in my heart I know that God will ensure we can be able to continue to stay here or He will provide us with a place if this does not work out. It was the anticipation that was really killing me inside...

I must say that it has been faith that constantly needs nurturing such that we can place our total trust in God that He will make all things right for the good of us.

Help me trust in you Lord and never fail to hold tight to your promise for us. Continue to lead us in our journey of faith. Thank you for your providence.

God is calling us to live in the present and hope in the future

I had to drag myself out of bed this morning. I felt so drained and tired from all the worrying and fretting I put my brain through almost every other day. Though I constantly tell myself that I should lift them all up to the Lord, my weak flesh somehow continues to undertake them in their entirety.

At mass, I suddenly recalled the Lenten session we had last evening with Father Trevor at St Luke's church. One of the sharing questions was what we would like God to lead us into as part of our future. I did not know the answer to that. I could not see beyond the present and the future seemed uncertain and full of darkness.

As I was sitting there in church, I felt this sudden surge of images flooding my head, of all the bad things that would happen in the future. It's as if anything that can go bad will go that way, Murphy's Law at work.

In the midst of the Eucharistic celebration, I tried to find space for God's prompting but struggled at it. The images just would not make space. Finally, I managed to put to rest all these bad imagery by replacing them with beautiful memories of my wedding day. It brought me back to the new beginning Angie and I embarked on more than 3 years ago and gave me great hope of what is ahead, assured that God has amazing plans for the both of us, and He will not abandon us and leave us on our own. At last, I felt peace and calm within me.

Thank you God for who you are. I know that you call us to live in the present everyday and hope in the future, knowing that you will provide for all that we need. Be with us Lord and lead us to where you wnat us to be. May your Will be done in our lives. Amen.

God is with us no matter how bad things can get

It was a long night yesterday. Bad news followed one after the other. I could not imagine how things would get better and in my frustration I said something hurtful to Angie. We did not speak much until this morning after I apologised. I guess we both had our way of dealing with the news and it did not help in assuring one another.

We had a chat with the mortgage broker last evening and we were told that we would not be able to get a loan from any bank or lender until we have completed 6 months at our jobs. It meant that we would only be able to get our own home after August this year. In addition, since my scholarship is till the end of this year, I need to get an endorsement from my Professor at UWA that I will be offered the scholarship for the 3 years PhD program, to provide proof to the banks that I will be getting some form of income at least for the next 3 years. As such we would have to continue boarding here at Leeming till at least September or October, maybe even November or December.

God wants us to be happy

We were at our friend's place yesterday. Toni and Michelle invited us over to join in the celebration of Josh's 2nd birthday. We had planned to be there early at around 630pm but God had other plans.

God calls us to impart our values to our children and children's children

I left church this morning after mass with much food for thought. The Gospel for the day was Matthew 5: 17-19 which spoke of Jesus' teaching about the law. Father mentioned that in those days, the Jews' idea of the law was structured around 4 things.

The first is the ten commandments, the second is the first 5 books of the old testaments, the third is a combination of the first 5 books of the old testaments and the traditions (if I recalled correctly), and lastly it's the oral and scribed laws. It is the oral and scribed laws that were created by the jews over time and it became more of a binding contract for the jews, of which they had to follow strictly. It is this law that Jesus was against and as written in the Gospel, He came to fulfil the law, which consist of the first three things mentioned above.

This was new knowledge to me. Father then continued about how we are called to impart our values, which must be centered on Christ and the law of the church, to our children and our children's children. The reason, which is of great importance, is that our children are the future of our society. These words just hit me really hard. I am thinking to myself how immensely true this statement is. Although we have yet to become parents, but I just never thought about how paramount the task is to bring up kids.

I now see parents in a whole new light and my parents especially. I pray to God that He will prepare me and Angie for this immense task in the future for us and thank God for the beautiful gift of our parents and all parents around the world. May God be our guiding Light in this world clouded with darkness.

God is calling us to forgive our enemies

This morning, I went to St John and Paul Church for mass. I arrived with a heavy heart, feeling again directionless and afraid of an uncertain future ahead. I could not focus on praying as I sat there reciting the rosary.

Mass started and Father started by quoting Azariah in the first reading of the book of Daniel 3: 34-43. He said that Azariah was confident in the trust he had in God that God will be merciful to those who trust in Him. At that point, I wandered if I have placed my total trust in God. Should I not be certain in my heart that God will be merciful to me... As all the worries and troubles consume me every other day, I strive to surrender them all in total trust to God and receive His mercies and blessings in the process.

Father surprised me by giving a short homily after the Gospel reading. He shared about the topic of forgiveness and how we are called to imitate Christ. The very first prayer that Christ prayed while on the cross was a prayer for his enemies asking God to "Forgive them for they know not what they are doing". I felt this was very appropriate during this period of Lent but even more so for me. I always seem to hold on to hurts that my so called "enemies" inflicked onto me. These enemies of mine include persons, group of people, particular systems etc. I find it very hard to let go, let alone pray for them and yes, forgive them.

Another point that Father brought up was that holding on to unforgiveness has the physchological effect of causing depression in us. This really harms us instead of others who have caused us hurt. I totally agree with this point and as I look at my life, I find so many occasions where I have allowed the grudges I hold to affect my moods. These in turn affect my relationships with my love ones. 

It is really difficult to forgive our enemies but God is calling us to forgive our enemies. We are called to imitate Christ and we will reap the joy and peace that forgiveness brings. I have decided to make this conscious effort to forgive anyone for steps on my toes and I pray that God will grant me the strength I need.

Dear Lord, I want to forgive those who have killed my spirits but I know that I cannot do this without your help. So help me Lord to acknowledge my enemies and to forgive them. Amen.

God has the master plan for us

It was another fruitful evening at the Lenten session with Father Trevor yesterday. I am truely edified by all the stories that were shared. Though I failed to share anything at the past 2 sessions, I felt compelled to share this little nugget of information which I am about to write here. However, as I figure out how to put together a sentence or two, the opportunity to share passed me by.

Anyway, this relates to the Gospel of Luke 13: 1-9 and a similar situation that a few of the people experienced. The Gospel relates the story of the owner of the vineyard wanting to cut down the fig tree that was not bearing fruit. The worker however convinced him to postpone that decision till the next year if the tree still fails to bear fruit.

We were posted a question of how we react when family, friends or members of the community do not see or want to do things our way. Many shared about their kids not going to church and how they worry for them. Father enlightened us when he said that we really worry about ourselves because we fail to influence our kids to be like us.

As I was sitting there, I felt for them, who try their level best to bring their kids up in the catholic teachings only to see them fall by the wayside. I was processing all these stories of worries coupled with some tips that were shared when I remembered the story of St Monica. Her son Augustine left the church, became a womaniser and what have you. She prayed daily for his conversion and I think after many years and tears being shed, Augustine finally converted and even became a saint. God truely has His own time. I so wanted to share this story to encourage the parents but the opportunity slipped by...

I think that God has the master plan for us and we really need to trust in Him, something I struggle with on a daily basis. It is so tough when things just seem to go south and we have no control over them...

Dear Lord, help me put my trust in you always and be patient with you as you unveil your marvelous plan for us, each and every unique one of us. Thank you God for your patience with us.

God is calling us to be like Christ

Today, I went for morning mass at St John Paul Church in the suburb of Willetton just across the main street from where we are staying. Don't know what came over me but I was feeling alittle lost in the direction that my life was taking. In church during mass, I kept asking God what is it that he is asking of me...

Our previous Lenten session with Father Trevor came to mind. The Gospel of Luke 9: 28-36 which spoke of the transfiguration of Christ is a beautiful reminder for us to be like Christ. This is our calling and we should never lose sight of it. God is always calling us to be like Christ.

The second reading of last Sunday's celebration also came to mind. St Paul's letter to the Philippians 3: 17 - 4:1 spoke of Paul's time in prison and his words of encouragement to the Phillippians. His letter really gives us strength to perserve and remain faithful to Christ. I thought of our late pope John Paul II, how he struggled through his illness but constantly seeked to glorify God in all his endeavours.

I am encouraged and pray that I would be able to keep my eyes on God and remain faithful, to constantly remind myself to imitate Christ in all the I do.

God gives us a definitive hope

Today, we are at our new place down south in the surburb of Lemming. A new day and a new hope for our stay here in Australia. I was just thinking to myself what to look forward to and I felt terrible and uneasy, not knowing what the future holds. It was as though it is a hopeless scenerio.

Thank God it did not stay that way. As I was reading the reflections of today in my little Living Faith book, scripture spoke to me. The Gospel reading of Luke 6: 38 told of gifts being showered upon us if we first give. The writer said that all that we have is a gift from God and it is through the opportunities that we were given that allowed us to achieve what we have. Therefore we should give as we have been given.

Immediately, I recalled the Lenten session we had with Father Trevor at St Luke's Church last Wednesday when a lady in the group shared about Christian hope, that God gives us a definitive hope. It is this hope of eternal life with Christ that allows us to hope in a future we have not set our eyes on. I remembered thinking to myself that really what we have comes from God and if we can view it in this way, our attachments to things of this world would not be as strong. We can then share what we have because technically, we were given these.

I think more importantly, by giving and sharing what we own, we will receive much more in terms of intangibles like lessons in love, the hope of a better world and a closer walk with God. It is through these experiences that enable us to see beyond our lives here on earth and we can truely live out eternal life with Christ.

God gives us a definite hope, a future filled with that promise of hope. Amen! 

Be patient with God, our provider

This final segment of the reflections for the first Sunday of Lent continues with the Gospel reading of St Luke 4: 1-13. There were many sharings flying around describing how God answered prayers in His own time, sometimes taking months if not years. Through these many time periods, God really is molding us and forming us such that we would be able to handle His answer to our prayer.

I was particularly touched by a widow's sharing about the baptism of her late husband. Her husband was not catholic but accompanied the family to mass when they went. She has been praying to God that her husband would be part of the church but the day never did come, until he fell ill.

Pray to God in the Holy Spirit and He will grant you what you ask

The Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent is taken from the Gospel of Luke 4: 1-13. Luke describes Jesus' encounter with the devil in the desert. Jesus was preparing for His ministry, fasting in the desert when the devil came along to tempt Him. The devil offered Him instant gratification in return for deeds that were contrary to Scripture. As you all know, Jesus rebuked all the promises of the devil, quoting from Scripture, all the while enduring His weak human form.

God saves us from ourselves

The second reading for today's Eucharistic celebration comes from St Paul's letter to the Romans 10: 8-13. It speaks of the message to believers that we are saved by faith but our words and actions must result from that.

Father brought up a distinction between St Paul's message and that of Christ, which spoke to non-believers that it is not those who call Christ as Lord that will be saved. The context is different and the audience was different. Wow, again it reminded me to not see things from just one perspective; in this case being the message, and not the context.

God gives us all that we need

Continuing from yesterday's blog entry, we stay on the first reading of the first Sunday of Lent. For those of you who might not recall, it's Deuteronomy 26: 4-10. It speaks of God's covenant with the Israelites. One of the reflection questions that Father gave required us to recall the things we are thankful to God for.

In my mind I was already starting to give thanks to God for His providence, for His abiding presence in our lives, for the gift of each other, for the people He sends our way, for our families and friends, blah blah blah. The list is endless... Angie had alot of things she wanted to thank God for as well and she was bursting to share with everyone. However, we were not sure if this was to be quiet reflection or one that called for us to share. In the end, one after another, people started sharing their thoughts...

Surrender all your worries to God and He will take care of everything

The Lenten season has begun. Angie and I went for Ash Wednesday mass at St Luke's Church last evening and attended the Lenten programme conducted by Father Trevor after mass. It was to be a very enriching experience of which there is too much to share in this blog entry. I shall break it down into a 5 part series over the course of the next few days.


We were a nice cosy group of 15 people all gathered in a circle and we shared and reflected on the readings for the first Sunday of Lent 2010. The first reading was from Deuteronomy 26: 4-10 and spoke of the desert experience of the Israelites where God created the Ark of the convenant with His people through the gift of the Ten Commandments.

God prepares you in His Time

My heart has been quite heavily laden for a few days last week. The reason being I broke someone's rear headlights cover while attempting to park at St Luke's church in Woodvale last wednesday morning. I would like to think that I'm a very steady and cautious driver but this incident rattled my confidence for a good two days...

At that instance, I contemplated just leaving the scene but my conscience dragged me back. I felt that the right thing to do was to leave a note to offer to cover the repairs but the devil was playing all kinds of tricks with me. Thoughts of 'You're already so financially tight, I don't think you want to burn another hole in your pocket' and 'There's no one in the car, they wouldn't know it's you' were running through my head and I was so tempted to give in to them.

I finally decided to clip a note on the rear windscreen of the car and throughout the day I felt utterly down and out, praying that no one would call me back and that this whole nightmare would just fade into obscurity. 4 days passed and no calls came through and I was so certain that God has worked his miracle with the car owner or some gush of wind blew the note away. I was so thankful.

However, this morning I received an unsuspecting call from who else but the owner of the car. She said that she would let me know the cost of the repairs once she got it checked. Strangely, I did not feel very stressed that I would have to pay for the consequences of my actions but took it all in my stride instead. I think God has prepared me in His Time to handle this situation and truely I thank God for giving me the time, without which I'm sure I would be very much badly affected by it for a long while.

I pray and hope that the repair cost would be managable and that He will continue to prepare me for what is in store for me, the good and the bad here Down Under.

Thank you God for your grace and may we experience your saving help in your time. Amen.

Forgive as God has forgiven

It has been a rough start to the week, helping my dearie deal with her homesick state last night. I feel a part of me being crushed like how we terminate the life of an unsuspecting ant. It was terrible and for the longest time I felt helpless. I could only sit beside her till she fell asleep with her tear-filled tissues gripped firmly in her hands. What turned out to be a lovely evening catching Mentalist and CSI on tv became one of gloom and sorrow.

This morning did not improve by much as Angie contemplated calling in sick but decided against it as the clock ticked nearer to our normal waking time. It was a deafening quiet moment as we parted at the train station and I said a little prayer for Angie as I drove off to church.

As if the day could not get any worse, my encounter in church got me really angry and furious. I was waiting to turn into a shady parking lot with my indicator lights flashing when this guy entered into the carpark and stopped his car behind a long queue of cars, all waiting their turn to drop their kids off at the school. Our cars were in the opposite direction to each other and he apparently gave me that look of disgust as he threw his hands up mouthing: "What are you doing?" I responded by pointing at the empty lot to indicate I was going to park there. He immediately shook his head and drove past me as the cars ahead of him moved on. I was infuriated and so wanted to give him a piece of my mind but I kept it inside. My anger did not subside as I entered church and I found it very difficult to pray. A part of me wanted to let go while the other was boiling for revenge.

It took a while before I calmed down and as I gazed at Jesus on the cross, I recalled his prayer to the Father: "Forgive them as they know not what they are doing." At once, I made that conscious decision to forgive that chap, thinking to myself that I should forgive as God has forgiven.

Thank you Lord, for this lesson in forgiveness. May I strive towards perfection in you all of my days!

Stay close to God for He is our strength

Angie has started work and it has been almost routine now since we got Bluey that I would drop her off at the train station and head down to St Luke's Church for mass. I miss those days back in Singapore where I try to go for weekday mass in the evenings. There's no evening weekday masses here in Perth, just the morning ones, at least for St Luke's church, which is at 905am. And only from Tuesday to Friday for that matter...

It was my first time attending weekday mass at St Luke's church yesterday and it was scattered with elderly folks. I seemed to be sticking out like a sore thumb... but I felt close to God. Anyway, I had a nice surprise today. As I was reciting the rosary, kneeling down at one of the pews, a troop of students from the primary school beside the church came marching into church. Soon, the whole church was filled with young kids, all decked in their blue school uniform. Hmm... Blue seems to the story this week...

Well, I was reminded of my school days back in Maris Stella High School, where we attended mass in the school chapel in the morning before lessons started. Or was it catechism lessons? My memory is failing me... Anyhow, it brought me back to my school days and I realised that back then I was programmed to stay close to God and that gave me strength to handle the trials of school. Just the tests and exams of course! I'm sure you guys would be familiar with that. Today, God continues to strengthen me as I stay close to Him. I am confident that He will grant me strength to see through my present situation.

Be my strength dear Lord as I cling onto you and make a way for me, for us... Amen!

We are God's hands and feet in this world

I visited ANZ bank this morning to get our car insurance and thought I'll also dig out some information on the mortgage loan we could borrow from them. I was alittle disappointed they would not consider my allowance as income. I was going to head straight home but as I was riding on the escalator down to the train station, I just felt this nagging feeling within me to go enquire with BankWest. I was half decided on going as I was literally at the front of the tagging barricade... In the end, I followed that inner voice within me and turned around. It proved to be God's blessing for me today.

At BankWest, I was told quite matter of factly that there were no mortgage consultants available to speak with me and that I would need to fix an appointment for the afternoon. I wasn't prepared to stay in the city till then and so I left. Prior to that though, I noticed an elderly lady standing around looking very perplexed. I approached her and asked if I could help her out, something I wouldn't normally do but somehow I just did... Goosh, she spoke not a word of english and a string of cantonese came spilling out from her mouth. I was like: "Hua yu (Mandarin)?" Was I glad she knew alittle... She showed me a MediBank card but I had no idea what she was gesticulating and cantonesing (If there's such a word) about. We headed towards one of the bank staff, who on seeing the card, immediately pointed us towards the direction of the Medibank branch located within the same building. "Oh my, why didn't it ocurr to me that she wanted to go there..."

I offered to take her there and through our conversation, interjected with her cantonese and my awful mandarin, I found out that she was from Hong Kong and coincidentally, she had 3 children staying in Singapore. I was thinking to myself: "My goosh... She is in Australia but knows not a word of English... how does she survive?" As I left her, it then occurred to me that we are God's hands and feet in this world. We are there to help others in need and I'm sure many others before me had helped Madam Lai (saw her name on the MediBank card) get around here in Perth.

Thank you for that blessing Lord!

God is with us though we do not see

The same two things have been occupying my mind these past few days. Yes, you got it. It's the car search and PhD scholarship. I tried to find that balance between praying and discerning, and relaxing and taking chill breaks, without much success. God seemed to be out of town, and my mind was constantly divided with situation flashes of meeting up with car sellers and with the Uni Professors. It's like my brain was tearing apart and my prayers seemed to get no response.

Looking back now, I must say that I was the blind one. God is certainly with us though we do not see. He was in fact guiding me all along with my meeting with the Uni Professors, where all my questions were answered and I was reassured that I should give it a go. Ok, at least I'm 80% sure...

As for the car search, it's still surreal for the both of us that we've clinched a good deal with a Nissan just yesterday... We viewed a few cars towards the weekend and we both felt that He was going to bless us with a car soon. In the words of Angie: "I can smell it coming..." I was like fervently praying that we can get the Nissan for a good price, such that our finances would not be too strained. Trust me, it's not a good feeling to be in limbo... I felt like a school kid again, waiting for the teacher to hand me my report book... but I'm sure we have all gone through that...

I just want to shout out: "Thank you God for being with us every step of the way!" May our eyes be always fixed on Him as we tread through life here on earth.

God sees the big picture and us a mere fraction of it

It has been a crazy last few days. I was so swamped with decisions to make that it sort of took a part of my spirit away. I felt drained and tired, and slept a whole lot... I even started to question if God was with me, is He guiding me through these decisions that I made?

You see, we have been searching for a car since last week when we arrived but the cars that we have viewed were either due for a major servicing or the price was alittle over-priced for our conservative budget. Plus the fact that I had to make a major decision to pursue the PhD despite being aware of the prospect that our finances will be heavily strained.

These weighed heavily on my shoulders and then, like an eagle saving her young only at the very crucial moment before they hit the ground, God led me to Bo's blog and what I read jotted me out of my delusion. He spoke of the power of faith words and to use them to create our reality rather than to describe it. That despite the gloom that we see ahead of ourselves, we can decide what words to use to create that future that we want. Indeed, God sees the big picture and us a mere fraction of it. So today, I say that the experiences we garnered from our car search will help us choose the right car. Our financial situation will improve and our hope for a place of our own will come, because God will provide.

Dear friends, thank you for your constant prayers. May you draw strength from our struggles and may we from your prayers.

God opens a window when he shuts a door

We woke early this morn as we planned to hit the shops to purchase our TomTom (It's the name of a GPS). Yes we don't have a car yet but we figured since it was on discount, we should grab it now... how typical of Singaporeans yar? Anyway, I was checking my email and got a rude shock when I found out that Google Adsense rejected my application to have their adverts on my blog. This was the second rejection and they sited unsuitable content as the reason. Both Angie and myself felt that it could be due to the religious connotations in my blog title. I was quite visibly upset and even contemplated changing the title of my blog. Angie however was adamant that I should keep it.

Ok, I should confess that one of the reasons I started my blog was so that I could include Google Adsense to receive residue income. I must highlight that it is only one of the reasons...

Back to the main topic. In the midst of my sadness, it suddenly occurred to me that I could start another blog collating information on must-know household stuff. This is something that I toyed around in my head for awhile now. It seems that God has opened a window for me after closing a door. Just like that, the birth of my new blog, or rather our new blog came to being: www.household-know-hows.blogspot.com

Look out for the sign posts God puts up

I have been trying to evade for the longest time, that step to embark on a PhD. The immensity of it sometimes overwhelms me... ok it always. I think God has been screaming in my face through many many different people and situations but I have tried to ignore it, deluding myself that this is totally out of my league, I'm just a small town kid trying to make a decent living... I'm no Moses tasked to lead the Israelites out of the desert...

Anyway, I finally succumbed to these promptings and took my first baby step to contact the Prof. I figured that it can't be a coincidence that even a common friend whom I have not met is telling me to focus on my technical capabilities instead of going for some entry level position. I hope this is not some conspiracy that I am unaware of though I do believe that God has His way of telling us stuff, we just need to look out for the sign posts He puts up along the way.

I know it's not going to be easy and that there will be trials and moments of doubt, but I pray that I will always stay close to God and constantly look out for His sign posts.

God helps those who help themselves

I had a chat with a close family friend last night. He had received a phone call from a friend in Singapore who had invested in a property here and needed some help with tax issues. Seems very common, a friend asking for help. What he shared with me after nearly got me off my seat, not like springing up but rather falling off. Apparently, his friend has been constantly seeking his help with issues concerning his investment property. This got me thinking... If a friend of mine were to keep bugging me for help at every obstacle or hurdle, what would I do? Worse still, am I such a friend to someone?

As I look back on our new journey here in Australia, with all that is unfamiliar and foreign, I ask myself: "Have I been too reliant on others, mistaking them as blessings from God?"

This phrase from my childhood days come to mind: "God helps those who help themselves." Such simple words but it tells a world of a story. I would like to think that I have a healthy balance of being self sufficient and being blessed by God through the people he sends.

Use Technology to improve our lives, and not allow it to control us

Today is my first foray into the world of blogging. It has taken me quite a while to get started, debating in my head what I should blog about and the such. Today as I sat at the Level 3 Eatery (Yes, that's the name of the eatery in Carilion City), reading the book," Fill your life with miracles" by Bo Sanchez, I was inspired by how Bo does the same routine everyday. The very simple thing of enjoying his moment with God in the morning, thanking God at night for his blessings, and seeking forgiveness for his sins. This allowed him to grow. The realisation hit me like a bowling pin being knocked down by the ball. (Pardon the analogy) Instantly, I told myself that I will begin what I have pushed back for too long. And like God sent, I figured that I should reflect on the one thing that God wants to teach me on that particular day. Thus, the title of my blog.

As I made my way home with Angie, I got a call from my Dad. It so happened that we were on our way down the escalator to wait for our train back. This resulted in very bad reception and half the time I was so irritated with trying to decipher what my Dad was saying and he likewise. What was meant to be a short conversation turned out to be eternity. Later, Angie pointed out to me that I could have called my Dad back when we were out of the underground station, with better reception. How did I not think of it then... Anyway, on the train i saw a lady reading an e-book, it was a slick little gadget about half the size of an A4 notepad. I bet she had a few books downloaded onto that device of hers. It certainly beats carry a thick, heavy book around... At that moment, I so wished that I could download the 2 bottles of 2.4L jucies I had in my bag into a small something to be drunk later. I could so feel the weight on my shoulders...

Today, it dawned upon me that God is teaching me to use technology to improve our lives, and not allow it to control us.