National Day Rally 2006

PM Lee Hsien Long gave a national day rally speech yesterday. If you miss it, check it out.

Flowers and insects

These are a few of the favourite photos that I took when I was at Science Park and Kent Ridge Park.

9 Aug 06 - National Day Fireworks and durians

Grace invited us to her house for dinner and to watch the fireworks from the corridor just outside her house. Thank God for our friends who prepared the food. I like fruit salad that Anne made. Yummy!! Anne, please give us your secret receipe!!!

The firework was spectacular but too short.

After our dinner and watching the fireworks at Grace's house, we went to Geylang for durians. We ended the day with the KING of the FRUITS!! hehe.

Check out more photos at Anne's and Albert's blogs.

14 July 06 - Durian picking at Pulau Ubin

I saw these photos from Ubin Volunteer yahoo group. I was amazed to see so many durians on a tree.

A group went to pick durians. I was not there. I learnt from my friends that durians usually fall to the ground at night so it is quite safe to pick durians during the day. Could not imagine the pain and impact if a durian fell on your head! Ouch!

Savouring the creamy and rich fruits ;-)

While the rest were searching for durians, the butterfly man was hard at work ! This rare butterfly, Discophora sondaica was sighted at the durian plantation. This is a new species record for Ubin !

Thanks to Gan CW who permits me to post his photos online.

Related Pulau Ubin posts:

• Chek Jawa off public training on 25 Feb 06
• Pulau Ubin, the granite island. 7 Jan 06
• Chek Jawa Again! 14 Dec 05
• Sensory Trail at Pulau Ubin on 26 Nov 05
• First stint as Chek Jawa Volunteer guide on 15 Nov 05
• Camping at Pulau Ubin on 28-29 Oct 05
  

Lewis was sleeping...but woke up by me

I always like to see Lewis sleeps. He feels so at home..hehe. I have 3 rabbits at home now. One of them passed away when I was in Rome ;-(

Some photos of Mika, a Norwegian rabbit.

Helen the baby fox

Trailer

I just watched "Helen the baby fox", a touching Japanese movie based on true story. Do check out the theatres in Singapore ;-)

Changes that heals - Dr. Henry Cloud

This is a brief of what I gleaned from this book. It helps me to reflect upon my own life and to see myself, others and God in a different light.

Three ingredients of Growth

• Grace and Truth
• Time
  

The Lord accepts us fully, knowing that we will need time and experience to work out our imperfections. Our failures do not surprise him. If they surprise us, it is only because we have too high an opinion of ourselves. We have a standing in grace that gives us freedom to achieve truth over time.

The truth we need to achieve has many aspects. It includes the developmental needs of the real self, the grace of relationship, and the external truth of the precepts of God. And it takes time for all these to work."

Bonding to Others

• What is bonding?
• When we fail to bond
• Learning to bond

Bonding is the ability to establish an emotional attachment to another person. It's the ability to relate to another on the deepest level. When two people have a bond with each other, they share their deepest thoughts, dreams, and feelings with each other with no fear that they will be rejected by the other person.

When we bond with others and God, we have a good basis for morality, an increased ability to handle stress and our accomplishments have meaning.

Separating from Others

• What are boundaries?
• How we develop boundaries
• Crossing over boundaries
• When we fail to develop boundaries
• Learning to set boundaries

Sorting out Good and Bad

• What is the problem?
• When we fail to accept Good and Bad
• Learning to accept Good and Bad

Deep down inside, we all realize the difference between our ideal self, the imagined perfection, and our real self, the one that truly is. If these two battle each other, we will be in contact conflict. What we wish were true and what really is true will war with one another.

The ideal self is the one we can imagine and want to be.

The real self is the one that we truly are, not the one we wish to be. The real self is not ideal, no matter how much we wish it were.

The inherent problem in the relationship between the ideal and real is that the ideal judges the real as unacceptable and brings down condemnation and wrath on the real. This sets up an adversarial relationship between the two, and like all adversaries, they move further and further apart.

Becoming an adult

• What is adulthood?
• When we fail to grow up
• Learning to become mature adults

Work on your ability to attach to others so that you can have your empty heart filled. Work on setting boundaries so that you can own your life. Work on confessing and receiving forgiveness so that you can develop your real personhood. Work on assuming adulthood so you can be an authority. Then go out and give it to others. "The greatest of these is love" (1 Cor. 13:13).

Link to previous post

Prayer before starting work

"Yes" and "Amen"

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. - 2 Cor 1:20

Amen!! The name of the Lord be praised!!

I am simply amazed by God's grace in my life. He answered specifically to what I asked of him end June this year with regards to my job search. I prayed and asked Him to open the right door for me. I asked Him to provide me a suitable job in July and preferably in International Trade.

I finished my 3-month contract end June and I started looking for a job early July. I thank God for all my friends, ex-colleagues and even MNCs whom I liaised with called me and helped me to look for jobs. I am grateful and thankful to all of them. Their acts have touched my life.

Do not be anxious about anything but in everything in prayer and petition to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Indeed, I am not anxious throughout the month as I know He will provide and take care of me. During one of the Sunday services in church, I felt very strongly God's fatherly love for me.

The HR department of a European MNC called me on 31 July 06 to offer me the position that I applied for. The job will require me to handle trade related issues in a specific region. Wow!!

I thank God for His faithfulness in my life. Thanks to all my friends who helped and prayed for me too. Amen!!

Amazing 11-year-old singer

An amazing 11-year-old girl with powerful voice that blew the crowd away.