None But Jesus

Been really busy since I started work at Marsh in October. Almost non-stop action and excitement and of cos, the stress and learning curve. Totally different ball game compared to my previous roles. But having a great boss and nice colleagues help a lot, and I'm slowly easing into the role of an insurance broker.

Many thoughts on mind that I've accumulated over the last 9 months or so since the last post. Should blog more often so that the thoughts won't overflow and be discarded. Can be tough, given my workload and stress level, but I'll try.

Been doing a nice bit of cd collecting over the last few months, some of which had to be ordered from ebay. Graceland and Dear John OST come to mind, with the latter not available in cd shops here, for some weird reason. Little House is nice, so is You Can Call Me Al. Mighty To Save was ordered through church some time ago. Great cd with great songs, like None But Jesus, Found, At The Cross, and more. Really glad I got it, and am thinking of getting the dvd soon. Great music to worship along to.

"Jabez was more honourable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, 'I bore him in pain'. Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, 'Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from harm.' And God granted his request." 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

52 and counting

Thought I'll pop by here before settling into my (almost) daily routine of going through my emails for jobs to apply for. Been a while since I last came in, and I'm having the itch to update a bit.

52.. That's the number of job applications, at least, that I've sent out since I left Valley Point. So far, there's been a few interviews, some good, some bad, including 2 in the space of 6 hours yesterday. Do have a good feeling about the last one, so praying I'll be asked for the 2nd round. Commute's not bad, about half hour into the heart of Dhoby Ghaut, and the environment is nice.

Been shopping around ebay for a couple of cds that weren't available through the local music stores (including HMV) for some reason I can't fathom. What is it about the sound track of Dear John and Dave Matthew and Tim Reynold's Live in Las Vegas acoustic album that put off the distributors and hence, stayed off the shelves here? Sigh. Guess I'll never know. Managed to get both cds (incurring shipping costs) in brand new condition and ripped into wav for the old 'pod. Especially like Little House from Dear John. Too bad the cd didn't include the acoustic version. Would love to listen to it through my UEs.

Been helping Adrian in a couple of weddings over the last month. Tiring, but also fun. Got to operate his new crane and play around with his 5D Mark IIs, heh. Steep learning curve though, hope something comes out of it.

"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Hebrews 9:27-28

Bit of randomness

Felt the need to update the blog a bit. More cos of boredom than anything else. Waiting to pick up Cass after she knocks off, then it's off to meet Adrian and co to discuss some ideas for some video ads he's thinking of putting up on facebook and blog. Then it's Ip Man 2 time. Been wanting to watch this since I watched the first part in Malacca back in '08. Hope to catch Iron Man 2 sometime soon as well. It's been a 2 year wait for this show.

Been itching to do some writing assignments for so time now, so decided to bite the bullet and sign up for assignments to post here. The smile pockets a rattling controversy. Do need some income while waiting for interviews. Who knows? This can really take off.


"The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him - may your hearts live forever!" Psalm 22:26

Blinking

The two months since my last post seemed to have disappeared in between the blinks. Nothing much new. Still job hunting and sending out emails expressing interest in various positions. Still got a couple more to get up to, pending the preparation of certain files which I don't have at the moment. May take up to a year for interviews, said the guy. Shucks. Guess I'll have to look around for another position in the meantime. Am I up for it? I really have to pray about it. Work as a videographer for weddings presented itself when Adrian called. Hmm. Will be interesting.

Laptop's kinda wonky these days. Problems with detecting the dvd drive and the screen not displaying anything are my main gripes. Really sickening, especially when I have to rush out stuff and time is against me. Time for a change? Maybe.. It's been almost 4 years since I first laid hands on it. Then again, I need a job first before I can get one. Then there's the need for a DSLR for shooting photos and videos for Adrian as well. Will have to borrow his to work with for the time being until I can scrimp and save up the money needed for this. 3k+ for the body and lens isn't exactly cheap. Ouch. Can only pray for open doors to interviews right now.


"Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labour; blessings and prosperity will be yours." Psalm 128:1-2

Soaked in the rain

After experiencing the heat wave that is January and February up till recently, finally it rained. And I got soaked in it. Thank God I wasn't carrying any of my guitars when this occurred, and thank God for waterproof Timbuk2 bags to keep my laptop and other stuff dry. So here I am, taking a break from looking at job ads online and blogging, sipping on a cup of (cold) earl grey at Coffee Bean while waiting for her to knock off so we can go shopping for her clothes before heading back to her place to unwind a bit. Posted the rain experience on Facebook and someone commented it sounded like a scene straight out of a chinese mtv. Lol. I'll see if I can come up with something based on this. Have not ventured into story writing for quite a while now.

Funny how time flies. Chinese new year just came and went like that. Clashed with Vday, so brought Cass out a couple of days before that to eat. Surprised her with a Spanish talking, nodding teddy bear (which she is growing very fond of) at the Garden Cafe at 313@Somerset. Wanted to get one of the tables with swing seats, but they were snapped up earlier. Shucks. Food was very so-so and could have been warmer (yes, the pasta was COLD!). Guess we'll still head back there, if only for the swing seats. Marina Barrage was great as well. Spectacular view of the bay and city landscape, and stars to gaze up to. Packed a tumbler of homemade lemonade and some ham/bak kwa/cheese/butter/jam sandwiches and headed there for our 7th month celebration.

Still job hunting. Wanted to go into the insurance underwriting field, but it's kinda tough, with my having no experience in this area. Wanted to see the other side of the coin, since I was from the insurance industry. Wei Tsu suggested going into the corporate secretarial field, which seems like a good idea as well, since I wanted backend roles. Will expand my search to include this.


"The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

Entering The New Year

The new year didn't really start off on a very good note for me. Broke my 8 year old specs, so I had to head down to the shop the day after to get a replacement. Had an allergic reaction in my eye a couple of days before that as well while I was wearing my contact lenses, which forced me to remove them and seek out a doctor at 2am in the morning. Was at Cass' place at that time and we took a cab to the airport, after finding out that there's no 24hr clinic nearby. There seemed to be one in Tampines, but the line was busy even when we tried a few times. Thank God the cab ride was smooth and the clinic was empty. By then, both eyes were very red. Appreciate the nurse on duty who helped to apply the eye drops. Guess it's necessary to determine if I'll develop any reaction to the antibiotics. Thank God it's all over now and I can go back to wearing contacts, albeit with more caution. Not to mention to Cass too for taking care of me the whole night and into the next morning where the redness subsided.

Entering the new year, I'm still looking around for a new job. Just went through a photo taking session with Cass and she helped me to format one of the shots into my resume to facilitate the job searching. Really hope to secure a job soon and start saving to put my master plan in action.

Things are going well with her. It's been nearly 6 months since we started going out officially, and I'm still discovering new things about her. Not without our share of obstacles and differences of course, but I'm glad that we can talk about what's on our minds and resolve them quickly. Cooking seems to be the flavour of the season, with hotcakes on her mind. Gonna see if we can work that receipe we found in one previous issue of Donna Hay to perfection. Just made a round of no-bake cheesecakes for her friend's new year's eve potluck.

Trying out the receipe the weekend before

Biscuit bases are ready

Mixing it all in. Thank God we bought an egg whisk

Smoothing out the mixture.

Was telling her that if this works out, we can go and do this full time, and name it J&C's No Bake Cheesecakes. Heh. From her came hesitant eyes. Oh well, at least we won't have to worry about what dessert to make next time we head for a potluck.

Stay tuned for more of cooking season.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3-10

The hunt is on!

Just thought I'll pop in here to do a quick post. Really need to cherish my little spot in cyberspace and post more often. Been busy with job hunting of late. Yes, officially, I've left the office and have returned the "borrowed" assets. So now, I need to find another office to work in. Or I'll be eating grass and air soon and won't be able to put my plans into place. Will be going back to DSA for the time being while I submit more application forms and resumes. Kinda keen on staying in the financial industry, but in a non-sales role. Did apply for an underwriter position, so will wait and see how that turns out. Hopefully that'll be something I can go into. Applied to SIM for student care and services also, though I'm not sure I have the relevant work experience. Not sure if organising events in a student club environment can count as work experience. Will continue praying for open doors.

Time really flies. It's almost a year to the day where I met her again. Plans are in place to do a little bit of "reenactment" of the day last year, going back to the place where we met. Not to mention good food throughout the day as well, heh.

Gotta leave now, need to pack up where I'm camping at now to go pick her up. Think the staff at TBP's Coffee Bean are used to seeing my face already. Ciao!

"Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done." " Matthew 21:21

Leaving...

Been quite a while since I wrote anything here. Nothing much changed since then. Except for a 2 week stay in reservist and her birthday (within the 2 week period), nothing much happened. Officially, I've started my job hunt. Kinda looking around for administrative related positions, perhaps in the role of a personal assistant as well. Most openings for the latter require a few years of experience, which I certainly do not have at the moment. Not really going back to the office nowadays as there's nothing much I can do there. Once my boss hands in the resignation letter to my director on Monday, I have about 2 weeks to clear out my pigeon hole and hand over my client list.

Couldn't really do much for her birthday when I'm stuck halfway across the island serving the country. Gave her the first gift 3 weeks before her birthday, as it fell on the 2nd last day of my reservist. So had to do things early. Made her play amazing race to get her birthday cake when I booked out during the weekend. Her comments over this were that I could apply to be the script writer for the series. Lol. Maybe I really need to consider a career in writing and maybe copywriting. And I don't even watch the show, heh.

After going for a talk with Jon's wife who's in HSR sometime after my last post, I decided the property market isn't suitable for me now, namely cos there's a 5 month wait from the time I secure a flat sale and the time I get paid. I'll be eating grass during the waiting period. Yes it's lucrative, but at what cost? I'll have to broaden my search. Have already applied for a couple of jobs, and am waiting for replies. The student affairs department at my alma mater (NYP) needs an officer. With the closing date at the end of this month, I guess I need to be more patient in waiting for a reply. Hope I get it though. Like the environment, it's not far from home, and I do believe my involvement in student clubs and the student union in SIM gave me some experience which I can apply to this. Another position that I sent out was for a processing executive at a general insurer. I don't mind this as well as it's somewhat related to where I am in now. And this will allow me to experience the other side of the coin, so to speak and see things from the backend.

So do share with me, my dear readers, if you have any leads that can help me find a job. I'll be grateful :)

"God did this so that, by two unchangable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for our soul, firm and secure." Hebrews 6:18-19a

Should I Stay, Or Should I Go?

Something that has crossed my mind of late. For about a month, I've contemplated my future, my career, and where it's heading. Especially now when I'm bringing someone along with me. Can I really afford to stay where I am? I feel like I'm going nowhere in my current career. Did go for a job interview recently, but guess it's a closed door, as I just received a call from the place to inform me that the final selection is on the morning of the day after tomorrow, and I won't be able to make it as I have an early morning meeting in the office. Job's kinda sucky, pay wise anyway, so I don't think I'll take it up also even if I can go and am selected.

I do have a couple of offers from friends for their respective businesses, so I'm not exactly short on options. It's only a matter of which to do. Also, another option I have been contemplating of late is the property market. Mixed opinions when I sought the advice of friends. Some told me to wait before going, when others think it's a good choice compared to what I'm doing now. Guess I really have to seek God's wisdom in this. Longer term, I'm looking at entering the FX market as a trader, after being inspired by an article in the Sunday Times a few weeks back. This will require some capital, not to mention extensive studying and trading on demo accounts to get a hang of how trading works, so hope to be able to do so in about 6 months' time. Time to scrimp and save. And pray.

"A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?" Proverbs 20:24

Long Break

Really been a while since I left my thoughts here. Been updating more on my other blog than here, as I've been writing more bits into my notebook. So now I'm in the (crowded) study lounge at the National Library again, typing down these thoughts in my head here and running through my notebook for posts that I've not put up previously. Kinda tired, but it's good to relax like this on my own and catch up on the things I've not done for some time.

Work's been kinda slow of late. My proposed solutions have mostly been met with delays. Can only pray that things will be better and I'll have breakthrough in my work. Also have to remember to praise God no matter what. Really need to work harder, not just for my own future, but also for a future spent with my other. Known to a few, but news to most, I guess :p

"Though the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights." Habakkuk 3:17-19

Falling For You

Came upon this song after I had the chance to work with Alarice Thio for the Mercy Relief concert last month. She was selling her cds and I bought one. This song have been receiving regular air play in my ipod ever since. And it just so happened that I was writing similar lines to the chorus in my notebook while listening to the first verse on the train. No, it's not plagurism, as I didn't know the song title over my in-ear monitors then as I had just ripped the cd at the airport and downloaded into my ipod directly half hour prior. And no, I didn't listen to the cd itself. This is becoming a habit of late, buying cds and then ripping them into .wav and downloading into my ipod and listening from there. Just did that for The Corrs' Unplugged album (oops.. :p)

Back to the song, I really loved the acoustic guitar parts on it, as well as the lyrics, of course. There's just something in the song that made me listen to it over and again. Like now, when it's playing (and repeating) on Winamp. And of course, there's that someone out there as well, for whom I was writing about :) Not sure if she already read what I wrote, as it's not posted here, but somewhere else. Then again, she already knew the story of how I wrote it, as I shared the story with her over msn when we were discussing Alarice's songs. At that time though, I doubt she realised she was the recipient of my writing. Or she may have guessed, as we have been going out informally over the last few months. It's only more recently that things progressed and we begun to explore the friendship and talk and discover more about each other. Did know her from a long time back, but not really well. Only late last year we had the chance to work together that got the ball rolling to where it is now. I must stress, though, that we are not a couple at the moment. This stage does seem in line with what I posted here earlier about the impression I had from God regarding my relationship status. So I can only pray for His continued guidance in my life, trusting in Him and serving Him faithfully.

"Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house." Proverbs 24:27

Five Loaves and Two Fishes

Stumbled upon this video while going through G4C's forum. Felt it really spoke to me, especially when I'm thinking about how much more I can offer up to Him. I feel there are still areas of my life I need to lay open to Him and let Him change me. It's never easy to do so, cos there's always the pride and ego to overcome and navigate through. In the end, I believe that I'll be able to find the path that He wants me to walk, and to walk in total obedience. This song talks about giving what you have to Him, no matter how small it may be. He'll use it and multiply it many times over.

Corrinne May's songs have always been nice to listen to. Too bad I don't have her cds. Anyone got her 3 albums? :p

"When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" Psalm 56:3-4

Total Obedience

Looks like it was ages ago that I last penned down my thoughts here. May 10th, going by the last entry here. Wow. And it seemed like a few months have gone past. Had been busy with wedding rehearsals, work, ministry and volunteering. Somehow, my life seems to be revolving around the middle 2 at the moment, with the last coming into the picture like a trickling stream. Was involved in backstage for a concert organised by Jon How in support of mercy relief's efforts in Sri Lanka this past weekend. Roped in Cassie to help with lights. Pretty nervy and tiring, considering that we only had the one and only dry run on the day itself, but somehow things turned out well. Then there's the forum that Jon's gonna organise for September. Guess I will be spending some time helping out as well. It's been kinda fun getting to know new people and rub shoulders with musicians and just spend time with close friends :)

Managed to have an encounter with a prophetess whom my boss invited for a meeting. Been about 2 years or more since my last encounter with someone with the gift of prophecy. Felt the call to strengthen my prayer walk and life with God and walk in total obedience, something this sister told all of us to do. She also pointed out to me some areas in my life that are good, and other areas that need work. But she also mentioned some things that I didn't understand. Like I'm "stuck cos I'm walking in 2 realms right now". Yeah, realms was the term used. I should have used my hp to record down her prophecy over me, but I was too overwhelmed to do much but bow my head and listen and nod. Need to continue to pray to hear what God has to say to me for my life. There's still so much I want to know, need to know. I know He's always close by, and He's also in me, so I don't have to reach too far out to find Him.

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

Figuring Out or Working Title

I really don't know what to call this entry. Posting this at the national library where I'm camped out trying to seek a copy of the Wolverine Origins (nice movie, btw) but apparently all copies here are out on loan. That and trying to balance a fight against the cold climate with my jacket and staying online with the apparently overcrowded networks judging by the number of laptop users camped out in the study lounge on the 5th floor. Currently camped out listening to the (partial) recording of OOOM6 near the back of the basement where I managed to find an empty power socket.

Things hopefully will improve for me after this week, work wise. If all goes well, I should be able to make a substantial breakthrough. Have to pray that things will be as planned. Some aspects of which have dragged around for a few months already, and I have no wish for things to drag further.

Been writing more into the notebook of late. Logged down a few entries on Wednesday evening alone as I sat in the White House at Emily Hill listening to the open mic going on. Kinda moved by Mercy Relief's efforts to help those affected by the civil war in Sri Lanka. There's gonna be a full fledged concert on the 24th of May at the DBS Authorium, 7pm. Should be headed down to support and also see where Jon may need help.

Really need to seek God's wisdom again, not just in work but also in every area in life. There's still a lot of aspects in my life that can improve, and with God's help, they will. Have to always bear the 2nd half of 2 Corinthians 6 in mind as I walk on, as well.

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' " Hebrews 13:5

Backlogs

I admit, it's been a while since I wrote anything here. Things have been busy of late; running around meeting people whose portfolio I 'inherited' and also trying to contact them. Some of the contacts are no longer valid, so had to find ways to contact them. Hopefully things will improve. Was able to find a bit of the inner joy that's missing in my life of late. And I pray that this joy will continue to build and last.

Managed to watch Cats over the last weekend with Joyce, Eliz and Seb at the Esplanade. Was almost late as I had a morning appointment over in the west side of the island. Thank God I managed to make it on time (helped in part by a $14 cab ride from Dover speeding down the AYE). Love the singing and dancing, but the climate inside the theatre made my eyes dry, which made me drift off into lala land at times. Kinda admire the actors who can project their singing and yet, dance and jump around the set at the same time.

Been writing a lot into a notebook I got in HCMC when I flew over to attend Neo's wedding back in mid March. Guess I've been craving for an outlet for my thoughts. Now, I'm seriously considering the idea of creating a seperate blog just to pen down these these writings. Will just keep this page as my main thought avenue. There's also the (growing) pile of books stacked in a few places within my room that I've not touched yet that I need to finish reading. Not to mention finding a new place to store them.

Became an uncle in the middle of last month, when Thaddaeus Chan Yu Hung was born at Thomson Medical a couple of days before my flight. Innocent in the beginning, screaming and crying for attention nowadays, and after a 4 day absence from not seeing me over the weekend, he became very figety when I tried to carry him yesterday. Urgh... then again, I always threaten him with no tv and no going out when he refused to sleep or burp after his milk time, heh. I really like this photo, kinda cute. Took a video of him screaming his head off during his baby shower/1st month celebration on my hp. Think I'll upload that later once I'm not lazy enough to convert into something more friendly than .3gp.



"For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands." Psalm 92:4