Day 2- You are not an accident

1. You are alive because God wanted to create you!
2. God prescribed every single detail of your body. He deliberately chose your race and nationality. He also determined the natural talents you would possess and the uniqueness of your personality.
3. Many children are unplanned by their parents, but they are not unplanned by God.
4. (To me, this is the most reassuring and touching part.) God says, "I have carried you since you were born; I have taken care of you from your birth. Even when you are old, I will be the same. Even when your hair has turned grey, I will take care of you. I made you and will take care of you."

- taken from Rick Warren's "The Purpose-Driven Life".

There are indeed certain negative aspects of my personality that I am struggling to accept.

The first one is being egoistic (self-centred). I often tend to be only concerned about my feelings and my preferences or dislikes.

Secondly, I desire to seek righteousness (morality) but I have found that I actually lack the courage to act in righteous ways.

Thirdly, although I try to be compliant (willing to carry out orders without protest) to my mother's every command or wish, I am not hundred per cent sincere or honest to my mother. I find myself not being able to confide with her and there are more things I try to hide from her. In that sense, I don't show enough filial piety.

These are the top three weaknesses that I am conscious and can immediately think of. Of course, I may have other weaknesses that I may not be even aware of. I would like to offer all these weaknesses to the Lord and may the Lord purify me. I want to be more like Him in my words, actions and thoughts. Lord, please have mercy on me and save me.

Day 1- It all starts with God

On Wed 21 Nov 2007, I started my spiritual journey to search for my purpose in life. (I do not know why this question has been reverberating [echoing] in my head since the beginning of this year.) As I finish reading each chapter of "The Purpose-Driven Life" written by Rick Warren, I will write a blog entry to share with you what I have learnt and my reflections.

1. Being successful and fulfilling your life's purpose are not at all the same issue!
2. The Bible says, "Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self."
3. To discover your purpose in life, ask God and turn to God's word.
4. You discover your identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

- taken from Rick Warren's "The Purpose-Driven Life"

I must constantly remind yourself that I'm living for God, not for myself.

赞美敬拜2

感谢上主派遣圣神引领我顺利地领每一次的赞美敬拜。以下的祷文都是经过歌词、圣经、圣咏及团员们的祷文的启发后而写的。特此把这些祷文上载在我的博客中，希望以另一个媒介光荣天父及主耶稣！

歌曲1：《我的明天由天主掌管》

天空的飞鸟，田间的花草，天主都尚且看顾它们。
我们是天父的可爱子女，天主又怎么会舍弃我们呢？
别再担忧了，让我们把一切事情都交托给天主吧！
…………………………………………………………
的确，我们是一群幸福的羊儿，
因为不管我们的人生道路有多崎岖坎坷，
都有主耶稣与我们相伴同行。
上主是我们的依靠，我们又何须害怕，何须忧虑呢？
让我们安心跟随主耶稣去寻求天主的国吧！
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歌曲2：《上主的一切作为》

上主，祢是良善宽仁的，祢的慈爱永远常存。
祢不惜派遣祢的独生子耶稣来救赎我们，使我们得到永生。
祢继而派遣圣神来圣化我们，使我们堪当承受基督的恩许。
上主，祢的工程是多么伟大微妙啊！
我们虽然不能了解祢在我们身上所行的计划，
但我们坚信祢的一切作为，都是为了爱我们！
感谢祢，天主！阿肋路亚！
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歌曲3：《应常欢乐》

上主，祢是那样深深地爱着我们，
常赐给我们丰厚的恩宠，是我们旅途的良伴。
我们所拥有的一切都是祢所赐。
让我们怀着一颗感恩的心、喜悦的心，一齐赞颂天主吧！
感谢主，阿肋路亚！
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赞美敬拜1

感谢上主派遣圣神引领我顺利地领每一次的赞美敬拜。以下的祷文都是经过歌词、圣经、圣咏及团员们的祷文的启发后而写的。特此把这些祷文上载在我的博客中，希望以另一个媒介光荣天父及主耶稣！

歌曲1：《善牧的羊儿B》

是的，主耶稣，祢是我们的善牧！
祢知道我们的能力，也了解我们的软弱，却仍然愿意照顾我们，领我们到祢的福地去。
主，求祢住进我们这些卑微羊儿的心，
让我们充满信德，不再忧虑，
勇敢地寻求天主的国，
勇敢地追随祢！Amen!　

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

歌曲2：《主恩深深记心中》

主，祢曾说过不是健康的人需要医生，而是有病的人。
祢来不是召叫义人，而是召叫罪人悔改。
感谢祢，主耶稣！
虽然我们时常犯罪，没有遵从祢的旨意，
但是祢从不曾鄙视我们，从不曾遗弃我们。
主耶稣，我们要永远记住这份恩情，
永远称颂祢的宽仁及慈爱！阿肋路亚！
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

歌曲3：《除你以外》

主，感谢祢时时刻刻陪伴着我们。
祢天天同我们在一起，直到今世的终结。
无论我们开心或沮丧，祢都寸步不离地陪伴着我们。
除祢以外，我们还能信靠谁？

是的，主，只有祢才能擦干我们的眼泪，
只有祢才能抚慰我们的悲伤，
只有祢才能赐给我们力量！
主，认识祢是我们永远的福份。
除祢以外，我们还能仰赖谁？

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

歌曲4：《植在溪畔的树》

天主，认识祢是我们的福份。
我们愿意跟随祢，活出信仰，结出丰盛的果实，
但正如枝条若不留在葡萄树上，凭自己是不能结出果实的；
若我们不住在主内，也是一无所能。
因此，我们的心灵就像那植在溪畔的树，需要祢圣神活水的充满，圣神活水的浇灌，
以让我们按月结果实，光荣天父！

____________________________________

歌曲5：《高唱感恩歌》

因为上主是良善宽仁的，
祂是我们的善牧，是我们力量的泉源，
让我们高声赞美祂，高唱感恩歌吧！

____________________________________

My First Bumboat Ride along Singapore River

I was truly elated (thrilled) during the bumboat ride and was simply captivated by the beautiful scenery. I actually filmed almost the entire jouney on the bumboat with my digital camera, but what a pity, the video clip was too long (22 mins) and was thus too large to be transferred to my desktop. I had no choice but to delete it. Sigh... Therefore, these are the only memories left.

Although it drizzled a bit when we left our school, we did not meet with a stormy weather when we reached there despite the hovering dark clouds. In fact, the tour guide cum the module instructor commented that we were very blessed to enjoy such an excellent breezy weather. Thank you again, Lord, for answering my prayer.

The Bamboo

As a teacher, I experienced countless moments of frustration and helplessness. Very often, I wonder whether I am really suitable for this job. However, God never fails to console me when I am on the verge of giving up. The following passage is fully extracted from a leaflet my mother obtained from Church of St. Michael on its Feast Day.



One day, I decided to quit... I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality... . I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God," I said, "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?" His answer surprised me.

"Look around you," He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"

"Yes," I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year, the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern, it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just six months later, the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle."

He said to me, "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots. I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Do not compare yourself to others, " He said. "The bamboo has a different purpose than the fern. Yet, they both make the forest beautiful."

"Your time will come," God said to me. "You will rise high!"

"How high should I rise?" I asked.

"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.

"As high as it can?" I questioned.

"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."

I left the forest and brought back this story.

Always remember that God will never give up on you.

• Never regret a day in your life;
• Good days give you happiness;
• Bad days give you experiences;
• Both are essential to life.

After SA2

Finally, I completed all my marking and keying in of marks last Friday afternoon, just before 2pm. It was such a huge relief, like a big burden was removed from my shoulders. I was so tensed in the staff room marking my remaining class test papers that even my surrounding colleagues could feel the immense (great) stress. Anyway, thank you God for giving me the strength and perseverance to accomplish all my work! Thank you, Ms Jow, for tolerating my stern face and sending me caring sms, reminding me to take care of myself. I really appreciate it!

Today, all teachers attended the year-end promotion meeting to discuss who should be retained, laterally transferred or advanced. Of course, I won't write about the details here. This year, there is one pupil retained at 3N in my class. I hope he won't sink into despair forever but instead take this lesson as a wake-up call, realign his priorities in his teenage life and reduce or if possible totally eliminate all negative 'commitments' outside school. Don't do things to destroy your youth and your future!

Overall, I'm heartened that there are quite a number of pupils in my class who really make miraculous improvement in their performance, especially for Mathematics. Their marks for all subjects in this semester show a total increase of as high as over 60 marks. (They are Jasmeet, Teck Siang, Danial, Danyal, Maisurah, Eileen, Nadhirah, Nabiha and Nabil.) To top it all, this semester, Ong Teck Siang has scored an aggregate of 5 points for his best three subjects and he passed English as well. This means that if he maintains this standard or produces better results at next year's GCE 'N' Level examinations, he will have no problem moving up to sec 5. CONGRATULATIONS! KEEP IT UP!

苦恋

你说你感到万分沮丧，甚至开始怀疑人生？－《梦醒时分》的歌词

这两句话正是我的朋友此时心情的真实写照。她正在暗恋中。她常跟我诉苦说感觉自己像个黑市情人一样，偷偷摸摸的，完全没有尊颜。她心仪的对象虽然时常鼓励她振作并要满怀希望地生活下去，但有时却在她面前摆出一副严肃的样子，也从来没有叫过她的名字，更很少主动跟她搭讪。反而，他却经常主动和别的女人聊天，也很亲切地以她们的名字称呼她们。我的朋友看到这些场面时，也只能默默地忍受下来，不能吭声，把所有郁闷累积在心中，还要装作若无其事一样。其实，她不要求太多，只希望他能正视瞧她一眼，呼唤她的名字，与她搭讪，就好像他跟其他女人大大方方地谈天一样。难道连这点他也做不到吗？

我再也不知道该怎样安慰她了... ...

忍一时风平浪静，退一步海阔天空

所谓“经一事，长一智”，那天在图书馆所发生的事真的让我彻底明白“忍一时风平浪静，退一步海阔天空”的真正意义。

我正在图书馆教两位学生英文，却被一位‘女士’指责道：“如果你们要讲话，请到咖啡厅去。”我心想谁不知道咖啡厅里好说话，但需要花钱买那里的东西吃，人家才给你坐嘛！我自问我们说话的声量又不大，若真的干扰到别人的话，早就被人讲了！因此，我没向她道歉，也没离开座位，继续压低声音教我的学生。我只是提醒学生甲说话小声点吧了！

后来，学生甲的一大群朋友来到图书馆。学生甲当然把刚才被骂的那件事告诉他的朋友。学生乙听了，有点愤愤不平地问是哪一位。这下遭了，那位‘女士’听到他们之间的谈话，开始以不悦的语气回应我们，还问我的学生是从哪个学校来的。双方差点要吵了起来。我赶紧把那一大群学生赶走，只让一位学生留在图书馆里面等我。

回到家时，自我反省了一阵子，发现除了我的学生的语气有待改善之外，其实我也有错。那名‘女士’连一点杂声都不能忍受，分明是一个小人嘛！遇到这种小人，我应该立刻退避三舍，但我却不甘愿离开原位，不甘心让她称心如意。我只是默默地忍受着那名‘女士’，而没有做到“退一步”的境界，结果就差一点造成一场大风波。顿时，我了解到保持沉默来息事宁人是不够的，有时你必须进一步舍弃自己，谦卑自己，真正做到退让的阶段，以换取和平。身为老师的我更应该在这方面多多努力。

3/3's 'Make-over'

I heeded Mdm Chng's advice to rearrange some pupils' seats (Louie and friends' seats). At first, I arranged for them but there was so much resentment (bitter anger) among the pupils, even the Chinese girls. I asked Guan Zhou to put his table in a straight row and he simply refused to budge (move very slightly). I lost my patience and pulled his table apart from the rest violently, with all his worksheets and books scattered onto the floor. Of course, he was very "buay song".

Then, it dawned (emerged) on me that they would forever be not happy with my arrangement. I was really frustrated and rather clueless what to do! (I am really tired of changing pupils' seating arrangement and in the end, gradually observing them reverting to the original plan they like, "inch by inch".) Then, suddenly, I felt that it's time for my pupils to take ownership of the class, however mischievous some of the boys are. I just laid down two conditions before I gave them the remaining 15 minutes to discuss the seating arrangement among themselves: it must help them to be able to focus more during lessons and it must be fair to every body. Then, I was so depressed and pissed off as I walked out of the classroom.

Back in the staffroom, I simply had no mood to do anything. I just lied on my table and reflected on my teaching ability. Of course, I also turned to God for help.

Around 1.30pm, I waited outside 3/3 classroom for the last lesson to end. Now, all my pupils are now gathered to the front. They rather squeeze to the front with their friends, leaving a large empty space behind the classroom. Louie and friends sat in one row near the window, facing the whole class. Initially, I was not very happy that some boys whom I wanted to separate still sit in pairs or threes. But for a moment, I thought the class looks so much closer together instead of the usual distinct five groups and I thought to myself, "Not bad."


I asked the class to give ten reasons to convince me to adopt their preferred seating arrangement. They could! In fact, they came out with ten over reasons, excluding a few lame ones, of course, such as 'can throw litter over the window'. :< Well, I feel relieved that most of them commented that they now could see and concentrate better. Some teachers also gave similar positive comments.

This is the first time I learn not to be so dictatorial (authoritative; loves to command) in the class and to give my pupils some freedom and independence in shaping their own classroom environment. 3/3, I hope that you will be more attentive during lessons after this change in seating arrangement because if not, you are going to bear the consequences of your joint decision.