Hello 2012

It's been a long year in 2011, so it seems.

That 365 days were moments of ups and downs.

We go through, we learn, we become stronger.

Mistakes I have made, routes I have chosen, words that I have spoken, I can't turn back the time to change anything.

Life goes on.

I wont't be blogging here anymore.

Cheers to a new year and to continue on this life's journey.

God bless!

Chapter after chapter

You begin your chapter called life when you first open your eyes into this world.

The stories you have written for yourself base on your choices, decisions that can lead to moments of learning, opportunities, mistakes, or regrets.

We can't look back, only forward, to begin another chapter when one closes.

Things come, things go...

But one thing for sure, life goes on.

And to go on, takes faith, patience, believe, determination, persistence and courage.

Through this learning journey in life, He never gives up so don't you do so too cause He is always reaching out His hand just that sometimes we just choose to stand on our own feet.

Man cannot hit on the right time to act:
There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. -Ecclesiastes 3:1

Laura Story - Blessings

Can hear this over and over again :)


Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing come through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You are near
What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise

Vision

A dark wooden stairway..

It felt like me walking up with lots of fear, uncertainty, and a heavy heart..

Then as I near the top, I saw some light coming out from a open room..

I slowly looked up to the light and there was a figure standing there...

It was Jesus.. :)

Helping a friend

It came quite sudden
It came quite fast
I needed to respond
To complete the task

I told myself with these I part
May never return and not hold on to luck
Sincerely I lend a hand to her
Without more questions asked in fear

To you God I pray to help this friend
Let all these pass smoothly
Amen

Always there

Phuket Trip just zooms past by and it's back to work. Thought after a good relaxing trip you will feel recharged, I was wrong. Work has piled up to the sky, and work is never finished. I feel overwhelmed with the amount of things I need to complete and time is running out.

I hate being a quitter, giving up so easily but sometimes you get so sick of it. The sacrifices you made, the struggles and challenges faced. Just want to end it all soon.

And when you thought no one is there
Friends always encourage and share

"God has not promised skies always blue, flower-strewn pathways all our lives through; God has not promised sun without rain, joy without sorrow, peace without pain. But God has promised strength for the day, rest for the labor, light for the way, grace for the trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love."

Thanks Dottie! ;)

And somehow u know God made this happen... :)

On this day...

Dreams are a succession of images, ideas, emotions and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.

It will be absolutely weird if the definition uses "voluntarily" instead.

Been having weird dreams, I don't know why.

Too much thoughts I guess. Combination of work, friends, self.

*Slaps*

*************************************************************************************

Somehow I got struck by a tweet.

Ever since the start of the year, I already felt this sense of great tiredness and dread to what I am doing. I can confidently say that the heart is not longer there anymore. The way thinks work and the way things are, some are ridiculously hard to accept.

It is true that it is the cross I have to bear now but I am sensing it is time to move on soon.

Live with it or make the change.

Do not look to Tomorrow

Words from Saint Francis de Sales

Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. The same Everlasting Father, who takes care of you today, will take care of you tomorrow, and every day. He will either shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations!

The Everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross He now presents to you as a gift from His inmost Heart. This cross He now sends you He has considered with His all-knowing eyes, understood with His divine mind, tested with His wise justice, warmed with loving arms and weighed with His own Hands, to see that it be not one inch too large and not one ounce too heavy for you. He has blessed it with His Holy Name, anointed it with His grace, perfumed it with His consolation, taken one last glance at you and your courage, and then sent it to you from heaven, a special greeting from God to you, an alms of the all-merciful love of God.

Thanks Dottie for sharing! This is encouraging! :)

Your Love Is Everything - Jesus Culture (Jayesslee cover)

Love how these 2 make me feel better! Great encouragement as well...

I know I can trust in Your Love :)

A Soldier's King

A Soldier's King - Kenny Rogers

No one seemed to notice
The man beside the road
He was just a ragged soldier
Out there in the cold
But he seemed to have a purpose
Only known to him
As he walked along the streets that night
Through the town of Bethlehem

In his head he held a memory
Of all the wars he'd known
In his hand he clutched a medal
For the bravery he'd shown
And the weight of every battle
He carried in his heart
But his eyes were clear and searching
For a manger in the dark

Some are born to greatness
Some are born to fall
Some are bound to be forgotten
Like they never lived at all
But we're all born to know Him
And stand before His light
Like the soldier who found his king tonight

He had marched for politicians
Served under their command
And he fought for all the causes
That he did not understand
But it was something deep inside him now
That led him on his way
With a single star to guide him
To where the baby lay

He stood before the Son of God
Come to pay our debt
He smiled up at the soldier
That the world would soon forget
So he held out his medal
And said this for you I bring
There he swore allegiance
To the newborn baby king

Something deep inside me now
That led me on my way
Guiding me
To where I am supposed to be

The Holiday Mood

As usual think I have said this many times before... where do I start?

It's been 4 months working as a Constituency Manager. (yes.. they deleted the "Assistant" in front but what's the point? It's just a title, not like I got some pay increase.. :o) And.. even been through the 8 days induction programme that every PA newbie goes through.

The induction was a great learning experience. From fun, late nights, suppers, project discussions, lectures, the outdoor cooking gone wrong, games, morning exercises, phototaking and simply bonding with fellow cohort mates.. it's gonna be a memory that will last forever. :)

It definitely made me know about the organisation better. Picked up things that was useful and may even apply to my job.

Challenges you face makes you a stronger person. Overcoming certain issues can be tough but somehow it makes you determined to turn the tide around. And when it does, you just feel that sense of achievement.

Well, being back at the office isn't good at this point due to feeling lazy-ish. Perhaps 8 days being away from work makes you feel that way and I was also away for another 2 days to Malacca. How nice.. it just increased my holiday-mood indicator to HIGH. Nevertheless, had great food there. Peranakan food is awesome! :D~

Work is slowing down now.. it being the end of the year but yet it is still piling up like in slow-mo. Somehow if I don't speed up, it's all going to collaspe down on me which is a definite no-no. I need some energy boost that will keep be going. With Christmas coming, gosh, it's not helping. But I am EXCITED as it's my FAVOURITE time of the year, a day I always look forward to. Talking about that, I am going to hunt for christmas prezzies tomorrow.

Time is really not enough, seriously. I said this before but honestly with this job, it robs your time away. I really miss learning something new once in a while, meeting with friends regularly, going out to take shots with my Nikon D90, spending weekends with the family and playing sports on a regular basis.. It's just not the same anymore..

Will things get better? I wonder 1 year from now, what will I be doing?

For now, let's just prepare for a joyous christmas season with love ones and friends and thank God for them. :)

And so I say...

Time hasn't been enough for me. Feel like I have been stretched for the past week..

I have sacrificed family time, meeting friends and intercessory meetings. Even if I've got an off day, I only feel like resting at home and to have some time for myself.

So much information in my mind lately and I admit making mistakes. I am not doing for the sake of doing it, but I want to do it well. But so much thinking has caused me disturbed sleep. I am the kind of person that hates making mistakes, big or small, and I know that's a bad thing cause you only learn through making them. But me being me, I always feel so affected when mistakes happen.

Sometimes I think.. is it worth it going the extra mile?

Maybe it's just me and my low-morale day. Who likes working on their off day? I really got to get use to this life now.

Work aside, always feel happy spending time with love ones. Even if it means just a few minutes.

Accompanied my Grandmother yesterday afternoon. Said that she wanted to go to the atm, and buy some stuff. She wanted to get a Silkygirl perfume. Went to the nearby Guardian to get it and I bought it for her. Feel happy seeing the smile on her face. :)

After a long or terrible day, I can always find comfort from my love-ones.. and not forgetting the One above that never fails to give me strength..

The Decision

About 5 months temping at Punggol CC and it has finally come to an end.

Sometimes I wonder what exactly am I doing. With a degree qualification, I am cutting tickets, answering phonecalls, serving customers where I could actually be at a position with greater responsibilities and commitments.

But somehow, God seems to be putting me at a humble position to make me learn and see. To see a bigger picture from the bottom just like how we sometimes look up to the sky and realise it's such a big world out there.

I still don't know exactly what He wants me to see but somehow I feel I am getting there. It just flows like the river and when you get to your destination, you know that's where exactly you want to be.

I am thankful for the experience at Punggol CC and most importantly, the friendships found and will never be forgotten. It may be the last of us as colleagues, but not the last as friends. :)

Where I will go, nobody knows. As much as the signs tell me I am not going back, there's still a little hope. There's a decision I can make that can result in 2 possible outcomes.. Will I take that risk?

I can think so much but only do that much and I realise God has already decided for me..

Where's the love?

I am seriously tired... Tired of this talk that has been hanging in the air.

I wonder if you are truly listening to yourself. Listening whether you are talking through your mouth or talking through your heart.

I don't wish you to see that everyone is against you, pointing fingers at you or feel that everything you say is wrong. But is it so hard to ignore finding the truth and simply just accept and give?

Giving up your seat to an elderly in the train, donating money to a handicapped person in the streets.. doesn't these acts make your day, put a smile on your face and bring joy to your heart?

Why talk about tradition, the rights and the wrongs and drawing a clear line where clearly our conscience tells us that deep within, we should go the extra mile and give what we can provide.

I am sorry but I just gotta say I am disappointed and upset.

What has God taught us?

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivarly, jealously, ourbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, ocassions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19-21
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfullness, gentleness, self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23

Please reflect and listen to yourself. Are you happy?

Sunset

On Wednesday, I was walking home with my grandma after buying dinner back from the coffeeshop when I noticed how beautiful the sunset was. It was a nice, big round red glow, something I never seen. It got me to walk quickly home to get my dSLR as I wanted to capture such a lovely sight.

Walked quickly to find a spot that had no blockage but I was too late. Still, I managed to capture the nice evening sky.



When I see the beauty of a sunset's glory,
Amazing artistry across the evening sky
When I feel the mystery of a distant galaxy
It awes and humbles me to be loved by a God so high

Day 1 being retired

Yay no Monday blues today. Got to sleep till later and I woke up during lunch time. :x

Anyway, bro bought a 2nd hand Nissan March today and I got to test drive it. Sent Layling home and took the car to the petrol station to pump a little more petrol. Zzzz but really felt like a swakoo. Didn't exactly know what my Dad was talking about using the shell card, lucky draw stuff and payment using the UOB card. What's worse was when I ask my bro whether the tank was located on the left or right, he told me it was on the right and so I went to the pump station for the right tank only to discover that it was on the left. YAWNS and so gotta shift the car nearer to the pump station. -_-

Anyway I am gonna cook Chicken Chop for every1 today. Prepare to get addicted to my awesome cooking! Lol.

You're looking for something you can't find
If you give it up, you'll lose your mind
There's always something in you way
What can you say?
You're gonna have a good day

I just love blasting this Click Five song loudly
Love this song... Makes your day better :)

Ok time slack for a little more, and then time for me to be the Chef!

~God has more in store for us then we can ever predict, and what we fear are bad choices frequently turn out for the best, because our hidden aspirations know better where we are going than our rational minds.

Persistence

It was a very last minute thing. I didn't check my email for about a few days and before I felt for Amplify, I decided to take a look.

Saw the mail from Florence and didn't knew there was Ministering today. Then a thought came to me.. Do I need to be prayed over? I brushed it off and quickly left the house as I was running late.

Praise and worship was great but what was better was the part after that. Cassilda was talking and preparing all of us for ministering. She mentioned so many stuff that was relevant to me. Keywords and phrases like purpose, direction, confusion, praying for that same thing, transition period etc. Through her words, I realised that God had brought me to this week's session for a reason.

I really don't know. Everytime when I am supposed to proceed to the next step/stage of my life, I feel like I am back to square one. It's like would you go with the flow or will you take the road less travelled by? And another thing is what's God mission for me?

Years I have been praying but response has been close to nothing. Signs ain't obvious but every little sign gives me hope.

I received hope again when I was being prayed over. Little as it seems, I am convinced from others that prayers can take a long time to be answered and that is always a reason.

Persistence.

You give and take away
Blessed be Your name

Joy

It's been ages since I last went for Amplify. The month of May was terrible for me and thus didn't really feel like going.

So finally after such a long time I went back. Thought I would feel weird and awkward but instead I felt comfortable and happy. Feels great to be greeted by familiar faces! Got such a warm welcome again.. from the hellos to the waves which felt nice. :) And of course, felt that God welcomed me back too.

Yeshhh and Monday was out with Jacq, Faith, Marion and Claudia. Had a great time as well. Seriously, never laughed so hard for a long time. Jacq and Marion really cracked me up. Laughed till I cried lol. Poor Faith got bullied but she was like the center of the entertainment. Haha..

More outings soon!?

The old Cheryl might be back. :)

Peace

Went for penitential service at 8pm at SFX.

So glad that I went.

Feel so at peace when I am in church.

Yes, I must stay happy and postive.

What am I worrying for?

Thank you, Lord.

Confessions of a "shopaholic"

Tuesday.. Out with the JJJJ group. Hmm.. all their names start with J.. Maybe I should be named Jheryl...) Ok lame.

Anyway, realised we all are struggling during this period. At least, I am not alone. So I guessed that day, was the day to destress. It was lunch first before catching the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic. Nice movie I must say.

Beneath the humour, light-hearted, funny and touching moments, a message did shout out to me. I mean who doesn't like being showered with branded goods. Prada, Gucci, Ralph Lauren.. all the glitz and glamour. Don't buying stuff you love just make you happy? But I guess sometimes we fail to realise material goods can't fill an empty heart or heal a deep wound or give you everlasting joy. Simply put, they are temporary pleasures.

I am not saying you can't buy branded goods or other stuff that you love. As in you know.. not going overboard.. knowing your limits. Like there's a huge difference between a snowflake and an avalanche.

All I am saying is that there are other important things in life. You may own a fortune but what's life without Family, Friends, and not forgetting, The One above, God. :) I am sure that we all have neglected them in one way or another and too concerned with the-me-myself-and-I. I can honestly say that I am guilty.

I think this Lenten season for me is rather bad. I was optimistic it would start off well and it kinda did. But it slowly became the unexpected. I don't know why it's so hard for me this year. The stress, the pressure, the mood-swings.

But guess what? An angel talked to me.

Quoting word for word, she said, "Dun fret over it. It's nv too late to start. God appreciates even e smallest act you sacrifice. :) Time is nv enough for us. But u can make any period of time beautiful just by giving. Cherishing family is also an act of love. Smiling to a stranger. Or even b cheerful. W such, God will still b please with w u."

And that, is what I call things you can't buy with money. Also, this isn't temporary. It stays in your heart forever.

Thanks Daisy. It really made me feel better. :)