Thursday, January 26, 2006

Scatterbrained
Think I totally screwed someone up at the supermarket today. I was dashing around madly armed with my list and merrily loading up my trolley. My last stop was the to choose a box of oranges. Such a variety on display. So I parked my trolley somewhere and walked over to the oranges to decide. Chaozhou mandarins. Done. Into the trolley and off to the cashiers. No queue. Great. I look into the trolley to unload:
YIKES! Whose stuff is this?
Nothing looked familiar....except the box of oranges I chose.
Quickly go back to where I think I picked up this trolley. Gingerly remove my box of oranges and start hunting for my real trolley.

Monday, January 23, 2006

What is Your Worldview?
Think most people would agree that the world we live in is quite a mess. Poverty, war, bird flu pandemic. Stress....everyone has it. Just open the newspaper to get a daily dose of bad news. Some fundamental questions of life. Why is the world like that? Is this the way it was meant to be? Is there a solution?
Heard it defined today that a worldview is the mental framework in which we make sense of our reality. It determines our perspective on life and the kinds of decisions we make.
The secular worldview is that this is our only life and we should enjoy it to the full. Eat, drink & be merry. Sometimes that is mixed in with the materialistic worldview. Money makes the world go round. Have to make money....the more the merrier. Then there's the postmodern worldview. There is no absolute truth. Everything is relative. What is true for you may not be true for me. Tolerance is the name of the game.
What is the biblical worldview? That the Bible is true and inspired by God. Reading and studying the Bible gives one a God's eye view of life. That there is a reason why the world is like that and more importantly, there is a solution for it.

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Clarity
Taking a break from CS Lewis and reading AW Tozer instead. What I just read seems to tie in precisely to the last discussion on what it means to be a Christian.
You can go through the whole routine of the church and never have an experience at all like this. You can learn to say "God is love" when you're a wee little thing; you can get a Bible for passing from one grade to another; you can get big enough to make a speech in a Sunday school program; you can get old enough to sing in a choir, join a church and be baptized. You can teach a class, entertain missionaries and learn to tithe, giving of your money to the work of the Lord. You can be faithful and yet never have an experience of the great God breaking in upon your consciousness, but living always once removed from God.
In the Old Testament, when Absalom returned from exile, he went for two full years without ever seeing the king's face (2 Samuel 14:28). And that's what happens in the churches. But when God becomes real to us, we are affected; we are touched by what is called the mysterium tremendum - a tremendous mystery - that is, God.
I can say with certainty that I have been touched by God. He is as real to me as the three boys that I kiss and hug every night. I don't think I articulate it very well nor express it clearly in the way that I live my life. But I am trying....

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Storm at Sea
I must record my joy that I'm not coughing my guts out anymore. I did spend all of yesterday blowing my nose though. This is from being caught in the storm out at sea on Sunday. The plan was to deliver Platu (friend's boat) from Sentosa Cove (a lovely place with some nice $ boats) to Raffles Marina (another lovely place with equally nice $ boats). Don't be misled though......Platu is a small, simple sail boat.

It was blazing hot and there was no wind when we left Sentosa mid-day. So we motored. It was quite boring really. Putting along at a snail's pace going past Alexandra port and watching cranes lifting container after container onto huge tankers. Quite humbling too.....puny little sailboat creeping next to tankers that are a few hundred feet long and 30m storey high.

The storm clouds were hanging over the direction we were headed. Several hours later, the wind picked up so we motor-sailed. We were clipping along nicely at 5km/hr but there was a strong tide working against us also. Before we knew it, we were smack in the middle of the storm. Sent the boys down into the cabin to stay dry and also get out of the way. Gave me some peace of mind to not have to keep an eye out for them & worry that they'll fall overboard. It was really blowing. The boat was heeled over so much that the engine was humming because it was out of the water. Finally turned that off. Those monsoon storms and winds are really powerful.
We were doing close to 8km/hr.

Visibility dropped also because of the pelting rain. The sea is a foreboding place when it's alive with waves. Sort of like...man against the elements. Mother nature's wrath. One's safety depends on the seaworthiness and reliability of the equipment. And so I prayed.....rather fervently. Was thinking about how Paul could remain so calm and collected when he was in a storm & got shipwrecked. And how human it is to turn to God when there is a tinge of fear from lack of control (be it environmental or circumstanstial) . It's like when you realize that there really aren't any other alternatives and so acknowledge the Almighty and plead for mercy.

It's surreal now as I reflect on it. Sitting here cozily tapping away on the keyboard. Surrounded by comfort and security of home...and land. Makes me wonder a little. When I am in my comfort zone I would think I am self-reliant and not see nor feel the need to acknowledge nor communicate with my Maker.
My Christmas tree was removed the day after I blogged about it. Pretty sure God read my blog and promptly sent an angel to take care of it. I know this because of the timing, the unlikelihood of something like this happening otherwise and the fact that I didn't have to do a single thing.

Friday, January 13, 2006

Friday the 13th
It's already almost midway through January and CNY is less than 2 weeks away. I like CNY. I'm looking forward to eating and visiting relatives. Unfortunately, I cannot get motivated to remove the Christmas tree. This tree is pretty dried out already. It's from the tree outside the boys' bedroom. Tim, in a burst of energy, took his parang and chopped this treelet out a few days before Christmas. It was while I was away at the OC Camp. So....if this inertia continues, then I'll just pick up some CNY decorations and hang it on the Christmas tree instead!

Thursday, January 12, 2006

The Methodist Message
I always look forward to reading the page The Bishop Writes by Dr Robert Solomon. I admire his grey matter between the ears and the clarity with which he expresses those ideas. The January issue does not disappoint. It's a really cheem topic about God and time. It's a topic which I had reflected and written on when I first started this blog. Except he expounds on the concept in ways that I could not have imagined. I particularly like this paragraph:
What appears most real and important to us now may be proven to be wisps of vapour one day. When time, our time on earth, is seen from another greater perspective, God may prove Himself to be the sharpest and most solid reality. It is better to discover that now than in eternity.

There's also an excellent piece written by Ben Stein on who he feels are the real stars of the world - not the Hollywood celebrities he used to write about but the unknown people who risk life and limb to make a difference in other people's lives. I find the following paragraph particularly encouraging:
I came to realise that life lived to help others is the only one that matters and that it is my duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others He has placed in my path. This is my highest and best use as a human. Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will.
Amen!

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Assessment Book Mania
Paid the requisite visit to Popular Book Store recently. This is an annual ritual that every self respecting parent does on behalf of the good of their children. Or so we like to think. Doesn't matter that most of the previous year's assessment books are lying around the home either unfinished or....worst, untouched. It's the thought that counts.
Friends who know me well can attest to the fact that I'm a fairly laid-back person. On my part, I do make the effort to try to look at life from a big picture perspective. There's more to a person than academic achievements. However, as I was strolling around Popular that morning, I succumbed. It started off just to find the specified books listed by the tuition teacher for one son. Next thing I knew I had selected a rather tall stack for all three sons.
There was a kid and his mother standing behind me in line at the cashiers. When it was my turn to pay, the kid had a glance at the stack I presented and then took a good look at me. If eyes could speak, this is what I imagine he was thinking:
Wah liau! Glad you're not my mudder man!
I shot back a non-chalant glance in his direction:
Aye! No school today ah!

Monday, January 09, 2006

Krrrhhhhww.....pooy
I'm sick. I hate being sick. Started with a sore throat in the middle of the night. It messed up my sleep & that really ticked me off. Weird thing is....sometimes I feel perfectly fine. But other times, I get into these awful coughing fits. Like this morning. I had to pull over off the road because I was so busy coughing that it turned into vomitting.....except nothing came out but spit. Most of the time its spit. The worst is early in the morning when the slimy globs come out. Coughing fits are very debilitating. Suppose I should be thankful - last time I had a cough was a very long time ago.

The 24 hour rain was very homey. That means - there was nothing to do but stay at home. Was looking forward to delivering the boat from Changi to Sentosa yesterday. Had to postpone that because of the weather. We hope to do that tomorrow. I'm torn. I really want to do the delivery but I know I'm sick.

Thought the facilitators' meeting last Sat went very well. Found it refreshing to hear the different views and take part in the discussion. I was encouraged.

Think my boys like it when I can't really bellow at them. Instead, I find myself knocking on the door to get their attention. They look at me quizzically whilst I gesticulate wildly what I want them to do. All manner of sign language (my own, that is) comes out. What I need is a portable whiteboard so I can write out my instructions!

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Trivia
This afternoon I took a big bowl of grapes out of the fridge and put it on the kitchen counter. Then I took a small bunch from there, put them in a small bowl and brought them to the study for my son Luke to eat. When I returned to the kitchen, I immediately noticed several grape stems on the kitchen floor close to where the bowl was. My dog Baobei looked at me innocently and started wagging her tail.
Sigh......evidence that demands a verdict! (also the title of a really cheem but excellent book on Christian apologetics - the concrete facts supporting our faith)
The verdict - guilty, of course. However, I hadn't the heart to reprimand her because....she's my baobei.

Monday, January 02, 2006

Boys....and mud
Lovely day by the sea. Yes, all day. Took Juno out sailing with another family. Perfect weather and great company. There was a gentle breeze that was simply delightful. Bless the North East Monsoon. It's very rare to be out in Singapore all day and not get all hot and sticky. Best part - the boys had a whale of a time - without the Xbox. Heeheehee.
Something I found quite amusing. After everyone had a bath and was squeaky clean, the boys (big and small) decided to go crab hunting in the muddy tide pools. Sigh. Within minutes, my dirtiest son and his friend had mud from the butt down. Splattered on parts of the tee shirt, generously over the pants, legs...all the way down. Even the hands. Ah...the feel of mother earth. Fellow mud diggers included a couple of grown men armed with buckets & changkuls. Think they were looking for worms - the length of snakes. Eeewww.

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Monkeys...and Green Tree Snake
Tim hauled us out of the house this afternoon to Bukit Timah Hill. The plan was to do some hiking. While sitting around the Ranger Station, we saw some scurrying and then a monkey climbing up the tree in front of us. He was victorious. He had swiped a packet of Glico Pocky from some unsuspecting kid. Hmm...brings back memories of when I was a kid and had my snacks swiped by a monkey at the Botanical Gardens.
Anyway, it was sunny although there were dark, ominous rain clouds at the same time. About 10 mins into the South View Trail, it started to rain. Good thing there was a hut a little further up. So we sat there for a good hour. Very therapeutic. Looking at the rain come down and the puddles build up on the trail. I get a SMS message from a friend.
Here's the weather forecast for today. There shall be showers of blessings all over you and a heavy downpour of God's Love, Joy and Peace all around you. Happy New Year.
Woah. God has a sense of humour too.
Finally, the rain lightens and we head back down. Guess what we see? It's a green tree snake sitting smack in the middle of the trail. Yuck. Emerald green with a big head...about a foot long. A stick helps to get it out of the way. Tim thinks it probably fell off a tree because of the rain. Good thing it didn't fall on me!