Anyway, he came across as a very humble man. And this is despite his success in the private sector. Wow. I'll certainly be looking forward to hearing his parliamentary speeches. Yep together with Mr Baey Yam Keng's too.
If I were to meet him face-to-face, I'd definitely ask him what's happening to Queenstown. Like, this whole place, which was once bustling with activity is becoming a desolate ghost town, save for the area closer to the MRT. I don't like it. This isn't the Queenstown I knew. The Queenstown I knew had large open spaces for neighborhood kids to run around and play silly Catching in. It also had many stone benches for the elderly to sit on and congregate around. It was a place where most people knew most other people. It was also a place where housewives would meet along the way to the market and gossip over the latest happenings as well as compared the prices of fish and what have you.
Now I don't know who sells what in the neighbourhood.. the large open spaces have since been set apart for other (unknown) use. The wet market which was a place where people got to know most other people is also gone. And for some unapparent reason, the sterile NTUC near my place is also quiet, even on weekends. What's happening? Where have all the people gone?
With economic development, must the sense of community be eroded?
"It's often in the world, in the secular that we find God's purpose for our lives." -Kong Hee
"If you only look for the supernatural in the spectacular, you'll miss God." -Dr. Edwin Louis Cole
I loved today's sermon - we all need a paradigm shift. I feel like as the church progresses, I am also moving closer and closer to my dream. You know, ever since I decided to major in Social Work, I got more and more enchanted with it. The intricacies needed in working with people, navigating in the political context we live in etc. It's challenging but I love it. And I always feel like I am called to be a Social Worker (when I was once wavering over whether I should major in SW, one lecturer shared that being a social worker takes a calling), like it's what I'm made for. And I'm very, very thankful to God for it. It is very true that it's in the everyday things of life that we find God's purpose for our lives.
Recently, I was talking to a senior. I was reminded of the core competencies of a Social Worker: #1. Promote social justice #2. Mobilize resources for people in need #3. Network
So it definitely strikes a chord in me when Pst shared about Moses who has a thing for social justice. Yep, I NEVER want to be a mediocre social work student, andI don't want be a mediocre social worker when I enter the field.
Dr. Sim once said something like.. "If as a social worker, you're not going to be a revolutionary, I don't know what you're going to be."
I want to be an outstanding social worker. One who can navigate successfully to mobilize resources for clients and promote social justice. I would also like to see more published research done in the local context.
Up and coming! Watch out for the research article that Bec and I are going to embark on next year! Here we come! Destiny begins now!
SURRENDER I RISE WITH YOU IN THE WAKE OF THE MORNING I WALK WITH YOU IN THE COOL OF THE NIGHT AND EVERY SINGLE DAY I'M DEVOTED TO YOUR WAYS ONLY YOURS ONLY YOURS
I SURRENDER ALL TO YOU I SURRENDER ALL TO YOU
WHEN I'M WEAK YOU ARE STRONG YOU'RE MY FEET WHEN I CAN'T MOVE ON YOU ARE THE LIGHT IN THE DARK YOU'RE THE WHISPER INSIDE MY HEART
The term break that just passed is by far the most (un)productive break I had in my Uni life. I discovered that I should never have too much free time. I'd much prefer a busier life. Nothing much ever changes by spending too much time at home!
So, here are the worthwhile things I did: #1. Jogged 10.4km over two separate jogs! 4km then another 6.4km. Yay!
#2. Donated my AB+ blood that is hopefully saving some lives right now.
#3. Signed up as a volunteer with Women Make a Difference. The founder is a member of CHC - how cool is that! Hopefully I'll be able to offer some help and really DO something to change lives and not just blog and wish about it. Soon, you'll HEAR ME ROAR! (hopefully the events don't happen too much on Sat and Sun!) Had once seen its website long ago and wondered if I should join it, so here's the chance! They're a bunch of Christians.. cool.
About WMD Our objectives are twofold: i) to galvanise women in developed countries like Singapore to live, learn and become better people with a mission to help those in need, through a range of interactive activities that bring value to the participant;
ii) to support, financially and otherwise, women and children in countries that are in need of help in the areas of social injustice, health, education and economy.
PHILOSOPHY Our philosophy is to glorify God in all that WMD does, to love and serve selflessly, to not just say we want to make a difference but to get in there and really change things for the better, in the places we live in and the places beyond our land.
#4. Had a renewed encounter with God! This is certainly the best! I don't want to be a professional Christian. I want a living, breathing relationship with my God. Ps Kong's msg was so in season. Was praying on Sat to God to help me fulfill my potential. Step by step, I believe God is helping me! Got a friend coming for svc this wkn!! She said "I want to go to church!" God works in amazing ways :)
After the nua-est week ever, I'm looking forward to a fruitful time ahead! Had the funnest and funniest start with Marcus and Anthony today. Yay. Good start to a second-half.
Teared when I saw Sun on stage today. I was so touched to see her all happy and going from glory to glory. To me, she's not just a celebrity - she is to me a living testimony of how God can use someone who chooses to obey Him. As a member of CHC for the past 5 years (Hmm, not that long, but not very short either), I saw, heard and prayed over the challenges she faced over the years.
Her life literally screams 1. Your dreams can become a reality. With God, all things are possible!! 2. It is possible to be a christian who can love God, love people and have fun. 3. It is entirely possible to be a christian who can affect social change! 4. Hard work is very important. 5. Never listen to the critics. Get better, not bitter.
Dear Ling, Please do not give up on your calling. I've never left you nor forsaken you - even in the moments when you felt that I might have left you, I have not. I will not. Just as you went through many past challenges trusting me, it is the same now and in the future. I have created you to be a person of influence with unique gifts and talents. You can do it! Don't say you can't. Let's keep walking. I'll never let you walk alone. Remember the first joy, the first love.
I am happy to be who I am. I am happy with the way God created me to be. I recognise that sometimes I am too straightforward for my own good. So that needs to be changed.
Yet in fact, I'll not hesitate to say that I find it hard to tolerate whiny people. They literally turn me off - the situation doesn't get better just cos you whine, the situation gets better when you choose to grow up. Oh well, it's the whiny people that teach me that I need to enlarge my heart and be more patient. Isn't it fascinating that there can be so many twists to the same situation?
Hmm.. Lord, teach me to walk in Your ways. Show me how to live.
But otherwise, Ai Ling is still a happy girl!
Love the social work buddies and the guys in gek. We spend lunchtime laughing away. Love doing the CMF project too!
I still haven't written to Project Streetwalker. Oh they've got research going too! Ai Ling, pls take action!
Matthew 6 - the words of Jesus from The Message Bible
27-29"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
The world waits in anticipation for the person who can hold to his or her principles without being a tyrant and who is tough enough to bend without breaking. - David Foster
