23

JAN

Confessions of an Addict #3

posted on Friday, 2009

Coffee…

 

Used to be addicted to it as a child… weaned myself out of it.

It has crept back silently like a sneaky creature.

I stock up on packets of instant coffee and teh tarik, yes at those provision shops again. At the start, I only drink such beverage as a treat.

Then it became more regular. Like on a daily basis. Like twice a day in winter. Sometimes, even supplemented with industrial-strength expresso from Gloria Jean’s or Coffee Club.

One morning in the office, I felt that something was missing. Something gnawing inside.

And one day, I realise what it was…

Starting the day without caffeine is like starting a car without petrol.

I start to wonder if I have the same need for a “spiritual caffeine fix”.

 

Do I become restless if I had not read the Bible and received an infusion of His Word?

 

I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!

I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.

- Psalm 119:102 to 104

 

 

22

JAN

Confessions of an Addict #2

posted on Thursday, 2009

Well, if you had read my first blog entry, this is an update.

 

My neck disappeared again!

 

Sigh, that emoticon probably depicts how I look right now. Round face, no neck, and the scale is creaking again.

 

Thanks to new and old addiction… the chilli tapioca and the muruku!

 

 

We would have a hearty dinner, and then settle on the sofa to watch telly. And our hands and mouth go on auto pilot mode.

“Can’t stop! Praising His name, I just can’t stop praising His name…”

 

That is a great worship song. But on the sofa, we are going, “Can’t stop, eating that snack! We just can’t stop eating those snacks!”

 

From what I heard, there were not much of Asian provisions in the early days. But now, Asian shops and restaurants have sprouted all over Perth and the range of products is expanding. We particularly like going to Chan Bros (no, not the travel agency, but a provision shop with really friendly owners). And this is where we cart back all the packets of muruku. Bo bien lah… once the popular flavours are put on the shelves, they are snapped up really quickly and may not be replenished in time for our next outing to the shop!

Hey you two, the Word of God warned about gluttony!

 

and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.

- Proverbs 23:2

 

Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat,

for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

- Proverbs 23:20-21

 

I can attest to the second verse. Each packet of muruku costs A$3.25 (increased from $2.95) and each packet of tapioca costs A$5.95. Do the sums and you will see how gluttons can become poor!

 

 

21

JAN

Confessions of an Addict #1

posted on Wednesday, 2009

This is the first of my addiction series.

No, not of the drug variety.

Yes, but I have addictions too.

I am addicted to emoticons!

 

It amazes me how the savvy people could animate these little pixs. Simply clever!

So I do have emoticons to illustrate just about everything… emotions/occasions/food/etc. After all, picture speak a thousand words. I just love having them in chats!

 

It will be interesting if there is an electronic version of the Bible with emoticons. Take the first chapter Genesis 1:

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water."

7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.

8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so.

10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.

12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years,

15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so.

16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.

17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth,

18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky."

21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

22 God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth."

23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so.

25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

 

But we don’t need emoticons to brighten up our lives. God has created such beauty in the world around us. Look around and begin to see the awesomeness of God’s creation.

 

 

 

 

 

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

- Psalm 19:1

 

11

JAN

Seasons

posted on Sunday, 2009.

There is a time for everything,
   and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,

  a time to plant and a time to uproot,
 a time to kill and a time to heal,
       a time to tear down and a time to build,

- Ecclesiastes 3:1 to 3

 

Another thing we enjoy about being in Perth is the fact that the year is marked by seasons. It does become quite a chore to have to change our wardrobes, keep the winter clothes and put back the summer ones, and ponder about what we need for the fickle weather in between. But it’s also fun to put on different set of clothes for each season (another reason to go shopping!)

 

There are both pluses and minuses in each season. We love the long days of summer, but the pesky kamikazi flies almost drove me raving mad as I did one wild “Aussie” wave after another, further fueling the sizzling 40 degree heat waves. My good friend, Mr Roach, also miraculously makes a return at this time of the year. We look forward to the free air-conditioning of winter, before the virulent bug, stuffy noses, chesty coughs and gloomy skies make us hanker after summer once again. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, but there can be in-between weather and temperature at times, and people do get sick and allergies from pollens and what nots.

 

People’s outlook and state of mind seems to be influenced by the seasons. I read an article in the Straits Times about Norway some years back. Can’t really remember the details, but the extensive feature highlighted the reality of Seasonal Affective Disorder (aptly abbreviated as S.A.D) or winter depression. I think the Nokia headquarters in Norway had created a work environment to alleviate winter blues, maybe by simulating daylight or something?

 

Singapore may not have actual seasons (durian seasons don’t count!), but Singaporeans do have to weather through the seasons of life. I guess at the moment, the whole world is plunged into the winter of economic chaos and depression.

 

There will always be seasons because God made them!

 

And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night,

and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years,

- Genesis 1:14

 

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter,

day and night will never cease.

 - Genesis 8:22

 

Each season serves a purpose. As much as we dislike certain seasons of our life, those can actually be good for us. It’s like appreciating good food better after we have tasted crappy cooking. And naturally (but unfortunately though), we tend to lean on God more in tough times.

 

It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.

- Psalm 119:71

 

There are changes in seasons, but we can remain steadfast

Thank God for the encouraging sermons through the years from our pastors. Believers can remain steadfast in God’s economy no matter what the turmoil is in the world!

 

Just heard a testimony about a church member from the Perth congregation. He is very much involved in the “businessnet” ministry as well as the outreach program to Cambodia. God really blesses him with insight as he had divested of his financial investments six months before the global financial crisis.

 

Then I read about how Singapore tycoon, Oei Hong Leong, bought and sold AIG shares with perfect timing, and reaped tremendous profits which were eventually donated. The Straits Times reported his quote from the Bible, “It's better to give than to receive” and also the advice from his friend, “It’s a sin to die rich”.

 

Thank God that while the world operates and collapses under the principle of greed, we can stand firm on the Godly principle of generosity and giving.

 

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.

- Jeremiah 17:7 to 8

 

There are changes in seasons, but we can prepare ahead and be ready

We had learnt our lesson this winter, and our skin will definitely be well moisturised ahead of the next! No more soap, and may there be no itching and scratching as well!

 

Other lessons picked up while we were in Perth:

 

 

 

Prepare the garden in winter for the year ahead. The lack of water never deters weeds from rampant growth… they just blossom even as the actual plants wilt under the merciless summer sun. To have any semblance of a beautiful garden, we need to weed, feed and mulch the land in the winter season.

 

 

Last year's weed garden

 

 

This year's weedless garden

 

Spray the exterior of the house with insecticide after the rainy season. I would like to be hospitable but persistent friends like Mr Roach are just not welcome! Allan is really good at ensuring that the house is protected against pests… or else he will get those wake-up calls in the middle of the night from his wife-gone-berserk.

 

Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer

- Proverbs 30:25

 

We cannot pin the blame for our own un-preparedness on the change of seasons… We can’t control the seasons but we can manage the preparations.

 

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again."

And his disciples heard him say it.

- Mark 11:12 to 14

 

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

- II Timothy 4:1 to 2

 

 

I try to keep up with what’s happening in Singapore… don’t want to be alienated from my own country …

My Singaporean colleague here sent an email one day with breaking news that JBJ had passed away. Read his sons’ tribute to him and was touched by the private side of a very public figure in the Singapore political scene. I didn’t even realise he was a Christian and that his initials JB stood for Joshua Benjamin, very biblical names…

 

Then some jokers added snide comments to the online news report. Sigh… irritating like graffiti.

 

But I was reminded of the couple of occasions when I had come face-to-face with this man.

 

Near the Somerset MRT station, at the steps leading to Centrepoint…

 

But we had shied away like as if from a plague.

 

And how hypocritical now to be saddened at his passing.

 

I heard that Pas Dale had shared a great sermon - Remember to Remember. Wish I was there.

 

Being able to remember is a good thing, especially when one’s memory is no longer as good as before.

But before we can have cherished memories, we need to create them. And that is done by remembering. Remembering to spend time with our loved ones and to take care of them. Remembering to go an extra mile for our friends and family. Remembering to give a call or to text to see how people are doing. Remembering to honour our leaders. Remember… and act now.

 

Most importantly… Remember God.

 

 

I have started a parallel series on addiction… tongue-in-cheek.

 

But addiction to the wrong things is no laughing matter.

 

Check out the synonyms of addiction… compulsion, dependence, need, obsession, craving, etc.

 

Our dependence and need should really centre on God and He alone. But imagine substituting God and basing our dependence on other things… harmful things… seemingly harmless stuff…

 

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

- Ephesians 2:1 to 5

 

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then,

and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

- Galatians 5:1

 

Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves,

but our competence comes from God. 

- I Corinthians 3:5

 

A D D I C T

Addiction Destroys! Depend on God In His mercy and grace, Confess Turn away from evil

 

01

JAN

Springtime

posted on Thursday, 2009.

Passed the anniversary mark to our landing in Perth…

 

It has been more than a year since we left Singapore… the longest stretch of separation from my birth place.

 

Allan has been recounting the events from a year ago by reading his diary.

 

“Last year at this time, we just landed!”

We talked about how we arrived to heavy downpour and the wintry cold on 10 August 2007 at the Perth International Airport.

 

“Last year at this time, we were heading down south for a holiday with the family!”

 

Allan told me one morning as we drove to work. Really… Has it been one year already?! Oh yah, we went to this place for a lunch break, and we went to this supermarket where I managed to buy four or five Cadbury family sized chocolates for under $3 each! Oh, remember that nice Japanese dinner at a restaurant in Albany… and that lovely seafood lunch at Margaret River … Hey, what about that creepy sci-fi place at the Wind Farm… and the Tree Top Walk in the Valley of the Giants… and the beautiful lighthouse in Augusta…

 

 

“Last year at this time, we were having lunch/dinner with Pastor Lim, Pastor Marion and Pastor Alan!”. We reminisced about the fellowship that we had with our pastors and not to mention all the delicious food they have indulged us with. We still had the frying pan they gave us one year on… but unfortunately, I managed to steam and melt plastic lunch boxes in it recently and had to discard it unwillingly… and all the attached memories along with it.

 

“Last year at this time, our things arrived from Singapore!”
*Groan*

 

No way am I going back there! All those 100+ boxes which we had to unpack and find space for. But thank God how all the boxes and especially those picked for random checks cleared customs… and now we are happily unpacked… well, almost…

 

 

“Last year at this time, have any of us secured a job?”

 

I was asking Allan about the early part of October, 2007. We were then still laboriously filling out application after application. Allan almost had to write a thesis about his Christian faith to apply to teach at Christian schools. My cover letter expanded from the initial one-page summary to multiple pages of self-promotion (very different from Singapore!) I also had to widen my job search to include signing up with job agencies for temporary work assignments. Even then, there wasn’t much response out of these! I remember whining to Allan about what these employers were missing out on (ahem) when thin rejection letters came in like a flood. We eventually became numbed to receiving such mails. It was only at the end of October that Allan got the first of his two job offers. A couple of days later, one job agency handed out some temporary assignments which I had to reject due to various circumstances. But thankfully, this was all in God’s perfect timing as a permanent position was offered to me in mid-November 2007.

 

 

Work life has been one of the best aspects of moving overseas. It is definitely less stressful here and God has blessed me with a good job and most importantly, a good boss. And I actually look forward to going to work on Mondays! It does help when I have an alternate Friday off due to the flexible work arrangements here (I clock up extra hours for nine days to enjoy a day off). So it’s like having a long weekend on an ongoing fortnightly basis! I also thank God for a work environment that is very international in profile. Within the same work area, there are around four Singaporeans besides myself, and within the university, there is a good number of international staff members and students. I do miss the autonomy and high-level decision-making that came with my previous position in Singapore. Somehow, there is a sense of self-worth and importance attached to the job scope of the sole IT auditor… now I am at the lowest rung of the team, and there is a bit of an ego dent at times. Go back to auditing? Nyah… no thanks!

 

The other highlight, often overlooked, is the vast increase in the amount of time that Allan and I could spend together. We go to work together, we come back home together, we watch telly together (prime time programs start earlier here than in Singapore, which suits Allan’s infamous bedtimes well). As what a credit card commercial goes… Priceless!

 

 

01

JAN

Winter of Discontent

posted on Thursday, 2009.

Never in my life did I imagine moving overseas. You know how the tender years of being educated and moulded into a model Singaporean really work when you have always thought this island state will be the one and only home you will ever know. You know and speak Singlish with such A-« natural flair and aplomb, not the contrived “lahs” that foreigners try to fake. You know how things work and tick in the buzzing city. You know where to eat and shop. You know that a humble packet of tissue paper is honoured (like a legal agreement) when used to “chope” seats. You know what the national fruit is, which is “revered” by many true-blue Singaporeans who see nothing in embarking on “holy grails” to seek the best heavenly fruit… and after all, two “monuments” have even been built to celebrate the durian… haha...

 

 

You just know…

 

Lately, I have been having a sense of displacement and restlessness. Fidgety… squirming… whinging…

 

I don’t know if this was due to withdrawal from the lack of chocolates. Yes, this chocolate addiction was finally halted due to a late winter cold and I only managed to take in spoonfuls of tasteless noodle soup for some days. It sure is an effective way to shed those winter kilos… Happily surveying my long-lost neck and an emerging jaw… and look, smaller numbers are showing up on the weighing scale!

 

Breaking news: Chocolates back in the diet!

 

Or the fact that I have been away from city excitement? Perth is nice and laidback… but a bit too laidback for a city person who loves retail therapy. I need to get out there late at 7pm, 8pm, 9pm and window shop, shop, shop and to feel safe taking public transport or cabs at night. With the latest state election here, a new WA government is in place… but still not much of liberation in trading hours. We can look forward to shops closing later at 7pm on week days though… Sigh… I can tell you that I miss the progressive thinking and stability of the Singapore government where changes can take place in months, rather than years or even decades! But *whisper* I do enjoy the jokes they hurl at the politicians here… like calling the PM the Kevinator and making him into some kind of James Bond character in one program.

 

I miss shops where you can browse through a wide array of nice stationery, cute mobile phone straps and kiddish stuff, and buy them for a song. Yeah, well maybe it’s so ‘lian’ to dangle all these things on phones and bags, but hey, I like having Hello Kitty and Winnie the Pooh hanging all around! Recently, I celebrated the opening of a fantastic stationery shop with vibrantly coloured and beautifully designed merchandise, not just functional ones sold at most stores… that is, until my colleague said she gives it six months (before folding like its predecessors)! D’OH!

 

But check out this shop anyway, and may there be more of its kind: http://www.insideretailing.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=53&articleType=ArticleView&articleId=3046

I get pumped with excitement whenever Singapore is mentioned. Like the recent inaugural F1 night race in Singapore, which gets a short mention in the sports news segment here. Like the program – Kenny’s World – which showcased toilets all over the world… and Singapore was featured with great detail on the WTO (not the meeting of world leaders but the World Toilet Organisation no less). Like that one-liner that Singapore has banned all milk imports from China… quick action as usual, well done Singapore! I nearly stood up to applaud when they showed Kevin Rudd visiting Singapore and there was a snapshot of our PM, Mr Lee Hsien Loong. And how I berated myself for missing that travel program on Singapore and the food featured (my Aussie colleague told me about that interesting Hainanese chicken rice). And finally, the latest… that Qantas flight from Singapore to Perth. Sigh… lots of Singapore mentions there but um… Oh and the absolute latest, the delivery of the first Airbus 380, and one person was saying something about competition from Singapore (Airlines) and Emirates.

 

Or could it be enough of housework and cooking already? If only there are cheap and good hawker centres round the neighbourhood! When my mum said that she had made popiah for dinner, I pleaded with her not to say any more. Turnips are expensive here (if they can be found in the first place) and besides, I don’t relish the work involved in shredding one. Allan has been great in doing the bulk of cleaning and relieving me of cooking whenever he can. Check out his curry fish!

 

It is also not easy to be away from family. We used to have weekly dinner and after-dinner snack gatherings in Singapore with Allan’s family and those were treasured times. We had a sharp stab of how much we missed these gatherings when a church friend invited us to her in-laws’ house for barbecue and it was nice to interact with elders who are around our parents’ age. There was also a Sunday lunch with Singaporean friends recently and it was a pleasure to meet their parents, who lavished us with goodies from gingko nut bamboo skin dessert, preserved kumquat to carrot cake! About a year ago, I had a sudden panic attack that some missed calls were from my parents and there was great worry and foreboding of my parents’ state of health. Thank God they are well…

 

And to top the whole winter experience, both of us started scratching… We knew that winter is an especially dry season, and we tried whatever self-medication or off-the-shelf cream that appear to be effective. But when red welts started to form for Allan and the itch had become unbearable, we had to visit the after-hours GP at a nearby hospital on Sunday. And Allan was told that he was just at the brink of having to be hospitalised for eczema… Woah…