Take it from the seed...

I've been into planting/gardening lately. For me, there is some sort of connection when i dig the ground, touch the earth or feel the leaves. I just realized that there's so much joy and fulfillment in seeing a plant grow, a sprouting seedling. And tell you, a mere seedling can speak in volumes!

When i see a seedling, it gives me such joy because it symbolizes new life, a new beginning and a Wonderful Creator who made it.

Photographed by Aloke :)

I remember Holly Wagner said(as i paraphrase)," Each day you hold in your hand the seeds for tomorrow. But if you dont kneel down, dig a hole and plant them, they will remain seeds."

And God said, " Look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food." - Genesis 1:29

...growing orchids...

Yesterday - thats Friday..the whole day..yes, literally the WHOLE day i was so busy potting ang hanging orchids.... It's so tiring, but the feeling of fulfillment is different. Imagine, i was able to pot & hang 30(thirty) orchids! :D WoW! I only realized that when i finally finished and counted them. Most of them i placed on charcoal since i dont have enough pots, anyways charcoal is also good for orchids since its cooler :)



Little kids saw me so busy & so they helped me...they sprayed the orchids at the same time having fun! Such a nice feeling! Today, after my breakfast i went to spray my orchids...and the kids came and volunteered to do it...hehehe they seem to really enjoy doing that.



So i have here some pics of my dear little friends and my orchids...Enjoy! :)


**my cute friends are Pamie & 'Tol, and they call me "Miga"( short for Amiga - means friend) **

about staying at our post...

I am reading the book WarriorChicks by Holly Wagner and i want to share with you an excerpt from the book...

Jesus stayed at HIS post, the Bible tells us. "for the joy set before him"

He did not quit.

He completed His journey because He saw us, you and me in His future.

we are the joy that was set before Him.

He stayed at His post...for us.

I don't know to which posts you have been assigned. Maybe you are a student. Finish that class. Stay at that post.

How about your job? Can you remain faithful to that post?

Do you have a goal? A mission? A vision? Stay at your post.

I am doing my best to stay at the posts to which I have been assigned.

How about you?

People are watching us as we stay at our post,

alertly, unswervingly...

in hard times, tough times, bad times;

when we're beaten up, jailed and mobbed;

working hard, working late, working without eating;

with pure heart, clear head, steady hand;

in gentleness, holiness, and honest love;

when we're telling the truth, and when God's showing his power;

when we're doing our best setting things right;

when we're praised, and when we're blamed;

slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted;

ignored by the world, but recognized by God;

terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead;

beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die;

immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy;

living on handouts, yet enriching many;

having nothing, having it all.

-2 Corinthians 6:3-10

***a BIG thanks to my sister Cathy who left this book in our room... and for letting me borrow without permission.. :P I love you sis!

*** and thanks to Holly Wagner...for staying at her post... :) i'm blessed!

the ME is listening..

I'm checking online while listening the radio on DYFR(..the life changing radio..). Some lyrics just stayed stuck on my head over again..

" I will fight for you..by the power of My Spirit, says the LORD!"

"..the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"Out of all the voices calling out to meI will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth.."

"...God said that He's a Healing GOD... Oh heal me oh LORD and i will be healed..."

"..be it unto me according to YOUR Word!"


Thank You, LOrd! I'm blessed! :)

...of Daily Bread

Today's Fare:

Sandwiches à le Bloke, and a serving of arrogance.

Forgiveness for Dessert, if you can stomach it after the former.

****

First, the sandwiches. À le Bloke. A happy story:)!

By sandwiches, I really mean sandwiches:). I decided to make myself some after spending too much time and effort in the *ahem* toity . I've been eating out so much since my arrival in Singapore, it's screwed up my digestive system. And I'd just had it tuned up and oiled over my six weeks in Laos, eating all those veggies and all that fruit!!

I went to the supermarket, and bought stuff for the sandwiches - ketchup, mustard spread, cheese, ham, wholewheat bread, a couple of cucumbers, onions, and those little salad tomatoes. I also bought a bunch of other stuff. The bagger at the counter put everything in two bags, and I paid her and walked out with took ONE bag:).

When I got home, all excited about the yummy sandwiches I was gonna have for dinner, I opened the bag I had, only to find that its contents were a loaf of bread, ketchup, mustard, wax (for my bike; highly inedible), a carton of fruit juice, and two bars of chocolate. No ham, no cheese, no yummy veggies... and I was so disappointed and incredibly mad at myself for being such an absent-minded bum and hurrying home with ONE bag.

Ycar was waiting for me online when I got home, which was really a blessing because otherwise I would most likely have had a restless night. I expressed to her how upset I was about my stupidity, and she very kindly said that it was all okay, and I didn't have to be so upset.

Well, I went back to the supermarket the next evening, and when the bagger saw me she smiled immediately and said "Hello! You left so many things here yesterday-ah!! Please go to the service counter and show them your receipt!"

So I did, and they told me to go back and pick out the same items I'd left behind, and they'd clear them for me. I couldn't express how happy and grateful I was!! I kept thanking the lady at the service counter, and when I was done I went back in and queued up just so I could tell the bagger how thankful I was:).

So yay!! Praise God! Now I have my yummy sandwiches to eat, and a happy story to tell:)


I told you this'd be a happy story:).

***

And now, a serving of arrogance. A sad story.

I biked to school again!! Today was different though - it was raining hard, and I had to go slow so as not to get my clothes all dirty with the spray from my tires - so it took a bit longer than usual, but it was fun! And the rain was nice and cool, so I didn't get all hot and sweaty. I was still drenched though!

Anyway, the lecture began, and I felt myself heating up at the delightfully racist remarks. Here are the most common ones, repeated quite often every lesson we've had so far.

"Singapore is better than your country"
"Service Quality in Singapore is better than it is in your country"
"Singapore is better than China, India, and Vietnam"

This time, my dad was online when I got home, so I told him what had happened, and he gave me a bit of fatherly wisdom:

"Focus on things over which YOU have control and CAN change rather than trying to civilize everybody else... next time you hear chauvinistic, arrogant, stupid and ultra-nationalistic shit, disregard it just as you would disregard shit. Because we do not mess with it."

So there.

***

And lastly, Forgiveness for dessert. Right after my daily bread.

To the people who dish out remarks dipped in arrogance and prejudice:

There's a huge part of me that wishes I could put a stop to your idiocy. But I have decided to disregard that part of me, and that part of you. Not because I am any better than you - God knows I have my own share of faults - but because my Master wishes me to do so. I choose to forgive you instead of stand up against you. Blessings to you, my friends, in Jesus' name.

...of Smugness

I've been in Singapore for close to three weeks now. Which means I am still very new to the place. It only took me a few days, however, to discover how smug some of the people here can be (I'm not making any generalizations here, so don't go flaming me for stereotyping).

Upon my first visit to church in Singapore, one of the people who was called to entertain me after the service asked me how I liked Singapore. I replied, "Well, it's a great city, and it's very clean and organised, but I would rather live in Laos or in the Philippines, someplace where there aren't so many cars, buildings, and busy people."

He simply couldn't believe it! This is what he said (as I remember it) - "How can you say that!? How can you not like to live here, when you come from a place that's worse than here?"

*Thought*

Did you say 'worse'? By whose standards? Watch it, pal, you're asking around for a broken nose

*End Thought*

I tried to explain to him that I like nature as it was meant to be - wild and untamed. Not like you see it in Singapore, where all the trees and plants grow only where they are 'supposed to' grow, the hedges are pruned to how they are 'supposed to' look, and the grass is mowed down to how short it is 'supposed to' be.

But he still didn't get it. He said, "You're just running away. You can't stop development."

"Well, perhaps I am running away. It doesn't matter to me. And as much as I can, I will try and enjoy as much as I can of God's good earth as He meant it to be" I replied.

***

I mentioned in my previous post about how excited I am about my new bike! It hasn't worn off yet:).

Well, I'd browsed through some of the Singaporean forums, some of them specifically for bikers, and I found that a LOT of people had had their bikes stolen even though they'd locked them. Big bikes, little bikes, cheap bikes, expensive bikes, motorised bikes, pushbikes... it didn't seem to matter.

Read it yourself:
1. http://cyclinginsingapore.blogspot.com/2008/03/bicycle-theft-central.html
2. http://www.singaporebikes.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4565042
3. http://togoparts.com/forum/showthread.php?fid=6&tid=56330

There are many more stories out there.

Anyway, my point is that I am seriously scared of having my bike stolen (trust me, I've had mine stolen before and I was literally in tears), so when I got to school, I asked the guard if I could take it inside and he smiled and said yes.

I used to take my bike inside the classroom sometimes while in the Philippines. It was never an issue, and this was done by other students and professors too. I figured I'd take my bike inside the classroom here, so I did - I just leaned it against the wall, and the class went by just fine. The professor didn't have any problems with it, nor did any of the students.

When the class ended, however, this guy - obviously one of the faculty - walked up to me and said "Why did you bring your bike inside? This is a school, not a parking lot."

"Well sir, I am just worried that someone might steal it" I replied

And he says "What? Have you ever heard of anyone bringing a car into the classroom? You go to the student council to ask them where you can put your bike."

So I smiled and told him I would.

I couldn't believe that a Singaporean can be so bloody rude. I do now though.

Consider an alternative scenario:
I walk out of class, and this faculty member spots me. He quietly calls me aside, smiles, and tells me that they don't allow bikes inside the classrooms, so could I park it somewhere else, and (if he were REALLY nice) he will try to help me find a safe place to lock it.

I happily agree, having been reassured that they do care for my bike's safety at least a bit. No hassles, nobody's upset, nobody is rude. Problem solved.

***

Another professor actually went so far as to call Americans 'Banana people' and 'Potato people' while lecturing in class.

***

And while we were in the middle of a lecture, two guys walked in, called out a girl's name, and said "Will you step out please?"

This girl is just eighteen, she is new to the school, new in Singapore... all of us thought she was in big trouble. I can't imagine how scared she herself must've been.

A few minutes she comes in, visibly shaken, packs her stuff, tells us that she's to be placed in another class, and walks out. And one of the two guys announces to the class "This girl has been coming to the wrong class for two weeks" and shakes his head and smiles like he is so cool and smart and she is just a stupid little girl.

She actually cried. And that was the first day that she'd actually enjoyed being at school because she'd finally started to talk with us and found that we were nice, friendly people.

What had happened was that the girl had been given TWO different schedules, meant for two different sections. And she decided to go by the first schedule that had been given to her. Of course, her name wasn't on the list of students enrolled in the class, but then even my name isn't on it, nor are the names of atleast a dozen other 'legitimate' students. So no worries, right?

Again, consider an alternative scenario:

The two guys give a note to the professor, who then quietly informs the girl that she is to go and meet such-and-such a person after the class is done. When she goes to meet them, they ask her why she has been attending the wrong classes, and when they find out she was given TWO schedules, they apologise for the confusion, and tell her that she needs to be moved to another section because that's where she was originally meant to be.

Why must they apologise? Because they had given her TWO schedules. She didnt' take two on purpose. Also, they run the school, they know how things work. She is just eighteen, and a stranger in town. How could she know where to go unless the instructions are made clear?

But no, they have to come in, make a huge issue out of it, and then go further and embarass her by telling the entire class. And what's worse, when she tried to explain to the PRINCIPAL that many students in the class didn't have their names on the official class list (Yes, a lot of us actually sign our attendance on a 'make-do' list even two weeks into class), he told her "So if your friends jump off a tall building, will you jump too?"

What farking rubbish!!!

I keep hearing (and I am sure I will continue to hear) about how GREAT the Singaporean Airline service is, and how NONE OTHER comes close. And how GREAT the Singaporean hospitality industry is, and how NONE OTHER in Asia comes close. For all their talk of 'hospitality management', 'customer satisfaction' and 'service quality', these people are hardly practicing it themselves. Quite a sorry act, I say.

***

I do not want to lead anyone to believe that I think all Singaporeans are like this. Read my previous post about how happy I was about having met some of the people here:). However, these few incidents, and these few people... they form a significantly large percentage of the people I've met in Singapore. And this is what they are like.

Smug? Egocentric? Pompous, pretentious, proud, and priggish? Self-righteous,arrogant, insolent, condescending, disdainful, and hoity toity? I don't know. You tell me.

I have to try and love them.

...of Starting Out

It's been a while since either of us last blogged! Ycar was busy preparing for her exams, and I think she might've had her attention diverted (temporarily, of course) as we began to work out the finer details of our long-distance relationship as I moved to Singapore.

I have been busy getting life started over again in yet another new place! God has been very gracious, as He always is! Here's a list of what's happened over the last couple of weeks. (hahaha, yes, a LIST. Sorry, I don't have the patience or the inspiration to write these down in a manner that's more uh... appealing)

- I arrived in Singapore, no problems at all!
- I had a friend put me up at his place for the first few days (thanks Pradeep bhai)
- I found a nice room to live in
- Classes began!
- I've met a few nice people and I'm looking forward to spending more time with them
- I have been around town a bit and my surroundings are gradually getting more familiar
- I have an internet connection at home!!
- I made myself sandwiches for dinner tonight after having eaten out for two weeks!! YAY!

and finally...

- I have a brand spanking new BIKE!!!

Here it is:)



I rode it to school and back today! Here's a list of what I learnt from today's ride. (Yes, another list!)

- First off, four months off the saddle can render you haplessly unfit. I only did about 21 km today and my knees are actually sore.
- Although many people ride bicycles in Singapore, they ride theirs on the pavements. So if I decide to ride on the roads, I'm the odd one out.
- Cyclists (or bikers, if you will) do not wear helmets in Singapore. They aren't even required to do so. So much for their supposed penchant for rules!
- If I'm not careful, I might just end up someplace I'm not supposed to be, like the freeway. And I didn't even know I was on it until I stopped to look at the map and figure out where I was.
- It rains here even when the sun is shining.
- Some professors are hired just to antagonize you. There's nothing else to it. That's their job. Don't even ask. I have officially lost my faith in these so called 'educational institutions'. They're all just shoddy businesses asking exorbitant fees and providing lousy service. It doesn't matter where you go, or how big or small they are.

Well, that said... there are always reasons to be cheerful. I am very happy about some of the people I've met here. They've been very kind and very accomodating:). I joined a very nice group of young Christians last Saturday, and I will be joing another similar group soon, thanks to a friend who's showing me around:). I also have the capacity to bike now, which brings a lot of exciting prospects to mind. I badly need to get in shape though, before I try to pull off one of those cool long-distance trips I'm always raving about. And although I am alone, I'm really in very good hands. I know there are people in at least 4 different countries who love me, think of me, and pray for me. I have access to the internet right here in my room, so I can talk with my sister, my parents, ycar, or just about anyone who's also online:). And if they aren't, there's always e-mail!

So... another new start! One that isn't too bad either:). Yay!