Difficult and Necessary

I think God had a good idea of how hard it is to reconcile stuff with our family, which is why he made special mention of it.

Anyway, it is done. I am not happy with the outcome, but its always hard to do the important things. Otherwise they won't be worth doing.

Stuff and Service

Two things were highlighted to me this weekend.

1. Stuff. We spent waay to much of our life just collecting it. The pursuit of happyness does not equal how much stuff we have, but how many relationships we have blessed by our time and our resources. I was painfully made aware of the fact that this is a principal that must be taught and taught well, because it is in direct opposition to how the world operates. And before I teach it, I must internalise it and live it as well.

2. When you serve in church, it is very easy for the things you do to become about the things you do. I was reminded by a dear friend, S., to remember to bring my service attitude everytime. That what I do is not for me, or even for people, but to glorify my God. When I was in corporate employment, I reminded myself frequently that my job was to make my boss look good. And I think that still applies, if not even more so now.

Making God look good means to bring a servant heart to every aspect of my ministry. And I need to constantly remember that.

A new chapter

October has marked a new chapter in my journey with God where I find myself having to trust Him more than ever for provision, for peace and for sanity.

God, I pray that you will see us through this month with flying colours. That the challenges of exams, work, relationships and even leisure are managed with Your wisdom.

Official Opening

While the church was officially opened over 2000 years ago, my church officially opened its new building last Sunday. We started the service with a glorious rendition the Hallelujah Chorus, with a little poetic license thrown in, in the form of rap, beatboxing, rock and hip hop dance.

It is really great to be part of such a great house of God. As much as I love my personal relationship with Jesus, I really love being part of the family. The way everyone worked together, gave off their hearts, their time and their talents to come together to worship and honour God.

How cool was that?

His love consumes me.

I sometimes sit here alone,
My head hung in shame.

At the way I live, my thoughts, my actions
The things I do in my secret heart.

Then one day, as I sit
came this stranger to the well

He wasn't handsome, like I have known handsome
But his eyes were kind and his gentle hands

They held mine, like He knew me
Like I knew Him

And the next moment,
I did KNOW him.
And not only did I know Him,
I loved him.

And his love consumed me.
This man at the well.
He quenched my thirst and took my poor water
in exchange for his sweet and satisfying one.

And everyday he waits for me,
by this well, where sometimes I go.

ANd when I go, He is happy to see me
and wants me like I need to be wanted.

I love my Man at the well,
and His love consumes me.

Weddings and Dedications

Last Saturday was a whirlwind of activity what with my cousin Joe getting married on Saturday and FGA's new building dedication on Sunday morning. Needless to say, I was grateful for the National Day PH to finally get some downtime.

But I digress...

Joe's wedding sermon by Pastor Stanley Wong is what I want to talk about. Unlike the soppy message about love and wonderful memories and children and turtledoves, his message was more like a deterrent to marriage, if you think its about the above.

He said," Marriage is not about happiness; its about holiness".

WHAM! It hit me like a bolt from the blue.

"The more difficult your spouse is, the more opportunity you have to let God work in you and increase your holiness."

WHAM! again.

I am not saying I liked hearing it. I am just saying it said something to me.

Patsy Rodenburg: Why I do theater | Video on TED.com

Patsy Rodenburg: Why I do theater | Video on TED.com

This totally made me re-evaluate my objectives for why I love theatre so much! And made me ask, if this without God, then how much more can Christian theatre speak into people's lives and let God start the healing process.

Please watch, its totally worth the ten minutes.

Theatre Review - The Manganiyar Seduction

When I first signed up to watch this, I was expecting a night of feel good Rajasthani folk music with maybe some dancing thrown in.

Nothing prepared me for the moving, seductive, emotional roller coaster that is the performance by 43 Manganiyar musicians into a realm of music that has the ability to build your psyche to a fever pitch.

Starting with a long string instrument, the performance starts with a simple layer of soul-strumming notes that build, layer, upon layer, instrument upon instrument, voice upon voice, to a complete symphony that hypnotised, scincillated and completely consumed my senses.

When describing it to my friends, I compared it to a hurricane, that starts of with a low pressure zone, and then picks up strength, and builds, spirally every upward, pulling everything in its vicinity into its all consuming vortex.
It was the best visual parallel I could think of at the moment, and it hardly does it any justice.

I did not understand the language, did not know what they were singing about, but I do know that for 4 or 5 days afterwards, the refrain kept ringing in my head. If they come back, I already know of a few people I will drag along to watch it with me.

Side note: President Nathan was there!He had apparently come the night before, for the gala, and loved it so much, he came back the next night. It was thrilling to know that I have the same taste in music as our President! Ha ha.

Making memories with mama

Doing this skit for mother's day really makes me think about my relationship with my mother. She turns 61 this Friday and suddenly, I realise I am at the age where I first noticed her getting old. It surprisingly coincides with the time I became a teenager, but I am sure adolescent angst had nothing to do with the way I perceived her. (tongue firmly in cheek)

At 37, my mother was grumpy - alot. Everything I did annoyed her. I remember there was once I came home from school and was sitting at the table talking to her when suddenly, suddenly, she flew into a rage because I was sitting around in my uniform. It was confusing, it was like "you just noticed? I been sitting here for 30 minutes!"

At 37, my mother was not very sociable. She went to work, she came home. No parties, no exercise, no trips to visit people, nothing. It bothered me that she was quite happy pottering around her plants, or sitting in semi-darkness, listening to Tamil film music from the 40s and 50s. Aren't people who need people the luckiest people? I didn't get it.

At 37, my mother was very tired. She slept alot, in the afternoons, early in the evenings, on a bus, in a cab. All the time.

Now that she is 61, she is one of the most happening women. Her days are packed with morning runs, social visits, trips to JB, gatherings, parties. Ever since semi-retirement, its like her life really took off.

And I am tired. and grumpy. and not very sociable.

We have come full circle.

Restaurant Review - Wild Honey

One of the best things about this flexi-schedule that I have adopted is the opp to meet friends and angels for weird middle of the day meals and chit chat sessions. Had one recently with one of my goondu friends at an amazing brunch place called Wild Honey, located at the third floor of the Mandarin Gallery.

Ok, this is not, I repeat NOT, a cheao eats place. Brunch set us back about $70 bucks. When I say us, I mean him, because he was sweet enough to treat me after he noticed that I almost went into cardiac arrest upon looking at the menu/ price board.

But, oh, was it good.

I had the English Breakfast and the nectar of the gods for a drink. Except they call it Wild Mocha Dolce. It was the first time I was served more bacon than I could eat. The sauteed mushrooms were perfect, as was the link sausage and the most heavenly scrambled eggs. The toast was about as thick as my index finger and wonderfully buttered. My dining partner has the most atas looking eggs benedict, which tasted really good, and I dont really like eggs ben, so there you go.

And then we just figuratively popped our pants and sat there for another hour, like pythons that has swallowed a whole pig each. And talked. And dreamed. And were quiet together. AIn't it grand to have friends you can be quiet with? That you don't have to entertain. Or be entertained by.

The best thing about that morning, besides the great feed, was finding a place in your soul where you didn't feel rushed, and then finding a physical space that didn't rush you either. In Singapore at least, seldom do the twain meet.


Post note: I just went to hungrygowhere to read the reviews on Wild Honey and was really surprised to read all the really bad reviews on the food and service. My exprrience was nothing like that. Maybe they have pulled up their socks after those reviews. Or maybe all those reviewers went on weekends that are never good for any brunch place anyway. We went on the a Thursday.

But ya, I had a divine experience and I think you should try it for yourself.

Theatre Review - Chicago

Having booked tickets for this show in November, one can only imagine the excitement and anticipation that went into watching this at the magnificent Esplanade Theatre. Our seats were excellent, in the middle of the floor, literally. So, without further ado, it is on with the show.

And the brillant Aussie cast did not disappoint. From the amazing choreography of all the dance sequences to the amazing band that spent the entire time of stage, it was a great musical experience. It amazed me how much like a younger Madonna "Roxie" looked. Also amazing was the 8 foot tall (or so it seemed) Kitty, who literally had legs that went on for miles and a six-pack that would make any Manhunt contestant cringe in shame.

The ensemble cast did it for me more than any of the main parts, their collective talents going into making Chicago the great production that it is. Like the band, they too spent their off-stage time, on stage, sitting in chairs next to the wings and watching the actors like it was the first time they had seen this musical.

Of course no show is ever perfect and this one had its down moments too. Not too many, thankfully and probably none that will be noticed by the average audience member.

For one, Velma looked a little winded about halfway into the 1st half and when she lifted that obviously-too-heavy chair above her head, I really thought she was gonna brain herself in the head. It was a bit worrying, because they were only 3 days into the run, and she already looked sligghtly tired. Maybe it was the jetlag.

The other thing was this. While it is great that they had a black man in the production, they might have wanted to check if he could do a Mid-western accent before they gave him lines! It kind of ruined it for me that he had sort of Jamiacan-immigrant meets Cockney accent. Messed with my suspension of disbelief, as it were.

And yes, that was really his butt. He had a good coloured man butt. Get over it. Sheesh.(Sorry, a bit of passive agression there. But you won't beleive how much conversation that poor man's posterior elicited.)

If you have seen it yet, please go. The movie can't even compare, Richard Gere notwithstanding:)

Showing at the esplanade till 9 May 2010.

Where I have been for the past 3 months

Ever made a really big mistake and then realised that maybe that was just God's way of waking you up to the plans He has for you?

If I have to assign meaning to the last three months, then I think that would be it. Taking the job at [that company] was the wrong thing to do, but I am something right came out of it.

So the plan now is to see how stepping out of the safety of the career-boat is going to change my life. Putting priorities right is the most important thing to do, and yet its amazing how many of us get stuck in the "must have job" rut.

I am totally trusting God for this. Not myself, not my friends, not my connections, only him.

Am excited to see what God's gonna do. I think the last time I said that, was ten years ago.

Morning Train Rides

Living as I do in the far north, I have the option either to take the North-South Train or the Train that connects to the East West Line. They both take about the same time to get to my stop, so it doesn't really matter, but there are som real differences in the commuter profile for both.

North-South Line:
Lots of poly students getting of at Yio Chu Kang. Usually dishevelled, half asleep and move slowly.

Office workers tend to be more well-heeled, senior exec and above.

The men are more chivalrous, giving their seat to the needy and letting you read over their shoulder.

More expats who get on at Novena, Newton and Orchard.

East West Line:
More aunties. Where they are going that early, noone knows, but they sure can move fast when a seat empties...

More industrial worker and junior exec types.

When trains get super packed, more stations have those service ambassadors whose job seems to be to stand around and say in a weak voice "Move in, Move in."

More people who like to congregate near the doors.


I wonder if this is an accurate way to classify the social divisions in our society. North - young, well educated, high income?
West - Older, lower income?

Just a thought.

Long break

Its been a real long time since this blog has been updated. But with good reason.So much has happened, it will take me a long time to go into it. So I will do that another day. Suffice it to say I am well and happy and looking forward to the promises of the new year.

Cheers!