Here comes August!

Watched The Simpsons Movie today... been quite a while since I've been to the cinema but it was good! Really slapstick-comedy with your everyday Simpsons humour. This guy in the cinema was really enjoying it for some reason... laughed so loud! Must be a die-hard Simpsons fan.

Anyway! Had a good laugh though but ya... like what Homer said at the very beginning..."Why spend money watching a show that you can watch for free on television!?" Haha really enjoyed the fellowship more than the movie ultimately.

Somehow the crowd's different & different is great! A big shout out to Jon for organising! Thanks!! =)

2 more minutes to August 1st... which actually marks the end of my 2nd month & new beginnings of the 3rd month working in CCSS Carehut!

PTL!

Bull Run, We also run...

Well, ok... we didn't really run. We walked briskly. Anyway, was really an interesting event that got all of us acquainted with AMK's heartland! We visited AMK hub and all... my first time really roaming around AMK even though it's a stone's throw haaa...

It was kinda like a cell thing but we - Raymond, Clement & myself - formed another group with new people but think we had pretty good group dynamics so all went well! They divided us all into groups & packed us all into buses which brought us to (& from) our destinations - AMK & TPY. HuiFang!! You should have been with us!!! Haha! Anyway...

There were about 5 tasks with the first, grocery shopping! Then we had to decipher a picture taken from (wethink) AMK central playground. On a whole it was fun! Came back for supper & a time of fellowship! Here are the photos (thanks to efficient GuoXing!)

Oh! Got the Hillsong's 'Extravagant Worship' book by Darlene Zschech from Jon! Thanks Jon (if you're reading this! =)) He actually gave it to me! How nice right! Haha!

Taking half of Monday off... The morning off that is. Going out with Qing to check out the winding down GSS a last time before it's over.

apologies for the picture... Don't know why it's not straight up when I uploaded it straight up... hmm... anyway...

My colleague, Shona, that's her with her soon to be born baby Trina, showed me a brochure sent by SSTI & Monash Uni concerning a degree in Social Work for VWO staff. Was thinking of taking it up part-time... then again i'll really have to pray for funding. Maybe I'll postpone the thought to the 6th intake in 2009 & just take up SSTI courses for a diploma first? Hmm...

Also just found out from my boss - pam's cousin btw! small world! - that there's a new part-time guy coming to help me when Shona's gone @ PT. Think I've really gotta start learning how to better manage carehut on my own so that I'll be just as good a teacher as Shona & Aunty Fongmin to the new guy haha! Anyway, not really looking forward to Shona leaving... Just when I made a good friend she's going sighs... but still can't wait to see little Trina in person instead of watching her kick within her mother. =)

Lots of things to do the nxt few weeks... more on the personal side actually. Thinking of what to do for Shona before she goes. Think God has been great in allowing me to meet different people working in the social work line... Like today my Host I/C was this lady working in MCYS with Youths so talked with her more about social work & all... Then in my group for the Bull run event, there's another lady working in MCYS in the family side! Divine appointments! Haha! Ya... Praise God!

Another week's gone, another week to come.

So I decided to video the children...

2 in particular... Tadah!

I am Fik & Rong Ching!

Le Vitamin - Drama in words

Act 1, Scene 1

P6 girl, YH, llllooovess to eat, a real loud shrill speaker every hour of the day, barges in "screaming":
"Auntyyyyy.... What's that!!"
We're about to reply but:
"OOO... Vitamins ah! So good!!! Who give one???"
We, the Aunties, say:
"Oh, Guardian actually donated these to us, so each child in Carehut gets one Bright Eyes & Vitamin C."
YH:
"Wahhh!!! I want!!! *she picks up the Bright Eyes box* "AYE!!! Grape flavour!!!! I like!!!"
"Can I eat now?? Can not!!! Can right!!!"
In the background:
"Err, YH I think you should go home and.... Wait!!! Don't open the box yet!! YH!"
YH:
"Can la... can la!! *turns to the nearest boy behind her proudly saying* Aye! You seee! I can eat one now leh!! *opens box*"
Aunty Aunty:
"YH!!!" *YH pops one into her mouth*
YH:
"MmMmmmm... wah! so nice lor!!! *chew chew chew*"

Act 1, Scene 2

Diao...:
"Ok... BUT just eat ONE! The instructions says One tablet daily. So it's 1 each day. Ok?"
YH still in her euphoria:
"YAY!! SO nice!!! I'm going to show my friends! Let them try!"
In *hidden* desperation:
"NO!! Stay where you are. Did you hear what we said?"
YH descending from air:
"Ok la... 1 a day la."
Phew!:
"Ok, good. Same goes for the Vitamin C ah..."

Act 1, Scene 3 (Final scene)

YH gets excited...:
"OH YAR!!! YAY!!! I can eat the Vitamin C now!!!!"
Diao... again...:
"*expression: DIAO...* YH!!! Remember 1 of each KIND of Vitamin A day ok!!!"
YH elated:
"Okokokok!! *pops 1 Vitamin C into mouth* WAHHHHH SO NICE!!!!"
"I like this one too!!! Aunty!!! Can I have more???"

SFX (end):
Den1 Den3 Deeennn1....

- The End -

Screen credits (roll)

Beautiful Women's Month

Celebrating Beauty in July!

For Attractive Lips, speak words of kindness,
For Lovely Eyes, seek out the good in people,
For a Slim Figure, share your food with the hungry;
For Beautiful Hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day;
For Poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

"Beauty Tips" by Audrey Hepburn

This goes out to...

Welcoming dear Forrest into the Lim Family!!!

He's cute, he's cuddly, he's... Forrest Lim!! I still think, Qing, that at the rate of his cute factor, your family will throw a big bash for his 1st birthday haha!

Random thoughts & musings...
1) Sleepovers can still be fun with your best friend any age. No, rephrase. Fun even when u're slightly older. Can't imagine a sleepover when we're 50... or 40 for that matter... Can u? Haha!
2) Thinking of a name to call your pet can be a ludicrous experience especially if you decide on a specific theme. Let's call it... Orrr... Lua!!
3) Why do some dress shoes feel perfect & comfortable when you wear them at the store before purchase and after the purchase, give you pain & blisters wearing them out the first time??!!
4) Is it a trend to play the techno version of a timeless classical piece at weddings to emphasize the dawn of a new age, the move toward modernity??
5) I love kids! You know the show "Kids say the darnest things"? "Ah... Aunty Sarah... Can switch off the fan & on the aircon?" "Are you feeling cold?" "No, I very very hot. Please? Can switch off and only have aircon??" It's so true.

Give in...

Been resisting blogging this but I can't anymore! I just HAVE TO coz it's SOOOOO CUTE!!!! Ok reading it would really be not-as-cute coz' it's a hear & see thing but anyway... if you're interested ask me & I'll show it to you!

A few of my P4 kids showed me this:

Didi (break) Didi - A Baby shark
Didi (break) Didi - A Mama shark
Didi (break) Didi - A Papa shark

Didi (break) Didi - A Grandma shark
Didi (break) Didi - A Grandpa shark

Didi (break) Didi - A Shark attack!
Didi (break) Didi - I swim like mad!
Didi (break) Didi - I swim like mad!

Didi (break) Didi - I lost an arm...
Didi (break) Didi - Another arm.
Didi (break) Didi - I lost a leg...
Didi (break) Didi - Another leg.

Didi (break) Didi - I lost my head!
Didi (break) Didi - A Heart attack!!
Didi (break) Didi - Diiiiiiiiiiiiiii........................................ *flatline*
Di1 di3di3 Di2di3 Di2 Di1!!

Ok typing this made me feel silly but ya... it's sooo cute with the actions!!! Ask me!! :p

Sniff sniff, cough cough

Yes, the diagnosis is in. I'm sick... Again!!?!? Blame it on the change in temperatures... Hothot cold cold hot cold cold hot. Boo... What's weird is that with the fever I didn't have chills or anything. I just felt really hot. With my nose, it just kept feeling irritated. With my throat, woke up with a little pain but past few hours it's been alright. Wells hope I'll recover soon...

Anyways, took half a day tml so going in after lunch... Oh and the parents are back safe n sound with Star Cruise photos haha!

Ok. Sneeze break!

The True Vine

The parents are off on their 2 night 3 day trip to Redang via cruise. Cleared one of my half day in lieu to send them off this arvo. Pray for God's protection & strength & joy along with the group of people with them.

The day's turned out pretty hot. Think I've sort of come down with a fever/flu of some sort but ya still quite alright to take Bon's out for a stroll just now. Guess the fresh air did both of us good =)

Managed to capture most of today's Staff Devotion with the lousy sick feeling. Thank God for His sustenance! Ps Bryan talked about Jesus as the true vine, coming back to Jesus as the source for strength for in-filling for ideas for everything. He drove a simple 'profound' point through which is we can't force fruits from the vine. It's true. Self-check.

He noted that in our ministry, we're giving off our life & this may drained us, physically spiritually, if we don't go back to our Father.

Lord, thank you for reminding me to go back, every moment, to Your Living Word. I, the branch, can't survive without You, my true vine. So please be my sustenance instead of me striving to work things out with my own strength. Amen.

Today was also the third time I spent time @ PL in the morning. Was good cause got to catch up & get to know better the rest of the CCSS staff. Did some reading as well! Borrowed 2 books, "Games for reading - For the young beginner" (hoping this will help Fik to learn to read better & the rest to learn to spell... their English is quite a concern for us) & "Setting Limits in the Classroom" (an alternative method to dealing with all the bad habits & disruptive behaviour going on).

Ok beginning to perspire (should be a good sign right?) Haha! Think I shld get sleeping. Till the next post...

Signing off!

It's a long drive...

Been driving a whole lot nowadays. Ok rephrase. Been more adventurous in driving around unfamiliar places in Sg the past week. Thank God He's been my eyes & ears on the road, my protection in times of impatient taxi drivers, reckless truckers, feisty luxury sports cars & not-scared-to-get-banged motorcyclists! My very help in time of honks. Haha!

Anyway what's there to update? I'm tired. Have been like dosing off everywhere possible to dose off. Basically due to the extensive weekend programme last week. Friday, drove all the wa to Marsiling MRT to pick Qing. Almost thought I was going to be lost at the Causeway to JB.

Saturday, the children were sponsored a Car Treasure Hunt (seemed more like an excursion to the farms@Choa Chu Kang/Lim Chu Kang in a whole chain of cars). Visited the Fish farm, Goat farm, Vege farm... Wetlands... ya.

Thank God for great weather (cool & breezy) & for the joy & safety. The children were thoroughly pampered, literally showered with sweets & snacks & presents! The P6's were on their own in individual cars while the younger ones went in pairs & us staff tagged along with them. I was assigned to Ryan (P4). He's actually one of the naughtiest boys in PTCarehut. Constantly being picked on because of his weird behaviour & bad social manners. I mean he's just asking for it. What tops the cake is that he totally enjoys the 'attention' the other kids give him. So ya. It meant unco-operativeness, bottomline? A test of patience.

Remembered an incident where he made me really fuming. Literally had to isolate myself in the office chanting, "God, give me grace... give me grace..." think he was too noisy, picked his nose in front of the kids & started flicking you-know-what at them. Then, the kids being irritated, ganged up against him (8-1), cornered him & taped his mouth with masking tape. He was so angry he cried for like 10 secs, paused, laughed the loudest laughter I've ever heard & he didn't stop laughing till much later.

Anyway, think it was a blessing being placed with him for a full day. Learned a lot of his 'other side' - the better side. Though there's still a lot of bad habits to try changing. Ha...

After the outing, had to rush down to St Paul's for worship pract. They had Youth Sunday & needed a keyboardist for both service sessions on Sunday. I was exhausted. Got home & just stoned on the couch.

Anyway, one of the worship leaders pricked my conscience after service. He wanted to check my commitment to worship there & sure enough the conversation went into whether serving 2 churches was a good thing. His opinion? Not. It's been on my mind since I started but been consciously brushed aside till now. Where does my allegiance lie? I would say TCC. But there's still the feeling of a need to be @ StPaul's.

Need vs Want, Want vs Need?

Lord, give me discernment & direction. Where You want me to be, I'll go.