Love, Peace, Joy

"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Surely, Lord , you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield."

Psalm 5:11-12 NIV

 

As per every year, I went back Malaysia with my parents to visit my relatives that I mostly see once a year. This year, since CNY overlapped with the weekends, it became a longer stay of 4 days 3 nights.
I'm not sure if it's because these are people that I don't see often, or because so many things just happened this year, or because I'm finally mature enough to realise these things, but this has been a very emotionally challenging trip.
And by emotions, I mean things like reluctance, empathy, sympathy, helplessness, love, peace and happiness.
I don't want to go into details about what happen because they are private, but I cannot deny the impact that has burdened my heart because of these events that happened in such a short period of time.
There are happy things as well as unhappy things, but regardless of whichever, it has really gotten me to think a lot more of what I can do that is humanly possible but limited, and what I cannot, which makes me feel so helpless and sad.
But here are some conclusions that I've drawn out myself based on my own reflections and thinking:
1. All parents in this world love their children. It's a given, but sometimes I do admit that I take that for granted or even take advantage of it. But if you ever get the chance to see it in the eye of a parent that kind of love that they have for their child regardless of what he has done, despite the anger/disappointment/hurt that leaks out, you'll probably understand where I'm coming from. At the end of the day, despite their frustrations and lack of expression of love, or even wrong or awkward expressions of love, they only want what's best for their children. The only thing is not to realise how much you love someone until it's too late. Sometimes, things can never have a second chance.

2. Every second is precious when you spend them with your loved ones. Since I don't go back Malaysia often, many relatives really only see me once a year. And I do have some relatives that I'm a lot closer too. So being able to see them and spend time with them is something that I value a lot. The truth is that no one lives forever. We will all die someday. So I guess what's most important is that we learn to treasure every moment we have with each other while we still can.

3. Money is not everything. There are other more important things. Naturally, when you think about CNY, you would think about red packets and the money inside. In addition, now that I'm working and earning my own salary, the financial independence definitely plays a significant role in my view of money. Not sure if it's a this year thing, but everywhere I go, the conversation always revolves around money and earning big bucks (everybody wants to 发财 during this period). But I guess the unfortunate thing is that I do not share the same sentiments. Rather than wishing someone earn big bucks in the new year (whether it's for formality sake or not), I would rather wish the person good health and wisdom, which is intangible but all the more important in my opinion. After all, these are just some of the many things that money cannot buyand replace.

So before the 15 days of Chinese New Year ends, here's wishing everyone 身体健康，快乐平安. ((^w^))

Happy Chinese New Year!!

My laptop is back to normal again!! \((^o^))/
I shall make good use of this period before it becomes cranky again.

I'm probably not going to have the time to blog anymore until the end of CNY, so I thought I should just talk about it now.
As usual, I'll be going back to Malaysia. And as usual, the same question I ask myself every year is what should I wear this year? What makeup palette should I bring back this year? What stuff should I pack so as to travel as light as possible but not compromise on the necessary things I need?
As of now, I'm still thinking which eyeshadow palette I should bring back. I was previously considering my NAKED Basics, but there's limit to the kind of looks I make create with that. So I'm now thinking about bring back my NAKED2 palette instead. Also, I'm thinking of bring my NAKED Flushed palette because it's a 3-in-1 bronzer, blush and highlighter product, so I won't have to bring 3 individual products instead.
I also haven't really decided what do wear for CNY, but I think it'll probably be something that I brought during my grad trip last year.
Anyway, aside from that, I'm kind of looking forward to meeting some relatives that I'm normally close to. It's quite sad that we usually meet like once a year.
Also, I'm 2000% sure that the question of whether I have a job and what is it will pop up. Oh well, no matter how much I don't like it, I'll just have to face it and get it over with.

In other news,

1. I finally got my very own namecard!!! The very first namecard in my life, so I'm super excited about it!! I do carry a few in my wallet, so if you see me, I'll be more than happy to give you one. ((^w^))
2. Maybelline recently have some new colourful eyeliners and nail polishes. I saw that it was on offer of buy 3 get 1 free, so I might have done a little shopping today. Haha.
3. Mizuki Nana is coming out with a new album in April! And before that, BoA's new Japanese single is coming out in March!
4. I have 4.5 days of leave to clear before the end of March. And I'm allowed to start clearing even before my probation ends. So that's cool.
5. Getting quite a bit of freebies at work lately, including a running man hoodie. Ah, I just love free stuff my job.

The Joy of Teaching

It's the end of another week. And I realized that I haven't been blogging as frequently as I would like to. I shall try my best, but work is indeed very draining and time consuming.
Another problem is my laptop is being funny with me again. This time round, it doesn't seem to charge at all despite me attaching the external power source. At this rate, it'll probably just die from a lack of battery. (Using my bro's iPad to blog as we speak.)
Haven't even reach my second payday and I seriously want/need a lot of things. New laptop, iPad mini, credit card, etc... How am I going to save up like this? *sigh*

Anyway, since the start of the year, I've actually been teaching Sunday School in church.
My class has about 5-7 kids weekly from the age group of P4-P6.
Honestly, I was a bit reluctant to teach full time because it means that it's a weekly commitment that requires to prepare lessons beforehand. And even though I'm rotating with another teacher whereby we take alternate months, I wasn't sure how well I would be able to juggle this with my work (which my workload is increasing).
But I guess like always, when God wants me to do something for Him, He will definitely provide.
3 weeks into 2014, and 3 lessons done, I must say that I'm really enjoying teaching and interacting with the kids. It's unexpected, but it's quite a joy to prepare for lessons weekly and go in and teach them with the hope that God will be able to touch their hearts and teach them something for the day.
I'm really starting to think that this might be something that is God-willed, rather than self-willed. Just the other day, my mum brought out a book that she bought some time ago about teaching Sunday School and passed it to me, saying that she had bought it in the first place for me to read. Though it's still lying in my room untouched (Lol!), but everything seems to be coming together and leading me in one direction.

I feel like ever since I started working, I seemed to have gained new insights to my Christian life.
I definitely have more confidence in prayer and I feel like I'm learning to seek His will more and explore the opportunities that He has placed in my life. I also feel like I am able to see more of His hand at work, which many times surprises me at how much He blesses.
As, I've mentioned before, Christianity is not a one-off thing that ends with baptism. Rather, baptism is but the beginning of the journey of knowing God and having an intimate relationship with Him.
I guess as I embark on this new chapter in my life, I'll continue to see more and learn more about Him and his wonderful will that He has planned for me. The journey is never easy, but I hope to find comfort in trusting that He knows what's best for me.

Work-life Balance

久しぶりのさくらです☆
It's been a while since I last blogged, especially since I've changed my blog layout this year.
Now I finally understand the busyness that comes with work. Somehow, blogging just doesn't seem that high in my priority list anymore.
I try my best to leave work on time. But when I reach home, the important things are dinner, bath and catching up on dramas. And I'm not joking or showing off when I say catching up on dramas is work.
Anyway, the thing about dramas is that once you start watching, it's hard to stop until you get to the end of the series. Also, it's very time consuming, which probably explains why I don't seem to have the time to do other things.
With that said, having worked a little over a month, I'm still trying to find that balance between work and personal life.
It's really not easy, especially it seems as though my interest seems to overlap with work, so it's difficult to find that distinction and draw the line.
I'm watching shows because my work requires me to. But at the same time, if I like the show that I'm watching, it also because somewhat an interest rather than just plainly work.
Basically, I'm still a little confused. So I'll probably need some time to clear up things with myself.
But so far, I think attaining work-life balance is also about having the right mentality. Work seriously when it's time to work. Rest well when it's the time to rest. Don't think about work the moment I leave the office. And so on...
It might be too early to say so, but I really truly deeply hope that I won't have to view work emails when I get home. Haha. Very important.
It's another work week up ahead! As usual, I shall try to sleep early, stay humble and work hard! ((^.^))