Monday, February 25, 2008

Tata for now

Today officially marks the start of my third week at work. Time flies when you're having fun. Wrong. Time flies when you have work up to your neck. In the past two weeks, I have attended countless press conferences, interviewed at least three millionaires and I even entered a house which costs S$35million. It has certainly been a hectic, new but fun experience for me.

Ok, I have to type fast cos I only have 15 mins at the airport internet. I'm on my way to Taiwan for a press conference. It's my first time travelling without friends or family so I'm kinda nervous but excited at the same time. Perhaps the time alone will clear my mind and do me good. We'll see.

Take care guys and see you in three days. Ah yes, remember to pray for me!

Posted by Jo at 6:39 AM

Monday, February 18, 2008

Do the right thing

While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.

"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." (Mark14:3-9)

For the longest time, I've known this story to be a tale of abundant, overflowing worship for Jesus - a call for us to spare no less than our best for the Lord. Today, I look at that same woman with different eyes. No longer is she an inspiration for me to give excessively to God. Rather, she is a reminder that I should constantly do the right thing, even though it may feel so wrong in any given cultural context.

Here is a woman who is so Spirit-led that she is aware of Jesus' impending death, which in turn moved her to anoint his soon-to-be battered and beaten body. Here's a woman who's so convinced of her Saviour that she disregards the expensive oil wasting away with every drop. Here's a woman with so much love for Jesus that she is willing to stomach the weird glares and nasty remarks of those in the room.

This is the mark of a true disciple.

Hers is a duty which springs from her love and understanding of God. May we not hesitate to do the right thing in all circumstances, even though the expensive alabaster perfume may be dripping away - slowly, wastefully.

Posted by Jo at 11:02 PM

Thursday, February 14, 2008

So, what's the biggie?

Today, flowers are exorbitantly over-priced. Restaurants get to overcharge and under-cook. And the value of gold probably appreciated by a couple of cents. Today, I received a few SMSes along the lines of Happy V-Day, but seriously, what's so happy about V-Day?

Do people really think that the sky is bluer, or that roses smell sweeter, or the fact that their partner actually look better than most other days? All these marketing gimmicks and sudden influx of love-in-the-air has left me sick and cynical about an innocent date on the calendar: 14 February.

If people really want to show their care and concern, shouldn't everyday be V-Day? If people truly love each other, roses should smell the same and the sky should be the same shade of blue - everyday. Love is a decision, not a feeling. Love is a gift, not a drug. Love is from God, not from man-made innovations used as a ploy to make you reach deeper into your pockets.

My ex-boss sent me an MMS this afternoon with a photo of my ex-colleagues and a message that reads: "Valentine's without you means more brownies and ice cream to go around." In a paradoxical way, I guess it's true: I have become a V-Day grinch.

Funnily enough, this evening, I went on a date with someone special. I dated a guy who totally understands how I'm feeling, knows the true meaning of love, and never abandons me, no matter what. Heck, he IS the epitome of love. I rushed off after work and headed to church for my first out of seven sessions of bible study on the Passion of Christ. And what a fitting day for it to commence (although I have to say that some parts of the session were really corny). In this season of Lent, I shall reflect upon Jesus' love story for me and begin my own journey of change and growth. Skepticism aside, it is good to know that I still believe in this thing called Love.

Posted by Jo at 10:42 PM

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Making sense outta nonsense

Human race has always been obsessed with logic. When a car is on the brink of breaking down, we scurry off to the mechanics to find out the cause of the problem. When we have a bad day at work, we point the finger at our boss, colleagues, or even the lagging and overworked laptop we're using. When a cheating husband walks out on the family, we come up with a hundred and one reasons as to what went wrong in the relationship.

Somehow, through the evolution of time, human race has been taught to question, analyse and make sense out of everything. Somehow, we need answers as to why certain things go wrong and why certain things happen in our life. That's how stem cell technology, information technology, divorces and suicides came about. We are always in need of answers - quick fixes - to the issues that arise in society and in our personal lives.

Today, I learnt a lesson on irrationality: The fact that some things in life simply don't make much sense. The fact that some things in life are meant to be irrational and senseless. The fact that God allows certain things to happen in our lives without owing us an explanation.

It didn't make sense to Mary when the angel appeared to her and said she will bear a child without having sexual intercourse with Joseph. She said ok anyway. And it certainly didn't make sense for Jesus - purely divine, purely human - to suffer and die on a cross. He did it anyway.

God did not promise us logic. He did not promise us certainty. What He did promise is to stand beside us in the face of irrationality and unpredictability. Taking that leap to carry our crosses faithfully means embracing the pain, suffering and senselessness that greet us - not that God is being senseless but on contrary, His plan is so perfectly logical that we, mere humans, are unable to comprehend it. Such is the divine mystery which our faith is rooted on. And it looks like the nonsense in our life will eventually make perfect sense after all.

Father into Your hands I commend my spirit.

Posted by Jo at 2:08 AM

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Retail therapy

Its been such a long time that I was afraid I'd forget how to shop. Thankfully for us girls, some things come built-in. Here are some of the new additions to my wardrobe, shoes rack, and CD shelf.

Used my $50 Taka voucher on this pair of glossy beauties. I've been wanting a pair of red shoes for ages. Finally plucked up the guts to buy it. Will probably be flaunting it this CNY season.

Good things come in twos. Two pairs that is. I got this nude gold pair of heels at Charles & Keith, compliments of Matt & Mel who gave me a $20 voucher for Christmas. Thanks guys!

The moment I laid eyes on this, I could so picture myself in it. The glittery gems are too pretty to miss.

Shiny is in! Black jewels on a black top exudes a certain elegance. I hope I can pull it off though.

This was in my to-buy list for 08. Didn't get a chance to use it at Bintan but I'll be heading to the beach soon, for sure. After the discounts and voucher, I only paid $4 for it.

I like purple! This is my CNY dress which I bought from AMK Hub this morning.

Erhm, for rainy days and Sundays?

New top for a new job.

Of cos, I need matching pants to go along with it.

I love the combination of gold zippers and brown leather. Totally knocks my socks off.

After spending the weekend with him at Bintan, this purchase was a no-brainer when I saw it in the music store.

Seems like a lot of stuff but I'm proud to say that I spent less than $150 on everything. Now I'm set to start work on Monday. Btw, I checked my email today and saw that I've been assigned to cover the launch of BMW's new series of clean energy cars next Wed. Cool stuff. I'm psyched.

Posted by Jo at 3:51 PM

Reunited

Was in Bintan Club Med over the weekend with the entire family for a different experience of a reunion dinner. No, I do not have any relatives living in Bintan. Let's just say we carried our reunion dinner table across the sea all the way to Bintan to have our meal. From my last mental head count, the 30 of us occupied 12 rooms at the resort.

Our plans to soak up the sun were dampened by the incessant rain which refused to quit until the early evening of Saturday. The cousins ended up playing some sports at the indoor court while the adults made their way to the nearby town for foot reflexology. After lunch, we played (free) pool and then Rachel and I snuck away to a little exclusive chill-out balcony with really comfy cushions and a good view of the beach. This is as close as we got to a sun-tanning session at the beach. We napped there for awhile, woke up with the rain still beating down stubbornly that I thought a tsunami was on its way. Then before dinner, the rain finally stopped and like little rats scrambling out of a bin, we went to the beach to savour whatever's left of the day.

The highlight of my trip has to be the bar counter which served free flow of drinks throughout the day. It's supposedly part of the package deal but I guess being a typical Singaporean, anything that's free (especially booze) is a good moment to behold. I tried over five different cocktails, a glass of white wine and a beer. But I'm ok! Don't start signing me up for AA cos somehow, the drinks were quite diluted and didn't have any head-spinning impact at all (except for the beer which came from an authentic looking tap).

Anyway, the trip ended so fast that I didn't even get the chance to feel homesick or for the matter, feel like I'm on a holiday. It was such a short trip that we couldn't even buy duty-free alcohol becos the law requires that we spend at least 48 hours overseas. Darn. So we returned on Sunday afternoon - tanless, stomachs filled, reunited.