Making the days count!

My family used to keep two pet hamsters (named Forrest and Miki) who lived out their natural lives in a nice and comfortable environment (hamster mansion complete with private chambers, two-tier connecting tunnels and a giant ferris wheel!)

Like all good things, a hamster's life has to come to an end...after 1000 days! That's slightly over three years!

A human life is slightly better...an average of 70 years (nowadays, with better medical & health care, more people are living beyond 70 years)

Let's say, if we take 70 years as a benchmark, that would be equivalent to 25,550 days. That means, I have only 8395 days left! Some of you who are reading this may have more; some may have less.

When I was a child, the days seemed to pass very slowly. I couldn't wait to grow up. But as I grow older, the years seem shorter and fleeting. Time passes so quickly that sometimes I wonder where it had gone. This supports what the Bible says of life, which is "like a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." (Jas.4:14).

I celebrated my birthday recently. That day, a familiar verse from the Bible came to mind: "Teach us to number our days alright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Ps.90:12).

Instead of letting the days slip away, I should spend each day wisely and make the most out of it.

Personal Prayer: Lord, help me to count the days and to make the remaining days of my life count! Amen.

Welcome to my Garden

I have taken up gardening as a hobby. This recent interest requires time and a great amount of patience.

As an encouragement, Zinnia bought me a few gardening books. I've also gone to the library to read up more about gardening.

Honestly, I find the gardening experience very therapeutic.

Among some of the flowering plants I have tried my hands on growing included the red ixora, the yellow hibiscus and the multicolor lantana.

Someone once said that plants grow best when we pay attention to them. This means watering, touching them and putting them in places where they will receive good light. They need people around them to notice if the leaves are drooping and discolored or looking particularly happy in the sunlight. The more attention a plant receives, the better it will grow!
One of the things that I've learned to do in gardening is pruning the plants. To prune simply means to cut and trim. There is a scissor-like tool used for pruning, called the pruning shear.
I have some Bougainvillea that requires pruning from time to time. Bougainvillea (also known as "bunga kertas" in the Malay language) is one of those strong and hardy plants that can grow all over the place and in any direction if left to themselves.



The first goal of pruning is to control the plant size - to keep the plant to a required height and size. Some plants tend to grow out of proportion with their surroundings and cause the place to look messy.

Secondly, pruning cuts away withered or diseased leaves and broken or dead branches - so that they will not affect the overall health of the plant.

Thirdly, pruning encourages flowering. if I cut away the excess leaves and branches of flowering shrubs, it would not only keep the plant neat, but also encourages flowering.

Pruning is not only done on plants - the Bible speaks of the "pruning" that is needed in one's life. There are some areas in our lives that require pruning - such as bad habits & attitudes, wrong relationships, wrong priorities and anything that is inconsistent with the Christian values.

God is the one who prunes our life; and often He does it through our teachers, mentors, parents and those who genuinely love us and care for us.

Whenever I try my hands on pruning the plant, I can't help wondering if I had actually hurt the plant by cutting off the branches and leaves. I wonder if they feel any pain.

I'm not sure about plants - but I'm sure the pruning process in our lives can be at times painful and uncomfortable. We may have become too comfortable with certain habits that we do not want to let go. Change makes us uncomfortable.

However, just as pruning brings out the best in a plant, the pruning in our lives helps build our character.

Just as pruning produces flowers in a plant, the pruning in our lives makes us fruitful and productive, and helps us to blossom into a better person!

Try This!

The name "cornerstone" is a familiar term used in the Bible to refer to Christ, who is described as the chief cornerstone of the church (Eph.2:20).

Interestingly, there is a Company that uses this term for their wine label.

Whether you are a wine connoisseur or just a novice like me - you should give this particular wine a try. It is meant for the local palate (goes well with fried rice & Cha Kway Teow) and best of all, the Company that produced and marketed it has the following as the first of its 3-fold mission:

1. To God and the community

a) We are committed to seek perfection in our motives, motivation,

words, deeds, and in the value of our products and services to the

glory of God
b) We are committed to bear witness with our good works and to bless

our community
c) We are committed to promote healthy and responsible drinking habits

Maybe our local churches should consider using this particular wine for their Holy Communion!

For more info, visit http://www.cornerstonewines.com/

Farewell!

'Tis the time to hang up the uniform!

It has been a wonderful 10 years with the Companies.

A big salute to Stanley, my fellow-officer and brother in arms, for taking over (either he has no idea what he's getting himself into or he's just plain suicidal...sorry, just kidding!).

Well, Stan, you have my full confidence in taking the Companies to a higher level of discipline, maturity and spirituality!

Wishing you all the best!

Happy Birthday To Me!

This morning, my colleagues surprised me with a birthday cake (had it for breakfast) and treated me to a good japanese lunch later at the airport. Why the airport? So, that we could also give a warm send off to a dear church friend and his family leaving for Seattle.

Learning to Lose

Life is competitive! It is often measured by success and failures.

Some times we succeed; at other times we fail. Some times we win; at other times we lose. That’s the reality of life!

Athletes all over the world are preparing for the coming Olympics. Like in any sports event, there will be winners & losers.

Some years ago, I was watching a tennis match on TV. The competition was very intense as both players were equally good. Like any match, there can only be one winner. I was surprised as well as disappointed to see the guy who lost the match threw tantrum and smashed his tennis racket on the ground. That was one example of a poor sportsmanship! True sportsmanship involves accepting victory and defeat graciously.

Sometimes when we lose out to a better person or a better team, we like to respond jestingly by saying, “Oh, we lose because we want to give others a chance!” I used to say that...until I realize the flaw in such an attitude.

It is okay to admit defeat or failure - we can try again.
It is okay to admit that others are better than us - we can learn from them.

Losing doesn’t make us a loser - refusing to accept defeat makes us a loser! It is only right to strive for success and to excel in every thing we do. But when our efforts fail to yield results, we must learn to accept it graciously. We can always TRY AGAIN – as long as we don’t give up.

Personal Prayer:
Dear Lord, whatever I seek to do, help me do it with all my heart and with all my strength. When I fail, which sometimes I do, help me to learn well from my failures and to try again. Guide all my actions and motives, and fill my life with your hope & peace. Amen!

Dead Duck

Came across this funny story...worth reading!

A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary clinic. As she lay her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm so sorry, your pet has passed away."
The distressed owner wailed, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. The duck is dead," he replied.
"How can you be so sure," she protested. "I mean, you haven't done any test on him...he might just be in a coma or something."

The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room. He returned a few moments later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck; from top to bottom. He then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.

The vet patted the dog and took it out and returned a few moments later with a beautiful cat. The cat jumped up on the table and also sniffed the bird from its beak to its tail and back again. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly, jumped down and strolled out of the room.

The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100 percent certifiably, a dead duck."
The vet then turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman.
The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill. "$150!" she cried. "$150 just to tell me my duck is dead?!!"
The vet shrugged. "I'm sorry. If you'd taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20. But, with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it all adds up."

New Day

Thank God for another day (and another week)!

They say that every day is a gift from God. I can't agree more...for every time I close my eyes to sleep, there is no assurance that I will wake up the next morning. Hence, I'm thankful that my life is in God's hand and it is the same hand that sustains me each day.

This morning in church, while the guys were warming up and getting ready for the worship, tweaking and tuning their instruments, Roy played a nostalgic piece from Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over troubled Water" on the piano. How I wish we could sing an adapted version of that song in our worship service.

This particular song, one of my favourites, happens to be the last song that Simon and Art Garfunkel sang together in their final album released in 1970. That makes it even more precious.

Here's the song - sung in Gregorian style (The vocalists are some of England's most sought-after session singers, who hail from major cathedrals & classical institutions, such as the Academy of St. Martin, Royal College of Music, King's College Cambridge, Royal Northern School of Music and Trinity College of Music)

Amazing Dog

Wish I could skateboard & surf like that!

Testing Out

Okay, this is my second test post (the first one didn't quite make it and the article entitled "Simplicity" which I posted didn't appear on the blog at all. First it became a "draft" then it disappeared from under my nose when I pressed a few keys in an attempt to get it published. The only explanation for this is either sheer carelessness or some divine intervention!

Thanks to my friend, Stanley, who gave me a brief tutorial - and now my first post is up and online!

In the days to come, I will be sharing my journey and experiences...but be forewarned: there won't be anything philosophical or mind-boggling. Just simple sharing.

Till then, have a blessed rest of the week!