Instant noodles

I see two men sitting down eating hot cups. Their meal.

Memories of mom's cooking the past few days came to mind. So much food. My sister and I are really slow. The rice, the chicken, the vinegar pork, the mix vegetables. Blessed.

I bought some bread for the bus ride.

Mansions

The bus passes by huge houses in the middle of nowhere. Why would anybody want to build such a grand thing out here...

How did they even manage to get such money to do so? Where they born into a powerful family? Or was it their hard work. Did their profits come without any exploitative means...

Anyways, I'm no one to be the judge of that. I come from a very powerful family too. And I leave vengeance to my Father's hands.

Let the weak say I am strong,
Let the poor say I am rich,
Becuase of what,
The Lord has done, for us.

Give thanks.

Bus ticket ques

Why is everyone queuing up at the right side of the whole row of ticket counters?

Just because it is near the entry.

I'd have to wait really long if I stuck to the norm. Walked over to the left side, pass the crowds, wow. It's getting lesser and lesser.

Less than 10 people infront of me. Compared to the 20-30.

Transport

When I was growing up my dad would take me to kindergarten and primary school on his bike, first the Honda Cup 65, then at the last day of Q-dees we arrived on a Modenas Jaguh. Making two rounds for my sister and I.

Mom would come pick me up form the school canteen at SK Taman Megah. Later on if walk he myself.

Going to high school mom would fetch both wai yan and i in the wira. When sis got her license she'd drive both of us, really early in the morning to make it for the daily CF prayer.

Then when she left three years before I would, I started to cycle, Joshua's Wheeler bike.

In form 6 after PLKN i got my driving licence. Everyone in school was getting theirs, it was a normal thing for kids in PJ.

A blessing. I never really had to sit the LRT or take the buses. Although I was living in the hub of it all.

I still remember our voyages to Catholic High as a huge CF group using the LRT for BK quiz. One of the very few times.

I never flew anywhere overseas with my family. We always made trips back to Ipoh in the Nissan Vannet and later on the Toyota Avanza.

Before I left for UMS, wei aun invited me over to Laos, one of my first few overseas trips going alone. (The first was Bangkok for the Lego competition back in standard 6, the second was an ISU camp in Indonesia at form... 5?).

Camps, there are a multitude of camps. From the school, scouts, muafakat, leadership, athletics, CF at peace haven, Genting. To church, missions at Cameron Highlands, retreats... To EARC, Camp Cameron..

A huge leap was making the trip to Redang. So many transits, so many people. I remember when friends came over, I didn't know much about the system. A horrible disgrace. I didn't grow up with it.

Now I'm sitting on a KTM making my way down to TBS, to catch a bus to Johor. I met a guy on the LRT coming from taman bahagia, whom told me of a better way than taking the masjid Jamek transit.

Owh wow.. I'm passing Midvalley, didn't know I could take the trains all they way here.

Why do I even drive. Will I ever be less independent and rely more on the infrastructure here?

Travel a begging. It's nice to look around at all the people.

rain

the rain is pouring down again,
its been like this for a few days.

it's nice to have a reminder,
to shut off everything,
and seek God in the sound of droplets.

let me know,
that You are the one whom waters.
the see we sow, is what you grow,

and there will be a harvest

Sqeeze die

I just saw a cute kid joke to his small brother that the train machine would sqeeze die him if he went too slow between the doors...

pet

a lady walking her dog in the rain.
the lengths people would go to to meet the needs of those they love.

Repentance, and attitude

Repentance is a change of attitude towards sin. Not just technically stopping the act of sinning.

read slower

read at your own pace,
slow enough to understand and let it stick.

New Year Resolutions 2017

as we step into 2017 and leave 2016 behind.
there's something about transiting the boundary of a year's timeline into the next that gives one the sense of extra will power to do something differently with life.

then again if whatever situations around us change but we don'tt change internally, it doesn't matter even if we are uprooted from our current life and placed in a totally new clean slate, because the issues in the heart haven't be dealt with yet

anyways a few things i'd like to improve for the year to come is

1. have more genuine conversations and experience joy by being present in the moment, cutting down on unnecessary meetings and be actively prioritizing the important worthwhile stuff with time slots.

2. be less critical, skeptical, slanderous and live a more positive and optimistic life, being mindful of the words that i utter and my hold each negative thought accountable to the Holy Spirit for rebuke.

3. not shy away from the advancement of technology but instead embrace it as a useful servant that makes life more efficient, ensuring it does not become the master of me.

yeah i think about three would be enough. for now... until something else pops into mind.

a few thoughts from the day
6.30 wake up, snooze for 20 minutes
wore my best for church, just slacks shoes and the grey 'no need iron' shirt.
went to church early to drive the van out, 20 minutes before the set time. (i think i really want to improve on my timing for appointments too) so here's a fourth resolution:

4. be early for meetings, and not rush to places.

i arrived early at kg E, picked up 3 people, asked how many i should be taking, the reply was two, so i ASSUMED i had everyone and just left for church only to find out later that i left someone behind (not negligence), but it could have been prevented if i waited my due time.

anyways i went back to pick her up and we arrived in time for service.

PONDER: i think i know why i can't remember things so well in this "millennial" age. its because that is an inadequacy of time for the information to settle into the brain to be store properly long term. (and hence knowledge cannot be used by wisdom for any application). how to solve the problem? don't overload the brain by constantly reading a flow of new information. but instead take articles in bite sizes and allow the meaning being the words digest and settle in. i know i try to do speed reading alot, but honestly, it isn't very "efficient" as i thought it would be. the "saved" time doesn't make up for not being to recall or understand whatever i've read just moments ago, let alone through the day or even my life. -end ponder-

today's sermon was about being thankful.
we should give thanks even before going through an event, not only after.
we should give thanks, not because of what God has done or what He is going to do, but because of who He is.

anyways i left early to pick up the students for BM service, although i went out early, yet i still couldn't get everyone at 11am because i had to take two trips. the first trip was early, but the second one was quite a rush. and i feel bad, because they are university students that were told to wait at 10.20 but i arrived to pick them up at 11.50. a whole thirty minutes of waiting at the bus stop and having to skip the "fusion time" or "coffee corner food", rushing straight into the first songs on the day without time to "settle down" into the chair and calm one's self in the presence of God.

this is an issue with the pick up transportation time. that sometimes i feel is not my responsibility in setting. but we all know i shouldn't push it to others what i should be giving feedback to fro improvement. and trying to live it out.

really glad that jim liew could come and join =) thanks iggy for bringing him along.

the next issue actually happened when sending the people back.

WISDOM: send the people with less and nearer places first. and then only the further ones. this is to prevent the second round from waiting too long. (almost a whole hour!)

the it was timeto have lunch with the darling.

badminton with li ann, angie (from tawau) really good, elisha, JC, issac and esther lee.
man i got to improve on my recovery after each hit, footwork to cover the court, placement of the ball at the near side of the net and defense of incoming smashes.

2 guys vs 2 girls, we lost =P humiliating. haha nah, just kidding, we had fun.

had a really nice dinner at Thien Thien in gaya street.

had a good talk on the way home:

TRUTH: knowing that God is real is not enough. we must experience Him, then only is there an enabled power for change to happen.

while walking Happy the cutest dog,
i realized a few things. sometimes she goes to paces that i dont want to go, and she doesn't follow me. but i tell her i will take her to those places some other time.

i think its like me following God. He knows the best path for me at the current time, but i still choose to walk other ways. although i know obedience to Him, i will grow and one day be able to properly walk those paths. there is no shortcut.

i wan't to be a good dad next time. and i'm worried i can't balance love and discipline; i don't want a spoil brat nor a traumatized kid. extremes aside, i want a balanced child that knows his parent's love him the most, yet have boundaries that are there for his sake.

should i be reading "parenting books" on how to do this?
nah, i think the Bible will do just fine for the job. its the manual for life after all right.

home, spent some time with the housemates just chatting, face to face.
laughed, smiles. joy.

took a nice shower, tying this journal log out. going to read a book and sleep soon.

happy new year peeps, may you have a good one ahead.

GRATEFUL FOR: the ability to drive the van, to hold a badminton racket, to have a place to sleep.

i love you, both of you.