Miracle

3 December 2014 marked the first Miracle God has performed in my life.

Not that I have not experienced God's work before, in fact I have always felt His guidance and blessings as I walked the path.

But this was really a Miracle - God turned the impossible to possible.  When I did nothing but to pray, prayed almost every minute in that 12 days.  When hubby thought it was gone for good too.

When we shared with each other later, we saw how our Almighty God has worked miraculously.

Mid November, the eruption occurred.  22 November - my world was totally shaken and then collapsed.  That was when I saw everything so clearly... I have gradually turned into someone whom I was scared of too.  The realization was harsh and I was filled with remorse .............

I cannot imagine if God did not work that Miracle.  Or God could have made my lesson longer.. a month, 2 months.. 1 year....  But He is so merciful.

While spending time with Him every single day, I slowly rebuilt relationships with those around me. 

Then Twelve days later, He restored everything, and to the better.  Hubby and I were, and still are, in awe and overwhelmed with thankfulness!

Lesson learnt:  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayers and petitions, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Change

Early July, I had a transfer.  So after 3 years, I am back to almost square 1... to the same unit.  But this time, I'm much happier.  I just have to marvel at how God worked in my life!

Since the transfer, I've been busy.  Anyway I didn't accept the offer for an easier life (I knew I'd be much busier than previously).  It's just good to be back :)

A Truly God-Blessed 1

It's exactly a month since we returned from our HK trip which was an extraordinarily wonderful one.  We brought back more than we expected... not only fats & bags (of purchases)... ;)

The start of 2nd day in HK, hubby's feet started to ache after a satisfying dim sum breakfast at our fav Chinese restaurant.  The pain became more & more intense... so much so that he'd difficulty in walking.  So a 5-min walk took like 15 mins instead....

I was pretty upset... why of all the time, hubby had to have this problem?  Every min was precious as we only had total about 4 days in HK.  
The following day, his condition didn't get better.  I was frustrated.. It's early in the morning& amp; the pain in his feet was not any lesser than the previous night when we're done with all the shopping & walking.  After another round of tantrum thrown on hubby who already had to endure the increasing pain, I was suddenly hit by a question - "Why are you here?".  It's to celebrate our wedding anniversary, of course.  But I was so fixated in wanting a jolly holiday (that's what everyone wants out of a vacation.. all the more for us since we're celebrating a special day) that I was upset with hubby as he changed the whole holiday mood.  But I have missed out on a very important point - this celebration was also for hubby who was suffering then.  Instead of sharing his pain, I only cared about not being able to catch up with our planned itinerary.  Have I forgotten our marriage vow - "... in sickness & in health ...".  I have taken honey's good health for granted.  So on our 7th Wedding Anniversary (it's so wonderful how God worked as it's exactly on the day itself that all these happened, 3 Nov, as I recalled!), I renewed my vow to my beloved honey :)

And almost instantly, my heart was freed from all the grouchiness... no longer uptight I felt... & we just took as long as hubby needed to walk from destination to destination with me holding him (it's not easy as we all know how populated HK is & there's always throngs of people walking behind you!).  Amazingly, the grumps in me vanished so fast that I could hardly believe it myself !!

Hubby didn't need to go through this "lesson" as he's been taking good care of me since Day 1 whether I'm healthy or sick.  He's no problem in doing so.. in fact he's never shown any sign of impatience no matter how troublesome I am (esp a sick person could be demanding... yet I vent it on him when he's not well... how bad a wife I am!).

But hubby's not spared too, haha.  God also dealt with hubby's issue... that is, to rely on Him & not his own understanding.  It's not easy for him as he knows what he wants since young & always prides himself as a go-getter.  But as Head of the household, being close to God is the key because he's leading his family.  And a God-fearing man will have his steps guarded.. so our trust for each other is deeply rooted with the same Faith we have in Him.    

Now back to the HK trip - in the afternoon of the same day (3 Nov), hubby's legs were mostly healed (apart from the tiredness from walking)!  God is so so wise that He can use the same matter to let both of us learn totally different things!

On the last night in HK, while soaking our tired feet in the bathtub of hot water, we shared what we experienced in this trip... the enjoyment from all the feasting & shopping, the lessons & the appreciation of how God blessed this trip & our marriage.  Indeed, we're so blessed.

Father's Day

Father's Day steamboat lunch last Sunday.  It's also gift giving day as June's, Con's & Ivan's birthday all in June! We spent the whole Sat looking for pressies.  Suddenly we felt Christmas came early, haha.

Yesterday we're out the whole of Sunday afternoon/evening & we saw many families having Father's Day dinner.  For a moment, I really missed dad...  Yes, it's a blessing to be able to celebrate with your parents.

God is so good.  Through our nightly devotion, just last night He told me that I still have the perfect Father in heaven to love me even though my earthly father is not around.  I feel so comforted.  Thank you, loving God, Heavenly Father :)

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The French Label

Last year, before I returned to where I'm working now, Ben called from KL & said he planned to bring in a mid-market French label, Axxxx, as their KL/Spore franchisee. So he's looking for someone reliable to run the show for Spore's. Axxxx ever made its presence here years ago, in a boutique in Scotts Shopping Centre & I used to like this brand after buying a nice pair of pants. I also bought some pieces when I was in Paris. Their collection now is so different &I must say it's undoubtedly a good change! After a week's exchange of emails & smses, Ben came to Spore together with A's Managing Consultant, Ziad, from Paris.

It's an interesting afternoon. Ben, Ben's nephew (grandson of Sxxxxx Group who'd just graduated.. a humble & friendly young chap), Ziad & I had lunch in Paragon. After lunch, all we did was walking in the malls... Ziad was formally from Mango in Spain & being an expert in setting up new boutiques all over the world, he's here to observe the fashion trend & identify places with good human traffic flow that's suitable for A. It's fun talking with him... he seemed to have endless stories & jokes. He even said if I joined A, I'd be invited to the Paris fashion week or even some fashion shows in Milan;) Ziad was really bent on bringing A into Spore soon.
So we 'walked' Paragon, Ion, Ngee Ann City, 313, Mandarin Gallery & the last stop was Vivo. Moving around wasn't a problem as Ben had his Estima from KL & I just needed to give some road directions to the chauffeur. In the evening, hubby joined us for dinner at Vivo.

Hubby felt excited for me too. The half yearly buying trips to Paris seemed really attractive plus I've all along been interested in this line. But couple of days later, after all the WOWs & ecstasies of the possiblity of working in the fashion business, I thought about the number of hours I'd have to put in every day... including Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. It's not gonna be easy as manpower wouldn't be sufficient at the startup stage... it'd be like working office hours + retail hours (though could be flexible in the working hours). So I was like 50-50. I couldn't let go of the stable working hours yet I was greedy, couldn't resist the opportunity to do something I liked when it came my way.

We prayed about it & asked God to take control. Few weeks later, Ben called & said it's a no-go for the moment as he hoped he could focus on KL market first. Disappointed... yet I was very relieved that I didn't need to clock irregular/prolonged hours. God closed the door for me :) Then, since end last year I'm back to where I started 3 years ago.... after switching a few jobs, trying to find myself. So a 9-5 job is what I really cherish now and thank God, my health is getting better ;)

Recently I saw Axxxx in the fashion magazine. Ziad must have had brought in the brand (now selling @Robinson's) through someone else.

Our 5th Celebration :)

Started this special day with a beautiful bouquet delivered to my office :)
It's a big pleasant surprise from hubby as I really didn't expect it this year (because of what I previously told him).
Love the green/white color combi & hubby had a reason for choosing it - he said it reminded him of the surprise bouquet from Ritz Carlton upon arrival at the hotel 5 years ago. It brought back very fond memories indeed...

Due to some last minute changes, we had our plans changed too. We took half a day's leave that afternoon... just to spend time together & chill out.

First, we'd a 3-course set lunch at Fremantle Seafood Market at Clarke Quay

After lunch, we walked over to The Pump Room & had a beer

Then, our next stop was Vivocity.

We'd Haagen Dazs ice cream for afternnon tea ;)

Dinner, we'd Thai cuisine while watching the sun set right in front of us

So we're extremely well-fed on our 5th Anniversay. Hehe..

And hubby got me a BIG gift for our 5th Wedding Anniversary - a 1-carat diamond ring! :D


Our celebration flowed to Friday (PH) as well.. the day we originally intended to have our celebration..

We'd our favourite Peking Duck for lunch at Crystal Jade in Great World City. Nice! And we're so bloated :)

The evening was spent at a very special place - Robertson Walk.

Drinks & dessert @ Hog's Breath.
Across the courtyard (the blue canopy) was where we first met more than 7 years ago :)) The Bar has now become a No Signboard restaurant, The Kelong.
That's the place I went through turning point in my life. So much memories & hubby was, & still is, the anchor. And we spent the entire hours there reminiscing...

That area has certainly changed a lot... it's now directly linked to Robertson Quay (you can imagine how long we haven't been there!). Nice place.... & we definitely don't mind going back for more.

All we can say is... Thank God for blessing our marriage. :)

Thank you Lord ...

... for the remarkable Tuesday:)

Very often we just have to marvel at how our God works in our lives. For so many years, hubby has been praying for me... that I'll be able to really walk out of the shadows.

I crossed the 1st hurdle last Christmas Eve. The 2nd hurdle was overcome 7 months later - I returned for the 1st Sunday Service with mum & hubby on 11 July. It's a pleasant surprise for mum as she wasn't aware beforehand... & yes, she's so happy. And many old friends gave me a welcoming pat on the shoulder :)

Just 1 week after the return.. my ex passed me (through his dad who gave it to my mum in church on Tue) an officially-signed letter, requesting me to give consent in releasing my right as his insurance beneficiary. Initially I was quite upset... after 7 years, I still had to deal with such matters of his. I dreaded to see him again & what's worse - seeing his parents as they had to be there too. The sight of him (& his parents) would remind me of those stormy days... of his nasty attitude... of the sickening (欠扁) look that's always on his face....

Text him 2 days after I got the letter & arranged to meet the following Tue.. just wanted to get it over. Sabrina, my bestie in church, told me to go with hubby. She's the only I kept in touch with since I left & she's the one who "taught" me how to be a true friend.

So that Tue morning (20 July), I was at AIA office in Raffles Place with hubby & waited anxiously to be face-to-face with the ex & his parents for the 1st time in 6 years. I was nervous... I wasn't sure if I'd get similar unpleasant treatments from them again... But hey, I thought I was doing him a big favour ok.

And it turned out to be better than I expected. Guess he appreciated my prompt response & agreement to his request. After all that he'd done in order not to make my life easier, he might assume that I'd have jumped at this chance to revenge? So he's smiley from the 1st moment I saw him & so was his mum. Not too bad... though his dad was as usual stone-faced (but at least better than flaring his fiery temper).

When we're waiting for things to be done (hubby was waiting for me & gave his support from afar & his parents were sitting behind), we got into small chats.. he got a new job again (his 15th, or so?).. anyway it's no longer my business. He also said he's going to drop his girlfriend of a few years & I was a lil too amazed by his frank remark that I didn't know how to respond...
Before I left, he even thanked me & apologise for the troubles.

Thank God for the whole healing process... The day I was ready to return to my ex-church & see everyone again, it's when God healed me of the remaining brokenness from the past. The ex has been attending another church & we didn't see his parents as they attending different congregation but the recontact just happened so timely - how great was His arrangement.

In fact now, I don't mind adding him on Facebook. That's how much I'm freed from the past. ;)

Miracle

Just visited JH with hubby.

Totally understandable that he's still very traumatised & refused to talk about what'd happened. I felt heart pain just by listening to the injuries he's now suffering... needless to talk about the parents. But he's a very brave boy and his parents are so strong. He's the most seriously wounded among the 3 victims, yet experiences the most improvement in his condition. The good news is... 3 out of his 4 fingers can move now & are healing well after the reattachment. It's really God's miraculous works as the doc said they would usually give up if the detachment was more than 6 hours and his was more than 10hours! Praise the Lord! There'll be 1 or 2 surguries done, when he gets better, for his index finger and perhaps his nose too.

It's still a long road to recovery. All of us will continue to pray for him and his family .....

Lunch @ Hog's Breath

My farewell lunch (Again!!) @ Hog's Breath, Chjimes.

The pretty lady on the right (in the pic) is a Lebanese. But I've always forgotten & treated her like a French as she speaks fluent French. She & her siblings studied in a French school in Lebanon since small. We often chatted as we sat opposite each other. She's a very nice lady & shared with me a lot about her hometown & others as she'd worked in Libya, Dubai, UK & Paris before being transferred to Singapore.

Just 1.5 month with this company and I've made some very nice friends there. My experience working there was a good one too.
A company that does interesting business and has a big mission - after almost every disaster occured (mostly the natural harzards like earthquake ...), they will be there. When travellers onboard or in foreigh land need immediate medical attention, they are there .....
The bosses were extremely great to work with. The CEO said it's a pity I wanted to leave and even on my last day of work, the GM was still asking if I could change my mind. I felt it's quite flattering though and am glad I left very amiably.
Well, most probably I would have stayed on for some time if it's not because of the time zones issue.

So will I regret giving this job up? Till now, nope. And I hope not in the future too. Regrets won't reverse any situation.

Started my new job without any break. It's another trying-out period.

Let His will be done. Amen.

My weakness. His Kindness.

The last 2 weeks had been mainly about work.

God has been very kind to me indeed. Last July, I took a long break because of the move. After we got everything settled, a contract job came knocking on my door. It didn't come too early nor too late.. so wonderful how He worked - I supposed to start to look for a temp job once we moved out in end Aug but the first week was very unsettled @ Aunt GS' & the 2nd week was spent on getting ready the room in Bishan before we could move in. Then the following Fri, we went for our KL trip. Just 2 days after we're back, one of my ex-colleagues looked for me as someone she knew had a temp job offer. Supposed to be a 2-month job but they extended for another 2 months.

Thank God for the timely provision... to keep me active mentally & physically while earning a lil income. During this period I'd to be away frenquently to settle our housing matters. Would not be able to do so if I were employed permanently.

Completed the contact job end Jan & then busied myself with CNY preparations. Started to send in applications a week after CNY. Gone for 2 job interviews the following week & at the 2nd, got an offer.

I actually didn't want to accept it after a very stressful night of consideration. Undoubtedly it gives very good prospect in a 600+ staff strength French company with good pay - mainly regional corporate marketing & event organising. But the workload is overwhelming & as we're working very closely with the US office, there're frequent video conferences & conference calls. And it's worst when we've to include the UK office.. There's 1 monthly VC I know starts @5.30am as 3 time zones need to be match (US, UK & Spore)... meaning I gotta wake up 3ish so I could reach office at about 5am! And many of the con calls start @ 7am .....

So I turned down the offer. They wanted to pay me more but it's no longer a monetary issue (not that we're rich!).. higher pay would come with higher expectation. But the GM was apparently upset. He called personally & asked why didn't I give it a try before saying no. He said he'd big plans for me... he hoped I could eventually take charge of events & the next one's actually a tradeshow in Dubai. He then proposed a 3-month contract placement. I could leave even earlier than the stated period if I really find it unsuitable; it could also be converted to permanent if I want to stay. So I agreed to take on the job as I felt that God wanted me to learn something out if it, be it in long or short term.

2 weeks into the job. I'm already sure I wont't be in it for long... this type of lifestyle is just not suitable for me. Initially I was disappointed with myself... many would have jumped at such a career opportunity. Perhaps I've passed my prime? I do not know... I've let a few good opportunities pass me by in the past & this gonna be the biggest (yet also the toughest job).

When everything has been so unstable due to my loss of direction, God has given me light & hope through the constant support & love I always find in hubby dearest. I can't thank God enough...

This recent mental upheaval has set me thinking & helped me come to terms with my priorities. Guess one can't have the best of both worlds. God has been really really good to me. Like Gin said, I got almost every job that I wanted to get (which I'd give up in the end!), God is so patient with me.. gives me so many chances of trial & error...

I just pray that I can graduate from this 'course' soon.

The Month of January

Last month got a lil crazy.

After the New Year holiday, hubby went for his 2-week In-Camp Training (ICT) on 4 Jan. That's also the time when our renovation neared finalising.

The weekend before hubby left, he bought me this watch to cheer me on:)

Thank God I was on this contract job that allowed me to take leave as & when needed to attend to the matters concerning our new home. On an average, I only worked 5 days out of the 10 working days in those 2 weeks.

Had planned some activities for the nights without hubby - catching up with friends, watching DVDs, going online.... But I nearly did none of the above. Only managed to meet up with a couple of friends - MS & a few ex colleagues from PwC:

1) MS also took the chance to visit our new home & glad we'd some professional advice, we got to rectify a serious problem with our designer. He's been such a great aid... helped to source for some accessories & also helped me to transport some boxes back to Bishan, to the doorstep even. Should have considered engaging MS to do our new place...his company does mostly high-end projects so thought we couldn't afford. But when we got the final bill from our designer, the amount was of no difference to what MS told me. He then told me he'd given me a "friendship price" (友情价) with no hidden costs whereas others quoted cheap would come with a list of additional expenses upon completion. Hmmm......

2) Met up with the 5 ladies & we'd steamboat dinner in Chinatown. Not easy to find a common date & time to meet... which is why I really appreciate lots that they always give in to my schedule. After so many months, they still kept close contact with me.. updated me with the happenings & hoped that I could join them again, for the 3rd time. Well... I wouldn't want to do so though.

Almost every night, I got home (Bishan) not before 9. I've just got so many things to do. Then after settling down & the usual 30-min chat with hubby, my energy level would start beeping. The running around was indeed tiring.

Thank God hubby completed his ICT safe & sound & even booked out 1 day earlier due to good performance :) The off day came so timely.. we'd a full day on Fri (15Jan) to clean up our new home before moving in on sat (16Jan). We scheduled our move right after hubby's ICT which explains the mad rush in those 2 weeks.

There're more rectification works done during the first week we moved in (one of them was the changing of some floor tiles) which led to lots of inconvenience & lots of cleaning up whilst unpacking. Just recollecting the situation now sends me chills.

For the next 2 weeks, we worked in the day & unpacked at night... only turned in around 2am (or even 3am!) every 'morning' & woke up before 7am. Why the rush? We were having a Home Blessing session on 30 Jan by my old friend's Reverend hubby. And dear mum wanted to invite some siblings of hers & dad's over on the same day. We're initially against the idea as we'd no intention at all to have a housewarming. But she insisted of having one.. so in order not to disappoint her, we gave in... just those she mentioned.. no one else.

We got so stressed that both of us lost about 2kg each at the end of the move & all the hassles thereafter! It's an effective way of shedding some fats before CNY huh? But meeting all the relatives & friends with a haggard & lacklustre face is definitely the last thing I want :(

Though the whole process was exhausting, we're so glad to have our new home committed to God & blessed by Him.

A Year of Events & Thanksgiving

After The Move. I.

So we moved out of our 1st home end of Aug. The handover of keys was on 3 Sept, took place @ the lawyer's office.

Shifted in to Aunt GS' on the same day we moved out.

Then exactly 2 weeks after we stayed @ Aunt GS', we're on the move gain. I wasn't very comfortable there mainly due to the location. It's sure near town, in Upper Thomson, but there's a shelterless walk of about 10mins from their house to the bus-stop. And the room was a lil small for the both of us & our belongings.

Which means before we could get settled down, next move was in the plan. And it's no joke to have to carry 10 boxes of belongings amongst others (yes, TEN boxes along with a big luggage & many other loose items. We've underestimated ourselves as initially I thought we could do with just 5-6 boxes during these 4-5 months) up the long flight of stairs & then down within 2 weeks especially we didn't wanna cause any damage to their wood flooring.

But we did gain something during those 2 weeks. We got to know Aunt GS better as there're nights we chatted till past midnight. Wouldn't have the chance if we weren't staying with them.

Where we're staying now is an interesting place. It houses Uncle CH's China girlfriend, Con who's moved out of her place & us, who're homeless for a few months. Ivan onced joked "Welcome to the 避风港!". Haha.

But it wasn't that easy for us to move in. It's a flat passed down by Vincent's late grandparents which is now under the care of their children (Vince's uncles & aunts). For the last couple of years, the flat was like a dumping ground, keeping all kinds of big & small items by everyone. Which was why we didn't take it into consideration when we're looking for a temporary place to stay. Then recently, Uncle CH spent some money to renovate & refurnish the place for his girlfriend, who's just moved to Spore, to stay. Con took the 2nd room. The 3rd room naturally became a 2nd storage including an old divan set previously used by Vince's grandpa, 2 drawer chests, a wardrobe & many miscellaneous stuff. So firstly, with the agreement of all uncles & aunties, we made arrangement to donate the mattress to a halfway home & the town council to dispose the divan. Then we cleared the store room so we could shift as many items from the room to the store as possible. But obviously the 5-door wardrobe & the 2 chests couldn't be accomodated & they're all stuffed with things & also, they're in very old condition. Thankfully, the walls were painted, windows were changed & there's air-con. So we just gotta think of some DIY ways to try to make it more livable yet being able to keep our loads of stuff with a smaller area due to the old furniture.

After clearing the room except these 3 'antiques'

The new look after a small scale makeover.
The white 3-drawer chest was quite a catch from Ikea @ only $89 for short term storage.

Tis our cozy lil room for 4-5 months.

The favourite item in this room is this piece of cloth I bought from Spotlight. It conceals a small wooden & cloth drawers we took with us from our old home. Wanted to dispose it after transporting our stuff but glad that we didn't. It serves a good purpose now to store the miscellaneous items that we use regularly.
But I'm so over the yellow wood kind of furniture, this cloth was hence bought.

And we retrieved our mattress & TV from the warehouse

Situation like this, we'll go to Ikea for some fast & cheap solutions.
Spent a few hundreds & just 3 days in getting the room ready:
- curtains from Ikea $57
- fabrics from Spotlight (to conceal the old furniture) $80
- clothes hangers (with rollers) $70
- drawer chest from Ikea $90
- table lamp from Ikea $20
- toyogo boxes $50
- retrieval & delivery of mattress & tv $50

We really thank God that we got helping hands along the way.. most primarily, we're thankful that the place was revamped just in time. Then Con volunteered to help us with the move from Aunt GS. And when hubby's overwhelmed by all the assembling of racks & cabinet, Ben came to our rescue & he's really good at it.

So now, we're like staying in a hostel with a few housemates & it's the very first time for me. Besides some getting used to, it's certainly a better place to stay for the next few months.

What an experience..

The Handover & The Preludes. Part III.

After some serious thoughts, we decided to go for a HDB flat. It's a shame to say that for the 4 years here, we've not enjoyed the facilities much. Some we haven't used it before.. the rest can be counted with 2 hands. We've also never participated in any of the events (flea market/fun fair/family day/AGM/etc) organised by the management/committee. So we thought it would be wiser to get a HDB flat, which is of no difference to our current lifestyle, & pay the rightful price. What we miss will be the close proximity & convenience of the basement car park though.

Started our home hunting immediately after buyer signed the OTP. Viewed a few units & both of us set eyes on the 1st one. But we didn't dare to commit as our buyer hadn't exercised the option then (still within the 2 weeks for buyer to settle their bank loan). We're a lil anxious that the unit we liked would be taken up by the time we're ready but we kept reminding ourselves that God was in control. 2 weeks later, the OTP was exercised by the buyer & we also got the place that we want!

Thank God for the perfect timing:) We sold high, when the property market was picking up, & bought low, before reaching its high when almost all home owners started to ask for cash above valuation especially for those units near MRT station. And ours was near Sembawang MRT & zero cash. 1 or 2 weeks after we bought our place, our agents told us prices went up & cash required by all sellers.....

The next was to settle the temporary housing issue. As the sale can be completed in 10 weeks & we might only get the keys to our new place, earliest, in mid Nov (1st appointment with HDB is ridiculously scheduled as far as in Oct!) & then renovate.... there's a lapse of 4 months+. We explored a few possible options & chose 1 that would (hopefully) cause the least inconvenience to everyone including ourselves. Mum will stay with sis & we'll be putting up @ Aunty GS' for these months.

The Handover & The Preludes. Part II.

After the ecstasy of the sale soon came my worries. I'd just started new job that needed lots of time in training & adapting. Then hubby would be starting his new job in a couple of weeks' time too. We know it's not advisable for both to change job at the same time but things happened in a way that we each got a new job almost simultaneously. So we encouraged ourselves to be optimistic... & let's focus on our new jobs for the moment. But I truly didn't expect that our place would be sold that soon. I asked God... why everything happened at the same time.... when I thought it's his plan for me to change job...... why? I dreaded the mere thought of having to juggle between a totally new job & moving, & home searching.. hubby would be busy in his new job too... & all the packing... my back......

After praying for a few nights & with hubby's backing, I decided to resign... honestly.. it's a relief after I made that decision. Then back in the office the next day, I told EH. He's very disappointed... so were the bosses. They said they had big plans for me but I didn't give myself a chance. They counter offered to let me stop work for a month to settle my housing issues. But I was determined to go as I'd lots of things to check out, to settle..

Yet there's this immense guilt in me as the bosses were very nice.. they granted immediate release (when it's supposed to be 2 weeks' notice during probation) but still paid me for that 2 weeks. And they told me to join them again if I'd settled all that I should have & was still interested in the job. Yes, they're just being too nice..... But I've really upset EH who fought a lot of benefits for me....

A girlfriend told me.. moving house wasn't the main reason.. but me not liking the job enough, was. And I hate to admit it. I did have "culture shock" on my 1st day of work. I couldn't find the toilet & was shock to learn that it's located at the other end of the compound, about a 2-minute shelterless walk from the single storey office building. I usually drink a lot of water, so naturally will go to washroom more often. My 1st thought was "if it rains, every time I go toilet I've to take an umbrella?" Also no shelter to the pantry. And the pantry was infested with big black ants. Alright, I could be too fussy:( I've been working in town/CBD since my 1st job so this is very new to me. But I asked quite a few of my friends & they, too, felt that it's strange to not having the toilet within the same premise. Am I defensive? So this is Doubt no. 1.

Doubt no. 2: I'd made known to EH prior joining that I'd not work on Saturdays. He acceded my request except for the 1st 3 months & I could accept that. But after I joined, I got to know that the monthly meeting was on every 3rd Sat. Then EH said it'd be best if I could join for just that 3 hours every month... so that'd mean working 1 Sat every month (as working hours are 8.30am-12.30pm on Saturdays) which I wasn't that willing to compromise.

Doubt no. 3: Afterall, I still couldn't bring myself to like this trade. Previously I'd chances to get into this business but I declined. I thought I'd have changed after these years. Guess it should be the crux of all doubts?

Till now I don't know what are God's plans for me in the future. I don't know why things turned out this way. Maybe one day, I'll know. Though I'm very happy with the break I'm having now, I do feel bad for ruining my own CV for the past 1 year. I'm truly upset with myself for the mess I continually get myself into. Without hubby's support, I might have slipped into a self-blaming & depressing state. Hubby has always managed to give new perspective of things.

The Handover & The Preludes. Part I.

Another 13 days, we'll say bye bye to our first home.

Started my new job on 8 Jun & on 14 Jun, we sold our place after marketing it for about a month. We're so happy.... when many thought it's quite an impossible price we're asking including our agent, we got it sold with our God's grace.

It's such a fulfilling experience with God that we'd love to share with every1 :)

In May, the property market started to show signs of revitalisation but mainly for new & upmarket developments.. so we didn't feel it. As our loan would be up for refinancing this Nov, we would have to decide whether to sell or refinance by Aug. We decided to give a try & set the selling price after praying. Our agents advised us to start early (in May) as given the market then, it'd take a few months to get a buyer. They also preempted us that we've overpriced our place as banks were very conservative in valuating properties (ie. the difference between valuation & asking price would have to be paid in cash). Nevertheless they would still try, at our desired price, for a while to test market. As we're in no urgency to sell, if the price wasn't right, we'd continue to stay here & go for the refinance option.

I'm glad to say we're not worried then... just committed all seeming problems to prayer together every night.

Our buyer is a family of 3 from China. The husband's sister & family are in fact staying in the same development. They were really a Godsend. Why? We guessed our neighbour so wanted to have her family members stay close to them that whenever the brother & SIL picked at the flaws, she & her husband would jump to our defence. Undoubtedly, their words were much more convincing than our agent's or ours. Then, the crucial part was... the buyer didn't need a full loan (ie. 80% of the purchase price). So the big gap between lower valuation & higher price posed no problem in our case.

We're also thankful that God has blessed us with very experienced property agents who are husband-wife team. We met 3 years ago & found them nice & truthful. For this sale, they planned everything real well & we're impressed by their 'strategies'.

In the caveats lodged for our development, our price psf is the highest for this year. ;)

Dear Diaries,

Thanks for the precious memories :)

I was doing packing & found my diaries from secondary school & college days...

Then I spent those time that's supposed to be used on packing in reading journals.

I used to feel lonely & unwanted as almost all the girls around me were attached then. I'd many crushes before but none was reciprocated. I asked so many 'Whys' & thought very lowly of myself.

Could still recall the innocence & dejectedness in me as I read. Studying could be boring or stressful then & the most enjoyable time gotta be looking out for, then eventually seeing my target of infatuation, be it for just 1 second but I could spend the whole day trying to analyse if he'd noticed me & decipher his body language.

There're so many incidents I've long forgotten & thanks to the diaries, my mind was once again refreshed.

I thank the Lord as I now have everything that I've previously yearned for, & even much bountiful than I could have asked.......
- I used to think that I was such an awful person that no guy would like me. But now, I'm so loved & pampered in a princessly way by a wonderful man whom I call hubby.
- I used to be so deprived of material comforts as we're poor & going out with classmates was usually difficult as I'd no money to splurge.. so needless to talk about vacation.Now, though we're not rich, I lack nothing & have been blessed with holidays with hubby, so far, to France, Korea, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia.... & there're still many many countries we plan to visit in the future!
- I used to be a timid gal who's very homebound & completely reliant on my family; I'd not taken a flight before till I was 21 & that's going to KL for work.But when I've grown up, due to work, I was trained to be independent as I'd to travel All Alone bi-monthly mainly to ASEAN countries (France, HK, China, Taiwan at times).

Very easily, we take the things we're enjoying now for granted. But those that we call basics now could have been our fantasies many years ago.

So I'll continue to keep these diaries well. They serve as an encouragement & reminder for me :)

Bioresonance Therapy (BRT)

Constance appeared in this week's i-weekly! ;)

This business of naturopathic treatments (Bio-Resonance Therapy Centre) was established by the uncle, Vincent, & another partner a year ago. And they're expanding fast.. to think that their first centre was opened only last July.

Now, both Constance & hubby are working for their uncle while Ben's just "graduated" from his nearly 10-month vacation job with BRT. It's served as a very good training ground as hubby & I see the changes in him... he's become more mature & responsible:)

Con runs the centre that treats pets (Passion for Pets Centre) and hubby helps Uncle Vincent in overseeing the Singapore business as the 2 bosses are spending more & more time in their overseas ventures.

Initially, hubby & I were quite doubtful about these therapies. Instead, I've started to take TCM because of my weak health. Till around April this year, hubby's elder uncle, GH, tried persuading hubby to have my FIL treated in BRT. As Uncle GH is a prideful person who always has his own views, we're surprised that he spoke well of the treatments which both he & his son had received before.

So in May, I went for health check in BRT. The problems diagnosed were the same as those identified by the few chinese physicians I've consulted before. The fact that nobody from BRT foreknew my health condition but was able to get to the same diagnosis gave us confidence to be treated there.

And more to it, I needed cancer-support treatments as degenerated cells (DC) were found in my liver, large intestines & lymphatic system. Some in stage 1 & some in stage 2 (ie. it's the very initial stage before a lump's formed & can't be detected by the usual medical checkups; only stage 3 DC would be picked up by the medical checks). I wasn't too surprised as the chinese doctor, Dr Jeremiah, who I faithfully visited of late cautioned me that my liver & large intestines were not good & that's before I went for BRT check. When asked if I would have cancer in those areas, Dr Jeremiah didn't rule out the possibility. What makes me harbour such thoughts is also the family history of cancer cases on my mum's side.. about 50% of her family members, & we're talking about having 8 sisters & 2 brothers, were diagnosed with or died of cancer (breast cancer, ovarian cancer, nose cancer, cervical cancer ...). That's really scary. So the shadow of having cancer has always been with me, especially my health's been weak.

After about 6 weeks' treatment (twice a week & it's expensive!), I was discharged! Supposed to continue with the normal treatments (for my spine, allergies ...) but I'll go back when we're more settled. That doesn't mean I'm free for life.. due to our eating habits, lifestyle & work stress in the world today, there might be a comeback or some other areas could be affected. So I'm gonna have a review a month after my last treatment, that is, early Aug.

According to hubby, Singapore Cancer Society has been referring patients to be treated in BRT. It's really meaningful to be able to help them.

Hubby's checked too. Thankfully he doesn't have much health problems except for his spine.

We thank God for leading us to the right thing at the right time. Imagine if we're not aware of my health condition & not doing anything till..... & very often, cancer is developed by then.

The consecutive happenings recently once again remind us that He is the Sovereign & Merciful God. We'll learn to put our lives in His hand, be it in sickness or in good health, & walk His path hand in hand :)

Milestone

I'm retarded in updating. Lotsa happenings in June.

We've been thinking... every few years, things would all come at the same time...

But we're looking at it positively... despite some amount of stress in certain phases, all these have drawn us closer to God, and to each other as well :)

In the brand new year to come...

Bless our marriage so we will always be as loving or even more;
Teach us to be good keepers of the money You provide us;
Lead us and we both shall walk hand in hand through all turbulence;
Remind us to count Your Blessings every single day;

Amen.