Celebration

Being a Friday night, me and colleagues all headed down to Wala Wala (Restuarant pub at Holland Village) last night for my promotion celebration and I had a good time. Nothing beats having good company, yummy food (chicken wing is a must-try) and drinks all under one roof. But then again maybe too much fun and in the end almost all got wasted!! Wahaha..surprisingly I wasnt, even though I drank the same amt as the rest of them and I find it strange that I am pretty sober..But at the end of the night I know why, God has been preserving me all night coz the moment I 'escort' my dear friends home, I felt the effect sinking in, the moment I hailed a cab. Praise God for that! I hope that my friends dont suffer from hangover as I'm typing this out! Sometimes things just happen when you dont even pray for it, God just work things in our lives in the most mysterious ways.

Passion at work

As I am going to cross my quarter of a century mark, I cant help but looking back at the last 25 years of my life. I feel like I am at one end of the bridge which will link me to the other end, the other end where I have chosen to take just so that I can fulfill a childhood dream. My childhood dream to be in the healthcare industry serving the sick, to make full use of my skills and talents to outreach. But somehow I didnt take that route immediately after graduation, I was 'trying' out other professions for the last few years.

I am sure alot of people have gone through the same thing as me. At the end of it all, they realised that they still very much want to pursue what they wanted to do years ago or realised that their passion lies in somewhere else. Not all can change job as easily as me though, me whom have no financial burden or commitments to children and etc. Alot of them are still at their job working day in day out with not much commitment or maybe still waiting for a good offer to come.

Its their choice to stay (or maybe they don't have a choice as some would say), it still saddens me nonetheless coz alot of us spend a good deal of time at work and no matter how 'bochap' one can be, the things that happen at work would still affect an individual's emotionally (super bad day at work) or physically (long hours at work or er too much backstabbing at our poor backs).

It just makes me ponder, are the people close in my life happy at work? For those whom are reading this, are you happy? If not, are you finding ways to relieve yourself from this unhappiness? =) oh well..maybe one day when we meet up, you can tell me about it.

Even though it seems a blissful picture that I am moving to a dream job and all, I cant help but feel the fear sometimes going into a totally different working environment. Will there be flying daggers? or difficult patients that I cant handle? hmmm... lets just leave all this to God. Praying that I will shine through at the new job and may my presence benefit those that will be working with me and also those patients that I will be managing. =o)

Moving in the Spirit

I have started reading this book "Moving in the Spirit" by Phil Pringle, a Senior Minister of Christian City Church Oxford Falls in Sydney. The gist of the book to experience the Holy Spirit, how we can personally experience a closer connection with Him.

Through reading the book and reflecting the days where I started going to church again after a year gap of not attending. I decided to start the blog, where I pen down how God have worked wonders in my life. For the 1st time in my life, I felt his presence stronger than ever before and all this is possible due to one decision.The decision to have faith in God, to live by faith and not by sight.

I used to go church just to listen to the preachings, never quite felt that such a decision is crucial, always depending on the feeling to feel God and then after sometime when the 'feel' just die away. The distance is felt with the unwillingness to go to church especially when I blame God for bringing bad people into my life, people whom hurt me deeply, dampen both emotion and spirit.

But God is always around and always good. Quoted from the book: "Always believe that God communicates with us through inner impressions, through other people, through their desires and burdens of our hearts, through our inspirations and through our circumstances." At my most despair time, a christian friend R, invited me to church once again and I thank God for sending a messenger to bring me back to him. I went to another church instead coz I want to have a renewal of faith or maybe its a pride thing I find it difficult to go back to my old church for there are people whom I have known there and its not easy stepping back to the church where I know that there will be questions raised about my absence for the last one year or so, coz all I am concern with at that moment was to reconnect with God once again. I went for the Christmas service 2006, a celebration for the birth of Christ. A way to embark a new begining in 2007.

With this, I have a testimonial to share, things that happened to me in the span of the last 3 months after I put my faith in God. I wanted a new life in 2007, in my career and personal life especially. I wanted a breakthrough, I want to be doing something else after a 5 yr stay in the current company, I need to venture out to pursue my passion in life as I realised I am losing my glow working in an enclosed environment that doesnt seem allow me to grow as a person. I started applying job online where all are related to healthcare customer service coz my ambition since young is to work in the healthcare industry where my skill will be of great use in aiding people/patient, etc.

I prayed very hard for courage and patience as I wait for calls to come. After much praying a call for interview came. After the interview, I was blown away with the job scope as I feel that that's the job that I have been looking for all this while, I prayed that God will use my talents and put me to places where the mission of the job will aline with what God wants to carry out on earth.

In the midst of the waiting for the favourable reply, there's a prayer meeting that was held in the church, even though I am not a member of the church, I went. For two reasons, to experience how a prayer meeting is like and also something in me just want to go and I am glad I went. During the meeting I prayed for the church, my career and for R whom is in a difficult time as she is sourcing out for house before her wedding in Dec 07 and the sourcing has drained her as she met disappointments along the way of not able to get the house she wants.

The next day at work during a staff meeting, a disappointing remark was been given by the boss about people in my shoes. I am one that came into this job with a diploma background and obtained a part-time degree along the course of work and right there I was told that the part time degree will not be recognised in the civil service and it somehow speaks out loud that I will be stuck in my status. Even though I already knew about such issues before I start sourcing around for jobs,the mere remark has affected me nonetheless.Not by a whole lot but it saddens me somehow.

On the same day, during that evening a call came from the HR of the post that I have interviewed for. I got the job, the pay was a 10% more from what I have expected (I expected a 10% increment). Even though its a one yr contract due to the nature of the programme, I am very glad coz not only its good pay, I am entitled to all the benefits that a regular permanent staff will get! After I got the call I was so excited, I called R to break the good news when she's on her way to view a new house. One hour later, when I was home I prayed for her situation and right after that I received that she has gotten the house with a good pricing and also a good feel to the place and neighbours. Praise God for that!! Both of us got our prayers answered back to back! =)

I just tendered resignation two days ago. Every year this time round, performance bonus will be out and also promotion news will be out too. There's a timeline where one will be promoted and I have guessed that I might get a promotion too though not guaranteed. But coz I have already resigned I didnt think much to it. Today I received my promotion letter which I am glad to receive coz my work in this organisation has been recognised but what caught my eyes is, the pay increment. There's a 10% increment, which means the 20% increment I have gotten for the next job make sense now. God gave me that 20% coz he knows I will be getting 10% increment for this current job before I go, so my prayer for the 10% increment next job came true!

Non-believers might feel that all the above is pure coincidence but within me I know that God has planned all this and he has answered my prayers after I choose to follow his ways once again.

Jobs 22:21 "Now acquaint yourself with Him,and be at peace; thereby good will come to you"

I am being blessed in finding a career that I always wanted to be in and not only that, the past bad hurts have slowly healed, not entirely but without God's help through words and people around me, I wont have recover this fast.

I hope that my testimonial that I shared will bring in some hope for others especially fellow christians that are met up with difficulty now. Nothing is impossible as long as you have faith in God and praying specifically will result in breakthroughs in your life.