year 2006

it was a very busy year indeed. if we always say that time pasts too fast, this year it travelled in supersonic speed. almost too many things happened in the short year. but it was a time of good growing and learning:)

this is going to be a summarised version of the past year. i did reflections throughout the year and they are in my archives if you want to search for them. i think this should suffice though

1. working from jan to may
i worked in 2 jobs this year. one at BA kindergarten as a teacher assistant and the other at PL as a relief teacher. there was the new found freedom of independence of earning my own money. i learnt the pleasure of being self-reliant and more importantly the amount of work it took. related to this, i started trying to tithe this year too..not sure if it is at the 10% mandated but at least its a step up from the $2 i got from my parents in the past.

i thank God for all the lessons learnt from both jobs. i realised more about myself as well as about other people. i could reaffirm the desire to work with people and not say computers or mathematical formulas. thank Him also for the people i met in either place, the friendships that were sweet while they lasted, even better those which lasted like my best new friend of 2006 - rachel:)

2. slack months of june and july
i didnt take on another job after the school term ended in may. i wanted to be well rested for the new school year ahead. so it was alot of relaxing and bumming around sudoku-ing, crossword puzzling, online-ing and reading. the main highlights of the months were my trips to kl and uk. each was done with the people i love. especially for the uk holiday which i went alone with my parents, it was certainly an experience getting the undivided attention of my parents for the 1st week there, a very big change from usual life in spore. and it was a good rest, the 2 months - so good that i couldnt wait to start uni.

3. university from aug onwards
the transition to uni was a huge change that needed some getting use to. school work expectations, people dynamics, new friends to meet and hope to keep. i felt really lost at first but thank God i had many friends in nus too. from older friends like sharon, eugene and jamie who were a great help to friends from sec school [erica and samantha] and jc [pei yee, suzhen, sanah and the others around] . they definitely were a source of comfort in the midst of a daily sensory overload. it took a while to learn to deal with the workload too although i settled fine pretty fast. results were not as good as i hoped for but thank God for them nonetheless:) joining VCF was a good decision too:) after getting to know the people there and breaking the ice..the cellgroup sessions were good recharge and learning times. i really truely thank God for kumuthan [cg leader] who i have been so blessed by.

4. happenings that cant really be slotted in between
- my extremely dramatic drug allergy episode.
the whole version in somewhere in the month of may. it was a scare really. and its something that no one can really understand till you experience it. if there is one moment that really stands out in the whole of the year it would be me in the AnE with my dad talking to the doctor with my uberly swollen eyes and realising i needed to spend 4 hours in the hospital. i dunno why God felt i needed such an experience but i guess He knows and i would find out in due time. and for the record i seem allergic to strepsils too! really wonder what is going on in my body sometimes. plus the fact that i have been getting a little too paranoid abt swelly/itchy eyes after eating a new medication or food.

- my teaching award.
this is truely God given. i didnt do brilliantly for the A levels. the award helped to lessen the load of uni fees on my parents and gives me a fairly comfortable allowance to live on. throughout the year i have been saying that i still dun know if this is the right path for me to take. i have since made peace abt it and just aim to be willing to follow God's plans for me. i cant stop marvelling at the grace of God in the light of all the blessings i have been surrounded with.

- tution-ing for church
it was a year of up and down in terms of interest. i was really on-the-ball at the beginning and got really sian in the middle. i started getting really interested abt it towards the end again. the best thing abt helping out in the tution prog was that i really got to know that neighbourhood people. they stopped being people i visited once every 3 months to give tracts but rather children and parents i got to know. i really enjoyed playing with the kids i tutored and see them have fun although they are so naughty. contrary to my plans, it looks like im going to help for a while longer in the next year.

5. relationships with people
met alot of new people this year and hence made a lot of new friends this year. i thank God once again for the impact, however tiny, each person had on me. erica, bonnie, sam and i are still going strong despite one of us being out of sync with the rest academically. i really am grateful to weishieng for making time to have lunch [and pay for it all the time] with me every alternate week during the sem. i have learnt lots from her and i hope i can become like her in the future - super power and very much in love with God. hope this can continue even during the second sem:) as for my family members, nothing much has changed i guess although we can always make it better right.

6. relationship with God
this hasnt been the best year in this department i think. it was good in its own way but i have too many unresolved struggles still. i found myself losing the fervour that had been my fuel in past years. i found myself getting very self-centered in my prayers to God. perhaps its just a greater awareness now but i want to reignite the passion again - the passion to devour the word and to take part in ministry joyfully. the busyness of the year took a toll on my personal walk and i knew i had to take a break [which i did and what a differance it made]. lastly, i have been trying rather unsuccessfully to kick a certain very bad habit but things have been improving slowly.

but through the whole year i can testify that my God is faithful. and He is greater than anything in the world. He is Lord and my best friend at the same time and he knows me better than anyone else. i thank Him for loving me just the way i am and in no way do i need to earn his love. i want to love him more.
-end-

told you it was a good year
lets hope 2007 is even better:)