I suddenly had a thought about teaching while lying in bed, nursing my cold. Too tired to do much but my mind is too active to sleep.
When we eventually go back to SG, I'll be a mum of one. And will have to be more effective in my career so that I have quality time with my family.
Ideas:
- delegating homework collection to the rep, rep to have a class list and keep track of who handed in their work, who is late etc.
- share my 'i love Geog' philosophy with the class, it's about the world and its people, it's about us.
- having a questions envelope on the notice board for students to put their queries in.
- use digital learning platforms or email to get students to catch up on missed classes or missed parts due to lateness, delays etc. E-learning will be a big part to fill these gaps. Classroom time to be answering questions.
Friday, 1 April 2016
Tuesday, 20 October 2015
The will to explore
Sometimes, I think that I had lost the will to explore, aka travel. Since coming to the UK, there are many new things to adapt to and it has dampened my traveling spirit quite a bit. But today, after seeing an ad from BA on flights to the Carribean, I am reminded of the vast world that I live in and how little I know of it. How little I had experienced in my not too short but definitely not long existence of 29 years.
How much of Europe do I know? Merely London, Bath & Brighton and small parts of France (namely Paris and the Loire region). Very little!
How much of the Middle East have I been to? Israel and Jordan. Ah, that I am happy with. Though I want to see more, Turkey and perhaps Lebanon.
And of the Americas? Parts of western USA (San Francisco, Phoenix & Grand Canyon, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, a bit of San Jose). There is still Eastern USA (New York, Boston) and Canada that I had not been too.
Don't talk about South America because that's a place I know zero about. It will be nice to see Amazon, Cuba and Iguazu Falls etc. many many!
Ah, and so much of Europe to go to. And some day, somewhere in the African continent.
Xoxo
How much of Europe do I know? Merely London, Bath & Brighton and small parts of France (namely Paris and the Loire region). Very little!
How much of the Middle East have I been to? Israel and Jordan. Ah, that I am happy with. Though I want to see more, Turkey and perhaps Lebanon.
And of the Americas? Parts of western USA (San Francisco, Phoenix & Grand Canyon, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, a bit of San Jose). There is still Eastern USA (New York, Boston) and Canada that I had not been too.
Don't talk about South America because that's a place I know zero about. It will be nice to see Amazon, Cuba and Iguazu Falls etc. many many!
Ah, and so much of Europe to go to. And some day, somewhere in the African continent.
Xoxo
Monday, 28 September 2015
One should be hospitable
I realize that as a Christian, I should be more hospitable to service people in my home.
Today, a water inspections guy came to my house and he was around for at least 1.5 hour, but I did not offer him a single glass of water or even a drink! After he left, I didn't feel very comfortable about it as I felt that I wasn't thinking on behalf of others. It would be nice if I offered him a drink. But why didn't I?
I thought about it and realized that I was a little irritated by the inconvenience this inspections has brought me. I can't be free at home, I have to give him space to do his work and yet ensure that my home is secure from any petty theft, I didn't know that he was going to take that long, and I was hungry and thirsty but him being there in the kitchen and not making any conversation with me (and vice versa) made me less inclined to be hospitable.
Ah. But a Christian should be hospitable and kind to live a life of good testimony for Jesus!
Ok, I will change. I will at least ask if they will like a drink.
Xoxo
Today, a water inspections guy came to my house and he was around for at least 1.5 hour, but I did not offer him a single glass of water or even a drink! After he left, I didn't feel very comfortable about it as I felt that I wasn't thinking on behalf of others. It would be nice if I offered him a drink. But why didn't I?
I thought about it and realized that I was a little irritated by the inconvenience this inspections has brought me. I can't be free at home, I have to give him space to do his work and yet ensure that my home is secure from any petty theft, I didn't know that he was going to take that long, and I was hungry and thirsty but him being there in the kitchen and not making any conversation with me (and vice versa) made me less inclined to be hospitable.
Ah. But a Christian should be hospitable and kind to live a life of good testimony for Jesus!
Ok, I will change. I will at least ask if they will like a drink.
Xoxo
Sunday, 27 September 2015
His unfailing love continues forever
"For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation."
Psalms 100:5 NLT
http://bible.com/116/psa.100.5.nlt
I am heartened today to read this verse as it reminds me of how faithful God is to me and my family.
My dad told me that my Gung Gung's mother, my great grandma, was a Christian when she lived. And she was one of the first Christians in Tekong, I think it's either her or another relative in China who brought the other to Christ. Something happened there, and as a result, my Gung Gung believes in Christ and my dad and his siblings were brought up with knowledge of Jesus.
And because of this, my dad brought us to church for the first time when I was 10 years old. Even though my mum used to avoid beef and pray in the temples, and was superstitious, our family was slowly converted and we did not stop attending church.
I thank God for my Great Grandma and whoever spread the gospel to her, it was she who brought my Gung Gung to Christ, and subsequently my Dad, and then me and my family. I thank God that His unfailing love endures forever and His faithfulness continues to each generation. I pray that my nephew and all our descendants will continue to be brought up knowing and loving Jesus.
Thank you Lord for your faithfulness. All honour and praise to God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Psalms 100:5 NLT
http://bible.com/116/psa.100.5.nlt
I am heartened today to read this verse as it reminds me of how faithful God is to me and my family.
My dad told me that my Gung Gung's mother, my great grandma, was a Christian when she lived. And she was one of the first Christians in Tekong, I think it's either her or another relative in China who brought the other to Christ. Something happened there, and as a result, my Gung Gung believes in Christ and my dad and his siblings were brought up with knowledge of Jesus.
And because of this, my dad brought us to church for the first time when I was 10 years old. Even though my mum used to avoid beef and pray in the temples, and was superstitious, our family was slowly converted and we did not stop attending church.
I thank God for my Great Grandma and whoever spread the gospel to her, it was she who brought my Gung Gung to Christ, and subsequently my Dad, and then me and my family. I thank God that His unfailing love endures forever and His faithfulness continues to each generation. I pray that my nephew and all our descendants will continue to be brought up knowing and loving Jesus.
Thank you Lord for your faithfulness. All honour and praise to God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Kindness in hospitality
It was a cold and rainy day today, what Londoners would call a dreadful day. Awful.
Some people came to my house today to move waste materials & boxes away for us after the unpacking. There was a roundish man with a gentle tone who came by my house and I could see dampness in his hair and jacket. He was commenting on how dreadful the rain is, in a rare gentle voice of a man. And I felt so sorry for him because he looked like a kind and gentle persons
But I didn't act. And when I went out later on to buy groceries, I felt the cold and was thinking of how nice it would be to be in a warm cafe drinking something hot.
Looking back on today and reading the scripture verses for today (see below), I would want to act differently next time. I could have shown kindness to these workers by offering them a cup of hot drink on such a cold and wet day as this.
So that as Christians, we can shine like stars in the sky... in a world of unbelievers.
"Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.' Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky..."(Philippians 2:14-15 NIVUK)
Some people came to my house today to move waste materials & boxes away for us after the unpacking. There was a roundish man with a gentle tone who came by my house and I could see dampness in his hair and jacket. He was commenting on how dreadful the rain is, in a rare gentle voice of a man. And I felt so sorry for him because he looked like a kind and gentle persons
But I didn't act. And when I went out later on to buy groceries, I felt the cold and was thinking of how nice it would be to be in a warm cafe drinking something hot.
Looking back on today and reading the scripture verses for today (see below), I would want to act differently next time. I could have shown kindness to these workers by offering them a cup of hot drink on such a cold and wet day as this.
So that as Christians, we can shine like stars in the sky... in a world of unbelievers.
"Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.' Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky..."(Philippians 2:14-15 NIVUK)
Tuesday, 1 September 2015
Mark 1:17 - My Word Study
"And Jesus said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.'"
- Mark 1:17 (ESV)
My interpretation of the verse:
1) God initiates. God is active, not passive! Jesus makes the first move to speak to us.
2) We are the chosen. Jesus chose us, we are the "them". Jesus chose to speak to us, he asks us to follow him.
3) But we have to react, we have the free will to choose whether to listen to His calling to follow Him.
4) Follow what? Follow Jesus. There is a clear direction!
5) Jesus becomes our leader. Jesus is a leader.
5) There is a promise in the "and I will...". When we follow Jesus and let Him lead us, something will happen!
6) A Transformation happens. When we follow Jesus, we will be made to "become". This means that we will be transformed to "become" something.
7) Jesus has power! The part "and I will make you.." shows that Jesus has the power to transform us. But before that, we must choose to follow Him and let Him lead us.
8) The transformation is specific, it is to make us "become fishers of men". In the biblical context when this was written, Jesus was speaking to fishermen and so this is written in a language and imagery that fishermen of that time can understand.
To become fishers of men will mean that instead of catching fishes (that's what a fisherman does), we will 'catch' people. Not in the physical sense but in the spiritual sense, catching people's hearts, minds and souls.
9) When we are transformed, we will be able to attract others to Jesus. We will be able to win hearts and minds for Jesus through our new life! Through the way we live and our testimony on this earth. :-)
There is a concept of discipleship in here where we will make disciples for Jesus. In the bible we know that this is our great commission in the world.
10) Note that Jesus did not promise riches and wealth. He did not promise the fishermen that they can catch more fishes (no mention of financial return), but He promised that when they are transformed they will be able to capture the hearts, minds and souls of men.
11) It is interesting to note that Jesus speaks to each of us in a way where can understand.
When he spoke to fishermen (who are probably uneducated, working class), he described their transformation as to become "fishers of men". The same applies today and forevermore, Jesus speaks to us individually in ways that we can understand.
12) Yet... Not everyone who are chosen will be transformed.
Even though Jesus has spoken to many, some people who had heard will turn away and ignore the calling to follow him. This means that there are people who has heard the gospel, they may even have felt Jesus speaking to their hearts, but out of the free will (that God has given to each of us), has chosen to ignore Jesus's calling.
- Mark 1:17 (ESV)
My interpretation of the verse:
1) God initiates. God is active, not passive! Jesus makes the first move to speak to us.
2) We are the chosen. Jesus chose us, we are the "them". Jesus chose to speak to us, he asks us to follow him.
3) But we have to react, we have the free will to choose whether to listen to His calling to follow Him.
4) Follow what? Follow Jesus. There is a clear direction!
5) Jesus becomes our leader. Jesus is a leader.
5) There is a promise in the "and I will...". When we follow Jesus and let Him lead us, something will happen!
6) A Transformation happens. When we follow Jesus, we will be made to "become". This means that we will be transformed to "become" something.
7) Jesus has power! The part "and I will make you.." shows that Jesus has the power to transform us. But before that, we must choose to follow Him and let Him lead us.
8) The transformation is specific, it is to make us "become fishers of men". In the biblical context when this was written, Jesus was speaking to fishermen and so this is written in a language and imagery that fishermen of that time can understand.
To become fishers of men will mean that instead of catching fishes (that's what a fisherman does), we will 'catch' people. Not in the physical sense but in the spiritual sense, catching people's hearts, minds and souls.
9) When we are transformed, we will be able to attract others to Jesus. We will be able to win hearts and minds for Jesus through our new life! Through the way we live and our testimony on this earth. :-)
There is a concept of discipleship in here where we will make disciples for Jesus. In the bible we know that this is our great commission in the world.
10) Note that Jesus did not promise riches and wealth. He did not promise the fishermen that they can catch more fishes (no mention of financial return), but He promised that when they are transformed they will be able to capture the hearts, minds and souls of men.
11) It is interesting to note that Jesus speaks to each of us in a way where can understand.
When he spoke to fishermen (who are probably uneducated, working class), he described their transformation as to become "fishers of men". The same applies today and forevermore, Jesus speaks to us individually in ways that we can understand.
12) Yet... Not everyone who are chosen will be transformed.
Even though Jesus has spoken to many, some people who had heard will turn away and ignore the calling to follow him. This means that there are people who has heard the gospel, they may even have felt Jesus speaking to their hearts, but out of the free will (that God has given to each of us), has chosen to ignore Jesus's calling.
Sunday, 31 May 2015
Christ as the center
Dear diary,
Recently I've been worrying and getting sad over the impending move.
It is hard for me to first agree to going (settled), put my career on hold and getting no salary for 3 years (settled), pack up my life from our cosy home into boxes, find rental accommodation there, find a good tenant here that we can trust, come up with a plan on how to get our belongings out of our home, including what to bring in the limited shipping allowance that we have, how to replace necessities that are needed here after our belongings are shipped over, come up with a plan on where to store the belongings that we are leaving behind... And physically and mentally doing the great big move.
All these things involve my whole heart, body and spirit. I moved from my childhood room to our little green room, and from the little green room shared in the first two years of our married life to our home.
And now, to ask me to move from our home to a place far away, and to move most of the things we have from our home back to the little green room... ... I am overwhelmed from the sheer volume of 'work' involved.
I cried, I rejected it, I regretted it, I made a great big fuss... And still, I am thinking of how to settle this big knot of emotions. At the moment, I just want to escape from this situation. I wish that my life is just normal and happy, just the way that it has been. People tell me that it is a blessing, it is an opportunity, and I know it in my mind but the emotions from my heart reject it. I just want to be normal, I just want to be settled in our little home.
I thought about it for some time and thought that if we do not rent out our house, I will feel much better because the logistics will be settled. There's a safe haven to come back to whenever we visit every year. And when we come back, our old life and habits in this cosy home and resume. How ideal.
But who is going to maintain our home by cleaning up once in a while, making sure that Mosquitos don't breed, and using our electronics from time to time so that nothing is spoilt? A vacant home with no one to look after it is not ideal too, unless I plan to come back very frequently (e.g. Every quarter) or get someone to come in every week or fortnight for light maintenance.
Even without anyone living in our home, bills still need to be paid... Of around $150.
And there's the question about lost income from not renting out the house. Income that can help us supplement my loss of salary, pay the bills, contribute to our savings/retirement fund, income that can fund our activities in UK and exploring Europe... Come back or fly parents over, support family building etc.
Lord, what do I do? Rationally, I know what to do but emotionally, I really don't.
Please be in the center of my life, and not be outside my life. I need you O Lord!
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Recently I've been worrying and getting sad over the impending move.
It is hard for me to first agree to going (settled), put my career on hold and getting no salary for 3 years (settled), pack up my life from our cosy home into boxes, find rental accommodation there, find a good tenant here that we can trust, come up with a plan on how to get our belongings out of our home, including what to bring in the limited shipping allowance that we have, how to replace necessities that are needed here after our belongings are shipped over, come up with a plan on where to store the belongings that we are leaving behind... And physically and mentally doing the great big move.
All these things involve my whole heart, body and spirit. I moved from my childhood room to our little green room, and from the little green room shared in the first two years of our married life to our home.
And now, to ask me to move from our home to a place far away, and to move most of the things we have from our home back to the little green room... ... I am overwhelmed from the sheer volume of 'work' involved.
I cried, I rejected it, I regretted it, I made a great big fuss... And still, I am thinking of how to settle this big knot of emotions. At the moment, I just want to escape from this situation. I wish that my life is just normal and happy, just the way that it has been. People tell me that it is a blessing, it is an opportunity, and I know it in my mind but the emotions from my heart reject it. I just want to be normal, I just want to be settled in our little home.
I thought about it for some time and thought that if we do not rent out our house, I will feel much better because the logistics will be settled. There's a safe haven to come back to whenever we visit every year. And when we come back, our old life and habits in this cosy home and resume. How ideal.
But who is going to maintain our home by cleaning up once in a while, making sure that Mosquitos don't breed, and using our electronics from time to time so that nothing is spoilt? A vacant home with no one to look after it is not ideal too, unless I plan to come back very frequently (e.g. Every quarter) or get someone to come in every week or fortnight for light maintenance.
Even without anyone living in our home, bills still need to be paid... Of around $150.
And there's the question about lost income from not renting out the house. Income that can help us supplement my loss of salary, pay the bills, contribute to our savings/retirement fund, income that can fund our activities in UK and exploring Europe... Come back or fly parents over, support family building etc.
Lord, what do I do? Rationally, I know what to do but emotionally, I really don't.
Please be in the center of my life, and not be outside my life. I need you O Lord!
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
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