Bandaged Soul...so I can open my heart to you again.

By Lee Cockerell I think that the first part of my answer would be to tell you that you should just do your job... and do it well... and focus on what you can do and not what you can’t do. There is no doubt that all of us have had to work with people... or work for people... or have people report to us... that we did not like and even sometimes did not trust. You can stay in that situation and do the best you can, or you can try to move to another position if this bothers you too much. You can also go down the path of trying to better understand why you don’t like the person or why you don’t trust him or her and then think about whether you would be willing to sit down and discuss this with the person. For some of you, if it is serious enough, you might want to have your Human Resources Manager get involved to try to sort out what the issue is. Remember the old saying, “Don’t let the turkeys get you down”? YOU just do the best you can. There is another old saying, and that one is, “Don

Discover the Cure for Loneliness Are you a single Christian struggling with loneliness? Discover the cure for loneliness by examining these biblical principles with Jack Zavada . Loneliness: Toothache of the Soul Loneliness is one of life's most miserable experiences. Everyone feels lonely at times, but is there a message for us in loneliness? Is there a way we can turn it into something positive? Sometimes loneliness is a temporary condition that departs in a few hours or a couple days. But when you're burdened with this emotion for weeks, months, or even years, it's definitely telling you something. In a sense, loneliness is like a toothache: It's a warning signal that something is wrong. And like a toothache, if left unattended, it usually gets worse. Your first response to loneliness may be to self-medicate - to try home remedies to make it go away. Busyness is a common treatment. You may think that if you fill your life with so many activities that you don't ha

In my life, I can only think of 4 stalls of wanton noodle that would make me go back for more, in chronological order: 1. The one near my old house at Jalan Kukoh market; 2. 飛飛雲吞面 at Joo Chiat Place; 3. Ah Seng's at the lower level Dunman Food Centre; 4. The one at Level 1 of Cornerstone Community Church building (Odeon Katong). 飛飛雲吞面 was really just history if it had not been for Kenneth who (re)introduced me to that place on 6 Oct 11 for supper. I couldn't confirm if it was the same place at first and I didn't know it comes by that name when I first went there during KPC (Katong Presbyterian Church) days. It was the taste of the 雲吞 and the chilli that really hit it home. It is so true that taste and smell have memories. So I've been going there for late dinner, supper, with Kenneth, other friends and sometimes by myself almost everyday since then. I still haven't gotten sick of it yet! The people at the shop were mostly friendly, too. I went there so that

Abba Father, I commit our Cambodia trip into your hand. Please guide us in the right direction. And if we have Your grace to go for our scheduled Community Service trip to Cambodia as a family, I pray that You clear the path and still the storm. Allow us to bring love and joy to those who in need. Although not all of us are believers, for those who are, may we be stirred up to go in Your name and give You all the glory. It is You who makes all things possible. Without You, all our good deeds would be in vain. Nevertheless, I know You can use whatever we can give, regardless of our motivation. We are not doing much, but if it is in Your favour that we be a part of meeting the needs of the people You love and how You are answering to their cries, I pray Your amazing grace travels with us and be among us. That Your name may be glorified, that Your promise that our households be saved because of any one of us in the family. Replace the floods of water with floods of Your love, through us,

It was our first session at AG Home tonight. 6 female volunteers and about 20 something teenage girls supervised by their AD, in one old classroom, coming together in a manner which would never have been possible if not for the love and grace of God. This is a new initiative by CCSC which would only occupy the fifth Monday of the month - as and when there's one. So the next session to be conducted by this team is in Jan 2012. Led worship today, accompanied on the guitar by Christine. 赞美主, Let Evereything That Has Breath, and Still. Went through the songs very briefly - the girls sang especially loudly for the 3rd song. The session was a bit draggy, I thought. The girls were a little restless but I guess most of them were tired. Not many were believers but they were generally cooperative. It was a rather enjoyable experience. What would it take for them to worship God for real?

Today has been a really eventful day. Woke up early morning at 6.15am for rehearsal in Church at 7am. After Praise and Worship session, I ducked out of service to meet up with the team going to minister at Andrew and Grace Home chapel tomorrow. Straight after, I drove to Siew Chin's at Choa Chu Kang for 1pm lunch. Her mom cooked yam abacus, yummmmm... Hung around watching some Taiwanese variety show on her very comfortable couch. Lost track of time if not for Siew Fong's reminder that it was already 4.15pm. I left almost immediately to RP but not before given a pack of yam abacus and an iPod radio player - Siew Chin had an extra unit originally a bought for Siew Fong but she didn't want it. Anyway, Guna had asked me to sing for an event. It was only on arrival at RP's Agora Hall LT 5 that I realized it was the World Tamil Writers Conference. The performance was ok. Fortunately it was an informal performance setting and that allowed me to refer to lyrics. Performed "

Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in His wonderful face And the things on earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace It feels lousy to base my perception on people's facial expression. First of all, you don't know whether it is in sync with what they are really thinking. But because of past encounters and what self-perception, things seem bleak. It's probably stupid to let myself indulge in self-pity. Isn't it naive to expect bosses to be genuinely loving and merciful. I hate self-pity. I need the discipline to get out of it and not let it paralyse me. Lately I find myself sighing a lot. I think I'm feeling a little demotivated and I hate the fact that I actually let it out instead of keeping it in when I'm in front of others. I'm a bad testimony against the hope I'm supposed to have in Christ. Tsk, I did it again! :( Where has all my love gone to? Don't you remember, Cynthia, to love only those who love you has no benefits?

I get it, you want me to improve. Sometimes, perhaps the imperfection in people - both the sender and the receiver - causes the message not to sit well. Perhaps I just can't get the hint. Or the hardness of it is a result of my naive perception of how such message should be sent - out of love. But I forgot that this is an imperfect world. They don't operate out of love. At least the one who appraises you is not obliged to provide that conducive environment to tell you you're not doing a good enough job and you need to improve.

The date today is like a waltz. It was a good day, albeit a slip down the same lane. Bugger... Anyway, besides the fact that it's Children's Day, it's also 大姐's birthday. All of us, except David's family, went to her house to celebrate her forty-... better don't say :S Haha, anyway, as usual, it's just eat and eat, laze around, chit chat. It's a relaxing and enjoyable family affairs, as always. 大姐 has always been perceived as the stabilizer in the family. She took care of almost everything about mom during her few episodes of surgery and cancer treatments, her claims, etc. Important decisions would get through her to ensure we made the right moves. Something trivia, but I vividly remember her correcting me when she was tutoring my Accounting subject, that I should ask in English, not Teochew. On a more serious note, I know that if I have some life's decision to make, I can turn to her and trust her wisdom on the matter. 大姐 - Blessed Birthday and stay

If only I knew that those cloudy eyes of yours means that you would be leaving soon, I would have stayed with you longer that night. I wouldn't have left your bedside. I would have just sat there and watch you while you sleep. Stroke your hands a little, just lightly so that I wouldn't startle you from your rest. I wouldn't have cared for anything else but to just keep you by my side. I wish I could have more exchanges of words with you, to hear your voice. I'm just beginning to realise now that I miss you. It's starting to kick in. If it was just about me, I would be whining that I'm a pitiable person because I don't think I would find anyone on this earth who would love me the way that you do. I know it is not about me. Yet I can't help feeling pitiable. What if it's true? What if it is never to be my portion? Would I really be able to take it? Lately I feel that everything is going downhill. I couldn't pick myself to do anything with purpose.

It's been a month since Mom went to be with the Lord. 30 days to be exact. I miss her a lot and it's hitting me slowly. I think it's because Mom only came back home during the weekends and during the 3-4 months when she became quite weak, she hadn't come back at all. I decided to take a day off today and pay a visit to her niche at All Saints Memorial Hall. Picked Jenny up at Eunos MRT Station after her work and went together. The PA system in the hall was playing "Amazing Grace" when we reached - one of Mom's favourite songs. We arranged her flowers (only fake ones allowed), spoke little and had our own silent moments even though we were together. Then I whipped out my iPad and iPod and we went through the family photos I store inside. Some were really funny and we laughed together. We stayed for about an hour... time went by quite quickly. I realised that I spend more time with my sisters now. David is busy with the stall so I guess it's not as easy

My Personality Profile from be2: rationality vs. emotionality Rational people mainly draw on facts for decisions and are particularly quiet, able to analyze and argue logically. Emotional people are more likely to incorporate emotions into their decisions - the solution has to be a "good fit". Sensitivity, empathy and an ability to sense moods mark out their personality. Your personal profile: balanced, with a tendency towards emotionality You often make decisions instinctively. Feelings play a greater part in your decision making than rational deliberations. tradition vs. innovation People with a strong inclination towards innovation are open to change and welcome it. People who tend towards tradition desire stability and are wary of change. Your personal profile: moderate, tending towards high, inclination to innovate You strive for change and excitement more than most people. Nevertheless, you do occasionally value the comfort that routine brings. distance vs. attachment A

I lost a friend to depression on 8 Feb this year. It was a grievous realisation that she's gone. I'm not sure if I've fully come to terms with it and how much I would miss her when it finally sinks in one day. God is still good. He caused me to bump into Jessie Yip. My singing kaki during my early years in Cornerstone Community Church. It was formerly known as Bedok Christian Centre. She has a strong and lovely voice and I've always enjoyed singing with her. Of all places in Singapore, we met in a lift at SGH Block 4. We were both visiting our mother. Her's on level 6 and mine on level 8. We could have so easily missed each other. But we didn't... I've been trying to look for her for quite a while. I think of her often, and especially this year, I don't know why. I tried to trace back to those who know her but the link was cut. I was so very sad. But all in good time, we met up today. Found out that she stays very near me. I'm going to meet up with

LOVE NEVER FAILS by Jentezen Franklin God wants you to experience a love like no other. When you love others, I believe you will receive perfect love in your own life. To help you experience this amazing love, I want to give you some practical Biblical steps you can take to find the love of your life. Hear and speak truth in love. According to Ephesians 4:15, we all need to hear and speak the truth in love. When you are heading down the wrong path, God will send His messengers to help turn you around. Be sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and spiritual leaders, and gain knowledge from God's Word. Rejoice in correction because it means God cares about you. Choose love. Scripture commands us to "set your affections" (Colossians 3:2). We are not slaves to instinct. Make the choice to love your spouse and uphold your marriage vows. Make the choice to love your children and pray for them. Make the choice to love God by spending time with Him in prayer, in the Word an

It is so true that to develop one of the fruit of the Spirit, you need to insist on exercising those qualities in circumstances that you would most likely do the opposite. I feel that I have failed greatly today. I really let go of all restraints and almost "chopped off" all nine elements of the fruit prematurely. I got so upset and reacted as if God did not exist. Like the Holy Spirit didn't live in me. Isn't that scary? I'm disappointed with myself. 1. Delayed Completion I screamed at my sub-standard renovation designer cum coordinator because he kept extending the completion date and wasted so much of my time. Then he still use emotional blackmail on me, saying how he actually didn't need to do this and that for me, because it was not in the contract. I hated it that he made me feel I have no choice but to comply. I hated it that he disregard my instruction to cover my sofa and it became sooooooo dirty. I hated it when he tried to make me believe that he co