Late but forgiven

My church pastor was asking me today what he could pray for me as I prepare for worship leading this Sunday.

My request was simple: "To have my mind set and centered on him. I have too much many things crowding out God."

And the funny thing, or not so funny thing rather, was that I had so many things in mind today that I totally forgot about music practice!

Oh no, oh no, oh no. 

Thankfully I didn't have a band involved like before. I have one keyboardist who was kind and gracious to forgive me and I still turned up for practice. 

Late but forgiven. 

pearlie

I am a llama for one day

I am not that very active in Facebook except to post my daily blog entry in there and once in awhile to check out on what my friends are up. 

But this one thing became one of the most fun thing I did on Facebook: being a llama for one day. 

Doug Joseph put up a challenge that anyone who gives a wrong answer will have to post a picture of a llama in their Facebook profile for a day. I took a look at the riddle and thought, hey I know this.

But too bad, it was not the correct answer and had to put up a llama profile picture. I used the same

llama picture Dous used, which looked kind of dorky. I didn't mind, because I should have thought a little bit more before answering. 

 

A few of my other friends took the challenge and got caught as well, and accompanied me as a llama for a day. Just that these two good friends of mine, both sisters, Rose and Allie, used really awesome looking llamas. 

Isn't this the coolest looking llama with an awesome hairstyle?

 

And Allie drew her own: a sweet and docile looking one:

It was definitely quite a fun day llama-ing along. 

pearlie 

I left my iPhone behind, twice!

I do not know what's wrong with me today. I left my iPhone behind not once, but twice! But I got it back! First in the restaurant and the second time in the washroom. I am so, so thankful. 

Was my mind too occupied? Was there a change in my habits? What there a change in my routines?

I think my mind was too occupied. I admit I was so busy thinking today it is a wonder my brain did not explode. 

I can feel a headache coming. Oh! Where is my phone?

pearlie

I blank out on words far too often these days

My memory is getting from bad to worse. I don't think I had that much of a problem in expressing myself before but now words that I need get stuck at the tip of my tongue.

I wanted to tell a friend that the swipe keyboard feature is native to the Android phones but I went blank on the word "native".

I was saying a prayer this morning in church while I was worship leading and I said, "we offer to You God our whole selves, no exceptions," but I got stuck. I wanted to say "no exceptions" but I blanked out.  People may have thought that I paused for dramatic effect but in reality, I was frantically searching for that phrase in my head but it was nowhere to be found. 

What do you do when this happens?

Since I'm in the middle of a public prayer, I had no choice but to say something that means the same, even though it's not at all the same. 

It's frustrating. 

pearlie 

My addiction

 

I don't drink much coffee anymore. But I have picked up another addiction - Coca Cola. And if I drink any in the night, like I just did, I would be wide awake the whole night, like I am right now. 

I must stop this. 

pearlie

End of January and I've not read a single book

I've been quite pleased with myself over the past few years for catching up on my reading, all thanks to the mobile and versatile electronic books. 30 in 2012, 30 in 2013, 56 in 2014 and 41 last year, I've never read so much in my entire life. 

But I have not read any in the whole of this month and it's not a good start of the year. For one, I've got myself into too many things and my plate is really, really full at the moment and what more, with free internet streaming, I've been spending too much time on TV. 

I must do something about it.

pearlie

No coincidence

I often unwittingly double-book myself and I did it again. I really thank God that there was a change in plans not in my control. The thing is I didn't even realised I double-booked myself until the day of one of the two events was changed. Both the events are very important and I cannot miss either any of them. And so I am so, so, so, so grateful they are now at different dates and time.

This is certainly not a coincidence. It has happened too many times. God is definitely the captain and pilot of my life.

pearlie

Seeing psychological disorders everywhere

I was trying to catch up on the Mental Illnesses lectures in the Introduction to Psychology course in Coursera. Professor Steve Joordens kept cautioning us that "learning about [psychological] disorders makes you see them everywhere, even in the mirror!"

It did in fact happened exactly as he cautioned. I noticed that I became quite down as a result in these few days, and it just might be because of the lectures, what with panic attacks and phobic disorders, depression and schizophrenia.

pearlie

What is the most embarrassing moment of your life

You don't have to tell me. I am not telling you.

pearlie

Total waste of time

I'm getting good at this - doing absolutely nothing over the weekend, and by the time I realised it, it is too late.

I need to be more mindful in the future.

pearlie

My car battery exploded

I was at the groceries store today that my car battery exploded when I had wanted to get home. I was igniting the engine when I heard a boom and everything went out. Nothing worked after that.

I called AAM for help and waited for an hour for the mechanic to come help change the battery.

When I came home, I checked the Internet and learnt that I need to be thankful that it was just a small boom, with no smoke or fire. My car is safe and more importantly I thank God that he kept me safe.

I know now that "free maintenance" batteries aren't really free from maintenance after all. You still need to clean the battery tops, make periodic re-tightening of battery connections, and test to confirm the working condition of the battery.

pearlie

All bluff I think

I had wanted to blog about impending death, with the growing number of people around me suffering from cancer, which scares me. I wanted to think about what I will do if I had only several months to live.

I then found this very interesting article, which seem to be trending as we speak: When I'm Gone.

It's a very poignant story about a man whose father died very young from cancer. Before the father died, he had written him letters to be opened at specific events, for example When You Had Your Worst Fight With Your Mom or When You Have Your First Kiss, etc.

But as I read along, I began to think that it is all made up. Then came this sentence at the end of the article, for When Your Time Comes, i.e. for when the son is himself on his death bed.

The father wrote, "You know, this letter was the easiest to write, and the first I wrote."

The question is how would he know that this was the easiest letter to write when he hasn't even written the other letters yet?

pearlie

Talent is bad...

My hubby is tone deaf but he is more updated with the music industry than I am. Not surprising, since I don't listen to the radio much if at all.

So it is not surprising that he sent me this interesting article: The Talent is Bad...Now What?

The article begins with, "As Christians, we do our best to share our God given talent. However, what happens when you’re faced with your worst nightmare… The singer who can’t sing! I’m talking American Idol highlight of terror bad."

So what would you do? It's a tough call.

pearlie

Am I a sleepwalker?

Dreamland, Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep
by David K. Randall

I read this book back in 2013 and regretted not blogging a review about it. I have forgotten most of what I have read and I will no longer be able to come up with a review now but all I can say is that it was a fabulous read.

However, I am bringing it up here because I am reminded of these few things that I read. Sleep is an amazing thing that God created us to do. And till now, scientists still do not know for sure why we sleep. You may say we sleep to rest but the body is quite active and does many things while we are sleeping, including the brain.

And one thing that it does is that while we sleep, we go into a state of paralysis so that we don't act out our dreams. But in some people, it does not work properly and so they sleepwalk.

People who sleepwalk obviously do not know that they do it. They might find bruises on their body and find themselves sleeping in a different place when they wake up.

I found a bruise I can't remember how I got it. It was quite a bad one at my left elbow. And now I'm wondering if I'm sleepwalking!

Oh dear...

pearlie

Couch Potato: Guilty

I have been taking leave from work - basically just to utilize my annual leave but I spent time at home. It's good except that there is nothing much to do except be a couch potato.

This is bad. Can't wait to get back to the office and gym in the morning.

pearlie
Photo source: www.unsv.com

A Wasted Day

Another day let slip! Its hours have run,
Its golden hours, with prodigal excess,
All run to waste. A day of life the less;
Of many wasted days, alas, but one!

Through my west window streams the setting sun.
I kneel within my chamber, and confess
My sin and sorrow, filled with vain distress,
In place of honest joy for work well done.

At noon I passed some labourers in a field.
The sweat ran down upon each sunburnt face,
Which shone like copper in the ardent glow.
And one looked up, with envy unconcealed,
Beholding my cool cheeks and listless pace,
Yet he was happier, though he did not know.

~ Robert Fuller Murray


pearlie

Potato Couch Weekend

I still wasn't in the mood to go back to my serious reading and I have tried reading five novels but none caught on and so I ended up spending time catching up on The Big Bang Theory.

It is no surprise that this sit-com is a hit. The characters are splendid, the dialogue superb and the acting spot on.

So, yeah...I spent the whole weekend being a potato couch. Thankfully, I am still going to the gym every weekday. Phew!

pearlie

I never learn

I find myself always jumping into something without first deliberating if it is the right move.

Well, if you know about the Gallup Strengths, Deliberation and Strategic aren't high on my list. I must do something about it and figure out how to compensate for my lack of it.

But for sure, I must be more mindful and think before I leap.

pearlie

Proof I don't travel enough / Catching Up #1

I will be flying to Singapore this evening and I found myself desiring to maximise my time at home with my family before I go off for a week and as such, I booked an evening flight. But I also wanted to maximise the time I am in Singapore to catch up with friends I have not met in years. With that, I made arrangements to meet each one of them every night I am in Singapore, except for the last.

But what I found was this: in taking a later flight, and spending time catching up with a friend on arrival, I was only able to check into the hotel at 12:30am and finally settle into my room and sleep at 2am. I will surely have problems keeping awake tomorrow in the training session I signed up for. So maybe it will be a better idea to give it more time and fly in much, much earlier.

The other lesson I learnt was not to be so adventurous in taking the MRT from the airport to the hotel. I got lost and what more, at 12:00am in the morning. I nearly panicked. Thankfully, the second person I asked for directions actually knew where my hotel was and directed me to the opposite direction that I had intended to pursue! I thank God for him, this nice young man, for his help and knowledge. Next time, Pearlie, take a taxi!

On the front of catching up on friends, this evening was Catching Up #1, and I caught up with Sharon, my ex-colleague back when we were in KPMG, whom I have became very close to at that time because we were in the same projects, we were in the same boat of learning consultancy as a new skill and we were in the same boat in surviving the challenges and problems we faced. It was a great catching up and bringing it all up to date with each other in how we have been growing and maturing since the last we parted. I pray for Sharon that in her life now as a stay-at-home mom, she will find deep fulfillment in the nurturing of her three children as well as her home and herself as a person. May God be with her and she with Him.

pearlie

What a day!

Today is quite an eventful day. A bit too eventful in fact.

Firstly, I performed my first facilitation duty here in this company, and it was a good one. I have done facilitation of training and workshop sessions quite often, but it has been awhile. So, I rather enjoyed myself doing it for the morning half of the day.

Secondly, in my rush to get to the workshop this morning, I dropped my gym card. I had too many things in my hands. I was trying to get something out but my gym card flew out of my hands. The lift doors were ajar. It flew up, dropped down, fit itself perfectly in the gap, and fell right into the lift shaft. There it goes, and I had to get a replacement card.

Thirdly, there was much to do to get ready for a training session in the next three days, as well as to cover for the three days I will not be in the office.

Finally, on the way back from work, I used the route that I usually take, and missed the turn I told myself never, never, never to miss, because there will be no turning back. I missed it today, and took a extremely long way back home -- more than 50 km of detour that is.

I am certainly glad the day is over, but I am nevertheless thankful to God -- it was still a good day, but what a day!

pearlie