Missing Christmas

You know, Christmas has always excited me. Always. I would start fussing about Christmas in July because July would mean half the year has passed, and the closer half to Christmas is here. I listen to Christmas songs, whenever.

I LOVE Christmas. I love everything about Christmas. I love the colours, red, green, gold, white, silver, gingerbread brown. I love Christmas songs. I am amazed at how there are absolutely no bad songs (by bad i mean 'bad sounding') in an entire genre when it comes to Christmas songs/music! I love the smells of Christmas, the lights, the bustling sound of people doing last minute shopping in malls, the rustling of wrappers. I love it all. I love Christmas movies, putting up plays/song performances at church/ carolling, getting inviting to sing for turkey. There's nothing about Christmas that I don't like. I may complain and whine sometimes about being stressed out and tired for all the activity during Christmas-time. But I secretly enjoy it all.

Or at least I did. Christmas is so different this year. Its the 23rd today, and I haven't done ANY shopping. There isn't a single piece of wrapping paper on my room floor. I've only been able to join the caroling group to carol -- once. I'm so disappointed. I've been looking forward to this year's Christmas since the 26th of December last year.

This sucks. :(

Ordinarily there would be packages at the foot of our Christmas tree. And I would be eyeing them, excited to open them, but telling myself to restrain till Christmas day. There would be carols playing on the radio, or at least in my head all the time. We would be rushing here and there for dinners today (the 23rd) going from house to house to carol.

They did carol. But I had to work. All through this Christmas season, I had to work. It wasn't Christmassy at work at all. Sure, we had a lunch and a gift exchange. But after that everyone just went back to their desks and worked. No carols in the background (I really wanted to play some carols, but I figured the other writers needed quiet to think, to write). My only consolation is that we have Christmas eve off. It would kill me to have to work on Christmas eve.

I'm not trying to make those who have to work on Christmas eve feel badly. Maybe this only affects me because I'm such a Christmas fanatic.

Ah well, for what its worth. May we all find Christmas, in our hearts :) Cliché I know, but true.

Merry Christmas, one and all!

Whatever is worthwhile, think about such things.

 

Our days are few, and are far better spent in doing good, than in disputing over matters which are, at best, of minor importance. The old schoolmen did a world of mischief by their incessant discussion of subjects of no practical importance; and our Churches suffer much from petty wars over abstruse points and unimportant questions. After everything has been said that can be said, neither party is any the wiser, and therefore the discussion no more promotes knowledge than love, and it is foolish to sow in so barren a field. Questions upon points wherein Scripture is silent; upon mysteries which belong to God alone; upon prophecies of doubtful interpretation; and upon mere modes of observing human ceremonials, are all foolish, and wise men avoid them. Our business is neither to ask nor answer foolish questions, but to avoid them altogether; and if we observe the apostle’s precept (Tit_3:8) to be careful to maintain good works, we shall find ourselves far too much occupied with profitable business to take much interest in unworthy, contentious, and needless strivings.
There are, however, some questions which are the reverse of foolish, which we must not avoid, but fairly and honestly meet, such as these: Do I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Am I renewed in the spirit of my mind? Am I walking not after the flesh, but after the Spirit? Am I growing in grace? Does my conversation adorn the doctrine of God my Saviour? Am I looking for the coming of the Lord, and watching as a servant should do who expects his master? What more can I do for Jesus? Such enquiries as these urgently demand our attention; and if we have been at all given to cavilling, let us now turn our critical abilities to a service so much more profitable. Let us be peace-makers, and endeavour to lead others both by our precept and example, to “avoid foolish questions.”

 

Look who's friends with me!! :D

Notifications

• 

  Vigilant Citizen accepted your friend request.

  13 minutes ago

Today we really ATE mann. Fuyoh.

And the only picture we took was with Ps. Solomon Abraham whom we bumped into and only dared to say hi to at the end.

Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

For ourselves, really.

A week goes by at just like that *snap fingers*. Then it’ll be a month, then a year, then ten years and before you know it, your whole life.

You’ve only got one life. Do something. (Hehheh…I just HAD to.)

Selamat Hari Raya to you all!

I went to Marks and Spencers today. Said hello to the cashier while I was paying for some jam tarts I thought my dad would like. I asked him if he was going to balik kampung today, since its Raya. He said nope, he’s gotta work. I asked the same thing to the lady behind the counter at the petrol station, and the receptionist at the doctor’s clinic yesterday. Nope, they all said…gotta work! :(

Its like working on Christmas.

Thank you, Satay Man at Alisans, Cashier At Marks and Spencers, Lady Behind the Counter at Petronas, Receptionist at Klinik Medijaya and everyone else who has sacrificed being home with family to serve us today. May you have a good Raya anyway :)

Its pretty sad (myself included) how PJians have no place to go and thus, flood the malls on public holidays. We should build ourselves some fake beaches/fake highlands or something.

Disturbances

I’ve shifted to the hospital store. It feels weird working in a hospital! Like, one walks into a hospital expecting to jab, or be jabbed – people go there because they’re in pain, or want to help others who are in pain – not to sell over-priced coffee!

Ah well, but here it is - I now sell over-priced coffee to people in pain, or families visiting people in pain, or others. I’ve found myself wondering, these past two days (I only started at the hospital yesterday!), what do I say to these people while trying to make conversation over the retail counter? Do I ask “Are you having a good day?”. I mean…they’re not there to shop, or hangout! They’re there because they/someone they know isn’t well, or its their job to pick at brains or drain blood and clean bed pans. Not exactly sunshine and glamour, if you ask me – well, maybe not to me at least. My hat is off to the ones who willingly, with a smile, change adult diapers, perform coffee enema on others and mend human guts!

On the bright side…its a new place for me to explore! (I accidently walked, almost into the MORGUE late Tuesday night…now, that was creepy!) I plan to wander to the paeds ward (if I get to go in) and see the babies tomorrow. Awww :) :) :) We get lots of babies at the store (when their parents get coffee for themselves). I love looking at them. The babies, that is.

When I was at One U, I was comfortable…almost to the point where I considered (if the meager salary wasn’t a factor) just doing this my whole life (I hope none of my aunts/dad/Jen/Dai May see this! :P). It was fun, I had great colleagues and everything was so accessible. PLUS I loved that I was working in One Utama! Now that I’ve been taken out of my comfort zone, I can’t wait for something more permanent (and NOT in a hospital!). Maybe this is God telling me to look ahead and that I simply cannot stay in Starbucks forever (I know…you must be thinking duhh! –who says ‘duhh anymore, anyway?!) but, well, just hanging out some linen.

Some other random stuff:

We (the Youth) are going for Steamboat-BBQ in Kepong this Saturday, and I’m really REALLYYY looking forward to it. I went once, our ex-colleagues at Fly took us there on our 2nd-last day of work…and it was WONDERFUL! (*cue angels song). The spread is amazing, and you get to barbeque and boil all your food all by yourself and there’s unlimited ice-cream and fondue and jellies annnnddd….FRIED CHICKEN WINGS! 

Insert: Fried Chicken Wings! *beam

Maybe I’m just hungry now, or maybe thinking about the buffet is making me hungry.

Like my chick blog? :D

Don’t read if you’re already depressed.

I am starting to see the my world, slowly, bit by bit, for what it is. And it is not pretty. In fact, for the most part it is downright nasty – rotten to the core. Thinking about it makes me think of what happens to apples when you cut them in half and leave the insides exposed to oxygen. They turn brown and slowly start to rot.

I don’t mean to sound so negative, not especially on my ‘first day back’ after such a long hiatus. Yew Meng commented today, as I was lamenting to him about the messed up state we I am living in, “What are you a pessimist?”. Never in my life has anyone called me a pessimist. I am/was 88% Sanguine, according to the crazya**-long questionnaire we did to figure out why some are perky and some are not. Now I’m starting to wonder why no one took into account our sugar-intake.

Louie Armstrong must have been hallucinating when he sang “What a wonderful world”.

If only we would learn to be kinder, nicer, less selfish, more giving. That would help things by a mile.

Guide me home

This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe.

Your Holy Presence living in me.

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread.

Your very Word spoken to me;

And I, I’m DESPARATE for YOU!

And I, I’m lost without You.

The holidays are near!

I woke up relatively early this morning, after a rather weird night of feeling windy and bloated :( Hot coffee this morning provided somewhat little comfort; but a little comfort is better than no comfort at all.

I am wasting time loitering around, lying on my belly as I type this. I should get up, take a bath and get ready for work. But I don’t, because a larger part of me is telling me to take it easy mann.

Met Yew Kong and Charity’s rabbit, Panda the other day. He’s really cute! I wish I had a rabbit also.

I’m presently in a rather strange phase

More and more, I’m getting used to being Home. At first it was surreal. I couldn’t get my head around having a permanent residence. I sound dramatic, I know you think that. But its true! I had gotten so used to living like a nomad, out of a suitcase (more like, a laundry bag :P ), my car as a shoe closet – that I just couldn’t get it – I’m home, back where I’d left off, three years later.

Which probably explains my reluctance to clean out my room (this is just an excuse I’m making up). But I finally did, the other day. I took out my suitcase, brought it downstairs and into the storeroom.

Happy Birthday, Dude!

Happy Birthday Wei Soon!

I driving from work that day and feeling all grown up, and a thought just fluttered into my mind like a butterfly in sepia and stayed there; I thought about how we used to walk home from school, and the hole in your classroom, and the times we got out our bicycles and cycled around, and about your beat-up car which you used to fetch me around with, and about how you called me after prom while sitting outside 7-11 with Paul, and how you texted me from camp in school.

Then I realised that I had forgotten bits of those times (though not the essential bits) because they were set so far back, and we were so young and so different.

And I wondered what you are like now, and if you were different, older, like I am. And I wished I knew you like I did then.

You’ve been gone so long dude! I really miss you. I’m sorry I’m not better at that whole email-msn-sms-snail mail-keeping in touch thing! :( But hurry back!

Anyway happy birthday! :) :) :) I really really miss you. Hope you’re having a FAB one there!

Love,

Yvonne

Identity

Precious Lord Jesus, so near to me;
I shall find myself in Thee.

Hold me down, I feel a flutter in my wings.

Brings me to my knees

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
And I realise just how beautiful You are and how
Great Your affections are for me

Oh, how He loves us so
Oh, how He loves us
How he loves us so

(John Mark McMillan)

Blog and blogger revamp in progress.

Don’t go away! We’ll be right back! :D