Blogging on the Bus
Here I am blogging on the bus waiting for the bus to leave for Singapore. Yes! I am going to Singapore for a holiday. A long awaited holiday.. ‘tis a pity none of the roadtrip gang is able to join me on this trip. I really hoped ppl like Chris, Cheryl, Rina, Joanne, Lina, Coolcat, Ivan etc were joining me on this trip.
It’s already 1834 on the clock of this bus, and the bus said that we leave “on time” .. so I left work early and came here way before time hoping that I wouldn’t miss the “plane”. Since aeroline’s tag line is “The Convenient Way To Fly”.
I just called Gabe and he’s gonna pick me up at 2330, at Havelock Road in Singapore. Where that is, I am not sure. I'm seated on the upper deck of this luxurious bus, with ergonomically designed seats, am not sure that it’s totally ergonomic, everbody’s a bit different right? Ha ha!
Anyways, I am now passing by MidValley Megamall at 1856, and I am seated 1 row from the front. Seated in front of me is a lady with her niece/daughter, and they look quite trendy. Next to me is the mother of the child or the aunt of the child. I’m not completely sure of the relationship of this threesome. But they do speak in Hokkien and English that’s as much as I know.
I am typing on my newly acquired notebook, courtesy of my company. Yes! A new notebook, DELL Inspiron 510m, P4 –Mobile 1.6 GHz, 512 MB RAM. 60GB Harddisk, 15.1 Inch Screen. It’s quite sufficient for my purposes. I am suppose to be using this notebook for documentation, quotations, presentations etc etc. How’d I manage to get the company to purchase one of these sweet babies for me? Well, I applied for a transfer from R&D (research and development) to join the.. Sales and Marketing department.
*Message in the bottle – Playing on my earphones*
It would seem odd for a techie person like me to ask for such a transfer. It has been an intense time for me for a period of 2 months (Feb – March), where I sat, walked, ate, slept and dreamt on what my next move would be. Move is the right word.... Move from my comfort zone, to a new job or not to move at all. I was getting down right comfortable and complacent where I was. My work was on par, but I could see it had lack of the zeal that would be expected of a test engineer of my experience. I did notice that I liked the “part time” role which I undertook by assisting in various product demos and presentations.
To make matters even more confusing, along came an offer in late February, for the same type of job, i.e. to test purely a software application. This new job offered a better pay, with a more prestigious location, compared to that of a factory, next to a cake house.
"Oh the trappings of life, how does one wish it was all theirs"… But that’s just an illusion and a lie, that one needs all such things to show that one has succeeded in life. Whilst it’s good to have such things, but once they become an obsession, and overrule all other things, that’s when you have to reassess. I was asked this question by my pastor, “What is your core value?” What is meant by "Core value" here? I believe it is simply the thing or passion that makes you feel alive. What is it that you know you were made for? Don’t get me wrong, doesn’t mean that I’ve completely given up on my career. It’s a serious misconception that when one pursues after things of God that one needs to sacrifice a luxurious and comfortable life. Be assured that God wants us to be successful and prosperous. What does “successful and prosperous” really mean to each person is really found in where God really wants you to be of great impact. The condition is this, keep obeying the Word of the Law. This Word of the Law only comes alive when you are in a living relationship with the Word.
I’ve often time asked myself at this juncture, how am I being impactful where I am?
Some may say that you can only be impactful when you go “full-time” or become a missionary. ‘Tis is not the case or the story. You can be as impactful as you want to be, because we have been created for a purpose. And knowing where you are meant to be is only found when you’re continually being in contact with your manufacturer/maker. So we need to know our source.
So back to me, what is my core value? My core value has always been, to serve God’s people and to nurture them. This is the outcome of my relationship with my Lord and saviour. What I see Him do for me, is what I desire to see Him do for others. Honestly, I do desire what others desire, like, a nice house, luxurious life, a nice car, a studio, a golf club membership etc , but in the pursuit of such things would this take me away from all that God desires for me? In a lot of ways I fear that.
In response to these thoughts and interest of a future career path, I’ve decided to stay in the present company with a change in role of my job function, I now (under probation) hold the post of Technical Sales Engineer which gives me the responsibility to aid and provide technical information for our Sales Executives. Previously, the Sales executives always relied on coming over to R&D department to ask the questions, which would be a good place, however, R&D being the busy department that it is, is unable to help them out all the time. So it’s up to me to keep abreast with all the information that comes out from the maw of R&D. I will also have the responsibility to look up new technologies to be integrated with our current products, recommend these products for implementation etc. I have more freedom to define what I need and want to do. I want to see my company’s product grow into a product that is more competitive than it already is. So I do pray and hope that this decision will lead to greater things, both financially and grow me into a better and more impactful person where I am. Impactful, both to my colleagues and to my company’s business.
Leading cell this year has been a most exciting journey as most of my cell members are persons who have only recently joined cell. This has been a re-birth of my cell group. And for this I thank God almighty for giving new breath to my cell.
This blog entry has become like a personal diary at this juncture, and I wonder if I should even publish it.
It is now 2040 and in that time, I’ve moved from my seat in the upper deck down to the lounge, where the seat is actually more comfortable. There’s a Sony STB K750P Home Theater system and a table and a power point. I’ve been trying to blog while watching a movie, The Animal. This is definitely much better than sitting up in the chair where it’s a bit tough to type etc etc.
Now that the movie is over, I am sitting here with 2 people. They’re friends and they are speaking in Cantonese, of which I don’t understand much. So I’ve plonked on my earphones and continuing to listen Sting as I blog.
Oh, just to note the toilet is damn small. A guy my size can hardly fit into the toilet. They did mention at the “pre flight” that the toilet is for “light use only”. And truly enough, it’s hard to get into the toilet. Maaan! I had to bend my head down so low, I felt like I was a giant.
Anyways, the 2 guys who were originally in the lounge with us came back and we started to watch another movie. Robots! It’ll be good to watch this movie again.
2215.... Rats!! The Robots DVD jammed. Now we’re watching a movie, called VIRUS. It’s got good actors like, Donald Sutherland, Jamie Lee Curtis and William Baldwin. But the movie looks and feels like a B Grade movie.
Now about my lounge mates: The 2 young chaps, whom I believe are about my age, are friends on a holiday, the young lady (just started working 2 weeks ago) is a new acquaintance, the middle age gentleman ( who doesn’t smoke) is a Singaporean who’s on his way back to see his family. During our rest stop at Pagoh, the 2 guys seemed to try to get to know the gal asking her this and that question. Yours truly just remained silent.. ha ha ha… They asked for her card, gave her their card, asked her . where do you hang out blah blah blah.. curious and funny. Did I ever do such things? I know I don’t ever do such things nowadays..
Now I’m just enjoying my mocha made by our “flight” attendant “Fifi”.. yes.. she prepared it by mixing Milo 3 in 1 with a Nescafe 3 in 1. . tastes ok .. but rather sweet.
Oh I forgot to mention that they also served light dinner on this flight. Rice, 2 small pieces of chicken, veggies and some squid in sauce. It was ok-lah.. What’d you expect? This return trip costs me RM140 and I think its worth it. I wouldn’t want to sit in the ergonomically designed seats.. too small for my liking. I’ll sit in the lounge on my trip back…
After getting down and going thru the immigration, I got to talking to lounge travelmates,
Namely the middle aged guy, a Mr Yoong and the young gal, Kim. Found out that Kim and I will be traveling back to KL on the same day. Do pray for an opportunity to evangelise to this young lady.
Found out that Mr Yoong is an avid audiophile. (music equipment junkie)..
Reached at about 0010 and there I saw Gabe waiting for me aside a black Toyota Corolla, belonging to a “friend” of his. It’s so nice of her to lend him the car to fetch me. I’ll get to meet her tomorrow, and probably on Sunday too. Right now, I’m at tower Longshanks tapping onto neighbouring “free” wireless networks and typing out this narrative blog.
And thus I end this blog .. and promise to bore you with another non-descript blog entry about my Single Singapore Roadtrip. PaulOS Blogging Off!!!
It’s already 1834 on the clock of this bus, and the bus said that we leave “on time” .. so I left work early and came here way before time hoping that I wouldn’t miss the “plane”. Since aeroline’s tag line is “The Convenient Way To Fly”.
I just called Gabe and he’s gonna pick me up at 2330, at Havelock Road in Singapore. Where that is, I am not sure. I'm seated on the upper deck of this luxurious bus, with ergonomically designed seats, am not sure that it’s totally ergonomic, everbody’s a bit different right? Ha ha!
Anyways, I am now passing by MidValley Megamall at 1856, and I am seated 1 row from the front. Seated in front of me is a lady with her niece/daughter, and they look quite trendy. Next to me is the mother of the child or the aunt of the child. I’m not completely sure of the relationship of this threesome. But they do speak in Hokkien and English that’s as much as I know.
I am typing on my newly acquired notebook, courtesy of my company. Yes! A new notebook, DELL Inspiron 510m, P4 –Mobile 1.6 GHz, 512 MB RAM. 60GB Harddisk, 15.1 Inch Screen. It’s quite sufficient for my purposes. I am suppose to be using this notebook for documentation, quotations, presentations etc etc. How’d I manage to get the company to purchase one of these sweet babies for me? Well, I applied for a transfer from R&D (research and development) to join the.. Sales and Marketing department.
*Message in the bottle – Playing on my earphones*
It would seem odd for a techie person like me to ask for such a transfer. It has been an intense time for me for a period of 2 months (Feb – March), where I sat, walked, ate, slept and dreamt on what my next move would be. Move is the right word.... Move from my comfort zone, to a new job or not to move at all. I was getting down right comfortable and complacent where I was. My work was on par, but I could see it had lack of the zeal that would be expected of a test engineer of my experience. I did notice that I liked the “part time” role which I undertook by assisting in various product demos and presentations.
To make matters even more confusing, along came an offer in late February, for the same type of job, i.e. to test purely a software application. This new job offered a better pay, with a more prestigious location, compared to that of a factory, next to a cake house.
"Oh the trappings of life, how does one wish it was all theirs"… But that’s just an illusion and a lie, that one needs all such things to show that one has succeeded in life. Whilst it’s good to have such things, but once they become an obsession, and overrule all other things, that’s when you have to reassess. I was asked this question by my pastor, “What is your core value?” What is meant by "Core value" here? I believe it is simply the thing or passion that makes you feel alive. What is it that you know you were made for? Don’t get me wrong, doesn’t mean that I’ve completely given up on my career. It’s a serious misconception that when one pursues after things of God that one needs to sacrifice a luxurious and comfortable life. Be assured that God wants us to be successful and prosperous. What does “successful and prosperous” really mean to each person is really found in where God really wants you to be of great impact. The condition is this, keep obeying the Word of the Law. This Word of the Law only comes alive when you are in a living relationship with the Word.
I’ve often time asked myself at this juncture, how am I being impactful where I am?
Some may say that you can only be impactful when you go “full-time” or become a missionary. ‘Tis is not the case or the story. You can be as impactful as you want to be, because we have been created for a purpose. And knowing where you are meant to be is only found when you’re continually being in contact with your manufacturer/maker. So we need to know our source.
So back to me, what is my core value? My core value has always been, to serve God’s people and to nurture them. This is the outcome of my relationship with my Lord and saviour. What I see Him do for me, is what I desire to see Him do for others. Honestly, I do desire what others desire, like, a nice house, luxurious life, a nice car, a studio, a golf club membership etc , but in the pursuit of such things would this take me away from all that God desires for me? In a lot of ways I fear that.
In response to these thoughts and interest of a future career path, I’ve decided to stay in the present company with a change in role of my job function, I now (under probation) hold the post of Technical Sales Engineer which gives me the responsibility to aid and provide technical information for our Sales Executives. Previously, the Sales executives always relied on coming over to R&D department to ask the questions, which would be a good place, however, R&D being the busy department that it is, is unable to help them out all the time. So it’s up to me to keep abreast with all the information that comes out from the maw of R&D. I will also have the responsibility to look up new technologies to be integrated with our current products, recommend these products for implementation etc. I have more freedom to define what I need and want to do. I want to see my company’s product grow into a product that is more competitive than it already is. So I do pray and hope that this decision will lead to greater things, both financially and grow me into a better and more impactful person where I am. Impactful, both to my colleagues and to my company’s business.
Leading cell this year has been a most exciting journey as most of my cell members are persons who have only recently joined cell. This has been a re-birth of my cell group. And for this I thank God almighty for giving new breath to my cell.
This blog entry has become like a personal diary at this juncture, and I wonder if I should even publish it.
It is now 2040 and in that time, I’ve moved from my seat in the upper deck down to the lounge, where the seat is actually more comfortable. There’s a Sony STB K750P Home Theater system and a table and a power point. I’ve been trying to blog while watching a movie, The Animal. This is definitely much better than sitting up in the chair where it’s a bit tough to type etc etc.
Now that the movie is over, I am sitting here with 2 people. They’re friends and they are speaking in Cantonese, of which I don’t understand much. So I’ve plonked on my earphones and continuing to listen Sting as I blog.
Oh, just to note the toilet is damn small. A guy my size can hardly fit into the toilet. They did mention at the “pre flight” that the toilet is for “light use only”. And truly enough, it’s hard to get into the toilet. Maaan! I had to bend my head down so low, I felt like I was a giant.
Anyways, the 2 guys who were originally in the lounge with us came back and we started to watch another movie. Robots! It’ll be good to watch this movie again.
2215.... Rats!! The Robots DVD jammed. Now we’re watching a movie, called VIRUS. It’s got good actors like, Donald Sutherland, Jamie Lee Curtis and William Baldwin. But the movie looks and feels like a B Grade movie.
Now about my lounge mates: The 2 young chaps, whom I believe are about my age, are friends on a holiday, the young lady (just started working 2 weeks ago) is a new acquaintance, the middle age gentleman ( who doesn’t smoke) is a Singaporean who’s on his way back to see his family. During our rest stop at Pagoh, the 2 guys seemed to try to get to know the gal asking her this and that question. Yours truly just remained silent.. ha ha ha… They asked for her card, gave her their card, asked her . where do you hang out blah blah blah.. curious and funny. Did I ever do such things? I know I don’t ever do such things nowadays..
Now I’m just enjoying my mocha made by our “flight” attendant “Fifi”.. yes.. she prepared it by mixing Milo 3 in 1 with a Nescafe 3 in 1. . tastes ok .. but rather sweet.
Oh I forgot to mention that they also served light dinner on this flight. Rice, 2 small pieces of chicken, veggies and some squid in sauce. It was ok-lah.. What’d you expect? This return trip costs me RM140 and I think its worth it. I wouldn’t want to sit in the ergonomically designed seats.. too small for my liking. I’ll sit in the lounge on my trip back…
After getting down and going thru the immigration, I got to talking to lounge travelmates,
Namely the middle aged guy, a Mr Yoong and the young gal, Kim. Found out that Kim and I will be traveling back to KL on the same day. Do pray for an opportunity to evangelise to this young lady.
Found out that Mr Yoong is an avid audiophile. (music equipment junkie)..
Reached at about 0010 and there I saw Gabe waiting for me aside a black Toyota Corolla, belonging to a “friend” of his. It’s so nice of her to lend him the car to fetch me. I’ll get to meet her tomorrow, and probably on Sunday too. Right now, I’m at tower Longshanks tapping onto neighbouring “free” wireless networks and typing out this narrative blog.
And thus I end this blog .. and promise to bore you with another non-descript blog entry about my Single Singapore Roadtrip. PaulOS Blogging Off!!!
Labels: Roadtrips
1 Comments:
At September 17, 2006 6:23 PM,
Sarah Joy said…
core values. food for thought. it's so true though that people often have a misconception that they can only really serve God if they are in fulltime ministry forgetting to serve God at the very place they are.
:) very long post, lots of words but good stuff.
hope your singapore trip is good. and also that you get to evangelise to kim.
blessings.
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