Been having one of those reflective moments just now.
Was thinking about how short life is, how we shouldn't waste our short time on the Earth.
It got me thinking about using the time wisely and pursing our passion(s) in life.
I was thinking about the passions in my life. And my one deepest passion. The one thing I think about every day. Upon waking up. Just before sleeping. The one thing that even keeps me awake at night sometimes, for thinking so much about it. The one thing I search about on Google and YouTube. The one thing I receive daily emails about. The one thing that is constantly rolling out of my tongue/ mouth.
I think about it whilst working. I think about it whilst sitting here. I think about it whilst eating.
How do I pursue this passion? Have I left it too late? Am I too old for this?
Lesson of the Day: "If you have ever felt such tremendous enthusiasm and desire for something that you would gladly spend all your waking hours working on it, that you would happily do without pay, then you have found your passion." -- Sharon Cook & Graciela Sholander
21 May 2012
22 April 2012
Meet and Greet
I have no idea why it still feels so chilly when it reaches evening
time. We have reached the end of April already and the weather should
be improving day by day. The daylight has improved for sure, as we are
seeing daylight much earlier in the mornings and for longer periods of
the day. However, the temperature still seems unstable. Ah well!!
So in the past week I've managed to get to bed by 10PM most nights. Not every night I must confess. Sunday night and Monday managed 10PM. Monday morning I felt amazing with eight hours of sleep and noticed that I didn't yawn at all throughout the day until about 2PM! And that was even after workout first thing in the morning as well. Sleep is so under-rated! Tuesday night I think I managed 10:30PM. Wednesday I went Go-karting with a bunch of fellow driving instructors. It was Scotkart at Clydebank and it was so much fun! Got home not very late, about 9:50PM I think, but it was too close to bed time and it was impossible to 'switch off' just like that so I went to bed just after 11PM. It went downhill from there basically cos Thursday night I came home pretty late and ended up missing the gym on Friday morning. Not to fret, as I made it back up yesterday morning doing circuit style exercises for 45mins and then getting home for breakfast before starting work. All in all, I do totally feel the benefits of my sleeping plan of 10PM-6AM. I want to try it again this coming week although I have a pretty busy week of work ahead of me, with the latest finish of 8PM in the west end one evening. I don't like finishing so late as it usually means I cannot get to bed on time especially after I eat a little something once I get home. Ah well, we'll see what happens eh.
I think I'll sign up for the Men's Conference 2012 at Destiny Church on the 16th of June. The conference runs from 9AM that Saturday morning and ends in the evening time. I would imagine it would be a whole day event for Christian brothers studying the Word of God together, having fellowship and praying together. Guess I'll make new friends there as well. One thing I've realised about myself recently is that I need to expand in my circle of friends. Due to the 'isolated' nature of my job as a driving instructor, where I have no colleagues per se, where I am 'on my own' most of the time, it does limit my time of socialising and communicating with others. And by the time my working day is over I retire back at home where I just see my mum and sister. There is not much chance to really hang out with friends. Sundays are the times when I get a break from work, and I get to see brothers and sisters in church. However, the time spent is short and sometimes I feel there is not enough time to build quality friendships. So I'm seeking the Lord's direction as to what to do. As I grow older it is important to maintain an open mind and an open heart to get to know other people, to branch out and accept others and be accepted. I must not be a hermit nor so inward looking.
So the lesson which I've (re)learnt in the past week is that, it is ok to go up to talk to people. I have got to be less shy. Wednesday I had the opportunity to meet other driving instructors, some of whom I have never met. At first it was a bit daunting, the idea of meeting and racing with other instructors whom I didn't know. But it only takes the first line, "Hi, I'm Gordon!" followed by offering your hand for a handshake, and the rest seems to flow. By the end of the night we all broke the ice and everyone seemed very friendly and we had a great laugh. Saturday night, we had an evangelistic event in church. There were many new faces there, especially from Mandarin service. I managed to speak to one Mandarin dude whilst we were still setting up. Due to English limitations the conversation was quite short. Just before the event began I plucked up the courage to greet three younger people: Anson, Alison and her sister Elaine. It was to my shame that it was the first time I ever spoken to Alison as she has been in EM for around six months I think, and I hadn't ever spoken to her or the friend she comes with. But talking to them yesterday was totally fine and not as scary as it might seem. Tonight, at Destiny Church I managed to talk to a lady called Linda after the service. We had a good conversation about how nice Destiny Church is with how it is managed, the work it does locally and globally and how it has changed so many lives. I felt very refreshed and encouraged tonight and well rested. Although Destiny Church in the southside it not very local, but it is definitely worth the travel down to worship with so many others. Looking forward to attending Destiny Church services more frequently.
Lesson of the Day: Take the leap and greet people. It is not so scary!!
So in the past week I've managed to get to bed by 10PM most nights. Not every night I must confess. Sunday night and Monday managed 10PM. Monday morning I felt amazing with eight hours of sleep and noticed that I didn't yawn at all throughout the day until about 2PM! And that was even after workout first thing in the morning as well. Sleep is so under-rated! Tuesday night I think I managed 10:30PM. Wednesday I went Go-karting with a bunch of fellow driving instructors. It was Scotkart at Clydebank and it was so much fun! Got home not very late, about 9:50PM I think, but it was too close to bed time and it was impossible to 'switch off' just like that so I went to bed just after 11PM. It went downhill from there basically cos Thursday night I came home pretty late and ended up missing the gym on Friday morning. Not to fret, as I made it back up yesterday morning doing circuit style exercises for 45mins and then getting home for breakfast before starting work. All in all, I do totally feel the benefits of my sleeping plan of 10PM-6AM. I want to try it again this coming week although I have a pretty busy week of work ahead of me, with the latest finish of 8PM in the west end one evening. I don't like finishing so late as it usually means I cannot get to bed on time especially after I eat a little something once I get home. Ah well, we'll see what happens eh.
I think I'll sign up for the Men's Conference 2012 at Destiny Church on the 16th of June. The conference runs from 9AM that Saturday morning and ends in the evening time. I would imagine it would be a whole day event for Christian brothers studying the Word of God together, having fellowship and praying together. Guess I'll make new friends there as well. One thing I've realised about myself recently is that I need to expand in my circle of friends. Due to the 'isolated' nature of my job as a driving instructor, where I have no colleagues per se, where I am 'on my own' most of the time, it does limit my time of socialising and communicating with others. And by the time my working day is over I retire back at home where I just see my mum and sister. There is not much chance to really hang out with friends. Sundays are the times when I get a break from work, and I get to see brothers and sisters in church. However, the time spent is short and sometimes I feel there is not enough time to build quality friendships. So I'm seeking the Lord's direction as to what to do. As I grow older it is important to maintain an open mind and an open heart to get to know other people, to branch out and accept others and be accepted. I must not be a hermit nor so inward looking.
So the lesson which I've (re)learnt in the past week is that, it is ok to go up to talk to people. I have got to be less shy. Wednesday I had the opportunity to meet other driving instructors, some of whom I have never met. At first it was a bit daunting, the idea of meeting and racing with other instructors whom I didn't know. But it only takes the first line, "Hi, I'm Gordon!" followed by offering your hand for a handshake, and the rest seems to flow. By the end of the night we all broke the ice and everyone seemed very friendly and we had a great laugh. Saturday night, we had an evangelistic event in church. There were many new faces there, especially from Mandarin service. I managed to speak to one Mandarin dude whilst we were still setting up. Due to English limitations the conversation was quite short. Just before the event began I plucked up the courage to greet three younger people: Anson, Alison and her sister Elaine. It was to my shame that it was the first time I ever spoken to Alison as she has been in EM for around six months I think, and I hadn't ever spoken to her or the friend she comes with. But talking to them yesterday was totally fine and not as scary as it might seem. Tonight, at Destiny Church I managed to talk to a lady called Linda after the service. We had a good conversation about how nice Destiny Church is with how it is managed, the work it does locally and globally and how it has changed so many lives. I felt very refreshed and encouraged tonight and well rested. Although Destiny Church in the southside it not very local, but it is definitely worth the travel down to worship with so many others. Looking forward to attending Destiny Church services more frequently.
Lesson of the Day: Take the leap and greet people. It is not so scary!!
15 April 2012
Sleep
Fifteen minutes until I head to bed. For the coming week I will try to sleep for eight hours each night. To get up at 6AM for the gym would mean I need to get to bed for 10PM. I might not fall asleep right away but at least I will be resting7: my eyes and I will be away from the temptations of Facebook, Whatsapp, Youtube, Draw Something and WORDS with Friends. Haha!
Sleep is very important for everybody, especially for those who work out. Sleep allows the body to repairs it's muscle tissues which were damaged during exercise and lets the body restore it's energy, before the next bout! For too long I've neglected my sleep and averaged about 6-7 hours of sleep per night. There were some nights I was still up around 2AM which mean only four hours of sleep left before getting up for the gym. Hence I missed a few training sessions due to this. No good.
Instead, if I do a trial of sleeping 10PM-6AM each night, I hope to see/ feel better energy levels as well as improvement to my physique as the body is allowed to recharge properly. That would mean a typical weekday would pan out as follows:
10PM-6AM Sleep
6AM-10AM Gym, breakfast, prep lunch
10AM-7:30PM Work
7:30PM-10PM Dinner and wind down
10PM-6AM Sleep.... and the cycle continues so on and so forth!
I think it won't be too difficult for the first few days, at least until Friday. However, on Saturday there will be a church event going on which is posted as 7PM-9:30PM. I doubt I'll get to bed for 10PM, but then again, if I don't need to get up at 6AM on Sunday morning I should be ok. Will still aim for eight hours of quality sleep. Ok, time is now 21:55hrs to be exact. Gotta go now. Goodnight y'all!
Sleep is very important for everybody, especially for those who work out. Sleep allows the body to repairs it's muscle tissues which were damaged during exercise and lets the body restore it's energy, before the next bout! For too long I've neglected my sleep and averaged about 6-7 hours of sleep per night. There were some nights I was still up around 2AM which mean only four hours of sleep left before getting up for the gym. Hence I missed a few training sessions due to this. No good.
Instead, if I do a trial of sleeping 10PM-6AM each night, I hope to see/ feel better energy levels as well as improvement to my physique as the body is allowed to recharge properly. That would mean a typical weekday would pan out as follows:
10PM-6AM Sleep
6AM-10AM Gym, breakfast, prep lunch
10AM-7:30PM Work
7:30PM-10PM Dinner and wind down
10PM-6AM Sleep.... and the cycle continues so on and so forth!
I think it won't be too difficult for the first few days, at least until Friday. However, on Saturday there will be a church event going on which is posted as 7PM-9:30PM. I doubt I'll get to bed for 10PM, but then again, if I don't need to get up at 6AM on Sunday morning I should be ok. Will still aim for eight hours of quality sleep. Ok, time is now 21:55hrs to be exact. Gotta go now. Goodnight y'all!
28 March 2012
An encouraging email received...
"Everyone makes mistakes, everyone has a past. We have to
forgive
ourselves, because Jesus is our redeemer and lifter of our head. Don’t
carry the pasts in ourselves and learn to love ourselves. Don’t define
ourselves by our pasts. As Paul said, we have to forget the things
behind and pursue the things in front. When we spend time with God, we
can soak in His unconditional love, accept His forgiveness, and
receive His grace. When we truly repent, the guilt will be gone from
us, as Jesus’s blood have cleanses us from sins. That’s why we thank
Jesus for dying on the cross for us because there is our forgiveness,
and we don’t have to punish ourselves. He has done that for you.
ourselves, because Jesus is our redeemer and lifter of our head. Don’t
carry the pasts in ourselves and learn to love ourselves. Don’t define
ourselves by our pasts. As Paul said, we have to forget the things
behind and pursue the things in front. When we spend time with God, we
can soak in His unconditional love, accept His forgiveness, and
receive His grace. When we truly repent, the guilt will be gone from
us, as Jesus’s blood have cleanses us from sins. That’s why we thank
Jesus for dying on the cross for us because there is our forgiveness,
and we don’t have to punish ourselves. He has done that for you.
God
accepts us unconditionally, all the judgement, all the anger, all the
wrath of God has been poured on Jesus Christ. We have to change our
mind about ourselves. When we love ourselves, we can say that “I’m
blessed because of God”. If we don’t love ourselves, we will say
things that slander ourselves and also slandering God ie “I’m not good
enough”. The devil always try to make us think negatively about ourselves
and put us down or hate ourselves. But God said, no! Learn to love
yourself as I (God) have loved you, soak My unconditional love.
wrath of God has been poured on Jesus Christ. We have to change our
mind about ourselves. When we love ourselves, we can say that “I’m
blessed because of God”. If we don’t love ourselves, we will say
things that slander ourselves and also slandering God ie “I’m not good
enough”. The devil always try to make us think negatively about ourselves
and put us down or hate ourselves. But God said, no! Learn to love
yourself as I (God) have loved you, soak My unconditional love.
We need to love ourselves, and hence we can love others and give
compliments to others, as well as confidence in our everyday life. God
wants us to praise Him and feel blessed by His grace, and change into
the man He intended us to be." - copy and pasted with slight editing by myself.
compliments to others, as well as confidence in our everyday life. God
wants us to praise Him and feel blessed by His grace, and change into
the man He intended us to be." - copy and pasted with slight editing by myself.
A very timely email received this evening. May you all be blessed by this also :)
Lesson of the Day: Don't give up, as God never gives up!
21 March 2012
Spiritual match
Anne Healy (Pastor Healy's wife) was right when she spoke at last Sunday's service. The sermon theme was on Mother's Day and somehow there was connection to finding love. She mentioned how important it was to wait for the right person to come along to become your life partner. She shared about her own story, how before meeting Pastor Healy she was previously engaged but the engagement broke down along with her relationship with her then fiance. A friend said to her, "I'm very glad this relationship broke down and this ended." She was very distraught and did not understand why her friend had said this. Her friend explained that she felt the man was not right for Anne. Her friend felt that the man was not Anne's "spiritual match". Those two words struck me on Sunday. It kind of summoned up my whole life. It explained why things are the way they are. It seems I have never found my "spiritual match". And whilst this revelation dawned on me, it also made me realise that I myself may not have been a good "spiritual match" for anybody either!!
So what does this mean? How does one 'gauge' this spiritual level? What do we use to measure or compare? Being a Christian man seeking a Christian woman as a life partner, I should be able to provide spiritual support for my partner. But what "spiritual level" should she be? Should I be seeking a life partner with "spiritual level" equal to or less than myself? Or how would things work if the woman has a spiritual level "higher" than myself? Would I still be able to lead spiritually? Does it work the same way as for example: income or education? Will discrepancies in spiritual levels cause conflict or awkwardness as it may for the two examples? Hmm...
Do any single guys reading this, ever think about this matter? You might want a life partner and hope to find her soon. But have you thought whether you can provide for her spiritually as well as physically and emotionally etc? I do not feel I am spiritual enough to be honest. Nor do I feel I am rich or intelligent. What does that mean...?
So what does this mean? How does one 'gauge' this spiritual level? What do we use to measure or compare? Being a Christian man seeking a Christian woman as a life partner, I should be able to provide spiritual support for my partner. But what "spiritual level" should she be? Should I be seeking a life partner with "spiritual level" equal to or less than myself? Or how would things work if the woman has a spiritual level "higher" than myself? Would I still be able to lead spiritually? Does it work the same way as for example: income or education? Will discrepancies in spiritual levels cause conflict or awkwardness as it may for the two examples? Hmm...
Do any single guys reading this, ever think about this matter? You might want a life partner and hope to find her soon. But have you thought whether you can provide for her spiritually as well as physically and emotionally etc? I do not feel I am spiritual enough to be honest. Nor do I feel I am rich or intelligent. What does that mean...?
16 March 2012
Chilling out
Taking things really slow tonight. Aiming for a really chilled night tonight. This time last week I was sipping on whiskey with Ian bro. Ok, I won't lie, I was throwing it back real quick at times. But that was because I had it diluted with lemonade being the lightweight I am. Haha! Today, well I was just working. Started 10AM and finished 4PM then had an appointment with Stephanie at 4:45PM for a back scrub and back, neck and shoulder massage. Had this booked a few weeks back as it would be a nice way to relax after a week of work and had not had a relieving massage for a long while. So after finishing work I headed down to town, near Central Station and had my treatments done. The back I had a Mineral Salt Scrub Treatment where she used a salt scrub on the skin of my upper and lower back and it took off the dead skin. I've never had this done before so at first it hurt a little as the minerals were quite rough on the skin. However, the "pain" was bearable and I knew it was good for me. After the scrub she put on some lotion which was a bit "tingly". Obviously, because my skin felt like it had just been scrubbed with a brillo pad! LOL! Again, initial contact was stingy but then it settled. Stephanie then hovered a steamer machine thing over my back and this killed any bacteria on the skin whilst refreshing it. This lasted about 6-8 minutes. Finally came the Dermalogica moisturiser on the back. Ahh bliss! =)
After that settled it was time for the back, neck and shoulder massage. Whilst getting the back scrub done I was thinking if I made the right choice of getting these two treatments done together. What if the skin on the back was too raw for massaging? I was getting ripped to shreds! But, no. Stephanie asked if I wanted the massage to help me feel revitalised or feel relaxed. I chose relaxed and she used the particular oil to achieve this. The massage was very nice. She managed to pushed almost all of the knots and tension on my back muscles due to my workouts etc and it felt so gooood!! Something that foam rollers cannot achieve. Haha!!
At the end of it all Stephanie gave me a glass of water and told me to take my time in getting up to leave. My back felt so refreshed, so hydrated. Even until now it's so smooth!! The back is always a very hard part to clean and see properly. And because the lungs are at the back, the refreshed skin is very good for it. The amount of sweating at workouts will no doubt block up the pores and skin again and I'll go back for the treatment again in the future.
Going to stay relaxed for the rest of the night. Not going to go on Facebook. Going to go to bed early. Long day tomorrow. Working 8:30AM-5:30PM on a Saturday!! =O Ok, time to go now. It is 8:30PM and I'm going to watch New Girl on Ch4. Continue where we left off in Grantham ;)
14 March 2012
Feeling relaxed
I am very glad that I had such a nice relaxing long weekend down in Grantham with Ian and Leanne. Because during the whole weekend we had such good laughs and it was like almost every moment we had laughs, jokes and teasing etc. It really helped create a nice relaxing atmosphere for us and a relaxing atmosphere inside me also. So much so that I find myself much calmer and much less uptight whilst working this week. For the past few weeks I was often feeling frustrated inside and I allowed the stresses of work get to me. On the outside I might have smiled or remained calm, but the inside held a storm. I guess I needed a good break away from work. And the long weekend was just that!
The last time I had break off work was back in November when I took the Friday off till Sunday and used the weekend for the church retreat. However, I was still very active, I was still driving, and I had my car key in my pocket. This weekend I intentionally left my car key in the house so I was well and truly relaxed. It was so nice to have Leanne drive us around places. I sat at the back taking photographs, videos and even dozed off at one point. Haha!
Lesson of the Day: All work and no play really does make me a dull boy!
The last time I had break off work was back in November when I took the Friday off till Sunday and used the weekend for the church retreat. However, I was still very active, I was still driving, and I had my car key in my pocket. This weekend I intentionally left my car key in the house so I was well and truly relaxed. It was so nice to have Leanne drive us around places. I sat at the back taking photographs, videos and even dozed off at one point. Haha!
Lesson of the Day: All work and no play really does make me a dull boy!
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