Realized that I had not blogged about my reflections for 2008. Wrote about it in my personal journal, but didn´t blog... Well, I´m very thankful to God for many things that happened in 2008...these are the highlights...
1. Finding a job.
After 2 years of not having a job (my previous job ended on 17.02.06 and I found a job on 01.03.08), I was simply desperate to do something with my time in Germany.
I know that I complain (and yup, that´s smth I wanna work on) sometimes about my job...but truth is, it was such a blessing to find this teaching job that I like way more than my previous job as a tax consultant. I enjoy having people contact and one-to-one personal time with people when the opportunity arises. Actually, there were even opportunities to tell others why I believe in God a couple of times.
Once before Christmas, a woman asked to do the "Christmas story" in class and I brought an article about the birth of Jesus etc. Before we got down to reading it, I asked her "Do you believe that the whole Christmas story is true?"...That progressed to a huge, long discussion about God and it was so amazing that I could even share about how God could still be a loving God even though my Mom did die of cancer and had a long and painful death actually. She was an older lady (in her 60s) who couldn´t believe in God because her own mom suffered a similar death to my mom.....I was really thankful that for the first time ever, I could share from my own experience about what it meant for me to continue to believe in a loving and perfect God even when my own doubts and questions are unanswered.......
2. For Stephan passing his tax exams
It was a stressful and tiring year for both of us, when Stephan had to balance both work and studying. I had to balance caring for a normally-worn-out hubby, house and new job. However, this episode has brought us closer to each other and we can really see how God had provided him the grace, strength, perseverance and motivation to keep going even when the going was tough. To God be the glory, really.
3. Visits from family and friends
I´m so happy that my Dad and Grace came to visit us in March and we could visit Switzerland together. It was such a dream come true for us that my family came to visit! Plus the trip was really enjoyable, with lots of snow and snow ball fights hahaha..... Come and visit again ok?
Belinda came to spend Christmas with us from London. That was another superbly duperly nice thing. She was here for 6 days!!! By far the longest visitor that we´ve had at our place. We´re always happy to host friends at our place and it brings so much fun and cheer. Thanks Bel for spending your time with us.
4. Being able to attend Jen´s and Andrea´s weddings in Singapore
I´m so thankful to be able to attend my best friends´weddings even though I stay overseas. Thing is, I was in a dilemma about this for the longest time, since at the time I bought the ticket, I still didn´t have a job and Stephan still had his super expensive tax course to pay. So it really was something that we did "by faith". Turns out? God provided the job 2 months before I flew to Singapore, allowed me to apply for leave for both my Switzerland trip with Dad and Grace as well as the 4 weeks´holiday to go to Singapore after that. All these within my 6-months probation period! Woo-hoo! I was in 7th heaven..... Managed to have the best of both worlds - get a job to earn some money before going to Singapore for my wedding escapade as well as the security of knowing that I still a job waiting for me back in Germany..... :) Yup, this is such a repitition of what happened with my previous job in Singapore. I bought an air ticket to visit my beanie in Germany and was allowed to start work 1 month later..... And it worked out too! So, bottom line is, God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and in Singapore and Germany.....
5. 2008 also marked the year when my close girly pals all got married!ifer, Charissa, Yvonne..... Its so amazing! I´ve known Andrea and Charissa since my high school years, Jennifer during my JC days and Yvonne in church. God has really blessed each of us with awesome hubbies! So happy that I´m no longer the only "Mrs" in the group...heehee.
6 comments:
Would gladly go touring with you both again. I told your dad that I wanted to go to Italy for this year's vacation but he was hesitant. I guess he wants to ensure that our tour itinerary includes Stuttgart altho he didn't say it out. This year we may give Europe a miss since your dad's seminar is held in Seoul and it is most likely that we go to Japan instead. You would be back in Singapore this year?
Dear Grace. :) Its so nice that you´re even toying with idea of travelling with us again! When do you wanna go to Italy. We´re actually going there to ski in Feb this year...so looking forward to it, although I will probably be one of the few who can´t ski! We don´t know when we will be going back to Singapore yet. Still looking at websites and trying to figure out when would be the best time to do so.
It is unusual to pick Italy as a ski spot as u are nearer to better ski resorts in the French/Swiss alps. February is too cold for me. I am a typical Singaporean who wants to go to Italy to see the coloseum, fountain, Leaning Tower, scenic isle of capri, gondolas in Venice, leather gds in Milan and eat lots of tiramisu. Yum yum.
Dear Grace, well we´ll be travelling with a large bunch of people from church (about 30+pple) and there´s this large bungalow with many rooms, however the minimum stay would be 1 week. That´s why its cheaper to travel with them, instead of going on our own. Its gonna be about 150€ for accomodation and food for 1 week (which is quite unbeatable compared to other resorts). Yup, that´s why Northern Italy. Its the Alps too. I figured that since I´m only a beginner, it really doesn´t matter if I go to a super nice skiing resort or to some unknown one....makes more sense only if I´m an advanced skiier to go to the bigger resorts.....
Ohhh, Italy sounds good! We might be heading to Rome sometime this year.
Reflecting on the usual things that people do uniquely in each country is a good thing to do. As part of the Chinese heritage, every Chinese New Year, our children are all so eager to receive Ang-Pow. It is a tradition whereby we would slip some dollar notes into the red packet known as Ang-Pow. 'Poor' parents and married couples alike, have to set aside hundreds and some perhaps thousand of dollars just to give away 'blessings' in the form of Ang-Pows to children, and even unmarried siblings.
Ah..you and Stephan used to receive Ang-Pow from me for just a short time, probably only two years, I think before you are married. Remembered the year when you kneeled down to wish me with a pair of oranges in exchange of the Ang-Pow? It is mark of respect for the parent in which I treasured the most, always in my memory. Thank you.
Now, you have graduated into the married category. Welcome to the Ang-Pow Giver Club! As I have been giving to my unmarried youngest brother all the years, it would be a very nice gesture if you could do the same for your siblings... That is the advantage of staying unmarried as long as possible if one hope to receive more Ang-Pows...ha..ha..
For parents and married couples, we are shortage of couple of hundreds and some thousands of dollars after the Chinese New Year. But it the joy of giving rather than receiving that makes alot more different and worthwhile to see our beneficiary beaming with smiles, laughter, joy...
"poor giver" - that´s the good thing about staying overseas. On one hand, I miss out on all those festive celebrations, don´t receive presents, cards, calls etc on my birthday or Christmas, on the other, no need to give ang pao since I´m not there over Chinese New Year either. If siblings want to have ang pao, then come over to visit me over CNY lah!
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