Thank God For 2006!!!

Today is the last day of 2006. I guess what I had to write may sound a little religious but it is something that I had to do. So pardon me, if it “offends” you.

To end a year, I had to give thanks to my Lord Jesus for what happen in the past year. I would like to list what I am thankful for, in the year 2006.

First, to many who do not know, my background of specialty is in civil engineering. So it takes a little more effort to make changes to the IT line. But I have to thank God that for 2 years, He had seen me through even though I maybe new to many subjects, but I had managed to pick up along the way and am able to impart the necessary knowledge to my students

Secondly, I am thankful to God for the graduating students (the 1st batch of ICT student from college west). Thank God that the class I am closer with (EL0501A) are able to graduate with so little attrition. God had kept them for 2 years and they are all able to pass all the modules and are leaving me. (whahaha, so sad to see them going off).

Thirdly, I would like to thank God that He had been faithful to me even though I had gone astray every now and then. Still, He is able to make me a testimony to both my colleagues and my students. I can safely says (not that I am boastful) that none of my students will says that I had discriminate them, or shortchange them in their studies, or that I had been a bad example to them. (Hello, if I had indirectly offended any one or wrong anyone, do forgive me and drop me a mail to say so, at least I will know what wrong I had done). Though this site, I had strived to encourage, to enlighten my young readers to a wholesome life and hopefully it had worked. So do continue coming back to this blog even if you had left ITE.

Fourthly, I would like to thank God for my colleagues. So far God had gave me colleagues who are very supportive of me and in all that I do. I had noted that I seem to be a binding factor to the various “cliques” in my department. As I had written in my earlier blog, I tried not to take side and to be as fair to all as possible, and that is the reason why they had been so supportive of me.

Lastly I had to thank God for keeping my family together. This year was a tough year for my family as we had to adjust to new circumstance (will not elaborate). There were unhappy moments among my family members, but somehow, through God’s love, we are able to stay together without “tearing each other apart”, a little exaggeration!!!

There are too many things to thank God for, but I will stop here. As I was telling my youngest daughter, I seldom make resolution as I find that in those past years that I made, I will long forgotten them before the year end, so that is the reason that I do not make any resolution. The only thing that I longed for everyone, is that they will be filled with the love of God as with God’s love, all of us will be transformed and we will be able to be more tolerant of each other faults, be able to forgive one another for any wrong that others did to us and never seek to destroy others through our deeds.

So to 2007, MAY EVERYONE BE FILLED WITH GOD’S LOVE!!!

Take "Stock" As We End The Year!!

As we are coming to the close of the year and also the closing chapter of the 1st ICT graduating classes, it had to be time for us to take “stock” of the past. Many say that the past is history and ought to be forgotten. To me, it half right and half wrong. Yes, indeed, we have to move on and forget the past hurts, the past failure, the past wrong that other did to us, but we also ought to reflect on the past to see what we could learn from them.

As you venture into the working world, there will be lots of back stabbing, there will be lots of gossiping and there will be lots of unhappiness etc. This is the real world. But my advice to you is that you hold on to your moral values, hold on to your principles, never allow yourselves to be swayed to be like the others, learn to be more forgiving as you will find yourself being blamed for things you did not do. To many others, this may seem stupid, especially in this “dog eats dog world”. If you can do just this then you will be able to be a much happier person. I had seem those in higher position, how so frighten they were of others, worrying that they will be overtaken, worrying that they might be demoted etc. There will be no end to such worrying, if you had gotten to the top through unfair means, through tearing down of others. I once meet a head of department, who told me that in order to rise in position; the only way is to make use of people and to step over them. Sure, he/she did rise but it last not too long before he/she was “dethrone”

But I am a little worry for some of them. I am somehow “gifted” with reading people, 90% correct! Not bluffing, somehow it is a gift from God. I could see that some will end up on the wrong side of the law unless they make a change in their lives. Already, it had happen to one of them, unfortunately, I cannot mentioned who is was and what he/she did, but the case is due for a police recommendation to be charge or not. Some of these graduating students always think that they are much cleverer than the law; they could somehow find ways to bypass and not be caught. Too bad, it will be a matter of time before the law catches up with you. Do change your thinking or your attitude before it is too late and you end up in a world of crime.

Enough of “doomsday” forecasting! As I said earlier, it is time that we reflect on what had happen in the past so that we could learn from them. Were you too petty, that you “exploded” so easily? Were you too fast to blame others for thing that happened? Were you too self righteous that you see all others in the wrong and only you were right? Were you too selfish, that you refused to give a little to others? I was just telling my daughter yesterday during dinner, that we ought to show more of what I called “unconditional” love. At times, we need to show love to those that may not deserve it, show love to those who may have wrong us! This is especially true during this period; it is TIME FOR US TO SHOW LOVE WITHOUT CONDITIONS, WITHOUT THINKING OF WHETHER THE OTHER PARTY DESEVRE IT OR NOT!

Stop Complaining And Be Thankful!!!

It’s been a while that I blogged. Was away for a short trip to Bangkok. For those who had not been there, it is a shopper paradise as long as you are not looking for genuine branded goods. But I was there not to shop but rather to b with my family as my kids wanted to shop over there.

3 days and 2 nights at Bangkok, there was something that strike me strongly, something that probably you will not see it so opened in Singapore. So what was it? It is the number of beggars around the town. They simply stretch themselves waiting for alms. At one of the overhead bridge, I was so overwhelmed that I cannot but have to give a little. Even the little money that I gave, I saw it was among the largest amount in the container. Here was a man prostrating himself on the walkway of the bridge and with him was a small boy about probably 2 or 3 years old playing by himself beside this man. The boy was so dirtied and his clothing black from the soot of the endless traffic. It was so heart wrenching.

Probably, the next time I am there, I will take lots and lots of photos of such case, which unfortunately I did not this time, so that our youngster will know how fortunately they are. Here our youngster is so often comparing with their friends on what they have, it had to be branded or not it had to be exclusive. I would say that 99% of our youngster had never experience poverty. They may say that they had, but I can tell you, the so called “poverty” is nothing compared to what these kids in Thailand are facing. To my young readers, it is so saddening to see that we are so unappreciative of what we have. Food not to our taste or liking, we chuck them aside. Clothing a little old, we throw them away. Shoes a little torn, we dumped them for a new pair. I can go on and on with the list, but it is useless, if my young readers does not come to their sense of being thankful for what they have. So I will stop here and let my readers have a moment of reflection of their lives. About time to stop complaining and time to be thankful especially in this season of Christmas.

Anyway, have a blessed Christmas and more blessed years to come for all my readers!!!

Be Contented!!!

How “low” can a man go? How cruel can a man be? How inhuman can a man be? These were the thoughts that struck me from an article in the Straits Times. Probably most of you would not have noticed about that article.

The article was about a young man who was poisoning his grandmother slowly hoping that she will die and he could inherit her wealth. Unfortunately, this evil scheme was discovered but a little too late as the grandmother was already half poison and is now wheeled chair bound. Can you imagine, the grandmother was providing for him and supporting him as he was not working!!! Instead of showing gratitude, instead of showing kindness, instead of showing appreciation, he repays his grandmother’s kindness with evil!!!

It causes me to think back in my life. Only a month ago, I met an old poly classmates and he was enquiring why I did not pursue a further study so as to be able to achieve better position in my workplace. I simply told him that I am a contented man, not an ambitious person and he commented that, that was how he had always remembered me, a contented person.

So what does it had to do with what I wrote above? Simple. If this young man had been contented with what he had, then he will not be plotting such evil against his grandmother. Imagine, it was his only grandmother and yet he can do such evil. All because of his greed for more money. To my young reader, especially those graduating soon. As you ventured out into the working world, there will be lots of contention. Try not to be overly ambitious that you will stab the back of your colleagues so that you could progress in your career. Learn a little contentment and you will be able to have a more happy life. I had seen too often of how colleagues tried to turn their fellow colleagues against the others. It was so sickening. I had learnt not to take side and be fair in my dealing with all parties so that I will not add on to their bickering.

Take time to be contented with what you have and you will not find life so pressuring trying to keep up with the “Jones”.