There is a refrigerator in my department's office. I use it like my own. I put stuff in there like my kaya and cheese. Last year, I forgot to take my stuff out once the school year is over, so they cleaned it and threw it away.
I was upset. It was a good waste of food.
I also take the milk from the fridge for my cereal and milo, which I drink twice a day. I end up using about a carton a day, but since it was provided by the department and it was replaced when it was finished, I always thought it was free. That is, until Tuesday. An internal email was sent to the entire department:
"Dear all
We are very lucky in that the department pays for all our milk, tea, coffee, sugar and chocolate. It seems that some people are taking advantage of our generosity and using milk for breakfast cereals and for full mugs of milk for hot chocolate which is causing a shortage for morning/afternoon tea. In 2010 we paid out over $3,000 for milk alone and we cannot afford to keep increasing our supplies.
Therefore, can you please provide your own milk for your breakfast/hot chocolates if you think you are using more than what would be a reasonable amount.
Regards
Resources Manager"
I swear she was talking about me.
Regardless, the very next day, I brought my own milk and started to show it off like it was my cute fluffy pet dog.
'Hey! I brought my own milk! You shall be my witness!'
I poured a third on my cereal and went back, happy that I got to be a role model as a responsible employee and good citizen.
That afternoon, I opened the fridge and saw it was almost empty.
Now, either the fridge was alive and out to get me, because it found my kaya and cheese very nice and now it's after my milk, or that there are some rotten anti-models of responsible employees and good citizens running amok in the department.
If it was the first, it would have been easier, because I could just hate the fridge back and kick it.
But instead, I'm dealing with a phantom menace. One with an ugly red face and likes milk.
You know what?
Society has reached its lowest when it takes your milk without asking.
To be continued...
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Bake Cake's Sake
Tonight, meesa going to bake a pre-wedding cake complete with Creme de Cacao and dark rum.
It's funny, because my baking hobby has landed me in a couple wedding preparations. The first one being Ian and Ivy's wedding. I baked about 1000 of my cookies, and made them pruple too. That was gross, come to think of it, but it followed the theme of the wedding. Hard work too, if it wasn't for Jill to help bake, and thankfully Ivy had her own horde of 'volunteers' to pack them in those lil' cute boxes.
Sometime last month, Chiann asked me if I had a cake recipe which had whiskey in it. But I only had one with rum and raisin. I didn't see the difference. One month later, she asked me for the recipe. Nobody asked me, but I felt like making a sample for her. Just to try out my skills, and level up to Wedding Cake Master. bwa ha ha
This wil be my fifth wedding to date in Australia...not my own, sillies. I wonder if I should wear the same thing I wore last year. And the year before that. Come to think of it, I always wear the same thing. Would I look nice in the skinny ties like the guys wore in the Oscars?
It's funny, because my baking hobby has landed me in a couple wedding preparations. The first one being Ian and Ivy's wedding. I baked about 1000 of my cookies, and made them pruple too. That was gross, come to think of it, but it followed the theme of the wedding. Hard work too, if it wasn't for Jill to help bake, and thankfully Ivy had her own horde of 'volunteers' to pack them in those lil' cute boxes.
Sometime last month, Chiann asked me if I had a cake recipe which had whiskey in it. But I only had one with rum and raisin. I didn't see the difference. One month later, she asked me for the recipe. Nobody asked me, but I felt like making a sample for her. Just to try out my skills, and level up to Wedding Cake Master. bwa ha ha
This wil be my fifth wedding to date in Australia...not my own, sillies. I wonder if I should wear the same thing I wore last year. And the year before that. Come to think of it, I always wear the same thing. Would I look nice in the skinny ties like the guys wore in the Oscars?
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
He's my Provider
Been reading Blackaby and King's Experiencing God. There are a lot of names God goes by that I know of, and for me, that's a bit too many names to remember. I mean, I can hardly remember the names of every single person I meet in Campus Christian Movement or in uni. But there's one that sticks in me, and probably the only one I know in Hebrew, which is Jehovah Jireh.
I'm convinced my primary love language is words of affirmation, and my secondary is physical touch. That means I feel loved when someone tells me something positive or affirming about myself, and when someone shows their affection by touch. However, God speaks not only to me with timely scripture and his presence, but he speaks to me in a third language: gifts.
I don't know why, I never saw myself a big fan of gifts. I think people can put their money to better use than to waste it on money to buy me stuff. I still haven't used that MP3 player Ian Lim gave me (When I first saw it on my desk without any name on it, I was freaked out). Books were left unread until maybe 2 years later. But come to think of it, I do get excited over free stuff. And I do enjoy drawing for people. It's a talent that I don't seek payment for. Giving of my time and energy is what I do a lot of times to help.
But why I am able to do it so freely is because I experience God's provision many, many times. There was this one time in my third year I was invited to apply for an industrial training program organised by my uni. I get to work for six months, never have to go to uni, do a couple of assignments, get paid, submit a report and get my full credit points for the semester, instead of sitting for the normal Chemical Engineering fourth year first. I wrote and fussed over a cover letter and resume and applied. Next thing you know, I was in. My 3 months work experience is settled. I can then cancel my invitation to do a summer research scholarship and book my flight home to see my relatives in Malaysia.
That bubble burst when I was in the middle of cleaning the shower. I had just visited the factory for an interview a week ago. Then, I got a call from my supervisor. He told it to me frankly. The manager didn't think I will adapt to the environment of the paper recycling plant. He wanted another guy. The uni had no other alternative companies for me. I was left unemployed with two of my options to gain the work experience lost for good.
How will God provide for me the work experience? I graduate, or actually am supposed to, next year. It was then I experienced God's provision that I thought impossible. A supervisor was sympathetic to my plight and offered me a research assistant's job for the summer vacation. My January, February, June and July holidays were all taken up to meet the work experience by baking pieces of blood and sewage. But in a blessing in itself, I was able to be present in the university and meet wonderful fellow engineers who transferred to Australia. I wouldn't have been able to know them well if I had worked outside of uni for the past 6 months. There are possibly many blessings in that itself, but I saw God's hand in this, and I thought to myself, what else has God been providing me with all this while?
Well, there was the Wellington house, which became my house for three years plus, now the most used ministry house for uni events and where I met my wonderful housemates. It was a provision for me as I really badly wanted to move out of the Halls. Then, there was my first car. This guy was about to sell it for scrap, but I got it for a bargain and have driven ever since January 2009. It too has helped me bless in many more ways than before. Then there were the scholarships, both in my undergraduate and for my masters. Then, there were all the HDs and the Ds where I should have gotten Cs. And there was the first class honours. I will always know I'm a slow person, and this is a living testimony that God is giving all this to me.
As I looked back and saw my desire to give, donating to the church and tithing, God has return it a thousand fold over the years. I will not be afraid to give now, nor should I worry when it seems help will never come, because I know God will provide.
Genesis 22
v7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"
"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.
"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
v8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
I'm convinced my primary love language is words of affirmation, and my secondary is physical touch. That means I feel loved when someone tells me something positive or affirming about myself, and when someone shows their affection by touch. However, God speaks not only to me with timely scripture and his presence, but he speaks to me in a third language: gifts.
I don't know why, I never saw myself a big fan of gifts. I think people can put their money to better use than to waste it on money to buy me stuff. I still haven't used that MP3 player Ian Lim gave me (When I first saw it on my desk without any name on it, I was freaked out). Books were left unread until maybe 2 years later. But come to think of it, I do get excited over free stuff. And I do enjoy drawing for people. It's a talent that I don't seek payment for. Giving of my time and energy is what I do a lot of times to help.
But why I am able to do it so freely is because I experience God's provision many, many times. There was this one time in my third year I was invited to apply for an industrial training program organised by my uni. I get to work for six months, never have to go to uni, do a couple of assignments, get paid, submit a report and get my full credit points for the semester, instead of sitting for the normal Chemical Engineering fourth year first. I wrote and fussed over a cover letter and resume and applied. Next thing you know, I was in. My 3 months work experience is settled. I can then cancel my invitation to do a summer research scholarship and book my flight home to see my relatives in Malaysia.
That bubble burst when I was in the middle of cleaning the shower. I had just visited the factory for an interview a week ago. Then, I got a call from my supervisor. He told it to me frankly. The manager didn't think I will adapt to the environment of the paper recycling plant. He wanted another guy. The uni had no other alternative companies for me. I was left unemployed with two of my options to gain the work experience lost for good.
How will God provide for me the work experience? I graduate, or actually am supposed to, next year. It was then I experienced God's provision that I thought impossible. A supervisor was sympathetic to my plight and offered me a research assistant's job for the summer vacation. My January, February, June and July holidays were all taken up to meet the work experience by baking pieces of blood and sewage. But in a blessing in itself, I was able to be present in the university and meet wonderful fellow engineers who transferred to Australia. I wouldn't have been able to know them well if I had worked outside of uni for the past 6 months. There are possibly many blessings in that itself, but I saw God's hand in this, and I thought to myself, what else has God been providing me with all this while?
Well, there was the Wellington house, which became my house for three years plus, now the most used ministry house for uni events and where I met my wonderful housemates. It was a provision for me as I really badly wanted to move out of the Halls. Then, there was my first car. This guy was about to sell it for scrap, but I got it for a bargain and have driven ever since January 2009. It too has helped me bless in many more ways than before. Then there were the scholarships, both in my undergraduate and for my masters. Then, there were all the HDs and the Ds where I should have gotten Cs. And there was the first class honours. I will always know I'm a slow person, and this is a living testimony that God is giving all this to me.
As I looked back and saw my desire to give, donating to the church and tithing, God has return it a thousand fold over the years. I will not be afraid to give now, nor should I worry when it seems help will never come, because I know God will provide.
Genesis 22
v7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"
"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.
"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
v8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
A Va Tar
It's hot here in Australia. I saw Avatar at IMAX Melbourne today, together with Isaac, Wai Keung and his Mauritian friend, Kaze (well...it's Fung, but it would be cooler in Japanese, kinda like in FFU) Anyway, a movie of visual appeal of this grand a scale deserves to be watched in IMAX. Same ol' predictable storyline? Hello. For a good story, I could get a book. I go to see the boundaries of digital moviemaking stretched and broken, or at least to be entertained.
It was still blazing hot when I walked out of the nice cool theater at 6pm. I was pretty sure at any point in time, people would find their clothing suddenly spontaneous ignite. That would be cool...er...hot.
We ended the city walk by dropping in a little cosy Malaysian cuisine restaurant whose name I conveniently forgot, but I know it was somewhere on Russell street. Haven't been there for like three years. The prawn noodles was okay.
Then Wai Keung fixed my microphone, webcam and guitar. Wee!
Come to think of it, the way we just sat there for three hours just watching the screen made me feel like we were transported into the movie like the heroes into their avatars. Or like the Matrix. The total lack of brain activity that is involved in controlling our real bodies drops to a minimum while our senses are heightened. Hmm... but we all have to wake up someday, right?
It was still blazing hot when I walked out of the nice cool theater at 6pm. I was pretty sure at any point in time, people would find their clothing suddenly spontaneous ignite. That would be cool...er...hot.
We ended the city walk by dropping in a little cosy Malaysian cuisine restaurant whose name I conveniently forgot, but I know it was somewhere on Russell street. Haven't been there for like three years. The prawn noodles was okay.
Then Wai Keung fixed my microphone, webcam and guitar. Wee!
Come to think of it, the way we just sat there for three hours just watching the screen made me feel like we were transported into the movie like the heroes into their avatars. Or like the Matrix. The total lack of brain activity that is involved in controlling our real bodies drops to a minimum while our senses are heightened. Hmm... but we all have to wake up someday, right?
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
I Are Indecisive
I think it's simply weird that I popped into Jason's office and saw him watching the movie 'Fantastic Four'. Before I knew it, I was watching alongside him. In the movie, Reed Richards was always commented as someone who wanted to know all the facts before he made any decision. He was someone who 'always thinking but never acting'.
Then, I read Joyce Meyer's How to succeed at being yourself, and it talks about the exact same person, but he's someone who never realises his potential simply because he's too afraid to make mistakes or does not believe that God's power is made perfect in weakness.
The world IS full of so much unrealised potential that it's pathetic. Ouch.
Makes me stop to think, hey, that's the type of person I am. I don't have big dreams. My dad wants me to get a decent engineering job, any job as long as I work my butt off getting it. I am really into design. Not multimedia, although I'm quite ept (opposite of inept) in it. But the big metallic things you see in plants. I fancy that, but just not sure how to get there.
But more importantly, I had a conversation with the pastor's wife. It goes something like this:
Me: Hi!
PW: Hello, Shaun, how are you?
Me: I'm fine.
(silence)
Me: Trying to think of a topic to talk about. What's a good topic to talk about? (Aren't I just sucky in conversations?)
PW: I know what we can talk about.
Me: What?
PW: What are you going to be in 5 years time and how are you going to reach it?
Me: Er...I'll get back to you.
It's a valid statement. Where am I going to be, character wise, job wise, ministry wise, partner wise in 5 years time? Instead of enjoying the race, have something to aim for, otherwise I'm just beating the air.
Right now, I should be asking God for big stuff, just like I used to ask for high marks (so when I don't get 'em, at least I have good marks to fall back on), but with faith. Inexperience is not an excuse. It's an opportunity to step out in faith and trust God. Bad experience is not an option. Paul said to leave behind past glories and past hurts and move on to the finish line.
God usually reveals things to me one after another. Last week was about giving from my heart (tithing). Now it's to live up to my potential, or at least unleash it.
Then, I read Joyce Meyer's How to succeed at being yourself, and it talks about the exact same person, but he's someone who never realises his potential simply because he's too afraid to make mistakes or does not believe that God's power is made perfect in weakness.
The world IS full of so much unrealised potential that it's pathetic. Ouch.
Makes me stop to think, hey, that's the type of person I am. I don't have big dreams. My dad wants me to get a decent engineering job, any job as long as I work my butt off getting it. I am really into design. Not multimedia, although I'm quite ept (opposite of inept) in it. But the big metallic things you see in plants. I fancy that, but just not sure how to get there.
But more importantly, I had a conversation with the pastor's wife. It goes something like this:
Me: Hi!
PW: Hello, Shaun, how are you?
Me: I'm fine.
(silence)
Me: Trying to think of a topic to talk about. What's a good topic to talk about? (Aren't I just sucky in conversations?)
PW: I know what we can talk about.
Me: What?
PW: What are you going to be in 5 years time and how are you going to reach it?
Me: Er...I'll get back to you.
It's a valid statement. Where am I going to be, character wise, job wise, ministry wise, partner wise in 5 years time? Instead of enjoying the race, have something to aim for, otherwise I'm just beating the air.
Right now, I should be asking God for big stuff, just like I used to ask for high marks (so when I don't get 'em, at least I have good marks to fall back on), but with faith. Inexperience is not an excuse. It's an opportunity to step out in faith and trust God. Bad experience is not an option. Paul said to leave behind past glories and past hurts and move on to the finish line.
God usually reveals things to me one after another. Last week was about giving from my heart (tithing). Now it's to live up to my potential, or at least unleash it.
Monday, September 14, 2009
September Bible Conference
Wow, it's looks like fun! Yes, because it's the last day of the SHINE conference and verybody's celebrating the 19th anniversary of Hope Christian Church Melbourne.
Lunch is absolutely the best! Salmon and spinach, risotto, pizzas, soft cheese the type you normally eat with biscuits, calamari rings, birthday cake (2 of them available in case one not enough), and good old sugar-enhanced, artificially-oranged fluid.
Wow, I'm starting to enjoy drawing again. Could be because tomorrow onwards I'll be swept away in the tide of business. gulp gulp
Anyways, have fun locating these people whom I have drawn. Yi Mei, Calvin Woon, Kien, Jean Marc, Roy Boon, Yu Wan, Sin Yee, Jill Koh and Sam Rawson. And Rebekah, the little girl who laughs when you get hurt. (In case you didn't notice, the dude with the funky hairdo and giant lollipop is me)
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Shine Bible Conference
Ah... good to get my flash working again. This is me at our church's annual Bible conference. The topic is SHINE! And really, the whole session is getting us to once again seek God's glory is a world where it is supposedly diminished, and that the church is nothing without God's glory. And how we are supposed to be reflectors of God's glory.
Wow!~ Short testimony, as I was writing, the computer froze. Now, this doesn't normally happen, and when it does, I am forced to force shutdown my computer. I was like, Argh, God, why did it freeze, when it came to me that this could be the devil's work. I then tried praying, really believing this time, that God can be the God of the internet and computers and he is in control. Argh, I don't want to type everything again, Lord, the devil's trying to stop me from saying good things about you, in Jesus' name, then I sat down and played 'Days of Elijah' on my guitar. And praise the Lord, the computer unfroze. Woohoo!
Ok, many fun things happened as well. I got to participate in a trivia quiz. I guessed my category right, under science. Wahoo! I wished they asked more sciencey questions. Oh, and btw, my group lost 10 to 100. I was pretty sure Antartica was the second largest continent in the world. Doi!
I guessed I was pretty enthusiastic about seeing God's glory, the way the Israelites did in the past. It was both refreshing and stimulating. I hope to retain most of what I've learned from the conference. here are some things I've learned (dumbed down):
1. Knowledge is good, especially God's knowledge. Must have more...
2. True obedience is not just from love, it's from faith. Not a religious, non-free will-y, spiritual understanding of God, but trusting God in a relationship. After all, God created a relationship such that it only works when both parties are faithful.
3. Righteousness cannot be acted out, but can only be achieved through Jesus and accepting the fact that he died for my sins and I am made righteous.
4. Must respect divine authority, 'cos they are the Lord's representatives
5. Church must be united, in fact, churches must be united! We've a lot of nasty stuff inside the church now and Jesus' parable of the wheat and weeds makes that so clear. (Matt13:24-30) When it says in v41, The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. Now, I normally study the bible myself, and from what I understand, i actually see this as the church. Ok, sidetracked...
6. I can be victorious, and this is especially important to me, because I'm usually very depressed and very anxious about life. But so long, as I know my hope is in God, that doesn't matter anymore. Sin is my biggest enemy, it kills, and it's not just murder and stealing. It can be what I think in my head about my sister. My sister! Argh! Get out. Makes me want to cry out as the tax collector, 'I am a sinner'.
And there's still many more things I learned. Gosh, thank you Lord for the experience today and yesterday. Oh, and thank you for the dinner with my life group members as well at Nyonya Hut. I'll do better in my event planning next time.
I think it's funny how the pastors encourage people (mature ones who are getting in their late twenties) to marry, unlike Paul who saw marriage as a trouble. hee hee
Ok, better stop in case something bad happens to me long message.
Nights.
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