More Wedding Blessings!

I originally did not want to have any videographers at my wedding because I imagined myself feeling too self-conscious with a video camera around and I didn't feel that it was necessary. 

Today, a friend in the media business offered to do my entire wedding video shoot and edit for free! She would then be featuring our video as part of her wedding portfolio. After discussing with Thoo, we agreed to it. What a wonderful blessing :) 

God has been just blessing us non-stop since we started preparing for our wedding. It's not that we're very good or anything, its just that God is awesome and he has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams.  We can never repay Him back for all that He has given to us.

We never wanted our wedding to be very grand in the first place... just something simple where everyone will enjoy themselves.  I've just been praying that God will lead us as we prepare, and look at what He's done!

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.  Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. Psalm 34:8-9

What a mistake!

I learnt a costly lesson today. Feel very frustrated and upset at myself for my carelessness. I did my e-filing for taxes last week, and even did an online transfer of payment to the IRD immediately. All that took less than 15 minutes and I was quite proud of myself.

A few days later, while talking to Thoo, I realised that I had forgotten to key in my PCB (tax already deducted by company) amount!!! That means I have overpaid my taxes by close to a thousand ringgit! I feel so dumb. How can I be so blur?

So I frantically called the tax department today, and one officer told me to go to the tax office near my house (I hate going there because I always get lost). I wasn't entirely happy with what he said so I called another branch, and the officer there just took down my handphone number and said they'll write me a cheque for the refund. I'm quite sceptical that they would send me a cheque in the next 1 year! I am going to pray that they will as soon as possible.

Anyway, I've learnt that online banking can cause me to be over-efficient or over-enthusiastic about transferring my money elsewhere. I have to be careful from now onwards.

Pictures!

Here are some photos I took lately!

Spottie looking out for his neighbourhood friends. He doesn't like taking photos so he'll turn away whenever I direct a camera at him.

My friends from Nepalese Fellowship. Here's where I spend most of my Saturday nights.

The baby guppies at Thoo's aquarium. There are about 40 of them!

Thoo and me at Soho KL after dinner at Ten Ji Japanese Buffet.

Bully made my mum and I laugh the other day by sleeping like this!

He's good at posing :)

Bully wants to play all the time. Everytime I get home he fetches his toy and waits for me at the garden... even though its midnight.

Where do I begin...

I sent out my first batch of Save the Date cards to my colleagues last week. Since we have so many last minute events where I work, I'm afraid that my colleagues will plan an event on my wedding day!

Also tried my made-to-order wedding gown a few days ago. Besides some minor changes, I loved it! Its not too elaborate or revealing and I think it suits my personality well. Thoo has also collected his suit :)

We've still got to look into our guest list, we both try to avoid it after a long day's work because its the stressful part of wedding planning. But we have to look at it sooner or later. Showed my parents a draft copy of my wedding card, and my dad didn't like the logo I designed. They also made some comments about the wordings. I've removed the logo and changed the text, so hopefully they will be happy with the amended card. My dad has got design sense since he's an architect so I better listen to him!

Last night Thoo and I did our PMC assignment which was to go for a romantic dinner together! We went to a Japanese buffet and ended up eating a lot and not talking that much. Haha... we had a great time nevertheless. I don't think it has really sunk in that I'm getting married in about 3 months! Exciting times ahead.

7 Important Things to Know

I just finished reading the book 'God has never failed me, but he's sure scared me to death a few times' by Stan Toler. It was a very interesting read, and a very encouraging one too! I loved many of the real-life stories he told and the humorous way in which he brings the message across.

Quoting from his book: A Short Course in Human Relations

The six most important words: "I admit I made a mistake."

The five most important words: "You did a good job."

The four most important words: "What is your opinion?"

The three most important words: "If you please."

The two most important words: "Thank you."

The one most important word: "We."

The least important word: "I."

- Source Unknown

Helen Keller

Here's an amazing video of a woman by the name of Helen Keller who became deaf and blind at the age of 19 months after a childhood sickness. She conquered her circumstances and earned herself a Bachelor of Arts and wrote numerous books, including her own biography.  During her lifetime, she inspired many others and even met a few US Presidents.  What an amazing woman who was not defeated by circumstances but rose above it all.  The human spirit is indeed amazing. I'm reminded to always have a positive outlook on things and never to wallow in self-pity but rise above difficult situations. Most importantly, God is always there to lift us up when we are down.

My Roommate

Its nearly 1 am and I am watching my dog sleep by my bed. I have a really big king sized duvet so I share it with him. His whiskers are twitching and his legs are moving a little - he's dreaming again :) I love watching him sleep so soundly and comfortably! He'll sleep throughout the night, waking up once in a while but he'll go back to sleep and only wake up at about 7 am when my mum goes out for her morning walk. 

When he wakes up in the morning, the first thing he'll do is shake and I'll hear the sound of his tag against his chain and I'll wake up too! Sometimes he wants to get out but the door is not opened big enough for him to squeeze through and he'll stare at me until I wake up. Most of the time I will (don't ask me how he does it, but he can stare me awake), but if I don't, he'll start to whine. He's really one smart dog!

Well, that's Spottie...my lovable roommate :) 

Law vs. Grace

I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent.  For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.  

Matthew 12:6-8

Jesus was always being scrutinised by the Pharisees. They were constantly looking out for things he did to break the law to find reasons to accuse him. However, Jesus put mercy and grace above the law and so he healed a man with a shriveled hand on the Sabbath. Jesus reminded the Pharisees that God desires mercy and not sacrifice, and that the innocent should not be condemned in keeping the law.

Similarly, we must always remember that God wants us to show grace and mercy to others and not just abide by laws blindly or be legalistic for the sake of it. We should not go about our daily routines, no matter how holy it could be, and neglect extending God's grace and mercy to those who need it.

Dear Lord Jesus, forgive me for the legalistic routines in my daily life.  Help me to be sensitive to the needs of the people around me and extend Your grace and mercy to those whom You put in my life.  May my life be a living testimony of the indescribable depths of Your love to us and the reality of Your presence in our daily lives. Amen. 

The Tunnel

It is true that people grow from trials and difficulties. I must have grown a lot over the past week. It is tough to go through something and not be able to talk about it openly because of the great impact it would create. It is difficult when even your closest family and friends cannot truly understand how you feel. It is difficult when you smell the air of injustice and have to accept it as a part of life. It is sad when you're the weaker one.

It's at this time that God reminds me that He is my comforter and pillar of strength, that He is still in control. That He is not a God who condemns, but He's full of love, grace and compassion. And no one can take Him away from me.

I am looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

More on the Wedding!

Many people have been asking me how's the wedding preparation going. Actually, it's very smooth-going because I'm blessed with so many wonderful friends and supportive parents who has helped, encouraged and advised me along the way. Family and friends are indispensable in the process of wedding planning!

I think besides the budget, the guest list is one of the most important parts of planning for a wedding. I have attended many weddings, sometimes alone, and I have found that my experience at any wedding is very much determined by who I sit with at the dinner table. For example, sitting as a single through a 2 hour wedding dinner with a whole table of couples you don't know is really no fun.

When guests are seated with people they are comfortable with and can interact easily, you don't need a cool live band, a talkative mc, karaoke-ing relatives or impromptu performances for entertainment. Just play nice soothing music to complement their conversations!

I don't expect the guests at my wedding to be looking at me the whole time (I don't really like too much attention), but I do want them to have a good time.

So one of the keys to having a fun wedding is simply to know how to arrange your guests at the dinner table. And make sure you don't miss out anyone!

The Wonder of Creation

I love going on walks with my dogs. During my off days, Spottie will wait by my side at 4.30 pm anticipating his 45 minute evening walk. To him, the evening walk is the best thing in the world.

I love seeing Spottie go on his usual route. He will visit his friends from the neighbourhood one by one - the dashund, the labrador, Chloe the mixed retriever, Susie the shih tzu and a few more. Of course not all his friends are pure breed dogs, many are mongrels too! I believe that all dogs are beautiful regardless of breed.

I have learnt a lot from walking my dog. He enjoys nature so much, taking his time to sniff things out, his tail held high in confidence as he walks and the way the hair on his back stands when he's being threatened. I have learnt to enjoy nature the same way, savouring the wind and sun on my face, examining the amazing texture of different kinds of plants and trees and observing how dogs relate to each other.

As we walk together, we have this unique bond between 2 friends, a human and a dog. Both very different in nature, and yet, created by the same God. I believe that God created animals and nature to help us understand more about Himself, teach us how to live fulfilling lives and bring us peace, joy and healing in different circumstances.

And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:24-25

The Story of the Ant

Every day, a small ant arrives at work enthusiastically and starts work immediately. She produces a lot and she was happy.

The Chief, a lion, was surprised to see her working without supervision.

He thought if the ant can produce so much without supervision, wouldn't she produce even more if she had a supervisor!

So he recruited a cockroach who had extensive experience as a supervisor and who was famous for writing excellent reports.

The cockroach's first decision was to set up a clocking in attendance system. He also needed a secretary to help him write and type reports and he recruited a spider, who managed archives and monitored all phone calls.

The lion was delighted with the cockroach's reports and asked him to produce graphs to describe production rates and to analyse trends, so that he could use them for presentations at Board meetings.

So the cockroach had to buy a new PC and a laser printer and recruited a fly to manage to IT department.

The ant, who had once been so productive and relaxed, hated this new plethora of paperwork and meetings which used up most of her time!

The lion came to the conclusion that it was high time to nominate a person in charge of the department where the ant worked.

The position was given to the cicada, whose first decision was to buy a carpet and an ergonomic chair for his office.

The new person in charge, the cicada, also needed a PC and personal assistant, whom he brought from his previous department to help him prepare a Work and Budget Control Strategic Optimisation Plan.

The department where the ant works is now a sad place, where nobody laughs anymore and everybody has become upset.

It was at that time that the cicada convinced the boss, the lion, of the absolute necessity to start a climatic study of the environment.

Having reviewed the charges for running the ant's department, the lion found out that the production was much less than before.

So he recruited the owl, a prestigious and renowned consultant to carry out an audit and suggest solutions.

The owl spent 3 months in the department and came up with an enormous report, in several volumes, that concluded:

"The department is overstaffed..."

Guess who the lion fires first?

The ant, of course, because she "showed lack of motivation and had a negative attitude..."