Look2U

Christmas is back and a couple of moments ago I was just evaluating God’s position in my life. I’m thankful for that moment that I had. I caught a bit of the fire that I used to have when I was much younger in Christ.

Inviting friends to a Christian gathering has always been a challenge for me. I don’t know when have I started to get disappointed when friends do not respond to an altar call or perhaps it was when one of my members became a backslider, which somehow affected me because I was the one who introduced him to the Christian faith. I invested my time in him when no one else would. He accepted Christ but because of some events, he turned his back on God. I’m not trying to sound like I’m vying for the Nobel Peace Prize but maybe I am not as strong as I thought or claim to be. I am weak and it is He who makes me strong. I think I finally understand that now.

I managed to invite a friend for Christmas service about a day before the wild rumpus began. I seriously wanted a breakthrough and God gave me just that. Although she didn’t respond to the altar call for salvation, I smiled. Seriously, I was never so happy to see my own friend joining me for service. Thank You LORD for making this happen! I will labour harder (and smarter) for Your Kingdom!

I want to start 2009 well! Time to set some goals…Let’s blitz!

Somehow something just got into me. I’m not sure what it is and I have no idea how to deal with it at the moment. I asked God what’s wrong with me and how am I suppose to deal with it and He pointed this verse to me,

Lk 19:14
“But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’”

God knows whatever that is happening to us but thankfully, He still loves us in whatever state that we are in. There are definitely some areas that I haven’t been putting Jesus in His rightful position as the number one person. Nobody else knows clearly that myself and God.

I guess the tide of events around me have affected me adversely over time. I am no longer the person who is so on fire for God and I am now in my crossroads thinking about my own calling, ministry and purpose in life. I still do not know the answer but I know that I want to restore Christ as my King and Lord in every area of my life.

Cell group leadership? Vic asked me about it as well but I have been avoiding it because I’m still not quite sure whether that is the road that is for me. The thought about leading a group of people, frankly speaking, puts me off a little.

Perhaps I’ve been disappointed by my past and current members or maybe it is seriously not that area that God has ordained me for. Admist all these negativity, I know that I find joy in teaching. Going to China has escalated that joy into a whole new level. I have never been so sure before in my life. Yes, the field of education is definitely where God wants me to be. When I invest my time in that talent that I have, God will multiply it and perhaps, cell group leadership might come as a result of my faithfulness. But for now, I seriously need some more time to reevaluate where my energies should go to…

When exiting the MRT station, one kid just shouted at his friends, “不用chiong啦！赶不到的啦!”

Because of my background, I am able to speak and comprehend the following languages to varying degrees:

1. English
2. Mandarin
3. Cantonese
4. Japanese

The structure of the sentence the kid provided was definitely problematic and I could identify elements of Singlish in it. The word, “chiong” that he had used signified the Chinese character, 冲, which literally translates to rush in English. Bear in mind, it only acts as a signifier. Had I not be a Singaporean or any person who is not immersed in our culture of Singlish, the word “chiong” would send me into bewilderment.

I have no idea of where the word, “chiong”, originated from but because of how I have been immersed in Singlish, I am able to comprehend the comment. Perhaps then, we could consider Singlish as our dialect or “native” language, repulsive as it sounds.

I have been to other countries and they converse in their own native languages even though they have never gone through any formal education on that language. I even doubt if such courses exist. Similarly, I am almost certain that Singlish would never make it into our curriculum and I am thankful for that.

That being said, I still think that there is no need to be ashamed of Singlish because it is our unique culture just as how the people from Sichuan speak with their own dialect. For me, I consider English, Mandarin and Cantonese as my main languages and Singlish as my dialect but maybe “native” language would be a more appropriate word.

What do you think? I would like to hear your views = )

And so, these are my core courses for next semester:

AAU302 The Director in the Theatre
AAU336 Dramaturgy and Writing for the Theatre
ACM322 Teaching and Learning Mathematics II
ACU322 Drama and Theatre in Education

Yes, only four. So, I’m praying hard for a good time table. ACU322 is a bummer because it’s going to be the fourth time that I’m doing DIE and TIE (Drama in-education and Theatre in-education for short respectively). I’m seriously considering to send an email to Dr. Jane to tell her to revamp the whole Drama programme so that it would not have significant overlaps and the time and effort could be spent on other pertinent areas in Drama, Theatre and Performance. Nevertheless, I shall devote ample time and effort to ACU322 and find out more about DIE and TIE and work towards an A grade.

AAU302 and AAU336 are, frankly, things that I’m extremely uncertain and not confident about. But, I shall confess positively and put in my best and trust God for His provision. I am confident that things will work out well = )

Still considering whether to take AAU280 Voice Studies and Production. Wonder if my schedule permits me to read another elective that is above and beyond what’s required of me. Or should I consider reading AAU231 Traditional Asian Theatre Forms, a course that all my peers have had high praises about when I was away in QUT doing my exchange semester?

For those of you interested to know how I’ve performed for my courses last semester, here are the actual results. If, for any reason, that you think that I’m a show-off, I feel that I owe you no apology and the least you can do is to ignore this entry instead of passing off unnecessary comments.

AAU301 Cultural Theory and the Theatre A
AAU333 Theatre for Development A-
ACM321 Teaching and Learning Mathematics I A-
ACU321 Elements of Drama A
AED301 Educational Psychology II: Providing for Individual Differences for Learning and Teaching and Classroom Management B-
AMX301 Multicultural Studies: Appreciating and Valuing Differences A-