Day 1:
TODAY I WILL NOT STRIKE BACK
If someone is rude;
If someone is impatient;
If someone is unkind...
I will not respond in like manner.
"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil - 1 Corinthians 13:4,5
6:22 am - My eyes opened wide as can be, 33 minutes before the alarm was set to go off. Oh no, I thought. Today is going to be a lonnng day. Never mind, practicing positive thinking and miraculously got out of bed... At least I can afford to taking my time in getting ready.
Brrr! *Shudders* The morning air is so chilly!
8 am - Mum gave me a lift to the train station and we had a little debate in the car about 'holiday pay'. Yes. I know. You guys are all thinking 'what the?' I know. Well... skipping all fine details, the main point I want to share is that in keeping to today's challenge of not striking back, instead of the usualy 'no no no' self, I found that I was more explanatory in the things I say and opted for a lower voice and a slower pitch. At the end of the quick 5 minute drive mum and I had come to a happy and mutually agreed conclusion. We then waved goodbye to each other and off to work I went. On the train I did my daily Bible reading and committed the day again to the Lord for His use.
10:30 am - Fire alarm went off twice but no drama. Back to work.
11:05 am - Coffee break time. I stood there and watched the coffee machine buzzed and churned to make me a mugachino. The smell of coffee quickly diffused the room. Champ. No provocative moment since the morning debate. Nice. Drank coffee in peace and tranquility. Excellency.
To my coffee I added 3 heaped spoons of milo which made the carefully orchestrated milk froth collapse. An ugly thing but delightfully delicious, think I will make this again tomorrow.
12 pm - LUNCH! WOOT! Work is going well, learning lots of new stuff is physcially and mentally draining. Before we left the house I saw mum packing into my lunch box two zhong zi (粽子) and so I've been looking forward to eating them all morning. Finally that time has come! I skipped into the kitchen but to my horror the place was packed! The boys were out there watching the world cup while others stood around and chatted amongst themselves. I was terrified having to peel away the long bamboo leaves so I did it as fast as I could and disposed of all evidences of 'fobbiness' in the trash can. For a moment there I was a little embarrassed of my Chinese heritage and the seemingly weird food we enjoy. Still feeling the heat in my cheeks I sat outside in the undercover alfresco area and smsed my equally fobby friends. "Be proud of you roots," came both replies and I felt much better. My friends :)
Zhong zi and cup-a-noodle laksa soup. Can't get any more Asian than this combination!
2:40 pm - Milo time! Everyone's so nice to me today... Even our usual teasing emails have become well-mannered and encouraging. I paused for a minute to ponder why. I noticed that my attitude fine-tuned a little for the better; I'm voicing out the inner 'thank you's, 'sorry's and 'after you's than I normally am comfortable with. A quick prayer for the rest of today to wrap up another episode of micro break.
A little thanksgiving... While in the kitchen making milo, a skinny figure waved at me. It turned out to be Sarah who I did training with for Products and Services. We are both taking the exam coming up in July and both have an assignment to hand in. Sarah asked me how my preparation is going. "So-so, I lost my written notes from training," I told her. Hey I've got your notes! It's at my desk I'll go grab it for ya, said Sarah.
Amazing.
Last week I've lost all hopes in finding them, God was silent regardless of how often or how hard I prayed for the situation. I honestly had come to peace with not having help from my written notes... Now that the notes are in my hands again with every page intact it's like additional bonus sent from above. Truly the Lord makes all things beautiful in His time. If I hadn't gone out to make milo at exactly 2:40 pm... if Sarah hadn't walked past at the right time... if God didn't prompt her to say hi to me... if I never told her I'd lost my notes...
Julia Sun, less IFs, more FAITH. God's plan and timing is always perfect.
Amazing.
Last week I've lost all hopes in finding them, God was silent regardless of how often or how hard I prayed for the situation. I honestly had come to peace with not having help from my written notes... Now that the notes are in my hands again with every page intact it's like additional bonus sent from above. Truly the Lord makes all things beautiful in His time. If I hadn't gone out to make milo at exactly 2:40 pm... if Sarah hadn't walked past at the right time... if God didn't prompt her to say hi to me... if I never told her I'd lost my notes...
Julia Sun, less IFs, more FAITH. God's plan and timing is always perfect.
Hot milk and froth to make a nice warm cup of milo.
3:24 pm - A rare blessing... finishing work early! Thank God for a smooth and productive day. My supervisor told me that we're ahead of the schedule so I can take the rest of the day off. When I was waiting for the lift the junior receptionist called out cheerfully "See ya! Have a nice afternoon!" I was indeed touched by her warm hospitality so returned her a friendly greeting too. Really thank God for such nice people at my work, a vast contrast from some of the previous employment I've had.
The kitchen nearest the balcony. Quite pretty and a bit IKEA-like. Love the homey feel.
Tomorrow:
I WILL ASK GOD TO BLESS MY "ENEMY"
Good night everyone, rest well and sleep tight ☺
I will say a prayer for you before my sleep. Not for the reason that you are my 'enemy' but because we are to pray for one another.
We are unworthily yet dearly loved by God.
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