Guess what this is.

It's the serving plate used at Fullerton! Nice hor =)

I attended a wedding dinner at Fullerton hotel yesterday. The groom was a colleague's son. It was my first time attending a wedding dinner where I did not know either the bride or the bridegroom.

Anyway, during the dinner, some of my colleagues asked when it'll be my turn. Haha.

Well, some of my friends would know that, given a choice, I would not hold a wedding dinner. A church wedding would suffice. Because, to me, it can be rather pointless to splurge so much on a wedding and end up neglecting the more important things, like the marriage.

In fact, I think the simpler the wedding the better. Sorry I'm not a big fan of extravagant weddings. I mean, go ahead and spend on your wedding if you can afford it but is there really a need to spend beyond your means? And maybe only people like Kel can afford to hold his wedding dinner at a hotel like St. Regis (and he'll invite Ting..wahaha).

Posted on 29 March 2009, Sun, 11.30pm

Promise...

Poem by Annie Johnson Flint

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.


Let it be Lord, just let it be...

Which is easier?

Or should it be, which is more difficult? To lead or to follow?

In partner dances, the man is supposed to lead the lady in most cases. Yesterday, during class, our instructor was saying that some ladies get rather stressed over this, mainly because they do not know what to expect from the men. This is especially when the man did not give a clear lead or when the lady try to second-guess the next move.

I think it's not easy to lead if you do not know what the next step is, or when the lady is trying to lead as well. There can't be two leaders right? Then again, it's not easy to follow either, if you do not relinquish control. Or surrender.

I wonder if we are able to tell a man's character from the way he dances. There are guys who know the techniques well but disregard their partners in their eagerness to show how well they themselves can dance. Then there are some who show that dance is more than just the techniques just by showing that they care about who they're dancing with. You see, it's not difficult to sweep a girl off her feet. And it is not through complicated moves but rather, by letting the lady feel comfortable dancing with you. Needless to say, the lady should help by letting the man do the leading as well.

In a way, perhaps a marriage is like dancing. Two individuals becoming as one and moving in tandem to the beat, or rhythm of life. There cannot be 2 leaders. Maybe that's what makes marriage difficult, but that's what makes it beautiful too. And just like in a dance, once one of the partners stop doing what he or she is supposed to do, the other won't be able to carry on the dance by him or herself.

Anyway, a comment by a girlfriend over MSN just now got me thinking. So I shall just end off the entry with this song.

Holding Out for a Hero
By Bonnie Tyler

Where have all the good men gone

And where are all the gods?

Where’s the street-wise Hercules

To fight the rising odds?

Isn’t there a white knight upon a fiery steed?

Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need

I need a hero

I'm holding out for at hero 'till the end of the night

He's gotta be strong

And he's gotta be fast

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero

I’m holding out for a hero 'till the morning light

He’s gotta be sure

And it’s gotta be soon

And he’s gotta be larger than life

Larger than life

Somewhere after midnight

In my wildest fantasy

Somewhere just beyond my reach

There’s someone reaching back for me

Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat

It’s gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night

He's gotta be strong

And he's gotta be fast

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero

I’m holding out for a hero 'till the morning light

He’s gotta be sure

And it’s gotta be soon

And he’s gotta be larger than life

I need a hero

I'm holding out for at hero 'till the the end of the night

Up where the mountains meet the heavens above

Out where the lightning splits the sea

I could swear there is someone somewhere

Watching me

Through the wind and the chill and the rain

And the storm and the flood

I can feel his approach

Like a fire in my blood

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night

He’s gotta be strong

And he's gotta be fast

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the morning light

He's gotta be sure

And it's gotta be soon

And he's gotta be larger than lifeI need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night

He's gotta be strong

And he's gotta be fast

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the morning light

He's gotta be sure

And he's gotta be soon

And he's gotta be larger than life

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night

Went for the salsa dance class with Stella this evening. The class was rather small, with less than 10 members. I remembered the last time I had attended a social dance class 5 years ago (has it been so long?), the class was much bigger; perhaps twice the size.

I guess I shouldn't judge too much yet since this was only the first lesson, but I just had to write about this observation.

S'pore guys are short. (Only 1 guy was taller than me in that class and he's an ang moh.)

Haha.

Or it could just be that s'pore guys who are tall do not like dancing.

Oh well...


Posted on 7 March, Sat, 11.55pm

A friend sent this in an email...

G U I D A N C E
Dancing With God

Author unknown

When I meditated on the word Guidance, I

kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.

I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.

When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.

The movement doesn't flow with the music,

And everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,

Both bodies begin to flow with the music.

One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back

Or by pressing

Lightly in one direction or another.

It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.

The dance takes surrender, willingness,

And attentiveness from one person

And gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.

When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "I".

"God, "u" and "I" dance."

God, you, and I dance.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust

That I would get guidance about my life.

Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings

And mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.

May you abide in God, as God abides in you.

Dance together with God, trusting God to lead

And to guide you through each season of your life.

This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.

If God has done anything for you in your life,

Please share this message with someone else.

There is no cost but a lot of rewards;

So let's continue to pray for one another.

And I Hope You Dance !

Anyway, last Friday during the bbq, someone asked us what we're looking for in a man. And all of us come to the consensus that he should be God-fearing, Christ-like etc, mostly because this quality emcompasses other qualities such as kindness, integrity and so on as well.

But I was thinking, in the first place it is already difficult to find such a guy.

Even if he exists, he would mostly probably be

(1) Married

(2) Attached

(3) Consecrated his life to God i.e. not interested in women

And even if for some reason, he is neither of the above 3, which means he is single and available, why would he be interested in me?

Ok, I think I've just reduced the chances of me meeting someone suitable to practically zero.

Hey, but more improbable things has happened before, hasn't it?

And with God leading, is there anything to fear after all?