Tag Archives: patience

Child-proof design

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Child-proof design on things, such as water dispensar or pill bottle, I always think is ‘unnecessary’ as the kids are definitely the first to break the ‘trick’, and the design would just make the whole process more troublesome or difficult for people who need to use the device. Last night, my mom has difficulty opening some child-proof vitamin bottles and feeling so frustrated she couldn’t open them easily. I thus showed her first to push and then turn the bottle – but when she does it on her own, she couldn’t. So I held her hand with my hand guiding her, like how one would do to a little kid in writing words or strokes in the right sequence. We did the ‘practice’ quite many times, and then she experimented pretty piously, then she got it – finally! And she kept on trying with the three bottles, soooo super funny. And then at one point, she couldn’t open it again and looked at me with that poor stare! I held her hand opening the bottle again…the whole process continued for like nearly 15 minutes. I am actually surprised by my patience level last night, coz I never have been that patient with my mom, maybe it’s just last night or I don’t know. I felt that actually what I learned in India – working with the girls and the patience have actually refined my spirit in being more patient with the people who need me. I don’t really know how long that would last within me, but I feel that the impact has seriously positively impacted on me. It’s that old saying again, you get what you give. The more volunteer work one does, the richer life you live. I will check to see if my mom could open the vitamin bottles tonight – she is my vitamin!

Quote of the Day
Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
Proverbs 25:15
I pray to God that I will practice patience persistently.

Postscript Quote 
The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.”
Paul Coelho

When I was at the Consulate of India…

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I was busy planning my trip to India and have to apply the tourist visa in time, today I took the afternoon off to take care of that.  I was shock to see how many people were there when I arrived around 2.30pm. Some were working with their laptop, an older guy was playing scrabble, and some were dozing off – all seems to be prepared for a super long wait – chill came up my spine that moment. I took the ticket from the machine and notice from the board there were like 20 people ahead of me…and there was only 1 counter serving! A foreigner got in and amazingly spoke in fluent mandarin to a local guy, the local guy seems like his staff and told him he sat there for 2 hours and still waiting. And then more people came in and then I started to chat with the person next to me, who seems like to be a staff from travel agent and I asked her is it always like this – this crowded. And she told me all the stories about getting visa here! And then the person in front of us turned her head and then chatted with us, and then the person next to the person in front, also turned her head and all shared the worries of missing appointments etc. It’s funny suddenly, coz we were all chatting. I don’t really speak to strangers before I must say, but this is something I learn from church! Learning to get relaxed and speak to people you don’t know! Smile at them, and doesn’t really matter if we ‘really know’ each other or not, it’s doesn’t matter! I see that change in myself actually and it’s funny when I look back now. Guess this is really something I never expect to learn from the church LOL.

Quote of the Day
When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them.
Job 29:24
I pray to God that we all learn to be friendly and inviting to the people around, friends and strangers alike.

Postscript Quote 
The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.
Henry Ward Beecher

My mid-term review

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Studio is conducting work performance review this and last week and I have conducted my team’s performance which takes a lot of work, and finally I have to do my own and it’s even more difficult. I just finished it online like 10 minutest ago and pick the blog up. I suppose everyone has done it before, and we simply can’t ace in every aspect – if so now, then our next review is even tougher coz you need to break the current record. That is why sportsman is not easy to be, your aim is to break world record, but what if you’re the one who sets the world record? So it’s like pushing your boundary forward each and every time. But we all tend to be lazy at times and don’t want to be such an achiever every second. That’s my dilemma – I have been at my current workplace for nearly around 3.6 years and it reaches a point where things plateau and we’re like hitting the wall – I remember my runner friend told me this is the term to describing running. So how do you find that key to turn things around? At times in my spiritual life also, I feel that my relationship with God is just ‘this’ close and not moving further and closer or better. What to do? There would be moments of confusion and frustration and uncertainty. Now I look back, I notice we must not make decision during those time, as that choice made will not be prudent but biased and rash. You need to stay put and let things sit for a while and wait for things to clear up – like the pollutants in the air, Beijing is going through this period and I think it will clear up. But at the same time, we need to be faithful and stay hopeful and do not let negative thoughts eat you or decompose or exfoliate you. Seek ways to feel better, and pray. Patience and prayer will help you crystallize thoughts and gear you to a brighter spot and you can look out and drive your way and move on with the expedition again.

Quote of the Day
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16
I pray to God that I will not let personal lust and desires rule me, but by His righteous commands and teachings only.

Postscript Quote 
We are always in search of the redeeming formula, the crystallizing thought. 
Etty Hillesum

Swearing in Causeway Bay

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I was doing food shopping last night and then caught a cab to head home…all the frozen food inside my tote bag, and waited a while already and finally got a taxi in this busy Christmas shopping season. Once the cab trying to turned gear to head out, a mini-bus took a sharp turn from the right hand side (while we are trying to cut to the left) and took the whole lane trying to unload the passengers. It’s quite acute this mini-bus driver’s move…but this is HK, what do you expect? But my cab driver was very annoyed and couldn’t stand this mini-bus driver’s move and gave him a steady and firm continuous honk all the way for like 7 seconds. But passengers were stepping out the mini-bus and finally done with it. When my cab driver could finally stepped on the accelerator and moved the vehicle, an amazing yell was like really near, and a man in his bomber jacket screamed at the top notch of his lungs and he was yelling at us – I think that means my cab driver. And then another guy in similar outfit and cap screamed at my driver, all swearing a complete list of vulgar vocabulary words of profanity I could ever understand in my whole life, and another guy popped up again, my driver scrolled down the window and SCREAM the same back to these 3, 4 guys in the middle of Causeway Bay. I was horrified and I felt that all these men are going to be in a fight beating each other if anyone open the window or the door… I felt my food is melting…and I covered my both ears completely and shut my eyes in terror. I think they saw me, and after a few while of outcry, I felt my car was moving. I couldn’t believe this! My soul could not settle for a LONG while and I wonder what the cab driver feel. If that is normal to him, I feel extremely bad for him or those manly MEN. It’s all simply about manner, and nothing much or further. It’s not even about discrimination, inequality, religion, politics, gender etc. How can people be so mad and easily provoked? It’s pressure. How sad? We live in a city – Hong Kong where we have been given the most basic things we need such as relatively clean air and water, electricity, day light, freedom of speech and religion, yet minor things got us on the nerve super easily, have we not been grateful enough? What could I do better? I forgot to pray…just now…

Quote of the Day
Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
Proverbs 25:15
I pray to God that I can relate to Him anytime and anywhere I go.

Postscript Quote 
A good many dramatic situation begin with screaming.
Jane Fonda

What’s the rush?

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I was dining with family last night and we were getting a cab home after we finished eating! Great thing a vacant cab was waiting right in front of us when we got out of the building. But my mom is quite senior and she needs to walk very slowly but there was a coach in front of the cab where people were getting on and thus it couldn’t move just for the sake of giving way to the people moving. And so we took the time to move into the cab, but there was another vacant cab behind us where the driver is losing his patience and started to honk us, but my mom is the priority, sorry! And I will have to let her move at the pace she needs, and they notice a senior is getting on the vehicle!? I almost want to walk up and ask him what’s his problem, but of course I won’t waste that time and let them pollute the hood with noise, poor residents in that area. And finally we got on and the cab moved. Then this cab behind us took over and rolled down the window coz it’s traffic light again!! And this impatient driver while waiting at the light kept looking at our cab and our driver, then our driver rolled down the passenger side window and screamed at him asking what he’s looking at, that guy said “NOTHING, just looking at your cute handsome face!” and his eyes is filled with despise and actually anger, and I jokingly said in the back seat that he looked better (I shouldn’t have done this….BTW) and our driver screamed saying “YOU LOOK BETTER!” and there was sparks between our cars, it’s almost funny! And the light turned green and we left! LOL. Our driver grumpily said what is going with these young people, don’t they have patience and what’s with their conducts?! And I feel the same, where has people’s genuine heart and compassion go? All these people who have zero or negative EQ, how can they cope with life in general? I am not even angry and just feeling disappointed, but the anger these people accumulate in their hearts will burden them, what’s the rush after all?

Quote of the Day
Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
Ecclesiastes 5:2
I pray to God that I will grown my patience so that I can handle the impatient ones with love and heart.

Postscript Quote 
Patience is the art of concealing your impatience.   
Guy Kawasaki

My prison ministry begins…

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Last night I visited the organization, HK Christian Kun Sun Association, which focuses on prison ministry to go over what I could do for the writing program I volunteered earlier. A very kind staff stayed late to wait up for me as I could only reach them by 7pm at Sham Shui Po, he passed on a lot of reading materials about the rules of the writing ministry. It does surprise me as I thought it’s just writing a letter or two to their prison mates, but what he showed me reminds me not to take things lightly at all and I feel the who initiative is holy and chills came up from my spine sooo many moments last night (I always have that feeling as a sign when I am moved, the Spirit is in me or something I did is right.) I was assigned two women prison mates to start working on, not much of their background were disclosed. And the fellow staff reminds me that if they don’t write back, don’t feel discouraged because they are given only ONE stamp monthly and likely they will choose to spend that precious stamp by sending hand written letter to their family and closed ones. WOW, one thing is I don’t expect them to write back and the other, knowing they only have one stamp, why would they write me?! But as they also earn wages during their stay, they also have a chance to buy their own stamps and they could write and mail me stuff. And if I don’t hear from them after the first letter, pick up the ‘conversation’ in around 1.5 months again so they don’t forget me. Too frequent the writing might pressured them and so I am advised to take things slow to groom this precious ‘relationship-to-be’ relationship. The staff emphasizes many times the importance of patience and wait. Probably he notices I am the type of people who seem to be quite impatient, result-oriented and fast-paced, on the contrary, he speaks slow and his tone is so calm and soothing! Even one short stay reveals so much about life in general what I can do and should do. A kinda cliche saying which I truly find it true is that, “when you offer your help to others, most often – you are being helped the most.” Towards the end, I suddenly ask the staff to pray together, his eyes wide-opened and I think he is surprised! I started the prayer but I don’t speak as nicely as a lot of people who lead a prayer do, I have a lot of ‘em’ ‘er’ and use not the ‘professional’ words or phrases, but that is totally fine as long as we are genuine! I remember once two pastors on the radio said “Worry about nothing but pray for everything.” They announced the line together and say it like a slogan! How great is our Lord!

Quote of the Day
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.
James 5:7
I pray to God that I will persist on this ministry and continue to give hope to others, just as much as they do to me.

Postscript Quote 
What  a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can’t reread a phone call.
Liz Carpenter

Pushing your way through

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I was riding the subway with several colleagues last night catching a concert, and it’s around 6pm – that’s the craziest time to ride the MTR in HK. As my station is near the pier leading to Macau and there are always a lot of people pulling their luggages here and there in the station. When I was squeezing my way into the train I suddenly heard someone loudly speaking in English from behind who seems to be complaining…when I turned my head, I noticed a white guy wearing suit was yelling at a woman who was hastily pulling her hand-held luggage possibly also have stepped over the businessman’s feet or something. The man was really angry and almost like yelling at the woman and she was like terrified and avoiding the man in his eyes, I almost want to say something to the guy because the woman does not seem to know English, and it’s peak hour and everyone is in a rush, he couldn’t possibly have to be that angry as everyone in one way or another got being pushed, or stepped on as well. I know it’s not right but when people don’t really mean it, we just should live with it too with some kind of patience. But then I was thinking if I ‘talk back’ to this guy when he is fuming, it’s not doing any good anyway, and we might end up in a fight and the negative energy is just gonna spread. I thought to myself if I were doing the right thing if I could help the world in some ways when situations like this arise, not that I am going to preach but could I calm things down? What would Jesus do and what He does might also result Himself being beat up, imagine Jesus was always being challenged, mocked, teased.  I am not playing God of course, but there just is something we could do that can make us more Godly in our daily lives I am sure.

Quote of the Day
When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.
Psalms 94:18-19
I pray to God that we all could live in harmony and be a bit more selfless.

Postscript Quote 
You just keep pushing. You just keep pushing. I made every mistake that could be made. But I just kept pushing. 
Rene Descartes

Ooops

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 Yesterday some contractors came by our studio to help install a neon sign my boss has ordered which goes up on the wall behind her desk, after a while of wall drilling, a bit of work here and there and some dusts in the air, we witnessed the moment when the sign is being lit up – we were all excited because we think it’s gonna look so cool, funky and simply fun! When it lights up – Ooops…we notice there is a typo!!!! It should read “THE WORLD IS YOURS” but it now says “THE WORLD IS YOUPS”! Our eyes popped when we saw that and all bursted out laughing. My boss cracks up and said this is so Hong Kong and I must say I can’t agree more with that. I like how composed my boss is when she sees that and I heard how she called her contractor and clarified what happened, she didn’t scream and she didn’t madly go crazy asking for what is supposed to be right, I just like the attitude that she is calm and friendly still. We chatted and said, people make mistakes and we are not any different ourselves too. And one big thing why Aung San Suu Suki is so well supported I am sure is because her gentle and peaceful attitude when she fights for people’s democracy, no madness, no screaming, nothing like what usually when fighting is about would you find in her except confidence, perseverance, persistence and patience. These mentioned characters are all characters of God and that is why He is so popular and well loved as well.
Quote of the Day
May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant didwrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind.
2 Samuel 19:19
I pray to God that I can forgive those who did wrong to me, just like how God would forgive my wrong doings.

Postscript Quote 
Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else’s can shorten it.
Cullen Hightower 

wait for the late

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Last night I was meeting up friend to attend a percussion performance at the Arts Center, so we decided to grab something quick to eat before the show so that we won’t feel distracted! We meant to meet at the subway station and by the moment when I arrived Wanchai and heading to the relevant exit, I got an whatsapp message from friend that she would be late. All good, at least she took the time to let me know she couldn’t be on time. But she didn’t say for how long. No big deal, I just stood there and waited up…I was listening to radio, reading news, checking out different apps. Time does pass quite quickly in the beginning, but not as quickly as I have wanted it to be maybe because I was starving. 15 min, 20 min, and it’s half an hour. She still has no update about her whereabout. I almost feel asleep at the station exit..And it’s 45 min then I decided to call her up but it’s not turned on. Hmmm…what should I do? A while further, she rang! And she’s still at the office! She apologized and I answer her: “you must have a reason for this, see you at Arts Center!” and I have to dash to the venue! On my way, I stopped over McDonald for SOS rescue and I bought something for my friend. When I got there – my friend arrived already. It shocks me coz I thought it’s gonna be a while as her office is at Causeway Bay and Wednesday night at Causeway Bay is hellish. The moment we met, I showed her the McDonald paper bag, she was super happy and was indeed grateful as she did not expect that from me I guess! Deep down I thank Lord for motivating me to stay patient coz I usually would have been fuming and gotten upset about other people being late, coz they are wasting MY time. But I keep telling myself she must be in difficult position and stay calm, even if we would be late for a show, it’s just a show. I seem to have more empathy for situations, but I know this is tough for me to behave like this no matter who, where and when. But at least I manage to be composed at this situation last night – there is a long way to go ahead!
Daily Quote
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.
James 5:7
I pray to God that I would feel for others just like God stay patient for me.

Postscript Quote 
Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worse kind of suffering.
Paul Coelho 

eggs

By Posted in politics, social-economic, society Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments
Taiwan during this weekend has more than 120,000 people protesting against the presidential inaugural of Ma Ying Geou. The Democratic Progressive Party who is the key force behind such act has prepared 10,000 eggs for their protesters to throw at the huge image of Ma Ying Geou. I remember there was once I watched a documentary filming the malnourished children in Africa and was told that so many of them has never tasted proper meal not to mention food like meat or eggs have never been part of their diet even when they are a few years old, so often they just appear like kids at 1 year old or less in our societies’ definition. I have huge disgust and disappointment at how some people treat the resources of the earth and they only seek the grumpy ways to voice their minds and wants. My pastor this Sunday preaches about patience: one of the most widely preached topics ever, the reason we are being taught about this topic so super often is that we are still lacking it. Do not grumble but stay calm even when things don’t turn the way we want it to be. Pastor said planting is probably the easiest way to see patience as the key thing to see a harvest. We never know how soon a seed would bloom and blossom. We just have to wait – waiting with hope in joy is the Godly way to live our lives. We city people just have been disconnected with the nature for too long and we forget how to wait – and understand everything has its cycle.
Daily Quote
Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
James 5:9
I pray to God that I would not only find fault of the others but pray for power and always stay hopeful in God – who is the creator of all.

Postscript Quote 
Grumbling is the death of love. 
Marlene Dietrich