Though He brings grief, He will show compassion...

Lamentations 3

1 I am the man who has seen affliction
by the rod of his wrath.

2 He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness rather than light;

3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long.

4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
and has broken my bones.

5 He has besieged me and surrounded me
with bitterness and hardship.

6 He has made me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.

7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape;
he has weighed me down with chains.

8 Even when I call out or cry for help,
he shuts out my prayer.

9 He has barred my way with blocks of stone;
he has made my paths crooked.

10 Like a bear lying in wait,
like a lion in hiding,

11 he dragged me from the path and mangled me
and left me without help.

12 He drew his bow
and made me the target for his arrows.

13 He pierced my heart
with arrows from his quiver.

14 I became the laughingstock of all my people;
they mock me in song all day long.

15 He has filled me with bitter herbs
and sated me with gall.

16 He has broken my teeth with gravel;
he has trampled me in the dust.

17 I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.

18 So I say, "My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the LORD."

19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.

20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.

21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the LORD's great love WE ARE NOT CONSUMED,
for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
GREAT IS YOUR FAITHFULNESS

24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;

26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.

27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.

28 Let him sit alone in silence,
for the LORD has laid it on him.

29 Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.

30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him be filled with disgrace.

31 For men are not cast off
by the Lord forever.

32 THOUGH HE BRINGS GRIEF, HE WILL SHOW COMPASSION,
so great is his unfailing love.

33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to the children of men.

I can really identify with these verses. So I will take verse 25 & 26 to heart.

Thank You God, that in You, there is always hope. Amen

Chee Seng

What's going on?

I'm so depressed today.

A few of my students dropped out and for such petty reasons such as "he's not doing his work so it's not helping him". What?! If he's not doing his work, OF COURSE it's not helping him la! And isn't it the PARENTS' job to raise and discipline their kids? If the parents are just going to throw in the towel and give up on their children, all the best teachers in the world are not going a make a fly's wing of a difference!

It's such a waste - quitting before they even managed a chance to change and improve. After all our effort to understand them, advise them, motivate them, teach them, etc. All for what?

Sometimes it just feels like I'm running as hard as I can just to remain in one spot. Trying all sorts of strategies and ideas to improve and grow. But in the end...no significant improvements in results. Business remains as lousy as it has been for years. Students drop out, no matter how I try to explain that the need for commitment before you can achieve anything significant.

The worst thing is when I look at other Kumon instructors, who don't even need to try as hard as I do, growing by leaps and bounds.

What's going on?

I don't know...

Chee Seng

Running out of food ideas

Being the family cook is certainly no piece of cake!

Got to cook healthy
Got to find a taste acceptable to everyone
Got to think of different dishes everyday

Then got people who only eat a few "selected" foods
Then some more they ask, "why cook this dish again?"
Then got my wife who bising cos frying makes the floors oily.
Then got myself, lazy to learn how to cook complicated dishes

So, take into consideration all the factors above, we got very limited menu leh.

Boil, steam, roast or braise (frying sure will get nagged for oily floors!)
Chicken or pork (must be very soft and juicy or will be nagged by old lady!)
Only 5 or 6 acceptable veges
No hot stuff cos daughter and grandma don't eat
No bitter stuff, less processed stuff, la-di-da

Any maths dummy can tell you that this presents very limited possibilities.

alamak...dinner coming in 2 hrs time. how ah?

sigh...

Chee Seng

Hello world!

Hi! This blog is for my whole family to share with our friends, both existing and future ones.

My wife has lots of things to say and I have lots of thoughts in my head. So I thought it would be a good idea to start a blog for the whole family, instead of just one person.

So expect posts from all 3 of us (if my daughter Ashley agrees, that is. But i guess since she's very talkative herself, it's just a matter of time before she hits the keyboards!)

Cheers!
Chee Seng