漫天風雪的温哥華

A shot of Broadway from our new church on Dec 21, 08 Sunday

Photo of the side street outside of my house on Dec 22,08

All the cars were covered with big layer of snow!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We have been experiencing the biggest snowfall in Vancouver since 1996 and a white Christmas since 1998 according to the news. (Snowfall on Dec 20, Dec 24 and Dec 26 today) God's creation is amazing and powerful. It is very beautiful to watch the snowfall, especially on Christmas Day. However, there are some drawbacks too. I have done so much snow walking and shovelling exercise in the past few days that may equivalent all the exercises I could have done in the past three months. The skytrain and the buses are always packed with people with wet hair, wet boots, and red noses. If you have to work in the last few days, you can experience waiting on skytrain platform for at least 25 to 30 minutes before getting on the skytrain. Or you can experience free ride from the bus driver as the ticket machine runs out of order because of the below zero temperature. Certainly, Vancouver people are not well-equipped with big snow like this and we have spoiled by the nice weather in Vancouver in the past 10 years.

I am going to help Ricky and my sister to shovel the snow at their burnaby house now. It's going to be another shovelling exercise today.

Wish all of you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :)

你是一個健康促進者嗎?

較早前看了一個健康節目, 主持人提及原來每個人也會有意無意地把壓力帶給身邊的家人,朋友, 或同事. 有以下現象的人通常會施壓給身邊的人:

[佬]的現象
-失去鬥志及動力
-衣著隨便
-常常埋怨(但不去積極改善)

這種現象不只會出現在男性身上, 也會出現在女性身上. 在這個人心惶惶的時候, 我為了提醒自己不做[佬], 所以把它寫在這個blog內. 只有與一個輕鬆愉快的朋友談話才是減壓的良藥, 你是一個健康促進者嗎?

Mandatory Golf Course for 2nd graders in China

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/golf/12/01/golf.manners.china/index.html

Perhaps we will have a little Tiger Wood in China in the future. I feel like I have to try this sport after reading this article!

Back to the real world

My holiday has finished. I have to go back to a world that requires lots of responsiblities and expectations again. No matter where you go, you have to meet expectations of and face objections from the others, including your employer, family, friends and churchgoers. I know I have to pick up my relationship with God again after a long period of holiday.

Here is what I read in this morning's devotion:

"Some have tried to make the Christian life more convenient. They choose to practice Christianity on Sunday only. They attend a religious service at whatever church makes them most comfortable. They give a small offering and are nice to fellow churchgoers--nothing that requireds much effort on their part. That way they can have the rest of the week to themselves, to live as they please.

That would be a convenient Christianity. But we know that following Jesus is a lifestyle & not a Sunday-only convenience. Being a 'disciple' calls for giving up out lives for Him (Matt. 16:25). It's about living as Jesus calls us to live, daily giving up our plans and purposes for His. A relationship with Him causes us to be concerned with our thoughts, decisions, attitudes, and actions--all to make our life joy-filled for us and pleasing to God. " quoted from Daily Bread on Nov 29,08

Nobody says it's easy to live a Christian life. However, I am sure I have to respond to God's love by serving Him. 我要學識不只心口有個"勇"字, 也要學懂如何"靈巧像蛇,純良如鴿子" 的做每一件事. Please pray for me.

It's my turn for taking holiday!

I can't resist to say that I am very excited about my trip. Thanks God for giving me an opportunity to travel with my HK high school friend. See you all in the last week of November. :)

給宣教士的另一個＋誠

I finally have time to post something on my blog. I have found this interesting article from 中信國際差會月刊 in Sept, 2008.

"＋誡 (Exodus 20)
1. 除 了 我 以 外 、 你 不 可 有 別 的 神 。
2.不 可 為 自 己 雕 刻 偶 像。
3.不 可 妄 稱 耶 和 華 你神 的 名。
4. 當 記 念 安 息 日 、 守 為 聖 日 。
5. 當 孝 敬 父 母
6.不 可 殺 人 。
7. 不 可 姦 淫 。
8. 不 可 偷 盜 。
9. 不 可 作 假 見 證 陷 害 人 。
10. 不 可貪心。

給宣教士的另一個＋誠:
1. 不可重視人的需要過於重視我
2. 不可讓事工成為你的偶像
3. 不可誤用我所給你的恩賜
4. 當謹守安息日，好活出聖潔
5. 當敬重差遣和支持你的人
6. 不可在各方面作領導人
7. 不當期望自己過於我所要求你的
8. 不可戀棧你的成就
9. 沒有我允許, 不可擅自離開工場
10. 別忘了我常與你同在, 直到世界的末了

Even though the above commandments are for the missionary, we can apply them in our serving in God or our daily lives. Are we planning our fellowship or church programs for our members only or for God?

Believe it or not!

北區醫院驗錯乳癌割錯胸36歲女病人患良性瘤 疑調亂檢查樣本出事
2008年9月20日

【明報專訊】北區醫院發生嚴重醫療失誤，一名被診斷患上乳癌的36歲女病人，上月26日在該院接受手術切除左邊乳房，院方覆檢病人手術前後的組織樣本，以及為病人做活組織DNA測試，周三證實該名女病人並無乳癌，醫院錯誤施行切除手術，令原本只有一個2吋良性腫瘤的女病人，無故失去一邊乳房。

醫院鄭重道歉﹕未知出錯源頭
北區醫院署理醫院行政總監鍾展鴻對事件感到遺憾，已向病人及家屬鄭重道歉，但院方迄今仍未知道哪個程序出錯，甚至不知惡性腫瘤樣本屬於哪個病人。醫管局新界東聯網成立專家小組調查，約6至8星期後完成報告。

Quoted from mingpaonews.com, Sept 19,08. Western Canada time

I was shocked when I heard this news from the radio boardcast station in this afternoon. How can this kind of medical error happen in a HK hospital nowadays? How come this incident happened like one of the scenes in a soap TV drama or movie? Sigh....this medical error will cause enormous physical and mental damage to this patient and her family.

No Subject

I can't believe that I exercised two days in a roll. I went to play badminton with friends for two hours on last Sunday night. I played table tennis with friends for 1.5 hours tonight. I hope I can set up a routine of doing exercise. I gotta go to bed. ttul.

Anticipating

I am anticipating diving, gymnastics, volleyball, and badminton Olympic Games in China, regardless of the smog in the sky and chaotic traffic system in Beijing.

A working day without any productivity

Why can't I have any productive activities at work today?

Our branch was closed from 11:30 am to 3 pm due to robbery. After the police questioned all the witnesses, our branch was opened again at 3 pm. However, we experienced a power outage around 3:30 pm. Bascially, a blackout happened in that particular area in North Vancouver in this afternoon (due to the rain?). Even Save-On Food in the same marketplace had no power as well. We had to shut down all of our computers and machines and stayed in the branch until it had enough power to lock the safe and turn up the alarm system. We all stayed in the branch until 4:30 pm.

It was funny that people would knock our door even though the staff had put up a "branch is now closed" sign on the door. (Are they blind?) I also discovered two credit union staffs were playing tic-tac-toe in the children play area.

Perhaps God knows we have been working very hard and have decided to give us a break on July 29. :)

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

I would like to share an interesting forwarded email here...

"When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee..A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The proof essor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if t he jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.' The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. 'Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.' One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.' "

I really like this email. Do you agree with the professor in this story?

Effective Communication

" To be effective communication must be two-way;...idea, opinions, and information must be free flowing from one individual to another. It must also be marked by active, responsive listening, it must not be stressful, and it should be clear and direct."

Active listening="listen twice as much as you speak and ensure you are actively engaged in the conversation, not distracted by thinking of what you are going to say next."

Quoted from my insurance textbook

Even though most of the contents in my insurance textbook are boring, there are some practical and useful ideas about communication.

Sharing

The more tasks you put on your to-do-list, the more emptiness you will feel in your heart.

Cell Group Gathering on Jun 20,08

We usually have our fellowship program in our church every Friday night. Cell group gathering will be held every two months in either our church or somebody's house. I decided to hold our cell group gathering at my house this time. Ha...I have never made a dinner for 15 people before. I have made 5 dishes and 1 soup and ordered 3 take-out dishes for that dinner gathering. With God's grace, I had a day off on last Friday. Therefore, I had plenty of time to prepare for the dinner. Thanks God, all the food was gone within 20 minutes. I guess the food was consumed in a fast pace as there were not enough food for all 15 people?! Then, we had watched a DVD from Pastor Lam Yi Lok for an hour and a half. The DVD was not that bad but the duration was a bit long for some people.

Anyway, dear my brothers & sisters, thanks for being my white mouses for eating my home-made meal! :)

Tax Rate in Canada '07-'08

I had a dinner with a friend on last Wednesday. She had lived in Canada for more than 15 years and went to HK for employment 4 years ago. She is working as an assistant manager in a Holland bank in HK now. We had a fun chat and great dinner gathering at "Big Head" bubble tea place on Kingsway. I asked her if she would come back and work in Vancouver. She quickly declined it and said the tax rate in Canada is too high in compare to the one in HK. Then, I remembered I had a copy of the tax rate in Canada from my workplace. No doubt Canada's tax rate is very high, however, the accessibility to low cost health care plan and other benefits may be the reasons why people love Canada. I wouldn't want to leave my family, my friendly colleagues/manager, my friends, and the beautiful living environment in Vancouver. What do you think? What is your tax rate?

My reflection of China earthquake

很久沒有寫blog了, 也差點忘記了自己有一個blog。那些不寫blog的原因和藉口也太多了, 不提也罷。

最近兩個星期發生了很多令人看到了也心痛的大事, 先是緬甸風災, 後是中國四川8.0級地震。地震後看CNN.COM 的video看到我心寒和眼濕濕。我們除了捐錢和看著電視一幅幅滿地屍駭的畫面我們又可以做什麼?

黃傳道在剛過去的Sunday Service說我們可以祈禱; 我想, 我會更加努力的去過每一天, 我要努力學習與家人好好相處, 我要學習放下[鑽牛角尖]的思想包袱, 因為我不知道下一秒會有什麼事發生在我身上, 能夠呼吸一口空氣也是我的福氣。

願大家繼續為死難者家人祈檮。

Elephant paints self-protrait

Pastor Rebecca encouraged us to change our old "bad" habit(s) and develop new spiritual habit by using this youtube example in today's sunday school . "If the elephant in the youtube video can do it, you can do it!" quoted by Pastor Rebecca.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LHoyB81LnE

Amazing!

Book Sharing

I finally have time to sit down and read a book after completion of church events and my Japanese class. (I really like to attend my Japanese class as it is very fun to learn and practice Japanese language with classmates.)

I am reading a book named "Deliver Me" by Richard Exley. It talks about how to avoid temptation and its consequences. I picked up this book in our church library awhile ago. It reminds us that the enemy first tempts us with insignificant things. Each insignificant thing or "each sinful act, no matter how small, is like a seed sown in the soil of our soul...If we remain faithful here, our spiritual character is reinforced. Conversely, if we fail here, we risk setting in motion in pattern of compromises that will eventually lead us to ruin." Also, "no one is immune to temptation". It's so true in the above quotation! Even though I am still on first chapter of this book, I totally agree with the quotation that it's very easy to fall into temptation and have negative thoughts in our busy daily lives.

I hope I can continue to read this book and learn how to overcome temptation wisely. :)

大力菜在那裏？

This scripture was shared by Pastor Rebecca in one of her sermons a few months ago. The chinese version of it is「你們得救在乎歸回安息, 你們得力在乎平靜安穩。」 賽30:15.
However, it was the English version of this scripture that got my attention.





"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength." Isaiah 30:15

There is only one song that explains this scripture completely-"Still". (one of my favourite songs) You will understand why I feel so encouraging and inspiring by listening to this song & lyrics again. The following link is a group dance with "Still" as the theme song, presented by a group of Korean christians.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyjWUJ4Vels&feature=related

Thanks God for giving me a nice break on last Friday and Saturday. May God helps me to have faith in Him when dealing with unanswered questions in my life, customers at my workplace, and servings in church. May this scripture also strengthen your everyday life.

That was easy

I remember I had a conversation with several of my friends regarding easy button awhile ago. I wish my life could be as easy as the voice coming from the button..."that was easy." I wish I could pressed the easy button and all the problems and work in front of me would be gone. As I have mentioned to some of my friends, both of my body and mind were fully occupied in the last couple of weeks.

1)Shortage of staff at work since Feb 19,08: One colleague was on holiday and the other colleague left our company. The only staff that have left were me and my manager in my department.
2)The pressure of dealing with customers: I find it very difficult to satisfy all customers' need, especially when we have shortage of staff. You can never imagine how bad a customer can yell in your voicemail or in front of you unless you have worked in customer-oriented environment before.
3)Involvement in Priase & Worship, Coffee House and fellowship. I enjoy serving God in these activities. Yet, I was overwhelmed after exhausting all my energy at work.

God never say life would be easy. I was reminded by God in the song "God Will Make A Way" in our Priase & Worship last Friday.

"...where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see...
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way. He will make a way..."

I will pray that I can have a peaceful heart and faith in Him in my life.

Allergic Test Experience

I have been suffering allergy in my nose since I was in elementary school. A lot of friends or colleagues always ask if I have a cold or flu. My allergic condition had improved since I immigranted to Canada. The ear/nose/throat specialist recommended me not to eat dairy products such as milk, bread or cheese in order to avoid nose congestion years ago. However, my allergic condition has gone worse in the past few weeks. I couldn't sleep at night and I had to breathe with my mouth. There were times that I had nose congestion and I didn't even eat any dairy products. Therefore, I visited my family doctor on last Saturday. He referred me to an allergic doctor on Broadway & Heather St. for an appointment on Feb 12 at 4 pm, which is today. I was so happy to have this appointment as I can get off at 3 pm on a normal Tuesday! (Ha...the fact is that this specialist does not work on Saturday and my manager granted me a 2 hours off!)

I thought it would be painful when the allergic doctor poked 26 small needles on my arms (15 holes on my left arms & 9 holes on my right arms) to test what type of food/material cause this allergy. Not exactly! It only took the doctor less than 20 seconds to proceed. I don't think it's painful at all. What's the result? My allergic doctor said I may have allergy to dust. Well, I guess it's time for me to vacuum the carpet in my bedroom. Please pray that my nose congestion will get better after taking nasal spray and allergic medication. Thanks.

努力中......

我現在正努力閉關中, 希望可以練到Coffee House劍法和Praise & Worship拳, 我不知道何時才能打通全身經脈或練到什麽招式...... 在Feb 29, 08 and Mar 21,08 來我們的教會切磋切磋, 你便會知道.

請代為禱告.

掙扎

望一望自己的PDA organizer, 吸一口氣, 原來我上兩個星期真的很忙, 過了兩個星期就好像過了三個月, 有regular worship practice and fellowship, praise & worship and coffee house meeting, Japanese class, 也有與朋友飯聚, 令到我每樣事情也做得不太稱職, 情緒上也較波動. 所以, 我在上個星期日做了一個重大的決定. 我本來計劃好在上星期日2pm to 4pm上洪順强牧師在Vancouver一間教會辨的短宣班, 好好準備自己為神傳福音. 那個課程的地點適中, 又有一位姊妹讀過讚好, 所以我十分期待. 但是, 我在午餐後心裏開始有掙扎, 我是否有精力在未來的二個多月的星期日下午上堂二小時? Praise & Worship and Coffee house will be held in Feb 29,08 and Mar 21,08 respectively! 這是否撒但令我不想上這班? Hum...有個姊妹提醒我, 你這麼忙還可以有靈修時間和看聖經嗎? 我突然想起, 其實, 用不同的工作和其他事去塞滿我的時間而忽略與神的關係, 也是撒但的詭計. 想通之後我的心情輕鬆了, 我在星期日下午留在家看書, 晚上與弟兄姊妹吃了餐我喜愛的Italian Pasta meal. 感謝神.

Devotional Sharing

Romans 12: 1-2

"1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will."

I am the kind of person who will be easily affected by other people's mood and emotion. I will have tears in my eyes when watching sad movie and will laugh like a crazy woman when watching comedy. I also like to express my feelings and thoughts quickly when I feel like it. There's nothing wrong in that part of my personality because this is me. However, conforming to the pattern of this world doesn't just means being materialistic about dreaming of fashionable clothings, LCD TV, video game system, CD, or other brand name products, it also applies to "the renewing of your mind."

Sigh...it's not the first time people around me asking me to "pause for awhile, think about it before you act." Often, when I see a problem or issue, I will try my best to think of a solution and take action quickly without consulting God. Perhaps, I may only see the problem/issue in short run, but I may not see God's plan, the big picture, in the long run.

Hum...then I remember this famous scriptures in James 1: 19-20

"...Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."

I pray that God will "touch my heart so I can see Him, lift my soul so I can sing again.."(lyrics from a Stream of Praise song). I hope I can apply this scripture in James in my workplace, family, and other aspect of my life.

Top 50 most powerful people in BC

I noticed this link from my company's intranet today as our new CEO Tamara Vrooman was ranked as 18th most powerful people in BC. Haha...I certainly don't have time to read all the stories in this article. However, it's very good to read a couple of them and learn how did they succeed in our community. These stories include first job, 2007 highlight, lowlight, and best advice written or given by these successful people. Interestingly, Hells Angel's president was ranked as 7th most powerful guy on the list! Enjoy!

http://www.vanmag.com/articles/07dec/Power50.shtml