Break Forth into Joy

"It is not how much we have but how much we enjoy"

- Charles Spurgeon

In 2001, my wife and I travelled to a remote part of China to visit a Singaporean friend who was then working in an orphanage home. It was our first visit to China and we were mesmerized by the whole experience - the beautiful sceneries, the simplicity of the natives' life style, and the happiness and joy exhibited by the orphans, despite their many disadvantages.

photo: Lijiang, China 2001

Lijiang is reputed to have the best preserved ancient town in China - its Old Town has been listed in the World Cultural Heritages by UNESCO since 1997. Walking through the Old Town is like being transported back to ancient China - the architecture and mood was very much like the movie setting for Crouching Tiger & Hidden Dragon. Located at the south-western part of China (at the hub of Tibet, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces), Lijiang is blessed with fresh air, clear streams, breathtaking snow-capped mountains, and an undisturbed landscape inhabited by a friendly native group, the Naxi tribe, with their colorful costumes.

During our short 10-day stay, the local teachers and children, most of whom lost their parents and families in a massive earthquake, demonstrated to us what Charles Spurgeon once wrote, "it is not how much we have but how much we enjoy."

crystal clear running stream with willow trees

Someone once wrote,

"Joy, rather than happiness, is the goal of life."

Happiness is determined by fortunate circumstances. We're happy when things are going well for us, when we get what we want, when we're having fun, when we win something, when we have good luck. There's nothing wrong with happiness and we should treasure every moment of it.

photo: the girls teaching her a dance step

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Joy, on the other hand, is a feeling and an attitude of much greater depth. It comes from within, not from circumstances. It's a feeling of deep satisfaction with life. It's also an outlook on life that's closely related to thankfulness.
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Joyful people look at what's right with the world and with the people, instead of what's wrong. They have a special appreciation for all the good they see around them... They see more to be thankful about than to complaint about. They accept life as it is and make the most of it in all circumstances instead of grumbling about the way things ought to be. They find joy both in little things and in grand achievement.
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Did you know: The word "joy" appears at least 155x in the old testament and another 63x in the new testament. The word "rejoice" 32x in the old testament and 18x in the new testament. From this, we can conclude that God wants us to be happy, positive, cheerful, and loving. In other words, joyful.

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it" - Psalms 118:24

Source: anon

Finding Happiness

Find happiness in nature, in the beauty of a mountain,

in the serenity of the sea.

photo: Whistler Mountain, Canada (2006)

Find happiness in friendship; in the fun of doing things together; in the sharing and understanding.

Find happiness in the family; in the stability of knowing that someone cares; in the strength of love and honesty.

Find happiness in yourself; in your mind and body; in your values and achievements.

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Find happiness in everything you do!

- Susan Polis Schultz

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Still on the subject of happiness, Heler Keller once wrote, "Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for our selves."

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Joseph, The Dreamer

Is there a difficult conflict you must face again and again? Don't give up when you know what is the right thing to do because persistence is usually rewarded.

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The path to a dream is paved with sacrifices
and lined with determination.

And though it has many stumbling blocks along the way

and may go in more than one direction,

photo: state college, USA

... it is marked with faith.
It is traveled by belief and courage,
... persistence and hard work.
It is conquered with a willingness
.... to face challenges and take chances,
.... to fail and try again and again.
Along the way, you may have to confront
.... doubts, setbacks, and unfairness.
But when the path comes to an end,
..you will find that there is no greater joy
..... than making your dream come true.

- Barbara Cage

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HIStory: The story of Joseph is well known to many. Recorded in Genesis 30-50, the story has been the focus of at least one broadway show and several Hollywood movies. One of Jacob's 12 sons, Joseph was the favorite son. However, his brothers hated him because of his pride and youthful arrogance. They plotted to kill him at first but changed their mind and decided to sell him to slave traders. Perhaps you can identify with one or more of these hardships Joseph experienced: he was betrayed and deserted by his family, exposed to sexual temptation, and punished for doing the right thing; he endured a long imprisonment and was forgotten by those he helped.

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Where most would have failed, Joseph not only survived his ordeal, but he prospered to become the second in command in all Egypt. Through this story, I learnt that suffering, no matter how unfair, can develop strong character and deep wisdom. Joseph didn't allow the injustice to turn him into a bitter person, but instead, he came out of the ordeal a better person. In each situation, Joseph didn't spend much time asking "Why?", but his approach was "What shall I do now?".

photo: baptism @ Garden Hotel (Sep 6, 1986)

Spiritual: Also known as the Dreamer, Joseph had a clear knowledge of God's design on his life. The scripture tells us that "and those who met him recognized that wherever Joseph went and whatever he did, God was with him." .

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Inspired by his true story, I decided on the name "Joseph" when I was asked to consider taking on a Christian name during my baptism.

Do You Love Me?

I keep running about asking,

"Do you love me? Do you really love me?"
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One of the simple enjoyments in life is reading comic strip. Below is one which was published recently in a local newspaper.

On a more serious and spiritual note, the cartoon does remind me of a passage from "The Return of the Prodigal Son". The author of the book is Henri J.M. Nouwen, a Dutch Roman Catholic priest. After a distinguished career at Harvard University, he went to share his life with people with mental disabilities in Toronto, Canada. He died in 1996.

photo: a small chapel in Bruges, Belgium (1998)

"... I keep running about asking: 'Do you love me? Do you really love me? I ... put myself in bondage because the world is filled with 'ifs'. The world says" Yes, I love you if you are good-looking, intelligent, and wealthy. I love you if you have a good education, a good job, and good connections. I love you if you produce much, sell much and buy much." There are endless "ifs" hidden in the world's love. These "ifs" enslave me, since it is impossible to respond adequately to all of them. The world's love is and always will be conditional. As long as I keep looking for my true self in the world of conditional love, I will remain "hooked" to the world - trying, failing, and trying again. It is a world that forsters addictions because what it offers cannot satisfy the deepest craving of my heart."

photo: Ireland (2005)
At issue is the question; "To whom do I belong? To God or to the world?

Henri shared that many of his daily preoccupations suggest that he belong more to the world than to God, "A little criticism makes me angry, and a little rejection makes me depressed. A little praise raises my spirits, and a little success excites me. It takes very little to raise me up or thrust me down. Often, I am like a small boat on the ocean, completely at the mercy of its waves. All the time and energy I spend in keeping some kind of balance and preventing myself from being tipped over and drowing shows that my life is mostly a struggle for survival: not a holy struggle, but an anxious struggle resulting from the mistaken idea that it is the world that defines me."

photo: Ireland (2005)
Even as a priest, he was constantly surprised at how he kept taking the gifts God has given him - his health, his intellectual and emotional gifts - and kept using them to impress people, receive affirmation and praise, and compete for rewards, instead of developing them for the glory of God.

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scripture: "you are my son, whom I loved, with you I am well pleased." (Luke 3:22)

Source: Henri J.M. Nouwen (1992), "The Return of the Prodigal Son - A Story of Homecoming".

Think Happy Moments

When I think of my past, I try to dwell on the good times, the happy moments, and not to be haunted by the bad... To me the gift of life is contained in the command, ...

... whatever happens "Don't let it get you. Just keep on going." Thus... I try to think of the good that I have already experienced and what will still be coming. - Rose Kennedy.

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photo (left): the neighbor's garden at Happy Valley (2008). Note the pretty pink peony bush in the background. ...

photo: garden statue

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Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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reflection: "look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the Present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy Future, without fear, and with a manly heart." - H.W. Longfellow

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Waking Up to a New Day: HOPE

It is easy to lose heart and give up. We have all faced problems in our relationships or in our work that have caused us to want to think about laying down the tools & walking away. Remember, though we may think we are at the end of the rope, we are never at the end of hope.

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Whilst walking along the Singapore River one morning, I managed to snap a rare picture of the sun rising above the city (note Raffles City in the background). I found an appropriate poem to go with this "Sunrise Singapore" photo:

When you have a goal in life
that takes a lot of energy
that requires a lot of work
that incurs a great deal of interest, and
that is a challenge to you
You will always look forward
to waking up to see
what the new day will bring.
Susan Polis Schultz

Most would agree that it is good to embrace a hope. Why? Because Hope steadies the faltering soul. It is the glue that binds the pieces of a shattered dream, making it shiny and whole again. Because Hope is what that energizes a rose to bloom beautifully amidst the thorns of life. Because a Hopeful heart is the difference between a person who quits and one who keeps on through the storm and struggle. Because it is the most effective medicine... There is no portion so powerful, no pill so amazing, no promised reward so alluring as the certain belief that something good can happen tomorrow. Yes, there is no priceless jewel or precious gem that can outshine Hope.

What would life be without Hope? And what is hope? Hope is about believing with a humble heart that tomorrow can be different. It's about knowing that light will come to chase away darkness. Hope is the joyful liberation of the heart from the darkest prison of despair.

photo: Vancouver (2006)

Hope is like the sun,
which, as we journey towards it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us - samuel smiles

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spiritual: "For I know the plans I have for you... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future", declares the LORD (Jer 29:11).

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When the darkness casts shadows upon us and the answers are nowhere in sight, hope lifts us up on a wing and a prayer and carries us back to the light. In short, hope is knowing that no matter how bad "all this" seems, God is still all good. God never abandons us.

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Our troubles should not diminish our faith or disillusion us. As Paul wrote to the Corinth church, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). Like Paul, our ultimate hope when we are experiencing terrible illness, persecution, or pain is the realisation that this life is not all there is - there is life after death! Because Christ has won the victory over death, we have eternal life! And knowing that we will live for ever with God in a place without sin and suffering can help us live above the pain that we face in this life.

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source: The Silver Book of Hope (1999); LAB (1995)

Put First Things First

Things which matters most must never be at the mercy of things which matters least - Goethe.

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Lately, I have been reading a popular management book. Written by Stephen R. Covey, the book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" was a gift from Jim. Some books, such as this, simply can't be speed read - you need time to digest and reflect on what you have read. Moreover, the hectic pace of life in Singapore is such that I can only managed a chapter a week.

photo: clarke quay, s'pore

I am now at Habit 3: "Put First Things First", which is essentially on setting priorities, managing time, and differentiating "urgent" from "important". Given my real estate background, I was interested to hear Covey's consulting experience with a group of shopping center managers. He posed to them the following question:

"If you were to do one thing in your professional work that you know would have enormously positive effects on the results, what would it be?"

Their unanimous response was to build helpful personal relationships with the tenants, the owners of the stores inside the shopping center. However, when they analysed the time they were spending on that activity, it was less than 5%. But they had good reasons - "problems, one right after another. They had reports to make out, meetings to go, correspondence to answer, phone calls to make, constant interruptions. They were spending very little time with the store managers, and the time they did spend was filled with negative energy." .

photo: VivoCity, Singapore

In fact, the only reason they visited the store managers at all was to enforce the contract - to collect money or discuss advertising or other practices that were out of harmony with center guidelines, or some similar things. The tenants, on the other hand, didn't even want to see the shopping center owners; they were just one more problem to contend with...

"The store managers were struggling for survival, let alone prosperity. They had employment problems, cost problems, inventory problems, and a host of other problems. Most of them had no training in management at all. Some were fairly good merchandisers, but they needed help." .

photo: a mall near home & church
Reexamining their purpose, values, and priorities, the group of shopping center managers decided to be proactive. They target to spend about 1/3 of their time in "helping relationships" with the tenants.
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In about a year and a half, the effect was dramatic, profound... the numbers went up, the tenants were thrilled with the results created by new ideas and skills, and the shopping center managers were most effective and satisfied and increased their list of potential tenants and lease revenue based on increased sales by the tenant stores. They have changed their role - they became listeners, trainers, consultants to the tenants. They were no longer policemen or hovering supervisors. They were problem solvers, helpers and their interchanges were filled with positive energy.

... NOW TAKE JUST A MOMENT to write down a short answer to the following two questions:
Q1: What one thing could you do (you aren't doing now) that if you do on a regular basis, would make a tremendous positive difference in your personal life? .

Q2: What one thing in your business or professional life would bring similar results?

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spiritual: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ... Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ... all these things, your heavenly Father knows that you need them" - Matthew 6:25, 27, 33.

photo: Harvesting apple, State College (2007).

.Source: S.R. Covey (1989) "7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

A Special Place

Today is Singapore's 43rd national day! The Straits Times, the local newspaper in Singapore, run a special feature on places in Singapore, which Singaporeans have fond memories of.

One of the special places in my heart would have to be the Singapore River. Two fridays ago, the department held its corporate retreat at Swissotel Merchant Court Hotel, which is located next to the Singapore River. To avoid the heavy congestion during the peak morning rush hour, I decided to leave my house early. To my delight, the traffic was very smooth at 7.00 am.
I reached the hotel before 7.30 am (I even managed to avoid paying any ERP, electronic road pricing - a form of road toll unique to Singapore, as well as the CBD charges). With the retreat starting at 9.00 am, I had 1.5 hours to stroll leisurely along the Singapore River and take some photos. Walking around Clark Quay in the early morning and looking at the debris from last night, I can imagine how sleazy this area (which used to be a quaint place with the restored shophouses) can be at night.

photo: the early bee catches the nectar, S'pore River

The highlight of the morning stroll is at a spot next to a small pedestrian bridge, just behind Liang Court. Although insignificant to most people who crosses the bridge daily, it holds a very special place in our hearts. On this very spot, way back on 1 April 1990, I asked a sweet young lady whom I have been dating for several months, to become my steady girlfriend.

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Reminiscing those moments, I managed to snap a very interesting photo of two bumboats. Parked along side each other and held together by a rope, the two bumboats rocked and kept bumping into each other as and when the water body is disturbed (by passing boats). What is more interesting is that despite all the bumpings, the two boats never drifted apart - due to the rope which holds them together.

Sharing the photo with my wife later, I told her that this picture is a good reflection of our relationship. Although the water may not be calm always, we are still a couple. And the rope that holds us together symbolises the commitment, respect and love we have for each other and for God. The verse in our wedding card invitation reads, "Beloved, let us love one another for love is of God." - 1 John 4:7

photo: a picture I painted for her

The wordings below the painting, which I must have copied from somewhere, read:

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Add love,

and it is marvelous

what a couple can do.

I love you for who you are in yourself;

As god's special gift for me,

As meant to be in his purpose, and

For all you can be within my

caring love.

Oranges: Navel vs Valencia

"An orange a day keeps the doctor away?" Between apples and oranges, I would choose oranges anytime. For me, eating apple is hardwork because you have to bite and chew on it. It is no surprise then that most of the fruits I like, such as orange, banana, papaya, watermelon, and honey dew, do not require much chewing. In fact, if they are ripe enough, they can melt in your mouth.

There are essentially two varieties of oranges, even those marketed under the popular Sunkist brand: Navel and Valencia. I hope this posting will help to clarify the key difference between the two varieties.

Valencia, which is the dominant fruit of Florida, is extremely juicy, composed almost 50% juice, but the fruit’s flavor is relatively undistinguished. Over the years, Florida growers concentrated on producing juice from Valencias. Today almost 97% of Florida’s oranges wind up in juice, and chances are good that you have never eaten a Florida orange. Nevertheless, you can still buy Valencia oranges in the supermarket, but they are usually produced from other parts of the world, such as South Africa. But they are not that tasty as compared to navel oranges.

In contrast, navel, which is the dominant fruit in California, is recognized as one of the world’s best-tasting oranges. Besides their flavor, navel oranges have several attractive qualities that made them so popular: they are frequently seedless, they are relatively easy to peel, and they have flesh that is firm rather than watery. On the other hand, when juiced, Navels turn bitter within half an hour. Thus, if you intend to juice the oranges , then the Valencia variety would be a better choice.

photo: Navels are typified by a “bellybutton” that appears at the flower end of the mature fruit. .

Originated from a chance mutation in the Bahia region of Brazil in the early 19th century, the navel quickly spread around the world.

photo: a giant navel orange

Did you know?

Sweet oranges are believed to be a cross between pummelo and the mandarin. The first cultivation of the sweet orange was in China, where it thrived for several centuries before spice traders from the West brought it to Europe via Genoa in the early 1400s. Quickly adopted, the fruit became popular in the Mediterranean. The orange followed the missionaries to California and, most notably, Florida, where the Spanish planted extensive orchards.

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Source: How to Pick a Peach

Singapore Garden Festival

Last Tuesday (July 29), my wife and I visited the Singapore Garden Festival. It was a last minute decision. Normally, we would not have attended such event as we dislike crowded places in Singapore. But alas, a friend gave us two complimentary tickets for the event and it would be a waste not to use them. So, I decided to take leave and attend the event on a week day. And to avoid the hassle of driving into the city and paying exorbitant parking charges, we park-and-ride.

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Whilst there were certainly a lot of flowers on display and many of the visitors seemed excited with the wide array of floral displays, my wife and I did not feel particularly thrilled. Somehow, we felt that the displays were too artificial and the “wow” factor was missing. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the day out, more for the leisurely time we spent together - in a relaxing and cool environment. We also managed to catch a cooking demo, strolled around Suntec City mall, and snacked on our favorite roast duck in Raffles City.

The biennial garden and floral event was held at Suntec City from July 25 to August 1. I read from the local newspaper that the event, which claimed to be the only garden show in the world to gather international and local award-wining garden and floral designers to showcase their garden and floral creations under one roof, attracted close to 300,000 visitors.

Below are some photos we took at the event. You can see that I didn't take that many shots as I wasn't terribly excited with most displays. Also, the dim lighting in the convention hall did not facilitate good photo taking.

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