Challenge your daily routines

Warning: This post will be a SUPER-LONG one!

Now here I was thinkin last week was such a busy week for me.. well, so I thought until this week came along! This week has been super busy!! It's also been a week which has taught me to enjoy more of life, to cherish moments with loved ones and above all, it has really challenged me to go out of my normal routines and DO something different.

Here were the highlights:
Mon - Work was super busy until I felt soooo sick after 3hrs into work so I decided to go home at lunch time to work from home instead. At night, my fav. couple Nigel and Janelle invited me over for dinner. It's such a blessing to have them in my life. They are such a great man and woman of God and their r/ship ever since they started dating is such a Godly example! even the ppl at their wedding said so! looking at their marriage life now, I can just see how happy and fulfilled they are because they had set boundaries right at the start, took it slowly AND ALWAYS put God in the centre of their r/ship! Now, they're just reaping it all in! The fullness of what a marriage should be like! Praise God!
It was really nice catching up with them, seeing their wedding photos and DVD...and of course to share personal trials with them. I'm always so encouraged by their Godly words of advice and encouragement!
I later went home to write (by hand) until past midnight, to release everything that was in my heart... to set it free. And... surprisingly, I felt just that.. Freed! Amen! I really felt like the world is at my feet and what I'm going through is only a tiny dot compared to a series of what life will throw at you in the future to come.. I was and am... liberated! God is Good!

Tues - This morning I got into work, I decided to finally ring Genesis lifestyle gym near Knox to finally JOIN THE GYM!! so next Mon night will be my appointment with them to see whether or not I will like the gym. I can't believe I'm 30% there! After work, I caught up with my close ex-uni friend of mine Jenny for coffee at GJs (my fav coffee place, much better than Starbucks!!) . We then went back to her place cos her mum invited me over for dinner as she really wanted to thank me for helping Jenny to get the job at Sparties (a party division of Spotlight). It was great to just hang out in a Taiwanese family home once again. It really brought back a lot of memories of my time in Taiwan when I was so brave to go there alone and then to spend it with Lydia's family. I miss Taiwan...and Lydia's family =( Anyways, Jenny's mum cooked up a storm. There were prawns, those black coloured dark eggs (can't remember their name), turkey, chicken, and everything else under the sun. I was so touched to see the effort she went through. All of them were just so hospitable. The entire family spoke to me and really welcomed me. The dad kept on telling me to eat, while the mum kept on feeding me such big arse apricots that were so sweet! They wouldn't even let me take the dishes to the sink! so so hospitable and warm. Her two older bros have invited me to hang out with their Taiwanese friends this Sat (with Jen too of course). I can't wait. After all, it's something outside of what I normally do. Anyways, Jenny's lend me her favourite book "Memoirs of a Geisha" (original version she bought from Japan) for me to read (which I hate to do, but will force myself to, cos I want to watch the movie which is out in 6 days time!!)

Wed (Chien left for LA) - Today at work, the most coincidental thing happened. I had really want to become MORE proactive in my career as I really want to move to Singapore by 2008 (a goal I set for myself since I first joined P&G), so I decided to speak to my manager Kirsten to book her time for next week so I could discuss my career path with her. Right after I had booked her time, her boss Alastair, comes into my office to ask me 'Vicky I wanted to discuss with you about your career path, to get a clearer perspective on where you want to be heading in next 2-5yrs?'. I asked him 'Did you speak to Kirsten?' , 'No, why?' Al replied. how freaky! So of course I spent 1/2 hr telling him about where I want to be heading and why. Now it's absolutely impossible to go to Singapore if you haven't done your time in Aust for at least 5yrs (as Aust has to pay this HUGE amount of expatriate fee to release their staff to work overseas), but I told Al, by end of next year, I really want to be there already due to my life stage. If I go any later, I will never end up going as I will want to be closer to my parents as they are getting older etc. I was so surprised to hear him say, 'Vicky, I will help you get there!' (and he can too cos he holds such a senior position in the company!). Now, if you had read my blog back in Sept when he was announced as the CML team leader, you would've known just how reluctant I was to welcome a Gillette employee to lead our P&G team... now 4months on, you have no idea how blessed to be under his leadership and to gain his favour and immense support!

YGII's DVD & Pizza night: Straight after work, I literally rushed to go buy 6 large pizzas, drinks and lotsa and lotsa junk food for my Youth (cos they really do deserve it for being such great kids!) thinking that there were only going to be 11ppl turnout to watch 'The 10 Commandments'. But instead? God surprised us with 6 more ppl and 5 of them were my Youth's friends (non-Christians, cool homies wanna be boys and girls). So a night of just watching the DVD had all of sudden became an outreach event. It was so awesome to see all these teenagers btw 16-19 y.o all sitting in the living room engrossed in watching the movie when they could've opted to play computer games upstairs or do their chit chatting!
The story of Moses (found in the book of Exodus) is such a personal revelation to me. Despite how many miracles God had time and time showed to the Israelites, they continued to complain each time they had faced another problem in the dessert and forgot (yet again) that they have a God almighty who can do ALL things for them. As we all watched the movie, we were all laughing at the Israelites and banging our heads at the same time to see their constant whinging and complaining and doubting God time and time again! Yet, after we thought about it, we are just like the Israelites, always forgetting that God can do the impossible everytime we face a trial of our own... Gosh, how on earth does God put up with us? with me?

Thurs- Safeway reunion night - Farewell Dinner Joanne Lwellyn & Joanne Davidson who will be leaving Safeway after 5yrs part-time work there to finally become a primary/secondary teacher (they've finally finished uni yeah!). Jo D will be going to teach MLC (a very rich Girls private school in Melb) and her starting salary is like $45K! crap man I should've become a teacher!!
It was so good to catch up with all my check-out chick friends from all ages. They are still the same, but yet, their lifestage has changed so much. Jodie (29) who was with her boyfriend for 5yrs (and is the father of her son) has separated. She has since moved back into her parent's home and is now quitting Safeway to become a Swimming instructor. Meanwhile, Jo L (same age as me) is engaged!! Then I found out my ex-supervisor Tineke (25) is now a mum! And another one of our ex-colleague Lisa Quinn (23y.o) is also a mum (by accident!). Amanda Banks (who was the Service Cashier of the Year with me in 99) is getting married end of Jan! Tracey and her man of 5yrs have bought a place together, but don't have anymore money to get married now! Meanwhile, Emma, Melinda & I who are all single, were very content to be at where we are. To have the freedom to do everything we want to do without the headaches of a r/ship. Hahaha! So yah, after 2.5yrs out of Safeway, so many things have changed... everyone's either starting their career, or changing career, going to another country for good, engaged, married, separated or having or had babies.. it's so scary! I'm truly at the beginning of my qtr life crisis!
Oh a freaky thing happened to me tonight, just when we I was telling my girlfriends about how I lost such a great f/ship just last year to my primary school friend Ruth, she RINGS 5 mins AFTER THAT!! now is that freaky or what? especially when we haven't spoken since JULY last year!

Fri - Will be going to Scotty's 25th birthday bash tonight in Brighton! Can't wait.. it'll be a typical Aussie party with a the chops on the barbie and a stubbie in your other hand! of course, I will be having my champers instead =)

Oh what a week it has been! It's definitely been a very jam-packed, very interesting, fun but very tiring at the same time. Ahhh... >>>> Life is Good!