Wednesday, September 27, 2006

every day i get to meet different passengers, with different characters n different needs... actually every day i get to work with different colleagues n hear their different stories too. i'm one of the youngest there, kinda like i'm just beginning to embark on my life journey. for most of them, this job is like, they're settling down n bringing in the bread for the family... it amazes me sometimes when i hear of how far they've gone, n how they've all come eventually to CX.


karen: born in korea, studied in taiwan, married in hong kong, n now staying in singapore...
daniel: born in malaysia, went to live in taiwan, now shuttling btwn work in singapore n his wife + family in malaysia.
raymond: born in hong kong, left home at 16 to australia n stayed with a european family, now in singapore...
joyce: went to study hotel n tourism management in switzerland for 4 yrs!!!! (like that was my last-time dream can!!) but now having happy family in singapore...
jerry: went to live in the UK for a while, then went to live in the US for a while... now back in singapore.
sarah: this story most recent n most WHOA i heard... she was working for citibank in her early 20s, den her friend paid for her air tkt to visit him in switzerland. she took 5 days leave, in the end she called back frm switzerland to resign frm her job n stayed there for almost a year (at her friend n his wife's expense!!)!!!! whoa, when she told me the stories of how they drove her over to italy for GENUINE lasagne n pizza, had picnics by the lake/mountains n fed the swans, went into the forest n had tea in one of the cottages, ate off a gigantic chocolate easter egg for free at the local chocolaterie, rolled abt n played with the neighbours' children on the crisp grass... i cld almost breathe in the mountain breeze! i cld imagine whatever she was describing to me as though i was there with her!


hearing such stories just stir up those dreams within me frm long ago, my deepest heart's desire to travel to places, to live the life they live, to do the things they do, to see the things they see, to eat the food they eat... dun tok abt africa first lah. i mean like europe, or even the middle-east where i've always loved, or even start small with hong kong, korea oso dun mind. heh heh. just go off for a few months/years n experience a different life... maybe when i was younger i cldn't really imagine how i'd dare to go off myself to do such things... but now i feel like, aye, i can do it. of course if i'm REALLY alone it'd be scary... but rmbr i'm NEVER alone? my whole journey in life is with Jesus~ i can dream as big as can be, n i know nbdy laughs, bcos Jesus certainly ain't laughing at me! if nbdy wld dare to ask for such great experiences in life, then let me be the one to have them all! i can dream whatever i want, n i know with Jesus, everything is surely beautiful...


of cos one day i'll make my way back home... =) actually i love it that while working in CX, my dreams become bigger n stronger... but i know i dun wanna end up like my colleagues, ending their stories with a wistful smile bocs of the what-ifs in their mind... or stopping short bcos the memories are more beautiful than where they are now. i wanna come home n live each day even happier than the one before! bcos actually i already have my answer - God is really so good to me. if my life is a bed of roses now, i tink nt very long ltr i'll be lving in Eden... living in heaven on earth.
posted at 10:00 PM

Monday, September 18, 2006

the banquet 
posted at 1:44 AM

daniel wu! 
posted at 1:40 AM

i finally got my wish of 4 yrs! haha... maybe is early bdae present for me oso... i finally got to see DANIEL WU face-to-face!!! *drool* that morning i was checking in for a morning flight to HKG, n i was doing business class counter... so i was feeling quite sian, cos flight not full. but suddenly the que formed, even for business class... so there i was, checking-in this guy, then i looked up to check out my business class que, n then i saw this tall, handsome guy in a light brown jacket, jeans, beret on his head n shades, n i took a double take... hoi! issn't dat DANIEL WU?!?!?!?! he was like staring straight at me at my counter, like waiting for me to be done quickly so can be his turn! so i WHOA! type at the speed of lightning to finish the guy in front of me man! i so gotta check-in DANIEL WU!! THEN! my malay colleague (hamilia) called him n his whole gang to her counter!!! *sob* she was like 2 counters away frm me! i was like WHAT!?!?! so sad... but ok lah, i kept looking over at him, frm a distance can stare blatantly mah... but i wanted to hear him TALK TO MEEEEEEEEEE!! hamilia din even noe who he was! she even came over to me to ask me something abt his tkt, n he looked over! *drool* he was like stuck at her counter for a whole 15mins can! why wasn't it meeeeeee... but NEVER MIND... at least i got to see him! heh... i tink i got crazy over him when he acted in love undercover, so handsome!!! nv really caught his later movies tho... maybe i'll go watch the banquet. anyway he's got the same bdae as me! but 11 yrs older... haha. oh well... cheap thrill lah. if i see hyun bin i might nt be as composed... hahaha!


maybe u wonder, aye, why sharmaine like so worldly now... please get a life. haha. i'm really just enjoying everything that God has placed around me... enjoying all these seemingly senseless stuff n having a great time talking to Jesus abt them. it's really so clear to me how it's nt abt how much i know frm the Bible abt Jesus, but how much i know Jesus in my life n see how the Bible promises manifest... like i've been experiencing immense favour since i steped back into CX. fyi, i din plan on coming back to CX when i graduated... wanted a full-time job elsewhere. but i decided to return for a while, n i've been so blessed the past 5 months i've been here.


just 2 days ago, the company held a farewell party for one of my managers, eric. i just helped my airport manager's secretary (sue) to make a card n wrap some presents... n suddenly on that very day of thedinner i found out i was part of their oraganising committee?? i had actually nt planned to go cos of cg that same night, but my other manager (jeyanthi) assigned me this role n that role... n i just din know how to reject? how do u reject favour? in the end i cldn't make it for cg (which made me feel quite bad, bcos i promised steve i'd be there)... but whoa the favour is amazing! i mean, i did enjoy quite a bit lah. my airport manager, country manager n the general manager of CX S.E Asia were there too, n i actually got to chat with them! they're really friendly n fun-loving... at the end of the party, eric n jeyanthi invited them on stage to take pic with the organising committee, n i tried so hard to hide. but ALL of them called for me on the mic that i had no choice but to go up... u know, i'm like the most junior there? lowest in the cmpany hierarchy, with all of them frm the top management... but i saw how God's favour truly set me apart. that my colleagues just like me. that pple bother to put in many good words to my managers abt me, n they just come up to me n tell me they like me a lot + generous compliments... i see with my own eyes how there's nothing i did n nothing i can do to earn these, but Jesus just gave them to me n i just sit back, marvel n enjoy!


actually life is really easy? just believe n we will surely see... like what pastor prince shared tdy, God's favour will cause doors to fling open for us. first favour from above then favour horizontally... i just hafta speak in faith n my Abba acoomplishes for me! with such a powerful "weapon", what is it that i cannot have in this life?
posted at 12:55 AM

Sunday, September 10, 2006

many times i find myself enjoying being alone. just window shopping, looking at the pretty clothes, admiring luxurious make-up, trying on fragrant hand creams at my own pace... taking my time to buy a delicious cup of coffee or yummy food... like just now i tried this new korean street food thingie: it's like a sausage wrapped in some dough that has FRENCH-FRY-BITS all over n then it's deep fried! *slurp* then this prawn pancake thing that's quite good too... :D best of all, i dun really hafta talk. maybe bcos i hafta keep talking n talking at work, so in my own time i wanna shut up for a while n nt listen to anyone, dun wanna put up with anyone. perhaps i have changed n grown a lot over these 3 yrs in campus ministry... in that i've become someone who's nt afraid to smile n talk to strangers. but now i've come to a point where i just wanna be alone, n then "emerging" only if i can speak frm my heart, say what i really want. i dun wanna babble on n then realise i've been trying so hard, yet i myself dun even know a clue to what i want to put across. or even worse, that i say things i dun mean.


that's why i like to be alone. cos when no one is ard me, i know there's only Jesus whom i can commune with. the ULTIMATE LIFE-GIVER. fills me with His energy, His love, His peace. it's so fun to share my passion for food, korean dramas (or hotties... heh.), n deep secrets (like kikoki... haha. behold i speak in parables.) with Him. to know that my Jesus laughs with me, embraces me when i cry, n holds my hand when i dream... what cld be more precious than a best friend who sticks closer than a brother?


but of cos there are times when i really enjoy being with my TRUE friends. loved ones who love me n allow me to express the real SHARMAINE. like the other day i spent with kaijin, eating yummy indian food (oh my gosh... the THOSAI! fantastic! kamala's!), unique shopping experience at giordano *chuckle*... n then great fellowship with jon, steve, desmond, sean n aaron till almost 3am; sharing our lives, sharing abt His faithfulness. truly Abba is good n faithful to His word. n tdy it was also a nice surprise (n answered prayer) that i got to have dinner with zixin, fredrik, ailing n the gang at abc market... only got the call frm zixin in the morning while at work, n i was quite tired after 4th service, almost din go. but i just wanted to, n i enjoyed the short time we spent with each other. hot claypot rice, HEAVENLY avocado milkshake (!!!)... brought back many memories, made me feel like i was 17 again (chey... like i damn old lidat.)! laugh at senseless stuff, eat good food, walk ikea, walk cold storage... haha. the pattern nv seemed to really change much.


i'm really treasuring every single day b4 i officially turn 21... my so-called youth. but i realise that i'm still very much Abba's little girl always, that i'm forever able to dream fantastic dreams bcos He's the One who holds them close to His heart n fulfills them. this is only the beginning of my youth!
posted at 11:43 PM