Signing out Singapore

I’m sitting here in the Abu Dhabi airport, staring at the runway. It’s so cold here. It’s a really nice huge, modern, clean airport. I know I’m gonna be doing many things for the first time on this journey- and it’s already started here. Lying flat out on the floor, and sleeping as if something had just hit you. Now, “who has ever slept on the floor of the Abu Dhabi airport”? Me! Move my object by a space please :p

Ok.. so having caught up with some snooze, now it’s time for me to spend some time with an old friend..

***

My Singapore clock stopped at about 8:30pm 24 July 2010. The last week in my tiny island had just been one smorgasbord of activity- trying to pack up and get ready for the move, ensuring that all my paperwork required during my absence in Singapore is sorted, saying good bye to people, stuffing my face with the yummy Singapore food, etc.

I know I’ve been pretty lousy at controlling my tears- so lousy I’m embarrassed. But they are not tears of sadness, rather a sense of “missing-aching” to be apart from people so close to your heart. I’ve come to realize that the people in our lives are actually markers of our history, and help identify who I am and what I’ve done. The tears tell me more than I know, the place you have in my heart.
So I’ll gladly carry this scar of nostalgia with me as I walk the streets of Chicago- wondering what you are doing in the other side of the world, being excited about the things that you’re experiencing, and do the only thing I can do for you at that point.

I’ve been asked many times how I feel about the next 3 years. I’m excited about the journey that Daddy has in store for me, and for us. Articulating it lucidly for the first, time, I think I am looking forward to “rolling along” and seeing the 4 corners of this puzzle fit together.

Corner 1 is “making a life together” - Having to figure out everything that goes into making a physical home together, building up our family habits and facing head-on all the financial, purchasing issues that we’ve only theoretically handled up to this point.
Corner 2 is “uncovering courage and calling” – I’ve been haunted by questions about ministry and calling in the last 2 months. A conversation with Liu Mushi spurred some seeking along those fronts, and God’s prob been waiting for me to knock on those doors for some time now. I have a feeling that I’m called to be content on a “calling by state/situation” rather than “calling by vocation”. If that’s true, it’s time to embrace every moment and situation with courage! I’m ready to discover and rest.
Corner 3 is “re-orienting my identity” – Without family and friends you’ve had all your life to identify you physically, I am desperately thankful I have God and Arthur with me. Now it’s time to discover what it’s like to roam the earth assuming only these 2 identities for a while! Also looking forward to meeting the people God will put in our lives.
Corner 4 is “learning something” – My mind has grown mouldy to be honest. Time to learn a new skill, read more and go for some classes. How will I grow? Not just horizontally I hope! :p

Okie dokie, that’s all for now. Will be signing in from Decatur after the flight! Take care *HUGZ*

I see red!

This is addressed to a certain somebody who drives SFN 2038 J. I hope I never have to meet you ever- but let me say this to you:

You sure are an asshole. Goodness… When all I did was lightly brushed against your car, that left no damage at all, you are serving me a lawyer’s letter with-
$800 worth of repairs (Come on, I touched up a BMW Sports car that had slightly more scars than yours for like $140 – what did you do to your car? Replaced the engine?!), $600 worth of rentals (You rented a what, Mini Cooper for a week???),
$260 worth of survey fees (What is that for?),
$50 worth of incidentals (And what is this, for you to incidentally sue me?), and
$700 worth of “cost at this stage” for what- lawyer’s fees???

Out of goodwill, I wrote you a note and gave you my number- to which you were supposed to call me, EXCUSE ME… As we agreed, where you will go assess for damages at the workshop, and let me know how much before we proceed. I have been waiting for your call for like ages, and all I get is a ridiculous lawyer’s letter?

I am so so so outraged- and I have not been this angry in a while that I really hope you will go burn in hell. You, and your lawyer, and your workshop- who are in cahoots.

Fine, thanks for teaching me a lesson about how to handle accidents (of which, this isn’t even anything and I have walked away having done much worse before…) in the future. Thanks for opening my eyes to how scums like you exist, would take advantage of others.
I will pay a price for my ignorance- but only to an amount that ought to be due to you. I will contest the charges, please don’t think you’re in for a free ride.

**
Maybe the above is like an over-reaction, and my curses are a little over-dramatic. Sure, I am probably not as angry already, and at a stage where I’m telling myself (as some very wise people had advised me) that I need to be calm when dealing with scumbags like this and I’ll let the insurance company deal with this.

BUT I do not think I can look at this injustice, blame that it is an injust act, and forgive the evil person behind this! I used to think that the prophets are too dramatic in cursing their enemies- but now, I’m like.. If even I who had suffered such a little injustice would want to heap coal and curses on that guy, what about the prophets who had such grave injustice served to them? What about God who looks at all the injustice in this world done to His people and Himself? How great thou wrath?

**
Just for the record, of course I am not gonna do anything myself. In case you and your too free lawyer would go round searching for stuff, and blame me for anything untoward that might happen to you. But I will leave vengeance to my God. For whatever penny that you got underserved, I hope it will leave you as quickly as it came. And may whatever evil intentions that you harboured be returned to you thousand times over!