a time for all things..

k.. let's get into some social issues today.. something in the news caught my attention.. it's not new to singaporeans, and i felt it was a good analogy of "readiness" in perspectives opposing growth and developments..

the news was about the china white-collar workforce, saying that they (70% of the total work force) were working up to 10 hours a day.. it was reported that in the long run, this would cause increased stress and negative impacts on lifestyle and health... part of the report attributed it to the quickened pace of development in the country... people wanna keep up with this pace to protecting their jobs and stuff.. well, doesn't it sound like our workforce here? it's like.. what are we working for? are we working to feed ourselves? working for satisfaction? working for money? seems like, people are likely to be working to work!!?!

this situation is forseen to worsen due to future of developments of china that will continually progress over a short time.. and what's my point?

in singapore, i guess we do appreciate the comfort we have.. but if we recall, over the recent years.. when singapore built esplanade, when soccer betting was legalized.. and now, when the IR is enroute to being materialized.. the fundamental controversy was about how ready we felt we were? i was just thinking.. our nation grew over such a short period of time... so did our lifestyles evolved with all these developments.. if we stop to look at we who share the society today..

from the way i see it, the changes are so quick that within the age differences of say 2 to 5 years, the amount of exposure we recieve and experience can be so different...

so, were we truly ready to have what we got? or are things simply happening to quickly for us to manage? have you ever experienced trying to eat a dish that's uncooked because you didn't wait long enough for it to be done?

drawing this back to seeking the Lord.. there is a time and place for everything in His plan.. so to share a word of encouragement, i feel that if we keep seeking and asking yet do not recieve, there could be many reasons... maybe our hearts were not tuned correctly, like motives were wrong? or perhaps, there was nothing wrong with what we seeked, but it could be because the time wasn't right in God's plan to give.. we may not have been ready for it, and not have the capacity for it... =)

as from the bible quote i put up few entries ago, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Eccl.3:1, 11)

an experience i recall

today's cell group with choc-cyan was rather hmm.. refreshing? don't know what words to describe.. but anyway.. i recalled a certain experience i had during my exam period couple of weeks back...

i was stuffed with 4 papers back-to-back.. worst schedule i ever got.. so as people typically react, it's likely to pray more when you're "desperate" and in need...

that morning... as i was frantically flipping through my notes... i told myself, "stop to pray, i need to quieten down in my fluster".. as i put my hands together... i wanted to pray.. a sudden thought came into my mind.. a thought that i wondered why do i always blatantly ask from God? it's as if taking advantage of God. naturally, God gives according to his plan rather than "spoiling" us by answering us blindly.. but momentarily.. it just hit me that i didn't want to just ask from God like that.. it's like.. i wanna pray for my studies and exams... but.. i got sick of just asking so specifically for my desire to be fed... it's like, so unfair.. i ask and ask all the time...

so for that sudden moment.. i remember the song that gave me peace (titled: 祷告). it's almost like my pre-exam regime that i listen to it before all my papers =). well.. point is.. i then turned my attention to the morning blue sky.. opened my arms and closed my eyes.. i kinda felt God took over the place in my mind... it's refreshing... i didn't say a specific prayer.. but simply focused on Him... tranquility and peace filled my mind =) it's so sweet..

at the end of that paper.. the coursemate in front of me asked me how it was.. honestly, i thought i was a goner!! but.. the tenderness of the Lord is just so beautifully comforting and assuring.... the coursemate told me, that when the paper commenced, he heard a loud sigh from me (how embarassing! i didn't even realise it! hee).. but, he assured me not to worry, the paper will turn out fine, because, on hearing the sigh, he said a prayer for me to have peace and calmness to sit through the paper...

it's amazing how the Lord gives unconditionally and so timely.. although the results are not out, and i may still be unavoidably concerned over how i might fair, i know that the Lord was with me and seeing me through the challenges he designed for me to be strengthened by...

just to share with all,

The Notion of Divine Control by Adrian Chua

We must have a notion of divine control form powerfully in our mind, which means maintaining an attitude of complete trust in God. Prayer is not just asking, but an attitude of the mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking becomes perfectly natural.

When we have the notion in our mind that God is always there and the Father knows all things, depending on God in not an effort, it comes naturally when perplexities press.

This is the rule of the Spirit and it works on these principles – God is my Father, He loves me and watches over me, He neither sleep nor slumber and thus all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Why should I worry?

Keep the notion of the mind of God behind all things strong and growing. Walk in love, pray without ceasing and seek to live a life that is according to His perfect will. Nothing happens in any particular unless God’s will is behind it, thus, rest in perfect confidence and peace in Him.

“Do not be afraid… I am your shield , your exceedingly great reward…If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him” (Gen.15:1; Matt.7:11)

Try to Remember | 深情密码 | 插曲

Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh so mellow
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain was yellow
Try to remember the kind of September
When you were a tender and callow fellow
Try to remember and if you remember
Then follow Follow follow follow...

Try to remember when life was so tender
That no one wept except the willow
Try to remember when life was so tender
That dreams were kept beside your pillow
Try to remember when life was so tender
That love was an ember about to billow
Try to remember and if you remember
Then follow Follow follow follow...

Deep in December it's nice to remember
Although you know the snow will follow
Deep in December it's nice to remember
Without a hurt the heart is hollow
Deep in December it's nice to remember
The fire of September that made you mellow
Deep in December our hearts should remember
And follow...

a pleasant meet-up by chance

three days of my one-week school break swiftly glided past... been working at ST's pushcart.. hmm.. honestly not a fabulous job since sales ain't that great.. and it can be tiring to sit around and not have much to do..

today was a 'lil different though.. a familiar face and voice called out to me juz when i was in my usual daze of boredom.. "hey simpatia!". sweet. that was trevao, someone i met since some 4 odd years back.. nice cool brazilian guy, down to earth, and always speaks sincerely.. coming to my thoughts, i realised today was probably a time we held our longest conversation so far.. happy for him about his gal, life and desires to pursue higher education. pray that all goes well for him!!

with pleasant surprises like these, time seems much easier to get by.. on top of that.. my friend/boss for some tour guide lobang came by to discuss some stuff...

and.. my sweetie came too.. hee =) soooooo sweet to come lunch with me.. BUT HE WAS JUST LAZY!! hehe.. got himself a pretty bag and a great price!! and cos of that purchase, stayed with me for dinner till closing time.. heee.. made the day a breeze!

oh yah.. had a house guest since hmm... monday.. it's mabel, this cat... =) shy thing... but today it kinda got comfy with me and strided around me instead of curling up in some corner like that first two days.. wasn't holding on to any cam, if not will take some shots and share them.. =)

that's all folks!

impatience . from adrian

Most of us want to get somewhere as fast as we could. But too swift is as untimely as too slow. The situation that seems urgent seldom is, and haste sometimes slow down dreams and open doors for failure.

It’s more important to know where we’re going, then to see how fast we can get there. One of the most frequent causes for failure is impatience in waiting for results. Whoever is in a hurry shows that the thing he is doing is too big for him. The greatest assassin of dreams is haste, the desire to claim victory prematurely.

Life is lived in seasons, which means we are to do different things at different times. Be discerning, walk with God and purpose to do the right thing at the right time. A Chinese proverb says ‘Never leave your field in spring or your house in winter’. God never sends a winter without following it with the joy of spring, the growth of summer and harvest of fall.

Cultivate the discipline to embrace life; do not lose yourselves and get disillusioned with the pace and the evaluation standards of the society. A life fully lives in its purpose and seasons glorify the Lord.

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Eccl.3:1, 11)

simple nostalgic thoughts . FOREVER by Damage

hee.. if any of you belong to the same era, let me share this song with you... it was one of the sweetest music i heard during my secondary school days... and it's among the few english hits i knew and one of my shared favourites with my lovely cuzen pat =)

I'll be loving you forever
Deep inside my heart you'll leave me never
Even if you took my heart, and tore it apart
I would love you still forever

You are the sun
You are my light
And you are the last thing on my mind before I go to sleep at night
You're always around
When I'm in need
When troubles on my mind, you put my soul at ease

There is no one in this world
Who can love me like you do
So many reasons why I want, to spend forever with you

We've had our fun
And we've made mistakes
But who'd guessed along that road, we'd learn to give and take
It's so much more than I could have dreamed
You make loving you so easy for me

Cos this is a world where lovers often go astray
But if we love each other we won't go, won't go that way
So put your doubts aside, do what it takes to make it right
Coz I'll love you forever, no one can tear us apart

I just want you to know that
I can't eatI can't sleep
I can't breath whenever I'm without you
When we walk, I stand tall
When I talk, I only talk about you

realisation of mortality -- what do we know?

drowning in tonnes of acadamic stuff for my exams.. can't wait for them to be over on thursday... seems like a routine to pop in during my assignments and mugging.. well.. just wanna recommend a very nice taiwanese drama.. before any of you think i'm some drama-fanatic.. i;m not so extreme... what i've watched a well within my ten fingers...

anyway.. before then.. just wondering why to some people not appreciate them at all.. some say that it's girly, others say it's a waste of time.. more say it's unrealistic crap!

to me, it means so much more.. simplistic expressions of emotions, joy, love, sadness, courage and hope.. i tend to feel that it's the willingness to be involved in the characters that bring the tears and laughter when watching them.. and it's therapeutic when we allow ourselves to get involved with these characters.. it helps us to feel the realness in life without diminishing its novelty that brings us our emotions.. we're people, why be so hardened? take a step back and allow ourselves to sink in pure emotions, at least, we shouldn't deprive ourselves from our lives with emotions.

深情密碼 (also known as Silence), I think was aired sometime in 2006. i'm not very updated and i started watching this only after I chanced upon a link online.. one of my bestest gal pals once told me that i'm sometimes very 灰色, hence i would have liked this other series called 战神 (MARS) which i shared in one of my much earlier entries... in Silence, perhaps there's some similarity, since it involved someone with terminal illness.. it's difficult to explain the draw from this production, but it's so much about hope and the value of our time living.. we really don't have the luxury of knowing how much time we have left, do we? perhaps, it's agood thing to be diagnosed with some illness, at least, that rings a bell to the urgency of planning our lives to maximise all that we could ever offer or want to fulfill in our remaining days.. and learn to recognize our perishability.. i haven't completed the series.. probably a-third through only.. gotta continue after my exams.. anyway.. the value of the plot already got me hooked.. and... one of the lines that made an impression was "最多只能fire一个总经理; 能fire的你的儿子的,只有上帝" (you can fire a CEO, but only God can decide to fire your son), blatantly translated, we can do whatever we want with what we seem to possess or have control over; but only God decides when he wants to take away any of it, including our mortal lives.. so live life well, also from the drama "好好活着"

here's the link to the theme song by Harlem Yu, 静静的
http://haloua.zb139.net/download/jingjingde.mp3
also put in the link above to watch the drama online free, so check it out if interested =)

that's all folks.. need to STUDY!!

p.s. Thankz Francis for your wishes!

one of my assignments =)

>> Altering the Environment to Maximize the Employee Potential

I was motivated to explore the area of Environmental Psychology with Organizational Behavior because I had a personal interest in the aspect of understanding effects of environment interactions with human behavior. To ground this focus and ensure the feasibility of exploring this topic, a fair bit of research was done to retrieve articles that could educate readers on the trends and impacts of environment facilitation on employee behaviors. Numerous reports were found to justify that this area was subtly recognized in organizations, but inadequately adapted for the benefit of companies.

Office layouts and designs were significant reflections of organization culture, and influenced its productivity and efficacy as it primarily determines workflow in the organization (Accounting Office Management & Administration Report, New York, 2006). Office design and ergonomics were found to be closely related to the decrease of productivity in organizations (Dorothy, 1990, & Schneider, 2007). Also, numerous reports have reflected that employees had strong tendencies to be less enthusiastic to work longer hours in the work place unless work environments would be improved (Cullen, 2004, & Schneider, 2007).

Hayward (2007) and Pfeffer (2007) observed that most of these employees had low job satisfaction and did not appreciate the office design. In fact, they found the design disruptive to their work. In both reports, this was attributed to the noise and distraction influenced by the open-concept layout of the office, which interfered with employee functionality. They also reflected to receive inadequate privacy. According to Schneider (2007), if these employees had a more conducive environment, they had a potential to increase their work output by at least 21%.

Despite such negative feedback about the open concept, other firms have reported to benefit from the cost saving and efficiency of this option. Pritin (2004) reported that large firms like PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young slashed their office spaces and housed employees in the open-concept layouts while allocating common rooms for meetings. They also made use of slimmer computers to reduce space requirements. This strategy helped the two firms save up to half of their required office area effectively.

While different strategies influence organizations individually, Haley (2004) highlighted that optimum arrangements would establish mutual benefits for the employees and organization. Her advice was to provide employees with liberty and autonomy in managing their personal work space. She found that through this, greater productivity and loyalty were developed for the benefit of the organization.

Hence, it is crucial to observe that while managing physical space and possible cost savings, there is a necessity to look after employee well-being and functionality within the allocated spaces. Otherwise, when the systems were not suitable or practical for the employees who were the end-users, it will result as a design-disaster that would contributed to productivity-disaster as described by Crytzer (2006). It was therefore important to incorporate essentials of equipment and the clarity of workflow into the design of the workplace (Lev-Ram, 2006).

It was however encouraging, realizing that firms are beginning to identify the significance of environmental influences on work productivity. Dorothy (1990) had identified trends of companies approaching specialized interior designers to enhance pleasantness of the work environment. However, In conclusion, the importance of employee satisfaction and appropriateness in developing suitable layout designs were the key to attain greater productivity. There were several ways to achieve this. For instances, involving employees in furniture selection as proposed by Neal (2004), or exploring alternatives of enhancing work place aesthetics by incorporating pleasant interior design as suggested by Patricia (1988).

I have drawn up a newsletter – Office Concepts, with the objective to provide suggestions in providing a better working environment for employees, in order to expand the employee productivity potential.