Work doesn't induce you to crave for more toys. It makes you hope for something bigger than that.

G

"Culture and Church"

"What's happening out there in our culture that the church needs to see and hear?"

"Ethos, Pathos and Logos"

"Emerging church"

"Tolkien an allegorist?"

"Dreams and Hopes"

"A church that Cares, Creates, Connect"

"...they are either so so immersed in Church culture that they do not know any non church going people or they are petrified of building deep relationships with people around them. I suspect that with the rapid change of culture around us that we've lost the art of connection and of relationships..."

"We have no building or formal Sunday service but we're working at growing in our relationship with Jesus, building community and living out our faith in practical ways in our local area."


Missed church today, but spent my time in the Living Room.

Y.

The greatest mistake in life would not be to choose wrongly. But to not choose at all.

For most of my life, there was a great divide between the thoughts in my mind and the issues in my heart. The straight path for my life promised by the wisdom of the once great Solomon was wrecked by the pull and shove of crowd approval and vain ambitions. Pour in a gallon of fear with a touch of doubt and all you get is a whirlpool of confusion.

It seems all the time that I wanted to do everything yet in the end accomplished nothing. The prospect of following father's footsteps promises a comfortable life, only to be thwarted by my obvious distaste for engineering hydraulics and vector calculations. My grand ideas of being a world-class musician is fading away ever so quickly in proportion to my waning gifts and talents. From celebrity chef to basketball player to doctor, my becoming has never come close to what I'm wanting.

But today I made a choice. I wear the badge of a fitness instructor. Yes, you are not the only one who looks perplexed at the sound of the news. It's certainly not what you would call a "normal" job. My working shifts would tell you that. Like my boss mentioned to me today, unlike most companies, we are not in the business of getting to you a product. We are selling the dream of a better body, a healthier lifestyle. We are selling a thing called Hope.

And frankly friends ironically, Hope is what I need right now. In fact as I take on this course of my journey, it's the only thing I can hold on too with both hands. No safety harness, no parachute. The road less travelled is not glamourous journey. You think it's gonna be incredibly exciting considering that you kinda like what you do and that you chose it out of your gut instinct. But like J said to me, a job is still a job. There are periods especially in the beginning (and I found that out today) where it can be extremely mundane and less than fulfilling.

While J is leaving his job with worthwhile memories and experiences that are rich, I go in with an emptiness surrounded by doubts, fear and confusion. While Y is going from strength to strength in terms of perks he is receiving and an ever stable income together with job satisfaction, I plunge into the dark waters earning an amount that can barely keep me afloat.

Do I sound like I regretting it already? No, today is truly a new day. I used to be fazed by my indecision and am always tempted to put the blame on others for it. No longer. Today, I made a choice. With the weight of my doubts, I am climbing the mountain heights with a rope called Faith. To the peak where my Hope lies.

Hope for what, you may ask? For the moment it seems less clear. Perhaps it's a hope that I can finally prove to my dad that I can step on my own two feet and take responsibility for my life. Perhaps it's a hope that one day I would inspire others to follow this road. Perhaps it's because I wanted to see what's really at the end of this path with a narrow gate.

First day of work. The beginning of this crazy pilgrim's progress. Even I think sometimes that it's stupid. I don't know how long I would last. But there are signs that it could be worthwhile. Like how I learn to slow down my speech through "conversations" with a deaf and mute receptionist named Jimmy. The simplicity of silence. Like how I discuss with Melissa (boss' daughter) about tensions experienced in our generation. We want more than just survival. Like how I observe my boss treat his customers with meticulous care and respect. He's a fine example of how to be truly human in his vocation. Like how my senior colleague encouraged me by saying,"It's okay, it tends to get boring at first. But it gets better." He's Albanian by the way. Like how I asked another colleague why he did this after he studied engineering. To which he coolly replied, "Don't know. It just happens." Like how J says he can so imagine me riding and teaching a precision cycling aerobics class. He emphasized that I have the voice to inspire.

At the end of the day, it's all about a gut feeling. A sense that perhaps God is in all this. A moment of blink whereby for the first time I feel I must respond. And sitting there in the reception this morning with absolutely nothing to do, I intently watched a Channel V special on the life of U2. There was Bono, the modern day prophet on screen speaking with his fearless eyes penetrating through his shades kinda saying, "Listen boy, you're right."

I'm fucking crazy.


G

Jon might still be sleeping, Greg's probably doing his Oct 1st now..

I'm here in Penang on the 34th floor of what seems to be the biggest condo i've seen in my life. It's a 4 thousand sq feet condo (which is the size of my house including the land around it) for crying out loud. Apart from enjoying the great coast and penang bridge view together with the amazing cool breeze, i'm here for a mission. I'm here to see Soph's grandparents so that i don't need to come back for Chinese New Year! Smart heh? But that's not my Oct 1st.

I must say, this year has been pretty exciting, and interesting. Greg graduated, i got married, Marcus and Ky-Vern proposed, Soph started work, we went to New York and the Bahamas, someone else is going to propose soon, Greg's graduation bbq party, Jon moved to Klang and so much more to come.

This past month has been a crucial month for myself, Jon and Greg. Coincidentally, all 3 of us were making major decisions that would probably carve a different life path forever. In my case, I was ready to move on. Unlike Jon who has a more concrete plan to be a television host and freelance writer, i was so ready to be a bum. A bum who is looking for a job of course.

Now one might ask why would Yuchun leave his job? He gets free mobile phones to use every month, he gets lots of lots of premiums, invitations to the top parties in town, free Dockers apparels, wakes up at 9 am daily, and is going for a shoot in San Francisco for 1 week, and is probably stopping by in Hong Kong for a couple of days all under the company's expense.. and he was ready to let all these go?

I guess I just wanted to move on. I wanted to see what happens if i quit. I wanted to be adventurous and see what lies ahead. I wanted a challenge. Among the list of things i had in mind were:

1. Look for a senior position job elsewhere.
2. Road trip to London.
3. Go to Florida to check out a job prospect.
4. Learn Mandarin in China.
5. Joint venture with a friend's business.
6. Go to Lake Tahoe.
7. Play more basketball.
8. Start a band with Greg.

Well, I was supposed to decide by the end of September but have decided to stick on for a little while. Why? Let's just say the company offered me a package deal that i should not refuse, and surprisingly the job satisfaction over the last month was over the top. As a car enthusiast, winning the recent Honda account was certainly enjoyable and rewarding. And i'm definitely not ready to leave my community. Not just yet.

So i guess this is it for my Oct 1st. But ask anyone of us, this year has been exciting, with ups and downs, and we can't wait to see what happens next year as a new future unravel before us.

y.