Having been in the working world for some time, it just occurred to me that in aug 2005, when i left for college in the USA, i never conceived that in stepping through those departure gates, that day may have marked the last time i'd be living in my country... ever. now this is just in retrospect -- there is a chance i might head home to Singapore in June next year when my OPT expires, which may be what God wants for me (and i have absolutely no problem with that). but now that i've been working at my job for a while, considering my paltry 10 vacation days a year... my ability to return home for a vacation has become so limited. in college i only went home (albeit just twice) when i was sure i had at least one full month to spend in sunny singapore. now... with a maximum vacation time of 2 weeks -- tripping home seems like a very costly venture, particularly since 2 days are lost flying, not to mention the jet-lag. plus, right now, i am currently quite homesick -- i have been watching phua chu kang on youtube and reading xiaxue. i'm thinking that in an ideal world, when i move on to my next job, i will make sure that there is at least a 3 month gap period between jobs when i get muck around back home.
BUT I LOVE NYC LIVING! some pictures of my neighborhood, yes? i live in hell's kitchen which is just off times square in manhattan. it's also close to the west river where i'm afforded gorgeous views of the hudson and er... new jersey's skyline.
concrete jungle. this is midtown manhattan - i took this on the top of my friend's apartment building on july 4 as the sun was setting. to think that i live amidst the colossal skyscrapers, and have to battle the suffocating daily morning rush hour... well, let's just say that 5 years ago this was probably something i'd laugh at. only God knows why He chose to put me here. i have to admit, sometimes there are regrets - particularly the lack of peace, but most times, i love it.
i took this on the same building, except facing the river where the fireworks are shot! 4th of july was awesome. down the entire length of the river, firework displays were shot symmetrically at various points along the bank of the Hudson river. i think there were about four climaxes. i like this shot because it looks like the buildings are going up in flames. i was bummed that i didn't have an unobstructed view of the display... but recognized that having my view blocked by buildings is what makes nyc quintessentially... nyc.
that's times square in the center of this picture. i was on the 27th floor of my brother's office building. it was a nice time -- the sun was setting, and the brightness of the city at dusk was just beginning to shine through. daniel lives about 10 mins walk away from work. i, on the other hand, have to negotiate a daily crosstown commute. bleh.
only in nyc do you get rich show-offs like these who conspicuously park their Lamborghini convertibles at the side of a busy street... sit down in them for a while, then emerge through the ridiculously futuristic (and fine, classy) upswing of their car door. i couldn't help it. i took this picture while at happy hour with my colleagues on friday. the driver of that car sat behind our table and popped down a couple of drinks all by himself. i wonder if he seriously drove after that (i left before him) because those margaritas that the bar serves really pack a punch.I have found good friends who are different from my darling college mates. but i must say that living the daily life of a Christian does present in itself a ton of challenges. i personally have failed quite a few times in my walk with God at work -- especially in the areas of conversation: the words (or rather, expletives) that i have come to use/see as normal, the gossip, and at times the lack of boldness in being a believer at work. it is quite difficult -- but I believe that God is helping me work at it and I trust that He has put me there for a reason. I love my colleagues very much - perhaps more than they love me... lol. If anything i believe that God has taught me a great many things since entering the working world.
1) you have to meet people where they're at. being a Christian does mean being set apart, but it also calls us to be witnesses. to be witnesses, we have to uphold Godly standards and exercise discernment, but we also have to be intentional about placing ourselves in communities of unbelievers and interacting with them. meeting their needs, listening to them, praying for them and loving them - and having fun with them.
2) seeing the goodness in people who are not believers. i think that being close to the Christian community, i may have been blind-sighted to the ability of non-believers to do good and to love others -- some times even more selflessly than Christians. granted that their lifestyles are often in grave defiance to how God demands we live our lives, seeing them as people with these glimpses of heaven in them makes me want to win them over to God more because i see the potential in them to do great things for His kingdom.
3) being fair in judging others. i have to admit -- my boss is a difficult lady. but i think gossip turned me against her more than my interactions with her. i recently helped her move house and actually... i liked her. i do believe that when it comes to work she gets a lot more tricky to deal with and mean... but i think that my negative sentiment towards her was exacerbated by company gossip. may be true... but in all honesty, i don't think she deserves the malice being dealt out towards her. so... i think it's time to hand over the reins to God and let Him teach me about her character and how i should rightfully manage my relationship with her. She definitely falls short in terms of caring for her underlings, but i think there is a lot more fairness that i could deal out in my judgment of her.
okay! time to call my folks! see you later :)
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