being the light

We had several short seminars and workshops this past week about how to be Christian in academia. (And no, it doesn't mean going around talking about Jesus.) John Stackhouse has a really helpful view about how to live out one's faith at work, and it involves first, being what we were created to be, that is, human, and second, bringing peace to our workplace.

On the one hand, recognizing that we are human forces us to be realistic about who we are and what we can do. But on the other hand, the mission of Christ is to bring love, peace and reconciliation to the communities in which we find ourselves. Consequently, this view of the Christian story and the role we play in it is both immensely freeing and challenging.

I often struggle with office politics, and am terrible at reading the power struggles. Consequently, I tend to withdraw rather than engage, but it is not exactly the most "shalom" of all approaches. One of my senior colleagues who was at one of the talks said in the elevator, "In order to bring peace to our workplaces, we need to first find peace for ourselves. And there must be a place for people like us because the university, like the church, needs people with different gifts." That is really wise. I'm learning to see now that this job is not just about teaching (even if the rest of the world thinks so), that I do have multiple responsibilities, and that I am called to bring light--to the best of my limited abilities--in all these different capacities.

Sigh. Is it really only Monday today? 

bests

The biggest temptation singles face is thinking that we live with God's second best. This temptation affects our whole view of God's character and his goodness, and consequently, our relationship with him.

Apropos of nothing, we were short-handed again at kid's club this morning. We love those kids, but if three of our kids act up, most of the other 30 will also start yelling and running too. A staff person came in to help us, but even then, the three of us were exhausted by the end of the two hours. I really love those kids, but something's just not right. Maybe we need two smaller classes instead of one big class.

The Sports Fellowship Committee--all THREE of us--will be going bus caroling together in Dec! Bus caroling is one of my favorite activities during the Christmas season.

moderating perfectionism

These days, I have to learn to be more moderate in my habits and routines, and loves and hates. I do think now that I have taken on a bit more than I should have this year, and while I enjoy serving in kid's club, guest services, and sports fellowship, I'd be happier if I didn't have so much on my plate. But being a part of all three also does reveal what makes me impatient, upset, or frustrated.

In kid's club, I am learning to be patient but also firm with our toddlers. Guest services is the most challenging area of ministry because I expect adults to behave like adults, and because this ministry is actually an "easy" way to serve. I still don't understand why it is so difficult for us to recruit volunteers, but there you have it. One of my friends who led this team for two years said yesterday that common sense is not so common, and that it is a good time to chip away at those perfectionist tendencies because I will be working with people from all stages of life. Being part of the sports fellowship committee is fun as I begin to get to know the two main leaders. Organizing activities can be very time consuming and tiring, but also rewarding. As I learn to trust my teammates, working with them will be more fulfilling.

I'm slowly learning to be patient in some of my friendships too. A good non-C friend suggested that I lower my expectations so that I won't feel hurt or annoyed by the people who let me down. After all, whatever I'm doing with my friends is supposed to be relaxing anyway, so why get stressed about it? I'd never thought of things in this light before. I suppose it makes sense. If what we're doing does not have high stakes, why get upset over it? Still, I'd appreciate it if my friends apologize when they are in the wrong....a heartfelt "sorry," is not that difficult to say, is it? I say it all the time, sometimes even when I shouldn't be sorry. (This does not put me on a moral high ground, it merely reveals how often I fail others.)

But life is what it is. This week, I'm out every single night of the week, and I have two different sets of friends visiting from different countries. Next week, another set of friends will be in town. Work is slowly picking up speed as deadlines approach and students begin reading more difficult texts. Thankfully, I have a bit of a break from ministry duties before they pick up again in mid-December.

I'm thankful for my life, but I look forward to my next quiet night at home alone, hopefully at the end of the month.

Kid's Club

I'm really enjoying my time with the three year-olds at church. Every week, we get one or two little girls who cry a lot but they are getting better. Some of the boys act up too and that's more challenging. Without meaning to, I've been tending more to the little girls who cry, and it just means holding them and talking to them until they feel more secure. The other teacher assistants have to tear around the room to calm the boys down. We'll see how long my luck holds.

lemon balm

If you're a woman who is looking for a powerful herb that actually helps ease one's monthly agonies, try lemon balm. I've used it in teas twice now and it does help. I'm very glad I found it, and while my plant is barely surviving now, the herb is reportedly easy to grow.

The black thumb strikes again.

beach olympics

The first event I helped organized for the Sports Fellowship at church! It was supposed to rain, but thankfully, it didn't rain at all, so everyone enjoyed the games and BBQ.

excitement!

So, I didn't get to play in the President's Cup this past month (our team won one match, but lost the next one anyway) and I was a bit disappointed but hey, I'm learning a lot from my Sunday sessions because the guys and the team manager/coach have been helping me/us out when they have time. I don't think I get to complain here! I still have at least one horrible bad habit that I need to break. And it looks like we'll be going to China for a weekend in November to play in a friendly match, and I will be part of the team because my (lack of) grading won't be affected by the match.

Here in HK, players are graded from A to E, and if you win in your group match, you get bumped up a grade. Right now, the team manager/coach wants to "collect" other players without grades and send us out as a team. I hope that he finds enough of us soon so I get to play in competitions!!

Anyway, the weekend in China should be fun as we will take a ferry to the location as a group, and I believe our room and board will be covered by the club that hosts us, and we will be hosted in facilities reserved for foreign guests. Regardless of how things turn out, the experience should be fun, and I'll get to know some of my teammates better.

As of two days ago, I am also now an interim member of the Sports Fellowship Committee at church. They want me on as one of the two leaders, but I am hesitant to commit right now because it could interfere with my baddy sessions. But based on their activities for the next two months, I can help out, so I'd like to see how things go first. Our next two upcoming activities will be biking in Sai Kung, and a night hike to the Peak. My weekends between now and January 2013 are all full!

How did I go from ushering only once a month to serving twice a month in kid's church, co-leading a team of ushers, and possibly leading another committee?? Well, as long as I don't have to co-lead a care group, I'm happy, hah.

I've only had hairy crab twice in my life, and it is delicious. I don't mind not having any other crab ever again! I had it once last year, and I'll probably have it only once this year too. It is very delicious but also very rich, and I don't want to risk getting sick of it after gorging. So, I'll wait another year before I have hairy crab for the third time! 

The brilliant Jo Kukathas

division of labor

It just occurred to me that a lot of the guys I've met here in HK are either bankers or they run their own businesses, or their family's businesses. Some of the women I've met are also bankers but none of them run their own businesses. Why is that??

drama almost drawing to a close

I went to the office today for an hour, and my throat started to feel dry and a little rough, and my nose felt a little congested, but it wasn't bad. Still, I have decided to go ahead and switch my bookshelves to metal ones. Hopefully this can be done soon, and hopefully this will solve the problem and I can work in my office again. 

growing up

I am coming to the slow but sure conclusion that almost all of life, including work, is a power struggle and a search for significance. Like Christ, we can strive for excellence and for the opportunity to bless others, and also to run away from the temptation to manipulate and control others. Me? I'd be happy if I can politely but firmly stop others from attempting to manipulate and control me. I'm surprised by how students try to do this as a means to gain affirmation or attention from me. Was I like that too at that stage?

gangnam style

My church had an announcement video that used part of this video, and everyone burst out laughing. I guess this really is the most popular meme ever. The song is growing on me.

new experiences

The air in my new office still makes me sick. They opened up the ceiling yesterday to do more tests. Haven't heard back about those.

Will co-lead Team D of the welcome team for church.

Have continued to meet new people through badminton. The guy in the import-export business is helping a friend market kinesiology tape so he gave me a roll for free. The tape is supposed to increase blood circulation so that muscles in the affected area can recover more quickly. The first strips I cut were too long, so now I have green tape running from my right wrist to the bottom of my right shoulder blade, and from the left of my lumbar to the front right of my waist. Luckily, I don't have any meetings or classes to go to this week.

I taped my muscles after a session of tuina massage so hopefully those muscles are getting a one-two punch. my right arm is feeling sore from the massage, so hopefully it'll recover more quickly because of the tape too. The coach from my Sunday club taught me how to grip the racket "correctly" and I spent 3 hrs trying to nail that new grip. I know I'm starting to get it right because certain muscles on my right forearm are really fatigued.

But am still missing my shots or hitting them weakly. If I don't make the adjustments soon, I'll prob be left out of the team for our upcoming competition--which would be a fair decision--so I'll be playing an extra day this week. I really need to figure this out soon!

Hike with the sports fellowship this Saturday morning, then a barbecue with another group of friends in the evening. Life is full.

Lots of thoughts recently about my witness for Christ. If I had to grade myself, I would give myself a C-. Lord, have mercy.

on singleness

I don't have an ergonomic work station right now because the air in my office makes me sick (and the safety office keeps telling me that the air quality is excellent, so I must be crazy). It's hard to write long posts for the time being because my wrist and neck hurt when I use a non-ergonomic desk, i.e. my table at home. My apt is too small for me to set up a suitable work station.

Anyway, here's a fairly long article on singleness that I think is very thoughtful and well-written. I'm not an extrovert, so my version of happy-singlehood looks a little different. I have not always been happy about being single but I am happy now, and it is a wonderful place to be. I do have to be careful not to let my single life be self-centered though. I think that it is perfectly fine and in fact, necessary for me to take care of myself, and as someone who is introverted, it does mean a lot of time alone, and on the badminton court. Without that time alone, I start to become a horrible person. Badminton does make me happy, and being single means I can play in team competitions right now, something that I'm happy to be able to do during this season of my life.

But I haven't been able to take on responsibilities recently, and now I will start taking on more. This year, I've joined the children's ministry at my church, and will be helping out at a teacher's assistant in the class with kids aged 3-4. It's been two weeks and I am loving it! I will also probably step up to co-lead a team of ushers for the church. Nothing's confirmed yet though.

Because my church numbers between two to three thousand, and we have three services that meet on four different floors in the same building--yes, it is a bit of a logistical nightmare--co-leading a team of ushers actually will entail a bit of work. This year, the leader of the whole welcome-team, i.e. the volunteer who works with the leaders of the various teams, wants us to take on more of a pastoral role. We cannot take the place of home group leaders but the role will require more than "find volunteers to fill in the slots" which is tough in itself. The previous leaders of my team have really had to scramble to find volunteers sometimes. It does seem strange that we don't hv enough volunteers when our church is so large. And most of us who volunteer also usually volunteer to serve in multiple capacities, so.....

junk boating!

Here are a few pics taken by one of the sports fellowship organizers.

hmm

This post has a lot of insight on the non-married life. Yeah, I'm still really struggling with patience, or rather, the lack thereof.

lazy saturday

literally, out of this world

Does this article describe a completely different generation, or has this subculture always been there but completely out of my sight? The hookup culture was always present on campus when I was an undergrad and grad student but I didn't think it was this bad. Since moving to HK, I've met a few bankers and now I look at them a little askance even if they are Christian ....

----

Afterthought

Imho, this article does not describe the moral degeneration of women per se. Based on public perceptions of what is morally acceptable, women are now just "more like" men. Where previously men were the only ones who could deny the consequences of extramarital sex (e.g. "How can you prove the baby is mine?"?), birth control and better economic opportunities now allow women to enjoy the same access to extramarital sex too, which is why I think we see more prevalent "sexual freedom" in general. This article also points out that in general, women are still stigmatized if they hookup more often while men are not condemned for similar behavior.

Of course, both Christian men and women are held to higher standards. But clearly, women are still more scrutinized, policed, and punished in general. And note also the kinds of conversations and bragging about sexual exploits that women have to put up with in the banking culture. I'm pretty sure men are not subjected to women's tales about their sexual exploits on a regular basis in their workplaces. Imho, such talk counts as sexual harassment.

goodbye, summer

Last Saturday, I went for my church's annual junk boat trip, and it will probably be the last junk boat trip for the season. I love lounging around on the upper deck as we slowly make our way to the chosen bay for the day. Depending on the boat and the destination, the journey can take up to anywhere between 20 mins to an hour. Our boat last weekend was super slow but it was nice to be able to stare up at the sky and enjoy the breeze as we made our way to Clearwater Bay.

We had a catered lunch onboard and that was really unbelievably mediocre in a city where good food can be gotten on the cheap. We had two speedboats that allowed us to wakeboard or go on the banana-boat, and we also had a ton of floaties and noodles so people could relax on the water. I didn't try wakeboarding this time because my shoulder is feeling quite stiff still and I don't want to risk an injury. I went on the banana-boat with two guys and I think we were not very balanced on it and tumbled off in under 10 seconds. My friend who sat in the speedboat said that he could see me bouncing up and down in the front and that perhaps I should've sat in the back and let the heavier guys sit in the front. Well, we'll see how it goes next summer!

The water was really clear that day and we were afraid it would rain but thankfully, the weather was sunny and breezy. I think I hurt my neck a little but overall, I had a really wonderful, wonderful time. No pictures from me because I didn't want to bring my camera to a 50-person trip where I knew very few of the people. Some of the organizers had cameras and I hope they'll share them with us soon!

clearing my head

Every now and then, I fall into despondency, and even though my life is going very well now, it still seems meaningless. Hey, I got tickets to Linsanity! My bosses treat me well and are supportive. Most of my colleagues are also supportive and I have job security for a few years. My family is doing well. HK is relatively safe and peaceful. The air in my new office makes me ill but that should change in a few weeks. (Hopefully.) So why do I keep feeling like there's nothing to life?

I learned last weekend that when I get this way, the best thing I can do is give thanks for the people who have chosen to call me a friend. I'm always in awe of how amazing they are, and how wonderful they choose to be even when I'm sometimes such a shithead. I love it when a friend from far away drops me a line. Or when someone responds to a Facebook post, or tags me in an old picture. I love hearing about my friends' lives when they can find time to tell me a few stories. I love hearing about people's work, and what they're learning in their work. I love it when friends take the time to be kind and do me favors even if I feel a little bad about receiving those favors. (I need to figure out how to treat them kindly too!)

Here in HK, I'm mostly meeting Cantonese people, obviously, but I'm also meeting a lot of Cantonese people who have lived elsewhere for many years, and they have led such different kinds of lives. I'm meeting people who make to me what seems to be unusual kinds of life-decisions, and I'm learning to respect them. Sometimes, I'm perplexed by how they see the world but it's really fun trying to figure it all out! What gives them pleasure? Why do they live? Why do they work? What do they look for in their friendships? I'm really amazed by how kind everyone is. They make my life fun.

Linsanity!!

Wow, I got 4 tickets to hear Jeremy Lin speak in HK! It's organized by local churches here, and my church was allocated a number of tickets which they distributed via a lottery system. I put in a bid for 4 tickets, and I just got the email telling me that I have them!

Now, I need to decide if I'm going to lunch with some M'sian friends, and we've had to postpone this lunch a few times because first I came down with a cold, and then two other friends came down with colds too. Well, it's a good dilemma to have!!

unusual

My badminton friends are very attentive and make me feel really taken care of when we hang out together. One of the guys redid my grip because it was "so ugly," and then restrung my racket too because the tension had gone out of it. Now I'm back to 25lbs on my racket strings and I get a really good snap. Maybe it's because I've gotten so used to taking care of myself, but it's really nice to feel looked after every now and then.

yumm

I'm still dreaming of some of the food I tried during my trip. The most adventurous dish I tried was "fresh" foie gras, aka "raw" foie gras but I didn't know it was raw until after the whole dinner. It was delicious and I wish I could have more!

summer cold

Sat down to dinner with a friend on Tues night, then she said, "I'm sick." Thanks, friend. By 4am on Wed, I woke up with a sore throat so I took my vitamins then went back to bed. The day went well but by Wed night, I knew I was in trouble. I spent Thurs afternoon and evening with chills and body aches, and went to bed by 9pm. Feeling better this morning but don't know if I should play badminton tomorrow night...

paris on a cloudy day

View from my favorite church, La Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre. Photos aren't allowed inside. I feel really calm and peaceful when I go in, and no other building has quite the same effect, I don't know why.

On a totally unrelated note, I'm hungry again. I had some leftover rice, beef, and veggies for breakfast about an hour ago and now I want another breakfast. This happened yesterday too. Really hungry!!

Sang this song in church on Sunday. Awesome.

thankful

I am happy. That is all.

making a difference

Wow. " People came from all around to hear him pray for them." Moving article.