Recent reads: Compendium - Catechism of the Catholic church, compiled by our Pope Benedict XVI.
Being slacking around..so its time to fill up my knowledge bank!
Compendium is a concise, yet comprehensive compilation of a body of knowledge. (Good thing that the book has BIG fonts! )
Catechism is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present. Catechisms are doctrinal manuals often in the form of questions followed by answers to be memorized, a format that has been used in non-religious or secular contexts as well.
In short, it is an educational system on Christianity, in this context. =)
The part i liked inside is...The Lord's prayer. It is the only prayer which unities all Christians, because it is the only prayer, taught by Jesus. The book explains every single sentence in this prayer.
Gonna read up more!
Amen.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Recent reads: Compendium- Catechism of the Catholic church
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 12:48 AM
Friday, March 27, 2009
Feelings never last...Love do.
Had an interesting conversation with Father Bruno today before RCIA session...
I've asked him about Miracles as well...why are the saints in the past able to perform miracles such as, the Saint of Miracles, St Anthony. He performed his first miracle when he was a little child, who is able to gather huge flocks of birds away from the field, and into the church, to prevent them from eating up all the seeds..when he grew up, he performed many other miracles such as, healing the man who amputated his leg (i think he really attached it back!), doing justice by bringing the dead to life for a short moment to testify for his dad who he was wrongly accused as a murderer, etc.
The life of St Anthony was amazing...and he was witnessed while praying, that brilliant rays shone from his room..and he was seen with sweet infant Jesus with him clinging onto him.. Those were the miracles back then..
Perhaps, my expectation of miracles is too high. After chatting with Father Bruno, i realised that Our miracles of these times, perhaps, is to be alive to see so many wonderful things in the world throughout the centuries through ages, being able to withstand the social stress and pressures, being able to live in a safe place like Singapore with our family...being able to see and enjoy the beautiful sunrise and sunset each morning and evening...
My heart should be filled with thanksgivings, praise, for the miracles in our daily life..
"May my unfailing prayer to St Anthony for intercession to sweet infant Jesus be granted. The answer to my prayer may require a miracle, even so, you are the Saint of Miracles. Whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your armsl and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours."
God's will be done.
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 4:20 AM
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Shuddup!!!
I'm learning to shuddup...~ Shut up..i mean...
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 2:58 AM
Monday, March 23, 2009
Date with Valerie!~*
Yesterday, i had a date with Val, a fellow RCIA faciliatator in church...
Although she's only 19 years old, but i think...she's been gone through alot in life...and the words that comes out of her mouth speaks of wisdom (no rubbish at all!)..an extraordinary young lady..
Recently, maybe i'm just too bored and having nothing to do, i went "out-of-course" with life...She did her best to align me back..and amazingly..the homework she told me to do, worked!
The day before our meeting, she wrote to me in an email:
"At this moment of despair, pour out your heart to the Lord, give every fibre of your body to Him and cry out to Him. He will heal you and comfort you by helping you to discover more about yourself (your hurts, your talents, your weaknesses) and in His Time, He will help you to discern, to know of His Will for you. If He is calling you, be sure that He will make the Signs BIG and CLEAR.
HW: Pray with the bible, followed by a decade of Rosary."
As i prayed the Rosary, sorrow that was built up inside began to pour out...and within a few mins, a strong sense of protection began to envelope my heart...and the sense of despair went away...
I kind of like...wanted to squeeze all the tears out, but i couldn't, as there was no more hurt at that moment.. it was amazing...
We met up, and chat for a few hours outside MacDonalds at Civic centre.
Having trouble getting over my last guy, we talked through about relationships, hurts in life, family, knowing ourselves...
And, she gave me some homework to practise on...
1. Write 10 positive and 10 negatives about ourselves.
10 positives:
- I am nice and pretty (quite surface...)
- I am generous, when i have the money to treat friends..
- I am a straight-forward, frank person.
- I love children!!! I am good at handling them too!
- I am good with uncles and aunties ( they love me like their child! Most of them. I act cute..ahhaahaAH~*)
- I can easily cheer people up when i want to!
- I can hang out with guys and not get bored easily. I'm easy-going actually.
- I am quite patient.
- I am quite tolerant and accepting person also.
- I am forgiving. (After getting such a horrendous boyfriend, and still being able to forgive him, i think i'm REALLY a forgiving person..ahaAHaha~~*)
10 Negatives (Some are extremes of my positives..):
- I am cut people with my words sometimes...especially to people closest to me..i will intentionally pick their weak spot and keep poking at it...to make them realise what's PAIN..(that's usually when they hurt me...i DO retaliate..)
- I am insensitive with handling egos..especially Men's...
- I am a TOO straight-forward sometimes...too blunt..
- I have a LOUD voice..(maybe i'll turn into a naggy LOUD mama next time..haha~~)
- I am persistent...meaning VERY STUBBORN person..
- I "show face" when i'm in a really terrible mood...I can be a mood killer sometimes...
- I am too reckless with decisions sometimes..anything also CHOP CHOP FAST FAST finish and move on...
- I am poor with managing finances and organisation. Quite messy sometimes.. I am not good with tidying up stuffs.
- I am not a "particular" person..not capable of scrutinizing details...don't have a good eye for details...
- I treat friends better than family (changing now...i'm more family-oriented these days..)
SomeOne who can complement my weakness... I can add strength to his weaknesses...
Being in a relationship in Love, is actually different from being in a relationship in Marriage.
There's much much more to consider when the impending BIG "M" comes...
In marriage... conflicts are inevitable, there are bound to be differences, and its is these differences that we are here to complement each other. THERE's still much more to understand about Marriage...Matrimony..
I remembered that in my previous blog on the down-to-earth guy that i wanted..i mentioned the following list. From my weaknesses.. i'll need to add in points 11 onwards..
- Have passion for life.
- Be there to adore and care for me. Be there whenever i need him. Really love me for who i am.
- Friendly guy to know, so my close friend can generally accept.
- Willing to change for the better. Not stubborn. Good EQ.
- Be investment savvy. Knows how to manage finance.
- A determined guy. Once he sets to start something, he will not give up and pursues to the end.
- Healthy guy without much bad habits.( I can tolerate drinking, but not smoking and clubbing.) (I give in to this..)
- Loves to hear me talk, appreciates whatever i do for him.
- Understands his priorities in life, values and beliefs.
- Have faith and hope for life.
- One who has an eye for details...can help me have look out for flaws, able to inspect, scrutinize.
- One who is a rational person, keep me in check from making rash decisions.
- One who is family-oriented (maybe being filial son will do.)
- One who can accept my weakness at poking egos, being stubborn, not willing to listen...and be patient with me for that until i change for the better..
- One who is willing to accept that we can grow together, willing to keep each other updated about our growth so that we will not drift apart...willing to spend time to know each other more, even when we are at our ripe old age...
"Before knowing about God, we must understand ourselves..."There's so much to understand from this sentence...
One answer for sure is....When we know oursleves..and when the time is ripe, God will prepare us for the special someone to come...in His Time..
That is why i have to do this homework.. (There's this amazing feeling that God sent her to speak to me...seriously!! No joke! You know when u believe...)
Right now, after talking to Valerie, i just wanna focus on praying for Anthony to lead a truly happy life (not gonna find out how's he been now, not gonna let whatever he do affect me now), and i know he'll only truly be happy DEEP DOWN HIS HEART if he's able to reconcile with God, and for me to find my True Love. + currently exploring Praying for others, my love ones, also will help me to expand my heart, my horizon, for more important things in life as well...
God's will be done. Amen.
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 5:43 PM
Something to think and pray about this week..
Long-term commitment whether in marriage, religious life or in other forms, is harder these days because of change. The loved one changes, and we change ourselves with time; so our relationships change. We cannot live our whole lives at concert pitch.
But when the tune changes, it need not be the end of the concert. It often is. In some countries half the marriages end in divorce. What is there in us that can survive the changes of time, and the up-and-down of living relationships?
As we look back at a jubilee, we see our commitment is at once richer and more painful than when we started. Faithfulness is a bit of a mystery and a marvel; it has a value in itself.
Faithful love builds up the one to whom we are faithful, expresses our hope in them. It is a grace, a gift: not so much what we do for God as what he does for us. It would make us feel humble, that in spite of all our inadequacies, we stuck it.
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 2:05 PM
Saturday, March 21, 2009
In a Dating Mood!~*
Am in a dating mood now!
Oh, maybe its just to recover from my out-of-love feeling..
This posting, is sort of, to divert my attention away from SHOPPING..and also...to work hard..start looking out for the Hyun Bin in my life...
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 11:43 PM
God bless him...
I was told that he's got 2 ladies in his company who are interested in him now...
He never seems to be able to escape this "fatal attraction" of ladies towards him..This stupid "AH Bui" uncle, "Emo Kid"!..
Hope God will bless him to make the right decision, and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit..
Heard that he's been on a buying spree as well...and i know how that feels, lately, when i am also going through this....
Just this week, I bought a crucifix keychain, a nail strengthener, an eyebrow kit, Catholic Digest, tonic hair-darkening shampoo and conditioner for dad, supplements for dad and mum, $180 worth of clothes... Its like...buying things is starting to become a focus, a daily goal in my life.
Its a feeling of emptiness at times, and we just want to find a focus in our lives... to live by..
Hope that Jesus will walk with him as well. Teach him and guide him... let him never lost hope in life...
May the Scared Heart of Jesus sanctify him, protect him and may the Immaculate Heart of Mary intercede thy prayers to our Lord...
Amen.
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 12:27 AM
Friday, March 20, 2009
Life...
去爱吧 像不曾受过一次伤一样
跳舞吧 像没有人欣赏一样
唱歌吧 像没有任何人聆听一样
干活吧 像不需要钱一样
生活吧 像今天是末日一样
Love - like you have never been hurt
Dance - like no one has ever appreciated
Sing - like no one has ever listened
Work - as if money not compulsory for a living
Live - as if Today is the last day of our lives
I really miss him...
Hope God is always with him, protecting him, sanctifying him.
Amen.
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 2:25 AM
BOREDOM
I'm so bored...bored to the point of depression!! :..(
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 1:30 AM
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Sunset lovers...~
Qn: What do Andrew and Daisy, Gerade and Suzanna, Jeffrey and Carol, Thomas and Jenny, Peter and Christine, Ronnie and Loretta (Neil's parents), My dad and my mum have in common?
Recently, i was thinking, Life is really REALLY SERIOUSLY DAMN F***KING SHORT!!
28 - Should be able to have met the love of my life
30 - A new life: which may be stage 2. Get married, have your own apartment, family planning, allocate time between career, friends and family
31 - A newborn at home....before and aftermaths of pregnacy, allocate time between child, husband, friends and family, and our Faith (that's what will keep us growing together!)
32 to 35 - Stage 3: Caring for the toddler, education for them, and maintain our youthful looks and not going downslope... Career to be steadily climbing for my man.. Leisure and Recreation not to be forgotten..MUST have couple times, private times as well... Our faith will still be growing too!
35 to 45 - Stage 4: Kids to be moving towards teenage years. More MORAL education for them, so as not to follow the ways of the IMmoral world of today's times... teach them not to always believe TV ads and news, learn how to discern certain issues of the World... Still, i'm gonna have fun with friends and hubby! Maybe we can visit the kids during CCA, and rekindle sec school life! haaHA~*
45 to 55 - Stage 5: Watch the kids grow up, TAKE CARE OF OUR HEALTH! hehe~ parents get to slack abit and have private times with each other. Not forgetting to maintain "Friendship" with the kids, nurturing them.. plan our retirement with fellow old OLD friends (seriously, we cant be retiring with our children ard..haha~)
55 to 60 - Stage 6: CPF is out for us (might be, by then)! Maybe we can have a 20 yr plan on how to spend the money for retirement...travelling..slacking...fishing... go to church together and commit to the works of God..and it seems to be back to what we've always been doing for the first 20 years of life..Like a virtuous cycle. =) He must say "I love you" everyday as well.. :)
80 > - Stage 7: Hopefully, we are able to discern when our time will be up (God's graces, we pray forth), and let's live and leave together (no more than 1 month apart from each other)...to Heaven with God.
Well, this seems like a good draft for me. A sunset couple-wannabee! Looks like a hectic schedule too..
Am i been too hopeful or what? What if it doesn't work out the way i want it to be?
I hate dumb people who asks me stupid questions. Its just simple. I believe in True Love, and EVERYTHING that comes along with it, the pains, the joys, peace, hope and love. Do you believe?
Whether it works, I'll always pray for God's direction and guidance..
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 5:24 PM
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Prayers...
Hmm..its 4.04am in the morning, and i can't get to sleep after watching 《我叫金三顺!》@ tudou.com. That website is the BEst ah! so speedy.. literally no loading time needed! No more Youtube.com. ahaa~ :)
Alot went through my mind recently...and just wanna blog it down, in case i forget in future..
Life's, actually quite short. Really short. In 5 years time, i'll be 30 yrs old. Like the female lead in the show, called 三顺. She's slightly on the Big side..i think over 65 kg at least, minimum 1.7m...30 years old..and got ditched right from the beginning of the show. And then, blar blar blar...story goes on...
What's worth mentioning abt her? hmm...i guess, its abt Timing.
At 30yrs old, getting ditched can be quite..pathetic..
"Market Value" is declining with every birthday celebration..being on the plus-side doesn't do her any better, but she's quite charismatic in her ways after all. She have dreams, to be the best baker in Korea. Having a goal, a vision in life, to look forward to, this is so mezmerising...
Having met the true love of her life @ 30years old is also..quite..hmmm....(shalt think of that now..) But anyway, whilst the story might be fictional, alot of people in reality do only get to meet their true love at a later stage of life. Perhaps the first 20-30years are experiences to better prepare us for holy matrimony...
If time is not ripe, things will never turn out fine..(whatever this statement means..its meaning may change in future, as i read up more and change my perspectives..)
Anyway, what i wished for my 25th birthday, and all my prayers for my Novena sessions, are all the same.. Wishes are like prayers for me now..and it'll all stay the same, until the miracles happen.
- That he will attend RCIA and go back to Christ..for God to lead him in his life and be blessed with the Gift of Wisdom and Discernment.
- That all my friends and their families will quit smoking and lead a healthy lifestyle.
- That my family will be healthy (especially my parents) and wealthy, financially and spiritually.
- That the Lord will reveal my true love, lead me to him, and may we learn from the ways of Jesus' life, grow old together in the Lord's guidance..
And sometimes, when i'm not forgetful, i will add on this..."May the Lord bless all my friends who are single and available, to find the true love of their life and guide them spiritually in their relationship journey.." heeeEEE~* :)
Also, lately, alot of miracles has been working in our church group also..really amazing..
As lots of stuffs shan't be discussed outside the group, i'll have to keep them anonymous.
A lady was having a bad time at work ever since the recession started, having to do what she didn't like to do (Sales! i don't really like it too!), and she really wanted to quit her job! BUT during this recession times, JOB PRESERVATION is the word.
For a long period of time, she prayed over it and there was no improvement for a long time..things were really going way out of hand and there was nearly a depression stage she had never experienced in her life.. She decided that it was too much for her. Finally, she told God, that it was too heavy a burden for her, and prayed for God to lift that burden away. As Christians, we know that, the Lord will not give us a burden we cannot handle. We prayed for her too..and recently, there was a reply from a company where she posted her resume to. To cut the story short, Out of 120 resumes, only 60-70 were screen through by the HR, and only 5 made it through the second interview, and she was the only one selected for a senior executive position! And her pay will be $1000 more than her previous job!
Alot of us in the same group also experience similiar things about our career as well. My friend recently got a pay rise which is at least double his income now, another was offered a higher pay from another company to hop over, and also having bonuses bigger than last year's is an EXTREMELY RARE case for this year's poor economy...and we all are experiencing and sharing our happy cases with each other only recently~ God's graces. =) We all will get caught up with bad times at some part of our lifes, and having no one really fitting to turn to, we turn to God (who will always be there for us, no matter what happens. As long as we believe).
Prayers keeps us sane, distracts us from the unnecessary worldly things in life, and allows us to focus...
When there are pains and sadness, i pray for love and time to heal from God, to stay sane and distract myself, to not do silly things anymore..
When there are obstacles and turbulences in life, i pray for safety and guidances from the Holy Spirit..and not do dangerous things that jeopardizes my life and reputation...and many more.
I think prayers really did, make me change abit. ABIT at least.
- I did my best to keep my mouth shut and stop making a nuisance with my mouthful of sarcastic words..and imgine how hurt others will have gotten..
- I start to think twice before doing anything reckless ( i am a VERY reckless person)
- I start to think twice about hurting the people i love (still not very good with that...I did hurt him deeply with my sharp words..)
- I get to be more patient now, whenever things don't work out the way i want it to be. I pray...and slowly, things will work out in one way or another. (e.g. I will get DAMN impatient when the mrt gets too long to arrive OR waiting for some friends for an hour or 2..and i'll pray, and think, what's the worst that can happen? LATE lor.And i'll just happily carry on with what i do..and anger just difusses away and the most amazing thing is, the rest of the day will always seem smooth-going~ ;D )
- I start to have a very good soulmate, whom i believe in, and whatever i share with him, confide with him, a sense of comfort will overwhelm me and make me feel safe. Thank you Lord, may i never lose you again.
Amen
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 4:04 AM
Thursday, March 12, 2009
AMORE!! What a discovery...~
Wow... 3 days i spent in the gym... i felt my lungs alive again!
And suffering from muscle-aches now..the thighs especially...The classes can be really killers for beginners!!!
Really getting old and FAT! Oh man!
Went to this morning's session, a free 1 hr counsultation with the gym instructor. I realised that although my Body Mass Index(BMI) is on a healthy scale, my Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM) is damn low!! Too less lean muscle..and my fat is too much!! I'm classified as obese!!
Overall, i need to build 5.8kg of muscles, and lose 6.8 kg of fats!!!
Diet per day cannot be more than 1500calories..
Here's a breakdown of a sample 1500cal diet plan...
Breakfast: 1 cup high fiber cereal + 1 cup soya milk + 1 fruit (about 280cal)
Lunch: Sandwich with 85grams Skinless Chicken or Turkey Breast or Tuna on 2 Slices of High Fiber Bread + 2 Cups of Salad Greens with Seasoned Vinegar + 1 Fruit (about 445cal)
Snack: 2 fruit (about 200cal)
Dinner: 170grams of Skinless Chicken Breast, Turkey Breast, or Fish; + 1 Cup of Brown Rice, Whole Wheat Pasta, or Starchy Vegetable; + 2 Cups of Steamed Vegetables; + Salad with seasoned vinegar; + 1 fruit (about 435cal)
Total: That's about 1360cal only.
Let's just forget about the above....and i'll just take Chlorella + Fiber... + miso soup and tofu..sounds more simple.. :P
DAMN all those suppers in the past...~
How to reach 50kg like that?...within another 8 days? I might as well give myself until the end of the month... :( must build the muscles healthily..
Regarding the lessons there, the classes are fun! And besides the yoga and pilates (My favourites!), there's also their signature BellyBlitz (Aerobics + Belly dancing,which requires Hipscarves with shimmery bling blings!) , CardioLatino (Aerobics + Samba, Rumba, Cha cha, Paso Doble and Jive elements)! So interesting...
And they've got their Kickboxing (very popular), PowerYoga (which is high-heat, high-energy workout), even Hip hop, Jazz, and MTV dances!!
No carbohydrates for me this month...i do my best to avoid...hahaa~~
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 3:50 PM
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Confessions of a Shopaholic!!!
Over the last 2 weeks, i bought:
1) wallet ($26.10)
2) clutch bag ($17.10)
3) nice black hand bag ($23)
4) skipping rope ($10.80)
5) Gisele Bundchen sandal ($36)
6) black high heels ($25 + $15.80 for sole support stickers)
7) spa package with Subtle sense ..3 year installement ($36.60 per month), which adds up to nearly $105 per month!!!
8) Amore fitness 4 year session package... 2 year installement ($176.67 per month!!)
I'm so bad...and i'm intending to get a harddisk for my collapsing laptop this coming IT show at Suntec, more clothes when sch work starts,.... :..(
I have never shopped like this before!!! And i'm not working currently now..that's the problem.. :.. (
MOE reply please come faster...get me occupied with work....
*Sorry to Carine and April, i'll get my finance settled asap..
Must do self-reflection... God help me...
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 1:06 AM
Monday, March 9, 2009
Need to lose some weight...~
He mentioned that i'm really getting abit too much fat (all thanks to their night suppers..and my inability to resist good food..haha~) He is also another "Ah-Bui". :P
Jiayou!!! :P
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 12:22 PM
Friday, March 6, 2009
Ladies ways of the World! :P YippEe~*
Woohoo!!
Got myself an ozozo wallet and an ozozo clutchbag! All under $50 total! ;)
So happy.. And look what's written on the clutch bag..."Looking Good is the Best Revenge"! ahaAHahaA~~* That silly ant is gonna regret it one day, hope he's regretting everyday. >:P (hahaa~ not bare grudges lah...mentioned for fun..)
Although they're not the pricey Louis Vuitton and Coach bags, but they're just niffy and nice, and its a sec school, high sch girl's dream to own them, back then, in my time. hahaA~
Comtemplated quite a long while before getting it, cos they have crystals on it...hate it when it falls off. Nonetheless, the sales lady told me that they have services to repair. So, its comforting afterall.
Next on my list....a bigger bag! To go to school with, able to contain my 1 litre water bottle and A4 size documents. Having Tangs voucher! Gonna go scouting @ Tangs soon! ;)
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 4:37 PM
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The ways of the World..or the Ways of God.
Colossians 2:8 [Warning against False Teachers]
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 3:33 PM
I'm dry...but i wanna write so much things!.....
Ran out of ideas what to write lately...
ALot of things actually..just..finding the right words to put it out in writing..
Learnt from my guy previously..he's a very sensitive person, so i learnt NOT to say things i don't mean to...sometimes i get really get so hard on words, ON purpose, just to let the other person understand how i felt.
I've always taught people about empathy, but i can get so unkind with words too...
Anyway, will write in tomorrow afternoon, hopefully..Will be in church then! :)
I wanna write abt..God, about Love, about Life slacking and waiting for my vocation to came for me..wanna get an combinational mircowave, conventional, grill oven, get a new wallet that fits me, a nice bag that is easy to carry and use AS A teacher, get a driving license as well! So much things!! ... Life's great and hopeful. =)
God bless.
Amen.
Posted by Annie Clare Lee at 1:41 AM