random resolutions

Why should resolutions only be confined to the starting of a new year (be it solar/lunar calendar or academic)? To that effect (yes i am aware that b'day is coming up but this has totally nothing to do with it), i hereby resolve to:

Start taking notes in some way, shape or form while i am doing quiet time.

Recently, especially since the study break started, the Lord has been speaking to me in such amazing ways through His Word that haven't been the case for such a sustained period of time (just around a week - very good by my standards) ever. Am very thankful for the fact that i have been able to take away something new and refreshing from His divine Word more or less every day that has definitely spoken to me deeply (this also accounts for my recent penchant for sharing Bible passages with various groups of people - the Sword of the Spirit is such an amazing and powerful tool *yay*).

Of course, this sudden accumulation of spiritual treasure means that i have had trouble retaining much of it, which is where the idea to start writing down how the Spirit speaks to me through His Word comes in. Definitely a good habit that i've always had a momentary thought of now and then to do but never got around to.

So what i have to do is first to get a notebook. Now, some of you may know that i am quite one for primness (such a word?) and propriety [am trying to make nouns from "prim and proper" here], which means that everything must be just right [latest manifestation of this streak: i forgot to bring my pencil case to school that day and consequently went to the co-op to buy a new blue highlighter (yup, second in a week) in lieu of the brand new one at home to use for my readings cos i just have to use the exact same colour on all my notes]. This therefore means that i have to make sure that everything is just right for the notebook. Right colour (blue - nothing else will do...), size, price... Furthermore, once i get the notebook, my writing format of the notebook must also be standardized throughout each and every day... All of this merely makes the job of starting to fulfil this resolution all the more ma fan (especially considering how lazy and procrastinating i tend to always be)

So to that effect, when you (whoever you are) next see me, please do remind/prod/provoke/force me to go about actually starting this little undertaking of mine, so that it won't merely be an empty committment.

Reformat my room.

This stems from playing tennis at Ming Hui's house that day, when we went up to his room. It's slightly smaller than mine, but the space available is just soooo much more than what i have. The arrangement of furniture allows for maximal utilization of space, and therefore maximal empty space.

Now, if you have ever visited my room, you will know what a mess it is. Random unmatching pieces left over from the previous occupant combine with my father's two filing cabinets that the rest of the tiny house has no more room for, a totally unused air bike that similarly has no other place to call home, a box big enough to fit two mini fridges that is a remnant of Feb last year when we moved in to the house (and that currently serves as storage for any random piece of rubbish that i can't find any other place for, as well as a makeshift clothes rack), and my innate untidiness to equate to a total wreck of a living space.

Inspired by his room, i therefore hope to do some tidying up and furniture rearrangement in my room once time permits (which judging from my predicted schedule for the upcoming months, will fall somewhere around the start of the long break once year 2 ends...), so as to create more breathing space in this fire trap of mine. Already have ideas filling my head regarding how to go about doing this... Methinks i shall pay a visit to Ikea one of these days and see what i could get to replace some of this aging, cruddy furniture (but only once bus pass is restored though - which means next sem...)... Hmmm, judging from the rate that i am going, i won't be surprised if by the time this resolution is fulfilled my father gets posted somewhere else and we have to move again *bleah*.

Be outreach-minded.

Over the past month or so (and more so since we started having those very fruitful 9am morning prayer thingys at the arts canteen), God has, in several ways, been reminding me of my lack of action in terms of reaching out to others for Christ. Of course, there's MEET and all, but methinks that somehow i may have unconciously/subconciously been using that as a convenient excuse to, erm, excuse myself from doing so even here and now.

So now i am reminded of my grandfather, who i have taken for granted so much, since my family is otherwise more or less "fully Christian" in that sense, and who still has not come to accept Christ after 87 years. Also of my (maybe i have been neglecting building up relationships with them as of late) pre-believer friends (who don't even number much) or those of whom i am totally unaware of where they stand with the Lord at this point in time, especially those whom i have more or less broken off contact with and now wonder what might have been had i been obedient to the Lord's call back then. Even of the many pre-believers around me whom i have, up to this point never even had the thought of reaching out to through opportunities that the Lord has provided.

It is vital that comfort zones, which exist in terms of language, culture, friendship circles, time etc are exited from in this process. He does not require anything more from us than obedience to Him springing out of a deep love for Him that comes out of His initial great love for each and every one of us. So this is my prayer, that the Lord will cause this Christlike love to overflow from me, and that i will be sensitive to discern the opportunities that i know He will provide and take ownership of them as the Spirit leads.

Of course, i have many other things that i resolve to do [like pick up guitar, re-pick up and improve keyboards, learn Tagalog, re-learn and be fairly competent in French, finally get started on (let alone get) my driving license. get down to applying for SEP, run/swim/cycle/other exercise apart from soccer or badminton on a regular basis, and the list goes on...] but if i were to go on and on regarding all these my exam prep would just go down the drain, so for now, these three shall suffice...