Turning Point: Hope for the Weary

Hello, hello.
I just came here to say that God is good.
I'm listening to this song that the worship pastor played at my first small group meeting this past week. Hillsongs I Adore You
I was listening to it non-stop at work. And forever the Lord is exalted.
Snippets of my life these days. As you can see, I've become a pseudo fireworks photographer these days. With the terrific harbour view from my apartment, I'm trying to milk it for all its worth. The fireworks picture was taken on the New Years Eve at the Yacht Club. The cake picture is one of my many culinary escapades in the art of melding sugar and butter together. I'm failing a lot these days and I need to figure out how to master this to make it a piece of cake (I know, I'm cheesier than most dads). And as I mentioned earlier, a new addition to my collection of blogs-the style one- that's a necklace I made for the NYE ball: black Swarvoski crystal,velvet, safety pin and chains.
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A new year and a new beginning.
That's the great thing about being Chinese- you get to celebrate TWO new years and have the ability to start resolutions twice if you failed the first time around. Chinese New Year is coming up (coincidentally the same day as Valentine's Day which is quite unfortunate for all restaurants here banking on boyfriends dolling their pockets out to spend on their girlfriends cuz... now they have to spend it with family! haaaha).
So, I was close to quitting. I was very close to throwing my hands up and leaving. I didn't understand why I was here in the first place if nothing was really happening. It wasn't only this aspect of my life but also the spiritual dryness that I felt the past month. I could only run for so long on morning devotionals prior to work before I felt devoid of any emotion or desire to want to talk to God. Without accountability, spiritually close friends or friends whom I could look face to face and share with, reading the Bible and praying just became a chore. At one point I was just sitting and staring out the window that overlooked all of Hong Kong and just said, "honestly, God, I don't really have a desire to talk to You. I feel like I'm talking to myself or to a wall that doesn't want to have a conversation." and that was it. That was my prayer. Although it was point blank and took me about two minutes to say, that's all I really did feel.
I know this is out of nowhere, but can I say, I hate talking to friends on Skype. Or at least attempting to. I've been stood up so many times I feel like their lack of care and timing comes out of lack of respect for me. Just because I am not physically there to meet up with them, they find that it is okay to not show up until an hour later and just brush it off with a "sorry I'm late" and proceed to repeat this process. I get really angry about these things. Most people don't care but they don't understand that I never cared for skype or ichat until they told me to get it. And they told me to get it so we could converse via video. So when they come on late and let me know they either forgot/woke up late/whatever, I don't understand why I bother waiting at all. I am a person who likes multitasking and skype/ichat requires my 100% attention thus I can't really surf the internet or listen to music or watch youtube videos if I'm on skype. Which is fine because hey, if you're a friend, I'll give you the attention because I do have the desire to talk to you but the fact that you decide to go on forty five minutes later while I'm just sitting here waiting, irks the heck out of me. Once I remembered I had a skype date but didn't recall the time but decided not to bother checking because I just assumed the person wouldn't be on after a consistent number of times we had to reschedule. I was wrong, I think, but sadly I really did not feel any remorse. I can't seem to find the heart to forgive because I don't think they really care to ask for forgiveness or embody a spirit of repentance.
Anyway, life is changing once again. The nature of my work is changing come the new year. I'm a little apprehensive after my experience here for the past five months but at the same time excited. The news came to me on the day my parents were going to leave Hong Kong which was so perfect. I guess you can say I got a new position. Ask me! I am excited to share! It's an ENFP/Inspirer position!!! ^^
At the first SG meeting I attended this past week, they were discussing the sermon this past Sunday which was on the year of relationships. Apparently after five years at a church, people start to couple together hence the sermon. Our pastor believes it's a year of new relationships and marriage. Given that most of the people at our church are in their late twenties, I don't doubt that. Anyhow the SG leader asked me if I had a "list" of qualities I'd want in a significant other and when I said one of them was "the ability to initiate" everyone seemed a little surprised. The worship pastor asked me why.
To me this is such a no-brainer. It's the easiest way to get a girl: initiate. It's the biggest telltale sign and the smallest action that has the greatest significance. I told him that it was attractive to see a guy just saying hello or asking to eat lunch together (including group lunches like after service). I find it very attractive when guys initiate because it shows their self-assurance/confidence and potential qualities as a leader of a relationship (on the top of my abstract list). If I were to marry someone, I would want him to be the initiator and if he can't initiate in the beginning, there's a problem because a small action such as this is experienced over and over again from going out to lunch to deciding on where to go on vacation to where to settle down to start a family. I find people who do not initiate to be a turn-off mostly because they're afraid of being wrong or being rejected. I can't imagine in the future asking a boyfriend, where do you wanna go for lunch? and him saying "I don't care. You pick." Or What do you want to do this weekend? and him saying "doesn't matter to me as long as it's not shopping." I'm not interested in getting to know a vapid person with no opinion or taste. It won't offend me if you wanted Thai food instead of udon noodles. I don't care if you don't have a preference, just pick or offer options.
And that's partially there's a reason why all my guy friends are just friends.
Anyway, the reason for this post was to just record the change in my work and the goodness of waiting on God because His timing is perfect. I'm starting to understand that very slowly.
When I feel depressed I take out my keys and look at them. I have access to two of the most beautiful homes in HK to remind me of God's blessing on me with one facing a beach and one facing the HK skyline. I can walk out of the shower with only a towel on and look across all of HK and no one would see me but I can see all of Hong Kong island. That made me chuckle on one of the days I was feeling really depressed.


