Author: Andrew

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the otnaicus daily

Edition 310 – God’s Love For Us

The above skit never fails to move me to tears, even after watching it a few times. Parallels what we face in life sometimes. Lyrics to the song below…

Everything by Lifehouse

Find me here
Speak to me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
You are the light
That’s leading me
To the place where I find peace again.

You are the strength, that keeps me walking.
You are the hope, that keeps me trusting.
You are the light to my soul.
You are my purpose…you’re everything.

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

You calm the storms, and you give me rest.
You hold me in your hands, you won’t let me fall.
You steal my heart, and you take my breath away.
Would you take me in? Take me deeper now?

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Cause you’re all I want, You’re all I need
You’re everything,everything
You’re all I want your all I need
You’re everything, everything.

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Enjoy… And cheers…. :Þ

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Edition 309 – It Is Finished!!

 

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Every year, after the last Easter drama run, we will proclaim this. But this year, I think it is a new beginning of a new group of people who are rising up.

IMG_0505 Proud of the relatively new team at the helm of the production. The first-time Easter drama director and two first-time drama ADs did a fantastic job with the very limited number of rehearsals. Not to mention the rest of the team who made this production very possible. It is only with their sacrifice and zeal that the TV production is as good as it can get!

Go team, go!!! :Þ

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Edition 308 – Easter 2010

And so Easter is tomorrow. Right now, we are hard at work running rehearsals with the CHC Drama Team. The night is young but things are looking up!

This year, I have a team of younger crew at the helm of the production. Seasoned vision mixer/director, and two ADs who’re pretty new at the job. I’m glad things are turning out well and they are fitting into their roles. Me? I’m the video playback guy, tech guy, and somewhat of a producer’s role.

Like the directing team, I’m new to this producing business. It’s quite different from directing and vision mixing. Gotta ensure that the show can happen and take care of the little things that will make the show happen! Long way to go but I’m willing to learn.

I’m glad that new people are rising up to take up the challenge of being part of the drama crew. It’s not easy. Late nights, the need to take leave from work and school, and the need to serve for ALL services. And of late, the need to be familiar with two separate sets of cues. Proud of everyone that has stepped up to take the challenge, both past and present.

So do keep the entire Easter production team in prayer. 7 services. It’s going to be tiring, but it’ll be a great weekend!

Until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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the otnaicus daily

Edition 307 – Encounter With God

This morning’s SOT session blew me away. It ended with Rev. Ming giving the students an encounter with God. And those of us upstairs in the control room also experienced it.

I can’t remember exactly what happened and how it led up to the moment, but I found myself tearing and just experiencing the love and warm embrace of God. Totally cool. And at the end of it all, he got us to sit down and write down what God has spoken to us, in the form of a letter. And this is what I managed to type down while tearing….

Dear Andrew,

I know the difficulties and problems you face in your daily life. But I want you to know that I’m always here for you. Never forget that I am here. Always lean upon me as your source of strength. In whatever you do, always know that I will always be with you. You are my son. I have made you while you were in your mother’s womb. I know how many hairs you have on your head. I know you!! Lean on me my son. Never ever forget that I’m always right next to you. Carrying you whenever you face walls in your life.

I love you my son. And I will always love you no matter what.

Love,
Jesus

Cool, isn’t it? It was so encouraging to have that being put into my heart. The words just flowed and I typed until the words stopped.

And after I got all that down, I was pretty surprised I managed to type all that with my eyes closed. I could even correctly correct my mistakes while eyes were closed.

Thank you, God, for putting that word into my heart….

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the otnaicus daily

Edition 306 – Knowledge

Over the past couple of days, I was caught surprised at myself by the amount of knowledge I have amassed. It got me thinking, how, when I didn’t even do much research into these things, did I get to know that much about a subject matter?

A realization dawned. It’s because I have been applying what I’ve learnt and heard over the years. Knowing is one thing… Doing and applying what is learnt is what will keep the knowledge fresh in the mind.

I wonder if it’s just me, or that’s how the human brain operates.

Until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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the otnaicus daily

Edition 305 – I’m Back

Wow… It has been two months since I last blogged. I think it’s high time that I brushed the cobwebs off this blog.

I have been kept relatively busy since my last blog on my engagement. Work is always there on the agenda. Of course, planning for the wedding. And now I’m taking driving lessons.

Thoroughly enjoyed my CNY break. 10 days! And first time I see my sister in two years. Really missed her and had a good time catching up, and playing the role of brother again. Haha. Family and a little home-cooked food always goes a long way to cheer up and refresh the soul.

Learnt quite a fair bit about the intricacies of pre-wedding traditions while I was back for CNY. I realised that over generations, details of the traditions of a Chinese wedding gets watered down. As much as we Chinese want to keep to the traditions, often we find out that we don’t know much and we try to find out from relatives and friends. Conflicting info often results in frustrations, which can lead to arguments. Important to keep a cool head, especially when things are not going your way.

And so even as I embark on my wedding planning process, I find myself clueless and at a loss. No info = no decisions made. No decisions made = time lost. Basically, just feeling a bit overwhelmed by all this. It’s like you’re doing it for the first and only time. No second chance to improve. But then, this is something that you wouldn’t want to do for a second time. Praying for God’s guidance.

As for my driving lessons, enjoying them very much. But thinking about the cost can be quite discouraging. Guess I will just have to scrimp on some stuff. Need 20+ lessons and at $39 a pop, it’s gonna add up. This is not counting the amount that I have to pay for testing services and all. Stress.

Life goes on. Asia Conference is around the corner. Easter is around the corner. Going to be a busy few months. Hopefully, after that is a lull period. Until next time, cheers… :Þ

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Edition 304 – Engaged….

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I finally did it. After 4 years. On 12 January 2010, I went down on one knee and popped the question. And I’m glad I did it.

It wasn’t really well-planned. I was in Penang and I just got this urge to propose on our 4th Anniversary. However, no concrete plans formed as to how I’m going to do it. Up till the night itself, I still had no idea how I should do it. Suddenly, I felt like how I felt 4 years ago when I asked if Debbie would like to be my girlfriend.

Went to Morton’s of Chicago to celebrate our 4th Anniversary. In short, I had a fantastic experience there. Fine dining is something else. And after that, I brought her to Marina Barrage so that we could find a quiet place to talk.

The plan was to reminisce about the 4 years that we’ve spent together and to talk about and envision how our life together might be like. And the time was right, I would get down on one knee, say some stuff, and ask the question.

Well, Mr. Murphy tagged along that night. The envisioning the future part didn’t turn out how I had played out in my mind. I thought to myself, “This is it… Time to plan a 2nd attempt another day.” But I managed to get Debbie to talk a bit about the future, after much probing. Then I thought we’d just end the evening with a word of prayer, to commit the 5th year to God.

Brilliant idea struck there and then. How about praying about our future, and then turn it into a proposal. I seriously can’t remember how I did it, but it was done. And my dear Princess teared at the right moment. And I moved in for the “kill”.

IMG_2715 I said my piece. I teared, Princess teared. I asked, she answered “YES”. I placed the ring on her finger. And the rest, as they say, is history. But I would like to think of it as a start of a fantastic future together. History that has yet to be written.

It seems all so surreal now. And it feels as though that a new “honeymoon” period has started. And it feels as though that I’m meeting Debbie for the first time and falling in love all over again. Mushy stuff, I know. But that’s exactly how I feel.

I know that God has a great plan for us all laid out. The proposal was rounded up with a prayer to end the prayer that I started. Committed everything to God. And only with God’s grace and blessings can we move forward.

Yup, that’s the story of how I proposed. And I learnt a lesson as well from that evening. NEVER, EVER go to Marina Barrage at night without your own car. Getting a cab was not easy and it was kind of like a wet blanket on a otherwise fantastic night.

Until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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Edition 303 – Perplexed

Of late, I’ve been wondering why is it that it’s so difficult to get people to serve in the ministry. Does it only affect CHCTVM? Have we been so lax that the attitudes have changed so drastically? Or are the people today just like that?

But yet as I sit down to think about it, I have no answers to the questions. I’ve heard comments that the crew doesn’t care how much others are stretched; they only care about themselves. Now isn’t that just plain selfish?

As leaders, we are supposed to inspire and to lead. So how effective have we, the leaders, been? Have we been doing things the correct way? Is there a more effective way of leading the crew?

I know it takes two hands to clap. But it has just gotta start somewhere. Best place to start? I guess that’s from the top. There must be a way to inspire and to lead more effectively.

Super random post but I need to get thoughts off my chest. What triggered this is that it’s becoming more and more difficult to get crew to serve, especially the crew from the Expo team. Yes, there is a core group of people who’re dedicated to the ministry. But that’s a small group. What is needed is that the masses, the rest of the ministry, avail themselves to serve.

A fellow leader brought up a point. Why is it that a smaller team in JW can fill up a roster faster than a team that’s more than twice in size combined? I think it boils down to the commitment level of a crew. I’m sure that the JW team and the Expo team people are not much different. We all have our own jobs and commitments outside of church. So why can the JW team stretch themselves so much? Some even serve longer hours than than the team in Expo.

Well, I guess it’s time to pray and seek the answers from God. I don’t have the answers, and neither do I want to present an answer here. This is just me ranting about a real problem that needs a real fix and real quick.

Food for thought? That’s for sure. Until next time, cheers… :Þ

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Edition 302 – Singaporean

I just realised that about one month has passed by since I last updated my blog. Getting lazy nowadays. I would have some thoughts in my mind to pen down, but when I sit down in front of the computer to type it all out, somehow I just don’t know how to put it into words.

Some major changes has happened in that one month. If you’ve guessed from the title of my post that it has something to do with my nationality, then you are right. After overcoming some stumbling blocks and waiting for six months after applying, I received my letter of approval. And a month later, after renouncing my Indonesian citizenship, I’m now officially a Singaporean. Yup, pink IC and all.

Along with that, a name change so that I can take up my Chinese name. So from hence forth, I’m known as Teoh Soo Chee, Andrew. In Chinese, that would be 赵树淇, or 趙樹淇. But don’t worry, I still respond to all my old names and ways of calling me. Just thought I’d put this out there so at least when I use my Chinese name, confusion will be limited.

So how does it feel to be a Singaporean? To be honest, I don’t feel much of a difference. Maybe it’s because I’ve stayed in Singapore for so long that I already feel like one long before I obtained citizenship. But I think I’ll definitely enjoy the perks that come with citizenship. High on that list is the ability to travel to many countries without the need of a visa. Now, to save up the money and head to those destinations!!

Definitely more changes are to come in my life. It’s going to move into another chapter very soon. Not going to spoil it by revealing everything right here right now. So do look in from time to time to get some updates. Haha. Said as though I’m a very important person…

Anyway, until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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Edition 301 – The Right To Fail

People have the right to fail.

Otherwise, they stop thinking and then you’ll need more management to manage them because you have to think for them.

But if they failed and if they correct it, then the failure has real value.

Ken Hendricks

Stole the above quote from a friend’s blog.

Something similar was shared with me over the weekend. Does professionalism mean that we cannot make any mistakes? Does it mean that we need to put in place a million and one checks to make sure that a mistake doesn’t every happen?

Having said that, my opinion is that when mistakes happen, it is important that responsibility be taken. Acknowledge that the mistake has been made, learn from it, know what has happened, and move on.

I think it is in our nature that we don’t want things that we care about to fail. We work towards the success of whatever it is that we are working on. Imagine yourself managing a project at work. Do we consciously work towards the failure of the project?

Some food for thought… Cheers… :Þ