Two cents...

Sunday service was mainly inspiring testimonies from two people. Both testified of God's goodness in their work - both in the corporate world and in ministry. Makes me think what about me? What can I do to make a difference in my workplace?

Attended the Bahasa Malaysia service along with Shi Wei, mostly to give moral support to Ps. Tim, who was sharing that day. He shared about God's people stepping into our heritage. Here are the points... I'll translate for those of you who need it. =)

1. Ingatilah kebaikan Tuhan (Joshua 24:2-13)
(Remember God's goodness)
2. Buatlah pilihan yang bijak (Joshua 24:14-15)
(Make wise decisions)
3. Bersedialah untuk melepaskan dirimu (Joshua 24: 19-24)
(Be prepared to let go of yourself)
4. Jadilah saksi terhadap diri sendiri (Joshua 24:26-27)
(Be accountable to yourself)

As he was sharing these points, the questions arose again - What can I do to make a difference at my workplace? And the answer (or at least I think it is the answer...) came - to BE different. Some of my colleagues tell me that eventually I will be very curt when dealing with applicants. As it is, I am already told that I'm being too nice and I will be "pushed around" by the applicants. This would explain why some of them are also curt when talking among colleagues, or maybe just to me? =S

So, I'm going to (sorry if this is straying from the intentions of the sermon points...) apply these points by:
1. Remembering God's goodness of placing me at my workplace - I love my job, but not necessarily the stress that I have to face at times.
2. Making the wise decision to honour God in all I do - remembering that my work is for God, so I will be different and hopefully, make a difference! =)
3. Letting go and let God take control of my work - I am currently doing the workload of two people and can only run on the strength and wisdom from God.
4. Being accountable by "writing" this down - hoping that one day when I look at this post again, I can smile and be thankful for the ways God has seen me through.

** I believe God's words speak differently and individually to each person. Hence, the above points are how the sharing has spoken into my heart and into my life. I hope the sermon points will also bless you and touch your heart in a special way... God bless!

Greater than...?

Yesterday, while chatting with a friend, who’s an engineer, I recalled the conversation I had with my dad and my uncle who were both electronic engineers. From their description of what their work encompasses, it sounded as though they were just highly paid mechanics / technicians… Look at it this way – they go and fix machines and maintain machinery… Sounds like a mechanic / technician’s job description, doesn’t it? *winks* But I believe their pay is more than your average mechanic / technician, haha! The wonders of having a degree, eh? =P *winks*

I mentioned to my friend that conclusion regarding an engineer’s work and the thought of my own sister doing the same thing soon (She’s about to graduate in electronic engineering… finally! Seems like so long liddat, hehe!). Eventually, after considering the actual job scope, we concluded that the work of an engineer is similar to that of a mechanic / technician, but they are supposed to know more than the mechanic / technician – for example, the design of the machine and how it works. But, given sufficient training and experience, a mechanic / technician will be able to know the piece of machinery like the back of his hand, is it? (And hey, at worse case, there’s always the manual!) On top of that, a fresh graduate will still need to depend on the experienced technician in order to learn the ropes and to adjust to his responsibilities…

As a result, we concluded that we need each other – whether we are higher or lower in the food chain organizational hierarchy – and can learn valuable lessons from one another. Comparing relatively to my job as a pharmacist, I can see that we do depend on the grace of the pharmacy assistants to help us through, to show us how things are done and where things are kept, etc. We depend on the administrative staff to help us figure out how to “survive” various documentation requirements and procedures.

In a nutshell, lessons learnt:

• no one job or title is greater than the other
• we need to depend on each other and work as a team to get things done efficiently
• we should not show off or discriminate people based on their status
• we should appreciate each other’s unique giftings and try to compliment each other’s strengths towards greater achievement(s)

KFC vs. Ikea Restaurant??

Okay, reading Eric's blog on 'KFC vs. Ikea Restaurant' had me craving for chicken chop today. So, since he has already reviewed the Ikea Restaurant's chicken chop in his blog and not tried KFC's, I decided today's lunch was going to be KFC Black Pepper Chicken Chop! Plus, Ikea would be too far to travel given my short lunch break today... KFC, on the other hand, is just a few kilometres away, hehe!

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the KFC outlet I'd gone to had a Drive Thru. They probably had this for a while already, but I haven't been there in ages! So buying lunch took only about 15minutes from and back to office.

Okay... so based on Eric's criteria, here's my take on KFC Black Pepper Chicken Chop:

The Price:

I ordered just the Chicken Chop set, without the drink... However, due to unavailability of Mushroom Soup, it was replaced with a regular Pepsi! (Hence, sorry, no comment on Mushroom Soup) ---> after taxes: RM10.40 (before tax: RM9.90??)

The Drink:

As said above: PEPSI (Well, I suppose it's better than 7up Revive, which I think tastes a bit wierd anyways...) See comment on Eric's blog on what I think about 7up Revive.

The Side Dishes:

No mushroom soup!! I don't believe it!! (-.-") Not a fan of KFC coleslaw so that was yucky for me. Bun... is a bun. Fries... kinda cold.
Verdict: I think I may like Ikea's offering (Mashed Potato) better.

The Sauce:

Okay, Eric, I don't think that it's from a bottle... Unless bottled black pepper sauce looks and tastes like ground black pepper made into watery sauce. All I could taste is black pepper... and black pepper!! (Can get sorethroat with the amount of pepper!! Yikes!)
Verdict: Me no like very much. Definitely prefer Ikea's brown sauce... yummy!

The Chicken:

Yes, KFC Original Recipe fried chicken. A single boneless piece as suggested by Eric, but no thick coat of flour to make it look bigger la. Just the Original Recipe chicken style.
Verdict: I'm okay with the chicken here. Do enjoy KFC chicken every now and then... However, only one piece of chicken here, unlike THREE pieces at Ikea... if you're a big eater (like Lai San or Kenrick, hehe), you might wanna consider Ikea.

Okay, that's my take... Feel free to comment and vote for your preference, hehe! KFC vs. Ikea Restaurant... who will win???

*will have picture(s) here later on... in office now, can't upload the picture to the computer*

Observations put to words...

1. Isn't it ironic, how it seems that the people you care about the most, appreciates you least?
2. It is often the case that if you can do it once, you can (and most likely will) do it again.
3. Funny how it seems that expectations tend to leave you feeling worse.
4. If you see the brighter side, there's a chance that you're in the dark.
5. [Saw this somewhere] : The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can't have them.
6. One of the most cruel things you can do to someone is to be absent, despite being present.
7. Lies : the selective withholding of truth; the manipulation of truth.
8. Isn't it sad that no one knows how to take responsibility anymore? Most people these days just find a reason then bail out.
9. Is it worth hardening your heart so the pain will cease?