william, pray tell

was browsing an interesting shakespeare site & realised many of today's phrases were actually lines from his plays. cool :) heh, sry ah i swaku.

check these out:

For ever and a day.

- as you like it

This is the short and the long of it.

- the merry wives of windsor

Why, then the world 's mine oyster.

- the merry wives of windsor

I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at.

- othello

some of my faves:

The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.
- as you like it

Have more than thou showest, speak less than thou knowest, lend less than thou owest.

- king lear

Brevity is the soul of wit.
- hamlet

Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.
- r+j

Love sought is good, but giv'n unsought is better.

- twelfth night

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.

- midsummer's night dream

ducks in a row

[dialogue from A Lot Like Love – badly reproduced from memory. im just not as good with dialogue as pple like SL :P]

emily: we will never happen. for one I wouldn’t date a guy who would take on the first girl who comes a-knocking...
oliver: not even when that girl is you?!
emily: PLUS youre not my type. so what are you the dorky kind?
oliver: don’t worry about me and girls. im not looking for a girlfriend anyways...
emily: AND youre gay
oliver: no, I just want to focus on getting my ducks in a line
emily: you mean, in a row
oliver: yah, whatever, in a row
emily: what kinda ducks?
oliver: like get a job, a house, a car…
emily: so what makes you think the girl of your dreams will appear when you’ve got your ducks in a row?
oliver: she will. she will find me, and… ill find her. we’ll both find each other...

and as you might guess, emily & oliver do finally end up tog. yes, it was a sweet show and yes ashton kutcher was totally cute in his nerdy, earnest way. great chemistry with amanda peet who was surprisingly lovable & funny. recommended for first dates, girls nite-outs & stay-home-snuggle-ups :)

that aside, its uncanny how this whole ducks in a row idea has recurred multiple times this week.

see, ive been re-reading josh harris’ boy meets girl (prompted by a conversation with a friend & having a second read reaffirms my own valuation of it as a very worthy book for the Christian single – go get it!), and if you’ve read it before you might remember this section about how a methodical and logical David ALSO strived to get his ‘ducks in a row’ before approaching Claire with the prospect of courtship.

this whole theme of getting ready before entering the next relationship was in line (get it? get it?) with a personal evaluation of myself. as i glance back at my own duckies, its easy to see they arent lining up too straight.

okay so they arent exactly flying in different directions. yet given i have clear expectations of the kind of guy that id like to be with, ive been chided by how expectations of myself have deflated over time. what ive resolved previously to myself & God to pursue have been dulled… and now God’s bringing them back up on the table.

its like God’s saying to me: so you want this great dude with this & that kind of character. great, but... do you match up? how are you preparing to be the godly wife/mother? how are you cultivating servant-heartedness? how have you grown in personal godliness, inward beauty, maturity, wisdom?

realized ive got my work cut out in striving towards being the right person, becoming the kind of wife that this kind of man deserves.

im not saying we’ve got to be ‘perfect’ before God wld lead us into a relationship. neither am i expecting to only commit to a guy when he’s all ‘sorted’. just feel God challenging me to stop looking at what kind of guy he is to be (He's in control afterall) and focus seriously on growing myself, serving Him more wholeheartedly.

of cos, i dont pursue the godly life just so ill find a godly husband. i persist cos its the purpose of my life, its what’s owed to Jesus. it is to an end worthy of all my efforts regardless of whether or not an earthly companion comes by.

so the element of trust too, comes into play - pressing on come what may. a familiar verse comes to mind:

“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart
And lean not on your own understanding
In ALL your ways acknowledge Him
And He will make your paths straight”

in other words, one's called to...

not fuss, just trust

so! im going to try and get my own ducks in a row :) pray along with me?

help me Jesus to continue to trust You, to acknowledge You as Lord. please grow me, mature me… mold me to be the kind of woman that fears & honours You. Amen!

im back!

its been a karayzeee 2 weeks! madness since june 4: Eels & Eric’s wedding, my work trip to taiwan & church camp… havent had much time to myself really, to collect my thoughts much less blog. nonetheless, a much needed update coming right up! (given there’s much to share for each event, ill serve up one at a time :))

Eels & Eric’s Wedding

what can i say? it had to be one of the most beautiful weddings i’ve ever witnessed. you must think im biased of course, but hey it was the consensus on the ground :) all our efforts paid off! much to thank God for - the flowers gorgeous, the weather perfect, the crowd punctual, the parents calm, the photographers candid, the speeches funny, the friends generous (for their sake, i hope!), the dance lovely, the bride radiant, the groom proud & the night… just oh so sweet.

months & weeks of preps culminated at the ceremony where the two were joint with simple vows to each other, before God. gowns, flowers & candles aside, the core of the ceremony were the vows. marriage vows are both fragile and strong all at once. fragile cos its made by two very human, very fallible beings. strong cos (in a God-centred marriage) its held together by His sovereign hand.

within minutes, my dearest Eels became a Mrs Ting.

christian weddings never fail to strike a chord in my heart, stir up my tear ducts. ok besides the fact that im a real softie at heart, i get invites to sweet weddings AND touching thankyoumom/dad & iloveyouimsoluckyivegotyou speeches, the significance & beauty of the gift of marriage is just overwhelming. That marriage originated from our Maker… that He created the institution as a safe place for two to express their love & commitment for a lifetime. That marriage is but a shadow of the union between Christ and the Church… I cannot really fathom what that means till the day i meet Him. but I await, along with others alike, with great anticipation & excitement :)

wish I had more pics to show but I cldnt snap away with my digital miu given i was willing servant girl during ceremony. will work on scanning in good ones from the others ;)

____________________

and now Mrs Ting, how is married life treating you? :) hope the Brisbane wedding went well. Miss you already!

when love just aint enough

had dinner tonight with a friend, lent a ear to his woes as he just broke up with his gf. his story: they have been tog for 3 years & at their 3rd year anniversary last wk, THE QUESTION came up - when will you marry me? (girls: somehow it does seem that the guys with whom you have to raise this up with are unlikely to be the ones eager to marry you [despite being a good guy] & so, unlikely to be worth your time - they shd get to the qn first!) at which point, my friend was forced to reckon with the dreaded issue, forced to make a stand. somehow time & life's experiences have shaped them differently... he feels they are no longer compatible, at least not compatible enough for her to be the girl he wants to spend the rest of his life with. so the rational & wise decision was to breakup though (i can tell its true), he still loves her deeply & it hurts immensely to walk away.

as the song goes and i cant agree more - sometimes love just aint enough.

i used to protest at that - how can love not be enough? surely we can get through anything if we really loved each other. surely genuine love will suffice. what do they know? they dont love as we love... there's nothing that love cant conquer (or so the movies & novels wld have us believe :))

ive mellowed since & through my own & others' experience realise how sad but true it is - sometimes love really just aint enough cos compatibility & timing matters too. it matters that beyond feeling deeply for each other, you share the same values, dreams in life. it matters that as a couple you work well tog, can struggle & deal well with trials. it matters that you are able to deal with the other's insecurities, flaws, idiosyncrasies. it matters that you still have the will to give, to love, to put the other person first even when youve been trying tiringly hard for so long. it matters that you are spiritually & emotionally compatible at this stage in your lives.

many emotions shared tonight were strangely familiar... almost 2 years on, im so glad i can laugh & joke in a i-totally-know-this-sucks-but-im-with-you kinda way. why, i cld even tell him that despite the yucky bits of crying in bed & feeling like a beaten-up, numb piece of blob, there IS life after a breakup. singleness isnt all they make it out to be (it can actually be FUN!) & one can find true joy & healing in God and with time :) many of us stand testimony to that rite? ;)

looking back, it was amazing how God protected & kept me. never thought i cld survive 3 mths single, let alone 2 years! He proves over & over again that He is sufficient if only I will trust & rely on Him wholeheartedly.

so even when human love may not be enough to see you through a relationship... His love will always be enough for you. His is an overwhelming & comforting love that never lets us go.

Cling on, my friend, cling on.