New Year Resolutions?

I have now been blogging for more than 2 years!!! Wow! Congrats, me!

Went through the last two years' December entries and noted the "moods" of the entries. Hmm... how can I describe it? Well, entries in 2004 were more upbeat whilst the 2005 ones were more sedate. I guess that my father in law's heart attack last year had a greater impact on me than I recalled. Thankfully, I had blogged about it so I can review them now.

About my father in law, I do love him and although he isn't my dad, he has shown me kindness, love, his humor and honesty and is dear to me. We share much together although not regularly, all sorts of things including some rather candid views about family members. Yet, we don't "tell" on each other, so there is this bond that we have. Perhaps as a daughter in law, I do have certain privileges and am given more liberties. Some might see this as a downside but I choose to see it as the former.

I have done almost everything I had wanted to do for this year. I am also thankful that in this year, the Lord had answered so many of my prayers in one way or another. He is so so good to me! He has allowed me to see things come to pass and made me remember what I had asked of Him in prayer months and even YEARS earlier! I can only smile and thank Him from the bottom of my heart for His faithfulness.

On a different note, I am now going to spell out some of the New Year Resolutions I hope to keep this coming year. Why? I hope that by writing them down, I might be led by guilt or whatever into keeping at least some of them!

1. dress better and "do" myself up better (tall order!)
2. get more things done in one day (do-able in the first week or two!)
3. exercise daily (hah!)
4. eat more healthy food (this is a killer!)

Ok, so I do sound a tad cynical about my own ability to keep these resolutions. I think I'd be worse off if I didn't jot them down.

Why reso 1? Man looks at outward appearances.... As we minister to humans, we need to give them someone pleasant (at least!) to stare at.

Why reso 2? It looks like a busy year ahead for me both in the home front as well as in ministry, so I want to pack more things in in one day.

Why reso 3? I have stationary bike in my living room which threatens to be a clothes hanger! My hubby would have prophesied correctly so I must prove him wrong! Besides, I am fighting gravity as well at 40+...

Why reso 4? It would help me with reso 1 and 3. I would not however, be compromising on quality and taste.

Tada.

Cold, cold Shanghai!

Right: PCK just had to photograph this signboard.. in case you tak faham, it means that the elevator is FOR THE DISABLED...

Below: Some pretty pansies which both Joel and I love so that's why we took this picture..

Right: Two very unhappy refugees looking at signboard at Science Museum on a Monday morning...

(we went again on Wednesday so they did get to see it!)

Right: Joel at a wall completely
made of 2 different types
of hedge plants. So nice!

Below: Josh and I at a monster display a fancy smancy
part of town just before we had our siu loong pau lunch!

Above: Here we are bundled up and in front of one of
the Nanjing Road shopping malls.
Yes, we MUST do the shopping malls!

Below: A signboard next to the lake in Century Garden.
It's supposed to be a favourite place during the weekends
for the Shanghai-nese. There are bicycles of all sorts for
rent here too!

Above: The river just outside Century Garden.

Above: My 2 refugees outside the train station nearest the famous Pearl Tower.


Above: The Godparents with the 2 refugees at the Bund... Brrr!

Below: The first HSBC Bank Building. It's really old but well preserved!

A borrowed thought... about women

Reese Witherspoon said something that made so much sense the other day (when The Oprah Show aired about the movie, Walk the Line).

She talked about how far women have come from the so called "dark ages" and in much of the world today (but pointedly, still not all!) women are give "equal" rights such as the right to vote, equal pay, etc.

Our sisters in many parts of the world still struggle with discrimination and oppression, cultural "disadvantages" and the like. They are caught in polygamous marriages, payment of exorbitant, continuous dowry by their spouse and family and much worse. Thus, the struggle is ongoing but in the more developed nations, women lead pretty "equal" lives with their counterparts and are an icon, a glimmer of hope to the rest.

Sorry, but I got sidetracked there... Back to my point... Reese Witherspoon (yes, she also acted in Legally Blonde, ironically) remarked that there are women today who have a great influence over their younger counterparts, ranging from teenyboppers, tweens, SYTs (sweet, young things) I call them, and as inevitable role models to the young, have chosen the image of "bimbos" or "dumb blondes" or "sex kittens" simply put, for fame and fortune.

Make no mistake, these women, celebrities in their own right are beautiful, smart and "street" savvy people but they have made the conscious decision to use their good looks, a large helping of sex appeal and the image of a dumb, shallow minded person to become rich and famous. And they seem proud of this. To me, it has caused a downward spiral in the "quality" of entertainment of today.

Reese added that she feared for her young daughter who have these "women of today" as role models and that it mocks and belittles women. The many generations of women before us, worked so hard to get us to where we are today. These are women who gave their lives, our mothers, our grandmothers who stood up for their right only to be "sold for a song", "cheapened" by their own kind.

What message are we sending our daughters then? Women are only meant to look good, be idolised as sex objects and do not need to use their brains... that brains are not important? All the lives of women who fought so hard to be heard and taken seriously, lost for this?

I want to challenge us to re-think what we should do with this "not-so-new" insight... if you haven't already thought about it. Let's build our own value system on "solid ground" and embrace our rich heritage that was bought with much blood, sweat and tears.