Phenomenal Woman

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen." - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross - 

As a continuous effort to learn to love myself more , I'm typing this post up to remind myself that I AM A PHENOMENAL WOMAN. :)

The poem below by Maya Angelou is perfect in describing the true beauty of women and how as a whole package, each and every one of us are phenomenal. I chose to type the whole poem out instead of copy & pasting because I wanted to make this post worth it.

So here's to being a more confident, courageous and captivating woman!

As I grow up, I realise reflecting on life and learning from it is an important posture to emulate. It is often during reflection that God speaks the loudest to me as well.

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PHENOMENAL WOMAN

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I'm telling lies.

I say,

It's in the reach of my arms,

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.

I say,

It's the fire in my eyes,

And the flash of my teeth,

The swing in my waist,

And the joy in my feet.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can't touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them

They say they still can't see.

I say,

It's in the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Now you understand

Just why my head's not bowed.

I don't shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.

When you see me passing

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It's in the click of my heels,

The bend of my hair,

the palm of my hand,

The need of my care,

'Cause I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

- Maya Angelou -

Ciao.

p.s.: To all the women out there, cheers. We're all phenomenal in our own way. :)

Sufficient Grace

"My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever." - Psalm 73:26 -

One event after another these past few days, have triggered so much sadness within me. Because of all these triggers, unresolved issues from the past are also arising and right now I'm just overwhelmed with such a heavy heart. I allowed myself to dwell in those emotions for a bit and I remember. I remember all the pain that I have gone through from before and it is very humbling.

All the anger.

All the bitterness.

All the sorrow.

All the pain.

All the sadness.

All the disappointments.

All the fear.

I allowed it.. Just for a moment.. And just for a moment, I hated myself again.

Going down this road was so familiar and I realise I had to snap out of this. Snap out of it and STEP out of it.

And in the ugliness of the moment God reminded me of a long forgotten song.

"Hold, me close let Your love surround me,
Bring me near draw me to Your side,
And as I wait, I'll rise up like the eagle,
And I will soar with you, your Spirit leads me on,
In the power of Your love."

********************

Heavenly Father,

Forgive me. My flesh is weak but in my weakness, Your strength is made perfect. Lord, help me learn to keep relying on Your Grace for it is sufficient for me. Even as I continue on this journey to know you more, in moments like this, don't let me go. Remind me Lord, of the Love that you gave on that cross.

Your Grace is sufficient for me.

Amen.

Ciao.

p.s.: To all, God Grace is sufficient for us. As much as I still have to comprehend about this, slowly but surely God is revealing His unending mercy in my life.

Tribute to An Inspiring Teacher

County Kerry, Ireland. Home of Brother Albinus. Picture sourced from here.

Today I'm reminded of my high school days. One filled with laughter and lots of hope. A life that has been inspired by many around me.

Today, one of those inspirations has gone to be with the Lord. One who knew his purpose in life and even better; what God's will was for his life.

Today, Sarawak lost a beautiful treasure. One who has touched many lives and impacted generations of students. A life that gave wholeheartedly to educating the less privileged.

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Brother Albinus. Photo sourced from here.

English
In all honesty, I did not have much contact time with Brother Albinus while I was in high school. My only time of pupilage under him was English Tuition classes and that was once a week for only a few months in Form 5.

Yet with that little time spent learning from him, I have been impacted immensely. Through his English classes my style of writing changed. I learned to engage the reader better with more fluidity in my writing. Much of what my writings are today have been influenced by his teaching in those few months.


Bible Knowledge
Writing was just part of his impact in my life. A greater impact came when I became a teacher. You see, Brother Albinus was one of the most sought after Bible Knowledge (BK) teachers in Kuching. His reverence towards God's Word, his attention to details in answering the BK questions and his dedication to pushing his students to excellence and demanding nothing less than the best was what produced top scoring students in BK and beyond the achievement piece, gave credibility to the subject in the SPM landscape.

After BK class. Captured by my student :)

When I was given the responsibility to head the BK subject in Green Road, I knew I had to step up. Having been Brother Albinus' student before, I knew how strict I needed to be in teaching God's Word and how much I needed to demand of my students. Every time I stepped into my BK class, besides God as my guidance, I always set my standards against that of Brother Albinus.

Choosing to set that expectation on myself paid off. God blessed me and my students with good results during the years of my teaching.

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So today when I saw posts on Facebook on the demise of this great teacher, I knew I had to somehow pay tribute to his impact in my life; and the best way that I knew how was to give what he taught me best: WRITING.

So here's to you Brother Albinus. Thank you for being such an inspiration to not just me, but MANY MANY others. You've set the bar high in so many ways and left a legacy that leave many wanting.

Here's to seeing your impact grow beyond the people you have touched.

[NOTE: To those who do not know him, here's a write up about him from our local paper; the Borneo Post.]

Ciao.

p.s.: Here's to all, whose lives have been touched by Brother Albinus. He's in a better place now. :)