"Joshua raised the bar!" and other funny conversations

Post ARPC mass meeting, a bunch of us went for drinks at Adam Road hawker centre. Amusing table talk centred around what guys should do to get girls interested in them (hint: it may not be the ability to carve salad bowls and candle-sticks. Or worse, crying while being moved at how well you carve the bowls).

Which led DaMooMan to joke, "It's all church camp's fault. Now every girl in ARPC wants a guy like Pastor Joshua Ng. What hope is there for the rest of us now that he has set the bar so high?" Apparently, Joshua's much lauded choking up when talking about little son and his little Star Wars reenactments with said son had endeared him to many women at ARPC.

I thought about it - I definitely must have thought "awwww....look at how sensitive and sweet the guy is." But that was not the big thing that moved me most. It was more like a "look at how much God matters to this guy." What some of us girls found really moving about the whole thing was he was not just crying about missing his son, but more because he was moved that his little son knew why his father had to sacrifice family time to spread the gospel. That last heart wrenching plea for us to live for Christ and live out His ways sacrificially in all that we do, spreading the true gospel was amazing.

for a man (or woman for that matter) to be attractive, and assuming he/she is going for a godly partner, all he/she really has to do is to seek God first.

It seems to be a simple win-win situation actually. If in becoming more godly, you end up attracting a very godly man/woman, you hit the jackpot - a walk closer to Christ and a new ministry focused more on your spouse and children. If in becoming more godly, you end up still not getting attached, you also hit the jackpot - a walk closer to Christ and an abundance of time and freedom for opportunities to minister . In both cases, you get contentment and joy, albeit in different ways.

But the source stays the same - God supplies the joy.

Singles like me can live on that hope. Joy comes in many forms and singlehood and marriage are both equally lovely gifts because they come from a lovely Giver.

As an odd postscript, I just got my first clandestine inquiry if i minded being "set-up" with some mysterious guy. heh. guess it was just a matter of time before the "setting up" phenomenon came my way. i hear it's catching on in our little church post church camp.
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yet another postscript - conversation with the Moth and CatGirl at church. Thought it was funny because it kinda reminded me of the kind of rubbish conversations about pop culture that might happen in Seinfeld or in Clerks (the Kevin Smith movie)

Moth: I hate touchy feely...!
Me: No you don't you are a musician and music is all about the touchy feely
Catgirl: Bach is quite mathematical actually.
Me: But he likes jazz and soul..that's quite touchy feely.
Moth: No it's not. It comes from here (jabs his own chest)
Me: and that's not touchy feely? in a manly way? anyway It's called SOUL ... that's quite touchy feely
Moth: I am NOT touchy feely. I watch war movies like Band of Brothers... Saving Private Ryan
Me: Saving Private Ryan is like the girliest war movie around.
Catgirl: Yeah actually it is quite touchy feely.
Moth: No it's not!
Me: Oh come on...the last scene where the old guy is weeping over the grave....
Catgirl: "I hope my life was worth it...." sob sob
Moth: OK...ya that was quite (rubs goose pimples on hand and shivers)...but it's not a girly movie!!!!

heehee.

2 conversations

Last overheard conversation:
2 aunties on bicycles at a traffic junction just outside the whopping big new national library

(translated from chinese)
auntie 1: wah look at the new library.
auntie 2: they built it according to fengshui you know.
auntie 1: they make it so easy like that. see drawing already can build.
auntie 2: aiyah if you study before very easy to build what.
auntie 1: ya. right right. like sew clothes like that. i study drawing and i can make the clothes and people think very difficult.

heehee. charming.
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Last funny story heard:
GPteacher teaching students from top 5 JC.

teacher: blahblahblah middle east fighting over oil blahblah arab-israel etcetc.
students: (blank look)
teacher: (jesting) you know what is oil right?
students: (sheepish looks)
teacher: you know where oil comes from right?
students: (blank)
teacher: um....you know, fossil fuels?
students: (blank)
teacher: it comes from dinosaurs. grarrr roooooarrrrw.
student: (shock) you mean dinosaurs are real?
teacher: (hiding shock) er.....ya.
student: (dismay) when i watched Land Before Time they were cartoons...I did not know they were real.
teacher: um... let me tell you about the Ice Age, and how the comets came down and killed the dinos.
student: (scribbling earnestly) wait wait...how do you spell comet?

cLAPclapclap. the wonders of our education system. :)

mating rituals of the glam & restless

I was innocously marking terrible essays by kids ("I like playing ruby. Ruby is fun. I like my ruby coach....." URGHHHHHHHHHH) at cedele depot down at raffles city round 4pm....

...when all of a sudden a swishy, glammy Chinese couple settle down the seat next to me. I would not have looked up except both were speaking in super thick genuine sounding american accents. Both were quite urban fashionista looking and were above average lookers - the man had a fashionable leather man-bag, a slick looking goatee and fetching office wear; the woman had perfect makeup, a slick ponytail, a very cute classic handbag-jazzy skirt-sweet little sweather look. Both were wearing similar shades of black, white and grey colours.

It was hard to ignore the conversation they were having right next to me. Me guess is I hardly look like I move in their exalted circles so I did not present enough of a threat for them to have PC conversation. They were SO OBVIOUSLY FLIRTING with each other - the guy being alot more aggressive and obvious; the girl was quite coy. I swear I had to stop my eyeballs from rolling in sockets as I tried to concentrate on marking.

This is my summary of their little mating ritual:
(I KID YOU NOT! You think I can actually make this stuff up?)

ENTER GlamGal (GG) and GlamMan (GM).
GG sweetly settles GM in his seat and brings him his coffee and gets variety of cookies.

GG plays 'sweet little girl / sex-goddess-of-your-dreams' card:
Quotable quote: "Ohhh I love a good cookie. It's like a good kiss....you just want to have more and more with every taste. And a good cup of tea....that's like a nice weekend - warm and relaxing."

GM parries with 'sweet man-who-notices-your-inner-beauty' card
Quotable quote: "You know what I like about you? You are so genteel and sweet. (ok this is funny when you compare to what happens later)

GM plays ' Look at my flirty rogue side'
Quotable quote: "When you asked me for coffee or tea, I was hoping you would add the "or me" part'

GG plays 'i am not a forward woman' card
Quotable quote: "You know I have a friend who I want to introduce to you. She's your type."

GM plays 'i am not that into you' card
Quotable quote:"Well then, tell me is she hot?"

GM goes for shock and awe tactic
Quotable quote: "But more importantly, tell me, are you palming me off? Do I scare you?"

GG plays trump card ' I am highly desired by others'. She gets phone call which she entertains for a full 15 minutes - obviously talking to another male friend who is flirting with her on phone. She simultaneously assures GM she knows he still exists by caressing his chin to turn his head towards her in sweet manner.

Quotable quote: "Oh (Friend on phone), don't you want to know what I do with all my boy toys?"

VERY Quotable quote:: "Oh yes he's back in town again. I don't understand him. I mean I will do my duties to him as a good wife but apart from that he can't expect much else." (!!!!!!!good grief she's married!)

GM trying hard to disguise his peeved state. Bored, looks around and sadly my table has nothing of interest save many ugly looking giam-chye essays of my students with multiple red marks. FOr a moment there is discernable silence as they try to figure out how to continue after awkward phonecall.

GM plays final hand ' I am a man of mystery for you to unwind' card
Quotable quote: "You know you think I am obvious but actually I have a lot more underneath than you think. I used to have problems with my self-esteem but the moment I got it back, I said never again will I doubt myself"

GG cool, composed and with upper hand
Quotable quote:"There is a lot about me you have yet to find out as well."

They then get up to leave with strange non-sequitur
GG "what are you wearing tomorrow?"
GM "I am thinking of a white top, with black shorts perhaps (etc details)"
GG "so I will be seeing you tommorrow then?"
GM "definintely, I'll make sure of it"

END OF STUDY IN MATING RITUALS

geez was that a strange marking session. A lot more interesting than the stuff my kids wrote about at least!