Mum started going into gardening years back. She's been growing her garden slowly and steadily. 

Dad has been helping mum water the plants. But since I'm back for good after finishing studies, he decided to teach me the ropes and delegated the royal task to me.

But after incorporating this new habit into my daily routine, I'm surprisingly enjoying this activity.

It all stemmed from this realisation: I felt like a mum to so many plant "kids"!

Every evening, I'd say hello to these cutie pies and sing to them.

Yes, you read right, sing to them!

Why?

1. To let time pass faster.

2. To use the song duration as a guide to how long I should water them.

Sometimes I talk to them as well. "Aww, those are nice chillis you have there!" "My you've grown!".

There's this particularly eye-catching potted plant with blooming flowers (Adenium Obesum). Every evening, I'd check on its flowers. It's a remarkable feeling when the flowers bloomed! 

Then there's the joy of observing the colour transformation of chillis from green to red. Or a new species of plant sharing the same pot with another species. 

Occasionally, I like to experiment spraying fine water droplets at different angles to create mini rainbows. 

I may not be able to indulge in this new activity as frequent in the coming months due to job commitments, but I'll definitely stop by and check on them once in a while.

Grow well, dear plants!

PC: Ylanite Koppens (Pexels)

But truly the Lord is mightier, for He sees our weakness and converts it into our greatest strength. This commentary particularly struck a chord with me:

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary 
4:10-17 Moses continued backward to the work God designed him for; there was much of cowardice, slothfulness, and unbelief in him. We must not judge of men by the readiness of their discourse. A great deal of wisdom and true worth may be with a slow tongue. God sometimes makes choice of those as his messengers, who have the least of the advantages of art or nature, that his grace in them may appear the more glorious. Christ's disciples were no orators, till the Holy Spirit made them such. God condescends to answer the excuse of Moses. Even self-diffidence, when it hinders us from duty, or clogs us in duty, is very displeasing to the Lord. But while we blame Moses for shrinking from this dangerous service, let us ask our own hearts if we are not neglecting duties more easy, and less perilous. The tongue of Aaron, with the head and heart of Moses, would make one completely fit for this errand. God promises, I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth. Even Aaron, who could speak well, yet could not speak to purpose, unless God gave constant teaching and help; for without the constant aid of Divine grace, the best gifts will fail. (Source: http://biblehub.com/commentaries/exodus/4-10.htm)

Our greatest weakness is also our greatest strength, for the Lord's glory is all the more glorious in times of darkness. 

Let us seek refuge in the knowledge that God is with us through thick and thin, even when we are at the lowest of lows.  

PC: Nina Uhlíková (Pexels)

In the blink of an eye, it's the end of university life. After years of studying, it's time to reflect on where we are headed next.

I personally coped with the transition by creating photobooks to summarise precious memories, wrote a letter to future me on FutureMe, and jotted down goals that I wanted to achieve in life.

Undoubtedly these are exciting times. Whether we want it or not, it's time to fully embrace what it means to be an adult ie paying bills, making investments, starting a family etc.

Adulthood may seem like an additional burden. However, life is always a choice of attitude. We can either choose to take it as another stressful phase of life or enthusiastically accept the challenge as we forge our own unique paths in life.

Life will be hectic from now on. Sometimes, we will be so caught up in work that we forget to listen to ourselves.

We need to consciously know that we have a choice every day to either live without passion or to find joy and a sense of purpose in everything we do.

Above all, do not live life blindly. Question yourself every once in a while: am I where I want to be? If not, am I on the right path towards it? Am I doing work that is fulfilling to me? Am I spending enough time with the ones that matter?

To all my friends, I wish you all the best in wherever you go in the future. Always remember that life is tough, but we are stronger. Keep growing, keep learning, and keep believing.

The world needs more people that consciously choose to live purposefully.

The world needs you.

PC: Enrico Perini (Pexels)