Weekly Reflection 每週生活與反思 (25/May/2025)

This week brought a mix of sweet memories, practical errands, and meaningful connections.

🌟 Top 3 Highlights

🌸 Back to where it started
We visited Great Fosters Hotel, the place where I proposed to my wife years ago. Flowers were in full bloom, and baby geese waddled through the gardens—such a peaceful scene. It was a moment to cherish the past and celebrate the present.

🗣️ English practice at home
We started practising English together. My wife’s pronunciation is impressively accurate—just needs confidence to shine. It's lovely to grow and learn together. Thanks to our little daughter for being such a great and patient teacher.

🌐 Support for friends
James finally launched his company website—such a big milestone. I really hope business takes off for him. Meanwhile, praying for Clifford, who’s getting a CT scan after weeks of coughing.

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🩷 Simple joy
Amber went for a hygienist visit, and came out beaming with a whiter smile—even if she jokingly said, “no one cares.” Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference.

🚗 Test drives and calculations
We test-drove the Toyota CH-R and Corolla Estate, Lexus UX300e and UX250h, and VW Touran. Toyota’s hybrids stole my wife's heart. Personally, the Lexus UX300e felt surprisingly good. The Touran was the most spacious. I'm still crunching numbers on cost of ownership over 3 vs 7 years—with a bit of help from ChatGPT!

🔧 Project managing a car repair
After 6 weeks, the extended warranty company finally approved the claim this Wednesday, and the garage has immediately ordered parts after that. I pushed things further by calling Nissan again, filing another complaint, and following up with the warranty provider on Tuesday. All these moving pieces reminded me of stakeholder management in project work.

⛪ Faith and friendship
Met up with Emily and Connie to talk about the new believer course. I followed up a bit with Mr. Edmond Tsui (our preacher) on this. I hope Emily builds a strong foundation in Christ. In addition, I wish her the best in preparing for the Life in the UK Test.

🪶 Walk in Winchester
Last Saturday we hiked with our couple cell group—2.5 hours in nature, refreshing for both body and soul.

🚆 Commuting options and calculations
While still actively job hunting, I took time to explore different commuting routes to London—by car, train, bike, and Uber. I also discovered a weekend parking offer designed to encourage long weekend trips via train. In the process, I compared the cost implications of taking up a London-based job versus staying local.

💼 Job and volunteering follow-up
No reply yet from Moody's hiring manager after my follow-up email. On the volunteering side, I’m preparing to meet with the founder of a charity on 29 May—keen to explore how I can contribute.

🌿 Helping neighbours
I’m watering plants for Jackson while he's away—two of them are now enjoying better care at my home. His neighbour Val kindly called me when she saw someone drive off in his car. Luckily, it was a false alarm—what a lovely reminder of how good neighbours matter.

📘 Church and leadership
Started planning for the Blue Team’s June meeting. It’s not just about logistics—it’s a chance to reflect on what worked, what needs change, and to share vision and purpose for the church consulting journey.

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這一週，有甜蜜的回憶、實際的安排，也有不少有意義的連結。

🌟 本週三大重點

🌸 重遊求婚地點
我們造訪了 Great Fosters Hotel，那是我多年前向太太求婚的地方。花朵盛放，小鵝在花園中穿梭，寧靜而美麗。令人回味過去，也感恩當下。

🗣️ 與太太一起練英文
我們開始一起練習英文發音。太太的發音很準確，只差一點自信。一起學習的過程很溫馨，感謝我們的小女兒成為這位有耐性的好老師。

🌐 為朋友打氣
James 終於把他的公司網站上線，這是一個重要的里程碑。希望他生意順利！同時，也為 Clifford 禱告，他已咳嗽超過一個月，安排了 CT 掃描，希望一切平安。

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🩷 簡單的喜悅
Amber 去了洗牙，牙齒潔白了不少，笑容滿面，雖然她笑說「冇人會理」。有時候，小小的改善，也能帶來很大的快樂。

🚗 試車與成本比較
我們試駕了 Toyota CH-R 和 Corolla Estate、Lexus UX300e 和 UX250h，以及 VW Touran。Toyota 的 hybrid 很得太太歡心，我則覺得 Lexus UX300e 駕駛感受不錯，VW Touran 空間最寬敞。我還在比較三年與七年擁車成本，也多虧 ChatGPT 的幫助！

🔧 像項目管理一樣處理維修
等了六週，extended warranty 公司終於於星期三批了個case，車房其後立即開始訂購零件。我於星期二致電 Nissan、再次投訴並跟進保養公司，整個過程讓我想起如何在項目工作中處理多方持份者。

⛪ 信仰與同行
與 Emily 和 Connie 見面，討論新信徒課程。我也就此稍為跟進了崔傳道的意見。希望 Emily 能在基督裡建立穩固的根基，也祝福她準備 Life in the UK 測驗順利。

🪶 Winchester 健行
上週六，我們與夫婦小組一起行山，走了兩個半小時，既舒暢又充實。

🚆 倫敦返工探索
我仍然在找工作，趁有時間，研究了幾種倫敦返工的方式：開車、火車、單車和 Uber。還發現一個週末泊車優惠，似乎是鼓勵人們停車後轉乘火車外出度週末，也比較了倫敦工與本地工的收支差距。

💼 求職與義工機會
跟進了 Moody's 的求職電郵，暫時仍未獲回覆。另一方面，正準備 5 月 29 日與一位慈善機構創辦人會面，探索可以參與的方向。

🌿 幫鄰居照料植物
Jackson 出城時，我幫他照料室內外的植物，還把兩盆帶回家細心照顧。他的鄰居 Val 打電話給我，說看到有人開他的車走，結果是虛驚一場。這件事讓我更欣賞好鄰居的重要。

📘 教會領導與反思
開始籌備 Blue Team 六月的會議。這不只是安排細節的時間，也是檢討和分享願景的機會，期待能夠推動教會顧問工作向前發展。

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(Summarised, translated, and polished by ChatGPT 4o on 26/May/2025)

#WeeklyReflection #FamilyLife #FaithJourney #ProjectManagement #Volunteering #NeighbourhoodCare #CarRepair #LifeInTheUK #LeadershipDevelopment #ChurchConsulting

Weekly Reflection 我的周記 (12/May/2025)

🗓 Weekly Reflection – Week of May 12–18, 2025

This week brought a mix of practical decisions, meaningful conversations, and spiritual encouragement.

🎂 Bittersweet Birthday

It was my son’s birthday this week. Sadly, he wasn’t feeling well, so we kept the celebration simple. Still, I’m grateful for the quiet family time and the smiles we managed to share.

🙏 Faith & Society

We had a very thoughtful WhatsApp discussion with church friends from YKBC about the UK’s latest immigration white paper. The proposed 10-year requirement for ILR stirred concern—especially for those on the BNO route. It made me reflect on civic responsibility: should I engage more actively—vote, contact my MP, or even raise my voice in a respectful way?

💬 Language & Legacy

English practice with my daughter continues. This week, I noticed I still couldn’t pronounce simple words like “dog,” “at,” or “service” clearly. Thirty years of old habits—it’s time to start fixing them.

💼 Career & Calling

I had my first interview with Moody’s. Thanks to God and all the prayers—it went well. The hiring manager from France said my experience aligns well with their cloud migration projects using RMS. Hoping for the second round soon.

Also looking ahead to a meeting with the Freshwater Foundation on May 29. I’m exploring volunteering opportunities that match my values and long-term vision—serving society, building cross-cultural connections, and preparing for church consulting work.

🛠 Blue Team & Church Life

This week I delivered a condensed 1.5-hour training (originally 2–3 hours). We’ve tried a new approach—giving more responsibility to service leaders with a new template. It’s not as polished, but offers better balance between control and engagement. Pastor Edmond encouraged us in a Friday night call and suggested we look into newsletters and our church website. A team meeting is planned for mid-June.

🏡 Property Update

Talked to our property agent—looks like we’re not moving this year. It’s better to wait until Amber gets into secondary school first. The market is stable or slightly declining. There’s still demand in this area due to school catchment, but buyers are looking for real value.

🚘 Life Admin

The car is still in the garage. We’re waiting for the warranty assessor’s decision. It’s another week delayed. Thankful to our church friends who’ve kindly let us use their car until June 2.

💹 Investment Watch

Positive news around US-China trade relations pushed the stock market up. I’m debating whether to adjust my investment now or wait for more stability.

🔍 Growth & Networking

Still reading for the Life in the UK test. Practising English. Shaping LinkedIn messages (thanks Louise!) and reflecting on career moves. Changing jobs every 2–3 years might be a smart strategy. Also arranging to meet my old uni friend Katy on May 29—it’s been a long time.

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Next Week’s Focus:

1. Second-round interview (hopefully!)

2. Blue Team – team meeting prep & email alert setup

3. Revise booklist

4. Review investment strategy

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🗓 每週生活記錄（2025年5月12日至18日）

今個星期，唔算太忙，但都有唔少值得記錄嘅時刻。無論係職場、家庭、信仰、社會議題，總覺得神喺唔同層面都有提醒同帶領。

🎂 仔仔生日但唔舒服

今個禮拜係仔仔生日，可惜佢病咗，成日都唔太精神，所以慶祝就好簡單。不過一家人喺屋企靜靜地一齊過都好感恩，睇住佢仲可以笑，已經係禮物。

🙏 同教會朋友傾英國移民政策

今個禮拜喺 YKBC 嗰邊教會群組度，有場幾深入嘅討論，講到英國移民白皮書建議將 ILR 等候期拉長至十年。我哋都有啲擔心會唔會影響到 BNO 路線。呢啲討論令我反思——身為香港人喺英國生活，係咪應該積極啲行使我嘅投票權？寫信俾我區嘅 MP，或者喺適當嘅位置發聲。

💬 練英文發音發現三十年錯音

繼續同Amber練英文，結果發現連 “dog”、“at” 同 “service” 我都唔識準確讀。三十年講錯，真係要認真處理一下，趁依家有時間同Amber一齊練好返。

💼 Moody’s 面試 + 義工機會

感恩今個星期有機會同 Moody’s 做第一輪面試，感謝主同埋弟兄姊妹為我祈禱。法國嗰邊嘅 hiring manager 話我過往做 data integration、legacy 系統轉 cloud 嘅經驗幾啱佢哋依家做緊 RMS 嘅轉型。希望快啲收到第二輪面試消息啦！

另外我同 Freshwater Foundation 嘅創辦人 Mark 約咗 5 月 29 號見面，傾下有冇機會做義工，睇下大家工作模式夾唔夾。希望可以透過呢啲實際參與，更加適應英國文化，同時為建立公民社會出一分力，都係為將來church consulting 嘅方向預備。

🛠 Blue Team 新做法 + 教會發展

呢個星期又做咗一次Blue Team Training，不過時間壓縮到 1.5 小時，原本要 2–3 小時先講得晒。今次試咗新做法，俾咗個簡化版本嘅 template 比領會，由佢哋自己搞埋落去。最後製成品未必靚，但令佢哋有參與感同空間去處理，長遠都係好事。

上星期五晚同 Edmond 傳道傾電話，佢對Blue Team發展表示支持，仲提議我哋可以開始研究教會週報（依家由陳太負責）同埋建立新website，打算六月中再開會同Blue Team傾下。

🏡 搬屋未必今年發生

同地產代理傾過，睇嚟今年都唔會搬屋，決定等 Amber 入到中學先再諗搬屋。依家樓市唔算升，甚至有啲微跌，呢一區校網仍有需求，但買家講求性價比。

🚘 車仲喺修理中

車仲未整好，等緊Extended Warranty嗰邊派人嚟做決定。又一星期過去。好彩有教會朋友借咗架車俾我哋用到 6 月 2 號，真係幫咗大忙，感恩！

💹 投資觀察

美國對華關稅消息好轉，股市有反彈。我都諗緊係咪應該趁機調整投資組合，定係再等等先。

🔍 準備考試 + 搵工策略

繼續睇《Life in the UK》考試書。另一方面，開始寫多啲 LinkedIn outreach 嘅內容，係Career Coach Louise 建議我試吓主動搵機會。而家每兩三年轉工都好合理，可以幫 career 更進一步。29號打算見吓大學同學 Katy，佢嚟英國三年，我哋都未見過面，今次真係要 catch up 下。

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📌 下週計劃：

1. 期待第二輪面試有好消息

2. Blue Team開會準備 + set up email reminder

3. 更新讀書清單

4. 睇睇投資 portfolio 點調整

#WeeklyReflection #FaithAndLife #Immigration #JobSearch #Parenting #UKLife #ChurchMinistry #Volunteering #InvestmentNotes #LanguageLearning #BlueTeamUpdates #PropertyPlanning

#每週反思 #信仰生活 #移民議題 #搵工日誌 #家庭點滴 #英國生活 #教會事工 #義工體驗 #投資思考 #學習英文 #藍隊計劃 #搬屋計劃

生日週生活點滴 9/May/2025

1. 生日嘅感恩時刻 —— 困境中見到滿滿愛
   今個禮拜係我生日，雖然生活唔少挑戰，但太太同仔女嘅支持真係令我心裏好溫暖。太太煮咗一餐豐富晚餐，仲同小朋友一齊整咗生日卡同書籤送畀我。阿仔平時影相唔笑，今次難得笑得咁開心，仲有香港朋友透過 WhatsApp 傳嚟嘅祝福，感覺好窩心。

2. 車壞變祝福 —— 一場意外帶嚟反思
   架車由 4 月 9 號開始送去維修，到而家都未攞得返，可能要換成個引擎。發現車房同延長保養之間有溝通問題，不過感恩有朋友借咗架車畀我哋一家用咗三個禮拜，真係雪中送炭。呢件事都提醒我要認真諗吓日後用車安排同財政規劃，甚至考慮換車或賣車。

3. 教會義工服侍 —— 為異象踏出一步
   喺教會藍隊服侍方面，我將部分 training 材料翻譯成中文，方便英文唔太叻嘅弟兄姊妹參與。亦都有持續聯絡 Ealing 同 Hounslow 嘅義工機構，準備五月底約創辦人傾傾。希望呢啲一步一步嘅實踐，可以逐步行近我教會顧問嘅異象。

【其他每週紀錄簡報】

• Bank Holiday 一家人去咗嘉年華;睇駱駝賽跑;買咗禮物畀媽咪。

• 送Amber返學放學，一齊踩單車同滑板車。

• 阿仔自己安排考試溫習時間。

• 更新 CV 同埋 summary。收到面試邀請。

• 同香港舊教會弟兄姊妹相聚，四年多未見，好感動。

• 幫西人堂牧師整 OneDrive，以前工作經驗派上用場。

• 晚上陪女睇英文兒童雜誌，邊讀邊用手機 transcribe 幫助自己學習英文。

• 睇《Life in the UK》考試書，因為內容同我最近睇嘅另外一本書非常接近，內容比較容易吸收。

• 同爸媽傾偈，阿仔彈鋼琴畀爺爺嫲嫲聽。

• 同Career Coach Louise 見面，傾咗 networking 同人工談判嘅策略。

• 投資市況好轉，開始諗新方向。

展望下週

• 跟進汽車保險同維修進展。

• 希望有更多面試機會，同埋career上有突破。

AI, Vision, and a Church of the Future

During this unexpected downtime, I’ve explored new tools and ideas, especially AI. I started experimenting with creating an AI assistant to help with Sunday service slide generation. One sister on the Blue Team has been using AI to generate stunning background images. Another brother introduced me to Notebook ML. It’s exciting to see how tech and faith can intersect.

A pastor I know in London is already using AI to create interactive Bible-learning videos for kids, and he even built a Bible chatbot. These examples inspire me to continue learning and maybe collaborate one day.

At a leadership seminar hosted by The Alliance Bible Seminary in Hong Kong, I learned that the success of church planting hinges not on structure but on soft hearts that are ready to be used by God. That stuck with me deeply.

While I haven't sensed a call to formal theological study yet, I am praying like Samuel: "Here I am. Send me." When the strategic window opens, I want to be ready to leap.

In the meantime, I'm thinking of forming a "Red Team" to work on new capabilities. God seems to be moving quickly in this season. My prayer is to follow His pace, not just my own. 

(Summarised, translated, and polished by ChatGPT 4o on 2/May/2025)

Faith, Family, and Resilience at Home

Redundancy doesn’t only affect the person who receives the notice — it affects the whole household. My wife experienced waves of anxiety, especially as it happened just before Lunar New Year. We didn’t want to share the burden with friends or family at first.

Later, the severance package offered some comfort, but the uncertainty still lingers. She even considered whether she should step down from her Bible study leadership role and look for work. I believe it is possible to lead, work, and care for the family all at once, though I also acknowledge it’s not easy.

I admit I can be a "tiger husband" — always encouraging (or pushing) her to drive more, take on leadership, or balance more responsibilities. Whether it’s highway driving or helping with BSF or even part-time work, I believe in growth through challenges.

As for our children, they have adapted surprisingly well. We started holding family meetings to help them express their thoughts since early 2024. My son earned a merit in his Grade 1 piano exam, and the best part is he practiced on his own with genuine interest. That, to me, is priceless.

(Summarised, translated, and polished by ChatGPT 4o on 2/May/2025)

From Slides to Strategy – Serving Through the Blue Team

Last November (2024), I began helping our church prepare Sunday service PowerPoint slides. That simple act grew into the formation of the "Blue Team" — a group of seven brothers and sisters committed to enhancing different areas of church service. What began as a solo task turned into a shared ministry.

Over the past four months, we've prepared 16 sets of slides, run two training sessions, and hosted a Q&A. Since April, others have started to take the lead, which gives me time to think more strategically about church operations.

My broader vision is to support churches through consulting in areas like discipleship, financial management, church planting, and administration. God willing, this could grow into a long-term calling.

What blesses me most is seeing how God brought more people than I expected. I only hoped for two or three helpers, but God provided seven, with even more in the extended team. This season, the Blue Team has become my biggest joy and accomplishment.

(Summarised, translated, and polished by ChatGPT 4o on 2/May/2025)

The Job Hunt and Inner Journey

The three months since that news have been a whirlwind of effort, reflection, and learning. Originally, I was supposed to leave the company within a month, but after I actively sought internal transfer opportunities and discussions were underway, my regional director extended the garden leave period. This gave me the ability to update my CV with a finish date in April, giving me a bit more breathing room.

I took advantage of career coaching, seminars, and even some psychometric testing offered through the outplacement service. These tools helped shape my direction and prepare me for interviews. I had four to five interviews, though I struggled with fascinating storytelling and pin pointing my strengths as an elevator pitch.

One opportunity seemed promising, but I lacked interest due to their upcoming business spin-off. It became clear that finding a job wasn’t just about employment — it had to be the right fit. In a way, I’ve become my own product, building a sales pipeline, pitching myself, and refining the message each time.

While responses have been slow recently, I remain hopeful. Job hunting is no longer just a selling activity — it's a spiritual and emotional process to renew myself. 

(Summarised, translated, and polished by ChatGPT 4o on 2/May/2025)