Playing 'dog-and-bone' rugby-style...
Ok boys... SCRUM!
Gollum got the ball! Preciousssss!
half the brothers clambering onto one tree branch...
"Uh... thanks, man, but now's a bit hard to answer the phone."
Our Branch Club. (Note the latest applicant trying to get on.)
the wonderfully tasty picnic...
It's feeding time!
Edwin is a bit ham-handed at the moment...
the mind-boggling games that Hongtao and Guanrui concocted...
"We have highly classified info here. That's why we're using the Classifieds."
the WONDERFUL open-air praise session... somehow singing "Let the trees of the forest clap their hands" really takes on an added realness when you're singing and dancing in the middle of Botanics Garden... You can really sense the AWESOMENESS of God, how wonderfully He made everything, as you sing His praises out aloud in the open! Wow! So sweet!
"This is how you scare the crows away."
Talking about sweet... I snapped this photo of a toddler I saw.
And of course the wonderful time of sharing! :D
*******
We talked about what criteria do the brothers look for in sisters, how can we be a better man for our future life partner (to the corny tune of "A Better Man"... apologies to Robbie Williams...), and oh man I forgot the last question.
But it was a very good time of discussion and sharing, and whoa, listening to Jasmine's input as a sister...
- Must be able to spiritually lead her
- Must be able to lead the household too
- Great if he can cook too. (I'm not making this one up. XD)
Personally, I'm not really for relationships in general during tertiary studies - the emotional strain can be quite overwhelming, and I think you'd miss out a lot on friendships - both brothers and sisters - due to time and social constraints. Hah, this coming from a guy who says he has had a LOT of crushes - it's something that comes to me very easily. But God is wise - He really shepherds me and helps me learn how to relate better with the opposite gender. More than that - He also has helped me learn how to relate better with my own gender too - I think a lot of men struggle to be close with other men... partly because I remember Jan saying it's because we guys tend to have expectations of other guys. That's a good thing, and that's a bad thing too.
But kept on thinking of someone in particular during that time... :)
It's really good to be a single, seriously. :) There is this freedom that you can't have if you're attached. But haha, I think it's just as good to be attached too... though I know that celibacy is a REAL gift from God. Sometimes I really wish that I had the gift of celibacy, then I wouldn't think so much about my "missing rib" at times. :P Again then, I'm not sure if I'd enjoy that gift. ;)
Anyway, back to the point. Oh I remember now. I think the 2nd question that the brothers discussed was "Compatibility or Complementarity: Which one do you think is more important in a relationship?" After a lot of throwing back and forth of opinions, the general consensus was that it depends on the guy and girl themselves. As Flince put it so well, "If you're looking for a peaceful marriage, choose compatibility. If you're looking for an exciting marriage, choose complementarity."
BTW what compatibility means is that both have similar personalities, interests, communication styles, etc, whereas complementarity means that what one side doesn't have, the other has, and vice-versa.
Hmm... personally, I tend towards what Eric said, that at the start, it's compatibility that draws us together, then after that, it's complementarity that will strengthen the relationship.
Wow... lots of more thinking to do. I guess I value both - compatibility and complementarity, but I think compatibility is more necessary, because fact is, when disagreements and differences arise, compatibility, a common vision, common interests, common personalities really do serve as a lubricant when the cogs just don't click.
Ha... just some thoughts to pen down before I forget. Ha, I'd be interested in hearing your feedback on this...
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