making the write moves

I have moved!

2010-05-06T12:09:00.003+08:00

Hello ALL! I've shifted to a new blog: http://inkedmemories.wordpress.com/

Let's see how long this lasts (:

2009-05-13T11:38:00.006+08:00

The End of Year One

A story of God's faithfulness

I wanted to begin this post with "Wow time really flies." But I realised that would be a really unrealistic line. In fact, i think time crawled this first year in law. But on hindsight, I really thank God for His faithfulness. So many times I felt I had ended up in the wrong place, but every single time God showed His power and I experienced His awesome grace and faithfulness so much more than i ever had in my life!

I recall my heart skipped a beat when i saw online that I got into Law. I kinda had the feeling I was going to get in but deep inside I wasn't sure I wanted to put myself through all the stress that i knew a law student was going to be plagued with. I hated camps, but i signed myself up for the Orientation camp for Law and then the Freshman Camp for VCF.

Looking back, I saw how God's hand was really upon me all the way. At the VCF camp, i met seniors who shared so openly about their struggles and how they drew strength from fellow brothers and sisters on campus and that made me determined to join VCF. It also allayed some fears that i had about Uni :)

The first semester was really torturous for me.No one knew how hard we had to study, so everyone just 'chiong-ed'. It was a very humbling experience for me too. All my life, by God's grace, studies was never that tough for me. I never found a problem balancing studies and service. But into the third week of school, i began to find myself in a place where everyone is so intelligent and hardworking, and the weekly assignments and exams really placed a physical, mental and spiritual strain on me.

Towards the end of the first semester, I found myself 'losing steam', and it was also the time of my exams and also the youth camp! I tell you, i have never experienced that level of stress and anxiety before in my life. But it was because of my physical limitations that God really showed His power. Every morning I would wake up and claim that line from the song 'Hosanna' - "WHEN I SEE YOU I FIND STRENGTH TO FACE THE DAY". I have no idea how i survivied that stressful period of exams followed by youth camp, but all i know is that His awesome power sustained me through :)

Then came the VCF ANNTIC camp. Only 5 people from my CG turned up for the camp but it was truly amazing. 5 of us happened to sign up for the same Evangelism workshop and we all felt very inspired by it and God placed a burden on us to take steps to reach out to those in our school. So the idea of running the Alpha Course in school was birthed.

So Semester 2 began on a good note. I was very excited about the Alpha course. But every week was really a test of faith. No one knew how many people, if any at all, were going to turn up for Alpha. But amazingly every week, an average of 5 pre-believers would turn up to watch the video and ask questions. That really opened my eyes to the many souls that needed to be saved in law school. Behind the 'everything is cool' exterior is emptiness, uncertainty and questions, lots of questions.

But Sem 2 wasnt without its challanges. Though i learnt to pace myself in terms of studying, the Sem culminated in my Moots, which was my NO 1 fear for the entire Sem. Moots is when u go to the fake court in my school to present and defend your case in front of the Profs. I've shared this with many people. The route to my Moots was such a struggle, but i thank God for VCF friends who listened to my fears and complaints and kept reminding me to turn to God.

And the most amazing thing i have to thank God for this Sem is that my mooting partner got saved!!!!!!!! She accepted Christ during our Good Friday Service and has been attending church every week! I'm so humbled when i look at how God's timing is always perfect. In my mere human wisdom i had it all planned. i wanted to get my Moot's timer, also from VCF, to pray for her on the day of the moots and then hopefully she would feel the peace of God with her when she mooted and then i could slowly invite her to church. But God had it all planned (one step ahead of me!) and I'm just so humbled and full of praise! I think I wouldn't mind going through Moots again if I can get another soul saved :P

I could really sense God's peace when i mooted. I'm a horrible mooter i tell you, but all fear was gone when i went up to speak. Even my mooting partner said she felt peaceful when she mooted. This is definitely God at work! PTL!!!

Right after Moots was the exams. As usual, it was a long-drawn period of studying like 13-15 hours a day for two weeks and still feeling so unsure of everything. However, i really found strength from my fellow brothers and sisters in school. Every day during the 2 weeks, a group of us would set aside 30 mins to worship and pray together in school. That really helped me get my perspective right, and to be reminded that amidst all this crazy mugging, God is in control. And of course, getting crash courses from my smart friends during lunch time also helped me get a better understanding of my subjects haha!

Indeed, looking back, i can really see how God's hand has been guiding me along the past academic year. He placed various people at different times to encourage, inspire, and aid me along the way. It wasn't easy, and it isn't going to be. I don't know what the next three years is going to be like, but i'm assured of His faithfulness.

A friend said this to me, "At the end of my studies, I want to be able to say that I did something for Jesus in the place He has placed me in." I hope to be able to say that too. How about you?

2009-03-22T18:48:00.006+08:00

Okay I figured that since I am slacking online now, i might as well do a quick update on what I've been up to! well...couple of things that happened since I started this semester.....

Firstly, my dear dog died. Yeah I was devastated but I thank God that through it all I realised that I have such wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ who prayed with me through the few days my dog went for her operation and constantly messaged me to see how I was. Thank God for them! And my lovely LAWR classmates wrote a card for me too! :)

And my CG started the Alpha Course in school! Really thank God that at least 4-5 pre-believers turn up to watch the video every week and to ask questions. Starting this course has really taught me and my CG about faith, cause every week we worry about who is going to turn up and eevry week God never fails to bring the people. And this has really opened my eyes to the lost souls in my school. Cont praying that lives will be saved through this!

School has been hectic as usual. But really thank God that things are just way different this semester. I guess making an effort to be involved in VCF and to get to know our fellow brothers and sisters on campus really makes a difference! at least now i know i have a little army marching in school along with me and watching out for me =)

here are pictures of things I've done so far this sem....

My CG volunteered for the Love Movement at NUS main campus...one soul was saved through that event!

Elaine was a volunteer there too!

I havent seen Yu Xuan for like...half a year!!!

The Love Movement ended with a Gospel concert!

And tons of presentations i thank God i pulled through!

And a surprise visit from Christine!!

Meeting with my VCF Yr Ones :)

And then we celebrated lots of birthdays.....

Divya's 20th!!!

Yu Hang's 22nd!!!

Where a couple of them actually turned up in matching clothes haha!

And thank God i survived today's sharing in the youth! A big thank you for all those words of encouragement :) Really appreciate them!

Will update more another time. God bless!

2009-01-10T21:28:00.009+08:00

As i come towards the end of my holidays, it's time to update on what i've been busy with! Below are some highlights of the things i did after AnnTIC. Here's my holidays in brief-

I was so sick after Anntic that i slept at home for like an entire week. i slept for like 16-18 hours on average that week - told you i was extremely deprived of sleep haha

First up was a trip to the zoo with my law friends! It was extremely fun :)

Squashed at the back of anthony's car-

Visited the famous white tigers-

Then Wen mun and wen por came back to singapore, so spent some time with them...

We brought wen mun to see the Christmas lights! Been ages since i last went down to soak in the festive mood!

And we watched this really fantastic Christmas play by Nic's church. The acting and singing really wow-ed me. Maybe we should put up something as a church this Christmas in town eh?

And Le Grande. Really well-planned event that my friends enjoyed thoroughly. Well done all you involved in Le Grande !!

The cute little ushers i love :)

My lovely cell!

Met up with my Anntic group mates who were so intrigued upon hearing my voice haha. really missed them

And that's the sesame street balloon i gave to Darren for his birthday haha.

The last day of 2008 was spent with my lovely cell (and then watchnight service)

We did our countdown in Pastor Kenny's car haha

And stayover at Elaine's! Sabrina popped by in the afternoon

met the VCF yr ones for food, games and sharing.

Sam wee's house can really be a bomb shelter! Check out all the food kept there...

The brothers and sisters i hope to grow in the Lord together with for the years to come-

And i finally spent an entire afternoon catching up with Cheryn! It's been so long, and she turns out to be the one who knows me best ;)

It's great to see you even more on fire for God my dear sis. You have, and continue to be an inspiration to me. Hold on to this precious faith of ours, and cont to keep in touch!!

*i've got many more pics but blogger doesnt allow me to upload them :(

Well, 2008 has been such a wonderful year for me. Had so many highlights - Sisterhood, results, bla bla....Really thank God that it was a year that I experienced His awesome power, love and grace. A year that i met many Godly friends, and a year that i not only learnt more about myself, but also more about Him. Wow! What more could i ask for?

2009 seems pretty intimidating, But i'm excited cause i know i'm gonna see great things happen. I choose to proclaim that.

A new semester I'm entering, and i'm indeed fearful of what it brings. Lord, let me not be consumed by school, but help me keep my eyes upon You, my only source of hope and strength. Amen.

2008-12-17T20:58:00.007+08:00

Yay. I've finally gotten the pics taken in AnnTIC. Enjoy!

My Bible Study Group. We spent a total of 12 hours in the camp together. And we're called the Monkey Group for obvious reasons.

Look at them playing during BS Time *tsk tsk*

My new friends cum BS group mates!

Unbelieveably funny nic

My lovely group. I've learnt sooo much from all of them. This is the last picture before Jocelyn returned home.

The jacket in place of jocelyn's absence. haha

Our attempt at looking intelligent. Introducing Wei Shan, my Year 4 law senior. She's unbelieveably gentle and sweet, and i'm so glad to have gotten to know more wonderful seniors like her at this camp.

And Jesselyn celebrated her 21st birthday with us!

On the last day, we headed out to Starbucks for group sharing...

Followed by Steamboat!!! Steamboat never tasted so good. Only when u're hungry and the weather is coooooold....

Then Dominic showed up and started ordering us to follow his commands...

"Pose nicely!!!"

"Look sad!!"

"Life is meaningless!!!"

"Each of you do one to ten!!!"

And here's Lester - yr 4 law senior and also VCF Chairperson. my beloved grpmates are out to spoil this rare photo *tsk tsk* But i must say i've learnt loads from him, his commitment to his church and to VCF just blows yr mind and u wonder how handles it all.

Yup, above are all the wonderful people i met at AnnTIC. Every single one of them taught me something, and i'm so blessd to have gotton to know them. AnnTIC - cya next yr! =)

2008-12-15T15:14:00.006+08:00

Hey guys i'm back home!!! I survived Contract paper, Salt Shakers '08 and AnnTIC!!! Warning - Looooonnnng post ahead. And cause i'm unwell, i cant really think straight, so pardon the grammatical mistakes and stuff....and Brace yrselves! =)

First up - Contract paper was such a killer. it was soooo tough i tell you. I was making up the cases and facts on my own, but i really cant be bothered with it right now...

Next - SALT SHAKERS '08

It was a really wonderful camp. Though i acknowledge the facilities were pretty bad (*ahem* like the knob in the male toilet that could be easily pulled off, causing a flood not once, but TWICE) but the campers never allowed it to dampen their spirits.

Though it was a pretty last-minute camp, and there were many loose ends we failed to tie, yet the campers were all so supporive and enthusiastic about everything. Thanks guys, you all made the hardwork all worthwhile.

And the spiritual side - only one word to describe - "Wow!" The whole comm prayed for revival, and that God would move in the camp, but personally, I confess that i didnt have the faith to believe that God would move that greatly. Especially on that last night, when i saw God moving and touching the hearts of each and everyone in the room, i stood at the back, tears just flowing. I was so humbled by God, and ashamed that i didnt have the faith to believe that He could do such wonders. I guess God's teaching me to stop rationalising with my head. And it was extremely heart-warming to see the youths praying for their fellow brothers and sisters. Youths, it's my prayer that you all won't forget how God moved in this camp. Dont let this just be a temporal spiritual 'high', i believe that all of us were touched in some way so special its life-changing. Youths, hold on to this precious faith of ours and dont ever allow the devil to take it away from us.

And a couple of people to thank:

The Camp Committee -

Yes, that's us having our mtg in Raffles City's BK ( i dont quite like that place haha). You guys are such a lovely bunch of pple that it was indeed a privilege to be able to serve in this camp with you guys. Though so many obstacles were placed in front of us, you all held on, persevered and never once gave up depsite the stress of it all. And kudos to you guys for being able to handle my 'perfectionism' =P

To Elaine! Thanks my dear, for being so supportive and staying calm when everyone else gets stressed. And this poor girl had 5 papers to sit for the two wks before camp!! And thanks for that servant heart, cleaning up after everyone and handling all the administrative stuff. I've indeed learnt loads from u!

To Sam! I thank God for such a tender and loving heart. You've been so responsible, and steady as you handle all the tasks thrown to you. I'm so glad to see you rising up in leadership. I believe God's gonna use you for great things, so keep it up and i look forward to serving with you again!

To Justin! Thanks for helping out in this camp, it was indeed a joy to be able to work with you. It's also a joy to see you rising up to take responsibilities and handling them so well. I appreciate your support throughout this camp, and your enthusiasm is truly infectious! I pray that God will continue to fan into flame the passion to serve Him.

To Jabez! First of all, thanks for handling all those publicity videos, they sure enticed alot of pple to turn up for the camp! Thanks for injecting creativity and fun into this camp, and thanks for being so enthusiastic in everything, like the secret monkey, etc. You've been a blessing to the comm, thank you =)

And not forgetting Mabel and Serene! Thanks for taking so much time to help plan for the games, we wouldn't have come up with such fun and interesting games on our own! I appreciate all yr enthusiasm in this camp, and i believe the campers have all enjoyed themselves greatly. thanks girls once again =)

And then on Monday morning, i went to AnnTIC (Annual Teach-In Camp) at Cameron Highlands.

Initially, i was extremely reluctant to go, cause i know i was going to be really exhausted by then, but smth just kept pushing me to go, and i went and was richly blessed.

We studied the Book of Ecclesiates, a book i never understood my whole life. Not that i fully understand it now, but at least I'm beggining to get a glimpse of what's happening haha.

The time-table was pretty crazy. We would wake up, have an hr of QT, half hr of breakfast, half hour of sharing with my Law CG, then 3 hours of IBS (Inductive Bible Study), Lunch, nap for 1 hr, then workshop for 3 hrs, bathe, dinner, theme talk plus sharing for another 3 hours. it was so hectic that everyone was extremely exhausted by the second day. oh and did i mention that it took about 9-10 hours to travel there? it's way too long a ride for restless me =P

I was unwell the entire camp - with running nose, no voice,and persistent coughing. It was pretty torturous but i really learnt alot, especially from the group sharings. i met people from different faculties, and all of them are so on fire for God. So many of them even know the Bible so well and i feel ashamed that i havent really been going deep into the Word like they have been. there were 3 law senoirs in my group, and they really practise what they preach. Despite their busy schedules, all of them serve in their churches and even in VCF, and they're living testimonies of how God honours those who honour Him. I'm indeed so inspired and encouraged by them.

And it was so wonderful to see 40 law people at AnnTIC!! ( law students dont really like this kinda camp haha)

Even more encouraging was that 8 law freshies turned up!

We had a heart to heart sharing on the last night. The Yr ones in VCF hardly ever talk to each other, and i'm so glad to get to know all of them in this camp, and God placed in our hearts a burden to pray for our fellow schoolmates. We shared about our comon struggles in school, and it was so encouraging to get to know fellow bros and sisters also striving to please God despite the many difficulties we face.We decided to meet up, share and pray together fortnightly when school begins. It's amazing. Amazing because just at Salt Shakers, when Pas. Ben was telling us to intercede for our generation, my heart cried out for my friends in law school. And i felt that we as a Christian community havent been really praying and reaching out to them. Further, law school can be quite a difficult place to stand up and speak out for Christ, thus I'm so glad for this timely plan to meet up and pray with my fellow yr ones.

Alright, my medication is making me really drowsy now. Need to sleep again (i've been sleeping 20 hours a day for the past 2 days...!!!) Must get well before I get busy again. I'll post more pictures of AnnTIC when sam uploads them. Till then!

2008-12-01T13:04:00.002+08:00

I'm becoming pretty reluctant to blog, especially when i think of the thousand and one things i've got to accomplish. I've never had such hectic, stressful weeks like now.

Finished my Torts exam last Monday. thank God it wasnt so bad. My first ever open-bk exam, was pretty fun, cause u just feel so secure with all yr hand-written notes in front of u haha. hope i do well for that though.

Started studying for my second, and last, paper since last Wed, and I'm getting the feeling of impending doom for that upcoming Contract Law paper. It's just way tooo much information to squeeze into my little brain. argh.

And in the midst of studying, my mind would often travel to the many things we left out for the upcoming youth camp. gosh, i guess God's really teaching me to handle and balance studies and church work. it's really not easy, but well, in times like these i should be feeling so drained, but i actually dont! I wake up every morning asking God for extraordinary strength to face the day and the many challenges ahead, and He never fails to grant me that! Sitting at my desk ten over hrs a day gets tiring, but there's just this inner voice cheering me on, giving me the strength to persevere. Father, I thank You!

oh, did i mention that my paper falls on this FRIDAY?????!! Yes, the first day of youth camp, where stress level reaches a climax. So if u read this, make sure u say a prayer for me, cause i really need it! =) And on the last day of camp, i'll be heading off to VCF camp at Cameron Highlands. so many activities back-to-back, i wonder if i can survive hah.

alright, i really should be heading back to my books. I'll cya youths at SALT SHAKERS 2008 !!!!! I cant wait =)

and for u blur ones out there, we're mtg outside Dhoby Ghaut stn at 1pm this friday!!! Look out for Justin,and dont be late!!!

2008-11-06T21:38:00.015+08:00

I had the worst three weeks of school so far.

2 sundays ago - had a knock on my head, had to go to the hospital for x-ray and stuff. it was real bad. Stayed home for 4 days and couldnt do any work cause of the giddiness, and as a result i was 4 days behiind everyone else in my preparation for Stautory Memorandum. AND i missed my 24 hour exam held that sunday.

Then last Sat, Stat Memo was finally due. I rushed it for like, 13 hours that day and uploaded the file online 5 mins before the dateline. That was bad.

AND, the next day, on Sun, i had my 24 hour Singapore Legal System make-up exam, and it was so tough. gosh. and i was still recovering from the past few nights of burning the midnight oil, so my mind basically shut down during after 10 pm.

This week, while recovering from the severe lack of sleep, i had to prepare for my Stat Viva, which is actually a 'discussion' with 2 tutors on my assignment on the Misuse of Drugs Act. i did terribly cause i wasnt fully prepared, but who cares. it's over!

And so, here i am, finally able to sit in front of the com to do smth other than study!!!!

Warning: following are pictures, and more pictures and nothing but pictures taken today.

Me between the two 'A star' students. Wei Hong (left) is so ah-beng haha!

The LAWYER and his three INTERNS -

After winning the case for client, Mr Chan Bo Tak, a friendly handshake is necessary

I love this picture!!

Random shot of birthday boy leaving for his early birthday celebration...

Look at Wei hong, again. C.J. calls this Wei Hong's Rihanna moment =P

The legal fraternity brotherhood =)

My beautiful school compound-

My LAWR tutor - she's really nice, and tall =)

The Ah beng doing his stuff...

This is hilarious, especially in that outfit =)

Really thank God that I survived through these few weeks. need to take a breather before i go into full gear for my exam this sunday and **gasp* for the exams for the content subjects. Pardon me if i look stressed when you see me around the next few weeks =)

And I know You're with me through it all.

2008-10-04T21:53:00.005+08:00

I've run out of excuses to explain why I havent been blogging. haha well..so here i am! Some pictures of school!

Uniform Day in light of Children's day....

I refused to be seen in AJ uniform again haha

We look so...youthful and happpy don't you think? This doesnt paint an accurate picture of law sch.

People who make law sch a better place!!

my LAWR group!!!! People who understand when u complain about how impossible it is to be within the word counts given in assignments, the frequency of the assignments...the lack of clarity of tutors bla bla..

Us at Seminar Room -

Sabrina!! My fellow VCF CG group mate and *ahem studying partner =)

Divya! She never fails to make me laugh i tell you. And she's my time-table buddy (almost)!!
What I've been doing during most of my waking hours.

oh and that cup of coffee over there? My school sells gd coffee =)

Well, so school's getting really hectic. With 24 hour exams every 3-4 weeks (I still cant reconcile the fact that they're held on sundays), lawr asignments every few weeks, and endless readings for tutorials.

Not to mention church commitments. gosh, i really need to find that balance to do everything well. But well, it's in times like these that God can show his power!

In Christ alone

I place my trust

And find my glory in the power of the cross

In every victory

Let it be said of me

My source of strength

My source of hope

Is Chrst alone

A tough journey of 4 years I foresee.

But I know the will of God will not lead me where the grace of God cannot keep me.

Remind me about this truth if i forget. It's so easy to.

2008-08-23T21:01:00.003+08:00

School has been on for two weeks now. So how am I coping with it?
Well, i basically find it really demanding, but I thank God that at least the content that I'm studying doesn't bore me. I was praying so hard before i start school that I would not find myself in the wrong place, cause that would mean 4 long years of suffering. And surprisingly the stuff that I'm studying is somewhat interesting, so yup, I'm doing pretty well at school, though I'm still trying to ease myself into the position of a full-time student.

Spiritual wise I think I'm doing good. I guess it's just at times when you feel so helpless and have absolutely no idea how you can complete all your readings that you just turn to God. This experience of school is entirely different from my past 15 years of education. For once in my life, I walk about school with this consciousness of God, consciousness that He's just right there walking beside me, granting me the supernatural strength I need to face each day. So for you fellow students out there, never separate school life and the spiritual like what I've always done. Whatever you do, do it with a consciousness of God, and with the desire to put a smile on His face. That really changes everything =)

After a few months of planning, TAPESTRY 2008 is finally over. The Radicals really did us proud at Clarke Quay last Sunday, and believe it or not, a total of about 103 pple (our own peeps + their friends) turned up to support. And to the BEFRIENDERS!!!!! You guys were bursting with enthusiasm and bravery as you went about doing yr surveys. I never knew our youths were so bold haha. Well done guys!!!

LEGAL MOVIE MARATHON with law OG last night. I slept for like, 5-6 hours haha. Didnt complete a single movie haha. Was really exhausted but i knew divya would nag at me for a week if I didnt show up =P

And the POST-TAPESTRY event happened today. I must admit that i was extremely disapointed to see our target number not met after all the effort we put in to plan, advertise and decorate the place. Throughout the first half of the programme I sat at my seat,and a thousand thoughts ran through my head, like how I wasted an entire Saturday and how I could have completed my LAWR cases today. But everything changed the moment Pastor Ben spoke. The line he spoke,"Don't be disappointed because you don't see all the seats filled today, cause soon all the seats will be filled" really spoke to me. I guess in all my human understanding I could never reconcile the fact that the event didnt turn out the way I wanted it to. Now on hindsight, I think God really had a plan. I daresay all who turned up were truly inspired by Pastor Ben's sharing on revival. Altar call was amazing. It's been a long time since I knelt down at the altar to surrender things in my life and to soak in His presence.

And to the KNIGHTS FOR CHRIST! You guys have a mission! Let's not stop interceding for revival, cause it's gonna happen in HIS time. I quote Josh (oops hope u don't mind!) that the comm. and the performers "kept their spirits up despite not having full house. It speaks much of their character." I agree totally. I'm really proud of u pple. To the Tapestry Comm- it was fun working with u guys and i thank you so much for yr hard work! And the performers- all i can say is 'well done' =)

Oh yes one more thing. You know the "iLive for iAm" shirt the tapestry helpers have? I was wearing it at serangoon interchange this morning and as i was rushing towards my bus, this young man stopped me in my tracks, pointed to me and said "Cool shirt!" He then went on to ask where I got it bla bla. Obviously i was shocked by this sudden occurence but i must say it made me really proud!! And well done Jabez, the designer of the shirt =)

Really sleepy now. Off to bed! cya!

2008-08-10T20:47:00.005+08:00

Really sleepy right now but decided that since this is the last official day of holidays, I decided to blog...at least while I have the time to!

Welcome back Sam!!

Candy floss!! Lots of them!

BLACK WHITE CAMP

Finally over!! I do hope you guys had fun!

Group picture!

The Committee!!

BLACK or WHITE. NO COMPROMISE. Cool shirt =) It was a crazy night. Playing the different games at the wee hours in the morning...hiding in the forest trying to scare people and feeding the mosquitoes at the same time....I'm glad we all survived. I do need to recover some sleep though haha.

To the Camp Comm! WEll done peeps! I had fun planning with you guys. I'm sure we'll have many chances to work together again!!

Alright. My holidays are coming to an end, and I must really say the past eight months have been well-spent. Accomplished so much, learnt so much, and made many new friends!

Dec: Internship at law firm. Really see God's hand at work in this. Gave me an idea about what law is. Though i admit i ended the internship pretty much certain law isn't my cup of tea hah.

Groundbreaking Camp 2007

The Camp Committee showing off our 'Dancing in the Moonlight' moves. This is hilarious!!

Jan-Feb: Sales at Bellino Jewelry. Nice bosses, but tiring work. Learnt alot of PR skills though haha

March-April: Trip to the Sisterhood of Mary. The highlight of my holidays. Nothing can do justice to how great that visit to Australia was. Learnt great spiritual lessons, and had fun with my S'pore buddies! Guys, don't lose hold of the great treasures we've gained there.

June: Church Camp!! Learnt about the Cat-Dog Theology that really opened my eyes...

Law Camp- GOOD!!! (Been talking too much about it haha)

July: VCF Camp! (enough about it too...lol)

August- Black White Camp yay!!!

These are only the major events..everyday was an exciting one. Waking up feeling relaxed and looking forward to a great day. But now, it's back to being a full-time student once again.

Lord, help me to live everyday for You. Help me not to be consumed by the challenges of everyday life, but help me to learn to rely on Your extraordinary strength and wisdom, and to love like You do. Help me to be different, and make a difference. Amen.

You are God alone from before time began

You are on Your throne

You are God alone

And right now in the good times and bad

You are on Your throne

You are God alone

2008-08-07T12:19:00.007+08:00

I should be at orientation but here I am blogging and chatting online with *ahem* a fellow OG2 mate. haha marcus is so gonna nag when he sees this. hah just kidding just kidding...

FOP weekend!!!

The queue on Sat was crazy...

And the stadium packed full...(and thanks guys for the doughnuts!!!)

But the word was so good. Pastor Mark Conner spoke about 'Growing up or growing old?' He pointed out how almost everything in life cannot be controlled, but the one thing we can control is ourselves. Our mind, our will and our body. The examples he raised, for instance how we allow negativity to enter our minds, really hit the congregation hard, judging from the silence in the audience. But amidst the moments of seriousness were bouts of laughters. That pastor can realy tell jokes too!! I returned on Sunday again cause I wanted to listen to his preaching...

The group that went on Sunday!! Thanks marcus, nicole and yu xuan (missing in picture haha) for coming down!

It was so much less crowded on sunday, and the sermon was awesome as usual. The question the preacher threw to us was "If you had three months to live, would you still live your lives the way you're living now? Which aspects of your life would you change since you're now living in the light of eternity?" That really set me thinking, the habits I have to change, the friends and family members yet to be saved, the worldly ambitions...gosh the list goes on.

And Day One of orientation. We had to attend 2 ceremonies. Only the law students turned up in black and white for the ceremony at kent ridge, it was a sight man.

And back at BTC we gave our 2 OGLs their long-due presents!!

And i went off to meet my vcf friends in the night. Too bad night cycling was cancelled at the last moment...but we played Citadels at Macs and it's so fun!

And a Vcf group outing isn't complete without the spiritual aspect haha. We had a time of worship and sharing at west coast park. We sat there and shared about our lives, our fears and hopes for the future and we supported each other in prayer. It's always so safe and secure to be among these brothers and sisters. I really thank God for them.

Following which we had supper at the Cheese Prata place near the kent ridge campus. I do think the prata is overrated haha...

And we headed off to PGP's TV room to play Munchkins overnight!! But our 2 OGLs kept sleeping...haha the other 3 of us survived and continued playing. The reason we three are so awake is because we drank Teh-tarik!! Lol. Yu xuan drank Lime juice (like who on earth drinks lime juice at 3 am?!) and kah yoke drank milo, know we know hah. These two made our gathering a slumber party literally haha. Sab and her nonsense =P

A parting shot. All the small eyes due to a lack of sleep..and i wore my contacts for 29 hours!! Woo hoo!!

It was a crazy night man. 'High on fatigue' ...does that make sense? haha. And we FINALLY forced out yu xuan's secret. Sabrina and I are such fantastic law students wahahah =P

And goodbye to my Ah Lian hair!!!!! It's now black, as in really really black haha. Oh well...Not that i really miss this colour. I was just waiting for 2 months to past before I dye a new colour. This is waaaayyy too bright.

Had our final Black White Camp mtg last night. Our original plans catered to about 24 campers, and now we have twice the number!!!!!! Thank God, but that means much more planning! It's gonna be a crazy night and for you blur ones out there..in case you still aren't sure....

Date-080808 (tmr!!!!)

Meeting place- Railway station at Vivocity

Time- 8pm (don't be late!!)

Watch out for marcus.

Bring shoes, torch and a change of clothes!!

Call me or any of the Comm members if u've any questions.

So many late nights. I'm really exhausted. The "I'm still young" excuse doesn't work anymore haha.

2008-07-29T20:48:00.014+08:00

yay. Josiah finally uploaded the VCF Camp photos!

(FOC)^2

Group sharings -

Our really cool Andrew team shirt done personally by Yu Xuan. I never knew medicine students could do this kinda thing =P

Games!

The really disgusting watermelon game that Andrew won!!

Taking camp picture...

Group pics on the last day!

Yue-En (first row, second from left) looks really hilarious in both pictures haha

And JUMP SHOTS!!!!!

One out of the many failed attempts. The look of anticipation on our faces is so comical!

The best shot-

The best is still surprising not good enough. Haha xiongkun went "one two JUMP! one two JUMP! one two JUMP!!" almost 20 times we got so exhausted. But it was real fun =) I thank God once again for these new-found friends. Now I've got an extra OG to go out with, no wonder I'm so busy!

Elaine's preaching on sunday really jolted those memories of Canaan, memories that I tried so hard to bury. When she showed the video of what we did in Sisterhood, I began fighting back tears. In fact, I was doing that the whole time she shared. It was such a special 6 weeks, a time God convicted me of so many things and a time I learnt to love God so much more than I never had my whole life. I came across the lyrics of a farewell song that the Sisters would sing whenever someone left Canaan. I held that piece of paper in my hand, and as my eyes scanned past word by word, I could practically hear at the back of my head the Sisters singing this song with their angelic voices. I tell you, I really felt like bursting into tears at that moment. It felt just like yesterday when they sang the song as Elaine and I got into the car towards Sydney airport. Even typing about Sisterhood now gives me a this special feeling I can't explain...enough of this for now.

2008-07-25T20:14:00.005+08:00

I finally met up with Julia!!! Brought her to the Supreme Court to watch a trial. She's taking Law in UK, i'm so proud of this junior =)

And at tha trial I met Nic, someone who attended our church before. He's entering his third year in Law. What he told me about law was a little discouraging, but before he left he told me i could look him up whenever i needed help. I realised then that somehow, in the past months, God has placed so many ple in my path. People i know I can go to for help with regards to school. I thank God for that =)

And Li Wei rushed down all the way from ECP to have dinner with us. We laughed so hard when we recounted how our youth was spent in CO, how wei xiong used to kick us in the chair when we blew smth wrongly, and how we used to bully elvin to buy drinks up for us. Nothing beats sitting with old friends and reminiscing about the good old days.

The best lasagne i've tried so far. Julia stole a bite before i took this pic lol. I must bring elaine there some day! And my first OG outing with my VCF friends!!! Andrew (the name of my og) from two different angles haha-

We were there for three hours, but only played 2 games. And 'Uglyuglyugly' is a crazy and totally unglam game haha

Check out Xiong Kun's foldable bike!!

I must mention smth about this guy. He's a year 4 social work major and the VCF Camp Chair. I tell you, I've never seen someone as kind, loving yet at the same time as crazy as him. His sharings during the VCF camp were really inpsiring and thought-provoking. I've learnt loads from him. thanks xk!

Kah yoke! year 2 social work major too. A fantastic OGL, and one who is forever enthusiastic about everything =)

And our boardgames fever continued even during dinner! We played Citadels at The Soup Spoon haha. we were waiting to be thrown out but that didn't happen =)

And I brought the guys to watch the YWAM team do street evangelism but we only reached there in time to say goodbye. Sorry guys but there's still monday. The YWAM team will be doing a full-day street-e this monday, their last day in town. Do go down and learn a thing or two!!

And i can never go to City Hall without spotting someone i know. Saw Saffie at raffles city ytd. Long time no see my dear girl!! =)

Finally, I had a morning to myself yesterday, and i came across this section in a devotional- "Successful people are not necessarily more gifted, they're just more passionate. What do you pray sbout? Cry about? Dream about? What are you willing to risk everything for? That's the well from which you'll draw your strength and your strategies when you experience setbacks, when others disappoint you, and when the job feels too big and you feel too small."

That really set me thinking. What am I passionate about? Well, when I was young, I wanted to be a doctor. Then came a phase I believe most children go through- the apsiration to become a teacher. Now the above two occupations don't even interest me at all. Then came the dream of becoming a social worker. I'm passionate about helping others. I still hold on to this dream doing social work one day. But would I give up everything i.e.a good pay, prestige for this supposed passion? Apparently not.

Church-wise. When I became a youth, I served in the children's ministry. Those few years were years of growth. I was given many opportunites to learn and experience many things. From worship to games to pastoral teacher. I gained so much in those few years. But soon, I felt my time was up. My passion just died. I moved on to the Youth ministry. I think I've done everything one can think of. Yes even visualiser and ushering. And I rmb I was once inspired to learn the drums. And shawn patiently taught me for a while but look where i am now. haha still stuck at the basics. And guitar!! I've played for many years but my skills haven't improved one bit. Bar chords are still a no-no. I always joke that "I should just stick to singing". Well, I was passionate enough to take vocal lessons at SBC, but not passionate enough to keep practising. I think I've forgotton almost everything i've learnt.

I read and re-read that paragraph ytd. Seriously, I don't know what I'm passionate about. What is something I'm willing to risk everything for? I don't know. This reminds me of the verse that goes "Jesus, my passion in life is to know You. May all other goals bow down to this journey of loving you more." Perhaps our understanding of passion is flawed. It's not so much the temporal spurts of enthusiasm for something, but maybe it ought to be this steadily growing love for something deeper, something more eternal...

I don't have the answers. I was never meant to provide them. Isn't it strange how humans tend to keep searching but never to discover anything?

I shall end with a son by Britt Nicole, "Set The World On Fire". Maybe this will provide some insights.

I wanna set the world on fire
Until it's burning bright for You
It's everything that I desire
Can I be the one You use?
I, I am small but
You, You are big enough
I, I am weak but
You, You are strong enough to

Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
There's nothing I can not do
Nothing I cannot do

I wanna feed the hungry children
And reach across the farthest land
And tell the broken there is healing
And mercy in the Father's hands

My hands my feet
My everything
My life, my love
Lord, use me
I wanna set the world on fire
Set the world on fire

Beautiful lyrics that I pray will be your heart's cry.

2008-07-21T20:33:00.005+08:00

Let's see. The past 2 weeks have been busy, but really fun! Warning: This post is nothing but mere pictures and stuff...nothing else =P

First up was a trip to Sentosa to plan for the Black White camp..

All clean and fresh at the start...

Extremely exhausted and sweaty at the end. This girl beside me is the MASTERMIND.

The Comm(some missing).

As you can see, the committee consists of really crazy people (I'm like the moderator in the group hah), so i assure you the Black White Camp is gonna be a blast, and u're gonna be doing things you never did in the past.

A random shot that's really scary. Guess who?

080808

The first ever NC16 Leaders Training Camp

Sentosa. 10pm-6am.

Be there!!!

(Registration ends this Sunday. Hurry!!!)

The following day was spent bowling with my og. i've got lots of pictures to show as evidence of how the girls totally trashed the guys but I shall be merciful and not show it hah.

And movie at marcus' house.

Dinner at Chomp chomp

With my clothes smelling of chomp chomp, I headed off for YA cell. And for the first time in my life i was almost an hr late for cell *ahem ahem* haha =P

Our new friends at YA cell. That cell is experiencing revival man.

First worship with my new worship team. Pre-service prayer... I thank God for a team who believes in prayer as strongly as I do =)

I'm actually singing too! But hidden by asriel hah

The skit put up by the YWAM team was amazingly thought-provoking.

And The Radicals had their auditions ytd-

And I thank God that more than 30 stayed back for the evangelism training by YWAM ytd!! I messaged everybody i could think of but only a handful replied. Stressful man, but to those who attended, thank you and i pray that u've been blessed =)

And I just returned from VCF camp on thursday. No pictures here though, still waiting for Josiah to send it to us!

(FOC)^2 Free Of Conformity, Full Of Christ

But I learnt so much from this camp. Everyone at camp had their own story to tell. I talked to people who are so on fire for God. I talked to people who had really bad past experiences but God's grace pulled them through. Everyone mingled with inspired me in a different way. For instance, Yue-En, a year 4 Law student spoke of how reluctant he was to enter law due to some unfulfilled dreams I'm too lazy to explain but three years into Law and God miraculously fulfilled this life-long dream of his. It taught me obedience, and that everything works for the good of those who love Him.

We had faculty time on the last night, and us 4 freshies met with ten over law seniors who were at camp too. All of them were so open in their sharing. None of them bothered to hide their failings and mistakes made in the past. At that moment it felt so safe to be among fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, sharing our lives and certain that no one is judging. I think it's something that we all ought to strive towards...

I just deleted a whole paragraph that's probably not very edifying but anyway JULIA CHIA is back in S'pore after almost 4 years and I'm mtg her tmr! I can't wait =)

2008-07-10T14:42:00.002+08:00

I overheard a old man telling his friend at a trial: "This is not a lawyer. This is a liar."
I couldn't help but smile at the irony of it all.
What are the chances of entering the very profession you are most critical of?
Nothing is impossible. Indeed, indeed.

Imperfection. The more you get to know people, the more you see how nobody can be perfect. But hey, don't you think that the very people you think are imperfect are actually reflections of none other than yourself? I had my fair share of dealings with people who get on my nerves, those whose actions and words disturb me. But i believe it happens the other way round too. My occasional 'coolness' and frankness do hurt people, and i'm terribly sorry for that as well.

Friends. Besides Himself , family and friends are God's greatest gift to Man. Flaws are embraced by friends, and they can sometimes be turned into something positive. Crisis brings out the best in people. Even the best of friends. But TIME. Time acts like a filter, and what remains are the friends whom you you treasure most, and you know deep inside that the feeling is mutual.

It's amazing how friends just bond watching a movie, which is essentially an activity that requires zero social interaction.
It's amazing the feeling of warmth that overwhelms you when a friend tells you "You're in my prayers."
It's amazing how a friend can say something that strikes you so hard you ponder over it for the entire week.
It's amazing how a friend has the power to correct you and you don't take offence.
It's amazing how you seem to be able to speak your mind when surrounded by friends.
It's amazing how you can spend hours talking at a cafe and you leave the place not recalling anything that was said.
It's amazing how you can be worlds apart, but still seem to find common topics and interests to talk about.
It's amazing how a friend is just a call away.
It's amazing, this thing called FRIENDSHIP.

To you Bpians- it's been 6 years!! We've grown up together, had good times and bad times. There were times we grew apart and times we got back together again. We survived it all. Aren't you glad we did?

AJcians!! 2 years flew past so quickly. Admidst all the mugging we had to do, we still had time to get to know each other and forge friendships that are to last. Do keep in touch my dear friends!

Law school- haha this is weird, judging from how i only know a couple from there but I'm thankful for those I've gotten to know this past month. You guys have been nothing but an encouragement and blessing =)

CHURCH!!! - Leaving the best for the last huh? I can never imagine life without church friends! To those in the music teams i've been in, you have no idea how much it matters to know you guys are right behind me during my bouts of stage-fright lol. The nods of encouragement in my stressful moments and your patience with me when i get impatient is really appreciated =) (On a side note, FOP is coming. let me know if you're interested in gg!!)
I just realise that it's impossible to categorise church friends haha. But you poeple know who you are and i thank God for you all.

Pardon me. It's just another one of those reflective moments....
BUT. I'm finally doing something I've been pushing back for so long. No, escaping should be the word. It's not so much for anything or anyone, but for myself. For freedom. For peace.

*A firm nod*

2008-07-08T19:31:00.006+08:00

Finally, I get to stay home tonight, have some home-cooked food, watch some tv and sleep early. Since there's nothing else I can think of that i wanna do, i decided to blog. Been a hectic week as usual. Sometimes I wonder how and why i make myself so busy but oh well.

Met up with my sec school friends-

Agnessa!! It has been a while! Met her at the mall by chance.

6 (almost 7!!) years and we're still going strong. You guys rock man. (Dan. Toh where are u!!!) I actually have many more pictures but aurelia forbids me from posting them here. Haha i shall keep those unglam shots for my personal amusement =P

And then i spied on the first Tapestry practice, and it reminded me of those days...

Tapestry 2006: THE RAPTURED!!! (sorry i can't find a proper grp pic...missing: Matt!!)

2007: THE BAND

Tapestry was a time I was stretched, physically, technically and all. But it's also a time when bonds were forged, and lasting memories formed. To those who were a part of it. Thank you for being a part of such a wonderful memory.

And to THE RADICALS: Go ahead and make history =)

Them putting God first above all else-

Practising hard... (The girls' song rock!)

While asriel slacks at the sound area...Nah just kidding. He's the lead and doing very well!!

Shall advertise here:

TAPESTRY is on 16 or 17 August

Venue to be confirmed. (But it's somewhere in town!)

Our beloved band will having their auditions on 19 July. Please be in prayer for God's favour to be upon them!!!

And i went with Elaine to Sentosa to check the place out for some activity i'm not supposed to elaborate on. It was so crazily hot my goodness.

And we spotted a NUS camp having an activity there, and we stood there for about 30 mins, trying to steal some ideas, but to no avail.

And I thank God we had 4 new friends with us during our Friday Young Adult cell. And one of them even asked his bringer after the cell how he could go about accepting Christ. Revival's coming people! Exciting times indeed!!

I realise that I'm getting involved in so many things. Some I enthusiastically volunteer for, often on the spur of the moment, others, I just can't say NO to. It's always a joy to serve, but in those moments of fatigue, both spiritual and physical, the weight of all these responsibilities just seem to hold you down...

But I thank God for the two books I've been spending my free time this week reading. I told God last Sunday that I was going to spend more time with Him, especially this last month before school starts. And God has a sense of humour. He knew that my make-up forbids me from facing the Bible for too long at any one time, since I get bored pretty easily. And one string on my guitar is broken, so strumming on the guitar doing worship is out of the question too. On that very Sunday, 2 people (of the same name!!) just randomly passed me books. And you know, when pple lend you books you feel extremely obliged to read thru' quickly and return it? But I tell you I was richly blessed by them.

"Rachel's Tears"
Anyone remember this video shown on one of our services probably 3-4 years ago? I merely recall it as a video that was touching, but when I read her story this time round, the experience was entirely different. She was 17 (if my memory doesn't fail me..) when she died. She was not perfect, but she emerged victorious. She dared to be different. She dared to stand up for what she believed in. Rachel Scott wrote her own life story. What's my story going to be? What's yours going to be?

"I kissed Dating Goodbye"
Interesting book. Go to marcus if you wanna read haha.

That's all folks. Thanks for surviving thru' yet another post of zero substance and pure crapping hah. Besides msn, blogging is the shallowest (most shallow?) form of communication. Don't you agree?

2008-06-28T15:51:00.003+08:00

Pictures first-

My belated birthday meal cum welcome-Lio-back-from-aussie dinner on wed-

Badminton with OG on thurs-

Nicole and Daniel

Michelle, Wen Yi and Marcus

I love you Wen yi. You rock girl!! Meet up nxt wk!
Thanks marcus, you've been a great blessing and source of inspiration =)
(These two have my blog add now. better say smth nice hah)

Ice-cream at Gelare. I'm always forced to eat ice-cream when i'm with them haha!

If you guys want clearer pictures let me know i can email...

Alright. Now to the more serious matters.
A conversation with a friend, a blog post and a point raised in a meeting set me thinking.

Why am I in church?

I was surprised to find myself hesitating for a little while when someone posed me this simple question - "Do you love your church?" That made me really ponder. Do I really?

Is it the friendships forged over the years? The loving leaders I've been blessed with? Or has church-going simply become a lifestyle that we either can't or don't want to change? It's sad if it's the former, because it means that we're just appearing in church to please maybe our parents, friends or anyone else who matters. But even if it is the latter, it's too early to rejoice. Because then we'll have to question ourselves, "Are we just happily staying in our comfort zone, refusing to budge because we're basically happy where we are?" Or is it because we've truly experienced God's love and power in our lives that we can never imagine a day without Him?

A church is supposed to be a place where brothers and sisters gather to worship and basically care for one another. But is that really what's happening? Are we constantly on the lookout for people who're sitting alone at the back of the service hall wondering if their presence is even noticed? Are we looking out for those hurting inside, yearning nothing but a word of comfort and love? If yes, then why are there people leaving? Why do newcomers feel unwelcomed? This song by Casting Crowns really struck me hard-

Does Anybody Hear Her

She is running

A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction

She is trying

But the canyon's ever widening

In the depths of her cold heart

So she sets out on another misadventure just to find

She's another two years older

And she's three more steps behind

Does anybody hear her?

Can anybody see?

Or does anybody even knows she's going down today

Under the shadow of our steeple

With all the lost and lonely people

Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me

Does anybody hear her?

Can anybody see?

She is yearning

For shelter and affection

That she never found at home

She is searching

For a hero to ride in

To ride in and save the day

And in walks her prince charming

And he knows just what to say

Momentary lapse of reason

And she gives herself away

If judgement looms under every steeple

If lofty glances from lofty people

Can't see past her scarlet letter

And we never even met her

This was raised in a meeting- What is one thing I can be proud of in my church that makes me wanna invite a friend over? Sadly, I can't pin-point anything solid. Am i being critical? Maybe. But the fact that I need to think so hard saddens me.

I don't usually discuss such things online but it's really something that we need to reflect upon. Don't be mistaken. I do love my church. But, what is the one thing that makes me attend church without fail? I really don't know. How about you?

Not falling into the same pit once again.

2008-06-22T18:48:00.005+08:00

Saw more pictures of law camp online. So decided to post them here.

Bao Qing Tian 's first meeting...

After our first dirty game...

And the final formal dinner...

Bao Xing Tian is meeting on thurs. i can't wait =)

My yumnmy cake ytd...

And a hearty lunch today...

gosh. I'm so exhausted. 2 camps in 2 weeks is no joke. need to sleep soon. Looking forward to a fantastic wk ahead =)

2008-06-21T11:06:00.002+08:00

I'm back!!! Ended Church Camp last friday, and left for law camp the following Monday. So you can guess how tired i was...Church camp was great with lots of shopping and of course, sermons that made me realise once again how imperfect I am...

And just returned from Law Camp. Here's my OG-

We are all looking tired and wet after a water game...The camp was extremely fun, with never-ending games. Well, I really thank God for my OG and OGLs, cause they really made me change my cynical views about law students. Just returned from camp ytd morning, and slept about 2-3 hours on average for the past 5 nights, so am really tired and my brain isn't functioning. Haha so maybe i'll leave the posting of law camp till some other time perhaps. hah, and thanks for the many well-wishes guys!!!

2008-06-09T19:53:00.003+08:00

Attended a BPCO concert ytd. Was so impressed by my little juniors! I must say they play at least twice better than my batch. The sad thing is that this year's batch of Sec 4s is the last batch who know us...time really flies. It feels weird sitting as a spectator, watching the back view of my conductor, when for four years i've sat in front of him, eyes never leaving him lest we go off-beat. I remember that when i play a wrong note in the midst of a 80-strong orchestra, he still seems to be able to catch it, and he'll give you "the eyes" that say 'I heard you'. I also remember the times he would use a Dizi (chinese flute) to press hard into our stomach as we play to train us to use our diaphragm to blow. He was scary, but has mellowed down alot, and truth be told, I've learnt so much from him. Was so proud to hear that he'll be performing all the songs written by him at the Esplanade in July. =)

And here's our Dizi instructor, Mr Lee, now a proud father of 2 boys. I guess my batch (we went down from 5 dizi players to only 2 of us...) is the worst he has ever taught. I still recall that we couldn't catch the correct timing for bar 65-67 of our SYF piece the entire 6 months of practice, and this made Mr Lee really stressed. But on the very day of the competition itself, we succeeded. Call it a miracle or what?!

Was so so glad to see all my SENIORS!!! From left, Li Wei (my sole companion in Dizi. She's my age, though), Hong Li, Jie Ying, me, Kang Yu and Ser Kun!!!Kang Yu is now 1.9m tall. My goodness, he was tall when i saw him a couple of years ago, and even taller now! But that's not the point, he clinched a scholarship to study physics in Imperial College, London. So proud of him!!! I love all these seniors, CO was entirely different without them holding the fort! It felt as though we just left CO yesterday. We talked and joked, gosh, it really made my day!

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSEPH!!!!

My childhood friend for as long as I can remember. Was nice catching up with you today =)

And I'm off for church camp tmr. Going for another camp next week. Better sleep more at church camp. Or at least try doing so =P

2008-05-30T14:38:00.006+08:00

I've stopped working and am now slacking around. But being a true Singaporean, i can't just sit around and do nothing. Have been going around catching up with old friends and it can actually get quite tiring.

But today, staying at home the entire day isn't exactly good for me too, i realise. With nothing to do, i think. I've been thinking alot recently. Thinking about the past, thinking about the future...i looked back at all the highlights of my life, especially in the recent years..and Myanmar comes to my mind. Every morning i wake up to disheartening news about the situation in Myanmar... and i recall the 15 day trip that changed my life.

I smile at those memories...yet a certain sadness fills my heart because i know nothing can happen twice.

I remember wondering what a weird group it was that went...it was the first day, and we clicked =)

Some antique furniture in our hotel...and we put on stern faces for some reason i can't recall-

But it was after many failed attempts...

And we were hit by the Adidas craze...

Even pastor thomas and charles!

And how can i forget Kids' Life?

The Hunter-Squirrel game that never fails...(i can only remember 'mi' and smth that sounds like 'mek-sok'...i told you i am not linguistically-inclined hah)

And harvesting rice! Brings back painful memories of my infected eye =(

Doc. Dhal's beautiful farmhouse..and we rowed a boat!

I can't remember why elaine had to move to another boat, but i recall not knowing how to row back to shore with just one paddle =)

The spiritual hunger of the burmese children...

I miss the smiles of these little children. Father, i pray you protect them, let no harm fall on them. In these trying times, let them stand firm, and trust in Your love. Amen.

I realy wonder when i can go back there again..sigh...

And as i think of studying for another 4 long years, i feel suddenly afraid. I shudder at the mere thought of how i mugged for my A's...those long sleepless nights, the tears shed, the frustrations and fears...i wouldn't wanna go through it again.

But well, God was preparing me in Canaan. It's been more than a month since i've returned. I still miss Sisterhood, in fact, i think of them everyday. But i've gained smth lasting there. I learnt that "THE WILL OF GOD WILL NOT LEAD ME WHERE THE GRACE OF GOD CANNOT KEEP ME".

And so my Father, i know You'll grant me the courage and the strength to face whatever comes my way in the future. And I thank You for that.

Lord You are always here with me

There is no changing God with Thee

You are the same yesterday, and today and forevermore

Here on Your promises I stand

You hold my future in Your hand

My solid rock, Almighty God, I worship You

You've no idea how much this song ministered to me in Canaan. When i thought i finally knew God's direction for me, doors became closed. And i had no choice but to trust in Him. My friends, He never fails. I can testify to that.

That's another story. Maybe one day I'll share it. Just maybe...

Australia 2008 (Part 2)

2008-05-12T10:27:00.014+08:00

PART TWO: CANAAN (II)

Went back to Canaan for another fabulous 3 weeks.

Soon after we returned, Diana left . And Jacqui (my kitchen boss!) brought us girls out for dinner at a bistro to cheer us up. Thanks Jacqui!!

Another major highlight was that Sister Joanna brought all the girls to a beachouse near Bundeena Beach to stay for 3 days!!! 2 beautiful beaches were just a stone's throw from where we stayed.

Where we stayed...

Nice beaches where we could walk on for hours under the cool weather...

We did Bush-walking. Walked for about an hour and half before getting to the Jibbon Head, where i saw the best view in my entire trip-

And then the Non-Korean team (Elaine, David and I) volunteered to cook for the entire family!! There were about 20 helpers and Sisters in total. We attempted to cook an Australian-cum-Singaporean meal.

First stop- shopping for groceries in Camden Town...

And we dropped by the Post Office. First time in my life i see a post office like this...interesting...

Then returned to the Kitchen to cook...

The TEAM!!!

Check out the full Kitchen attire. Looks funny haha. And thank God the Sisters sent Shin-jong to help us out. He's good in the kitchen, and knows exactly when pork is cooked =)

We cooked from 1pm all the way to 6.30 pm, with a 15 min break in between to attend Chapel. And we whipped up Australian stew, sweet and sour pork, cauliflower and carrot, and pineapple fried rice. I must say it's not bad, though not exactly like what we eat in S'pore =P

Then next was a trip to the Blue Mountains!!!

Those three behind us are called the Three Sisters =)

Waterfall!

And we visited a some garden, where we saw all the beautiful Autumn colours!!

Then we returned to Canaan that day and had our farewell dinner.

A blessing song by the Sisters-

And finally, it was time to leave. After taking pictures and many hugs and promises to return, we left for the airport. It was so special for us that both our praying sisters fetched us to the airport.

I'LL MISS....

I will miss having breakfasts with the Bethany girls (my house-mates, Lily and Sun-young!!) These two girls are so warm and loving. Lily, i'm gonna miss your laughter and Sun-young your sense of humour!!

I'll miss all the Sisters (too bad i don't have a photo of all 12 of them...). They showed me how to reflect God's glory and love.

I'll miss David, the best friend we made there. He inspired me to dig into God's Word to discover great truths. He was so open and honest in sharing with us that I learnt so much from him. A brother i'll surely miss loads.

And his cheekiness i'll miss. I thought only Singaporean guys put twists behind pple's heads =)

I'll miss Shin-jong. A funny man who never fails to make us laugh. He's really caring and considerate, and i've learnt so much from him. He promised to come to S'pore for his honeymoon next time. I'm writing this down so i won't forget haha.

And he is always trying to squeeze his big head into my small cap =)

And his funny antics i'll surely miss. He loves taking pictures with his cool camera, including pictures of people taking pictures =)

I'll miss Sunny's bright smile too. Her sense of humour i'll surely miss. I'm looking forward to taking her shopping around in s'pore!!

I'll miss Fience too!! Her unwavering faith in God taught me loads. Ever encouraging, ever loving. Father, bless her!
I'm gonna miss this Helper family loads. They're all angels in disguise, so loving and fun. Love you all!

LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST, MY SINGAPOREAN BUDDIES!!!!

I couldn't wish for better travelling companions. You guys are all so easy-going, fun-loving yet always on the look-out for one another. It has been a privilege to travel with you guys. Thanks guys, for being part of such a wonderful memory =)

Lionel!

You've been an inspiration these past years, brother!! Your tenderness to God and love for others is inspiring. It's great travelling with you and you're a great shopping companion! haha. Stay close to our Heavenly Father and He'll bless you abundantly.

Timothy Chan!!

Thanks for coming on this trip with us, your good sense of direction and alertness puts us at ease when travelling around. You've been a great blessing to me, ever supportive be it in the camp committees we were in, the worship team or in the cells we were/are in. I may seem mean to u at times (oops =P) but you do know that i'm really thankful to have such a great brother like you ya? =)

And of course, my best friend for as long as i can remember- Elaine!!

One of my greatest thank-points in life is that God gave me such a wonderful sister like u. I can see that God really touched you in Canaan. Keep the fire in you burning, my friend. And isnt it great that we have a Heavenly Father to trust in at all times, every stage of our life? So hold on to His promises, my dear, and allow His will to be done in our lives!

Phew, finally finished. Been 2 weeks home, yet the memories are still so vivid. In Canaan, i leanrt how to be a Christian. I saw for myself how lives can be transformed by God. I experienced God's touch in such a special way. I went to Canaan burdened. But i left it feeling recharged and revived.

Repentance. The greatest thing i learnt in Canaan. All my life the fact that God died for my sins was merely head knowledge. In Canaan, that knowledge finally travelled the long way down into my heart.

There's no way i can describe this Canaan experience. This is unlike the spurts of revival we experience in camps. This is something deeper that has taken root. It was indeed life-changing...

Come to me if you wanna hear more. I can feel a wave of melancholy coming over me now lol.

Australia 2008 (Part One)

2008-05-11T19:22:00.015+08:00

I've been back for exactly two weeks now. Time to update you guys on what i did in Aussie Land!!!

As there's a limit to the number of pictures i can show per post, this will be done in two parts!

PART ONE- Canaan (1) + Melbourne

There, i'm mostly in the Kitchen and Garden Team.

Garden Team- I did things I'll never do in S'pore, like raking leaves and weeding and i enjoy it!

Kitchen work involves cleaning a 4 degrees Cold Room-

Check Elaine out..haha!

We take walks to the Windmill. Really beautiful view of the countryside...

And we went to the Camden Fair. A bazaar for the Aids Foundation. Had my first taste of shopping in Sydney!!

And we play Ping-Pong there as well. The table is doesnt really look safe but it served us well ..And you see me wearing my AJ Shirt. Come on, afterall i was from AJ Table Tennis Recreation Team =P

We had a day out at Sydney. Just the four of us.

Took a ferry to Manly Beach. Went by the famous Opera House.

HUGE waves!

Went to Wildlife World. They sure have cute toilets!

Then back at Canaan, the Singapore Team sang a Chinese song before we left!!!

Before we leave, one last picture of all the Singaporeans on Canaan. Yes, Sister Rubina is a fellow Singaporean!!! =)

We checked into a Backpacker's Hotel for one night in Sydney...and took in the amazing view of Sydney at night:

and....

NEXT STOP: MELBOURNE

First, we shopped for food to last us for one week in Melbourne-

Preparing our first dinner in our tiny Melbourne apartment. Tim and I letting Lionel and Elaine do all the work =P

Really blessed that we could meet up with Pastor Steven in Melbourne..and he brought us around and even invited us to stay in his house for a night!

Pastor Steven brought us to Philip Island and we saw so many cute little penguins. No pictures though. It's illegal to take pics in there. So just make do with just some background painting =)

Went on a Day Tour and travelled on the Great Ocean Road and visited the famous Twelve Apostles (there're only 7 of them left, i think)

Some more breath-taking view on the way-

Then we met uncle Anthony's mum and she brought us lunch at this fantastic pizza place-

Then it was back to SYDNEY again. This time, without tim and lio...

But before that, i've got to share a testimony. Elaine and I took a cab to the Melbourne airport cause we were told it was cheaper. When the fare hit about fifty over, we realised that there was another airport in Melbourne- Avalon. And this was the airport we were supposed to go to!!! It was the way around, and due to time constraint we had no choice but to cab there. The meter jumped so quickly and soon it was over a hundred Aussie dollars. oh man! But this lovely cab driver stopped the meter 10 mins before reaching the airport, so our cab fare was $110. It could well have been another $50 extra. An expensive lesson learnt, but I still thank God. =)

Went to Melbourne with just my pink backpack. And i returned to Sydney with 2 extra bags of shopping. So heavy!!!

I shall stop here for now. More updates tmr...

2008-03-14T08:53:00.002+08:00

I'm thankful for all that God has done for me.
It was all because of Him. All glory to Him and Him alone.

Preaching a sermon. haha well.we tried our best =P

For now, i'm busy settling some last minute stuff cause I'M FLYING OFF TO AUSTRALIA THIS COMING WED.

Havent packed, havent settled school stuff..oh dear..

Looking forward to the trip. Will be away for just five weeks. Don't miss me =)

2008-03-06T22:06:00.002+08:00

My results are coming out tmr.
I've been so busy the entire week i didnt have a chance to think about it.
Now i'm scared.
But i trust in Him.

2008-02-20T19:54:00.004+08:00

Okok i'm back. For now at least. Until the blogging fever dies off.

Let's see...Wow..Since Christmas...Things I did: I went for a 3D2N trip to Malacca with Elaine and Aunt Mary.

Left in a comfy coach-

Stayed in a nice hotel-

And we ate the original Chicken Rice Balls!!!
Went sightseeing at the many beautiful places near our hotel-

Then i endured 6 weeks at the law firm.

The mess on my table reflects the amout of stress i go through-

The office full of files everywhere..there isnt even space for two pple to walk at the same time.

But the nice bosses (one is missing) and colleagues make up for it. =)

For the past month...Evelyn has been working. Hard. Over ten hours a day, six to seven days a week. Now she's getting a well-deserved ten days break. And then she's off to work again. She's now running around meeting a few people a day to do some catching up. Book an appointment with her if you miss her hah.

I shall try to sleep those eye-rings, accumulated over the past few months, AWAY.

And for now, i try hard to forget.

2007-12-25T20:37:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas folks!!

Christmas Eve-

Cheryn's birthday treat. Happy Birthday sis!!!

KFC's X'mas Party-

I love the deco.

Marcus and elaine!

Elaine and tim!

Elaine, wen mun and wen por!!

Christmas Day-

Spent trying to whip up lunch at elaine's place-

The pot of cream that was diluted, yet super salty. On the right is an over-supply of pasta.

I must say it looks quite good at the end. tasted good too. And i 'sawed' those garlic bread into such thin slices! haha =)

Shall end here. am very exhausted. Another three days of work. oh well. 3 more weeks to go. I can do it.

You don't need the answers to all of life's questions

Just know that He loves them and stays by their side...

2007-12-21T21:20:00.000+08:00

Wen Mun and Wen Por are in town for their annual visit!! Failed to even see them last year, so trying to catch up on lost times.hah.

Well, it's been a while. I've started work for 2 weeks already. Everyday feels like fighting a battle. Rush, rush, rush. But i shouldn't complain, since God answered my prayers. Since the pay is so pathetic, i prayed for exposure. And that i got. I get to attend court sessions with my boss weekly, do stuff that i might never have thought of before and meet different kinds of people. The only bad thing about this job is that i'm in charge of debt collection cases. And you know..it's always hard to ask people for money. And my heart melts whenever i hear sob stories, be it true or false =P Anyway, our irm goes for company lunch almost everyweek, and the boss brought us to some Italian restaurant today and the food was good man.yum yum.

So many things happened the past few weeks but i don't know what to say. I just realised that for the past 2 years i haven't been in S'pore much during the month of December as we're usually in Myanmar. But this year, in S'pore, i experience the fatigue, stress and moodiness that comes along as the year reaches the end. Not so much the festive spirit unfortunately. It feels as though the whole year's fatigue accumulates and seeks a release only at the end of the year. Oh well, all the last minute Christmas shopping must be getting to me.

Think i shall stop here for now. Shall return with pics of our X'mas celebration nxt wk. Cheers!

Dear friend,

Can't you see?

Haven't you learnt?

It's all not for real.

Dear friend,

Be strong.

It'll pass.

Real soon.

Dear me,

Be happy.

Wipe that frown off.

And think of the things that make you smile.

As you recall the birth of the Special One.

Groundbreaking 2007

2007-12-06T12:27:00.000+08:00

The camp ended on Mon. I might very well be the last person to post about this, but nvm..

Pictures of TCC (The Camp Committee)-

The last meeting before the camp -

Haha anyone recalls these 4 poses (ignore tim) ?? Yup, the 4 poses most arent fast enough to complete when dancing to 'Dancing in the moonlight'. This is so funny!!

Haha introducing the 'mummy' steps. Once again, extracted from our dancercise!!

And this is our group photo!!

We're missing MABEL in these pics. Mabel, you must join us to take a proper pic! haha. that is, when gab returns next yr =P

This camp was great. But also the most tiring one i experienced. Every day was packed with activities, no rest. The 4 sessions we had were power-packed. Even tough i was so exhausted, i stayed awake and alert through all the sessions. I guess what Ps Steven shared abt the aninting and passion really hit me hard. It made me realise that i was losing alot of my passions, and just doing them for the sake of doing. This camp re-ignited some lost passions in me, and i thank God for that. Ps steven's timely words alos encouraged me greatly. but shall not share too much here..

The games were fun i guess. Well done tim, for all your creativity and detailed planning. You should do it again next yr!! =P i wasnt really involved in the games, but could tell that the campers were having fun. oh yes, and did i mention that this lot of campers is one of the most helpful and obedient one? Well done pple!

i'm suffering from writer's block right now. it results from weeks of not fully utilising your brains. well, i shall conclude then. this camp was a great success, i must say. i was happy to see my cell interns and members being ministered to. It was nice to see everyone gelling and having fun together. And the camp comm..we worked very well together, i guess we complemented each other very well. cause there's always mabel, elaine n i to stop nic and tim from having radical ideas like making the campers eat only water and biscuits for breakfast. and of course, gab, with all his intelligence, provided us with many ideas. i'll miss working with you guys!

So on an ending note, hope you all had fun, and keep this fire burnin in you, as you all continue on your journey to unleasing your hidden gems =)

2007-11-24T09:01:00.000+08:00

It's confirmed. We're going to the Golden Land no more.

Went to sentosa to recee on wed-

It was horrible man. Tim chan forced us to walk thru' the entire dragon trail, which was super muddy. my slippers were choked, for want of a better word, with mud. Anyway, those who have yet to sign up for the YOUTH CAMP pls do so asap. Everything is sure to be fun!!!

Aunty Mary's Birthday celebration at sushi tei!!!

Had a good time ytd. Eating and discussing about marriage.lol.

Here's Pokie kissing Winnie the Pooh!!!

Haha. Don't know what to talk about, except that i've got a long to-do list. Just realised how many things are undone. Oh boy...

Read this poem from Lydia's blog. I cried when i read this. Though it's written for cheryn, the wods spoke to me. This is a part of the poem-

Sometimes
...

When you feel sad, and want to cry,

and feel like you don't want to try

ever again

because your small girl's heart

is stitched with lines of pain

then remember this

remember well

the greatest gift is

Love.

and it is all around us; can't you tell,

can't you tell,my dearest friend,

can't you tell?

It is never the end

yet.

Never the end.

Someone will pick you up

in due time

flash you a smile; hand you a buttercup

and sing for you in rhyme

till then,

let your hair out to dry on a clothesline

Festoon it with a blue

Clothes-peg or two

And a pink flower

One for good measure.

And if ever,

you feel like you'll never

smile again,

remember, that sunshine Always comes after the rain

and that the sky isn't always blue

but needs some grey to stay lovely too

...

This does not do justice to her entire poem. Go to her blog to read the full one.

I tossed and turned, couldn't fall asleep.

Wondering. Wondering.

I'm sad. Disappointed.

Maybe. Just maybe.

It isn't so bad.

Maybe love is indeed all around us.

But i don't know what to think anymore.

2007-11-19T21:20:00.000+08:00

I'm so happy i can finally post pictures.

Long due- us meeting terrence when he stopped by S'pore. Terrence is the one behind the glass wall. lol.

A closer shot-
The communication process that paralleled that of a prison's-

I've to confess that my daily studying plans have not be working well. I've been out everyday since thurs.my goodness. Now that most pple i know have either ended or will end their exams by tmr, i'm feeling the jitters. Perhaps it's time to dig out Uncle Coleridge's poems and familarise myself with them.

Anyway, visited Saffie's blog, and she took a pic of her messy table. I'm proud to say mine's really messy too. Take a look at the heap of mess i immerse myself in everyday for the past few weeks-

This pic is kinda deceiving actually, cause it doesn't capture the 4 huge files lying on the ground just beside the table. I've yet to find the motivation/courage/discipline to pick them up and do smth abt them.
Now that exams are over (unofficially)..... the table still looks the same!!! I'm obviously no neat freak.haha. ok something willl be done. soon.

I had a dream ytd. its was eeriely vivid. Not a bad one,but not exactly pleasant.It was about someone i know...the scary thing is, it seems all too familiar. oh well.

2007-11-15T20:46:00.000+08:00

Someone explain to me why i cant post pictures!!!

Anyway, ITS OVER. unofficially.

My four days marathon has finally ended and now all i've to do is to wait for 11 days for my last paper. Meanwhile, i'll be putting aside some time to enjoy and relax =P

WEll, the past four days were horrid. I had no idea what i was doing. I came home after my noon paper, have dinner, study, sleep, wake up, study, sit for paper. This was my routine for the week. I had insomnia, which meant i slept very little, but thank God i wasn't tired. Ok. not so tired.

I feel.....lost. i came home not knowing what to do. This is despite the many plans conceived in my mind since long ago with regards to what i was going to do after these 4 days. anyway, brought cheryn to inle restaurant after our paper today. yummy!

Let's see. Had Lit on mon. Was alright except for the Othello qn. Econs on tues and wed was bad. real bad. The kind of questions set deviated greatly from those we were used to. This must be due to the new syllabus which insists on forcing students to think. Real hard. Econs is quite gone. need to pray. Had history today. we were limited by choice cause there were 2 Global economy qns that we were not taught. But it was ok i guess.

Oh yes. I got the law firm attachment!!! I was so surprised cause i thought i messed up the interview with the boss. He shot me back using whatever i answered, which was bad. But oh well. Thank God i got thru'. Though the pay is bad, and i mean reeaaalll bad, i believe it'll be a valuable experience. But this means i'll be real busy from dec, so i better play as much as i can these few wks!

Alright. going off to do smth, i dunno what. Shall discipline myself and set aside a couple of hours daily to study for Lit. I hope i have the discipline though =)

2007-11-11T14:15:00.000+08:00

i can't seem to post any pictures. some other time perhaps.

I'm starting my 4 day marathon tmr. Lit, Econs (2 days) and HISTORY.

I'm only halfway thru' with Hist and econs. have been neglecting lit. Need divine intervention more than ever this time. gosh am i nervous.

Anyway saw terence (our favourite interpretor from Myanmar) at the airport on fri night. Glad that he can finally go to australia. It was hilarious talking through the glass. Pictures next time.

No mood to even write this properly. Be back later this wk, when i'm unofficially free. Do pray for me!!!!!

Off to mug.

2007-11-02T19:50:00.000+08:00

I'm terribly drained. Had Math paper from 8-11am this morning, followed by a full 3 hour, 4 essays History paper from 2.30-5.30 pm. i'm so thankful it's finally over.

Math was...well, different. The qns that appeared were not the normal ones that we've been used to. They were truly thinking/ applkication qns. Oh well.

I'm really thankful for History. For the past 2-3 weeks, i studied history for like...6-7 hours a day? Yet i was feeling more insecure than ever last night cause i couldn't recall anything! But i thank God, like what cheryn said, it was the first time in History i could do all 5 qns. We only had to attempt three, though. When i flipped the paper, bracing myself for the ultimate shock...The first qn that caught my eye- "Assess the causes of the Asian Financial Crisis." I leaped for joy, metaphorically. i could do that! the other qns were alright. At least i understood what the question was asking. And so, i know i did my best. I wrote non-stop for the 3 hours. I'm leaving God the rest.

Gonna rest well tonight and gear myself up to mug hard the next ten days. Yea, my next paper's ten days later. It goes on for 4 consecutive days. Then after 15 nov...I'm free!! Whee~~!!! Oops, there's Lit paper 11 days after 15 nov..but, a little bit of fun in between wouldn't hurt huh? =P

2007-10-21T19:49:00.001+08:00

We're reaching the end of my favourite day of the week. It has been a great wk, albeit one fraught with challenges.

Leading today was one of my most trying experiences. Had a stressful week, with so much information to cram into my head. Last night, when i read other JCs' International History questions, i was so horrified, cause i had no idea how tackle almost half of the questions! I was so stressed that i gave up studying and did some passive viewing of the TV for 2 hours. Was so worried last night that i was really tempted to call lionel to tell him to just take over. but i didnt.

When i stood up there today, i felt really bad. I felt so unworthy. I had no idea why i was up there. i went thru' the motion with a heavy heart, and with thoughts like "i chose the wrong song!" racing thru' my head repeatedly. I felt really disappointed after that. when i went up for alter call, the first thing uncle andrew prayed was "You're worthy". i felt so ...so humbled, that He would use someone so imperfect like me. and thanks sharon, what you prayed for me really 'shot' thru' me. i'll rmb our 'date'!

Just one more month and i'll be done with all my papers, except one. till then, i'm gonna keep singing this sunday school song that kept coming to me this week-

I will cast all my cares upon You
I lay all of my burden, down at Your feet
And everytime i don't know what to do
I will cast all my cares upon You.

Graduation Day

2007-10-12T21:48:00.000+08:00

Graduation Day today!!

Cheryn! Thanks so much for all you've done. JC life would have been horrid without you! Do keep striving to do your best so that God will be glorified!

Angie! Thanks for bringing so much laughter to us. And thanks for being one who shares my critical views abt so many things. hah. Love you always!

Pearl! (Couldn't find a closer shot) Thanks for being the gentle, caring and loving friend. Do keep in touch!

Christine! (aka police women) It was at this seat where i got to know you better. You've been someone i really respect, and thanks for making Lit lessons fun. (Ms Lim thinks i'm 'cheerful' cause i'm always smiling in lit lesson. but it's usually becoz of yr silly comments!)

Lydia! The very considerate and loving sister. Thanks so much for being an inspiration. You're very special. stay cheerful always!

Saffie! Will never forget your cheerfulness and outgoing-ness!

Joti! my Math peer-tutee who has done so well for math! Your hard work paid off! congrats! keep working hard!

May! She's holding a ten-dollar note cause she doesn't want me to forget her as the most efficient class treasurer i've ever seen.

Yien! (the one holding her specs. our pic together didnt turn out well, so had to use this haha) you never fail to brighten up my day. thanks for being someone i always consult when i don't understand the singing stuff that Aunt Anna taught! take gd care!

Best friend! (ming jun) You've made lit lessons fun too. Thanks for being a considerate and funny friend. take good care and stop harrassing chris! =P

Hie Bee. My first friend in AJ. You're so gentle, that i feel i'm so 'loud' when with u. anyw thanks for being with me in table tennis. tc and call me if anything =)

My class guys (Dan, jason and greg). Thanks for being nice and fun to be with. 'll mss you guys! (i'm missing ed's pics...)

Mdm woon and Guan hui!

Mrs Ong (math teacher)! The most patient teacher i've ever seen. Thanks for believing in me and yr efforts 'll pay off i'm sure!

(sorry these are all the pics i have of ppple!)

The next picture is for those who refuse to believe me when i say AJ canteen is pathetic.

This pic captures almost the entire canteen. This canteen can't even fit all of us.

The cafe. Will miss their sandwiches =)

I must mention this pic. Remember a few months ago i blogged about how i gave a tract to a cleaner in my school? She's the auntie in blue. I asked to take a pic with her, and could see that she was really excited about it. She had to comb her hair properly, sit properly...you get the drift. I promised to print a copy of it for her, and could see she was really happy. On the way home, i was thinking abt how many pple actually take the initiative to talk to these aunties. We often tend to overlook these pple. These pple who have been 'serving' us. These pple are deemed 'unimportant' and hence we don't even bother to talk to them. i'm glad God opened my eyes to see her. I'm not sure if her life was touched, but i'm sure mine was.

Relecting back on my two years in AJ, i discovered that i've actually learnt alot. Those who know me will know that i'm not exactly an avid supporter of AJ. But i met many great pple and great teachers. Most importantly, my JC life has made me more resilient, more determined and definitely stronger. I came to discover my potential, my capablitities, and also my limitations. I've learnt what i actually can, and cannot do. This is the begining of the end of my JC life. It has been crazy. So many times i wanted to give up, but i discovered this inner voice in me that kept cheering me on, pushing me forward. Of course, it has also forced me to pray like never before, cause i met so many challenges that could not be overcome by my mere strength. I couldn't have survived without You, and i thank You.

2007-10-08T09:36:00.000+08:00

Visited Matthew in OCS ytd. It was their open house. Saw Joel there as well. haha.. i think that place looks like some resort or retreat place! very beautiful! It's interesting to see how army life impacts guys' lives. not that i'll ever understand (no asriel, i'll never sign on.hah)

Had one of the longest lasting, most painful gastric pain ytd after lunch. i couldnt even stand straight while walking around to explore ocs. Ouch, my stomach's hurting even till now. hope such a thing wouldn't happen when i'm doing my papers. must pray!

Anyway, was really encouraged by the testimonies ytd. Every word spoken shot right through/ at me. Those were the words i desperately had to hear. Cause i havent gotten past a C for my H2 subjects till now. and History? Never past an E. but i know i can do it, through Him who gives me strength. I'm gonna pray like never before. Study all i can, and have unwavering faith in Him.

Alright. the last week of school. And so many extra lessons. but i shall learn to rejoice in all things =) take care guys!

2007-10-02T21:33:00.000+08:00

Replies-
Lydia- haha alright, shall try it some time =)
pearl- haha yes i have. thanks. you work hard!
rachel lim- haha yup...do hope we can still go!
shawn- hello
lionel- i know i'm one of them
daniel- haha. you better take care of my best friend! study hard! meet up after A's!

Got back all my results. I'm pleased to say that i've improved for every subject! I've improved within the range of 4 to 18 marks, as compared to my pathetic Midyr results. I passed Econs for the first time in my life. This is indeed a morale booster! As for History..i was a mark away from a D. Far better than the Subpass i got for midyrs. I couldn't ask for more, judging from how last minute my revision was. For Lit. I felt so confused at my own writing and my esssay lacked focus. but i still did relatively well. Gp- i'm pleased. Math- couldn't ask for more. I prayed hard, and God answered my prayers.

Sorry for being one of little faith. Time and time again You remind me that i serve a faithful God. Thank You Lord, for never failing me. I know all that i'm doing, and will do is part of that flawless plan You have for me. Knowing You is indeed the best thing that can ever happen to me. All glory belongs to YOu and You alone.

I believe i can finally have a good sleep tonight. Good night everyone!

2007-09-25T09:15:00.000+08:00

It's been a while. Prelims have come and gone. Got back some of my results. Shall talk about this when i get the full picture. Still not sure how i did.

hmmm..did i mention that my Mock Exams start next week? Had the shock of my life when i opened up my schedule book (or whatever you call it) on sunday, and i saw that i had only a week to study! Somehow, blur me always had this idea that i had two weeks to study for mock exams. But i forgot that the two weeks included the week my prelims ended. So from last wed to sunday, i basically went out and did nothing. And my, i ate like never before. Wed- Jack's Place. Friday - Japanese buffet. Saturday- Food For Thought cafe. Sunday- Inle Myanmar Restuarant! Seems like there's nothing much we can do in S'pore.

Well, after all the running around and insomnia, i'm down with flu now. Yes, i should have gone with elaine to take the flu jab on friday =( But you know, needles are hideous looking things that bring you nothing but pain.

Ok, this might not seem very nice, but i believe in freedom of expression. Over the past few months, some things that i read in blogs and elsewhere sadden me. Christians, or so they claim, use vulgar words and write things that make me wonder why they still claim they are children of God. Someone once asked me, "Why should i be a Christian when Christians themselves are living lives like that..?" This was asked at least 3 yrs ago, but i still cant shake off the memory of this piercing question. Yes, we aren't perfect. But we can at least try to live the way He would want us to.

Enough of that. Hmm it's 9 plus in the morning, yet i think i need to take a nap again. hah. my odd sleeping patterns.

Get it right. Persistance doesn't work with me. It never did.

2007-09-14T12:31:00.000+08:00

No papers for these two days, off from school. Let's see...the bulk of my papers are done. Was kinda rejoicing on wed that we were left with only two more papers, and Ms King had to spoil it by reminding me, "Yea, SEVEN MORE ESSAYS".

Lit on monday, well, was quite a disappointment for me, not that the other papers were not, but lit is my fave subject, and judging from how i've absolutely neglected it..yup, you get the point. (i've this weird penchant for writing really loooong sentences, with many commas, and this irks the hist teachers. gotta change this habit..hmmm... ) Studied 'Pride and Prejudice' only that morning of the paper, for one hour. Totally shocked me when i reflected and discovered that i havent touched this book for 10 weeks. So it's no surprise i did the context qn, cause that book was an total stranger to me in the exam hall. And the unseen poems, 'solitary crow' and 'hawking rooster' (i think), my goodness! i've never felt so helpless abt poems before!

Tuesday was horrid. A 3-hour Math paper, followed by another 3-hour International Hist paper. I prayed real hard for alertness of mind, and thank God i felt not even not a teeny bit of fatigue. But when i came home, i spent abt 2 hours studying econs (which, i havent touched for abt a wk) and i knocked off. Dont even wanna discuss abt Hist. hah.i tried my best =)

Wed's Econs case study...i've no idea. I vomitted whatever i could recall cause i had no idea what the question wanted..yup, and i returned home early in the morning, and did no studying at all. Felt so guilty!

Alright, left with the killer SEA Hist paper and "Imagining Other worlds' lit paper 4. So much to cover for hist, and i don't like the books for this lit paper. i miss my old lit books, 'King of the castle' and 'Twelfth Night' (I love Feste~"This fellow's wise enough to play the fool..." wow i still rmb!!!). those were the days i loved my books, memorised quotes willingly, and shared this odd sense of affinity with the characters. But for 'Brave new world'?! 'Herland'?! And the worst- Coleridge's poems!! sigh..enough of my ramblings. Gotta return to studying about political structures, which happens to be the topic i'm most afraid of.

Some random discoveries in the past wk-
Brand's essence of chicken tastes best when drank cold.
Hot milk doesn't cure insomnia.
Curry chicken pau actually tastes good.
Post's 'Honey Bunches of Oats' tastes better than 'Banana Nut Crunch'.
Well, but i still love bananas.

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" 2 Tim 1:7
A resounding 'Amen'!!

2007-09-02T16:58:00.000+08:00

Church 35th anniversary photos!!

The three receptionists-

My cousin Janet and her grown up children!! They sure look good!!

More anni. pics with elaine..shall upload if she sends me.. that is if she ever comes online..haha *woo hoo* heard that??!! =P

Intended to catch ratatouille after the celebration, but it was too crowded. So ended up in starbucks..

Spot the difference? this guy whom we asked to take the pic took the first pic without me!! how dare he!!! after taking the second pic, he saw me at the side, and he said "oops, i didnt notice you were there", without any hint of guilt. its outrageous how he could have missed me..haha oh well...

Pictures of Ms Pokie!!!! It's hard to get her to look at the cam..

Spent the whole day slacking today..started studying only in the evening..sigh. Haha and i watched 'Deathnote 2' for the third time, on dvd today. hah.

The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised. ~George F. Will, The Leveling Wind

hah. i sure hope so.

2007-08-31T15:33:00.000+08:00

Just had my econs paper in the morning, followed by a trip down to BP. Econs was quite horribly done, didnt study hard enough. oh well. trip back to bp was alright, though not as fun as the previous times when we returned. guess most are busy preparing for prelims...

had lunch at Siam Kitchen-

Kinda regretted ordering that plate of spicy thingy. It was sour as well, and i had an immedite stomach pain after eating like, half a plate of it (i cant eat sour food) =(

Decided to gather all my files together to take a pic of them. here's all i've to stuff into my head within the next 2 months. In case you were wondering, the 5 books on top of the stack are my Lit books.

random pic- I miss mang mang!!!

Met my Primary 2 clasmate who still remembered me, surprisingly. It was quite a funny encounter. Entered KFC, and this girl stepped up and whispered, "Are you evelyn?" i smiled. Brainjuice splashing around, seeking for a hint of familiarity.
"Oh HEEYYY!!! How are you? Where're you studying now?" Still thinking. Still cant recall where i met her.
She's studying Music at SP, by the way. Lucky her.
At that moment, i decided to try my luck. "Oh you look so different from when you were in peiying!"
Blur look from her.
"Oh sorry, i meant Admiralty Primary."
She smiled and said she had to leave.
Click. I remember her name now.
"Alright. Take care, xiang yi!!!"

After meeting joanne, i headed towards the library. I picked out 2 books, as i really wanted to read some good books this hol, but i remembered what mdm woon said -"This is not the time to be reading books!!" So i obediently put them back. Few seconds later, the book "To kill a mockingbird" caught my gaze. This time, i couldnt resist. I'm gonna devour that book, quickly finish it, and get on with my work =)

Alright, so its the end of the week. cant wait for anniversary tmr. Going to take a nap now. Have been having insomnia for like...a week? Gtg...Oh yes, 'ratatouille' anyone?

2007-08-27T21:52:00.000+08:00

Quick!! I'm only giving myself ten mins to update. Just couldn't resist the urge to switch on the com.

Let's see...been trying to study for prelims for the past two weeks. Had a trancated timetable last week and was released from school at 12 plus, on average. Well, it seems that i work best under pressure, i.e. its only when i've very little time to spare that i'll treasure every min i have and mug hard. Had teachers day celebration today and arrived home at about eleven plus, but i only started studying at 5pm. that's like 5 hours down into the bin!! Hear my horrified gasp!!!

Life's been mundane, with only trips to church keeping me alive. Two days of holidays coming up, and prelims begin on Thurs. I need a miracle!

The clock's ticking. 5 more mins!!! oK what should i blog about?
Why not complain about the badly-planned Teachers Day concert today?
Nah, one shouldn't be too critical. =P
How about grumbling about how you haven't even touched International History at all?
Nope, give me a break from studies!!!
Hmmm...wanna start lamenting about your total lack (absolute absence, to be specific) of a social life now?
Don't get me started...
Oops, time's up.

there. gotta go. have a great wk guys!

This song's dedicated to all you A lvl pple!

In christ alone
I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross.
In every victory
Let it be said of me
My source of strength, my source of hope
Is Christ alone.

2007-08-17T21:55:00.000+08:00

I shouldnt be here, but well, since i am, i might as well update with some pics from saffie! thanks saffie, for the pics =)
These are some random shots during the AJ Race on the eve of National Day-
Pictures of us on our way to Yishun:

Us eating at Macs during the 'race'

And so the weekend is here once again. had a tiring wk, with hist revision lectures ending late on wed and fri, and so much work to complete. Admidst the daily rituals of school are constant coughing streaks that can only be stopped with the popping of Golden Throat lozenges into my mouth. Not to mention the frequent insomnia that leaves nothing but horrid, black eye rings.

Had an interview for the attachment at a law firm today. Only found out this morning. Was quite alright abt it until the moment before the interview, and i repeatedly reprimanded myself on my decision to sign up for this cause i didnt want to be a lawyer nor did i really want this attachment. it was those on-the-spur-of the-moment thing that happens occasionally. Pearl was right, she said "the only thing that's keeping me here is the pay" which we heard was good. However, after the interview, we found out that the pay is a horrifying meagre sum- $150 a week, and $175 after geting our A level cert. anyway, only 2 people out of 20 will be chosen, and i guess that the fact that i wouldnt be in town during feb and march makes me an unsuitable long-term intern at the law firm. oh well, not that i'm complaining. =P

2007-08-14T21:51:00.000+08:00

Going back to school tmr, after being on MC for two days. good break sleeping, but no work done. was unwell since sat night, but had no time to rest so it got worse..anyway, visited PLMC on sat, great time soaking in the presence of God. Met Nat, an old friend we met at a camp last yr. Definitely gg back again, but no worries marcus, i'll always remain in wrpf =P Had tapestry lunch at Globe Trotters on sunday, thanks aunt karen for the treat!

and so i basically spent my past few days in a daze, too tired to study..what a time to fall ill. better recuperate and quickly get back to my books!

2007-08-09T21:42:00.000+08:00

Replies-
Marcus- yes, claining that too!
RaErAe- indeed!
pearl- haha yea turn me into a toad huh.
shawn- haha aunt mary wants me to say it was all taken by her =P
marcus- hah no secret at all!

And so the long-awaited holidays are finally here. Time to play, watch movies, eat, meet up with friends...nah fat hope. gonna mug hard these few days.

First day of studying kinda failed. Woke up at 9.30, feeling determined as ever to make this day count. Studied a little of History..was making good time..until i drowned this nice-tasting herbal soup that was meant to improve my blood circulation. it had serious repercussions hah. an hour later, i felt so tired. so i took a little nap on my desk. woke up, felt more lethargic than before but forced myself to study. another hour later, i couldnt take it and i went to take another nap. a long one. two naps in a day! feel so guilty now. it's all that herbal soup's fault =(

anyway, watched the start and the end of the National Day Parade (look how much time i've wasted!). Guess the recent History Lectures on Economic Devt. and National Unity in SEA helped fuel my patriotic sentiments. We often complain about the government, but when u really look in-depth at how our leaders strove to build this land from scratch, you cant help but pray a prayer of thanksgiving for them. no, i'm not being sarcastic nor am i being NE-ish here. really, who can boast of such a transparent, parternalistic govt like ours? Happy Birthday Singapore, from the bottom of my heart =)

Alright, gg to study again. anyone interested in visiting plmc? let me know! have a great hol guys!

2007-07-29T20:41:00.000+08:00

Tapestry 2007 is finally over.

The Band:

Here's what we did ytd-

Consecration service in church:

Last practice:

Take pictures:

Loiter around heeren..the anticipation is torturing..

Prayer before gg on stage:

Performance time!

Some random photo-taking after the performance:

And of course, not forgetting Story of His Life an hour after us! I love their shirts!

It was great to see the team up there, after having endured months of practices. We shared sweat, tears and joy, and we came up even more united. You guys put up a great show, one that i'm sure WRPF-ers were proud of. It has been an honour to help out as the band's overseer/manager/coordinator. i've learnt alot from this, and am inspired by all your passion to proclaim God's love to all, and of course, your love for one another. Yes, everyone's lamenting that life goes on now, back to school and all. but we know that we'll always have such great friends in church ya. friends who've been through so much together, friends who'll always be just a call away. Decades down the road, we'll look back and be so proud that we've once been part of The Band =)

And so. back to school for me as well. Only a couple of months left. It scares me. Studying has never been so tough. Never felt such a lack of confidence. Grit my teeth, clench my fists and march on. i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

2007-07-24T11:03:00.000+08:00

I'm back! flu-like symptoms: bad throat, blocked nose...took a break from the crazy schedule of a student.

Last week was quite interesting. My class got compelled to take 2 videos on two consecutive days. the first was for some AJ corporate video that will be used to publicise our school. For an entire hour, we had to sit up straight, smile (rather superficially, i would say) and nod at the H2 Math teacher who was trying to explain some civil war to 20 History students.It's quite ironical that they got a H2 math teacher to 'teach' us cause my class loves anything but math, and we're a critical bunch of pple. to think he dared to discuss war in our presence!! But nice guy he was, so nervous and helpless. haha. Staring at the front where two huge, bright lights were was horrid. gave me a headache, but at least it gave us a break from having to exercise our imagination to create other worlds ya? =) (in other words, we were spared from lit lessons on Paper 4-"Imagining Other Worlds")

The next day, our class had to stay back for some NE video. it was really comical to see a group of not exactly enthusiastic, very critical and cynical group of students wave enthusiatically, smile happily and exclaim excitedly "Happy birthday Singapore!!!" After that 6 "ethnic-looking pple" (i quote May) had to stay back for some interview. unfortunately i was one of them. It's too embarrassing to recall what i said. haha. shall not say too much abt this cause we don't want too any pple to take notice of this video ya? =P

Now for the not so happy things. EXTRA LECTURES. We have them like, almost every other day. What makes it worse is that they only start at about 5.15pm, when we are actually released at 1.45- 2.45 pm. And i have difficulty studying in school, so i lose so much precious time in school basically not accomplishing anything. sigh, this is bad. So i end up having to do late nights to study and do work, exercising my willpower, convincing myself that i'm not sleepy. Haha but the body is weak though the mind might be strong. see what a week of late nights did to me. sniff sniff. well, but i shall just do my best cause i know that the God i serve is faithful. Amen to that.

And so, tapestry in 4 days. Sorry guys, that i havent been really helping out much. But i've been praying hard for you all ya? I have confidence that you all will put up a great show. Go there and show the rest what you've got. Some advertising here-

This sat, 28 July:
The Band- Heeren, 7pm.
Story of His Life- Heeren, 8.30pm.
Come on down to show your support!

It took a miracle to put the stars in place;
It took a miracle to hang the world in space.
But when He saved my soul, cleansed and made me whole,
It took a miracle of love and grace.

Took this test from a link in pearl's blog-

Your Score: More Emotional

You have:
70% SCIENTIFIC INTUITION and
77% EMOTIONAL INTUITION

The graph on the right represents your place in Intuition 2-Space. As you can see, you scored well above average on emotional intuition and above average on scientific intuition.Your emotional intuition is stronger than your scientific intuition.

Your Emotional Intuition score is a measure of how well you understand people, especially their unspoken needs and sympathies. A high score score usually indicates social grace and persuasiveness. A low score usually means you're good at Quake.

Your Scientific Intuition score tells you how in tune you are with the world around you; how well you understand your physical and intellectual environment. People with high scores here are apt to succeed in business and, of course, the sciences.

Try my other test!
The 3 Variable Funny Test
It rules.

Link: The 2-Variable Intuition Test written by jason_bateman on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

I'm unusually smart!! haha!

2007-07-13T21:12:00.000+08:00

The youths led in main svce worship last sunday-

And so, a week has past. It's been a terrible week.

Got back results. Nothing to be proud about. Failed econs terribly. scrapped through for history. and lit, well, it was alright. The most disappointing results would be my GP. I dropped 4 grades from promos. "To what extent should parents be responsible for their children's actions?" Sounds easy ya? I jumped into it cause i thought i could smoke through this question without any content knowlege. Oh well, the teacher saw through all the use of flowery language (which btw, GP teachers abhor),carefully constructed long and complicated sentences (We ought to be precise and concise, my teacher insists), big and nice handwriting (oh well, maybe not)...her comment- "Do not try to attempt any question when you do not have concrete examples!" And so, i got a borderline pass.

Stress levels shot sky high this week, with many things on my mind, many things to do, and many things to worry about. i received calls with bad news, complaints, and coupled with my not so good results and the feeling of impending doom due to the coming prelims (6-7 more wks!), i was basically moody the whole week. on thurs when i was on the way home in the train listening to music, the song "With all I am" come up. The first line "Into Your hands, I commit again.." made me feel like crying. I realised that once again, i've relied on myself, and refused to turn to God's helping hands. I tried hard to fight back those tears but I guess my eyes were so teary and my nose so red that the uncle standing opposite me must be wondering what was happening.

I've got loads of things to say. But well..let's just say it this way-
i dived into the sea, not knowing it was gonna be so cold.
I swam with all my might, i really did. But now there are strong waves coming towards me. i have no more strength to move on. A silent scream- Where is the promised lifebuoy?

2007-07-06T21:26:00.000+08:00

Congrats jie jie!!! so proud of you!!

Pretty pretty flowers!

Food!!!

As you can see, i attended my sis's commencement ceremony on wed. So happy for her! indeed all her hard work and late nights paid off. hope to be next!

Week's been tiring...got back math paper. Thank God. I couldn't ask for more. Thank You Lord, for always being so faithful. Where would I be without You? I guess this is the only paper i can be happy abt..hah oh well..

Here are the tapestry prac pics shawn asked for...

haha sorry the other pics turned out quite bad, not fit to be shown =P I shall take more next tine ya?

busy day tmr. gg off!!

2007-07-02T08:43:00.000+08:00

Replies...

matt- i sure did.thanks to you all!
joanne- haha a blog inspired by me? hey organise an outing!!
Shawn- thanks!
Lydia- nvm la. it's over, let's not think abt it and enjoy while we still can =)
Elaine- haha thanks!
lydia- nope, u are. cya in school
lionel- yes lionel soh. i cant wait too! it's gonnna be so fun but *ahem depends on who's driving...
RaErAe- haha its alright. cya in a few hours time. lol
tim- haha ok. i just realised we'll both not be in cell for the first part this sun?!

And so, the exams have ended. The one exam that i studied the least for, and i survived by drinking Brand's esssence of chicken daily for provision of artificial energy.

Though i didnt work very hard, i convinced myself of the need to enjoy to make up for the 'hardships' i faced the past 2 wks. I sure did! Met up with lionel and elaine on fri, and talked for a couple of hrs. haha was too brain-dead to participate much in it, oh well. On sat was tapestry briefing. sun was spent eating and then chatting for 3 over hrs (?) again. will be gg to minds cafe later followed by tapestry prac. A weekend of feasting, fun and lots of chatting. haha 'll be gg back to my books soon. i promise.

uncle Kenny shared on friendship on sunday. and i was again reminded of the need to be thankful for such a great grp of friends, both school, ex-school and church friends. Thanks you guys. life would be...empty without you all. ahha and yes tim, the highest level is 'truth', go ahead with being frank.

oh, and i just realised this is my last youth day hol. better savour it while i still can!

oh yes, it has come to my attention that pple are not receiving the smses that i sent and i'm not receiving all that i should as well. so if i don't reply anything that's impt, give me a call ya? ok, gg off!!

2007-06-26T11:28:00.000+08:00

I'm home so early!!! In time for Macs breakfast =)

anyway finished GP paper ytd and econs today. Gp was terrible. Econs essay wasnt good too. I couldnt recall the definition of 'recession'!! But case study wasnt that bad, hope it'll be able to save me!

And so, three more days to go. Math paper tmr. havent practised math for like, a month?! oh well, its only the midyrs =P
Oh yes, and there's Lit on thurs. i still owe 2 essays =(
And on fri...HISTORY. Need i say more? I'm spotting questions.

Well well. that's all for today. Its dubious why i can still find time to blog, seeing how time is never on my side when i study. well, well..

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tommorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapour in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord You catch me when I'm falling
And You told me who I am
I am Yours.

2007-06-22T09:59:00.000+08:00

Hello! celebrated my birthday ytd.
Thanks sis, for the tea, nice catchin up! (forgot to take a pic!)

Thanks guys, for this surprise.

hah this pic looks funny, but well, focus on the ice cream. The one second from the left gave me a sore throat!

Thanks all, for your messages of well-wishes.
There's smth special abt an 18th birhday, it seems. cause even my senior in army rmbered it! hah and my cousin joanne too!!
Oh well, I thank God for friends.

Hah sry for the slip-shod post. Gotta go. Cya all!

2007-06-18T21:04:00.000+08:00

The Camp Comm.

Angel and mortal!!!

i am here to update!!
The past few wks were enriching and fun. Firstly, had the WDYK camp. Was in charge of logistics..During the camp i was basically worrying about the next meal, the cleanliness of the kitchen, and gosh, never have i stayed in the kitchen for so long and done so much housework! Learnt alot from the camp committee, and we worked very well together. The campers? they were great too! always so helpful and obedient haha. On a sidenote, here's a little advertisement for the next HUGE youth camp-
30 nov - 3 Dec. Keep those dates free!!

Just 7 days before midyrs, (= ytd) i spent the whole day with elaine!! Played some video game which i'm not exactly good at and talked till 11 plus before i left. What better way to spend the day than with your bestest friend!!

OK. time to go study.
I'm only about 30% done with History. This is what i'm left with-
End of the Cold War.
Religious Fundamentalism.
Arab-Israeli Conflict.
Indo-Pakistani war over Kashmir.
All to be done by this wk, of which i'll be out on tues and thurs.
Pray pray pray!!!

2007-06-05T10:00:00.000+08:00

it's more than a week into the holidays. been busy with camp preparations, tapestry and studying (note, no mention of homework cause i'm putting it on hold).

this is gonna be a crazy week. Tapestry auditions in 4 days. mini youth camp in four days. and when i return from camp, it'll be one and half wks to mid-yrs..gosh..!!

been really stressed up these couple of days as i run here and there, sms-ing half the time, amidst dealing with the irritatingly naggy thought abt the urgent need to study. this is really no joke! the next half of the yr is gonna be really hectic too. 'exciting' would be the word optimists use, but oh well..

when i was praying last night, i was reminded of the most recent prophecy i received, it told me that this is now the training period for me. so i guess it isnt gg to be easy ya. but on the brighter side, i thank God that there'll always be friends who wil be there, running the race with you. thank you all, for listening to my complaints, and ta-haning me when i'm in my stressed mode. you all rock!

Come on evelyn, go for yr desired grades.
Come on The Band, let's chiong for these 4 days, i'm sure we can do it cause rmb? we've smth most other bands don't.
Come on wdyk comm, let's go make this camp a success.
by God's grace, it shall all be done. Amen.

2007-05-24T20:47:00.000+08:00

My very first birthday present this year!

Was so touched when Hie Bee came up to me and gave me this. She remembered that i was commenting on the beauty of those potted plants (those pots of roses, to be specific) that day we did CIP at the halfway house a couple of months ago. Thank you so much. It's not so much the gift, but the sincerity behind it. But i do hope that it'll survive and bloom under these non-green fingers of mine!

2007-05-20T21:19:00.000+08:00

THE BAND (literally)-

So happy to see Shawn using the white drum sticks we gave him for his birthday last yr!

Had a tiring week. My eye rings are so scary! it's a tapestry period sign. Just ask pearl pearl. lol.

Had tapestry practices. Music is not bad, but there's definitely room for improvement! Indeed, the band is working well together, and it's heart warming to see how each members clicks well with another and how they have fun together.

This week, i finally comprehend the meaning of the often -and sometimes over- used line "with great power comes great responsibility". With so many things to do, the workload and stress hormone level soars. Praying that in whatever i do, i'll be able to do it to the best of my ability. I'm afraid I'll compromise in some areas of service and lose focus. Thanks alvin for those words of caution. I'll definitely keep them in mind.

The song "Still" really spoke to me today. I'm not gonna worry about everything so much. Cause I believe that I'll be able to soar with Him above whatever storms that come my way.

Watched 'Blades of Glory'. It was funny 'cause it was so silly..hah, not worth watching on a sunday! But thanks all those who went. Enjoyed yr company, though movie-watching is to me, basically an anti-social activity.haha..last wk of school. so much work, so many commitments. Lord, help me. Have a great wk pple!!

2007-05-15T15:23:00.000+08:00

Yay. Thank God econs test is postponed to next wk. If not this is gonna be a crazy wk, with tapestry practices, worship mtgs and stuff..

Got picked to attend College Day. Method used was simple random sampling. Only 5 pple got picked. I had to be one of them. Call me unlucky or what?!

Sorry for the totally boring post. Nothing to say. Need to catch up on some sleep. Off I go.

2007-05-09T15:24:00.000+08:00

History test just ended. It confirmed my suspicions that i'm so not cut out to do history. It never crossed my mind to mention regional factors as an external factor. Only discussed impact of Cold War. =( Tried to be 'jack of all trades' and attempted to cram in as many case studies as possible, yet i became 'master of none'. oh well.

Week's been alright. watched spiderman 3 on sunday. oh yes, sry to keep you guys waiting for so long ya? wkend flew past so quickly. but well, another is coming. Thank God for church and church friends!

So many things going on : Youth leaders retreat, Mini-youth camp, tapestry auditions, and then it's the much dreaded Mid-years. What's happening now is an exact replica of last yr, where i had so many things on in june, esp tapestry practices and ended up with only ten miserable days to study for mid-yrs. But well, i passed everything then, by God's grace. I believe this 'll happen again. Yes.

There are no problems in life, only challenges to be conquered.

2007-05-05T09:05:00.000+08:00

Ytd was a terrible day. Felt so fed-up with so many pple. I guess God really ensures that i live up to what I promised Him. I always thought that kindness was quid pro quo. I always thought that when you put others before self, they would do the same to you too. Apparently not. Call is pms or smth, but just felt so irritated with so many things ytd. Was fuming so mad at one moment, and i kept reciting in my heart "Love is patient, love is kind...It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.." I refused to fight back, refused to say a word. Perhaps one shouldnt be giving in all the time? What's up with the comment "to heck with religion.."??!!! I was so frustrated with everything that i really felt like crying! argh!

Alright, thanks for listening to my complaints. I'm gonna forget all abt it after this is published. I'm leaving this post somewhat vague to protect those pple from any guilt or any 'pinpointing'. I wanna love all these so-called 'enemies' but its so tough. Lord, pls help me. I wanna be a reflection of Your love.

I want to be a reflector
Want to shine Your glory
Want to let the whole world know that You're livin' in me
I want to burn with Your fire
Shine Your light a little brighter
I want the whole world to know
That Jesus lives in me

2007-04-29T23:34:00.000+08:00

Phew!! approximately 13 hours in heels!! Just came home from shopping at bugis with ash and aunt mary, my leg is aching crazily! but well, had a fruitful day.

Attended worship jam II. Once again, no regrets. it was like a continuation from the previous session. Thanks you uncle andrew, aunt shanti and aunt erika, you all really ministered to me. God reminded me of all the things He has done for me, the many times when the devil tried to take control. God kept me safe from all those. Indeed, the greatest thing that ever happened to me was when i accepted HIm into my life and allowed Him to be Lord over me.

HOPE, LOVE, TRUST, were wad really spoke to me today. Someone saw me today and remarked"hey! you 're looking better nowadays,learnt to let go huh?" That realy struck me. Indeed, when i realise that my only hope is to trust in God and allow HIm to take over, a huge rock had been lifted off me. I find it easier to smile and enjoy the little things that God has placed in my path. So you all facing major exams or any major problems, learn to let go and you'll definitely see God's hand at work!

It has been a great wk. Oh, i forgot to mention that on wed, this school cleaner sat beside me in the canteen, and i attempted to talk to her about Christ. All the talk on evangelism really worked! I talked to her, and she said that whenever one has problems, should go to church. i took that as a cue to move on, and i told her "God is real, that's why things happpen when pple pray!" i talked a little more with er in my broken chinese but time wasnt on my side. Before i left her, i tried to invite her to our church, but she said they (?) wouldnt let her go out on sundays. So i carried out plan B - give a tract so that she would have our church contact whenever the need arises. Unfortunaely (i got really angry with myself!), that day was one of the rare days i didnt carry tracts with me. ahhh! but well, i could see that she was touched that a student was actualy willing to talk to her. Shall go look her up again!

2007-04-27T20:44:00.000+08:00

Long overdue recital pics -

The class, with me as the baby of the grp:

my teacher!! (sorry for that totally unflattering post, its the only one i have!)-

My pretty pianist-

Thank God for the recital, though i thought the performance could have been way better. Anyway, thanks aunt anna, really learnt alot alot from you and thank you for all the encouragements that really gave me confidence! Today is a friday, somehow it feels weird not to be at adam road creating funny noises and laughing at one another. oh well.

This wk has been crazy, with tests and tutorials. Learnt that prayer hand thingy, so now am now spending more time in prayer, and trust me, it really makes one happier and more joyful when one prays more. The joy of the Lord, indeed!

Celebrated tim's belated birthday ytd. sorry for pang-sehing you guys ya? i really had work to do haha. pictures my dear 'neighbour? =)

Am a happy girl today. had my 2.4 run, and my teacher had to time me, so he forced his two classes to run 2.4 with me. so sry pple! anyway, thank God for Victoria. She paced me, and everytime some pple were blocking my way, she would run ahead of me and shout "excuse me! someone running her 2.4!!" as a result i had an extremely smooth run and clocked the best timing ever! she was indeed God-sent, judging from the fact that we are merely acquaintances. Anyway, doesnt this remind you all about our relationship with our Father? That He always runs beside us, thru' the good and bad times, and whenever obstacles come, He would go before us and 'smoothen' our paths. Isnt this assurance beautiful?

Watched "200 pounds beauty" today. Was initially reluctant to watch it, but accompanied pearl pearl. Ironically, while the plot was predictable, we both enjoyed it. shant say too much. go watch it!

Love. It's just so hard. especially towards people who always seem to oppose you. Lord, help me. I wanna love like You did and still do. I wanna smile at them from the bottom of my heart, not just as an act of courteousy. With Your grace, i can. Amen.

I need sleep.

2007-04-18T16:01:00.001+08:00

You Are 28% Slacker

You have a few slacker tendencies, but overall you tend not to slack.
You know how to relax when the time is right, but you aren't lazy!

Are You a Slacker?

Haha. proof!! i just 'know how to relax when the time is right'! =)

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion:

You have medium extroversion.
You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party.
Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences.
But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time."

Conscientiousness:

You have high conscientiousness.
Intelligent and reliable, you tend to succeed in life.
Most things in your life are organized and planned well.
But you borderline on being a total perfectionist.

Agreeableness:

You have high agreeableness.
You are easy to get along with, and you value harmony highly.
Helpful and generous, you are willing to compromise with almost anyone.
You give people the benefit of the doubt and don't mind giving someone a second chance.

Neuroticism:

You have low neuroticism.
You are very emotionally stable and mentally together.
Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly.
Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure.

Openness to experience:

Your openness to new experiences is high.
In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas.
You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits.
A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.

The Five Factor Personality Test

What Your Soul Really Looks Like

You are very passionate and quite temperamental. While you can be moody, you always crave comfort.

You are a grounded person, but you also leave room for imagination and dreams. You feet may be on the ground, but you're head is in the clouds.

You believe that people see you as larger than life and important. While this is true, they also think you're a bit full of yourself.

Your near future is calm, relaxing, and pretty much what you want. And it's something you've been anticipating for a while now.

For you, love is all about caring and comfort. You couldn't fall in love with someone you didn't trust.

Inside the Room of Your Soul

You Are a Learning Cook

You've got the makings of an excellent cook, and the desire to be one.
But right now, you're just lacking the experience. You couldn't be a top chef yet, but you could be an apprentice.

Are You A Good Cook?

'makings of an excellent cook'!! yay!

watched 'rugrats' just now..my childhood fave show!! whee!!
School's been alright. with a few tests every wk..but i'm good. indeed, things are different when the joy of the Lord reigns in us. thank You.

2007-04-14T15:41:00.000+08:00

Back from worship jam. No regrets, at all. Well, i have got to confess that when i woke up this morning, i was absolutely reluctant to go. I thought of the many sleepless nights, the lit essay, the econs essay, preparation for cell word...and whatever excuse i could come up with. I was extremely tired as i reached home almost midnight from recital practice. Indeed, the spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak. However, i dragged myself there as after 'disturbing' my team 3 with two smses within a week reminding them to attend, i felt obliged to go. (pardon that odd sentence, too tired to think clearly).

I was late, and very soon after i entered the worship hall, uncle andrew took over the mic and conveyed the msg he had from God. "You are not here for me, I am here for you". Gosh, that made me cry. Throughout my journey to church, i was so exhausted that i even contemplated returning home, but i kept telling God, "Lord, i'll go for you. I'll do this just for You." Everything that God spoke thru uncle andrew really 'whacked' me hard. I was thinking of all the work that i could have done the whole morning, and He reminded me that all we had to do was to put Him first, and He'll settle the rest. words cant describe the way i felt. It was as thoguh everythign said there was directly to me!

Ministry time was overwhelming. God knew what i desperately needed to hear, and He gave me just that, through aunt shanti. You pple might laugh at what you're gonna read,just like i did.. but well, i needed to hear that. She came to me and said "you're smart. God has given you an academic capability..." hey hey, before you pass yr judgement on this writer, thinking that she is proud and all that..listen to her explanation. For the past year or so, i've been thinking that i'm too stupid to be in Arts cause i cant seem to analyse things as deeply as the others. This self-condemnation has been changed to self -assurance becoz of those words. Thank You God. Shall reveal only this much. if u wanna know more come to me hah.

Gotta go prepare word. having a bbq later with bp friends. oh, happy birthday to wen hua, aurelia and yiling. i love you all!!

When i see You I find strength to face the day.

2007-04-13T14:44:00.000+08:00

Was on the bus home just now, and i subconsiously observed that a little 'boy' boarded the bus. After a while, i realised tt 'he' kept staring at me, so i stared back. After a few moments, both of us raised our eyebrows at each other and finally smiled. It was Hui ze!!! My primary school classmate whom i can talk on the phone with for hours...She changed. Alot. Couldnt recognise her, and was so touched that she could still rmb my old no..the 913*****...haha..so glad to meet this good old friend.

Anyway, God has been faithful once again. After my previous post, i prayed really hard for God to take the lead in my learning of Econs. And guess what?! I got back my econs test ytd and i got a 'B' grade though i studied for like..less than an hour and was really prepared to fail it. What uncle mark shared is really true. The world thinks that success is achieved with 100% effort. But for us Christians, it's effort plus blessing. The Lord indeed illustrated what was taught in church to me.

Another testimony- i got an A for project work. credit definitely belongs to the Almighty, and of course, to Him for giving me such a wonderful group=)

Thank You Lord, for assuring me with all these. Sorry that time and time again i lack the faith to believe, the faith leave everything in Your hands. Thank You for the grace that You've showed, shown and abt to show to me. I will live everyday for Your glory. I will excel, just for You.

2007-04-10T20:18:00.000+08:00

I know, i know. i'm supposed to be writing my 2000 word econs essay, followed by history essay outline. all within the next 3 over hours. (i insist on sleeping before midnight). i dunno how.

argh. allow me.

This econs assignment intensifies my already vehement dislike for econs. What's the use of writing essay after essay, and getting no more than a D grade (which by the way, only happened once). A's is like..6 over months away? great.
i feel so frustrated. the past two days have been crazy, trying to complete all that the teachers mercilessly handed out. isnt it e-learning week, where students are supposed to enjoy learning beyond the classroom and to learn independent study?! wad nonsense. this is merely opportunity for teachers to throw us homework over and above what we're supposed to do for e-learning.

I dont know how i'm gonna survive the next 7 months. i've trying to encourage myself with the great plans we have after A's..but that doesnt work anymore. nothing does. meanwhile, i promise i'll try to hold on.

In Christ alone
I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory, let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone.

Can somebody please provide an explanation for the drops of moisture secreting from my eyes and the sudden cloud of melancholy hovering above my head?

2007-03-31T20:47:00.000+08:00

Had such a great time ytd. Visited bpco to show some support before their syf on tues. Check out the holding school -

The lower-sec canteen that has only two stalls =)

See this guy in the pic? He's 20 yrs old this yr!! haha..ahem* ..the same.Anyway, he was the one who taught me how to create my first 'sound' on the wooden flute =)

li wei and our juniors..kinda forgotten their names..oops!! but it was nice to see them so happy over our visit =)
Oh yes, the guys in the pic - one of my juniors whom i haven't met before - resembles wei siong, a senior. This reminds me of those terrifying days when wei xiong would knock our chairs hard wheneva we played wrongly...

The 'multi-purpose hall' lol..it cant even fit the whole orchestra!! miss being part of hits....sigh...

i laughed very hard when i saw this new uniform - a sleeveless, black, flowery cheongsam-cum- waitress- looking costume..haha!!

These are just pics taken during I&E day:

These are pics taken today, when we sent the myanmar mission-trippers off at the airport. hmmm..dun ask me why i didnt take a single picture of the mission-trippers..haha..maybe on sat, when they return..

The friends who can make me forget everything and make me laugh so hard till i tear..thanks guys!!

A picture tells a thousand words. Indeed.

2007-03-29T16:20:00.000+08:00

Haha check out my messy table in class. oops, seems like my stuff takes up half the entire table shared by 3 of us =P

And haha..pardon that disgusting remains of my watermelon (that little red thing in the middle of my table)

Cant recall if i posted this before. Took this pic a while ago on a miraculous day my double eyelids appeared. Check out my eye bags =(

Week's been ok. just getting panicky and frustrated abt choosing the right song for the recital. the perfectionist in me is acting up again. just cant seem to find the right songs. didnt know what i got myself into when i signed up for this class..haiz..anyway, if u guys have any suggestions, let me know!! would appreciate it!!

Some of the youths will be flying off to myanmar this sat. Its weird but i feel kinda excited for them, though sad that i'm not part of the group. I'm excited cause i know that it will be a life-changing and memorable experience for them. take care you all, go forth to do His work!!!

The search for the 'perfect' song lead to the discovery of a couple of beautiful songs -

Jesus take the wheel

"Jesus take the wheel, take it from my hands,
Cause I can't do this on my own.
I'm letting go, so give me one more chance.
Save me from this road I'm on.
Jesus take the wheel."

"Voice of truth" by Casting crowns

"but the voice of truth tells me a different story
and the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
out of all the voices calling out to me
i will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth"

I shall proclaim this whenever negative and discouraging thoughts enter my mind.

That's all for now. Visiting bpco tmr. cant wait to hear their syf song.

"The fact of life is death", therefore "The fact of mortality is mortality" - A beautiful paradox.

2007-03-22T20:50:00.000+08:00

Slacked the whole week. TV, sleep, more TV, and more sleep!! okok, i promise this will be the last wk of relaxation!! I'll work hard very soon!!

Week's been alright. A group of handicapped pple (from AWWA and Indonesia) performed for us during our Mass Civics on tues. their voices are like..wow...but sentimental me couldnt control the tears that kept flowing down during the entire performance. The male lead singer had no arms. The four female singers are visually impaired. The musicians are handicapped in some way or another..yet they sang with all their hearts. They sang abt hope and abt love...despite their conditions. The last performance was a traditional dance, and two young girls no older then 7 or 8 joined the stage together with the band. One is blind in one eye and had one missing wrist (the last part of the entire arm, the wrist, palm and fingers, are missing) and the other didnt have wrists at all. It was a heart-wrenching scene. It saddens my heart to see such stuff...and how i wish that God would just touch them and make them whole again.

Anyway, on a happier note, after days of frantic search for suitable hymns i've finally found one!! It's "the old rugged cross", a beautiful song with meaningful lyrics. My backup will be "this is my Father's world". Thanks yi en and christine for your help..you both sing beautifully =) I just realised how clueless i am abt hymns..but well..hope that aunt anna will 'accept'that song!!

received a few of my essays this week. did quite well, especially for lit and econs, i'm so happy!! Thank God!! really need to start pulling my grades up!!!

Was talking to angelia abt marriage this week.lol.. it was amusing to discover we have so many things in common!! haha..cross my fingers and pray hard that whatever we said wouldn't come true!! =P

Singing lesson tmr. can't wait, partly cause it's the end of the week and i get to meet my beloved church frens !!. yipee!!! =)

Arts students have a unique way of blogging that reveals their flair for using words to portray their innermost feelings...perhaps i should alter the way i post to sound more sophisticated and learned...mr osgodby would faint if he reads my posts...alright, pardon this rather random thought.

2007-03-15T21:51:00.000+08:00

Finally, replies..
sam- haha yea i did =P
tim- okokok..will do so the next round ok..but dont complain tt i'm slackin when that happens =)
lydz- hey u're sooo sweet!! thanks =)
matt- haha no!! its not like tt!! help i'm being misunderstood!! lol..
joel- everyone refuses to watch that show haha..yup, hope to catch it some time =)
lydz- nah...was too lazy..anyway it was fun sitting beside u then..tc and i'll cya in sch!!
jo- haha by God's grace..thanks =)

Someone pls enlighten me on how to go abt completing the GP research thingy!!! Its already thursday, and well, i've almost completed those crucial work (my definition of 'crucial'- work that needs to be handed in on mon) =P

Was just looking through one of my lit texts: "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. I don't deny that it is an interesting book, but my idea of interesting does not encompass all. For those frowning in confusion, let me briefly summarise the book and u'll fully comprehend what i mean. Basically, it's about this world where test-tube babies are present, and children are conditioned to believe that 'everyone belongs to everybody'. From young they are taught 'Elementary sex' and 'class consciousness' etc. So they basically derive their happiness from a drug called 'soma' and engage in rampant sex. This world is totally foreign (and unbelieveable) to the Savage (a man born from a woman) and his futile attempts to convince the pple of what freedom and happiness really is led him to his suicide.

it is a very disturbing and eerie book. What makes this worse is that many critics have observed that the elements present in this book will come true some time in the near future. Its scary, and to think this is one of the books i'll be depending on to get my A (haha i hope!!!) Lord, protect my mind as i read this book...

Flu bug's entered my system. Anyone knows an effective way to build up my immune system?? =(

Congrats! you survived thru' a whole load of crapping..haha..tmr will be a great day!! cant wait to meet my sec sch frens!! and art cafe performance tmr!! Go ahead, do us proud kfc-ers!! =)

So aloof, so distant.

Happy!!!

2007-03-02T23:05:00.000+08:00

I'm elated!!! Excited!!! Bubbling with joy!!
haha..results of Chinese 'A's came out today. I got an A!! whee~~!!! Though my oral got only merit, but its alright!! No more chinese for the rest of my life!!

Indeed, i see the hand of God in this. Since somewhere in August or Sept, i stopped doing chinese homework. I didnt write a single essay or do a single chinese worksheet until the day of the exams. So credit definitely dont belong to me!! The night before, aunt mary reminded me that 'the Lord is faithful". Indeed He is!! On the way home today, i heard the song "For Who You Are" on my mp3 and i finally comprehend and 'feel' the lyrics:
"..Thinking of the good things You have done..."
"My soul secure, Your promise sure.."

Attended my first singing lesson of course Two today. I had fun, and the teacher was teasing me about how she couldnt even hear my voice last time...was it that bad?? lol..alright, i'm gg to sleep...i believe i'll have sweet dreams tonight =)

Gg to NUS for the History drama thing tmr. I hope our school will win!! Go guys!! Do us proud!! =)

2007-02-25T21:07:00.000+08:00

Sick =(
Feeling hot and cold at the same time
Lost my voice again
What's happening to me??!!

Anyway, smth that made my day - Yong En's sharing of the Word. Was initially so worried that i read up on the passage he was doing on so i could help him out. Then on friday he told me that he was ill, and so was I!!! Was so worried, but thank God everything turned out well, and he shared very well for a first-timer. Well done!! I'm so proud of you yong en!! looks like i've gotta schedule you for sharing more often!! =)

Singing lesson's gonna start again on Friday. I cant wait!! But before that, i've gotta survive thru' these:

Lit poem presentation
Lit essay
Hist essay outline (wed)
Hist essay outline (fri)
Econs test results
Lit test results (?)
Chinese 'A' level results
Project Work Results
GP newspaper analysis
Table - tennis practice =)

I cant think now. Need to sleep. Anyway, those interested in the Mini Youth Camp on 10-11 March, pls sign up by this sunday. Just drop me a sms if you've any queries =)

Have a blessed wk pple!!

2007-02-21T21:51:00.000+08:00

Whee~!!!
Watched "protege" today...it was not bad. Indeed, it portrayed the lives of drug addicts so vividly that you cant help but sympathise with them. Go catch this movie if you're free. if the above does not make the movie seem enticing, know that there're lots of eye candy (ies ?) on the show, at least, this is what i heard.
Heard that "dreamgirls" is good too. i wanna watch it!!

Read the 'purpose Driven Life' daily devotional today, after 'forsaking' it for awhile. Today's one is real good. Read it!

Communication breakdown by John Fischer

Lord Jesus, are we talking?

It seems like it’s been a while. My voice to you feels weak. There’s no doubt about my belief, but I guess believing doesn’t count as communication. (I think I’ve assumed that it does without really thinking about it.) I can believe in my wife and not talk to her for a week. How long has it been since you heard from me – really heard from me? If I have to ask that question, it must have been a while. Somehow I’ve got you doing nothing but waiting around to hear from me while I go about my business oblivious to our lack of communication. Like I’ve got more important things to do than you do. Ouch! That sounds pretty close to blasphemy, making me wonder how often I blaspheme you with my ignorant assumptions.

Is our relationship more important to you than it is to me? If it is, I am grossly overestimating my own importance. The issue is not whether you are on my side; the question is: Am I on yours? And only I can answer that. Am I centering my life on you? The fact that the lines of communication seem rusty right now indicates there is a lot of inequity here.

What do I need to do to get back in touch? What’s that? I’m doing it right now? You just want my attention and you’ll take it any way it comes – through joy, sorrow, confession, pain, or the reestablishment of communication? That seems almost too easy. What’s that you’re saying? “Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthew 11:29-30 MSG)

I think I’m getting it now. No matter how far I may have strayed away, it’s always a short trip back. The breakdown in communication was only on my part, never yours. I don’t have to retrace my steps back to the last place I got off before I can hear you again, because you’ve been dogging me the whole way. As soon as I turn my heart and attention toward you, you are there to meet me because you never left.

It seems almost too good to be true. Where did I get the idea it’s supposed to be so hard?

2007-02-19T21:37:00.000+08:00

More pics!!!
Taken from my beloved classmates =)

This is Mr Loh's birthday celebration:

Mr Loh blowing the imaginary flame

Guan Hui's prezzie : "Undercover tales of World War II"..gosh

A3206!!!!

2007-02-19T15:05:00.000+08:00

Nostalgia

After a month of internal debate on whether to abandon this blog, i've finally decided to give my vote to the proposition. I'm back!! ...for now :)

This past month has been alright, getting used to my daily routine:
School
Home
Eat my fruits =)
QT
Watch TV+ Dinner
Homework
TV
Homework (?)
ZZZZZ...

Thank God for Sundays =)

One of the highlights of the past few wks would be me volunteering at the Hiding Place, together with Hie Bee. The Hiding Place is a Christian halfway house for ex-convicts and ex-drug abusers. Once there, the lady in-charge warned us not to let the boys go near us and not to lend them our handphones. That frightened me a little. however, when i came into contact with some of the people there, i felt ashamed. They were such good testimonies, with their friendliness and helpfulness. Both of us ended up at the Ba Kwa station, and we helped pack Ba kwas, it was sooo fun!!!! It was heart-warming to read the testimonies of some of the pple there, about how God transformed their lives. Hie bee read it too, hope a seed was indeed planted in her =)

This past month was really tiring, and at times frustrating. However, in the recent 2 wks, i could finally comprehend the meaning of the JOY of the Lord. Despite the many nights suffering from insomnia and having so many tests, i felt happy. There was joy coming from within me. Thank You Lord, for answering my prayer. Indeed, when we really pray and spend time with Him, and constantly be on SEARCH MODE for His voice, your life changes for the better. School need not be a hindrance in our Christian walk. Hope this will encourage all you fellow school- gg pple!!!

Sent Sam Soh off on friday. Bye sam, we're gonna miss you loads!! you're indeed a girl with a golden heart (this expression sounds odd, but well, you get it). be sure to join us in myanmar nine months later!!!

Uncle PJ Andrew shared this on Sun:
Deut30:9 ~ "Then the Lord will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands....."
History lesson: always challenge absolute statements.
This is because there'll always be a way to refute an absolute assertion. However, the Bible is filled with such certain promises. Who can refute them? Indeed, your Word and your promises hold true, i'm gonna hold onto them =)

Replies:
Daniel- haha there's no such thing??!! when are we coming over to yr house to visit? =P
A.Erika- It was a privilege to have sat beside you that day too!! thanks for all yr little pretty gifts and you take care too!!
charlene- heeyy!! havent contacted u for so long? wad's yr blog add??
tim- huh...yong en is next. we might be gg for cell breakfast to celebrate birthdays on the fay i'm supposed to share..discuss with u on sunday
mabel- hihi!! same to you!!!

Enjoy yr remaining hol pple!!! =)

2007-01-17T09:05:00.000+08:00

Replies:
yL- sch's okie..yup, time flies..haha..how's work comin along?
pearl!- haha i still will =P n i agree with you, how XX always seems to be running past us..hahaa
v- yupp!! i love this skin too!! thanks alot!! haha yea..this song is very nice =)
saffie- yup done!! God bless you too =)
sam.G- haha i think i'm the last to find that out..lol..thanks anyway!!
pearl- thanks!!

Been home for 2 days consecutively. Sick, again.
Sigh. Whatever can't break me, will only make me stronger.

But these 2 days, i've been marvelling at the fact that God's voice seems so clear whenever we're unable to talk, as though booming through a loud-hailer that's directed at your ear. Thank You.

I wasnt disappointed, maybe just a little....sad..(??) that things don't always go the way I want. Sometimes, i feel that there're so many obstacles hindering me...until I become so unsure of myself, and whether I'm in the right place doing the right thing. I dunno. Till I get the answer, I'll hold on to His Word.

Need to get well. Practice this Sunday.

2007-01-11T20:49:00.000+08:00

Imagine Me Without You - Jaci Velasquez

As long as stars shine down from heaven
And the rivers run into the sea
Til the end of time forever
You're the only love I'll need

In my life you're all that matters
In my eyes the only truth I see
When my hopes and dreams have shattered
You're the one that's there for me

When I found you I was blessed
And I will never leave you,
I need you

Chorus:
Imagine me without you
I'd be lost and so confused
I wouldn't last a day, I'd be afraid
Without you there to see me through

Imagine me without you Lord,
You know it's just impossible
Because of you, it's all brand new
My life is now worthwhile
I can't imagine me without you

When you caught me I was falling
Your love lifted me back on my feet
It was like you heard me calling
And you rush to set me free

Thanks Saffie, for sharing this beautiful song with me =)
Take a good look at the lyrics, indeed meaningful!!

As promised, this is for you:
Thanks sis, for being a part of my JC life.
You're God-sent too, sent to cheer me up and to keep me going through these 2 challenging yrs.
Your funny antics, and cheerful attitude have kept me going.
Thanks for always being there to listen to all my complaints, my experiences, etc.
Thanks for being my ponning-partner =P
Thanks for always inspiring me with yr eagerness to please our Father

I'll rmb how we met, you in blue and white, me in white and maroon, and how we sat in the canteen and talked and talked and talked...
Despite the negative impressions we had of each other (oops!!)

You're indeed the greatest blessing God has granted me in AJ. Thanks you sis, and may we strive to please Him in the coming A's.
Love ya loads, and stay happy always!!!

Stop it, please. At times disappointment sets in, frustration with pple and the things ard you...Choices to be made. Steps to take. Questions, questions and more questions. "We don't need the answers to all of life's questions". how true? Bottled up inside, waiting for a release...sigh, perfectionist me.

2007-01-07T21:15:00.000+08:00

Time to be a sweet sister:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANICE!!!!!
You've been a real great sister for the past 17 years. May you have a wonderful *ahem* 22nd birthday and have a fulfilling year ahead as you enter into another stage of your life. God bless you =)

School started. Now life is back to normal.
Mon-Fri- slog hard and attempt to complete all my work and try to resist the temptation to pon school =P
Sat- go out or stay home to do work.
Sun- church, lunch with friends, movie, go home.
Life is dull, isnt it?

These were the things that made my week:
- Red daisy!!! Thanks joseph, you're indeed our childhood friend!! lol..
- Elaine's stayover and how she grabbed Pokie in one hand and ran away in order to 'save' her from the husky. (Pokie always thinks she is very big)
- How pearl pearl and i terrified the worker in Coffee Bean
- XX fell down in front of pearl and i while waving hello to me (oops, i didnt mean to 'distract' him, pearl pearl!!! lol..)

A whole long week of school again.
School's indeed a great cure for insomnia.

A long week awaits,
But may i live everyday, expecting something from You.
Be the reason that I live.
Amen.

Back to school

2007-01-02T22:45:00.000+08:00

School starts tmr.
Can't say I'm happy.
But at least I get to meet my friends.
They're my only comfort.

Sometimes i wonder how God created Man.
Why do our hearts grow attached to things so quickly?
Why do our minds wander through the maze into the Golden Land so easily?

Back to reality.
Back to stress.
Back to boredom.

To all returning to school tmr. i guess you all feel the same way. But let's make it our goal to Shine His light and let the whole world see it.

I live for You, and You alone.

May the JOY of the Lord be my strength.
Amen.

Sick on Christmas Day =(

2006-12-25T16:28:00.000+08:00

Replies:

Joanne - heyhey busy woman!!! miss you too!! call me anytime when u're free =)
Lionel - haha its alright!! we missed you there in myanmar but there's always another time ya?? dun feel sad!!
Matt - hello my missions partner!! yup, indeed it is. next year, next year...
Mel - same to you!!! Merry Merry Christmas!!
Tim - Haha they were really random!!! But they were quite funny..thanks anyway!! hope the cup reminds you to smile more!!

I got bitten by the flu bug. Gotta stay home the whole day and sleep sleep sleep christmas day away.. (hey!! internal rhyme!!)

Anyway, wanna blog abt ytd. The sermon ytd was great. God really spoke to me. Like what aunt mary said, God is revealing bits and pieces of His plans for me over time. There was also this prophetess from myanmar who kinda confirmed it.. (some parts of her prophecies were quite accurate, the others? i will have to wait and see haha)

For the past few days i have been thinking about what i can give to God, since He gave us so so much. That question had been answered. The greatest gift that we can give to God is our everything. Lord, take my gifts, my fears, my desires, my worries. I lay my life down at Your feet.

Here's a nice song with inspiring lyrics-

I believe

They said you wouldn't make it so far
And ever since they said its been hard
But never mind the nights that you had to cry
Cause you would never let it go inside
You work real hard and you know exactly what you want and need so believe
And you can never give up
You can reach your goals
Just talk to your soul and say

I believe i can
I believe i will
I believe i'll go on
Dreams are real
I believe i'll stand
I believe i'll dance
I believe i'll go real soon and
That is what i do believe...

Your goals are just a thing in your soul
And you know that your moves will let them show
You keep creating pictures in your mind
So just believe they will come true in time
It will be fine leave all of your cares and stress behind and
Just let it go
Let the music flow inside
Forget all your pain and just start to believe

I believe i can
I believe i will
I believe i'll go on
Dreams are real
I believe i'll stand
I believe i'll dance
I believe i'll go real soon and
That is what i do believe...

Never mind (yeh) what people say
Hold your head high and turn away
With all my hopes and dreams I will believe
Even though it seems far from me I won't give up, i'll keep it up
Reaching to the stars
I will achieve on my knees
I will always believe

The Golden Land

2006-12-23T14:09:00.000+08:00

Back from Myanmar. it was a great trip, filled with many memories. Everytime i hear the children sing during worship, tears just fill my eyes. Why can't we, who are so blessed, sing praises to God this way? Many of those children are broken-hearted, and have suffered so much grief and pain, yet they are still so sincere in praising God. Indeed, I'm ashamed.

What I'll miss most is definitely the children. The smiles on their faces when they see that you remember their names, the handshakes and the loud and sincerely joyful "Mingalaba(s)", the resounding "Amen(s)!!" in reply to "pi-ya-di-kin kong-ji-pi-ba-sae!!"(God bless!!) and the sadness in their eyes when they continue waving at us as we leave the orphanage in the truck.

Was initially very worried before i went for the trip, as we were so vulnerable to attacks. On the way to Changi Airport, i was in the cab thinking about the many things that could possibly happen and i happened to look up in the sky and i saw a white bird flying across in the sky and i went "Dove!!" Though i knew it could have been a pigeon or smth, i felt that it was God's sign that He was gg to protect all of us. The even more magnificent thing was that, on the way to the Myanmar airport on the way home, i looked up and i saw a white bird fly past too!! Symbolic isnt it? It was as though God went with us to myanmar, and came back to s'pore with us!! The whole trip, God's hand of protection was indeed upon us. Many times, i felt a voice telling me "dun pray too hard, or the devil will attack..." but everytime that thought came, i rebuked it and prayed even harder. So what i learnt most in the trip was faith. Tnank You Lord, for teaching me soo much in the 23 days.

In case i forget, these are the pple I'm going to pray hard for everyday:

Aung phe- His 7 siblings passed away. I believe he is going to be a great and compassionate leader one day.
Mang Mang- 2 siblings and both parents passed away, all within three days. Many said that he's *ahem* not so bright, but well, i shall pray for him.
Caleb Hung- Not too sure about his history, but i pray that he'll be brought up into a man after God's heart.
Khawl Nz***- (oops, cant rmb her name) pray that if it's God's will, He'll lead her to either S'pore or Canada.
Little Joshua- That he'll grow up a smart man. (dun laugh!! i believe he will!!)
KoKo- Our translator. pray that he'll sucessfully graduate from medical sch and may we meet 7 yrs later.
Terrence- pray that his PVA will be approved soon.

This is a very hard post to type. There're so many things to say. I shall store the many fond memories deep in my heart, and here's a little msg to all you mission-trippers:

Elaine a.k.a. Sha Bei Pui- Thanks for being such a wonderful best friend for almost the whole of my life. Thanks for protecting me from the cats and for shielding me from the painful bullets. You've been a great room-mate, and though u fell ill during the last week, you perservered and i never once heard you complain. I'm so proud of you gal!! We're gonna mug hard together next year, and dun worry too much abt it, cause i believe God is g to pull us thru'!!!! Love ya loads!!

Samantha a.k.a. sun, moon ( haha i'm sorry i cant recall yr burmese name) - You've been so self-sacrificial and compassionate that i can really feel the love of God flowing through you and i can see that the children really adore you!! Thanks for always being the one who is wiling to lend a helping hand whenever possible. You've been a joy to be around with and i pray that God will continue to bless you and yr family.

Matthias a.k.a. Tun Tun Min - You big bully!!! Nah...just kidding. Thanks for keeping to your side of the deal, but it was really funny to see you gg around with the toy gun. You've been a great, fun, supportive and encouraging friend. Glad to see you sharing the Word, worshipping and praying with so much passion. Indeed, there's great anointing in you! Next stop- africa?? Haha, wadeva it is, i'll cya around and hope to see you in myanmar once again next yr!!

Tim a.k.a. Ti Hak (?) - hello the person i can relate to =) thanks for bringing so much joy to our team and indeed, you were there for more than just comic relief. Your testimony and sharing really touched many lives, and i can see that you've been praying alot recently, cause you carry a strong presence of God in you. Thanks for being so supportive, esp. in cell matters, and i believe we're gg to bring the cell to a higher level!! praying for you as u seek God regarding yr future plans =)

Joseph - "Oceans will paarrttt!!! Nations cooommee!!" Haha!! It was really fun terrorising you with that song. But well, thanks for bringing so much fun and laughter to the team. It was really amusing to sit beside you during massage, haha!! Dun worry, we have a deal =P Though i wont forget how you stole our pilllows, our lamp, our toiletries, our cups and shot me in the head, you're still a great friend. One i cant help but smile when i think of. praying for you as u sit for yr O's next yr!! You get well soon!!!

John - You've been different from what i expected, haha, but thanks for bringing so much joy to us as well. eh, were you the first to leave the plane?? Anyway, thanks for setting an example by praying and fasting throughout the trip and you've been a great blessing to us all. keep that faith you have in you, and i pray that God's blessings wil cont. to be showered upon you!!

Aunt mary- thanks for leading this team of mischievious (but passionate) youths. You've been a great leader, one we always cry out for whenever we need help. May God continue to bless you as u bless others. God bless.

On the way home, i felt like crying, as i whispered goodbyes in my heart to Baby, Zwa Kai, terrence, terrence's grandpa, aung phe, mang mang, caleb, matthew, samuel, koko, benben (?) and the many more burmese pple, God comforted me with the thought that at least my fellow church frens will still be there, and myanmar will still be alive within us. So most of all, i thank God for such a wonderful and fun team. Hope you guys gained alot from this trip, and I'm gonna miss you all!!

So many other things to say, but i guess i'll leave it to some other time. I'm physically and emotionally exhausted. Withdrawal symptoms i guess...

The Golden Land...may we meet again.

Myanmar, Here We Come!!!

2006-11-28T22:44:00.000+08:00

Will be flying off tmr to Myanmar for 3 1/2 weeks, 23 days to be exact. Do keep us all in prayer.
Someone asked me for the names of those gg, so here you go:
Elaine
Samantha
John Ho
Matthias
Tim
Joseph Chua
Aunty Mary

Yup, once you read this, do utter a simple prayer for us!! Bye pple!! I'm gonna miss you all!!!

2006-11-26T21:38:00.000+08:00

Yay had a great day today!!

Took the P6s today. They are so adorable!! They're cooperative and very sporting..i love them!! sorry eugenia and yong en, for leavin you guys alone with the cell, but i believe you two will be able to do a good job with them =)

Had team 3 worship. Well done team, so proud of you all. God is indeed good. i was complaining to Him recently about the need for a breakthrough not only in my team's worship, but also for myself..and He showed up during worship today. Personally, i felt that today's worship gave us the long- awaited confidence that we could actually lead God's people into anointed worship as a team. Thank You Lord. You're magnificent!!!

But i made a stupid mistake when singing the closing song =P and lionel, it really was a parallax error!! haha!! marcus gave the 'second verse' signal, but i saw it as a signal for the 'bridge' and so i went "NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES..." I must explain. It was so loud cause that part is really high, so gotta sing loudly to be able to reach the key ya?? haha so i really didnt mean it and let's forget this embarrassing incident =P

Went to watch 'Battle of the Wits". Was initially told that it was some CID show, so was quite alright with it. But the show started in some china place, with all the warriors sitting on horses, all ready for war. and we all had a good laugh. cause it was totally different from what we expected. well, it was just so-so for me, cause dun really like all the violent, killing war shows =P But some of the others enjoyed it. (this proves my point abt males and females being worlds apart)

alright, this was my day. It was fun, and i'll be leavin for myanmar in 3 days time. can u believe it??!!
3 1/2 wks of 'my Redeemer lives' (i'll try to get more songs )
3 1/2 wks of 'squirrel-hunter game' (dun worry, i believe elaine is better prepared this time)
3 1/2 wks of Central Hotel
3 1/2 wks of Signal!!!
3 1/2 wks of *ahem* the same people =P

okie. Better start prayin for God's protection. I believe this is gonna be a great trip. I'll see you all then!! tc!!

Clean hands, Pure Heart

2006-11-25T18:22:00.000+08:00

Back from youth camp. It was alright overall. Many of the p6s were there, and i'm glad to see them bonding and having fun together. In fact, most of the girls were in my room, and u were all very good girls. keep it up!!

Really proud of my group, FOC (Followers Of Christ). Though we started out really pathetic, and everyone was just staring into space during the group discussions,u guys slowly bonded and worked as a group to come out with a really impressive skit. Well done!!

The 'highlight' of the camp would be the breaking of the glass plate found in the microwave. =) Samantha (btw, u did a great job with the group) and i were trying to heat up some leftover food from the night before. It was her first time using a microwave, and for me, i only know how to press the 'one minute' button found on the microwave in my house. We were very successful initially, and we heated up a whole tray of noodles.
Then we did the rice and 3 chicken wings. While waiting for the thing to get heated up, i was washin my hands with really sweet-smelling soap and i was gg around letting sam smell my fragrant hand. Then i went to wash a second time (haha, i've no idea why i did that) and sam went to take the bowl of food out. And the next thing i knew, the glass plate in the microwave slid out and broke right beside me. Gosh, it was frightening!!

Now thinking back, if i didnt wash my hands a second time, i would have been standing right in front of the microwave while sam takes the food out. Then i would have been cut by the glass when it broke. Thank God, sam only got a little cut, while i was totally unscathed, just a little shaken =)

Like what i shared on the last day, God really taught me what faith was. During the first session, i had really bad gastric pain that i couldnt even stand during worship. In the subsequent days, i would get pain here and there, and esp. after meals. And the terrible thing was that everytime before i sang in front, i would feel pain, and sometimes tha pain would return halfway thru' my leading. However, the Lord spoke to me about healing thru' the speaker. All my life i never had anything serious that i had pray hard for healing (okie, maybe except for my eye infection =P ). But this time, i laid hands on myself everytime the pain came and it would slowly disappear. i think God was reminding me that i could count on Him in every little thing, and i witnessed what faith could do. Yes, it can even heal the sick.

Overall, this camp was alright. Though it wasnt exactly full of fun, i believe many were touched by the Lord. Many received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, many saw visions and one soul was saved. I believe all these are enough for us to praise God for a wonderful camp.

I stand here in the place
See the glory on Your face
Taken by the wonder of your name
Desperate for Your touch
Never needed it so much
'Cause all i want is You

I believe, I believe
I believe in the Son of God
I'm alive in You Jesus
No one could ever save my soul
But YOU!!!

2006-11-21T08:00:00.000+08:00

Whee~!!!! Off to ' Clean Hands, Pure Hearts,' camp. Will be back on Friday =)
have a good holiday pple!!

2006-11-16T21:13:00.000+08:00

Have the urge to blog after reading cheryn's blog. What I read really ministered to me. I quote her: "... our normal reaction would be to take the big picture and run with it, without seeking Him for the specific steps which God has in mind, for us to take. when we do this, we are relying more on ourselves but not Him. we want to reach the goal when often, the Lord seems more interested in the means...perhaps we shld consider the possibility that more impt than arriving at the finish line is paying attention to God along the way. if we get to the end but missed His lessons along the way, have we really succeeded? ...making mistakes and stumbling at a few juctures during my serving in music ministry shldnt make me feel lousy or bug me the entire day. no matter what position we are serving in, more than giving a flawless musical performance each time we serve as musicians, we shld serve to know Him more, follow His directions and know His voice."

Having my worship team practice this sunday. I hate to admit it, but kinda dreaded this coming practice. I guess my walk with God hasnt been to great recently, and it really affects the way i see things, and people. My past few leading havent been great either, so i guess i got kinda discouraged and disappointed that things dun always turn out the way i want.

Cheryn mentioned about her "overactive perfectionist attitude". I used to joke " *shakes head* all musicians are perfectionists" but i'm now beginning to realise that i'm no exception. I expect alot from others, and even more from myself. Everytime after leading, i'll begin to dwell on the mistakes i made. Like starting on the wrong beat, singing off-key..so much so that i tend to lose focus. The question "did i manage to lead the pple into God's presence?" hardly ever pops out as the first question on my mind.

Lord, forgive me if i havent been looking in the right direction all these while. Revive this passion in me. I dont like this dry, aimless feeling in me right now. I need a breakthrough.
Amen.

2006-11-15T17:55:00.000+08:00

Blogging is now becoming a hassle, but anyway, 've got nth better to do..so ya..

Watched "Step Up" on Monday. Really good show. Shall not mention too much so as not to spoil the show, but well, this movie really set me thinking. What is one thing that I would like to excel in? One thing that I wanna achieve? Clueless. Dont even know what I'm good at ..Time to start pondering!!!

Had beach service on Sunday. Was cycling and almost got a heart attack when i saw Marshall fly (literally) off his bike. When we ran to him, he kept insisting he was alright, but soon colour drained from his face, and he complained:
"I cant hear..."
Then soon, he said "I can't see clearly too. Very blur.."
Ahhh!!! I thought he was gg to faint right on the spot!! Felt so helpless, and could do nothing but get him to sit down on the ground to rest, while i pray hard to God that he'll be fine. *Phew, thank God he was alright soon after.
What impressed me most was how the other Pri. 6 boys stood around to assure Marshall and cheer him up. Well done pple!!!

Speaking of which, the pri. 6-ers will be joining the youths this sunday. And I'll be taking one of the cells. Sad to leave my previous cell, but well, would like to take up the challenge of taking the P6-ers. So to charles cell, it has been a great year being with you all, cont. to contribute actively in cell and stop bullying charles!! *ahem, and stop forcing him to purchase cokes for you all!! To the leaders, i know the members are in good hands. I'm sure you all will be able to bring the cell to greater heights!!

Spirit touch Your church
Stir the hearts of men
Revive us Lord with Your passion once again
I want to care for others
Like Jesus cares for me
Let your rain fall upon us.

For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen.” (Romans 11: 36)

In need of a revival ...

2006-11-10T09:54:00.000+08:00

New Blogskin!
Nice?
Yes!
Thank you.

2006-11-05T21:28:00.000+08:00

Phew, finally get to settle down in my comfy chair (okie, probably not. It's a little too hard for my liking =P ) after a busy busy week. Let's see..it was a god week...

Went to school everyday to practice for OP (oral presentation), and i must say it isnt easy to speak formally in front of the whole class. "If you can sing in front of a crowd, you can speak in front of them"- Aunt Mary. Nah, i beg to differ.

Had Chinese A levels on Fri. It was alright la..hope that i dun have totake Chinese anymore after this =)

Went to Botanic Garden with Aunt Angie ytd. She let me off to do some evaluation of the past year and to do some planning for life objectives, etc. Guess how long she gave me? 2 long hours!! 2 hours alone, staring into space..and to attempt to talk to God. Was at first doubtful of how useful that session was going to be, but it turned out really well. 2 hours flew past quickly. During that time, really did alot of reflections on year 2006, and saw God's many blessings. Shall mention them some time later. After so many months of rushing here and there, it was good to finally settle down to just sit at Jesus' feet to listen to what He has in store for me. God showed off His masterpieces to me. The beautiful flowers, the trees..the many beautiful pple in there..they all portrayed God's magnificence. Feeling tired? Burnt out? Maybe a day's break just dwelling in God's presence would be refreshing =)

Met Isabel and her 2 brothers. They were the ones who were part of those involved in the camp Nic and I helped out in. Me with bad memory (pardon the english) couldnt recall their names, and i even thought her name was Abigail =P Then i saw the 2 small boys, and decided to try my luck. "Is that Joshua?" And i was spot- on!! One of them was really called Joshua!! haha!! Am i good or what??!! Wahaha!!

Attempted to organise another cell outing (lost count..is this the 3rd attempt..???) today..and well, it didnt turn out that well. Haha, anyway I tried my best!! In the end, ten over pple, just like last week (in fact, i think it was almost the same pple) went out tog and watched "Flushed away". Three cheers for church friends!!

Alright, as promised, this last part will be a message dedicated to Christine!! Yes, you gal!! Thanks alot for bringing so much joy to my JC life. PW will be so tiring, and *ahem* frustrating without you!! I shall save you some face by not revealing all yr little silly and funny antics but just wanna let you know how much you've inspired me, with yr undying passion to please God, and that you've never failed to brighten up my days and to put a smile on my face, even when i dun feel like smiling. Thank you, keeping you always in my prayers!!
P.S. After this loong dedication to you Christine (i don't often do this you know =P), pls make sure you stop 'lurking ard in the dark' and come out and TAG me!! haha!!

The next week's gonna be relaxed..with me ending school at noon everyday. so *ahem* serene, you can finally ask me out!! haha...

Before I go, to my musically-inclined friends- anyone knows the somg "Faithful God"?
The chorus goes "I serve a God who is faithful and true. I will hide in the shadow of Your wings.." That's all i can rmb. Let me know if you do!!

16 more days to youth camp!!
24 more days to Myanmar!!

2006-10-28T22:23:00.000+08:00

Photos of daniel's birthday celebration:

2006-10-28T08:17:00.000+08:00

Celebrated Daniel's birthday ytd. (sorry, photos will be up once he puts them in his blog. hurry, king =P) Thought we had a foolproof plan, until wen hua spoilt it..haha, and according to daniel, we adopted a similar trick last year, so he kinda saw thru it. Oops, looks like we arent that creative at all. For more details of ytd, from the birthday boy's point of view, click here.

Everytime i meet up with my old friends, i feel so happy, really true joy coming from within me. When it was time to say our goodbyes, i really could sense that everyone was feeling quite sad, as we most probably wont be mtg for quite some time. I knew these friends since i was in Sec 1, and though we went to different classes in upper sec, we still met up for recess everyday and we would talk, laugh..and basically just have fun. These are the friends who never change, friends who make you smile and laugh even when you dont feel like it. Thank you all, for making my life seem so much more interesting. You all rock!!

After praising my sec sch frens so much, i've got to be fair and do the same for my church and jc frens ya? Church frens are always the ones who will be with us all our life, and i really thank you all for being such a blessing to me! And of course, my aj frens, though we've only known each other for less than a yr, i really thank God for u all, and let's work hard for the coming A's!! Love you all!!

Random stuff:
- I got my contact lenses mixed up, the left became the right, vice versa. The result? Couldnt read anything near =P
- I banged my head against the metal pole in the MRT again. Ouch.
- My sweaty palms are irritating me =(

Lastly, my A lvl chinese is on next fri. After that, i can bid farewell to chinese forever!! yay!!

2006-10-25T15:43:00.000+08:00

Busy busy busy!!!

Last Sat: went with Aunt Mary to ZGM
Sun: went for the 'combined cell outing' (haha okie, not exactly..), watched death note.."L"..Yay!! haha
Mon: stay over in Cheryn's house!!
Tues: Badminton + dinner
Wed: nth. (catch up on sleep)
Thurs: NE day (to places of worship in Toa Payoh!! Wow..how fun =P )
Fri: Gathering with sec. Sch. friends + celebration in BP
Sat: Baptism of Holy spirit course in church
Sun: Meeting with P6 ldrs (dun forget abt this pple!) + cell outing

Next 2 weeks:
-Preparation for chinese A's (yea right..who are you kidding??)
-Preparation for PW Oral presentation

Cant wait for Youth camp.
Cant wait for the Myanmar trip.
Yay!!

Sometimes it's better not to know so much. The more you know, the more disillusioned you get...

End of 1st singing course

2006-10-21T09:06:00.000+08:00

Yay! Thanks all for yr concern and prayers. I got a distinction for my singing test ytd, albeit a low one. Was initially very nervous, and u know when u're nervous, you feel as though there's smth stuck in yr throat and u've to keep drinking water? I went to the toilet so many times before it was my turn to sing. I sang "So you would come". Initailly, i sang with a very airy voice that wasnt focused at all. Then Aunty Anna (my vocal teacher) corrected me on the spot, and forced me to read out all the words in what she calls a 'minnie mouse voice' to get the placement right. Then after that, i finally got it! And sang like never before =)

Was asking God how come there isnt any improvement after a few weeks of lessons. And so when i entered the room for my lesson, i prayed that I would get it right once and for all, and to 'throw' my throat away (as what aunt anna would say). By God's grace, i finally did it. I'm guilty of not practising at all for the past 7 wks except for the day before my test, so thank God for His ever- willingness to grant me His grace.

Was initially in a dilemma as to whether to attend this course, as it was in the midst of my exams. But if i didnt go this time, i would have to wait for another yr, and i'll be having my A lvls then..so i just went in faith, and i really dont regret gg for this.

I thank God for aunt anna, who is so professional that just by listening to me "ahhh", she could tell that i just recovered from flu (and i even thought my voice was as good as usual). I thank God for the other aunties who come from all over the world. They come from indonesia, hong kong, taiwan and of course, S'pore. Being the youngest, they took care of me and were always so encouraging. Thak you all, for giving me such a great time and thank you aunt anna for imparting the skills that God has blessed you with to all of us. I hope to see you all next year =)

I'll miss the bus rides to SBC (for those who dont know, i've this smth against buses) and the times we laugh at aunt anna's silly antics. This has been a fun and enriching chapter of my life.
Lord, help me to constantly improve and to use what You've given me to serve You and You only. Amen.