feng

Was a bit troubled over some little stuff recently, and so the brain's been churning heaps of thoughts. I get reluctant to go to bed too, cos it's usually the longest period of time before I get to fall asleep. I tot sharing with a close fren would help, but instead, it seemed to bring everything to the surface and make it worse. Hence, I determined that I shall just keep my mouth shut.

Also had a chat with my granny this afternoon, and she said stuff that (although totally unrelated) put the whole thing in perspective for me. And then the feeling that I'm oh-so-selfish kicked in. Because whatever is going on, there's always someone else who is going through worse.

Anyhow, feel much better after a dou feng (thanx fren). It feels like the stronger the wind that whips past u, the more of u it takes with it. Plus, there's nothing like finding something new, or exploring an unknown road to lift yr heart. :) If I had my own car, I think I would take heaps of midnight drives to just discover new places.

God is unceasingly faithful.
I feel loved just holding on to His hand.

Whom have I in heaven but You?
There is nothing on earth I desire besides You.
My heart may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
He is mine forever.

Psalm 73:25-26

Twinkle Twinkle Little Song

Was on a mini-mission online last nite....and things started to look real good.
Then I got so excited at the prospective outcome that I couldn't sleep for abt 2 hrs after I went to bed! Hahaha...

And my happy fren of the Val wrote me a song!
Thanks to Jae who taught the choir a simple way to write a song.
That is, to take a tune of a song u like, and change the lyrics! :)

So here's Val's song for me.

~sung to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star~

When people ask me what you're like
It often brings a smile to sight
Brings to mind someone quite sweet
A fren I always love to meet
So my answer to them often is when u meet her, the answer clicks!

Haha!
So sweet of her to think of me when writing a song...
Love tank meter swings to 100! :)
Muak Vallie! :)

He is.

Strong Enough (Stacie Orrico)

As I rest against this cold hard wall will you pass me by?
Will you criticize me as I sit and cry?
I had fought so hard and thought that all my battles had been won
Only to find the war has just begun

Is He not strong enough?
Is He not pure enough?
To break me, pour me out
And start again?

Is He not brave enough
To take one chance on me
Please can I have one chance to start again?

Will my weakness for an hour make me suffer for a lifetime?
Is there any way to be made whole again?
If I'm healed, renewed and find forgiveness; find the strength I’ve never had
Will my scars forever ruin all God’s plan?

Is He not strong enough?
Is He not pure enough?
To break me, pour me out
And start again?

Is He not brave enough
To take one chance on me
Please can I have one chance to start again?

He took my life into His hands and turned it all around
In my most desperate circumstance
It's there I've finally found

That You are strong enough
That You are pure enough
To break me, pour me out and start again

That You are brave enough
To take one chance on me
Oh thank You for my chance to start again

Ball - $10 discount

Yes!! I've finished my 2nd last assignment....only to realise I've 15 other items on my things-to-do list. :P

Okei, who's going for the YA ball?? If we get a table of 10, we pay $45 each as opposed to the $55 each individual pays. :) Gals, our excuse to buy a new dress. Guys, yr chance to show off tuxes? Heh heh.

So far, there's -

1. Shar
2. Louis
3. Anna
4. Adeline
5. Eunice
6. Darren
7. Brian

No pie in the sky...

3 years in Melb and I always miss going to Mt Dandenong Range. Then in less than 20 hrs, I have gone twice! Hahaha...We went up for a drive 3am plus this morning, then again at 4pm this afternoon. Was almost in a stupor during the morning trip, so it was nice to see it with my eyes open 2nd time around.

Pie in the Sky was closed by the time we got there today (!!!), so we drove around and explored unknown routes. So fun! :) Must go again and probe around a little more....Quite amazing lah, even in the most ulu pandan parts, there were people living there in nice houses and all. It's like a town in itself, all separated from the world. I was thinking, it would be such a nice place for a kid to grow up in, all protected in a community where everyone probably knows everyone else, and they get to play in all the crevices of the mountain range and know it oh-so-well. But there'll come a time when they need to get reacquainted with the bigger world too huh?

Okei, time to start on essay tomorrow. And there's heaps of other stuff to catch up on too. :P :P :P

Once again, scroll down to the first pic, and then scroll upwards.

Not just half a Louis.....but an armed one.

There was also Thomas, Iskandar (Sis Wei Wei's dad's fren) and half a Louis. 

.....the gorgeous gal of Faraday! :) Hahaha..... but she was not alone.... 

a bluish tint lights up in a car, casting its highlights on... 

A cool evening in Mt Dandenong... 

Payback time

For the uninitiated, this is one of my hsemates, Louis. Yes, the man who has more toiletries than me.....hahaha....Check out the hairdo! Yes, this is payback for him putting pictures of my big meals on his blog. 

Woo hoo...new earrings from Xodus to say thanks for helping to take Thomas around.
Jingle jangle... 

Word of advice

Scroll down to the first picture and then view them all backwards.

"Nenenibubu, we got away...."

Apparently I look like Sonia in this pic. But this is a picture of revelation....I didn't realise how long my hair is!! :P 

make a quick escape! :P 

Our fun came to a halt when we heard the vandal police coming...so we had to...

I mean, how often do u rescue a fish from its limestone prison?! Of course, the boys were really the ones who hooked it up and kicked it back into the ocean, but I was there wasn't I? Haha... 

To mark the occasion, we had to leave our names in the limestone. 

He stopped when he looked down and saw the big pile of whale puke he would be jumping into. :P 

And there's Thomas trying to jump after the fish. 

The little red snapper gulping for air.....but soon, it'll be swimming freely in the big ocean! :) 

And Xodus managed to hook it out! Woo hoo! 

So here are the boys trying to fish the small little snapper out of the rock pool... 

....a fish in a limestone pool! 

My fave spot of the Great Ocean Road is the Thunder Cave. You have to climb down a rather steep staircase to get here. We all swung over the metal fence to get down there, cos Thomas spotted.... 

See, there's the fallen apostle. 

Spring is here and the flowers are out!

mother of all pigs?

Can u imagine anyone saying "Hey, let's go to the Great Ocean Road to see the SOW AND PIGLETS!" ?! Hahaha...unbelievable.

shar didn't eat?!

I'm taking a mini break before my essay is due next Mon. Louis' fren, Thomas was in town, so we set off for Great Ocean Road yesterday. It's my FOURTH time, and it's a different experience each time. This time, I got carsick, thanks to the blazing hot sun, g-force from zooming around, and terribly uncomfortable back seats....*erkp* I lost my appetite for dinner, and that says a lot, for ppl who know me well.

But the return trip was much better.... Thomas willingly relinquished the front passenger seat to me...and I got better enough for fish fingers and instant noodles when I got home. :P

p.s. Pictures up next.
p.p.s. Ford Falcon - bleurgh. 

behind the wheels

I went down to Knoxville yesterday for a meeting in the morning, and time was tight to get to CGM from there. So I took a cab down to Blackburn train station. And guess what...the cab fare was enough to pay for 6 cups of Koko Black hot chocolate lah...! Unbelievable. Thank God Darren came to pick Renita and myself up for CGM, or I'd reach CGM just in time to end the meeting. Public transport system in Melb is nothing to boast about, but willing members are really great to shout about.

So, here's a tribute to all the drivers in M1 & M2 - you guys (and gals) rock man. I always hate to ask more of u guys, cos u all just go around half of Melb out-of-yr-way, and with such a willing attitude, so we all can get home safe. Says alot abt servant hearts and love for ppl!

Just from me, thanks to:

1. Chester for planning and arranging transport and always making sacrifices like sending ppl home from church to city and then driving back home alone to Dandenongs, just so people don't have to miss out on fun stuff, or u dun wanna see us take the train. Sorry about Tamago man, Chester. I know you're heartbroken. But you're a really brave guy. And bad stuff does happen to good ppl. You not narakai.... so dun beat yrself up over it k. Keeping u in prayers.

2. Sis Wei Wei for squeezing as many ppl as u can into Jayuz, and always starting and being involved in conversations so the journey's never quiet or boring. And always looking after our tummies and making sure we do not starrrrrve.

3. Lalani for the cool music and always ensuring that ppl feel at ease in yr car. Plus, when u're in one of yr inspired moments, u are hilarious. All other times, u are a fantastic listener.

4. Howard for the ever-changing-and-never-allowed-to-be-finished songs...haha....and for being observant towards yr passengers so we are all comfortable. You're a gentleman to the gals.

5. Darren for the beemer experience and the assurance of knowing we're in the hands of a fast but safe driver who is watching out for his passengers...and for great chats too.

6. And of course, my hsemate Louis...for the "I can't hear myself speak" surround sound bass system. Even when I'm not in the car, I am impacted - I can HEAR and FEEL Nixim coming home. Haha... Thanks for the thigh-slapping jokes, in-the-garage chats, zooming by to pick me up after yr work when I'm "stranded" in Glen Waverley area, car-washing "lessons", and generally spreading fun my way. Plus, u're a skilful driver. Heaps of rides to thank u for.

So here's my salute to the people behind the steering wheels.
You guys deserve to get yr dream cars!

2 for 38

1 exam and 2 assignments down and I survived this week!
I can't believe I'm still up!!
2 hrs sleep got me through the last 38hrs.

And not as a zombie for the most part of it too.

If that's not the grace of God, u tell me what that is....cos I know that sure isn't the youth factor!

sugar withdrawal

My left eye has been twitching for almost a week now. Howie, no wonder u could see it...I can practically see the vein pulsating when it happens. :P Am I too heaty or issit lack of sleep or issit a Coke withdrawal symptom? Anyway, I'm starting to get used to life without sugar high. Hahaha.

I've handed up today's assignment....wheee!! Now for tomorrow's.....!

Hm....when this weekend is over, I'll be able to take a short breather and have at least a good nite's sleep. Then start on my Asian Cinema essay, which I am kinda looking forward to. I'll be analyzing and comparing 2 movies for that, and I'm pretty good at that. Plus, everyone knows movies are a great way to go when u're up to eyeballs in stress. Hahaha!

Man, am craving for Koko Black hot chocolate. Was contemplating if I should walk down to get a take-away, but I have decided to stay in, be good and save money. There's always Coke if the sugar deficiency gets too unbearable. Heh heh. If I listen hard enough, I can hear the Annas and Chesters going "Noooooo! No COKE!"
Hahaha....

Maybe when I need another displacement activity later, I'll post some of my Israel photos up. Badly want to pack my room, but I think that's a major project, inappropriate for present time constraints.

"aren't these in the textbook?!"

"The exam questions are going to be from what we discussed in class."

That means we have to study everything else so we know how to answer right?
Cos we discussed blah blah blah from the textbook in class.
But noooooooo....the exam questions are picked out from EXACTLY the same questions we did in class!!
And they are not the "Ooh, I know! It's point-1=this, point-2=that" kind....
they are the "I-have-to-invent-a-system-for-this" kind....if u know what I mean.
For eg. "How would you measure emotional intelligence in a way that would silence its critics?"
Erm....measure the response of many people towards an emotionally intelligent person?
Argh.....yah, that was my worst answer...only took me all of 2 sentences to exhaust what I had to say abt that.

Yes, of course, I had my good moments too.
When it came to decision-making and organisational culture, I wrote like a kid on sugar-high who just found the wonder of ink...hahaha....
By putting together what I crammed into my brain and relating to my own experiences, I was able to spew out a pageful each for abt 5 questions....which means I'm quite confident I'll be able to pass, cos the paper comprises 8 questions of 5 marks each.
As for doing well, I can only say, I've done the best I can, and it's all in God's hands now.
He's got really huge miracle-working kinda hands, so I'm thinking I should be a-okei!

Now I've gotta get started on my assignments.
1 due tomorrow and another due on Fri.
Both of which I haven't started on, cos I was so busy mugging for this exam! Hahaha!
But no worries....it'll be okei.
They are not too big, so I should be able to finish both in time, by the grace of God. :)

For all the other members of the mugging club, keep hanging in there....
And if you are reading this in the library when you're supposed to be studying, SHOO! Get back to your books! :p Heh heh. Don't think I donno ah.

mugging sidetracks

Right in the middle of mugging in Stress-opolis, I have watched Jaws 3 and The Notebook (again)....
I have nothing to say to myself. :P
But maybe I can blame it on my hsemate for renting the dvds.
Hahaha.....just joking! (Thanks for the yummy carbonara btw, xodus)

Sigh....who ask me to go and study in front of the HUGE tv screen that we have now? :P
Displacement activity.....displacement activity.......my room is calling my name..."pack me shar, pack me!"

But gosh, The Notebook IS beautiful, if only for how much Noah loved Allie all the rest of his life.

Okei, one more day before the Psycho exam!
*thumbs up* ;D
LRC, here I come!

muggermania

My Psych exam is this Wed, and there's heaps to study!
Wouldn't you think that Organisational Bahaviour & Management is all common-sense?
But nooooooooo.....they have to make u learn the decision making process and how to manage misbehaviour and all...Hahaha.....Mugging mugging now.
Pls pray for me! :)

In the meantime, I have 2 other assignments due on Thurs and Fri, and need heaps of prayers for those too!

p.s. Keep walking along in submission, willingness and a positive attitude! :)

loud and louder

Louis mentioned the other day that I'm "oh-so-loud", cos I think bright colours are happy.
And also cos.... check out my new CD case! Lime greeeeeeen....




















Anyway, look what I found - pics of me and some of the YL zone boys playing Shi Zi Lu Kou earlier this year!
You can't get any louder than LEGO colours lah! :P
















I figured I might get lost running around the sunny island, so I'd better wear happy colours to make it easy for the team to spot and find me. :P
















But dun bright colours just make yr day cheerier? :D
Imagine whizzing by in a red or yellow car....

Some of u have seen this already, but I just lurf polars and esp the nuah-ness of this one! Hahaha....

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to sleep or not to sleep

Yay!! Amanda says I've got presents coming from Singapore! WOO HOO!! :)

I'm trying to get my body clock realigned with what is considered normal.
Been having insomnia!
Apparently insomnia is a psychosomatic thing ... so it's prob stress?!
But I've been studying at the library almost the whole week leh...
Shouldn't doing all that work make me less stressed?!

Then again, it's prob also because I've been staying up till mad hours some nights.
I figured since it's hols (albeit for only a week), I can afford to relak a little and watch some happy DVDs at night!
So now I'm seeing the repercussions. Hahaha.
School has RE-started, and I've only got a month to go and there's heaps to do!

Over the weekend, I had the privilege of seeing another new fren, Sham come to Christ!
It's awwwwwe-seeerrm lah.....
She came down to visit Eunice and was introduced to us, and does she have a personality! Haha.
Pst Che Ahn was in town, and he prayed for her too.
Am believing a miracle is working out now!

God in size 5 shoes

Do you tend to be more understanding of ppl in an occupation that you've worked in before?
Like, you would think that a telemarketeer would empathise with the agony of countless rude replies and "kind excuses"... and hence, be kinder to the next telemarketeer who calls his hse yah?

I don't think so.

On the contrary, i think it makes us more impatient with them ... and critical too.
It's like, "Hullo! I've been there, done that okei ... so don't think i donno hor."

Yet ... God became Man so He could walk around in our size 5 shoes (okei, size 8 for the guys) right?

Picture Him squeezing His all-powerful self into a puny, limited body that can only be in 1 place at a time, and can only attend to 1 problem at a time. (Yes, somehow I dun think the concept of 'multi-tasking' was invented yet then ... hahaha.)

365 days of 33 years, having the power, but choosing NOT to use it, so He can fully identify with us?

Of everyone, wouldn't He be the most qualified to roll His eyes at us and be all,

"Stop whining. Your life is not that bad compared to what I went through." ?

Instead, it is said,"He gives grace to the humble." (Proverbs 3:34)

Woo hoo! It's nice to know there is hope! :)

almost a million bucks

Studying at the library....one by one, the ppl at my table leave...until I'm alone and writing furiously. A really pretty gal comes by my table and says, "Hi! This is gonna sound sooooo stupid, but my fren thinks you're really cute and he wants you to have this." This meaning a slip of paper with the fren's name and mb no. Hahaha......I bet if he knew I was prob abt a decade older than him, he would think twice about that. The guy didn't even dare look my way as they were leaving! But yes, a gesture like that does make u feel like a million bucks. Oh wait, wearing real prada clothes made me feel like a million bucks. This is prob abt $700,000? :D

I went down to Ikea today all excited to buy my heart-shaped rug for $9...and they're OUT of it!! How can?! The salesgirl had a most apologetic ring in her tone....I'm prob the 534th person she's told. Sob. That's 2 things I missed.....the beanbag and this. But I reckon it was a good thing I didn't manage to get the beanbag. My mum says my dad doesn't need it, 'cos he can fall sleep anywhere, which is true. Plus, I don't think I know how to sit on it right, cos my lower back was all sore the next day from being arched. Yah...dun ask why I had to arch it. I donno. :P