Horses and Sheep

Went horse riding today.. its was awesome!! The weather was just nice.. and the horses are not smelly at all! They’re cute and so gentle.. My horse is called Lady.. she’s quite tame and sweet, and she loves eating.. like she’ll grab stalks of grass while walking.. very cute la. OH and there were kangaroos all over the place! They just look at us like we’re tourists passing thru their home ground. hehe.. i’ll upload pictures soon!

And while we’re talking about animals.. here’s an amazing vid called “Extreeme Sheep LED Art”. Its really cool.. but then again.. it makes me wonder why some people have so much time in the world to do this kinda thing.. and i’m stuck with my essay. hahaa.. well.. we all gotta live life somehow. =)

Enjoy!

Its getting cold! i love the cold here!

STUDY STUDY!

The start of this week has been really awesome! And the weekends are gonna get even better! But in between i really need to finish my essay and do my readings.

Andrea’s back for her convocation (graduation). Had a nice time catching up with her and some other friends.

Drea and I at convo

I miss the girl already.. =(

Candy is here for her graduation also! Gosh.. i’ve got so many pictures to upload.. from our meetups.. the meals that we had and from the trip to Hillarys Harbour yesterday. Will blog about them next time! but photos will be up on facebook! =)

Car and horse riding this weekend! whee!

The smell of cupcakes makes me smile!

Oh wow.. this week flew by and it’s the weekends already! Have been busy these few days.. with my school work and things to attend. FCC had their first V-session on Tuesday.. V stands for Vibe.. which stands for all the Uni students.. so it was kinda like a Uni students service.  It was pretty good and fruitful.. started with a band playing songs in a room filled with glowing stars, then we proceeded to the main sanctuary for the service. Daryl preached about God being my portion and strength.. and he used the story of David and Goliath to expound on this truth. It was quite interesting.. esp when he talked about why David picked stones.. and in particular 5 stones during his battle with the giant. After the service, there was supper prepared by the adults.. but i was too full from the Jap dinner we had earlier on. (Jap food here is not bad!)

Wednesday, i attended Joanna’s Connect again. Got the chance to lead worship and play the piano! =) Karen bought a new piano in her house.. whee! I miss serving thru music.. glad i got to play that night. I’m really enjoying our study on Prayer. The session was really fruitful with discussions, reading from the word and at the end applying it. I’m loving it!

I baked MUFFINS on Thursday afternoon! They turned out pretty good.. even though i think the recipe is not perfect yet. Didn’t have enough choc chips so i also made a small batch of experimental ones with pieces of Cadbury Boost in it. YUM!

ready to eat choc chips!

baskin in the oven

Choc Chip Muffins fresh from the oven

MmmMmm... can u smell it?

These are Cadbury Boost Muffins

See the choc oozing out from the side?

Packed and ready to go!

All my muffins have been given away already! Only got to eat 3 pieces of my entire bakes. But that is a good thing.. can’t imagine eating all 28 muffins on my own. haha..

I cooked dinner for Josie on Friday before the City Live service at SCC. She usually caters food on a daily basis for herself and her bro.. but her caterer decided to ‘drop’ her cos they have too many clients! And they didn’t even give advance notice.. so I made some stew with lean saussages, carrots and mushrooms, and stir-fry Broccoli with egg sauce.. like the horfun kind of sauce.. my first time experimenting! and it worked! haha.. she cooked rice so i packed everything to her place for dinner.

City Live was good as usual.. sermon was about moving into our future. Pst John preached on having 1. Vision, 2. Passion, 3. Radical Amputation (meaning to cut off things that are hindering or distracting me from my vision, 4. Accountability (so that there are pple around me to keep on track. I think it was a timely reminder for me to know why i’m studying here.. and also to think about what’s next and the calling ahead. =)

Today, woke up early to go ikea with Isaac’s 2 friends and my friend Xiu Yi. Quite enjoyable.. bought a cheap full length mirror and a hanging storage thing for my wardrobe. Need to do my work now before meeting friends for dinner! FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS!

oh by the way, budget plan tickets are really cheap now!!! anyone wanna come visit? =)

Freo & Arts

I’ve realised, i’ve been away for a month already! Do ya’ll still miss me huh? haha.. well.. i guess after awhile people adapt to not having me around.. like how i adapt to not being with my SG family and friends.

This week was quite busy and hectic! I had school from 830am on Wed, then continued studying even after dinner till 10pm with Joanna in the library. That’s cos thurs to sunday there were so much things to do!

Helped my neighbour, Jon, make a casserole for his cell gathering on Thurs cos he couldnt use his own kitchen. I ended up going with him and Jenn to their cell to check it out. Kinda like it.. had a chance to play the piano for them also. =)

Friday afternoon, i went to the city with some of my ex-poly friends. Went shopping! Whee! There was really cheap stuff la.. bought 4 belts at only $1 each!!! And there were nice $5 and $10 tops also. But didn’t spend a lot la.. hehe.. Went to meet up with Isaac’s cell for dinner at some Korean place. It was kinda like Korean bbq.. the food was not bad.. and his cell friends were quite nice la.. hmmm.. so seems like i gotta decide which cell i prefer to be in. Anyways.. have another week to think about it.. cos next week is a combined cell thing for all the uni students in church.

I had one of the best Saturdays this week! Zak and i went to Fremantle for Brunch and some shopping!

Freo Market

I had eggs and bacon on toast with a glass of orange juice.. mmm.. it was so good la! We ate at this cafe:

Inside the cafe

After brunch we walked around to look at the shops.. there were quite a few surf shops, boutiques and vintage shops.. managed to buy Havis at quite a good price. Then went to look around in the market area.

little stalls

Fresh fruits for sale!

I bought grapes and strawberries! Plump, juicy and sweet! Really good stuff and cheaper than the supermarkets.

We head back at around 1 plus cos Zak had to attend some leader’s training in the afternoon.. (man.. i do miss our leader’s training in sg too!).. so i went home.. studied a bit then napped. I’ve been taking lots of afternoon naps here! haha..

The Perth International Arts Festival 2009 is going on over here.. some of us wanted to go check out the outdoor movie screening of a little arts animation film at Jeff Joseph Reserve.. but in the end.. some of them had to study or had other plans.. so Jon and i went to check it out ourselves.

A write up of the event from the website:

Watch the sun set against the beautiful backdrop of three spectacular waterside locations and be part of Perth Festival’s floating family film spectacular. Find yourself a viewpoint on the shore, spread out a picnic with family and friends then enjoy surprise entertainment before the film begins.

After the sun goes down, the gigantic floating screen lights up with another delightful animation from Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki. Kiki’s Delivery Service is a coming-of-age story about warmhearted family-friendly witch Kiki (voice by Kirsten Dunst) and her sarcastic talking cat Jiji (the late Phil Hartman of The Simpsons). Set in a time when airships ruled the skies, Kiki jets off on her broom to the quaint new seaside town of Korico to become the town’s witch. What follows are a series of hilarious mishaps and misadventures.

Laugh along with this magical adventure story that will enchant toddlers, fascinate older children and delight adults. Sit back and enjoy fabulous, free family entertainment as the Perth Festival floats right up to your doorstep!

Photos overload coming up!

The parking area: Pple coming prepared for a comfortable picnic

We could see Perth City on the other side of Swan River!

The floating screen and the sun setting behind

beautiful...

the One who created this painting in the sky is amazing

hello!

Me with Jon

Sun almost down

and the sun went down..

and the movie starts

I think the scenery, sunset over the river was better than the movie itself.. haha.. but overall, it was a nice outing la.. with food, snacks, decent show and star gazing at the end. Just beautiful. =)

Just marvel at how beautiful this world is… and how vast the heavens are.

Hello Autumn…

The weather is turning cold.. and i’m loving it! Its like aircon everyday.. but the nights can get quite chilly. I think I need to get a heater by next month.. if not my room would be like an ice box!

Friday night i went to City Live (SCC’s young adult service) with Joanna again. This time their topic was God in 2009. The introduction was really funny and the worship was awesome. Then Pst John talked about God in our lives. He shared from a few passages, but most of them linked to Romans 12:2 -

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

This verse impacted me the whole night. Reminding myself that i am set apart, different from the trends that society is following. But how NOT to confrom is to be constantly transformed by the renewing of my mind – to read His word, pray and submit to God’s will. Sometimes when i think of God’s will, i see it as something that is so complex and difficult to decipher. Well, it IS true that i can’t fully comprehend the way God works, but the process of understanding and being a true follower of Christ makes a difference. There are many distractions in life that i spend too much time on… while certain earthly things are important, they should not be strongholds in my life. Time to be transformed and renewed daily… and to see that His will for me is always good, pleasing and perfect.

City Live service - News Panel

Oh btw, Joanna bought a shiny new red VW Beetle! Its so so cute la. Only $15k for a 2nd hand one which looks well maintained. Cars here are so cheap man. haha..

Went to FCC on Sunday with my neighbours Jennifer and Jonathan. Pst Benny Ho talked about that church vision and goals. After service, we went for lunch but isaac wasn’t feeling well so he didn’t join us. I think we didn’t have much to do, so spent like 2.5hours just sitting at the lunch place, eating and talking. I’m still not used to not having anything to do on Sunday afternoons.. so decided to make Peanut Buter Cookies.

The PB Cookie

Made a smaller batch of about 40 cookies this time.. so gave to a few friends only. I think have to put more peanut butter and less sugar next time to give it more oomph. =)

Jon was quite bored also.. so we drove to zak’s house to pass him some cookies, then we went to do some grocery shopping at Winthrop.

Seems like i’m eating a lot over here.. even my mom says i look like i’ve put on some weight. =( pls remind me to exercise! haha..

Okay.. gotta get back to my work!

Hugh Jackman and Post-its

I think Hugh Jackman is one of the most amazing, talented actors i’ve seen.. he’s such a handsome, doting father and husband also.. what’s not to love about him? He’s just amazing in X-men, The Prestige and Australia. Can’t wait for Wolverine to come out this year! woohoo!

I missed watching the Oscars.. but he did such a great job hosting it. And he can sing too! Take a look at the good stuff in these vids!

The opening:

In random, here’s a really cool vid to watch. Enjoy!

Caught in the Rain..

Its pretty cold tonight.. brr.. the cold after the rain. It feels like autumn now.. fingers are freezing! Probably below 20 degrees tonight. But i like it!

Lecture started early today.. 830am! Then had tutorial from 1030 to 12pm. By 12pm it was already raining.. and the classrooms felt warmer than the air outside. I had about 2.5 hours before my next class and would much rather make lunch at home than eat in school. The rain was quite slight.. so i decided to just walk home. But the rain became heavier as i walked. It wasn’t really pouring.. but it was enough to drench my shoes and hair, and soak thru my clothes. Thankfully it was only a 7 min walk back. Changed into dry clothes and had lunch and hot milo. =) Then went to have a hot bath before grabbing my small umbrella and head for my last tutorial.

I realised, my tutors are quite intresting characters. Met my Pro Comms tutor today. He has shoulder length blonde hair tied in a pony tail, fair smooth skin, quite tall, and it seems like he likes to wear clothes with ‘cheena’ prints on them. At the first part of the class, he was like talking non-stop.. in almost a monotone. But can tell that he’s kinda knowledgable.. but class became more alive when he talked about case studies and gave scenarios for discussion.

Met Jo after class, then Karen came to fetch us home. Went to their place for dinner, some guitar hero-ing (i’m now doing the Medium level! woohoo!). Then we had Connect at 7.30pm. I’m enjoying the Connect meetings.. and Susannah makes quite a dynamic cell leader. The next few weeks we’re gonna study and discuss about prayer. She has really put a lot of hardwork doing the handouts and faciliataing the discussions and sharings. There’s so much i’ve learnt today.. man.. need time to digest. But i’ve feedback to her to over bit by bit.. cos today was kinda an overload of good stuff.. i think we need some time to digest and apply all that we’ve learnt. =) Really thank God for all these good learning sessions!

I’m gonna do some baking tmr! Hope my cookies turn out well. Gonna make “Crunchy Melting Moments”. Will take photos!

PS: Check out this site.. its quite cool! (IVY CHIU.. you can use this concept for this year’s SFY dance!) Click here.

Cadbury ad…

oh man.. this is super funny! LOL!

Cooking Dinner 2…

Decided to cook dinner for friends again today.. I made potato, mushroom, bacon cream soup from scratch! And it was really good.. the cream was not too thick and it tastes more natural than the canned types. I boiled the potato separately, fried the bacon and mushrooms before making the broth. Its warm and good for the tummy and went well with the roast chicken tortilla wrap!

Ruby, Jose and Susanna came over to eat! =)

Ruby and Susanna

My Potato, Bacon, Mushroom soup made from scratch! (i'm so proud of this.. haha)

Roast Chicken Tortilla (with lettuce, olives, tomatoes, honey mustard)

take a close up look!

Munching away..

Susanna made a pretty good apple crumble for the 1st time. I like that its not too sweet. =) What’s missing is vanilla ice-cream! Oh btw, she’s a recently certified Physical Trainer. So if you need a personal trainer, give her a call!

The apple crumble

Susanna and I.. really full already

Here's Jose!

Okay.. i’m super bloated now.. and sitting on my bum doing my readings on my comp. ha.. gosh.. and i’m still thinking of making cookies on thurs! haha

Prataaaa!

I attended FCC (Pst Benny Ho’s church) on Sunday morning.. they’ve moved to a much bigger auditorium at Winthrop Baptist College – has a nice huge stage, lightings and sound system. It was kinda like our English service in COOS.. felt almost like i was in Singapore! haha..

Pst Benny’s sermon was quite impactful and straight to the point.. funny too! He preached about having Tenacious Faith, which means a faith that is robust, persistent and perseveres. He referred to 2 Sam 23: 8-12 which talked about David’s mighty men, and in particular 3 men were specially mentioned. These 3 men showed us how they had tenacious faith to OVERCOME 1. Overwhelming odds (Adino pressed on to kill 800 enemies), 2. Extreme Fatigue (Eleazar fought till his hands grew tired and froze to the sword.) – fight emotional demands, and 3. Humble Assignments (Shammah defended a field full of lentils. He stayed faithful to small things and rose up to fulfill his task.). These men started out distressed, in debt, discontented (1 Sam 22), but they grew in faith and served King David and God persistently and whole-heartedly.

I’ve come to realise how weak my faith is.. at times when i cave and dwell in my emotions, or when i give up trusting in God, or when i feel lazy to persevere due to exhaustion. But i can overcome all of these by exercising greater faith and believing that God has given me the strength to overcome my challenges. =)

I got to meet a few more people after church. Some of us went to this Chinese place that serves really good duck noodles. I’m not a big duck fan, so had fried chicken and red rice instead. It was pretty good. =) After lunch, zak brought me to Harbour Town, which is a big shopping outlet place. The stuff wasn’t a fantastic as i though it would be.. but still the sales was pretty good! Bought surf shorts for Ron at only $14. Bought 2 pairs of Levi’s (one very dark blue and another warm grey).. they were having a “two for the price of one” sale! Paid only $90 for two.. and the cutting is nice.. just need to alter it cos its too long.. probably do that in SG cos alteration here is quite ex! Bought grey tights and 2 cheap tops.. saw more stuff for guys la.. but i think i’ll get them for Ron next time. Gotta save money first! haha..

A shot of the 2nd level of Harbour Town

Zak drove me back to nap for an hour plus.. then in the evening we went to pick Min and Janice up from the Student Village to go to Joel’s place for dinner. Joel’s house is really nice and cosy!

his living room

Indoor dining area (and zak's hand)

Joel cooked a pot of chicken curry… and we came over to fry Prata to go with it. Zak did most of the frying la.. and he did a cheese one also!

Joel fussing over his chicken curry.. and that's janice

min joining in the fuss

Close up of the Curry chix.. looks good right??

Close up of the prata.. tastes almost like the real thing! =)

Our dinner! with some pasta too!

Min and zak 'fighting' over dinner..

It was nice to dine outdoors cos the weather was nice and cool that night.. dinner was pretty good.. totally love the curry.. the chicken meat just slides off the bone! YUMS! Seems like i didn’t do anything to help right? haha.. i did help to wash the dishes la.. Janice made some warm chocolate pudding for dessert. Went home really full and satisfied. =)