Oh happy day!

Met up with Pam, Mish, Stef, Zhi Rong and Mel to collect our results/testimonials from school on Thursday. It was really good to see all of them again… especially Stef and mel who just got back from the Phils.

School was pretty quiet when we got there… and it felt like yesterday that we were still on campus attending class, enjoying out breakfast breaks and seeing each other everyday… but school was over a month ago.. time really flies.

We had Katong Laksa for lunch then head over to around the corner to this new eatery called Everything With Fries. It’s started by the same people who opened Awfully Chocolate. The place had the same concept of stark white walls, simple off-white decor… a huge black board with the menu written on it in chalk… rows of pastel coloured cupcakes on display and waiter boys in pink shirts and white berms. Basically all the mains comes with a side of fries. You can choose what type of fries and flavour your want. But since we already had our laksa we just ordered desserts and snacks. We chose the Nutella tart with ice-cream, a peanut butter and a strawberry cupcake, sour cream fries and drinks… man.. the were pretty good! I loved the fries and peanut butter cupcake! The Nutella one was alright… not super impressive cos i think eating it on its own would be a bit too much.

After such a hearty meal and desserts, the girls and i thought we should go to bedok reservoir in the evening for a run/walk.

The weather was PERFECT! Nice and cool… fresh air with a light breeze. Pam, stef, Mish and i were determined to complete 2 rounds of the reservoir.. which is about 10k in total. Mish and I ran the 1st round.. well.. i tried running 1 round la.. but i think i slowed to a brisk walk after 3k. But it felt good.. really nice to just have some time alone with my thoughts and the sound of my feet thumping the ground at a constant rate.. its quite soothing. After the 1st round, Mish and i walked back to look for Stef and Pam… and we continued to walk the 2nd round in the other direction. I really have so much fun with these girls! =)  I think we were a little loud.. kinda disturbing the couples who were snuggled on the benches.. but we didnt really care.. its not like we were shouting and screaming.. just laughing at our own sillyness.. talking.. and walking. I love it!

So we’ve kinda decided we’ll meet every thurs to do this… =)

We spent like 2 hours at the reservoir! And i didnt really have dinner.. so we went to 85 to have a little bit of supper.. haha.. kinda defeats the purpose of exercising.. but we didnt eat a whole lot la. I’m sure we’ll cut down on supper as time goes by.. haha..

I really enjoy carefree days like this.. when we’re not so bogged down by the world.. just enjoying the moment and enjoying each other. I thank God for you all!

Looking forward to meeting up with more people this weekend…

I’m a happy girl!

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Drifting in and out…

A friend of mine asked me how come i’ve stopped blogging… and i say i have a journal that i usually write in. BUT i do miss putting up stuff in this space… a space that doesn’t yellow with age. I like the fact that i can just search keywords and find my previous posts related to those words. Maybe i should start writing stuff here more regularly again. Well… that’s what i say now… we’ll see if i end up doing it. haha…

My current thoughts are on friends.

I don’t like it when people say, friends come and go. I don’t like it but its true. Why do some people who were very close to me at one point in life, become a little distant as time goes by. How i wish it doesn’t happen this way.. but it does. Friendships change and it really requires time and effort from both sides to keep it going. I see heaps of ‘friends’ that i have on facebook… but i wish more of them were ones that i could call on a whim and talk about anything under the sun. But as much as i want it.. some pieces of the puzzle just don’t fit. I get stuck sometimes.. not knowing what to say… just want to be comfortable in the silence.

Its not like i dont have close friends now… i dont know.. i guess its just a sudden thought while looking around and reflecting on the people who are currently close to me. Its just a random thought maybe…

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This season is ending soon…

There’s about 4 weeks left of school.. deadlines and exams are coming up.. and after that i’ll be coming back home to sg really soon! Tentative date would be 7th July (do take note!).

I’m really enjoying every moment spent here.. and just knowing that i’m leaving so soon makes me feel a bit sad cos i wish i have more time to know the people here better. Coming to the end of my uni education, I do feel like it really has been God’s timing for me to be here even for this short period of time. Being here has opened my eyes to see God in a different light, to see how beautiful and faithful He is.. and i feel different as well.. more courageous and rejuvinated to move into the next season of my life.

The next step is gonna be even more exciting and challenging. I’ve got plans in my heart.. but just gonna pray, wait and see which door God opens for me. I’m praying for my hopes and dreams to come true… but i’ll discover what God has in store for me. Not my will but yours, Lord.

God’s words and promises that i’m holding on to:

Proverbs 16:9 – “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”
Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Psalm 22:18 – “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,”

Keep praying for me! =)

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A really interesting video to share in this link (click). This film really inspires me.

Chicken a la Carte : Director: Ferdinand Dimadura | Genre: Drama | Produced In: 2005

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Awesome-ness!

I’m back to blog! Finally have some time after my mid-sems and assignments. Woohoo! I think i did pretty okay for my test.. Might have done better if i put in more effort.. but hopefully i’ll still get a good grade! And now its Easter break as well as a term break in the coming week. Lots of stuff happening! I’m so excited!!! =)

I’ve got quite a bit of photos here.. but most of them are still on Facebook. It’s easier to just upload them in bulk on FB then to blog them one by one here. I HAVE been studying hard hor.. its not all fun and play. Usually we only do the more exciting stuff on the weekends.

1. Hillary’s Harbour

We (Isaac, Joel and Jon) went to Hillary’s Harbour a few weeks back.. its about 45min drive from where I stay.

Welcome to Hillary's Harbour

I’m in love with the waters here! So blue and clear… and Perth has lots of beaches and waters around it. So beautiful! We had lunch, walked around a bit.. it kinda looks like Freo but less bustling and lesser shops also. Their marine aquarium, AQWA, is also situated there.. quite nice but i still think Sentosa’s Underwater World is better than this.

Mega huge sting ray

Sharkieee

Ugly fish...

Bouncy jellyfish!

The cutest fish ever! Doesnt he look like he's smiling??

Okayy.. the photos are not fab la.. mainly cos the’re all in the tanks and have a blue shade to it. There was a touch pool to touch starfish, other fishes.. oh and there was this stingray that behaved like a dog! It loves to be petted by people.. and it’ll swim to you, poke its head out and let u touch its body! All the pics on Facebook if you’re interested. =)

The boys and i got a bit lazy to walk some more, so we picnic-ed on the grass and played cards till it was almost dinner time.

Zakeroo!

Joel!

Jon... the kid of the group!

Group peekture! (With the shadow of my arm.. heh)

The quiet and empty beach.. lovely!

We went to a fab Itallian place for dinner.. and the portions are huge! We only needed to order 2 mains and one salad to feed the 4 of us. Then we went to catch Shoppaholic! Can you imagine 3 boys going to watch that.. and zak was watching it for the 2nd time! hahaha.. good thing the movie was pretty good la. =)

2. Horseback-Riding

Bernard, Karen and Joanna invited me to go Horseback riding with them one sat morning cos it was Karen sister’s (Maggie) birthday. Maggie’s a really cool person.. she’s a professional cake designer based in Hong Kong. Jo and I gonna learn from her later this month!

The horses are so beautiful and tame.. it was fun to ride them! I realised even for them to just trot is a bit scary.. haha.. but i love the feeling of riding in open plains, with wild kangaroos watching us in their herds.

The horses waiting for us

My horse, Lady.

L to R: Maggie, Bernard, guide, Jonna

the Kangaroos lazing in the shade

have a little drink!

The little lady and I

Lady keeps grabbing food to eat while walking.. haha.. i guess she loves snacking along the way. If only horses are cheap and if only there’s room for horses in Singapore. I can only dream.

3. Parasailing @ Freo

Had one of the most awesome Saturday with some FCC peeps and Joanna. Parasailing is a once in a lifetime experience.. not as exhilarating  as sky diving (another thing that i wanna do in the next 10 years.. heh), but the process of going up and being high up in the sky, looking around at the beautiful ocean and land, is just breath-taking. Wished i took my camera up with me, but didn’t wanna risk getting it wet or dropping it.

The line is about 300m long and depending on the speed of the boat, you could go really high or get dunked into the ocean before being pulled up again.

Jo and i waiting to board the boat.

The girls L to R: Melissa, Joanna, me, Jennifer

Beautiful...

opening up the colourful parachute

take off!

look like a postcard eh? =)

pretty pretty colours

cool camera function ya? captures the selected colour (blue) only.

reaching the sun!

L to R: Melissa, Jon, Me, Zak, Jo, Jenn

Sailing home!

Famished! Shared lunch platters.. woohoo!

phew.. done with all the blogging.. more photos than words i think! haha..

some random stuff:

this is how i get around

Supper-ing at Fast Eddy's (Zak, me, Ellie!)

Jenn, me, Ellie

Its been 3 months already.. 3 more months to go. How time flies… and how i love my time here.. with people, with God, with myself. But i really really do miss home too.

more updates soon! loves!

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Wait.

Wait

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said, “Child, you must wait.”

“Wait? You say, wait!” my indignant reply.
“Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith, I have asked, and am claiming your Word.

My future and all to which I can relate
hangs in the balance, and YOU tell me to WAIT?
I’m needing a ‘yes’, go-ahead and a sign,
or even a ‘no’ to which I can resign.

And Lord, You promised that if we believe
we need but to ask, and we shall recieve.
And Lord, I’ve been asking, and this is my cry:
I’m weary of asking! I need a reply!

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master repied once again, “You must wait.”
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taught
and grumbling to God, “So, I’m waiting… for what?”

He seemed, then, to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine,
And he tenderly said, “I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.

All you seek, I could give,
and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want,
But, you wouldn’t know Me.

You’d not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You’d not know the power that I give to the faint;
You’d not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You’d not learn to trust just by knowing I’m there;

You’d not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence were all you could see.

You’d never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit decends like a dove;
You’d know that I give and I save… (for a start),
But you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight,
The depth that’s beyond getting just what you asked
Of the infinte God, who makes what you have LAST.

You’d never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that “My grace is sufficient for Thee.”
Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true,
But, Oh, the Loss! If I lost what I’m doing in you!

So, be silent, My Child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.
And though oft’ My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer is still, “WAIT.”

[ Author Unknown ]

(Thanks Joel for this!)

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i wanted opportunities, i desired more from what was lost before.
i felt entitled to have my hopes and dreams fulfilled.
And without realizing it, i was pushing God to the backseat and taking over the wheel cause i’m impatient to see what’s ahead.

i’m sorry for this selfish heart, help me to wait upon You, to know You more and understand your will for me.
i’ll wait, no matter how hard it’ll be for me to let my dreams go and just hold on to You.
i’ll wait in faith, and in your grace.
i’ll wait.

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There’s so much i want to say…

ahhh.. i need to blog..

seriously.

there’s so much thoughts i want to get out of my head but just didn’t have time to sit down and type this week. I think blogging really helps me recollect my thoughts, to slow down and reflect on what i’ve been experiencing.. all the good times and bad.. and it really helps me appreciate life more.. and be thankful of what God has given me.

okay.. will blog more soon!

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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