Monday, January 30, 2006

foodblog

foodblogs surfing now with wei. (the expanded list at the side is testimony..)

it just occured to me, that i went for crossroads at changi near the famous changi market, with really good food(which i ate), but didnt step into it. so near yet so far.

have you been missing out on things that are actually so near you, yet, you missed?

Friday, January 27, 2006

jumble future

today was a good day, for various reasons.

woke up feeling a bit tipsy(especially when i talk).. met D for ee, J for lunch, ifg comm for prayer, WY at social work lect, then off to dinner with Dg and fellow viet students. and maybe met the future on the way there too.

been thinking, or rather, have been forced to think, due to circumstances, about the future.
how i'm going to pull through this sem, what i'm going to do next academic year, whether i should graduate next year, and beyond...

decisions.. life's practically on a platter for me now..i'm an adult. i do what i chose. in a sense, God has no control over me.

but, if i chose to be the one in control... i think, that spells disaster. because i know my plans, as much as i think i've got great foresight, in comparison to God's eternity, that's far-sight.. i'm like staring into the future with a pin-hole camera.. you know how everything appears upside-down??

funny how God loves to poke fun and tease His children sometimes. i got the brunt today, but, loved every minute of it with relish.

ok, i'm getting random. but then again, there is order behind the randomness.. ah. oh well. i did say i started off the day feeling tipsy;D

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

how great is our God

The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice
All the earth rejoice

He wraps himself in Light, and darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice
Trembles at His voice

How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God

Age to age He stands
And time is in His hands
Beginning and the end
Beginning and the end

The Godhead Three in One
Father Spirit Son
The Lion and the Lamb
The Lion and the Lamb

Name above all names
Worthy of our praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God

How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God
-

there's nothing my God cannot do =)

these few weeks in pj has led me to see so much more, experience things never before.
being in a whole new environment, meeting new people.
i know that God has called me to be in pj for a purpose. its very clear now, and that is, to reach more people for Him.
im always amazed at how He makes everything beautiful in His time.
i know there's stuff i still need to work on in my life, but i really pray that 2006 will be a year of His glory. that whatever i do i will point the glory back to Jesus. that i will really make my life count, that i'll be able to share God's love through my life.
it's tough, but i'm trying, and i think God's happy =)

as for you, Mommy. you know im always so encouraged and challenged by your faith. I LOVE YOU. (k, i know you're rolling your eyes by now, i see that already, but ah well. =D)

i could sing of Your love forever.

your (not so) little nuthead. ^^

Monday, January 23, 2006

lyndon cana

this is a bit of a delayed time reaction.. but, tue's FT was real good. the best i've ever gone for. mr lyndon cana is like WOA. if you think you are busy, try this:

1. radio talkshows EVERYDAY.
2. lawyer by profession.
3. politician by calling.
4. preaches in church.
5. leads Bible study in church.
6. flies off to countries, like Singapore to speak.

of course, the moral of the story is not to be busy for God. nono... it's just amazing to hear mr cana speak so earnestly, and challenge each one of us to live the most for God, to not waste time doing meaningless things.

it's a criminal negligence to live a life of mediocrity and wantoness when Jesus has died on the cross for our sins. Jesus died, and are you just going to sit there, chasing after grades, money, clothes, games, *insert an object of desire*??

for me, it was rather encouraging that he kept saying he was speaking to the brightest in singapore, (haha.. ok, fine, so i needed some kind of ego booster that i'm not that dumb..) praying that not one of us would backslide.

i was personally challenged by his love for God, how it was shown through his actions and lifestyle. he spoke with such earnesty and sincerity and conviction that i could see why he had the people's support(and votes) despite having no backing from any influential sugarcane towkays.

challenged also to be responsible to the season of life that i'm currently in now: education. meaning, i should slog hard for my grades. but not slog for the grades' sake. rather glorify God through my studies and fulfill my responsibility as a student. also, that I'm called primarily to witness for God. and i do so through my life, my vocation.

if anything, these past 22 days have been quite a blur.. i feel like i'm drifting from class to class, feeling a bit off, not going on a straight path.. *shrugs* it's a bit weird. as if, i'm not eactly in-line/aligned with something.. can't quite put my finger down. just been living day-to-day, with no concrete plans.. don't think/know if this is good. makes me depend on God more.. but it just seems weird to have zero plans. i'm not thinking very straight here. should zzzzzzzz off...

Sunday, January 22, 2006

ade'fam

gosh. this is too hilarious to not post it up.

my favourite is no.10. hilarious i tell you.

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Adefam!

  1. Adefamology is the study of adefam.
  2. US gold coins used to say 'In adefam we trust'.
  3. It's bad luck for a flag to touch adefam.
  4. If you chew gum while peeling adefam then it will stop you from crying.
  5. Donald Duck's middle name is adefam!
  6. If you cut adefam in half and count the number of seeds inside, you will know how many children you are going to have!
  7. Only 55 percent of Americans know that the sun is made of adefam!
  8. There are roughly 10,000 man-made objects the size of adefam orbiting the Earth!
  9. Adefamicide is the killing of adefam.
  10. If adefam was life size, she would stand 7 ft 2 inches tall and have a neck twice the size of a human.
I am interested in - do tell me about

Saturday, January 21, 2006

crashing waves

i went for Crossroads. and as i told flor, it was for myself. the entire dec hols kinda sucked me a little dry... made me a little lightheaded... like a woozy kind of feeling...

glad i went, not because the speakers were great.. (the main speaker was quite good actually, tan soo-in. go read his stuff at grace@work) if anything, i had a bit of a problem with the other 2 speakers.. they were a bit... dubious is not the best word, but i can't think of any other. if anything, they made me realize how idealistic i am. but how important it is to not bend Christian principles, no matter how fallen the world is. easy to say, hard to do, i know. but, wisdom is definitely much needed.

the best part of the retreat was the morning devotion by the beach. i sat there, read the Bible, spent most of the time praying.. asking God for guidance.. my eyes were closed, and i could hear the gentle lapping of waves.. but just as i was praying, i heard the loud crashing (almost 'bang') of waves. and i opened my eyes and looked out at the sea.

no boat? er.. then why are the waves crashing so loudly. i turned to lizhen and asked if any boat came past, just that it may have zoomed by too quickly in those few seconds that i opened my eyes.

but, nope. no boat, no ship, no barge.

often, for me, i like to ask God for explicit signs, to show me that i'm on the right track.. but, well, the signs never appear. maybe, 'ask' is too mild a word. i 'demand' rather.

and today, Soo-in said, " God is not bound by our demands for dramatic visions".

i got a taste of God giving me a sign, when i needed it the most. but the best part is, i didn't ask for a sign. so cool. God is amazing. seeing and hearing the crashing waves, gave me a realization that God is the God of nature. that He is always in control. that God has my future in His hands.

Amen.

Friday, January 20, 2006

of birthdays

it's official. i'm 21 years and 5 days old.

and my dad has been harping on it. he called back on wed from Melaka and made me come to the phone to ask, "So, how's it like to be an adult?".

*raises eyebrows and deadpans*

"er.... Ba, there's been no difference these past 3 days.."

being the eldest in the family, and the only girl at it, my parents have been going through changes.. to be honest, i don't know if they agonise over this in private. but, the past few months have been rather 'releasing' for them. 1st, andrew went off to ns, then it's my 21st, abel's been getting more guai, asher, on the contrary, has been quite a handful (in my case, it's spatula-full).

freedom. when i was in secondary school, staying out late was a big big deal for me, i'd have to beg and beg my parents. now, as long as i tell them when i'm coming home and what i'm doing, i'm pretty much on my own (but that's also provided i don't overdo it by getting myself drunk..) the craziest thing i've done in the past few weeks was staying overnight at the airport playing cluedo and polarbear, to send Mark off at 4am. of which, i've come to the one conclusion: i don't have the stamina to stay up late anymore...

but, if there's one thing constant, my dad still stays up to wait for me. well, at least one parent does. i remember in sec3, after the acdc play, 'The Mousetrap', i came home at around 2plus. and my mom was waiting up for me. yesterday, i came home at 12.30 from a funeral, and my dad was sitting up reading DaVinci Code...

as much as i'm glad i've the freedom to do mostly what i want (of which, going overseas for hols may not exactly be entailed...), i do feel a little for my parents. i don't know if it's called responsibilty, but, i can't think of a better word. love?

i do know, a few weeks ago, because i was coming home late from prc camp (late? i managed to catch the last mrt home each time..), my dad one day sort of lamented that i'm ready to fly/soar (some flying anaglogy). how do i know? he was lamenting to aggie and frankie who were in the office.

as much as i think i feel ready for anything flung at me, i do know i still need my parents. eventhough they have the ability of nagging til the point of frustration, i know it's because they care.

on a lesser note, i'm really thankful the birthday party on sunday is over. it was tiring. but, you only turn 21 once in a lifetime, and i know i had to grab that opportunity to thank God for friends and family. as much as i've a lot of friends, i would rather meet them up in small groups. large groups tire me out=X BUT, i enjoyed sunday. it's a sort of weird feeling to see many of your close friends all crammed up in your house, trying to entertain themselves..heh=D

thank God for family and friends:)

p/s pics another day.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

talk to non-xtian friends

had quite a good chat with sond today.. it would've been longer if not for ifg meeting...

if anything, for the first time, i admitted that i had problems opening up to my ex-classmates. to be honest, i don't even know when i started, but, i think sometime after jc, i notice that whenever there were class gatherings and etc, i'm the quietest. which is kinda weird, because, i'm usually one of the noisiest in class. i remember in sec4, miss sie had to separate liling and i, because we talked too much during class... i wish i have that problem now.

i'm not the quietest, because i've all of a sudden gone dumb. it's just that i find it hard to talk. i'm more than happy listening to my friends talk and share about their ongoings in life.. sometimes, it seems that i'm a little boring in comparison to them.

a lot of things has been going on in my life. i don't think i'm boring (because, i know i'm not..heh). i can actually talk non-stop... in cg or sharing setting, i can yak and give many prayer requests. but with my other friends, i just strike dumb. sometimes, it's because i think they wouldn't understand.. often, it's fear. a fear that they would think i'm talking about fluffy stuff when i talk about what God has been doing in my life. that i'm a loony to believe in this relgion-crutch thing. but, i guess... this also shows how much confidence i have in my God.

sorry God:(

Friday, January 13, 2006

vcfers in classes

the only reason why i'm blogging now, it's because i just realised that today is friday the thirteenth. so i wanted the date up there. looks so cool, rite:)

*yawnz* is it just me? i dunno why this week seems to be going so so sloooowly.. gah. i can sit in a lecture, glance at the clock, listen to the lecture for what seems like eons, glance back at the clock, and i'm like... what?! only 5 minutes has passed? i think something is wrong. i've been very, and i should stress the word 'very' restless this week/semester. i enjoy the lectures that i've attended, but for some unknown reason, i've been quite sleepy. and, sleeping/dozing during lectures has never been a habit for me, especially, coming from scgs -- where teachers forbade anyone from sleeping in class.. to the extent that when i went pj, i had a culture shock to see people sleeping in classes..

so, as you can see, my first week of school has been quite a blur, literally.

one other thing that strikes me is that, for some unknown reason, why are there vcf-ers in ever single one of my classes?? i purposely (except for hy2207, which i decided to take because 1. it's the history of china and 2. debs& matt are taking it.. to keep my sanity) didn't plan to take classes with anyone, so that i could have free myself up to make new friends.. in fact, i thought for my engine and science mods, i would be only loony taking them.. but, apparently not:

el2111- serene, rita, daniel, matt and clemyee
el3254- adrian
gem1532- fern, andrea
lsm1301- mingjie
sw1101e - weiying, mingjie and shawn
hy2207 - the 3 of us.. ahhaha

as i was pondering during sw1101e, in a bid to keep myself awake, a thought struck me. perhaps God is doing so, to make me consolidate my friendships this semester, instead of making new friends. so, one goal this semester, is to build up relationships of previous years.

speaking of friends, this sunday's party is seriously going to be a riot.. i told my parents about 50++ people are coming.. didn't tell them it's actually 60++, because i know they'll faint (they already think i'm crazy for getting 50++). pray that God will be in control. i'm seriously a bit tired this week, to plan something for sunday=X sometimes, i wonder what i get myself into...

may God be glorified:)

Monday, January 09, 2006

got my mods

a few things to thank God for:

1. i've got all my 6modules (with still a lot of points to spare!!)
2. my parents finally agreed to let me celebrate my 21st.
3. tomorrow is 10jan, which means, i'm almost done with planning prc camp..
4. friends:)
5. a cleared desk.
6. rainy and cold weather.
7. nice pineapple tarts.

that's all for now.. back to prc camp afterglow. by the way, sorry if i've seemed rather preoccupied lately, because I AM preoccupied. i'll have less things on my mind tomorrow=p

Monday, January 02, 2006

2005 gone..

and so, 2005 whizzed by in a flash.

to sum up 2005 in a sentence : God is faithful and gracious.

Faithful because He never changes, gracious because He has chosen me and forgiven me for all the pride and mistakes that i've made.

2005 was a year of many changes and challenges:
1. left qbc and joined wefc.
2. stopped youth leading, became a youth and then back to leading a bunch of youth again.
3. continued as a not-so-clueless freshie, with seniors watching out for you. progressed to a year2, still with seniors watcing out for you, but now, with freshies to look out for.
4. felt the painful separation of death.
5. struggled in school work, and prob will continue to.
6. started serving in vcf, through boggled cg and ifg.
7. made countless new friends, struggled with keeping in contact with the present ones.
8. moved house to just beside church.
9. did and still doing follow-up with a girl each from school and church.
10. have to learn how to live with my grandma under one roof.
11. grew in personal evangelism.
12. had prc camp:)

at times, i had immense fun, enjoying myself tremendously. sometimes, i got a little miserable and had learn how to live with God being sufficient for me. others, i dealt with demands and tried to meet whatever i could and needed to. still some, i learnt how to deal with disappointment.

but above all, i learnt how to be joyful in all circumstances. 1Thessalonians 5:18.

there are definitely many challenges this 2006, but i'd leave the resolutions for another post. would be spending extended time with God today, to make sure that what i do is what God wants for me. and if i can, i'd definitely blog on last week's prc camp. bon soir!