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profile Walking by faith is something easy to say, but hard to do especially when things don't go as planned. But we try all the same, and I'm no exception. This blog is in some ways cathartic, in others a means for me to pen my thoughts and struggles as I walk this life and learn to trust God more with each passing day. tag archives May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 friends and credits skin by: Jane |
Sunday, January 29, 2006 @ 10:40 AM
The first day of Chinese New Year, and here I am online in my nightdress! Hurhur. Because my dad isn't planning to go back to Malaysia to visit his brothers and sisters, this Chinese New Year will be spent very much at my granny's place, which is approximately 10 footsteps away from where I am sitting now at the computer table. You guessed it. My granny's also my neighbour! Just like a GP essay, there are advantages and disadvantages to this granny-is-my-neighbour situation. For one thing, I wouldn't have to travel all the way to Toa Payoh (where she used to live with my youngest aunt) in the sweltering heat to visit her. Moreover, everyone visits my granny (and I seriously mean everyone!), so my family just has to sit, and wait. Convenience very much guaranteed. That's when the disadvantages come in. The spirit of travelling from house to house is gone! And wearing pretty clothes but never stepping more than 10 steps out of your own house is plain weird. Haha but I'm getting used to this - it's been a few years anyway. Ever since my nai nai passed away two years ago, dad hasn't been keen on returning to his hometown in Kluang, Malaysia during the festive season. I remember when we used to go back there; she lived in a kampong village with my uncles, and every hour there was bound to be a 'boom!' of fire crackers, occasionally shocking for the nerves but good for the festive spirit. Along with my aunts, she'd cook a fabulous dinner with chicken fresh from the farm, soup, and veggies she grew in her garden. With every year I visited her, she looked more tired - but every year the smile that lit up whenever we arrived in a rickety taxi at the rusty blue metal door never wavered a single bit. Until this year it never occured to me how I took each visit back to Malaysia for granted when I was younger. Though it only took place once a year, I wished I had taken more time to talk to nai nai, instead of being preoccupied with the blurry channel 8 programmes on television and the little areoplane toys that get propelled forward when you reverse its wheels. Her passing away, for my sister and I, was merely a phone call from my uncle - that was it. No tears, just a void left within, from the realization that I wouldn't get to see her in the subsequent Chinese New Years. How did this entry end up being depressing?!? On a lighter note, I'm making it a point to visit granny everyday, though I have quite a bit of difficulty communicating with her in Hainanese. Haha I'm going over to wish her ' Gong Yi Wa Sai' (Gong Xi Fa Cai in Hainanese) after I end this entry! End. Saturday, January 28, 2006 @ 10:17 AM
happy cny! What fulfillment! I swept the floor very thoroughly this morning - under the beds, behind the doors, all the nooks and crannies. And the amount of crap I swept away was a lot. It feels different, this chinese new year. Nana used to do all of the 'da sao chu-ing', and the house was always spotless on the eve of cny. But today, the fans are still kinda dusty, the windows aren't as gleaming as before, there are unfolded/unironed laundry left in the basket, and the new year decorations aren't as well put up. I'll have to do some of those chores today - blah. On another note, doing them yourself does give you some extent of satisfaction. =D I guessed right: The excitement that used to stem from cny in the past years is growing on me as I type. It's the goodies! And the fact that tonight I'm going to eat a yummilicious dinner with my cousins and aunties and uncles and my family. Whoopey!! Mr Whitby, one of my lit teachers, once went through a prose passage The Hanging by George Orwell. It is a depressing piece of autobiographical work, depicting Orwell's experience in bringing an Indian prisoner to the gallows where he will be hanged. The procession towards the gallows was interrupted by a dog - whilst analysing the passage Mr Whitby made us realise that the dog could be a form of divine intervention for the Indian prisoner. And coincidentally, if you were to read 'dog' backwards, you get 'god'. Since tomorrow is the start year of the dog, does that mean something to us? Saturday, January 21, 2006 @ 10:00 PM
The week was, in short, tiring. But I enjoyed myself nonetheless. I thrive on busy schedules, though the tiredness that is derived from it can be a pain in the neck. Took part in nj superstar with mris (you rock!) and we had pretty good fun in the week practising the song in the amphitheatre and laughing constantly at each other's crazy comments. Haha! Didn't make it to the finals, but it wasn't that important to us, so it's alright. What mattered was that both of us worked together and had fun! =) * * * Shuqi and I were lamenting a few days ago how the year of the dog doesn't really have much of a CNY-feeling to it, as compared to the all exciting years of the chicken, rat or of course, dragon. Age, we came to that conclusion. That as we grow older the excitement and buzz that comes with each chinese new year decreases. Isn't that sad? I want the ample restlessness and anticipation that I had years ago whenever cny was about to arrive back. Maybe I will, when mum starts to pack hongbaos and the new year goodies start to stack themselves up on the living room table. =D Sunday, January 15, 2006 @ 6:33 PM
Stalia Estrellas I had the most amazing week. I met 06s02 at the linkway for the first time last monday, and from quiet boys and girls in their secondary school uniforms who cheered at a volume equivalent to that of 5 OGLs then, I saw the 22 of them unite and cheer as one class over a period of a mere 4 days. I really couldn't ask for more! The entire process - from awkward introductions to hilarious games to team building to dancing together at the parade square - is etched into my mind, and I wish for every single one of them in 06s02 to stay as enthusiastic and lovable as they are! And how can I forget the OGLs I worked so closely with? Christine (wooo!) , Jestyn, Siyuan and Soks - fellow OGLs of 06s02, I had a fantastic time working with you, and the other iryllian OGLs as well! There. A short entry doesn't always mean lesser emotions. Stalia Estrellas was definitely a great start to 2006. Definitely. Sunday, January 08, 2006 @ 10:35 PM
the REAL mochi Alright it's time to get serious. The last entry was entitled mochi mochi but in it has nothing to do with it. Why? I forgot to add it in lah. And now... O! Mochi! - the best muah chees i've ever tasted. I'm serious.
And in time, you will taste them too, if you support the NJC CHOIR! =D We're fundraising for the upcoming overseas trip to Italy, Verona and so we're selling these delicious muah chees to everyone! There are 4 flavours, namely red bean, green tea, peanut and yam. Each box contains one flavour (the box in the picture is special cos it's a sample box) and each box costs $2.40. But if you get 5 boxes at one go, it's just a whopping $10! If you're reading this and haven't taken an order from any njc choir member, do it now! Goods will be delivered in the week from the 16th to the 23rd of Jan. note: You don't have to be an njcian to support us! Drop me an sms by the 12th of Jan if you are interested! I sincerely hope you will support our cause. Thank you! pictures courtesy of mav Saturday, January 07, 2006 @ 7:02 PM
mochi mochi Orientation hasn't even started. And come Monday, it will. Cheers. This week flew. In a long sentence I have done tutorials, attended lectures, cheered my lungs out with og14, sang with the choir in the AVA once again, went for walk-in and skit practice with the iryllian ogls, reunited with the octomaniacs and the elits, ate yong tau foo, climbed the same old stairs like there was no tomorrow in the mornings when I had to reach school at 6.30am. Miss Chua, once my Lit teacher and now my choir teacher in charge, mentioned once this week that some people thrive on busy schedules. Chuckle. I think I'm one of those! Urgh. Not in the mood for a long entry. Ciao for now~ Wednesday, January 04, 2006 @ 10:55 PM
desserts I'm stressed. So much so that I spelt the word stressed backwards in the title. Haha, not funny at all. Perhaps it's that time of the month again. Right now I feel sad and tired and pressurized and irritable. It's quite rare for me, but yes it happens. Doesn't help much when some of my tutors keep harping about the impending A levels. Important. Study. Do tutorial. Don't slack. Don't play. Listen. AHhh. Get away from me. Monday, January 02, 2006 @ 7:22 PM
This is it. It's school tomorrow. Can I face up to it? The familiar faces, the notes and tutorials looming over my head, the green and orange canteen walls, the endless stairs. I have to do my best this year. Be it in the As, in Italy for the choral competition, and the relationships with the people I love. I have this nagging feeling I didn't do my best last year, you see. This will probably be the most crucial year of my life. ALL THE WAY! |
