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profile At twenty and one-point-six-three/four/two (can't remember) tall, I am a girl who loves many things, and detests a few. Not very fond of setting out a whole list of 'about me's, so... just read on. :) 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 friends and credits skin by: Jane |
Wednesday, December 31, 2008 @ 2:55 PM
appreciation, and the best of 2008 I made a mental note to myself to blog about cell group appreciation that took place last Sunday at Laguna Country Club before the year ends, so here goes! Weeks of preparation led to a night of thanksgiving and appreciation - especially from the members to our dearest leader Cindy Png.  Thank you, Cindy, for always giving me the confidence and faith to move forward.:)  I've to admit that often during the school term, my time with the cell group drastically decreases... partly because of work, but also because the lazy part of me thinks meeting every weekend should be enough. But I'm going to try to change that this 2009, and make relationship-building more of a priority. Most of the pictures that I have were already uploaded on facebook. They speak a thousand words for themselves, and all I've to add is that through appreciation, I saw His grace working so evidently - if not in all the members of the cell group, then in the ones whom I'm closer to and have been encouraged by the testimonies they've shared throughout the year. Hearts are healed, strength is given, joy overflows, confidence restored, empty pockets filled, grace abounds fully - in Him, all these and more were given to them, and to me. Here are some pictures I think illustrate the best of 2008, in random order:
Eunice, Jen and Jane - girlfriends who make law sch colourful despite the dry readings.
There's still plenty of room for friendships in this group of people to grow, but I've had so much laughter and joy being around this bunch of people every semester.
And Bible school - words can hardly express how the course changed the way I saw how I should live my life.
Bible sch graduation, a kind of milestone.
2004
2008 (except CJ couldn't be with us at the time) - we look more.. womanly now. hahaha
2007
2008 - Roy and Mav look more handsome and prettier, respectively!
That's all for now. Have a very happy new year. :) @ 10:43 AM
auld lang syne n. The times gone past; the good old days. [Scots : auld, old + lang, long + syne, since.] It crossed my mind that I never knew what auld lang syne meant until today. So here we are, living the last day of 2008. It seems the older I grow, the faster time flies - feels like just yesterday, when I... Counted down to 2008; Went through a great term 2 from Jan to April; Enrolled in SOT in April; Had my parents go a bit mad because of that; Struggled a fair bit in term 1 of y2, but... Had the fun-nest time of my life then (can't have the best of both worlds, i guess...); First drove a car on the road, albeit in BBDC; Was financially blessed beyond my own imagination; Went through cell group multiplication, and saw it grow.. And a myriad of other events - some I wished I could go back in time and reverse, too. But I'm fully aware of the fact that looking forward is the best way to go, just that the 'if onlys' float into my mind occasionally, like erratic gusts of wind on a clear sunny day. What a year it has been, and what a year 2009 is going to be! Wednesday, December 24, 2008 @ 12:53 AM
and even more colour!  My closest friends from choir back in the blue days in commonwealth.  Was supposed to carol with the njchorale yesterday, but I didn't have the proper shoes so I ended up being the photographer instead.
We're up to something, for the cell group's year-end appreciation happening this Sunday. I can't wait. :) Sunday, December 21, 2008 @ 4:02 PM
The geese are getting fat TEN THINGS TO DO THIS DECEMBER 1. Level up my guitar skills 3. Pick up taekwondo 4. Jog more 10. Reflect upon 2008 (I can't believe it's ending, so soon) Not too bad for the past 3 weeks! This Christmas, btw, feels different from the last. The lights in Orchard seem more sparse (probably the recession), I never saw so many SALES in a single trip to town to shop, the number of versions of 'Jingle Bells' played in public places seem to have doubled or tripled. That aside, I'll be caroling with the NJ choir alumni in the next couple of days; it feels extremely nostalgic singing in parts with the old friends all over again. I wonder if all of us wondered about the words in every carol - Joy to the world, the Lord is come... O come let us adore Him... Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King, God and sinners reconciled... Has to be a reason for these words, hasn't it? I remember the time when Christmas to me was nothing more than a marketing gimmick for all the shops to seize and make the most profit. Nothing more than trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. But slowly and surely, it is changing for me. From giving out of obligation and a less altruistic motive, I'm giving because I just want to. Though I cringe sometimes at the hole I created in my pocket, the thought of the other person's joy more than makes up for it. Here's a lyric from a carol I find funny: Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat, please to put a penny in the old man's hat... Poor geese. Sunday, December 14, 2008 @ 2:56 PM
some colour here! (because this blog is too wordy)  This holiday, I have been eating.  I have been doing retarded things...
But I have also been spending quality time with dear friends. And family (though I am guilty of being out too often.) - I try! Also gotten all my grades back, and I've to admit to being kind of disappointed. Though His grace is evident - considering the mistakes I made, I deserved much worse. But... there is much to look forward to. I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS! :) Wednesday, December 10, 2008 @ 1:07 AM
:):):)  I am going to Paris next February. My heart beat a little faster when I typed that; my head reels back to this afternoon in the hospital, where Dad had a minor operation (which went well, phew) and my phone beeped with a congratulatory sms from Nic. I replied with a ' You're serious?!!', and when he replied back with a ' zzz. no, it's a christmas joke - ' , I could have almost believed him.It is (highly possibly) a sponsored trip for Kirsten, Roy and I, to take part in an international commercial mediation competition. That means a lot of hard work and time, notwithstanding the opportunity to go to a place I'd think of going only in my dreams. It baffles me, why someone who is not as eloquent or intelligent as the others would be chosen. The disposition suited for mediation and negotiation, maybe. The ability to work in a team, maybe. But deep down I know He is working, and I can only sit back in awe and say, thank You. Monday, December 08, 2008 @ 1:49 AM
how will i know? Finished reading a book of a genre I haven't touched for AGES - romance. I know, i know, I'm just another sucker for happily ever afters. But somehow I think I'm not the only one. Don't we all wish for them? The title of this novel is 'How Will I Know?', and the main question that persists throughout the storyline is: If he's the one... how will the girl know? It's a jaw dropping 425 pages thick (but words quite big actually), and you must be wondering, just this question and one can go on and on for 400 odd pages?? Surprisingly, yes. The protagonist goes from being a happily married mother of one, to a tragically widowed thirty-something, to a depressed, haggard woman, to a dedicated single mother, to a changed lady trying to understand the love scene all over again, which begs the question - how would she know if the man who stood before her in a date, is the one for her? If this were an MCQ, these are my plausible options: (a) you just know lah. (b) by logical deduction through answering in the affirmative some crucial questions, i.e. is he able to give me security? (c) you will never know for sure, just walk in faith if you are more than 70 percent sure. (d) get everyone's opinion and get the majority's response. (e) gauge by a few signs, i.e. your heart beats faster when he's around, your face feels this hot sensation when he talks to you etc etc. (and to my horror, I realise I don't know exactly how I will know at all) But my best bet is option (c). Yet the concept of 'the one' still eludes me, and those times when I'm sitting alone on the bus staring out the window just thinking, I have wondered if something would just click and I'd think, he's the one. Sunday, December 07, 2008 @ 7:54 AM
back from genting Last night I came back with bags of purchases together with my mum and sis from Genting (dad didn't come along, said he needed to save money. shrugs), and it struck me when I stepped into the house, how much I missed the feeling of home even though I had only been away for three days. No place beats home, really. The homey smell of my pillows every morning, the guitar within easy reach, being familiar with where everything is (well, most of the time when I'm not my blur self trying to find my towel only to realise it's wrapped around my head. sigh)... I'm glad I'm home. Genting was fun, nonetheless. And whenever I say that, Qian (sis) scoffs and says it's only fun to me because I had a lot to buy, but horribly boring for her because she only had eyes for a bag and after getting it, there was nothing else to shop for. But it's not my fault, is it? To have charles&keith-wannabe outlets which have the big red SALE written all over - that's too much to resist. Admittedly, by the third day things got boring. There were only that many shops to browse through, and that many eateries you can visit. As we sat at a Hainanese kitchen whiling time away, I thought, three days is really the maximum in a place like this. Though mum begged to differ - one week, she says, is awesome with her sisters in Genting because she can gamble day after day. I'll make sure that trip never happens. Haha. On the academic side, I received two of my grades last night - one was a pleasant relief, the other a slight disappointment. Now I'm jittery at the thought of receiving grades for the other 3. Honestly I don't think I did well for Financial Accounting and Law of Biz Org, but we shall wait and see. One opportunity I'm thankful for, is that to be a Teaching Assistant next semester for one of my favourite modules, Legal Research and Writing. That's some money into my bank account, which is always a good thing this season. Okay, xh, get a grip and stop worrying about your other grades. *deep breath* Couple of things happening next week - law play rehearsals (and btw! please come to support us, I'll be asking you personally very soon haha), more driving lessons, catching up with buddies... and Dad's minor operation. Earlier this morning he came over to speak to mum and I. 'It's a minor operation lah, for the beneign tumour on my neck. But just in case, just in case lah, something happens, I just want to say that I would like a Christian funeral okay. ' My heart almost stopped for a moment to register what he said. I think he saw the look on my face, and continued, ' See ah, no need to do all the outward things one, believe in your heart can already what.' Still I was in a semi-shocked mode, and managed to say okay, Dad, you'll go to heaven because you believe in Jesus. Mum reacted quite oppositely though. ' HAH? You Christian one meh? I thought you don't believe? Haiya *grumblegrumble* ' (can't make out what she said but it just faded into oblivion because my ears were still ringing at what Dad told us) This is the beginning of something. I sense it in my bones. Praise God. =) Tuesday, December 02, 2008 @ 8:45 AM
finally I woke up this morning without having to think about work. Ahhh. This sense of liberation is quite amazing. =)) Don't know how I'll do academically for this semester, but will leave that for next week when the time comes to go on the portal to check for our results. For now... IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE! *skips around the house* TEN THINGS TO DO THIS DECEMBER 1. Level up my guitar skills 2. Accelerate my driving lessons (mavis and yihan, don't laugh at me) 3. Pick up taekwondo 4. Jog more 5. Pack up my room 6. Go to malaysia with my family! 7. Christmas gift shopping 8. Meet up with the people I miss so much 9. Send Nana a parcel 10. Reflect upon 2008 (I can't believe it's ending, so soon) The teevee's showing images of the chaos in Thailand and Mumbai now, and the pretty Singaporean lady lawyer who passed away. Mum tells me as she folds the laundry, 'Haiyo, this girl so poor thing you know. Hui ah, next time you lawyer, they ask you go this kind of place, don't go ah.' I laughed, but Mum didn't and I realise she is quite serious. 'Mummy, don't be silly!' And this reminds me, once more, to count my blessings. |
