Walking by faith, not by sight// ♥ Joy ♥

Boxing day aint here /// 11:55 PM

Riddle of the day

What happens when Mother Shopaholic goes out with Daughter Shopaholic and Daughter Semi-Shopaholic?

Answer: Upper and lower body aches + 10 hours of fun-filled mother-daughters time + the ultimate retail therapy!

Note to self: No more shopping till Christmas, I hope

I treasure every moment your eyes start to smile
I appreciate every wrinkle i see on your face
It hasnt been easy, but our Father knows.

Training my mind to mind /// 12:53 AM

Tuesday

Simply Chocolate with waffles @ Daily Scoop

Unusually Apple with a heavenly slice of brownie

managed to catch the sunset at Sunset Way :)

Had a Fairfield Choir Alto gathering and i was so glad to see my juniors and seniors again. Those were the days!

Wednesday

The morning started off with a fruitful driving lesson. Caught Transformers in town after that. It was quite thrilling, with lots of actions and bomb blasts. 3/5 i would say.

Tutored Joyce in the evening and there was quite a mind-boggling moment when i was teaching her about life cycles and she asked how she was created.

"Hmm your dad's sperms came to meet your mum's eggs"

"How did they meet? Is it because sperms are invisible that's why we cannot see when they meet?"

"Hmmmmm why not ask your mum?"

"She said she doesnt know and neither does my dad."

"Hmmmmmmmmmm it's magic."

Yeah. She doesnt seem too satisfied with the final answer though but i dont wanna be given the honour of bestowing the light upon her when she's just so young.

Visited Daniel with Tian, Ceci, Cheryl and Junjie after tuition. It was a last min decision - Since he will be going for a major op in the morn, we decided to give him some much-needed support. He ordered Mac again and we fattened ourselves with nuggets, fries, burgers etc and worse still, it wasclose to midnight - the best time to get rounder.

Well anw, will be spending an ENTIRE DAY with my FAMILY tmr! I simply cant wait :)) I cant even remember when was the last time we actually went out, just to spend some quality time together. Yay yay yay!

Sow a thought, reap an action;

Sow an action, reap a habit;

Sow a habit, reap a character;

Sow a character, reap a destiny.

- Samuel Smiles

- Thank You, Lord, for Your destiny in my life. -

Are you listening /// 5:56 PM

Arrived home not long after visiting Daniel with Joel and Tian En. Able to see God working in his life despite the circumstances. For one, Daniel's family is able to afford all the costly medical fees due to His providence. Secondly, after 3 ops, he's still up on his feet, though wobbly, yet his willpower is there. Also, He has placed friends and family members at Daniel's side, all who are there to accompany and care for him through this ordeal.

Just as I am typing these, noises are coming from the other side of the door. Open it and you'll see 5 construction workers building lifts right outside my door. It's just part of the HDB's plan to provide more convenience to the aged. Honestly speaking, I was kinda afraid when i first saw them, and thoughts of them barging into my house when i opened the door, rushed into my mind.

Many What Ifs.
Not that im being paranoid but past experience just made me more cautious.

But I guess most are just working hard to earn a living in this foreign land - well, Social Work has enlightened me and taught me to view them in a different light. :)

-Thank You, Lord, for Your grace which is more than sufficient. -

Good hair day /// 1:16 AM

This photo somehow leaves me enthralled.
Gosh. How great thou art. :)

Today is Joel's birthday and we had a small celebration for him @ BK, after which we bought Ben and Jerry's and headed up to the rooftop for some chit-chat. Hope our little dinner makes him a happy joel. :) And tian, as comical as ever, got all of us cracking up with his comments. Think he makes an effective age-less product due to the fact that he can literally make a joke out of everything. Gotta hand it all to him. :)

And joel's going to batam for an evangelical mission today! He will also be distributing food to the people over there! Kinda envious actually. :S I wanna experience something like that too. Wait till such an opportunity come by my way and i'll grab it with both hands :)

- Thank You, Lord, for Joyce. -

Awesome God of mine! /// 12:55 AM

Thank You, Father, for such a fulfilling experience during the church retreat. Thank you for times like these whereby i was able to spend time wisely as you surrounded me with godly people, all who are willing and wholeheartedly desire to serve You. Thank you for a wonderful successful retreat, where we are all able to grow together and have effective fellowship, be it during the service, games, small groups. I am so glad that im constantly reminded of Your greatness.
Give me strength, to make wise decisions. And when i stumble, I know Lord, that You'll reach out and help me stand, walk with me and guide me through, for You are a God of love. Teach me not to complain and bear grudges when things do not go my way, but allow me to see Your goodness in any circumstances.

No words could ever express how delighted i am. All the close bonds built, growing spiritually, super-duper-ultra-fun games, late-night chats, I do not mind the cost that i've to pay - fatigue. and it was my first time on a xiang jiao boat! Crazily exciting esp when you do not know when it's gonna topple. And both arms of mine are now bruised cuz of volleyball. But it's worth it all :) Sadly, i cant seem to escape the teasing everyway i go. ha.

And something really stupid happened last night. Cuz we were planning a surprise birthday for hao bing, so we had the pizza man deliver the pizzas up to his room and knowing he wouldnt have any money to pay, he would then go to his parents' room, where we were all hiding, to get the money. So while we were making our way up for the surprise party at 11.30 pm, a few of us kinda forgot the room number (320) and when we arrived at rm 302, the rest hid while i rang the doorbell, a caucasian man wearing boxers opened the door. The filthy smell of cigarettes floated out of the dark room and almost caused me to gag. And i was like "im so sorry!" cuz he seemed to be in the middle of some sleazy business, so i thought he would be kinda pissed (and he looked pissed too) but then his expression suddenly changed and guessed what came out of his mouth.

"Come in?"

Slap Slap.

Was sad the retreat came to an end but I'll aspire to use whatever i've learnt and put them to practice in this life of mine.

- Thank You, Lord, for parables which make learning easier. -

A penny for my thoughts /// 11:55 PM

Before I leave this little red dot tmr, I've decided to include my will for if anything happens to me, the people below are entitled to:

(In random order)

1. wanling - my photo albums, in which i keep mum about, containing various important fragments of memories

2. eileen - my diaries

3. chialing - all of the cards and letters which i've kept in secondary sch

4. mabel - all the neoprints

5. tintin - my precious pillow (since young too), the half-eaten pearl and movies watched together

6. angie - my f480 once it's repaired and my necklaces

7. leilei - all my Sims 1 - 2, doodlings during almost every lectures in JC and a particular lightbulb

8. eve, yiqi, bernice - any chip and dale soft toy which i may have and photos taken together in JC

9. love - all our photos, letters, photo frames, shared diary, receipts kept, movies watched together, my bible + a peek in my diary

10. jean - rest of the movies + my comfy bed + clothes + books you always secretly read+ dearest mum

11. Mum - all the money in my account and a sister to love more dearly

12. Cheryl - my pictionary game + my shopping list for her hongkong/taiwan trip heehee

13. ciyuan and wanting - tons of letters exchanged in primary sch and soft toys

14. jiahao and hoyin - many heartfelt thanks, bottles of seashells and books

15. youth fellowship - all my biblical books + past photos as we grew up together and a sister to shower care and concern for

alright alright. It's all in the name of FUN.

I've nothing to fear cuz Jesus is by my side! :)

Just feeling slightly uncomfortable as i'll be with people whom im not really close with and thus, am out of my comfort zone. Hopefully, the feeling will fade after a day and that i'll be able to step out of my shell during the course of the trip.

Lord, in You I trust.

And i just realised how rich i am, with A MILLION RUPEES. yeah which only comes down to a miserable $145 to be brought to the retreat.

Sayonara

- Thank You, Lord, for such an opportunity to be part of a church retreat. -

Got lost in your eyes /// 11:06 AM

A candylicious birthday

Updating in process... /// 11:12 AM

Last night when i opened the door to my room, I caught sight of the white glossy bag lying prettily on my bed and my smile widened. When i first lay eyes on it 2 weeks ago, i knew then, that one day, it'll be mine and my predictions came true!

Mudpie @ Island Creamery - Ratings: ***

Ratings: **** to the Iscream but waffles wasnt as good

Supper with Angie and Jiahao at chomp pang after Angels and Demons :)

Another vivo session with tintin @ our favourite outlet - White Dog Cafe

4 Spicy drumlets came along

Our all-time fav @ White Dog Cafe since college days

Dinner with Marc, Joel and their dad @ Ajisen's

The opening of the new line @ Bishan's. Not that i made a trip all the way to witness this occasion but was coincidentally having the Synod Youth Games Day at Kuo Chuan Pres as well.

Orchard Central - Totally love their unique interior design

Escalator to Heaven

Ben n Jerry's in Heaven

A mini water fountain on the first level of Orange County

Swing monkey swing

Close friends since primary school!
Another collection of bday celebrations to our treasure chest.

Eatting durians @ our void deck! hahaha smell was kinda awful but taste was worth it all

Cheryl and I with Daniel prying open the durians

3 esplanades upside down

- Thank You, Lord, for peace of mind. -

I want an entire day alone! /// 11:56 AM

Not yet achievable :(

It's just really tiring having to go out everyday and coming back only during the wee hours. Well, despite my wishes, past few days have been quite a blast!

Wednesday
Had lunch with wanting aka leilei
Went to her house whereby she taught me a fun card game which got both of us rather high. You-tubed for silly/interesting videos and she introduced a website which allowed us to sing and will automatically record our pitches into the system and gives us a rating. We sang like nobody's business and it was quite hilarious! Missed spending time with her man.
Headed down to bugis to meet wanling/wanwan and eileen
We gotta save money cuz were really Broke with a capital B (that girl like spent $500 in 3 days) so it was KFC for us. Eileen joined us after work and had our favourite chats bout life and all. Love them so dearly! Cant wait for eileen to enter NUS :) Oh despite my pockets full of holes, i bought dresses too cuz they were REALLY cheap.

Thursday
Shieng Shiong-ed with tingyou. One of the rare times where i actually enjoyed groceries shopping. Gotta prepare for angie's surprise steamboat the next day. :)
Made a scrapbook for angie with some of the photos taken since J1 and i was so late, that i had to cab down to the driving centre for my second lesson - Did turning at junctions/ overtaking ... FUN!
Evening with churchmates where we had fellowship and continued to grow in the Lord!

Friday
Tuition with Joyce in the morn
Angie's birthday celebration in the noon: Thanks for being as sweet as honey. Baking, shopping, going to Aust together - Memories which i'll keep till forever. Cheers to a wonderful friendship :)
Headed to holland for OG meeting but upon reaching there, decided that I was too full from the steamboat and ended up not meeting them. Walked around aimlessly for a while and waited for Marcus and his mum to fetch me to bugis where we collected the goods to be sold the next day!

Saturday
Thank goodness Tingyou came to support and help out at the bazaar @ Safra. It wasnt because i had too many customers, in fact, it was the exact opposite. The entire time, we were laughing at our pathetic-ness and if it wasnt for her, i would have maggots swarming all over me cuz i would be rotting. It was marcus' mum first business venture but she said it was for fun. so offered to help out at the stall till evening. Brought home a learning experience.
Headed down to Bedok for steamboat @ Aunt's house. And i just made a discovery. LAMENESS IS HEREDITARY! Were laughing so hard over dinner cuz of the silly comments made and it really filled me up with warmth, just spending time with my relatives :)

Sunday
Played for Singspiration and Uncle Ah Hai said it was good! :D Praise the Lord! It is all for His glory! Gloria, the singspiration leader is also really capable. That's why the Lord will be pleased when we use the talents He has given us to serve.
Met Marcus after church and went to Safra to help out again. Was at the playground though cuz Sarah, the mischievous daughter of the neighbouring stall's owner kept pleading with me to play with her. So, poor Marcus had to tend the stall selling women's clothing. haha. Though i was reluctant initially, i did revive childhood memories as we played on the swings and i taught her how to fly higher. :) Holding my hands as we walked back to the stalls, I thank God for His marvellous workmanship, creating this intangible force called love.

Okay, gotta go for driving now. Then it's tuition @ CCK, meeting Eve to return her her little baby and then it's Vivo-time.

Goobdye.

- Thank You, Lord, for friends who are understanding. -

Your creation keeps me in awe /// 9:38 PM

I've become Ms Lobster, thanks to the afternoon sun.

My face and shoulders are aching and the worse thing is that one side of my shoulders is redder than the other. It's weird how the sun could be so biased. hmph.
Am on cloud nine though cuz im still on the path of healthy living. Swam two days in the row! Though was lazing by the pool for bout 1/2 of the time, at least i made the effort to get those inactive muscles workin'!

Terminator was thrilling but loads of bullets wasted. Not environmental-friendly! :(

Watched The Number 23 at Amara's last night with marcus and his brothers. That movie gave me the jitters. :S And cuz i was talking to wanling on the phone last night and didnt wanna disturb them watching the movie, i hid myself in the wardrobe and in the end, the brothers ganged up and locked me in by placing two chairs which filled the passageway between the wardrobe and the wall! okay, so i was like trapped in there with limited oxygen, while the 3 musketeers just rolled on the bed laughing their asses off. What mean creatures. Almost felt like calling the firemen to evacuate me. :(
After eternity, joel came over and i was secretly pleased cuz i thought he was going to save me from that emergency, and instead, he went to sit on one of the chairs, and said "Lets play bridge here.", leading to another eruption of guffaws which did not sound at all pleasing to my ears. Finally, got saved by marcus when he decided to be a prince charming and save his damsel in distress. Felt like sending some karate kicks over after i was rescued.

Food for thought
These mangoes are sweet! :D

Cant wait to meet up with wanting in the noon tmr! it's been a decade since i last saw her. and wanling and eileen for dinner @ holland too :)

Ouch

- Sorry, Lord. -

Time for a breather /// 1:11 PM

Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday morning just whizzzzzzed past and now it's afternoon and im back home, having completed my first manual driving lesson, which went much better than expected.
Went on the road and i could actually feel my heart thudding against my ribcage with my eyes widening and my mouth forming the shape of an "ehh" everytime the instructor asked me to engage the next gear and i heard myself going phew everytime when the sequence was executed. And i could literally hear my heart beating like a boombox and the ends of my mouth curling up everytime i finished engaging the 4th gear cuz it was so scary yet exciting! And the U-turn, lane-changing - all of it was so darn cool! :D

Caught Angels and Demon @ JP on thursday night and it was quite brillant. The movie had an interesting twist at the end and even with jiahao trying to separate my beloved angie and I by sitting in the middle, i still enjoyed the show. :) We had famous nasi lemak and soya bean at chong pang after that and yeah, the nasi lemak was really worth the trip. Got lost while driving angie home and that girl and I had a whale of time snapping photos in the car. :)

Anw, jiahao is a good sport - nearby science centre where there is this long stretch of road where you'll get a weird feeling when you drive on the hump - and since it was around 1 in the morning and there was no cars at all, he sped up when we were approaching the hump but the feeling wasnt that fab after we passed it. SO, he made a U-turn and this time, drove on the opp side at a faster speed and it wasnt a disappointing trip. I felt as if i was sitting on a viking ship and we were like "Woah"! haha thanks man, for everything

After Synod Games Day on Sat, im so determined to lead a healthy lifestyle! So, will be going swimming and movie-watching with Marcus (who took 2 days' leave) after this. :)
Weather -Sunny check
Outfit - Bodynits swimsuit check
Bag - Shampoo, Soap, Towel, comb, extra set of clothes check

Then it'll be stayover at Amara Hotel with his family tonight and i think i shall go find some movies to bring over. Then perhaps, we'll be going swimming at the hotel tmr too. :)

Stronger immune system, here i come!

-Thank You, Lord, for protection from baddies. -