It's strange how there seem to be more birthday celebrations this January as compared to last year's.
After church yesterday, a few of us went out to celebrate the three sisters' birthday at TCC, Millenia Walk. It was one of the rare times where we could go out and spend time with each other. Besides the lovely ambience and company, I guess the highlight of the night was a tadaaaa moment when Joanna found out about iphone camera's multiple applications and she went high exploring them. haha
Happy birthday to Xinru, Xinyi and Xinlei! Hope you enjoyed yourselves yesterday! May our Father continue to guide you and bless you in every aspect of your life as you seek to please Him. Study hard and work hard k! We've known one another for the longest time and I just wanna say that I'm glad God gave me such wonderful friends. Love you(s) :D
Had a presentation for a level 4000 module in school today and it wasnt too bad. The standard of the other presentations were HIGH though. There wasn't even any signs of quality discrepancy between the year 3s and 4s; it was very competitive cuz everyone taking the module just wants to do well. Studied with Regina and a few of her cca friends after class and met Corrine in the evening at Clementi to discuss for Amazing Race. She wanted to drink koi and thankfully, after digging out all the coins (including my 5 cents) in my wallet, I had enough money for the jasmine green tea with pearls - oh well, i can't deny that the affinity between Bubble Tea and I is just too strong.
Last friday, i woke up at a weird timing of 7.15am but boy, am I glad I made the effort.
A few days before, Winnie invited me to a prayer meeting held by YFC which commences every alternate Friday morning at 8.45am and there, i was introduced to 5 new faces. After sharing and knowing more about them (they are really friendly and fun-loving), it came down to serious business. Each of us had to write down what we would like God to doinus and throughus this year and we would pair up and pray for each other.
On my list, I asked God to instill diligence and womanly qualities (as defined in the bible) in me. I am rather lazy, i realised.
Anyway, another area of weakness I have to work on is my carelessness.
I dont know whether to feel relieved or disappointed at myself but i almost bade farewell to my phone. 2 years ago, i left my ex-phone hanging by the hook in the toilet but realised it after washing my hands. Unfortunately, the lady who used the toilet after me, took it and as she looked really fierce and ah lian, i didnt have the guts to ask my phone back from her or to check her bag. The same incident repeated itself a few days ago.
This time, it was in school (instead of IMM) and fortunately, it wasn't any heartless soul. This time, it was a kind-hearted student who was smart enough to call Cheryl (she msged me in the morning asking where i was seated, thank God).
It was pretty funny actually.
We were in tutorial when Cheryl's phone started vibrating on her desk and she asked me why i was calling her. I glanced down and true enough, my number was on the display. Puzzled, I reached into my bag and fumbled for a while. Suddenly, a jolt of memory shot me and it was only then that i saw a flash of where i had left my phone! Frantically, I asked her to pick up the phone (all this while, the tutor was teaching and poor her had to pick up the call in front of him. maybe he could have thought, 'what audacity'), pounced out of the seat, informed the tutor (who immediately gave me his full support) and ran all the way to the toilet.
Sigh.
No wonder Mom bought me a $0 phone.
She claimed that she neednt worry if I were to lose it. -_-
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Deeper /// 11:04 PM
How inspiring!
Monday, January 24, 2011
I know I should not let it get to me but... /// 11:16 PM
your condescending tone irks me i had to bite my lips before I unhappy and disatisfied not with the outcome but process please think before you speak seriously,
Jiahao said I should have been more assertive. I guess I just gave up too easily.
Forgive me for being bitter, Lord. Everyone makes mistakes, including me. I know that You have created mankind such that there's a variability in personality and individual differences. So, Father if you may, teach me not to stop loving, no matter how difficult it may be.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
A mixture of longing and joy /// 11:14 PM
If you were in my living room from 9.45-11.14pm, you would witness tears falling freely down a lady's cheeks. And if you were to inch closer, you would realise that the person whom she was skyping with, was also crying.
I miss you, my dearest sister.
If people look at me, and think that I'm great, I've failed. If people look at me, and realise that God's great, I've succeeded.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
What LOVE is all about /// 11:54 PM
A powerful voice she has. And one of the greatest influence a child can give and bless people with. Her mum passed away when she was young. And she continues to touch the lives of others.
Watched this twice, in Singapore years ago and on Christmas Sunday in Brisbane.
A dance that moves people to tears.
Boring Post /// 10:42 PM
Am down with flu and sorethroat and am in a terrible terrible mood:(
Anyway, was really glad that i met up with wanting at vivo after school yesterday. It was a refreshing meetup as she's someone whom i can talk to about all kinds of stuff, be it serious issues or joke bout funny matters! Wilkie came to meet her after that and we accompanied him for dinner. Feeling like a lightbulb, i left and headed home to do my project. Felt rather reluctant cuz i felt like there was so many more things to tell her!
And pretty soon, the pathway to sentosa will be open to public. It looks really nice and also has an outdoor travellator!
Upon reaching home, my heart pined and goodness knows why my legs started getting all geared up so after a phone call, met jiahao to jalan jalan and also, bought some goodies for CNY at chinatown. As much as I like cozy, warm places to chill and talk, I also really appreciate being among the crowd in the middle of a bustling street where you can just witness people jostling about and embracing the festive atmosphere together:)
Attended the combined meeting at True Way with xinyi this morning and it's settled! we're going to have Amazing Race on March and a combined camp among the 3 churches in June for the second time! Though my workload is the worst this sem as I'm taking 4 level 3000 and 1 level 4000 module, I guess there's always priorities in place and I really want to serve God through these events. Hope it'll be a success.
Chinese new year is around the corner and the fact that I'm unwell only makes it all worse.
Okay, enough of Boring Post.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Serious business starts today /// 2:35 PM
On Monday, after school, went to town for new year shopping and ate indonesian food.
The soto ayam (chicken soup) is tasty and their tahu telor is one of the best there is!
Met Wanting and ciyuan at Vivo last thursday and they wanted to eat secret recipe, where I ordered my favourite, Tom Yam Spaghetti! Before that, wanting was even commenting that who would eat something like that. Ah well. The person who sat beside her i guess.
Went prawn fishing and before we started to 'prawn', Jiahao and I prayed that God would send a family of prawns into our hands. But an hour passed and it seemed as if our prayers werent answered. But we were wrong. God has very creative ways of answering prayers. There was this man sitting beside us and he is a professional at fishing cuz he could catch most of the prawns that bit his bait. So before, he left, he gave us his catch(es) of the day!! Wow, what generosity! That gave us some motivation and in the next two hours, we caught quite a number of prawns of all sizes too!:)
Celebrated Wan's belated 21st, Chia's and Eileen's 22nd birthdays at P.S Cafe after school which ended at 8 yesterday! All 5 of us were finally reunited, despite our busy schedules of school and work, and overseas attachment/studies. It is a lovely dim-lit place, and upon entering, we were greeted by a row of huge cakes of all sorts, mounted on the display, and magazines hanging by the side to entertain the customers in the queue.
Besides the ambience, the company with the girls was awesome as well. Caught up with one another's life for the past months, be it in Singapore, Perth, Beijing, Nanjing, Hongkong, Brisbane and the list goes on. Snapped some shots using Wan and Eileen's iphones as none of us brought any cam and had a distribution of presents to the birthday girls. :)
After sending Mabel off in a cab, the rest of us who couldnt bear to part, headed to TCC which was open for 24 hours, and continued on the second part of our catchup session. Surprisingly, fatigue did not catch up with us (except for Wan but we did not know why as she had woken up at 4 in the noon and had her lunch at 5pm). haha. Overall, it was a great night and i can't wait to meet them on the 7th!
Here's a stack of books sitting obediently on my table. They are either waiting to be read or have been read. I always have a habit of reading a book halfway and skipping to the next by catching a glimpse of the content of other books. Once intrigued, i will continue reading and lose focus of the previous books. It's a bad habit of mine i guess.
Btw, I have some concerns about my appetite. It is getting worse. For e.g. on Sat, had bee hoon for brunch around 10am, ate chicken rice for dinner around 4pm and around 8 plus, i was feeling quite hungry. Headed to Balestier at 10 plus where Jiahao, Mum and I had the famous Bak Kut Teh. Still having the desire to eat, i asked if we could eat the Boon Tong Kee's chicken rice nearby. But it was getting late so in the end, Mum bought 10 pieces of durian puffs to quench my insatiable hunger. It's like this gluttony side of me where i will face occasional pangs of hunger, with a reduction in weight (strangely). When i was younger, Mum told me that there were worms in my body but I did not believe her till I saw them myself in primary school. Is that a serious problem?
- Thank You, Lord, for insights. -
Friday, January 14, 2011
Let my thoughts and motives be pure and right before You, O God /// 2:35 PM
Just finished washing the clothes and scrubbing the toilet using a toothbrush. haha
Got this photo from one of the tagged facebook photos belonging to my friend. This is the situation from his balcony.
1st reminder of the day Never give up praying!
Visited my neighbour living in the block next to mine after lunch with wanting today. He refused to get out of bed and while we were there, we listened to his mum share and pour out her feelings and thoughts about the difficult circumstances that she and her husband have been going through the past 7 years. From May to October last night, her son has been warded to the hospital 11 times, with the inclusion of being admitted to ICU for 4 times.
And that's only the tip of an iceberg as to what she has been facing the past years.
Having to quit her job to take care of him, checking on him numerous times a day to ensure that he's not engaging in his suicidal tendencies, her husband having to sleep outside in the living room everyday to make sure that he does not disappear and leave without a trace - these are just few of the puzzle pieces to frame the whole picture. Just recently, they caught him foaming at the mouth in the middle of the night at 3 am due to an overdose of drugs and rushed him to the ICU once again.
When Wanting commented how strong she has been, she replied, "It's not me, but God" who has been giving her family strength.
I've never met such a finer woman with such drive and faith. She doesnt waver in her faith and continues to pray and read the bible to her son daily. I do not know what I would have done if i were in her shoes. Before leaving, each of us took turns to pray for him and I believe with all my heart that God has His time and purpose and that God will use him for His ultimate glory.
2nd reminder of the day Finding hope in the midst of the trying times
In our family blog, Jenny, Uncle Ben's wife, wrote about how she learnt a new lesson in the midst of the Brisbane Flood. She posted
Saw an elderly man on TV news who has lost his million dollar value home and possessions in the flood. His wife has just passed away a few months ago after battling with illness.
What he said today really touched my heart. He said "you should not cry for things that will not cry for you" when asked if he felt devastated by his loss in the flood.
Wow! What a perspective this man has.
That’s really true “the things of the earth will pass away, but the word of God remains forever”
Amen!
Hmm rain is pounding against the windows right now. I'm afraid of the lightning that lights up the sky and flashes every now and then through the transclucent windows and the roaring thunder that follows, cuz of past experience. And my living room is as dark as night time. Hope that Brisbane will not face such weather for the next few days.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Communication tools /// 10:16 PM
In their book, "Boy meets Girl", Joshua Harris mentions a couple of things which i thought is rather useful. He uses Gary and Betsy's "Love That Last" to share ten tips for communication that helps when a couple is experiencing conflict in a relationship:
1. Learn to express your feelings and frustrations honestly, but without accusing or attacking the other person.
2. Choose words, expressions and a tone of voice that are kind and gentle. Dont use speech that could easily offend or spark an argument.
3. Dont exaggerate, distort, or stretch the truth. Avoid extreme words like never and always.
4. Give actual and specific examples. Stay away from generalities.
5. Commit yourself to seeking solutions instead of airing your grievances. Getting even isnt the goal -you want to get things resolved.
6. Listen to what the other person is saying, feeling and needing. Try to detect his or her underlying concerns.
7. Refuse to indulge bitterness, anger, withdrawal, or argument.
8. Dont hesitate to acknowledge your own failure and be quick to forgive the other person. Make sure you dont hold a grudge.
9. Keep talking and asking questions until you are sure that you both understand clearly what the other is saying and feeling. Encourage each other as you press toward a solution.
10. Train your mouth and heart until you can say the right thing at the right time in the right way for the right reasons!
One more Try /// 9:35 PM
Cant believe that just less than a month ago, i was stepping on what-used-to-be dry land. Jean was just telling me that now, it's a common scene to see everyone driving down to Sunnybank where they stock up food etc, bought from the supermarkets. Milk cartons were emptied off the shelves and there was a mad rush to buy more than necessary to survive on for the next couple of days.
This beach @ Southbank is no longer there
Citycat, which I sat thrice when i was there, is no longer operating due to the waters that filled that CBD area
A random photo of the awesome roller coaster ride Jean and I sat in Movie World
Harry Potter Shop
Uncle Ben's neighbours
One of the christmas family dinner
Have been procrastinating more than ever since lectures started on monday and my activities are still packed with meeting up with friends and celebrated lik teck and bernice's birthday yesterday. It's my free day tmr and i gotta give joyce tuition, after which, will be heading down to vivo to meet ciyuan and wanting. I hope to have some sense of self-discipline and motivation before it's too late.
- Thank You, Lord, for keeping Jean, Uncle Ben and Jenny safe, from the flood. -
Friday, January 07, 2011
Finding a joy worth far greater than chocolate ice cream /// 9:07 PM
Dear Lord, I entrust Eileen's high fever to You, and I know that Lord, You will take care of her because nothing is too hard for You to accomplish.
I'm gonna spend the night lost in the contents of the book in front of me with a cup of warm water beside me. Been months, no probably even years, since I found time to sit and read + learn (with the exception of bus rides). Whatever I've read about on the ride home an hour ago intrigued my curiosity and overwhelmed me, causing my stomach to tie itself into knots and a torrent of indefinable emotions to engulf me. In that short span of 45 mins, I've learnt more life lessons than what I had in the past year and my new discoveries excited me out of all proportion to what it was. Almost wanted to walk home from Chinatown (after the transfer ride) to use the time to reflect and ponder but decided against it due to the loud rumbling of my stomach and urgent desire to use the toilet. Heh.
It has been a daily mental battle but tonight, everything changed.
One life to live. Live it well:)
Farewell for now. I shall beat a retreat to my lair.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Let the truth set you free /// 12:47 PM
A girl's heart must be deeply hidden within God, that a man must find God, to find her heart.
Prayer on a Wednesday night /// 12:56 AM
Lord,
help me to learn the things you have prepared for me,
help me in my inadequacy and my weaknesses,
and help me, Lord, to draw myself nearer to You.
I want to know You more, God,
know You as my friend,
as my personal saviour,
my Lord,
my God,
and my everything.
Teach me to love with a heart that is filled with Your love,
and also wisdom to walk in the path of Your righteousness.
Amen.
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Technology makes the world go round /// 10:44 PM
I am going to set up a family blog with Jean, Uncle Ben and Sister Jenny! In this way, we can keep one another updated about our lives! So darn cool:) We're in the process of brainstorming for our blog name. hee. Currently considering "Family Ole" but i thought that "Ben's Angels" sound corny but nice cuz it parallels "Charlie's Angels".
Anyway, my relationship status to wanling:) created some misunderstanding again. Uncle Ben emailed this with "Engagement" as his email title:
Sorry I was looking for your gmail address in your facebook when I saw this accidentally,
Relationship Status Engaged to Wanling Ng
hahah you got me so worried until I see that it's a "her", errr I forgot to raise the issue of sexual orientation with you previously :) !! Love and cheer in Jesus, Uncle Ben
HAHAHA. Not the first time. A few acquaintances who do not know me well also mistook us for a couple. Some even sending me facebook messages to clarify!
- Thank You, Lord for :) -
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Thank God /// 10:35 PM
Good day, good weather, good company.
Too many stories /// 12:22 AM
The trip to Aust has been a fulfilling one. Got reunited with Jean, do some sightseeing, outrageous amount of cheap shoppin of clothes @ DFOs, baking cookies and strawberry cheesecake, learning how to cook (used to detest it as it is very troublesome but mindset is changed now), driving (am only allowed during the night), making more friends, attending numerous christmas parties and dinners and last but not least, spending family time together:)
Ever since i came back, attended youth camp which was good as i could really see the youth bonding and cooperating among the various groups. Everyone also participated in group discussions and bible activities and the movies screened were helpful! The best part of it was the skits which got everyone cracking up!
Other activities during the past few days include countdown after the camp, window-shopping, watching a performance in Resort World and visiting fish farms and Farmart.
