2008 - brand new beginnings



yes to excellent grades!

workers packed in a lorry to work at towkay's rambutan plantation, anticipating the endless supply of rambutans they'll get!

see me? i'm preparing to get washed down by the river currents! WHITEWATER RAFTING

that's my group's raft getting stuck between the rocks! these are class three rapids.

that's michelle abseiling down from the waterfall!

my cell group bunch

sitting on the big swing outside our huts - that's michelle and meeee

goodbye perak and see you, maybe in 2008!

from my grandma to my jc friends, they've been asking about my exam results for first semester.
and the answer i give them?
i don't know and i don't care.

not that i am a lazy or apathetic. but the truth hurts. judging from my performance this sem, i don't forsee myself doing well. 6 subjects - all examinable, and i couldn't cope well. assignments weren't fantastic. all essays i wrote this sem were not up to standard.
i didn't have the guts to see my grades.

the good girl i am
it's the holiday season and everyone's in a relaxed and fun mood. in december itself, i don't how many 'through-the-night' card game sessions the youths/teens in my church had!
the chalet retreats, camps, after-service times... all made way for such sessions. we were staying overnight at one another's houses, pitting our card skills against one another.

but guess what.
i haven't been part of these sessions.
well, not because i am the rain on the parade. no, no i am not!
oh wells, it's just that, i am not an overnighter!

* definition: an overnighter is a super-person who is able to stay relatively steady throughout the night, engaging in activities without manifesting drowsiness.

i simply know i can't stay up and not be like a rumbling idiot. my brain cannot last for 24 hours without rest.

besides i can't bear to NOT see my mom for the night. coming home every night safely is an assurance i would like my mom to have.
let's also just say that i am a mere homely and wise girl who chooses her comfy bed any time over the HARD floor of other people's place!

i am a non-overnighter and not afraid to deny it!

oh yes, HAPPY SWEET 18th BIRTHDAY, MISS CHERYN CHIA SIHUI!
you took too long to reach 18! but yay! it's here :)

i didn't know jason lee of "my name is earl" could look so suave...

head vs heart
we could give a lot of encouragements like say, "you do your best and God will do the rest", or how about a familiar one - "God has plans to prosper you, not to harm you".
sometimes they have been used so many times that as you hear them, you feel nothing. its essence has simply been sucked out dry.

a recent exchange with a friend, who's non-christian, telling me about this phrase "you do your best and God will do the rest", has also made me realise that such "catchphrases" has reduced christianity to mere head knowledge. i mean, come on, even my non-christian friend knows how to use this phrase!

it dawned on me that my faith has been a lot of head knowledge. i may know many "politically right" christian catchphrases to advise or teach others but if i have no heart, all these are empty talk. and trust me, people can feel if it's just idle christian banter or sincere advice.

once again, i'm reminded to be conscious about treating my faith with my heart and not my head. faith that involves the heart requires constant connection with God and most important, experiencing first-hand His love and providence, knowing for sure that God is real and convicted that He is not just a mystical figure nor a picture hanging in front of the pew.

through the heart, our faith in God becomes alive.

Lord, i pray for a renewed heart.

i am itching like crazy!
bugs bit me and there are ugly red bumps on my arms and body!!
bathe me in calamine lotion.

2 trips to perak back to back!
and i've survived but with many ugly bruises.
you can call me BRUISE Almighty.

throughout both trips, i've received enough bruises that i would have gotten in 2 years.
but still, the bruises didn't do much to stop me from learning and enjoying everything!
go away you evil, ugly scars!

the first trip was a trip of faith. on the last night, we managed to start our campfire where everyone barbequed their marshmallows. there was a drizzle in the beginning, and so we, facing the sea, shouted to God in unison to ask Him to stop the rain.
and stop the rain God did!
also, 4 new and unexpected friends came to know and accept Christ!
God is always amazing!

the 2nd trip blew me away!
we went white water rafting and waterfall abseiling - all firsts for me.
whitewater rafting was super duper wuper heart-thumping!!
the waters flowed fast, rocks were aplenty but our captain (aka raft guides) never fail to steer us into safety. there were about 10 major rapids and we rafted about 10km. it was so exhilarating that mere words would not justify the actual activity. i'll upload the photos on blogger once yihao uploads those photos on his online album.

at night, we stayed in orang asli-inspired huts and bathed in the wilderness. the bathrooms don't have roofs so for the last day, when the sun was high up in the sky, we bathed and suntanned at the same time! ha.

michelle went for the trip with me and she was so glad she did. she thanked me for inviting her and even said our church peeps are really friendly ;D can't agree with her more.

this week, i need to recover from the physical activities i had. and yes, finish up those chocolates and share them with others.
i have so many chocolate presents coming in from many people!
no more chocolate presents please.
i feel a bit sick.

all geared up
we perked up when our food arrived. yay!


love the reflection on the glass panes


chilling at starbucks. welcome back to singapore, pris!

angie 说, 从我的事奉岗位看起, 我就是教会的三大异象:
teaching angie about the finer points of flash, using me as model.

whip out my umbrella!!

sweet smiley ah ma

whoooopeeee!

teething
i brushed my teeth last night and i had an uncanny feeling of having something stuck at the back of my mouth. with my cute chubby index finger, i reached in to feel what's in there.
gaaaaahhhhhh. it's hard. and feels like a tooth.

first thought: wisdom tooth.
peered into the mirror and yes! it's a growing tooth right behind my molar!
sob. i hate those wisdom teeth. i've heard too many nightmarish wisdom teeth extractions. *shivers*

chuan said it may not be wisdom teeth but i can't think of what else it could be.
perhaps it's a hard white teeth-like CANDY embedded in my gums?

it's affecting my biting a little. i hope nothing bad happens to my teeth.
i really don't like the dentist chair. it's hard and i don't want to sit on it too frequently.

que sera sera
i remember mom singing this song to me and sarah when we were young. i thought it was a song about sarah and i was madly jealous. how come she has a song about her name?

then i grew up and realised this song isn't about sarah (haha) but it is actually a nice little song from the 1950s which means "whatever will be, will be".
as i start to think about my future, about what i should do after i graduate, about so many uncertainties in my christian walk, i begin to understand and appreciate this song.

(as recalled from what my mom sang to me. yes i have immense memory for songs that i sang in my childhood)
when i was just a little girl
i asked my mother
what would i be
will i be pretty?
will i be rich?
that's what she said to me...

que sera sera
whatever will be, will be
the future's not us to see
que sera sera

i trust in God for my future. i pray for more revelations.
i cannot see the future. we all can't.
but God can!
clarity. i seek clarity in my future.


ps. weiching you are a dear! thanks for the "enchanted" songs ;)