hallelujah!
the rest of the south koreans kept by the taleban have been released!
when i heard the news, a wave of relief washed over me.
praise the Lord!


movie-buff, not.
i have been missing sooooooooo much. havent been catching movies with my sisters.
they watched dreamgirls together and now, most of them have already watched HAIRSPRAY!
grawwr.

if i had a lot of time (and tons of movie vouchers), i would catch the following movies!

1) hairspray - because there seems to be so much glamour and good old-fashioned merriment!
2) 881 - because it's a local production with a good dose of flamboyant getai glitz. a rare gem.
3) bourne ultimatum - because all the movie reviews that i've read of it are excellent if not better. plus my friends rave about it.
4) the simpsons movie - i need a goliath-sized screen to catch this whacky family! d'oh.
5) ratatouille - for the child in me.


i just met vanessa in the library! hello vanessa! hahaha

urrggh x1000

quiet time is important!
just this friday's quiet time with God was the best ever in months.
the whole chapter in psalm totally refreshed me but at the same time, rebuked me for forgetting about how God rescued me when i was in my darkest moments. let me not forget His blessings.
i need God to go through this semester with vigour!
if anyone has a bible (or you can go http://www.gospelcom.net/ to check out the bible), you ought to read the book of ecclesiastes.
it's so beautifully poetic.

how can they be so funny!?
colin, ryan and wayne are geniuses in 'whose line is it anyway'! sometimes i wonder if they had rehearsed their show because their comic timings are immaculate! these guys are talented.
if i were to go to the US, i would want to catch their show live!

signs that my estate is getting old
1) the lifts break down
2) and i have to climb the stairs.
3) the garden-park just downstairs has birds that chirp with such gaiety in the morning. these birds sound like those in the park near my nainai's old estate :)
4) some workers repainted the void deck walls (but in an uninspiring colour - grey. yucks.)
5) pigeons!
6) the people i see around the neighbourhood are more wrinkled.

i want to catch EVAN ALMIGHTY because steve carell's in it!

social life-less week
tutorial presentation. assignment write-up.
3 tuition students. 5 times of coaching, every week.
4 days of content-intensive lectures + tutorials. piles of readings.
and at long last, i can take a breather!

nonetheless, i'm thankful for today because i was the emcee for crusade's crossroads! and there weren't any major bloopers! yay! grace was certainly a good complement :D
glad that i also managed to catch up a bit with michelle and amy after so long.


there was a welfare services club (wsc) fair today at canteen b. so amy and i went to have a look around because i wanted to find out about their youth expedition project, and we bumped into her business module team mate who at that time, was publicising wsc.
her friend was very friendly and funny. he's from ntu christian fellowship!

amy's friend: (extends his hand for a handshake) hello i am ... (says name), but you can call me JC.
me: sorry... again?
amy's friend: JC - JESUS CHRIST - JC!

i was laughing away at his creative introduction!


yesterday's forensic science lecture
was a gross, gory, gruesome one.
pictures of mangled bodies, torn faces, and crushed skulls projected on the screen.
get it? ewwww.


on a tastier note
pop'doh has a new flavour of cake donut - oreo cookie!
yummy and fun to eat!

i totally dig pop'doh's CAKE DONUTS!
they are best eaten together with cold milk. it's terribly addictive.
you have been warned.

the thoughts that raced through my mind as i walked through toa payoh hdb hub
(and i told myself to blog them down because they're so real)
thoughts...
mmm. smell of baguette at delifrance.
where is that place that yue thinks sells good french baguette? that swiss bakery or something...
sigh. why did delifrance turn upmarket? doesn't it make business worse?
hey subway just beside delifrance! competition man. cheaper sandwiches. subway must be here because there are sajc students around.
(upon spotting some sajc students at subway) wah.. sure or not. studying? must be dating lah.
whoa!!! there's a coffee bean here?
eh... why is that man staring at me?
(walking past a pregnant lady) this lady here seems more like a child than pregnant. hee. such child-like face.
haha i must blog my thoughts down!
ok i am so smart - walking through hdb hub in air-conditioned comfort to get to crystal jade...


funny how i was so conscious of these thoughts.


last week in sociology classical theory lecture
for lecture, we watched this video and one part was particularly interesting.
it mentions the "medicalisation" of society, meaning, giving our problems constructed "medical" names.
so for example,
in the past, we were just "busy". today, we have "stress".
in the past, we were "sad". today, we have "depression".

just something we ought to think about.
have we falsely labelled ourselves with such "sicknesses", when they are merely everyday problems which we can overcome?

food review of the week
featuring....*drum rolls*
shami banana leaf delights @ yishun
the queue never ceased when i went there for dinner just now.
50% of the people at the foodcourt (yes who says all foodcourt food are mediocre!) were there relishing the tasty briyani rice covered in thick, spices-infused curry gravy, all served on a piece of banana leaf.
i had the chicken and fish briyani sets (no, i didn't eat up everything myself. hail the power of sharing). the curry chicken drumstick was soft and tender and what is indian food without our good friend, papadum?

but sadly, the curry batang fish was a disappointment. it was too small in proportion to the price i paid. plus, it wasn't soft and flaky enough for me to enjoy. fish is best when it flakes thinly.

still, the herb-y briyani rice with the thick (but not coyingly thick) curry gravy is enough for me to forget about the disappointing fish.

the serving portions are huge so i suggest if you're going as a trio, you can share 2 sets, provided the trio is made up of girls.
men, i believe you all can have a set each because of your pitless stomachs.


hamsters
i hope yue finds her hamster soon. it has been missing for 3 days and i know she's worried sick.
i have been through such trauma of losing my hamster 9 years ago and i wouldn't want to experience it again.
sihui, keep your wilber well. don't let it run out!!


what i'm catching on youtube nowadays
1) family guy+stewie
2) britain's got talent - connie
3) america's got talent - bianca ryan

for the last two videos i've mentioned, you've got to catch them on youtube.
how can they, as children, have such powerful lungs? goodness gracious.
america and britain really do have talents!

i love singapore!
and that's the message i've been getting when i was in city hall today. a sea of red and whites as people get ready for the national day parade at marina bay. it's the only day when citizens get enthusiastic about majulah singapura; the only day when critics of the singapore government shut up to enjoy the festivity.

as for me, to get into the spirit of my nation's birthday, i did a very singaporean thing - queue - for donuts. felt a teeny weeny embarrassed when passerbys stared at us who were in the queue. with callous skin, i ignored them by reading my notes. oh just let me have this singaporean experience for this once!
i bought a dozen in the end.

after this donut trip, i can conclude about the allure of donuts among singaporeans.
it's not that the donuts taste out-of-the world.
they're not exactly melt-in-your-mouth fluffy.
so i believe it boils down to CHOICE. singaporeans love choices (see how buffets are so popular in singapore). with donuts in so many yummy flavours (kaya white chocolate, peanut butter glazed, double chocolate, strawberry white chocolate... etc) , choices are created.
and the best part is, these choices are attractively colourful and taste good with tea/coffee.
what's not to like?

well, this one time queue is enough. i'm looking forward to the day when i can just sit down at a cafe to enjoy my stuffed donuts without having to queue for them.


sue townsend at a bargain
i got 2 sue townsend's adrian mole books at bras basah for 8 bucks. cheap steal! hope to find neil gaiman's works or margaret atwoods' the next time i go there. i enjoy the musty smell of old books... ahhh.

so that's where our water comes from
i was at somerset today as well. as i walked past a canal, near specialist centre, a couple in front of me began to gaze into it, pointing and shaking their heads.
what's so interesting about a dirty, dark, construction debris-littered canal?
so i looked in.

lo and behold!!! purple pipes imprinted with NEWATER smiling back at me!
so that's where our water comes from...

1st day of school - the sights and smells
the undesired, weird smell from the chocolate factory at boon lay interchange.
my friends' familiar faces :)
a visiting professor with a strangely attractive geeky demeanour and bee-stung lips (cute.)
freshies (heh. you little freshies! heh heh. this label on me is no longer valid!)
snaking queues in the canteen (for blah-but-we-have-no-other-choice food) and the library (to print notes. oh wells.)



In contemplation of Love by yours truly
Love is slurping a bowl of piping hot broth on a cold day.
Love is ignoring the sniggers at your tuneless voice which you used to sing for grandma's birthday.
Love is laughing together after the tears.
Love is praising mom for dinner even when if it wasn't her best-cooked meal that year.

Love is clearing up after your messy sister without complaining.
Love is watching a boring show with dad when you can be having fun reading.
Love is making up for lost time.
Love is holding a lonely old man's hands even when they're full of grime.

Love can be all the good things you do in the world.
But above all,
Love is forgiving unconditionally;
Accepting a fallen person ungrudgingly .

***
next stop: chill out at food for thought.

visit this website.
http://kevan.org/johari?name=estherchang

apparently, it's the in-thing now. ha.
you'll be asked to choose 5-6 characteristics about me. skim through the list of descriptions before choosing!
do it and let's reveal some interesting perspectives!


there was one time i was an awkward teen
i had braces. large gold-framed glasses that covered half my face. broom-like hair.
no fashion sense. nada. zilch. kosong.
(at least for now, i think i have a little bit of it. no fashionista but still decent.)

so, in 2004, i came up with a list in my diary on what i like about myself!
here are some things i like about myself.
1. good sense of rhythm/keen sense for music
2. ability to be a peacemaker
3. the "leader" in me
4. my neat handwriting
5. my ability to draw and blend colours

i was quiet and awkward.
my sis was the popular, more outspoken one, and still is. but i've learned to capitalise on other strengths and gifts that God has given me and because of that, i am confident about myself. look through your life and count your blessings.
God has different purposes and gifts for various people because He loves diversity.

Have you found yours and capitalised on it?

let's take a minute to pray for our korean brothers and sisters who are still in the hands of the taliban extremists. they are mostly young people around 20-30 years old.
2 died, mercilessly murdered.
only 21 left, weak and devastated.
please God, preserve their lives and their faith!
as for the 2 who died, may you both find rest in the everlasting arms of our peaceful Lord.

****

yesterday was meet-the-grannies day
all i remember of grandma doris - our old family friend, was that she was a strict old lady who bakes wonderful kueh lapis, loves cats and gives shortbread presents to sarah and i when we were young.
i really can't remember when was the last time i've seen her.

but when i saw her yesterday, i realise the years have mellowed her. the commanding presence in her is gone but her dignity and tenacity still lingers.
meeting grandma doris has been enriching for she's such a godly and faith-full woman!



that's grandma doris on the left and my nainai on the right


my Prince is waiting for me to swing him
moi is referring to Prince, my tennis racquet.
this racquet is a HE because it is blue (gender stereotypes are perpetuated by people like me.)
and it's a Prince, not Princess brand okay.

anyhooo, anyone gamed for a tennis game? i've been swinging my light racquet in my room, daydreaming about tennis balls bouncing firmly off the strung surface, hitting on the sweet spot.

let me play in a court before i swing and break something in the house!