Halloween! :)

My first Halloween experience. Today is actual Halloween but to beat the crowds of kiddy trick-or-treaters, the Queens students had their parties during the weekend. Eve and I went to check them out, after racking our brains with our costumes. We decided not to turn up with too hideous a costume or something too attention grabbing. So, voila! Here we are - Masquerade Queen and gypsy!!

We didn't know many people but we had fun looking at the costumes and admiring the decoration. My gosh. Creative juices just ooooooozed out from where we were. My favourites are currently the guy who was dressed up as a Smurf and also a couple of guys who were the Mario brothers!!! Go check out my photo site (yet another new site because Webshots is always screwing up...) - http://nicentangy.multiply.com/photos

That was on Saturday. Nothing too happening. Had a good time spent with Eve-y though. We went shopping and all of that, and ended up at good ole Timmie's for warm hot chocolate after freezing her toes off in heels.

Sunday was even more awesome! At first, Eve and I were supposed to attend a pumpkin carving session with AIA. We were soooooo looking forward to it until it was CANCELLED! We couldn't take it lying down. So we decided: We were going to have one on our own.

Disappointment #2: There was not a single pumpkin in sight! All the pumpkins had been sold out (apparently to crazy Queens students...) and we were left with squashes. And......Cantaloupe! We decided to buy the rock melons, though we were apprehensive about it. Who cares?! It turned out to be faaaaaaaantastic! And us girls had a wooooonderful experience carving cantaloupe! Check out our babies! (From left to right: mine, Chikako's, Bea's & Eve's!)

Finally reached SUPERMASTER! Wahahaha...

Pasta in black sauce.

Yum. I remember when I was younger, my maid used to fry macaroni with egg and black sauce! So as straaaaaaaaange as it might sound, I decided to try it again. Yuuuuuuuuuuuum. It didn't look yum, so I didn't take a photo. But macaroni + black sauce (which I got from buying Chinese take-aways once...) + cabbage = yummy!

Cold is strange.

The cold is indeed a strange phenomena. Not only does it make trees turn yellow and orange and red, it makes me blue. There is a strange sense of melancholy that creeps over me each time I'm huddling to my layers of jackets as the cold wind rushes by. And it can only get colder.

Do I long for the warmth back in Singapore? Not exactly. Not entirely. I'm still trying to make the most of my time here. When I go back, that will be it. Back to my life, back to reality. I feel I am still living a dream here. The only thing that keeps me sober is the fact that dreams wouldn't contain the huge amounts of workload that I have. Ha.

So here in the cold I shall stay for another month or so. Keeping warm involves a huge amount of energy. And a huge amount of Tim Hortons. And I am only getting fatter by the cup and by the cookie. Oh, I am so blue.

God, you are fantastic.

So the earlier account on the trip was all narrative and bland. But I forgot to add how wonderful God's presence was to me on the entire trip. How could I forget?

Firstly, the weather was perfect. I count it not luck or I do not believe in luck. Instead, God, thank You that You made the experience perfect for me. It did not rain when we were going around. The weather forecast predicted rain, but you held it so we could see Your falls. :) [I even go the extra mile to thank you for the experience of Krispy Kreme! - We happened to be at a Krispy Kreme outlet while they were making fresh donuts on the conveyor belt. They only do it twice a day. We got there to see it, even got fresh warm donuts! Hehe.]

As we were driving up, the sights were, as usual, beautiful. I love those golden-looking trees and each time I saw those, I had to smile. And imagine that I was in the middle of it, breathing in all the colours of fall. Mmm. Even now, it makes me smile. And then, I was thanking God for the beauty that He's created. How, truly, the sights were breath-taking. Then, a thought went across my mind - surely God has a name for all the shades of colour, more than I know! And surely He knows every single shade and meant it to be that very shade. And He sees more shades of gold and yellow and green and orange and red! Hallelujah.

Then I felt a little tinge of sadness at not being able to see this ever again once I return to Singapore. I wouldn't even be able to visit a place during Fall due to school or when I teach, more school. Ha. And I was thinking to myself that it was kind of sad that such beauty might not exist in Singapore. Yet, then, a little voice said, "Greater the surprise in heaven then!" Haha. I was so amused. Truly, the beauty in heaven would be far greater than on earth. And what greater beauty than the Creator Himself.

The same with the stars we saw while driving up. The entire sky was full of stars. And such a picture cannot be photographed by our limited cameras. Yet, the image remains in my mind. A special image, that God, you made it all and said it is good. It is perfect.

Thank You sweet Lord. That You are God of the universe. That You created the universe. You are the God of the heaven and the earth and the sea. Hallelujah. I praise Your Holy Name. You deserve all the glory and honour.

My best friend is the best!!

She made me laugh so much. My gosh. You would be rolling around laughing too if you have observed the picture below. Serene, Serene, I love you! I wish you were here too...*Hugs* The baby one just makes my sides ache from the laughing. That's Serene by the way. Hahahahahahhahahaaa...

Quaint Quebec!

Quebec is beautiful. The 8-hour ride was worth it. Of course my task was easy. Sit down and erm. Sit down. The other 4 in the car took turns to drive. Each of them have their driving styles. I was so awed. Like Beatriz, she's so steady and so strong. She can drive for ages and ages and she's just so excited to drive. Haha. To think she's been driving for about 10 years now! (Oops, was I not supposed to reveal her age? :P) Shariq drove less than usual this time around, but he's always steady and trustworthy! :) Neil is really calm (laid-back!!) with a rather good sense of direction ("If in doubt, go straight."). Last but not least, Kaushal. He keeps his eye on the road all the time. :P

So yeah. Road trip again. Road trips are so fun. We sing in the car, talk, laugh, sing some more. Laugh some more. Eat!! Eat some more!!

So we arrived in Quebec City late in the evening and it was freeeeeeeeezing! We were all shivering away but really glad to be in Quebec. The city is simply so quaint and so pretty! When we arrived, there weren't many people on the streets even though it was Friday night. It was so peaceful, like the entire town was ours. We took pictures and went crazy after dinner at an Irish pub thingie.

That was an awesome start to an awesome trip. We woke up bright and sort of early the next morning, had a wonderful breakfast at the hostel. I looooooove buffet breakfasts. I just love the variety that comes with it - cereal, cookies, muffins, pancakes, toast, fruit,...YUM!! Filling our tummies to the brim, we set off for a whole day of activity. The tourist information booth in Quebec was excellent. The girl at the booth was so warm and welcoming, and so knowledgeable! She gave us excellent directions for where we wanted to go, even how to get back to Kingston.

So off we went. To the observatory. To see Chateau de Frontenac. To walk along scenic path. To the museum. To eat. To 3D IMAX. To eat Krispy Kreme!!. To eat dinner. Hee. It was an amazing day. We were tired out. :) But happy!

Yikes. At this point of time, I'm so disgusted by my style of writing. I know this entry is not doing the trip any justice at all. It was way more exciting! But pictures speak a thousand words. So go view my photo gallery. http://community.webshots.com/user/nice2tango2

A couple of photos to whet your appetite...

(P.S. Inscription on cap: "Almost Perfect" - Wahaha! I love my cap!)

But it was a fantastic experience. Travelling like real travellers. Being with really nice people, in a really nice town. I'm suffering from withdrawal symptoms, as usual. :)

"Let the little children come to me..."

Now I know why the little children had such a special place in Jesus' heart. Why he let them come sit on his knee and give them his love. Their innocence. So pure. So trusting.

I was in a rather traditional Anglican church on Sunday. They have this particular section known as "Children's Story", where all the children go up to the front to listen to a short Bible story. The speaker was talking about Moses, and how Moses wanted to see just a glimpse of God's glory, but that no one was allowed to see God because He is holy.

(Like outspoken Canadians,) The sweetest little girl spoke up out of the crowd of them and said, "Yeah. We can't see God. We can't see Him, because He's in our hearts."

Wow! What revelation! I was so moved. Such faith. Now I know why Jesus wants us to have a child-like faith. Lord, restore my innocence and purity that I might trust You with all my heart.

Who am I?

'Who Am I' by Casting Crowns

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You're

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again
Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me

I am Yours
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
'Cause I am Yours
I am Yours

Each time I hear this song, my mind sobers up and reminds myself of God's wonderful love. He really doesn't have to love me. Who am I? I am unworthy. Yet in His great love and mercy, He has called me His own. God Almighty. Creator of all the earth, the Bright and Morning Star. He has called me His own. What more can I ask?

Finally!

I have played this tooooo many times to get just a MASTER score. Ha. But it was probably a once in a lifetime thing, or at least once in a long while. So I had better put my mark here first. :)

Mini (?) Shopping Spree

I say mini not because I bought few things, but because I didn't even visit a mall or intend to do shopping. I just did. :)

But I'm quite proud of my mini shopping spree. What did I buy? I finally got down to buying a winter jacket. And guess how much it costed me. $14.95 Canadian dollars. Woohoo!! In case you were wondering, a decent jacket costs above 100 bucks. I went to a second hand store and asked for what would last for winter...I couldn't fit into the adult sized one (which is pretty cheap anyway) so they got me the kids one. And it's nice! Don't you think?

And at that shop sold other cheap cheap stuff. I saw a nice, dressier jacket/sweater thingie and decided it would be useful for more formal stuff and it's a more tight fitting kind of jacket as compared to the big big ones I have. There's a furry furry thingie in front. Hee. Helps to keep warm.

After shopping at this second hand store, I had to go down to this small departmental store, kind of like Mustafa...I don't know why I say that, but it sells everything. I had to get a water filter for my friend (hi Eve!) so I looked around as well. Have been thinking of getting boots for winter but not quite sure if the money was worth spending. Someone told me a good pair of boots costs about $100 and the cheapest would be about $70? Guess how much mine were. 25 buckeroos! And they look sweet don't they??

Finally, my last but definitely not the least treasure is my pair of shoes. I know I've got tons of footwear but I don't have shoes shoes. And the weather is getting cold and all I have are my pair of sports shoes which can't be worn for each and every occasion. So I got these babies. Cost me $19.95. Pretty decent for a good pair of shoes.

So there you have it. I'm pretty happy about my good buys. :) Lala.

Red Sox The T New England Aquarium Skyscrapers Friends Fun More = BOSTON :)

I'm home from Boston! :) Yeah! It was an awesome trip! A HUGE thank you to Shariq, firstly, for planning most of it, settling the details and all, and secondly, for being of the safest and most responsible driver ever! But I also must pat myself on the back cos it was my first time navigating (though it's really easy with Google maps...) and I managed to get lost only twice. Eh, I'd think that's pretty good for a first-timer, especially since the journey was sooooo long. But yeah, it's also thanks to God cos many a times He gave me the peace to not get overly anxious when I got lost. :) And Shariq's super watch was super as well. It tells temperature, air pressure, time, and most importantly, what direction we're headed. So anytime we're off track, we just go back on! :)

Ok, so the car rides there and back were definitely an interesting experience. But what was even better was the view the entire way up. It is the beginning of Fall and the leaves were turning colour aaaaaall over the mountain tops and the sides of the roads. So there was green and yellow and orange and gold and red and maroon and...It was a fantastic sight and I kept squealing all the way up cos of God's magnificent handiworks. I was so wanting to jump out to sit amongst the trees and breathe in the colours. It was awesome. (The rocks too, I must add, as a Geographer, were amazing! Geography alive again!)

Pretty pretty pretty stuff. I won't put up the pictures here for there are far too many. Will probably put them up on the photo album later. :) Lala.

The trip was overall a great trip, though there have been hiccups here and there. As a rookie at all this travelling stuff, it was definitely not a trip that would receive the "Best Organized Holiday Award". And this might have led to the unhappiness of some here and there but by the end of the trip, I was too tired to try to please everyone, so heck it. I just tried to enjoy myself. How often do you get to travel anywhere, and even more so, to the States...by car???

So anyways, my highlight of the trip was visiting the New England Aquarium. The underwater dimension is a beautiful place to be and it was just so sparkling with life. The colours were dazzling and well, most of the exhibits were amazing. It's like a mixture of our Underwater World in Singapore and part of the zoo because they had penguins and seals and sea lions and even feeding and training shows at the aquarium!

Of course we got to visit the Must Visits in Boston - Harvard & MIT. It was strange to me, that the universities are tourist attractions but it was pretty cool to think that I have stepped onto the fields of Harvard, taken a picture in front of their graaaaaaaand library and have shared in the air of the scholar-type material. MIT was alright. Some cool buildings, but otherwise pretty straight and boring. The coolest thing about MIT was their HUUUUUUUUUUGE physical fitness building with a HUUUUUUUUUUGE gym and a HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE pool complex with many pools. It was WOW.

So other than that, we were touring around the city, breathing in city air. Boston is a rather nice little city. It has somewhat the flavour of a big city like New York because of the skyscrappers and all. Yet, Boston has a small city niceness in the people. I've met so many nice people there, acquaintances, strangers, friends. For example, the first night when we got very lost in the city itself, and really hungry, we dropped by a closing pizza place to get directions and food. They said they had no food, but welcomed in for directions. After giving us loads of directions, one of the guys who worked there - Joe, he simply asked, "You guys need food? What kind of pizza would you like?" We nodded like poor hungry puppies and within 15 minutes, he had a full-sized pizza hot from the oven for us. And he didn't want us to pay. We were so shocked, so blessed. He was simply so sweet. It truly brings back the faith I have in humankind.

That was Boston in a very small nutshell. I didn't get to do a lot in Boston, like whale-watching and whatever museums and what-nots. But I had a fantastic time. It tickles my palate for more travel. Ha. And yeah. It was nice spending time with those I did (especially a new friend - Nu! who's Shariq's friend...she's been awesome :)) So yeah. It was a fabulous way to spend Thanksgiving. Thank you Lord for bringing me back safe and for the opportunity for such a trip. *HuGs*

Going to Boston!

So the title was pretty self-explanatory. I'm pretty excited about the trip. Yup, my friend's gonna be driving up to Boston, and I will have to do the keeping him awake. It's a seven hour drive, with a stop over in the middle. So keep me in your prayers for journey mercies.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My bed...

For everyone who's interested to see my new bed...Especially my parents...Especially my mom...Hehe...So here it is. It's really pretty soft and comfy...I've had so many good nights in my $30 bed!!! :) I love getting cheap deals. You know how? I unknowingly joined a mailing list for Chinese students! And there they sell stuff and advertize for rides to Toronto and all that...And I'm also getting a phone for $5!!!! :) Whooopee! Hahahaha...

Corn Maze!

I've joined this group called Athletes in Action (AIA) and yes, it may not seem like I'm a super duper athlete or it might not even strike you that I AM an athlete but I joined it anyway. This group is based on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ the Cornerstone! Yup, it's a cool concept where Christian athletes come together and have fellowship because there is more to victory in competition because they have achieved Victory in life through Jesus Christ their Lord and Saviour. Cool!

Anyway, they had a social last night. We went to Wolfe Island and got lost in a corn maze! :) I was pretty lost at first (erm, figuratively speaking...) because I had signed up on my own, not knowing anyone. But I met a fantastic group of people who were really sweet and even let me sit in the car with them as we ferried across because it was freeeeeeeeeezing cold outside. Here's a photo we took in the car. Another gal, Ally was in the car too, but it was too squashy to be in the picture. Hee.

So yeah, the corn maze began after a long wait. And we took like an hour to get through? Because we got stuck in what was called 'The Jungle'. But it was really pretty cool! We made it in the end! The photo below I took with one of my maze mates - Virginia. We were also grouped with Michelle! :) Anyway, the scarecrow marks the start of the maze! Scary scarecrow!

The people on the farm were really sweet. They made us bonfires so we could roast marshmallows. And it's not like planned BBQ like in Singapore, with nice satay sticks and a BBQ fire. This was a REAL bonfire! And they found us real sticks that we had to burn at the tip to sterilize and to make sharp so we could poke the marshmallows through! I even got to eat my first smore! And in case you don't know what it is, it's a marshmallow in between 2 graham crackers with a chocolate piece in the centre as well! It was yummylicious! Here's me and a marshmallow I toasted. I was taking so many pictures the guy beside me was laughing. "Hey Dave (he's in the background of the picture...), if you haven't already noticed, I'm from out of town!" But he was really nice. :)

So yeah, the experience was pretty cool and I did enjoy myself. I really thank God that along the way He's brought people who've been really nice and welcoming, making me feel very much at home. I would really not survive here if I didn't. So thank you God! I know that You're the one who's provided for me all this way. Love ya!

Sweeeeet kitty...

This is the sweet kitty cat who was outside my house the other night. I was sooooooo tempted to bring her(?) in but yup, firstly, 'no-pet policy' applies under my lease and also, my housemate is allergic to cats. Ha. So yeah, the poor little meowy thing had to stay outside! *Maaaao*

And while I'm at it, I might as well introduce you to the kitty cat I met on the first day I was in Kingston. Someone walked by and called him Pumpkin. And pumpkin coloured, he sort of is. But cats here are soooooooo cute and FLUFFY! Huggable. :)