Keeping It Simple.

Just to show that I'm alive and kicking!

2007-03-08T00:14:00.000-08:00

Have been wanting to put up a post for ages and ages. It's been MONTHS!! Gosh!! Didn't realise that. But well, this post just shows that I'm alive and kicking. Wanted to put in nice photos too...So here goes! :) Warning: Photographs chosen are purely at random, at Blogger's discretion and fancy!

My Baby n me at My Secret Garden on my birthday - a very nice and romantic place!

*BEAMS*

Some pretty scenery photos from my field trip to the Maliau Basin - Lost World of Sabah! (P.S. Not all photos are at the basin itself!!) I avoided taking too many photos during the field work process because I was looking a little too cha-chat, all the mud and the sweat...But I included the photo of us in leech socks, just a glimpse of how toot we might have looked in the field! :P

Let's see...What other photos should I put up? Here's ending off with the photo of the sweetest-LOOKING dog...BAMBI!(Underneath that facade is one rough-tough little girl!)

Told you photos were at random!

Radical Inferno.

2006-11-13T07:33:00.000-08:00

I love meeting nice people. Sam is one such nice person. Such people make the world a nicer place to be.

He is a professional bowler. Yet, there are no airs about him, none at all. He is skilled in what he does, as a bowler, and as a person dedicated to helping others live out the sport. How? He now owns the pro-shop on top of enjoying the game, where he is committed to drilling bowling balls custom fitted to a person's hand and his or her style of bowling. And he goes right down to the little details. Why? Because he believes in it.

I was just so super impressed at the way he swiftly worked with those tools, and how he precisely drilled those holes into Pat's Radical Inferno. Every step of the way he explained what he was doing and everything he said was just ooooooozing with his love for the game. His enthusiasm was truly contagious.

After he placed the striking blue-yellow-wispygrey bowling ball that is full of character into my darling's proud hands, he didn't just smile and thank us for buying a ball at Sam's Pro Shop. To him, his job was not done. He made sure he saw the ball take its virgin journey down the smooth lanes. He gave a very nervous Pat some tips on improving his style (though I must say, I was so impressed at my baby's skills. WHOAAA...).

Sam's passion is truly contagious. Not only do I appreciate the game better, but he's taught me the beauty of having such a passion in life. God gave us the hearts and souls to be passionate for Him, yes, but also, to have other passions to pursue, to enjoy, to live out. Wow.

Grr...Historians.

2006-10-16T05:25:00.000-07:00

* Disclaimer: I have many Historian-friends and have nothing against them. I think they are very nice people. The following complaints I have have stemmed from a module that I enjoy but feel very very small doing.

Historians are confusing. They analyse the questions so thoroughly yet don't seem to be answering the questions when they study the events.

Historians think a lot. I thought I thought sensitively about issues. I'm wrong. There are no simple answers in History class.

Historians go through events chronologically, systematically. Rather than discuss issues in themes, which I am way more familiar and comfortable with, they discuss the articles step by step, paragraph by paragraph.

Historians make me go totally quiet during tutorials. I know nuts about history, how to talk history. I am a Geographer.

Historians make me feel silly.

Historians make me feel small.

Historians make me feel stranded.

*Sighs*

Black Forest Cornetto.

2006-10-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Worrying makes me eat ice-cream. There was some comfort as the chocolate and vanilla ice-cream slipped down my throat with the cherry sauce following after. There was some comfort in crunching down that chocolate cone into a million bits.

Yet, that experience was not the sweetest.

My concentration on the Cornetto and my self-absorption on my own worries had made me fail to realise that there are more important things to take note of, blessings that totally overwrite those worries. Blessings that truly make life worth the living.

I may have sensitive teeth, teeth that sometimes sting at the bite of the cold ice-cream. But I definitely do not have the most sensitive heart. But work hard at it I will.

Truly happy.

2006-09-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Truly happy. Blessed. I think of what's happened to me in the last couple of months, take a deep breath and am amazed. I guess it hasn't been long. There's still a long way to go. Yet, I am full of hope, full of that fluttery-heart feeling that makes me excited about what is to come. You know how it feels like when you take a deep breath and feel this overwhelming sense of joy as you close your eyes, recalling those moments and a smile overtakes your face? That happens to me, all the time.

Sure, there have been plenty of dampeners. External, mostly. I understand.

Yet, thank you for those who believe with me. Those who have said there's a new glow on my face.

And Sweetie, thank you that you are the one who's brought that glow to my life. For your selfless giving, tearing down the walls that I used to build up to protect myself. For the encouragement whenever I've felt in the pits. For believing in me whenever I feel I'm a failure. For pampering me like a princess, even though I really am not one. For the loving moments. For truly being who you are. *HugS*

A tribute to Granddad.

2006-09-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

So, I don't call him Granddad. Affectionately known as "Gong Gong", I just do feel that Granddad has a warm feel to it, and that's exactly how he was as a person.

Granddad worked with KGB. No, he wasn't with the secret Russin police. That is the family code name for Kong Guan Biscuit. I remember when I was younger, how each time we visited his place, he would load our hands with Kong Guan Biscuits - those creamed ones that we loved as kids, those with pretty coloured icing on top, lemon-cream biscuits, Marie biscuits (best dipped in Milo/Ovaltine) etcetc. He had a sweet tooth as well and enjoyed these sweets with us.

In the Asian context, love is being shown in a less liberal, quieter sort of way, especially with the older generation. Granddad was like that, but he loved us all. He always made sure we were well-fed and made sure we got what we wanted, in the smallest of ways (like making sure we got to watch the TV programmes we wanted to). He sat in his favourite spot, quiet, most of the time, but we always got very warm welcomes when we got to his place.

Granddad slowly started to suffer from dementia, but he always tried to remember our names. He always wanted us to know he remembered us and loved us. Then, he suffered a stroke. Yet, through it all, he was oh so strong. I remember the times he mimicked my hand movements. Thumb for thumb, forefinger for forefinger. It was so amazing. Though he couldn't talk and couldn't even walk then, it was nice to just be with him. And through it all, my mom has been so strong for her dad, so patient, so loving. Wow.

We all believe Granddad is in heaven. And that's the best place to be...Take care, Gong Gong...

A long, fruitful day.

2006-08-27T01:30:00.000-07:00

Today has been truly amazing. So many things have happened, and God's presence has been just amazing the entire day. I love You Lord.

To a dear girl, you have been such an encouragement. You don't know how the light in your eyes just makes me so excited for you. So excited for what God wants to do in your life, so excited about the lives that you are going to touch for Him. I was truly touched by what you wanted to commit to God. And I really do believe that you will reach the goals that you've set. I will be here for you. You are such a sweetheart, and I just pray with you and for you even as you strive to know God more and more intimately. And I pray He grants you the desires of your heart, for yourself, for your family. *HugS*

To a dearest, dearest person, you've been through so much in life. I can't say I understand half of what you've been through. Yet, I want to be there for you, just as you have been for me. You really don't know how much of your lifestyle has come into mine. I smile just thinking of how your passion for life has seeped into me. You have always encouraged me to allow the light in me to shine and I am not afraid for it to. The smile of yours that goes right to your eyes (and translate into laugh lines...) is just amazing. I really have become a better person under your inspiration and influence. You are made to be a person of greatness for the Lord, and I'm glad that I get to participate in your life, to be able to experience His hand of grace in your life and the work He has done, is doing and is about to do in your life. *HugS*

Thank You sweet Lord. I have never felt as though I were living such a victorious life for You, as I am now. It's totally not me, but You, Holy Spirit, who's living and working through me. I choose to believe this is not just a momentary high, because I know Holy Spirit, You are in me, all the time, every single moment. Praise You, God! :) Hallelujah!! I'm excited about life!

Click.

2006-08-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

If you were given a universal remote control to fast forward bits of your life, would you. Would I. It was a thought-provoking show. Excellent show, I must say. Funny, yet heart-warming, makes you think about and cherish life. Wow. I actually teared up in the show. Ouch. I wouldn't want to live my life through with so much I didn't cherish. I want to love the people around me and know for certain that they know that I love them.

I guess the company made the difference too. :) It was an extremely lovely evening. Having someone who's passionate about life and enthusiastic in what he does, one who actually does live life to its fullest, sit next to you and smile and nod at the interesting nuggets of wisdom in the show is a nice feeling. Though I insist him wanting the remote control may not be that great an idea. ;)

Ended off the evening lounging with rather soothing music with a cup of warm Black Forest Latte and cookies! (And beer nuts and Erdinger) It was nice.

What a great way to end off a week. Free day on Fridays! Wooooohooo!! :)

Wow.

2006-08-12T00:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, wow, wow. Looking back, there are pretty many things to wow about. Let's start with the past couple of nights. Have been spending time with a lovely lady. A little shy at first, a little quiet, but nevertheless, has been great company the past few days. It's really pretty amazing that I'm actually getting to play host and getting to meet her dad, who's a well-respected speaker-cum-writer. Wow. Thank you Lord, for this honour. To be able to meet someone annointed by you with such gift and talent and be able to spend time with him and his lovely daughter. Wow. Thank you Lord.

And even though both Carrie and I have been dead beat almost every evening, we got to catch the fireworks (which I insist are for them... :P) and that was absolutely amazing. Check out the pictures. And like I told Carrie, photos sometimes don't do justice to the actual experience. The experience always counts for more. Any day.

I can't believe that time has whizzed by so quickly. She'll be leaving in a couple of days. I'll probably only get to see her one last time at her departure. And it's a little strange how one is able to form friendships so fast and it's a little sad having to be apart. It's always that way. But I guess I wouldn't have missed the chance for the world.

I guess I've met lots of people in the past month huh. It's strange. It's like. How do you keep all these friendships. Will they ever be lost? People change, times change, people move on, time moves on. It scares me sometimes. The saying, "Better to have love and lost, than never to have loved at all." Does it apply? Is it true? I guess so. The memories I've shared with people I've met in my life time...Truly amazing. I hate to let go of such things. I'm hardly sentimental. At least on the toughie exterior. But yes. These rage on the inside of me.

Nevertheless, thank you Lord for the people you've placed in my life. Thank you for the experiences I've had in my life. I love you Lord. Without you, the word, "amazing" wouldn't even have been in my dictionary. I would give you a big fat hug if I could right now. :)

I'm baaaaaaaack!!

2006-08-09T23:11:00.000-07:00

I've missed you bloggie!! *Big big big hugs*

I'm finally back in action. But so many things have happened. And looking back, I heave a sigh. It's a mixed sigh I guess. So much inside of me, all that's happened in the past month or so. Wow. Moving house. Attachment. STC. Great girls. Green walls. Unpacking. Inspiration. Fun. Family. Day of His POWER. Prayer. Smiles. Excitement. Joy. Gym.

Haha. That was a random list. And there is no particular order to it. Don't even know why gym came into mind. But I'm quite thankful there's a gym at my place now! No excuses like, "The sun is too hot to run in!!!" :)

Hmmm. I shall do solid blogging stuff when I've got stuff to talk about. But for now, it just feels good to be hooooooooooooome (in many senses of the word!). *Snuggles into my computer screen*

My Sweet Spot.

2006-07-12T04:49:00.002-07:00

Max Lucado's "Cure for the Common Life" has been inspiring and at an apt timing. I've always wanted to live an uncommon life for the glory of my Lord and Saviour. The book has been talking about finding your sweet spot and enjoying every moment of it.

I'm discovering my sweet spot day by day. With the attachment to the school at hand, I feel happier than ever. Tired no doubt, but happy. I love people. I love students. I hope that one day I will be a teacher that students respect and love and trust.

I started out rather fearful of how it'd be. But I'm learning loads, from the teachers, from my fellow attachees, from life. It's exciting. I might have to wake up before dawn breaks each morning. I might go nuts doing the paper work. I might have to take the yawns and moans and disinterest from some students. But. I will be a teacher.

I am not disillusioned by what I see. In fact, today has been a bad day. The vice-principal saw me leave school the moment the bell rang. (I was rushing to buy stuff for a school event. That she probably didn't know.) I was rushing home to jog away the teachers' cellulite but ended up over-rushing, leading to a rather nasty fall right in the middle of the road. I am tired. Yet, I am excited!!! LALALA!!

Ahhh. MacDonalds. I'm loving it!

2006-07-06T05:49:00.000-07:00

I've been here for the past 2 hours and more. My first proper access to the Internet in about a week. It's been very strange. Feel a little out of touch with the world without both the Internet and the telephone (the former used much more extensively than the latter usually). I still have my handphone. Yet, it's just a straaaaaaaaaange feeling for my dear lappy to be turned on without those green bars indicating wireless connection and to realise I don't have a telephone set in the house!

Feels good to be clearing out those emails and finding out stuff about my attachment and doing the online module preference exercise and what-nots. Finally. And yes. Now I can go back home and...watch TV. My favourite past time of late. Yup, there's nothing much else to do now before the attachment begins.

I'm excited!

Lalala. My thoughts are so random because I've got much more to say, but I think I shall go. Just thought I'd leave a message on my blog so Blogger knows that I'm alive and kicking! WOOOHOO!!

Sweet Affection.

2006-06-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

Looking at the people who've stepped into my life, especially in recent times, I have come to realise how much God has moulded and touched my life in more ways than one.

I said goodbye to yet another friend as he stepped into the jaws of Changi Airport. I barely had 6 hours to spend with him, after 6 months of not having seen him, after 6 weeks of becoming close friends. But it was sweet of him to drop by on transit nevertheless.

As we exchanged hugs at the departure gate, I realised that from a person who once shunned emotional exchanges and did not know how to express my affections, I have been able to more freely do so today. It is thanks to the sweetest people that God has brought into my life, whose warmth can move the coldest heart.

I don't know if these sweet people know who they are. But they have surely made an impact in my life, in ways they cannot fathom. Even though I know that one day I might have to say goodbye, even though our goodbyes might mean long absences from each other, I'm just glad to have all of you in my life. Thank you for the love. I love you.

It was that simple, huh?

2006-06-18T05:51:00.000-07:00

I think it's true. That sometimes we tend to choose to eat ourselves up by holding certain things against ourselves when the Father has already promised to take away stuff that holds us down, such as guilt or things which haven't exactly gone right because Jesus has died on the cross for our sins and is victorious.

After that incident, I realised I had wanted to avoid hearing from God. My spirit wanted to know what God thought about the entire incident. Yet my flesh was afraid of being disciplined. I did not want to know what I had done wrong. I did not want to know what my failings were. I did not want to know that I had failed. I had tried to ignore Him as much as I could.

But you know what? I realised I really couldn't keep away from His presence long. I was just walking around some place alone one day. And started my ramblings to God. Then I mused to myself, "I can't avoid you for long, can I, Lord?" I was still clueless about what I was to get out of it, but I really couldn't stand being kept apart from my Lord.

I believe God's timing is perfect. Because I was not able to dwell on the incident long when I went off again, away from here. And He reminded me so much about excellence and I was able to share my experience fresh from my mind. I never felt condemned by my God even when I was reminded of the event. Instead, it was more a motivation. I had been discouraged. But I am not about to quit like a sissy. God. You hear me. I want to press on. To lead a life of excellence for you and you alone.

And it's as though everything's over and done with. It's that simple. No one's bringing it up again. But I must have a debrief. The comm did a great job. Wonder how they feel about the event as well. I am still learning. Please be patient with me as I learn, Lord. I am but a silly old thing.

And just for remembrance sake. This was how beautiful it looked on that day, just as it was about to rain.

Winning Team, Losing Team.

2006-06-11T08:19:00.000-07:00

It's ironically funny how things always turn out to be this way. I am trying to be objective about the entire matter but I don't know where all this is heading. I'm confused. Tired. Lost. I know what I should do next but I can't see what will come out of it. I just want to be a coward for as long as I can be.

Recollection.

2006-06-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

As the summer break reaches it's midpoint, I suddenly realise that about the same time last year, I was preparing for 4 months away from home, to adventure in a foreign land. I remember that I was unwilling to leave the people who were dear to me, yet at the bottom of my heart, I knew that at the end of it, I would probably be unwilling to leave that foreign land.

I guess I was right.

And the Lord has certainly blessed me right from the start of the trip, from the warmth of having family close by, to the warmth of strangers turned friends, even close friends. From feeling slightly lost in an alien land, to being eager and excited to explore other alien lands like Boston and Chicago. God, You have been amazing. I may not always understand why certain things happened the way they have. I may not have done as much as I could have and made the most of such an opportunity, but I must say that God, You have been good. Lord, You are faithful and I love You from the bottom of my heart.

I am a wee bit melancholic, to recall those memories that are so etched in my mind. Bitter-sweet sort of feeling as usual. My heart skips a beat, thinking of those friends whom I love dearly but whom are not able to be close by me physically. Sometimes I wonder if I'm clinging on to a friendship based on past memories. Yet, I know that that is hardly true. And though we hardly see each other, either virtually or even less so, face to face, I believe that we have a sort of friendship that is quietly present and able to carry on exactly where we leave off. And no matter where they are, they are in my prayers, in my heart.

Ahh. I do miss them so. Kingston, Kingston, I miss you so too!

GDOP 2006

2006-06-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

Global Day of Prayer 2006. Wow. The word 'global' just gives me the chills. Imagine. All of the world praying. On the same day. For their own nation, for the nations around. Reminds me of what was once said during an economic geography lecture on globalisation. Though the debate on a whether globalisation has led to a world without borders remains, one thing is undebatable and that is that the presence of God transcends boundaries and can flow into any and every space.

Indeed, that is true. Thank You Holy Spirit, for Your presence there tonight. It was amazing just looking at the masses of people just lifting their hands in sincere worship to You. For You are worthy to be praised. You made the heavens and the earth and all creation declares Your glory.

Worshipping You under the sky was an awesome experience. It was as though we were practising to worship You like how we would in heaven, just to raise our hands as high as we can to glorify the One who deserves the highest praise. A glimpse of the heavens. With the wonderful colours. The shadows the clouds make with the setting of the sun. Wow.

There is great power in unity. There is also great power in praying in unity. And it's nice to know you're listening to every prayer. Including the prayer of that sweet taxi driver - Mr Ho Shen Quek. Another sweet person who has touched my life.

He gave us a free ride to the national stadium - venue for GDOP. He was a fellow Christian and promised to stop his cab to pray when we started praying at that national stadium. As he pulled up there, he said, "I'm giving you all a lift. It's free. God bless." There are those times where people do it out of some sort of reward (be it praise of men or to chalk up brownie points in heaven) but I can always tell apart a sincere, honest, humble voice. And such a voice belonged to Mr Ho Shen Quek. I was so blessed. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You've made my life a little sweeter.

Starry, starry night...

2006-05-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

I have never seen the night sky so gorgeous in my part of the world. It truly is a wonderful night. The air crisp. Fresh. Gentle-blowing breeze. I could not stop looking at the sky. The sky was as velvety blue as can be, cloudless, FULL of stars.

It is the first time I've looked up at the sky and have not been able to find Orion's Belt at once because there were so many other stars scattered around that this once stark feature now paled in comparison to the others that surrounded it. The sight was truly awesome.

I stopped walking for a bit, looked into the sky again. As I carried on walking, as slow as I could, I had my eyes fixed on the sky. Even when I stepped into my front gate, I couldn't help but take a few steps back again to look once more at the wonderful sight.

They reminded me of that day. That beautiful day that ironically washes a sense of melancholy over me. At the same time, Lord, as I look up into the sky, I marvel at Your creation. The intricacies Your handiwork, of life. And I know that beautiful days are made, every day.

Been lazy.

2006-05-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah. Have been tremendously lazy in updating my blog. What on earth have I been busy with? Just meeting people, which I must say can sometimes be tiring...Good friends of course are much easier, because you don't have to talk incessantly to fill up those gaps. But sometimes good friends also know you so well and ask such pointed questions that make you think till your brains fry. Have also been packing my room. Or trying to. At least getting rid of stuff. Whoa man. The pains of moving out. Yet I'm excited. So for now, it's just throw throw throw!! Ah. What a haphazard entry. But don't quite like not being in the comforts of my room, not being able to type on the soft keys of my laptop keyboard. My lappy's keyboard went wonky, so awaiting a replacement. Till then, my entries shall be so. Short. Not quite sweet. But oh wells.

Interesting Experience.

2006-05-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

I love meeting people. I've always felt that non-Singaporeans have a special place in my heart. Haha. I wonder why. But I guess it's just that most of them I've met have been more chilled out, less in a hurry and have more time to just stop to talk. A lot of them are very warm and sincere people. Of course, these are generalisations. I just appreciate different nationalities a great deal.

Meeting that Aussie bloke was the Interesting Experience. I finally understood the meaning of Global Citizen when I met him. He's hardly in any place for half a year. His main mode of transport is probably the airplane. He has meals in hotels. But wow. Pretty amazing life. Just glad that he enjoys it I guess.

Rich, yet humble. Great responsibilities, yet values. Yet, yet, yet. I wonder. Are there any moments in his life he feels a strange sense of loss? Would he feel a sense of belonging in the countries he frequents, would he feel as though he didn't belong anywhere, or would he simply not have the time to worry about nationality issues? Would there be more to life than working hard at his job, or would he get to experience more fulfilling relationships, even one with the Lord God?

Just made me think a lot. Hmmm. But it certainly was an interesting night.

Over and out.

2006-05-02T23:37:00.000-07:00

Yes. The dreaded exams are finally over. And it feels almost surreal. A very interesting experience, the entire process.

Firstly, thanks be to God, through and through. I've had an amazing time with the most amazing friends, just studying and keeping each other in prayer and reminding each other of God's peace that passes all understanding, that is readily available for us.

And I really felt the power of prayer throughout this entire process. It is really not about the not studying and then sitting for the exams knowing that God is with me. It is also not the other extreme where I finish studying every single bit of the content and am confident that God will hence give me good results.

Nothing of that sort.

It's just that the specific prayers that we prayed for each other, about our time for studying being maximised, or that we have an alert mind during the exam, or that we will understand the question and write to the point, or that God's presence will hover about us, or whatever it was that we prayed...There was this strong assurance of God's presence, that He is involved in the littlest details of our lives. Wow!

And thank you my dearest friends. The McCafe and McDonalds and Coffee Bean days are very much appreciated. :)

But now that the exams are over, I am feeling quite out of sorts. Need to get the act together.

7000-Smile-Project

2006-04-28T23:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a week due to the hectic-ness of the exams. And now that my trusty old lap top has finally crashed, I am even less inclined to blog.

Yet, happy things always have to be made time for.

While I was busy mugging away in the cool of the forum (which is a wonderful space to study, full of fresh air and plenty of room away from the strong mugger atmosphere like that of the library), a couple of girls approached our table with huge smiles.

One usually feels inclined to going, "Oh no, not again. Survey-time." But nope. They were not even asking a favour of us. They were on a project, the 7000-Smile-Project, aimed at blessing people's lives and being able to get 7000 smiles from these people. So they happily dropped off a packet of 3-in-1 coffee and captured our smiles on digicam as they went off blessing others as well.

They sure made me smile! I'll bet I was worth at least 5 smiles. :) :) :) :) :) They made me so excited. I want to embark on a Smile Project too! How cool is that?!?!

Abba Father.

2006-04-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

I was just sharing with my girls about what it really means to be able to call God, "Father". I think it just comes too easily, how our prayers always start with, "Father...". But upon preparing for cell today, it occurred to me that being able to call God, "Father" should not be taken for granted. It is because of a relationship restored with Him by the blood of His son. Wow.

They say that when you become parents, you tend to learn a lot more about what it is like for God to look down at His children and love His children...Just a little bit more. I learnt just that little bit more by observing. Some of those maternal instincts kicking in...Ha!

So, I sat at my cubby corner at Macs as usual, studying, when I watch this mom bring her two young children in and sit them down. The kids were really sweet, a more frisky little boy-toddler and his sweet older sister who was always watching out for him. As usual, I was playing peek-a-boo with the littler one, mostly to distract him when his mom and sister went to order food. Aside from his ear-piercing screams (imagine, this little boy will break his voice in 12 years time...), he was pretty sweet. And it was nice just watching the whole family function.

I digress. As usual. But there came a point of time when the mom wanted her daughter to get more nuggets for them all. So she handed her money and sent her off on that task. The queues were relatively long, mind you...But she marched off once she was given rather detailed instructions, though she looked a tad bit worried.

I was in admiration of the mom, letting her little girl run off to do such a big task. She could hardly reach the counter! As the little girl queued up, her mom peered from the corner, letting the lil girl do her thing, yet making sure she was alright. Then it struck me. Doesn't God do that sometimes?

Sometimes, our Father watches us from afar, making sure we're alright, but letting us do our thing so that we will learn and grow from the experience. He has always and will always be there, but there are times, like a kite, He releases more string, so that we'll fly higher. There are times when He knows we're frightened of the wind, and brings us closer to Him for assurance, that He may whisper His words of love to us. Yet, He is always there. For sure. Watching. Loving.

Abba Father, I love you.

Happy Birthday Rittie!

2006-04-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a little post to wish Rita HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I know it's a little late, but oh well! Here goes anyway because she's such a sweetheart. Life would not be the same without dear old Rita. She just makes things so happy and bubbly!!

Settler's Cafe that night was great! (If you insist..."It was so cool!!") We had a great time with those crazy games and it was just nice chilling before the heat of the exam prep. Must go there again yah?? And this time we'll be meaner at the Who's the Boss game. :)

Anyway, to end it off, here are some photos. One with the Valley Gorgeous Geobus (minus Sally...) and the other with the RV folksies. Wow! It's been a long time dears, and we didn't take photos in secondary school. Bah.

The theme of the party was rainbow-y by the way...Hence the bright colours. If you actually zoom in, you can see my bright orange feather earrings!! :P But it was awesome. :)

By the way, Rita, if you read this, remind me to send you the photos I took...Hehe...

Supermarket shopping!

2006-04-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

I love supermarket shopping! I went shopping all by myself at Cold Storage today, for my lunches the next few days. Figured it'd save me some money. :) Might be healtheir too.

Ahh, walking through the aisles really made me feel like I was in Kingston, all independent again. Back then, there was a whole lot more variety. Eve and I felt very aunty-like picking up the apples, scanning them for dents and rotten bits and shaking our heads at the bad apples. There were all sorts of apples to choose from. They had proper names, though now all I remember is whether they were the crunchier sort or the softer, smaller sort I loved.

Cereals were awesome! I would just stand there and be in awe. Of course, I loved picking out the good deals, the no-frills cereal which would taste just as good, if not better. There's something about the wheat there. Even the wholewheat bread tastes so much better! And they at least indicate 100% wheat or 60% wheat, out of which of course my selection is the 100% sort. Healthier mah.

Ah. It was just so much of fun. Preparing those little meals. Getting excited about how much you save picking the house brands rather than something else. Taking photos of my creations. Ha. Today was reliving it just a little.

In His Presence.

2006-04-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, truly, in His presence is great joy. Easter Sunday. I often go through the motions of those special days, what a friend once termed the GCE --> Good Friday, Christmas, Easter. As much as I try to remind myself of the significance of each one, sometimes humanly, I just can't bring myself to set myself in the 'right mood'.

But I suppose God is a faithful God. This week has hit some dry spots here and there though there have been some amazing things that have happened. Yet, the dry spots always hit the hardest I guess.

So, coming to church this morning was a daze. (Literally, because I fell asleep on the bus and woke up AT the stop I was supposed to stop at, to see the door open. My brain took a while to figure that was my stop. It took a longer while to awake because I was in a dizzy state walking into church. Was probably not walking in a straight line.)

Anyway, what a sideline. Basically, I didn't expect much out of service today, because of the mood I had been in and was in. But there's no stopping the presence of God.

I shall narrate sequentially lest I forget the details. So here goes: Service started with worship, with songs like 'Crown Him With Many Crowns' and 'Celebrate Jesus Celebrate' and these were just songs that reminded me of my primary school days, yet like my current MSN nick - "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty...", God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Today, He is still crowned Lord of my life. And yes, Jesus has conquered the grave, so we celebrate, each and every day of our lives! There was an amazing sense of joy in my heart. Indeed, if Jesus had not risen, we'd be living in the greatest lie and would be the greatest fools. But no, we are children of the risen Saviour! Hallelujah!

After worship was testimony time. Before I go on, a little background information about myself. People who know me are sometimes amazed at the fact that I show so little emotion on the surface. (Though what rages in my heart......) For example, I'm not one of those bawling girls you see at tragic-love-story-movies.

So, I know that one way I feel God's presence really strongly is when He starts to minister so sweetly into my heart that the streams of living water (hahahaha) start to flow from my heart. And there's no stopping those tears.

Testimony time was WOW. Each and every one brought forth a fresh load of tears because God is truly so faithful. God is so good. He is real. He is alive. We serve a living Saviour. Wow. What can I say. He heals the sick. He protects His children. He even works in the hearts of the littlest ones. A mom was sharing how her daughter told her that when she worships, she feels something stirring in her stomach and this mom says to her little one, "It's the Holy Spirit!" and the daughter knows and wants to share this love with others as well. How innocent. How sweet. God, you love your little children.

Another mom was sharing how she was worried about her little son who had a raging fever and rashes and was afraid it was dengue. She praised God all night long and spent time in His presence and received His assurance. Better than that, God's presence, His light filled her bedroom and baby was healed. Hallelujah.

So many more testimonies of God's faithfulness. Thank you Lord for your reminder. It is not about how I feel. You are there every day. I choose to seek after you, all the days of my life. Continue to be merciful to me, because I might sometimes stumble and fall. But Lord, I will continue to pursue you. You are worth it. Worth every ounce of it.

Pluto-rian.

2006-04-14T05:35:00.000-07:00

I sometimes feel like I belong to another planet. I tend to get reclusive. I like to take things slow, just look around at non-humans, non-machines. I like to look at green living-things. Dogs make me exceptionally happy.

Human beings, on the other hand, are strange creatures. There are those who are all mysterious and closed-up. There are those who are mean and yucky. There are those who make you sad. There are of course, those who are so sweet and lovely. If only the sweet and lovely ruled the world.

What the world needs now, is love sweet love.

2006-04-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

I really thank God for bringing people into my life to 'restore my faith in humankind'. Such love. Some of these people include the friends who are closest to me and most important to me, yet some are mere acquaintances. Some, strangers.

Before I carry on, again I must pay tribute to one of the bestest friends anyone can have. We haven't prayed together for such a long time. Today was good. (Yes, aside the lamenting about you-know-whats and being obsessed with things we can't control. And yes, even though I could not study for my Thai oral exam tomorrow!!) But she's the sweetest thing. I don't know anyone else who's as postitive and sweet-natured as her. And she just makes me laugh and laugh and laugh all over again. *Cheesecake anyone?* <-- Inside joke. But yup girl, you know who you are.

Not that the other friends in my life aren't important. Of course you are!!!!!! Just that this entry wasn't really meant to pay tribute to close friends in particular. Why?

Because, more so, this week, I was touched by my lovely Thai teacher! She is simply amazing. She puts her heart and soul into preparing for lessons, not using the same old worksheets from the previous previous previous year. And she goes all out to be a friend, to be applicable, to tolerate our nonsense. Gosh. I love her. And to top it off, as a parting gift, she compiled our group photos into a little booklet that she made, and also wrote little messages (in Thai script of course!!) for us together with the individual shots she took of us! WOW! I was so touched. I really don't know what to say. How sweet is that?!?!?! So tomorrow is Thai oral. I hope I won't disappoint. She'll be one of the examiners! Yikes! Stressed out! So yes, Aacaan Jeab (Teacher Jeab) is certainly a very special person. She is my inspiration as a teacher.

Also, there was this lady boss in the stall selling drinks and stuff who touched my heart with her little act of kindness. My friend had hurt a finger and I was looking for ice to ice the swell. The lady didn't have ice in her stall at all. All except what was in the ice box that contained ice-cream. She scrapped out all the ice into a bag for me. Wow.

Together with these 2 people, I remember the pizza guy who gifted us a free pizza and plenty of road directions when we were hungry and lost in Boston.

If only we were a little more like them. What the world needs now, is love sweet love.

2006-04-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

discover your dog breed @ quiz meme Sheena wanted me to do this quiz. Haha. I loooooooooove doggies!! And Golden Retrievers are pretty cool. But I wanna be a German Shepherd like Nana!! I love German Shepherds. Arf.

Friends are...

2006-04-09T06:12:00.000-07:00

Friends are whom you learn lessons from. I've learnt a lot from you. Thank you!

Fajitas Nachos & Ferreror Rochers.

2006-04-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

Ah. I had looked forward to this, the entire week. What a way to mark the end of all those energy-sapping projects. I had lunch with two sweethearts. (The third one was unable to make it, but nevertheless still a sweetie...)

I really thank you Lord for the meal. It meant so much to me. That we were all just able to sit down for a simple meal together, a home-cooked meal and have so much fun preparing it! The *erm* Fajita-like thingies were pretty good, finger-licking good, I must say!! They struggled at trying to keep their chicken pieces and sour cream and salsa and lettuce and tomato bits within the wrap. Was pretty hilarious... :) The conversation we had, was even better than the food. No barriers, no awkwardness. Just good food stuffed in our mouths and lots of laughing.

Just a couple of photos to mark that wonderful time of fellowship, of sharing and enjoying each other's company.

Ahhhh. Lord, thank you. I really just ask your hand be upon them, that they will experience your reality more and more daily.

You are just amazing, how you've worked in their lives. You are truly faithful. Wrap your love around them, tighter than how we wrapped our Fajitas!

Ice Age 2

2006-04-06T01:02:00.000-07:00

Ice Age 2 was fantabulous. What a great break from all the hustle-bustle of the last few weeks. And I feel so unaccomplished. All that rushing about for a mere percentage. But anyway, that's not the point. Ice Age 2.

You know how the prequel is always better than the sequel because the scriptwriter has run out of witty lines by the second show? Well, obviously the scriptwriter was saving the punchlines for Ice Age 2. It was hilaaaaaaarious! One of the best animations I've watched so far. Monsters Inc. is my other favourite. Talk about creativity.

Now I know what I'm going to show my students when I talk about either global warming or about Singapore's population issues. My goodness. I wonder if some Singapore policy planner helped to sneak in the pro-natal message. Our species is running out! We need to procreate! For the sake of our species!

Anyway, I just realised how much I love hearing people laugh. Makes me happy. And it sure makes one feel like a kid all over again, to be surrounded by the kiddy innocent laughter all around (had a *ahem* kid sitting right next to me...). I love kids. And awww, there were some points where the kids went "uh oh!!" when the big bad crocodile-y thingies were going to catch up with the good guys. So sweet.

Great movie. Great night. Congrats to the big kid who landed a big summer job! :)

Blue da ba dee...

2006-04-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

BLUE

You give your love and friendship unconditionaly. You enjoy long, thoughtful conversations rich in philosophy and spirituality. You are very loyal and intuitive.

Find out your color at Quiz Me!

If I were really to re-start my blog. I guess lazy short entries such as this one might help. Moreover it's one of those cut and paste results from little online quizes. Just thought I'd put it up since I really am a 'blue' person :)

Photos from Chicago.

2006-01-05T18:58:00.000-08:00

Due to my dearest aunt's request for the Chicago photos, I've placed online a selected few. We took pleeeeeenty of photos. I guess photographs are the best souvenirs one can get from a place. Yet, as much memory as they contain, some do not do justice to the place itself! :)

http://community.webshots.com/user/nice2tango3

New Year Resolutions

2006-01-04T17:04:00.000-08:00

So some people's new year resolutions they faithfully keep, especially if the resolution is to stop making new year resolutions since often they do not come to pass.

I don't quite believe in new year resolutions either, but I carry a lot of excitement into the new year, anticipation of what is to come, and what role I have to play in the new year. I suppose that's new year resoultion enough.

Though 2006 started off very melancholic for me, barely noticing the 10 second count-down at MacDonalds with a close friend, adrenalin cannot stop rushing through my veins each time I think about what God has in store for this year. I may be in a different place as the last half of the year, but He is the same God! The same beautiful God who has created beautiful things.

Yes, Singapore is beautiful as well. I was just sitting at the river front one night and admiring Singapore's skyline. Beautiful. With the Benjamin Shears Bridge in the foreground and the skyline in the back. Wow.

I guess if I were really to think of a new year resolution, it would be not to take things for granted, but to admire the beauty around me, to remember to smile upon God's creation, to enjoy God's presence through such wonder.

Back for a couple of days.

2005-12-26T07:06:00.000-08:00

So I wonder who still comes to my blog since I've been back a couple of days. But for the sake of closure, I shall key in this entry.

I am back in the sunny island of Singapore. Stuffy air, crowded streets, reserved people. But I guess it's home. And home's always a nice place to be.

I've taken a little of Kingston home with me and it will always have a special place in my heart. But I shall continue to make the most of what I have, my experiences in life.

Thank You dearest Lord for the wonderful opportunity. Thank You for the lessons I've learnt, for the sweetest people I've met. Thank You for showing me Your love from different angles. Hallelujah. I praise You!

I miss them already.

2005-12-20T18:31:00.000-08:00

I've been settling down in the cosyness and warmth of my aunt and uncle's (and my cousin's of course). They are once again, hopsitable to the max, feeding me with the best food and making sure I'm warm and well-entertained.

I was walking around Downtown Toronto myself today, and just recapping all of my traveling memories, how much I miss each of my traveling buddies. They know who they are. Like when I went to the Royal Ontario Museum and saw a really cool mummy display. I was immediately reminded of the person who was oh-so-excited about mummies and wished I could share the experience with the person. And there was a massive display of arms and armour, which brought me to think of someone else. And when the flurries came down and the beautiful snowflakes fell onto my mitt, I could not help but wish they were there to share my joy with me. And of course, how could I not help but smile when I saw the ice-skaters on the rink at City Hall? I was so tempted to relive the moment from Chicago, but decided against it for two reasons - one, that it was not going to be the same without my travel buds and two, erm, well, there were no railings! Haha!

Whatever it is, it's strange. I miss them already. Life goes on I guess, unfortunately. But there is hope yet. As I was buying tickets to the ROM (that is the Royal Ontario Museum for you, not Singapore's Registry of Marriages!!), upon finding out I was from Singapore, the lady said she had met a friend from Singapore in her first year of university whom she still keeps in touch with.

Nice.

I resolve to do that, no matter how busy I am. And I shall keep each one in prayer, just as how dear Farell touched my heart when he said he'll keep me in prayer, because that is the best way to remember someone by.

Coming back to Singapore soon...Christmas time!!

Saying goodbye.

2005-12-15T06:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the Japanese girls threw a party for us to send us off. They'll stay another semester at Queens while we will be taking off, leaving on a jet plane, not knowing when we'll be back together again. They prepared the most awesome Japanese meal and they had the sweetest sweetest sweetest (no number of repetitions can fully describe the extent...) surprise presentation in a room FULL of balloons. All 939 of them (which Chikako had bought in Chicago while shopping with us).

But oh, why does it always take so long to sink in. I never cry at such occasions. Sweet emotional girls like Eve do. Hehe. But all that happens is my heart pounds harder, more painful pumps with every breath I take. My legs tremble at the thought of saying goodbye. My lips tremble. The tears threaten to come. But they never do. Call me emotionless. Or emotionally awkward. But when I sit alone in my room and recall it all over again, I just might cry.

Goodbye Chikako. Spending 4 months with you and growing so close, I wonder what it'll be like to not see that smile that brightens my day. I wonder what it'll be like to not hear your endearing Japanese-English accent. I wonder what it'll be like to not feel the warmth of your hug.

They say all good things have to come to an end. They also say not to be sad about these things coming to an end, but to rejoice that they have happened. Indeed, I thank God that Kingston has happened (despite all my initial protests). But yet, an air of melancholy lingers.

Chicago

2005-12-07T20:19:00.001-08:00

Long road trip. Comfy car. Good mess. Three girls and a guy. Cool motel. Glenview. Complimentary breakfast. Chicago. Shopping. Architecture. Skyscrappers. Snow. Snow angels. Snowflakes.Waterless fountain. Museums. Ferris Wheel. Wind. Taxi. Chills. Metra. Tuna sandwiches. Dunkin Donuts. Better still - Krispy Kreme. Ice-skating. Falling down. Getting up. Awesome views. Night skyline. Fajitas. Tacos. Chicago Cheesecake. White Castle. Driving. Getting lost. And found. Conversations. Stars. Once-off fireworks. Shooting stars!. Parking lot. Home not-so-sweet home. Exams.

Yikes. I didn't mean to end with the reality of it all. But Chicago was an awesome trip. I had a great time with the people who went and seriously, I choose to refrain from going on and on with a bland narration of what happened. So for memory sake, the points are there. Just as photos don't always capture the beauty of the reality, neither do words.

2005-11-30T20:02:00.000-08:00

It's strange, but I was just thinking about my mom's homecooked food. So if you're reading this, mom. Haha! :) I miss your cooking!

2005-11-27T14:17:00.000-08:00

My biggest regret is that you've been so little involved in this.

Went to Toronto & Montreal this past week...

2005-11-25T17:30:00.000-08:00

...so here are the photos...

http://community.webshots.com/user/nice2tango2

P.S. Thanks to my dearest aunt and uncle, who were so hospitable and all in Mississauga, sending me around. Plus I was often not in the house! Feel so bad! And to my dearest cousin, I probably won't be there on your birthday, but hope you like the present! :P

You've touched my heart again.

2005-11-23T23:42:00.000-08:00

Lord, my main desire is to please You. Why is it that often I struggle with sin and often choose something that I know does not please You? And everytime I fall, I feel separated from You, as though I have failed yet again.

Your promise in John 10:10 - "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." is so heartening, yet why is it that I often don't feel that freedom?

AIA was awesome today. I'm glad I went even though I had just come back from Montreal. The Holy Spirit's presence was so strong during Lindsay's message. She spoke with a Holy Spirit fire because it was obvious that she had been strongly moved by what He had assured her with. And I too have been moved by God through her courage, her obedience to share with us.

Yes. I often fall short of it. But the battle within the recesses of my heart and mind and soul has never been sin vs. God. Instead, it is God in me battling with sin. We no longer have to wake up with a heavy heart, knowing we will again fall into the clutches of sin because God is on our side. Sin is no longer part of our identity. We are dead with Christ but also ALIVE with Him!

Go read Romans 6, 7. We are free. Eternally. Through Christ we have been set free. Feel the freedom. Feel the weight off your shoulders. We were never meant to live under the burden of sin. Christ has set us free! Take a deep breath. Breathe in the goodness of God. Amazing love, how can it be, that You, my King! would die for me! Amazing love, I know it's true. It's my joy to honour You...In all I do, I honour You!

God loves us and that's what it was meant to be. It is not to live a life of condemnation, of guilt, of making yourself feel bound to strict tradition. It is about living life free. And to the full. Abundantly. Forever.

Hallelujah.

Birthday prayer for a dearest friend...

2005-11-13T08:12:00.000-08:00

HaPpY BirthDaY SeReNe aka KoNG BaK Pau! :)

I said I'd say a special prayer for her, especially since I can't be there to spend her birthday with her or to give her a hug. So a prayer transcends all time and space. Here goes:

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the 13th of November, way back in 1985 when Serene was born. You made her beautiful and she is Your perfect creation. You created her inmost being; You knit her together in her mother's womb. She has been fearfully and wonderfully made.

Today, I ask that Lord, You continue to bless the works of her hands and the thoughts of her heart. You know that she seeks to glorify You in all that she does. I ask that people around her will be touched by the love that she has for them, love that comes from You. I know that my life has been touched by her and You continue to use her mightily for Your glory. Hallelujah.

God, also, I ask for Your protection over her life. Be it from any harm or danger, or any hurts and distress, in Jesus' name, I ask You protect her. Whenever there has been any hurts or anything that is not whole, restore it Lord. Continue to allow that joy that is in her to flow unrestricted, all the time, that people might see that it is the joy of the Lord and come to know that joy too.

I ask for wisdom. Thank You that You have revealed so much to her through Your word and I ask that You continue to bestow upon her wisdom that she knows only comes from above, that she may again use this wisdom for Your glory.

Finally, in the areas of heart. God, thank You that we can come to You to submit the issue of finding our life-partners into Your hands. And I ask that even right now, You prepare Serene's heart and prepare the heart of her future husband, because You are the one who perfects a marriage! :) You know who's best for her, and together, they and their household will serve You and praise You, all the days of their lives. :)

In Jesus precious name I pray,
Amen!

In the doghouse...

2005-11-12T17:03:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not in great trouble. I was literally in the dog house! :) Went to visit Kingston's animal shelter on Friday. With a bunch of people from a club in Queens aptly called 'Lost Paws'. What this club does is that it arranges for car rides to ferry people to the animal shelter and give the little lost paws some TLC.

It was my first time and I was reaaaaaaaally excited. I haven't got in close contact with any animal since I left my dear Rusty at home. So what did we do that day? We walked dogs! (There was a cuddle-the-cats option, which I was well, less excited about though I have nothing against cats...)

The first dogs that caught my attention, and another Lost Paw-er were these two shaggy little doggies. They were poodles, but not like those you see in Singapore, those strange white woolly things...They had grey fur that looked like a mop and covered their eyes. It was queer because they were just sitting together at the end of the cage, not making much movement. But they were so sweet and since they were caged together, we felt they had to be walked together as well. So Andie (she's a girl...odd name eh?) and I took Pepper and Missy out.

As we were carrying the little precious pups out, the vet there told us, "Hey girls, they are so sweet aren't they? You can take them out, but I just wanted to let you know that these dogs are blind, so you have to watch out for them ok?"

Awww...Those little things were blind! Their owner had been sent to a home, so they were left alone. But! An elderly couple who were supposed to adopt a spaniel at the shelter were too late for the spaniel, and they fell in love with Pepper and Missy (who wouldn't...) and they've been adopted. Yay! :)

But they were so sweet. We let them loose in the dog run and they were just so excited. Each time you called their names, they would prick up their ears and come running back to you...Their sense of sound was excellent! And they'd be so excited and jumpy and loving. Awww...Oh, but it was well, a little funny, a little sad when they ran into the fence that surrounded the dog run because of their excitedness. But they were fine. So yeah. :)

The saddest part was when we put them back to go walk other dogs. They started whimpering and wouldn't let us go!! Awwww...They were so lonesome...We were so reluctant. But oh wells. They other dogs were just as eager to go for a walk...Sighs.

I managed to walk another dog...A Siberian Husky mixed! It was a husky, but it had ears that flopped down! Hehehe...The opposite of my Rusty. Rusty is supposed to be a Jack Russell but his ears stick out...This Husky, (name's HUNTER!) is supposed to have upright ears but apparently they're down! Hehe. But he's really cute. And frisky.

When I came in, he started licking up every single scrap of food in his bowl. He probably thought I was going to eat his food. When I took him out, he was elated! He's kinda a big dog, so he was kinda dragging me around. Hehe. But it was alright. It was a nice experience since I've always wanted to have a big dog! I also realized I do need to train up a little to make sure that I am strong enough to handle them. Haha. I took a treat with me to keep Hunter in control...Just in case he got a little too strong, I had a treat with me. And it worked! I really love big dogs. So huge and cuddly.

I didn't bring my camera in. Grr. So I don't have photos of them yet. But I'm going again next Friday! Yay!! :)

First snow!

2005-11-10T17:09:00.000-08:00

This morning, Kristin, my housemate was all excited. Our conversation:

"I saw snow, I saw snow!"

I looked out.

"Your eyes are playing tricks on you."

"I saw white stuff falling."

"Rain?"

"There it is again!"

True enough, white stuff was falling from the sky. It was not rain. Rain comes straight down as gravitational forces act on it. But erm. This white stuff, it floats in the air...But, it wasn't quite snow either. It was just bits of ice, like bits of shaved ice from ice-kachang.

BUT! I finally got to see snow in the afternoon! And walked in it. I was probably the only idiot who was smiling my way home cos the snow was quite pretty. None of it accumulated on the ground of course, cos it's not quite time for that. It's only the 10th of November! Gosh! :)
But yes, snow.

Reminds me of Chris Tomlin's - "Indescribable":

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
'
None can fathom
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Hahahahahaha...When I read through the verses again, before the chorus, the answers went through my head...It's You, God! It's You! You've seen the heavenly storehouses laden with snow, just waiting to release the flakes and fall all pretty down on Kingston, and of course the other parts of the Earth. Hehe. Oh, when it was the earlier part of fall, I was also singing the other verse of the song, really appreciating the beauty of it all. ("From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring, every creature unique in the song that it sings!") How can there not be God.

Praise.

2005-11-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

I read this book about the ABCs of praise just before I left for Canada. I remember being really excited about it because it did open up my praise to God and made me more specific on how to praise Him for, thus making it more sincere and real. Well, it's been 2 months and I have not even done that. So I decided to because God deserves all our praise and our honour.

How Awesome are you oh Lord. I have had the most Amazing journey that I know, You provided. The Beauty You have allowed me to experience makes me go Ballistic. Lord, You are Beauty epitomized. For You Created the things around. You alone are Constant even when seasons change and the leaves fall. You are the Conqueror of Darkness. Darkness trembles in the light of Your glory.

I celebrate in Your Divine power with Dancing. I smile and live abundantly for I know that You are a God of Everything. You are my Everything, the very Essence of what I am, who I am. You catch me when I Fall and even when I've been far from You, You have been such a Friend. I would be a Fool to ever turn my back against You.

Instead, in all I do, I want to Glorify Your name, for You are worthy of all of it. In fact, You are worthy of much more. You are Goodness and I Honour You. You deserve the Highest praise. I want to praise You like that sweet Innocent child with that child-like faith, to know that though sometimes I don't feel or see You, I always know, Holy Spirit, that You are In me.

I want to Jump for Joy, excited to love You and obey You. I want people to know that You are the King of my heart, that they too will experience Your Kingdom. I Live for You alone, to tell the story of Your wondrous Love, how You gather the Lost and Lonely and Love them to bits.

Messiah! I love You. You never cease to Move me each time I think about Your death on the cross. Nothing comes close to what You have done. Your Nail-scarred hands speak of an Offering that can match no other. Thank You that You have chosen me to Open up my heart to You, that Your love has filled every crevice of my heart and given me great Purpose in my life. Prepare me dear Lord, to do great works in Your holy name, that I may Point People You love so much to the Father and they too, will Praise You.

Hallelujah. :)

Cold, dark and hungry.

2005-11-02T17:31:00.000-08:00

I feel like a little child, afraid of the dark. It is 5pm. And it's dark. As a geographer, I should be excited about the fact that this is due to the Earth rotating about the sun and the fact that I am in the Northern hemisphere and hence experience shorter days.

I am not excited.

The dark feels scary, especially when it creeps in before you know it. You expect the light to linger about a little more but it disappears as it is invaded by night. Dark isn't scary if it's supposed to be night. It only feels strangely eerie when it comes when it isn't supposed to (or at least at the Equator, it isn't supposed to).

So now, it's not only the cold that is making me blue. The dark is making me oh so blue. Sighs. And what do you do when you're blue? Eat.

Halloween! :)

2005-10-31T08:42:00.000-08:00

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...

2005-10-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

Pasta in black sauce.

2005-10-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

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.

2005-10-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

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.

2005-10-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

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!!

2005-10-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

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!

2005-10-25T00:39:00.000-07:00

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..."

2005-10-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

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?

2005-10-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

'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!

2005-10-16T01:11:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

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 :)

2005-10-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

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!

2005-10-06T17:29:00.000-07:00

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...

2005-10-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

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!

2005-10-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

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...

2005-10-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

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. :)

Little little details of my life right now... :)

2005-09-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

First things first...This entry was saved as a draft for a while cos something was wrong with Blogger. Sighs. So here goes...

Yupyup, so right now no major stuff's been happening in my life I guess. Things are going on pretty quickly (a little too quickly!!) and work is piling up waaaayy too quickly. But here are the bits of life that still make it interesting and exciting!!! :)

OK, first things first...I've never introduced you to the people who have made my world beautiful. And when I say world, I am talking about well, the house that I live in for now. Hee. So yeah, this couple works on the house and have been absolute darlings. The place I rented is unfurnished. But they've brought the bits and ends from their home, on their own accord and made my house a little home-ier each day. They aren't even the landlords! They merely work for the landlords but my! They are such a sweet couple!! Here is their picture and if you look carefully, the beaaaaaaautiful table they are standing behind is the really nice country table that they brought from home. It makes mealtimes so much more enjoyable!! *Hugs to Tom and Dorothy!*

I'm always sooooooo excited when they bring in new furniture. Once, they brought a lil shelf thingie for me, for MY ROOM, simply because "Oh, I just thought you might need some furniture." Ahh!! Isn't that just so thoughtful of her?! And that is NOT all! Since I am still sleeping in my sleeping bag, she thought the floor would get cold (and it is!!!!) because the floors are made of hardwood. So they brought me a rug!!! A huuuuuge rug from home so that I won't be cold!! I was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy when I saw it!! Wow, wow wow...So check out my room now...The shelf in the back and the nice new rug which I have happily placed my sleeping bag on. But I will get my bed! Actually, I have a bed now!!! 30 bucks for a bed and the stand. Pretty good deal. VERY good deal. Will upload photo of my new bed later... :) This was the before, with the rug...

Last but not least. I am once again proud of my very own creation for mealtime. Pizza! I should name it...OK, so impromptu, here I go: Green Mushmato. Yikes. Will think of a better name next time. Now I know why they find it so hard to name dishes. Anyway, Green Mushmato is so called (if you didn't already realize) because of the Green Peppers, Mushrooms and Tomatoes in it. Ha. How original. Tsktsk. But doesn't it look yuuuuuuuummy? Everyone, I am feeding myself well! :)

Homecoming...

2005-09-26T23:42:00.000-07:00

No, I am not coming home. Homecoming was very much an eye-opener. For two reasons. Firstly, there was the American Football game that was played, the Golden Gaels (solid name, eh?) from Queen's versus the Ottawa Gee Gees (gee, what a name...)! It was my first time at such a match and it was pretty interesting (after having been explained to) and seemed pretty painful. And there were amazing cheerleaders too!!

But most of all, it was the atmosphere that was amazing. Homecoming is a time when the alumni comes back to visit, so the stadium was packed and although the Golden Gaels didn't do too well in the end, it was the Queen's spirit that was lingering in the air.

What I loved was the Alumni walkthrough. The happiest oldest Alumni was there! Check out the photo! Class of 1930 and 1940 leh!!

I felt pretty blessed to be part of the experience. I felt quite proud of Queen's though it's only going to be school for me for the next 3 months? NUS, having such a long history should have fun stuff like that! The Centennial Celebrations were pretty...Quiet.

Anyway, that was in the morning. At night, there was to be crazy wild partying at the infamous Aberdeen Street. I went!! Not to party, but just to check it out and to take some photographs. I went with the 2 macho guys I know, so they kept me safe. :) My housemate came along and I had the wildest adventure. Whew. Glad it's over. 'Nuff said about it. But a thank you to a dear friend, you know who you are...I owe you one!

But the party was really wild. I've never seen something on such a large scale.

The Kingston police were really excited too. Check out the horses parading the streets that night! They were pretty fierce, nosing people off the streets. Yikes. But pretty horses.

Yeah, so that was the wild party. Had to go look-see look-see. Such a rare sight in Singapore. That certainly was the second eye-opener for me at Homecoming. The students went so wild. *tsktsk* Even a car was overturned (though I didn't quite see that for myself...). The whole Kingston is talking about it now. Everyone's not happy with the student community. Hmmm...Oh wells.

Go check out more photos from Homecoming. Haven't got a complete set of the Aberdeen Street photos yet though.

International experience!

2005-09-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

I've had dinner out the past few of nights and though heavy on the wallet, it's been a really cool experience. Why? Because each time we spend time with different groups of friends, or our friends' friends, and since we know many other international exchange students, we have really cool international experiences!

On Wednesday night, I had a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE dinner at a Greek restaurant (Shariq and the photo he took of my food can vouch for that!!!!) and it was fantastic. It came with a huge portion of Greek salad and rice and potatoes and the main course. I could have survived on the side dish. My dish was called Mousaka. It's like made of layers of potato with egg plant and ground beef in between. Yum!! I'll upload the photo when Shariq sends it to me. *ahem*

Anyway, aside the food. Yes, I was supposed to talk about the international-ness of the experience. There were two Germans, a Norwegian girl, two Canadians, two Indian/Singaporeans (the usual *haha*) and of course the Singaporean me! Will upload the photo another time as well.

Yesterday, we went to Curry Village - Indian food...And amidst us were the same two Indian/Singaporeans and a British girl and my Spanish friend! Ahhh!! So cool eh? It's like this whole mix of different cultures coming together. It's a nice experience I guess :) And here's the photo we took together! :)

My Photo Page...

2005-09-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

Here's the website for the rest of my photos. Not all have been uploaded. But all the Niagara ones are...Plus my Orientation & Ottawa. All for Tania's sake :) Hi girlie! :)

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/eunicet.rm/my_photos

Tributes to people far away but close to my heart...

2005-09-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the love of my life. Sure it's not easy to have such a long-distance relationship. But it sure is a test of time. 4 months isn't too long, but it's long enough. Thanks for holding on dear. And I'm clinging on, as a pitbull to its prey. (That's my non-emotional side working up. :) ) It's worth it.

Ahhh...My dearest dearest Serene. I think we never tire of taking photographs. But here's another one then I can't remember we took. Thanks for lifting me up in prayer. *Hugs* Love ya girl.

BTW, there is no particular order of who I love most...Haha. But this is Sheeeena!! Thanks for always encouraging me and listening to me. And for taking on the roles I left behind!!! We haven't taken enough photos!!
:( *Hugs* Love ya too...

Serene & Nana...You gals have been fantastic. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for being who you are, for never judging me but just being friends. You gals are awesome.

I love every single one of you. And I thank God so much that He's brought you into my life. I'm not feeling homesick or particularly vulnerable or anything. I just wanted to say how much you all mean to me. Praise the Lord that we have His love binding us! Yay! :)

When I Survey The Wondrous Cross... tears

2005-09-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

This song is amazing. Speaks so much of the trauma that You had to go through dear Lord. Yet all that I can offer You is simply so small, so insignificant. Thank You for loving me the way You do. For being ever so patient with me. It was my sin that put You on that cross. Thank You that if it were just me, You would still be up on that cross shedding innocent blood. I know I still crucify You daily with what I sometimes do. And it cuts my heart to think of the grief I put you through. But I love You Lord. From the bottom of my heart. I give You my soul, my life my all.

Niagara Falls!!!! (1)

2005-09-19T17:49:00.000-07:00

Our God is an awesome God. He reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power and love, our God is an AWESOME God! Hallelujah! All I could say when I saw the falls was awesome awesome awesome. God, You are awesome. His creation is perfect and it leaves me speechless. I had a fantastic time at the falls. And the most amazing thing happened. I almost can't believe it myself. And I thank God that He is a God that cares even to give me these little surprises in life. I love you Lord. *Big big grin*

Okay, so before I say what happened, here's a snapshot of one of the falls at Niagara! Awesome sight! I believe, this was the Canadian side of the falls, the Horseshoe Falls. Cool ain't it?! More coming up!!!

Ok, so I had the most amazing ride on the Maid of the Mist as you will see coming up soon. And it was really cool because we got to see the falls right up front and feel the gentle (not quite!!) spray of the falls. How can a fall of this intensity be gentle right?! :P

So I got reaaaaaaally wet on the Maid of the Mist. Here's before, with a new-found friend from Spain! - Beatriz:

And here's after!!!

Niagara Falls!! (2)

2005-09-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

And of course, the most beautiful were the rainbows. If you ever want to be reminded of God's EVERLASTING covenant, just come to Niagara because there will always be rainbows to remind you of God's faithfulness. So hereeeeeeee!! So pretty right???? That one is formed by the American Falls...

And this huuuuuuuge one that Beatriz tried to capture in whole was almost impossible to. Behind is the Horseshoe Falls, which I guess can't really be seen. Hee...

OK, just a couple more pictures and I'll tell you about my night adventure!!

Won't you look at the force of that!!!!

OK, I have many many more pictures. But I'm not quite the camera man, so the pictures aren't the most exciting to see. But God is the ultimate artist! :) Woohoo!

Niagara Falls (3)

2005-09-19T17:44:00.000-07:00

3 entries on Niagara Falls. I hope this is the last, though it might not be! But finally. To the little surprise I got when I was at Niagara. It started like this...My newly-found friend from Spain, Beatriz...Well, we went off exploring together. Suddenly, she spotted racoons! There were plenty of them! But it was hard to take a photo because they were far up a wall and it was getting dark. Below is an example of how the photo turned out. :P

Yes, all you see are the eyes. Right in the middle. Bleah.

So what happened is that Beatriz, in all her eagerness and excitement was climbing up the little slope to get closer to the racoons. Someone from the room upstairs called down, "Where are you from? Don't they have racoons over there?" Hahaha...We were like, "NO!" So he invited us upstairs to see the racoons! Surprise number ONE! So here are the racoons we saw!

There was even one who stayed in the drain and he was trying to get his little paws on the food...

To carry on, I'll have to use another post. Ha. Sorry about that...

Niagara Falls - Last one, I promise!

2005-09-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

Well, the racoons were surprise number one. But guess what...The "little room upstairs" where we went to visit the racoons is actually the control centre for the light show of the Niagara Falls!!! So the man actually invited us to stay up there for the show...AAAAAAND! He allowed us to turn on the lights for him and change the colours of the lights as we wanted! How awesome is that?!?!?! I even have a certificate to prove that I was there. It says on the cert: "I lit Niagara Falls" Hahahaha!! I was simply THRRRRRRILLED! Check out my photos of proof. Hee...The middle photo with the man is the guy who's in charge of the lights :)

Yup, so that's it. Thanks for being so tolerant folks. Hee. Just wanted to share a little bit of Niagara with you all :) And to end off, a BIG (HERSHEY) HUG home to Singapore! :)

Life since school STARTED...

2005-09-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

Well, school has finally started!! And my blog entries have started to slow down because life is slightly less exciting because most of the time is school. But hey! guess what! I managed to cook my FIRST dinner during the week! Check out the photo. I was so proud of myself and just so excited. The weird thing you see below the veggies is fish with Italian seasoning and garlic. Yum! Really, yum!! :)

Anyway, school. It's pretty cool to be walking along this nice nice campus, though it still feels a little surreal till now. The weather has been pretty warm, though today the temperature just dropped quite a bit! And you must always take in the WIND factor! It's the thing that makes you shiver...*Brrrr* But I was trying to play hero. I tried walking home with my jacket off. It was alright I guess. Argh! I wonder if I'm putting on some fat to block the cold!! :P

Okay, I just got distracted and went off talking about the weather. Shows you how interesting class is I guess. Not much to talk about. :) Well, the way class works here is pretty different. Most of my lectures are a lot smaller. Besides a night class I have, the largest lecture group is just about a hundred. The others are way smaller, like half that size and there's one that has only 15 people! For a LECTURE! And some of the lectures are a lot more interactive! Like an English lecture I had (ENGL 206 - History of the English Language), people were just raising their hands and giving their opinions. I thought that was way cool! :) I even got to talk! Woohoo! And the prof was asking who would say they have accents other than Canadian...My hand went up! Singaporean accent! Wahaha!! :P

That's English class. It was pretty interesting. All my other geography ones vary greatly. For 2 geog courses, I have lecturers who are kinda old and one talks really fast, the other mumbles! But either way, the content is interesting I guess, learning about lakes and about third world development (different courses lah...). But guess what?!?!??! The field trip that I so wanted to go for has been cancelled! For the lamest reason! Because we don't have a Teaching Assistant! I have made my complaint known to the Geog Department head. Bleah! The reason I took this was for the field trip. You hardly get any cool field trips in Singapore! (My coolest was...Bukit Timah Hill?!)

Anyway, for the other 2, I have rather young lecturers, one of them being pretty cute (in the words of my friend, uh-uh, not me... :P). So that's it. This seems to have been a pretty boring entry. Ha. But I'm going to go to Niagara Falls tomorrow! Will be taking loads of photographs! For my students in the future! Yay! Actual photographs that I can say I took. Geography coming alive. Whooopeee!! :)

Breakfast!

2005-09-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

Daniel first taught me to eat cornflakes with yoghurt and milk. Thank you dear! Cos it's a fantastic breakfast! Except since I only bought Cheerios, I'm eating it with Cheerios... :) Looks good ay?

Queen's University at Kingston! :)

2005-09-13T02:03:00.000-07:00

Darn. It seems my blog is really boring and not at all very smart because I've hardly talked about anything except blandly narrated what's been going on in my life, and just putting captions for pictures!! Hmmm. Hope to change that a little when I get the inspiraiton. But for now, since it's the first day of REAL school, more pictures! Ha!

This is a picture of the John-Deutsch University Centre, fondly known as the JDUC (pronnounced jay-duck). The Canadians seem to shorten everything really cool-ly...Like the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) is pronnounced you-hip. Ha. Cool huh? :)

Just thought this is a pretty nice shot, especially with the pretty tree. In the back back ground, a rather interesting looking building is the Stauffer Library. It's huge.

I can't believe I'm actually in Queen's. The 2 above are one of those shots like from the movies, but I'm actually here. I can't quite believe that still.

OK, moving off campus, across Princess Street, the busiest street in Kingston, a very long long stretch, but only part of it I have to walk thru to get home...Look at the picture below for a pretty nice picture of Princess Street, with the lights and stuff...

Yup, so that's it for this round of photos. I still have a photo of the outside of my house that I want to put up. Maybe when my entire house is done with renovations and I can take pictures all over the house. :) Oh, oh oh!! By the way, I saw a FAT RACOOOOON outside my house just now! But my camera was not doing too well in the dark, so I didn't manage to get a photo!! But I saw a REAL racooon!! So cool! :)

Last night of orientation before sobs school starts!

2005-09-11T00:06:00.000-07:00

Yup, so tonight there was a semi-formal kinda party and it was pretty nice, being served in a Harry Potter kind of hall (as seen in one picture below...). Ahhh. End of the fun, school's gonna start in a couple of days time. Tomorrow will be the first time I'm attending church in Kingston! Yay! So excited!! Bethel Church...And there's gonna be a Power Praise & Worship at night too...Way cool! :)

So here are some pictures I took at the party...

This is my good Japanese friend - Chikako (not Chicago!!) happily displaying her food. She was insistent on getting the Harry Potter kind of hall in the background. :P

Again, with all the girls. Mostly the Asian girls. Think the Jap gals are really pretty. Not that the others aren't lah, but yeah, it was fun seeing everyone dress up. Hee. I was kinda freaking out about the "semi-formal" bit. Didn't want to under/over dress! Oh well, it turned out OK I guess.

This is the part of the group that attended the party. In the back row are Adam and Kylie (who are really pretty tall!!!!!) who are the geckos, our leaders. Then from left to right in the first row, Suzie, Chikako, Me!, Matt and Natalie, another gecko.

OK, this is how tall my gecko, Kylie is. Check it out.

To be continued...

Continued...

2005-09-11T00:04:00.000-07:00

So again, these are the really sweet Japanese girls I've come to know. Maria (who was born on Christmas, thus her name...), Chisako, Chikako and Sayoko. I can spell all their names, not bad ay? :)

Shariq and me! Shariq's from SMU and both him and Kaushal have been taking good care of me, walking me home and stuff. Thanks so much guys, really appreciate it! Below's Kaushal's picture so he can't say I'm biased. But yeah, their walk home service beats Queen's actual walk home service cos it's really not too nice to walk home myself. So yeah. Thank you so much dudes.

So there's Kaushal. He's also been really nice. We're in our tams in this picture by the way. It's a tradition of Queen's, to be given these tams during occasions such as homecoming and all. We're all grown up...*Sniff Sniff*

*Oil Thigh Na Benduhlalala Na Benlala...Kayah kayah kayah!* This is another of Queen's traditions, and it's spelt totally wrong of course. I still haven't got the entire song right, but it's fun. Someone starts off with a finger circling in the air, going "Ooooooooooo" and then we all start singing. :)

So wow. I can't believe school is starting on Monday. Wonder what it's going to be like.

More photos from Canada

2005-09-10T14:41:00.000-07:00

I've got a whole load of time now cos I'm waiting for my friends to give me a call. Can you believe someone actually took home my set of keys and didn't know they were mine?! And I spent ALL morning searching for them and missing out on an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast. :P Sighs. And now here I am. Oh wells. So anyway, the picture on the left is of me and a maple tree. I guess upon reaching here the tree isn't that fantastic, though the leaves still are rather pretty. The next one shows a leaf that has turned brown in advance. Hee...

Serene and me. :)

2005-09-09T21:46:00.000-07:00

Hey girlie. I promised to upload the picture. So here it is. We do look pretty cool huh? :) I miss ya!

More photos...

2005-09-09T21:40:00.000-07:00

This was taken outside the art gallery at Ottawa. We actually had a road trip there! It was so cool!! I was kinda reluctant to take next to the spider. It's so eeky. But oh well. Since I'm there, I had to make the most of it! :)

And in the background you see the art gallery itself. It's HUUUUGE! :) Looked really nice. Note I was in shorts and that day was sooooooooo cold! Good thing I had my nice warm GAP pullover. Got it from Singapore for like 10 bucks. Cool huh...

These people form my group - The Planeteers! (from Captain Planet) and another group, part of our 'family'. We're in our tams. It's a tradition at Queens, at homecoming and stuff...So cool! Got it as souvenir! :)

Check out the size of the bowling ball! We went bowling in Ottawa, after dinner. And it's so different!! Haven't asked if it was specially for us or if it's Canadian style of bowling. But it was pretty fun. :) The girl next to me is Yoshimi, a Japanese girl. There are about 5 of them. Really sweet. :)

Ok, more photos coming up in the future, when I have stable net access again! :)

Pictures of my room

2005-09-09T21:17:00.000-07:00

Yay! Finally able to upload pictures of my room. So this is my messy room. Will upload more pictures soon. :)

Thank you God.

2005-09-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

I was at quite a low point sometime today because I felt absolutely like a loser. There was some sort of a pre-party (with booze and those stuff) happening and I didn't want to go. But I was to meet them there before we set off for a concert. Well, I took a short nap, was all ready to go out, and I did go out. All the way to the pre-party house, and then, I felt totally lost. Everyone was like drinking and making noise, socializing. I couldn't even find my group members. I felt totally out of place, really awkward. Some people were looking at me funny and I was like whoaa...So I just walked off. Walked back home. All by myself.

I turned on my computer and hoped for the best. Wanted to use the Internet to connect to people with email or something. It was like 7.30 in the morning in Singapore and I didn't think anyone would be online. I didn't even know if there would be strong enough wireless Internet for me to tap on. After trying and trying and trying, I finally got on MSN. And Amanda was online! Cool stuff!!! We talked about Street E and how it went and stuff and I felt so achey inside. Man! I wish I could be part of it! Things always seem so exciting when I'm not there. It sure feels like that a lot. But yeah, I just wish I could be there to celebrate the salvations. But trust me, I'm doing that right here, 12 hours behind Singapore time. Truly, thank you God. You knew I needed to talk to Manda. :) You were an encouragement dear. Love ya.

Anyway, moving on to more happening stuff. This morning was pretty enjoyable though. And many of these ideas are really cool for future events (camps, etc!!) The morning started off with coverall painting. What's that? Well, earlier on we had coverall fittings, so we all got our own coveralls. And we just went crazy with paint!! Leaving handprints on each others' coveralls, some people just rolling in the paint. It was great fun!!!

Then we had what was know as the NEWT (see previous entry for what this stands for) Olympics, which was a series of station games, described below:

1. Dodgeball - Not quite dodgeBALL, but dodge sponge, cos there's like 3 groups of people - the trolls, the archers and the fairies. The trolls load up for the archers, meaning they soak up sponges with water and spray shaving cream on for the archers attack the opposing team's archers. Then the archers are the attackers, and the fairies are the ones who block the archers from getting hit. When an archer is hit, they have to go out for 30 seconds and then come back as a fairy. So of course, the last archer standing helps the group to win. :)

2. Twister - This can be reaaaaally fun. I was really bad at it cos I'm kinda inflexible. But basically, it's just Twister with a twist. Play it with a soapy mat and see what you get! (Wow, that rhymes!!) But it's really cool to play Twister and watch everyone slip and fall. Haha...

3. Normal sponge game - Pretty normal because you just stand in one line, pass a sponge down the line, alternatingly over the head and under the legs until the end with a bucket and squeeeeeze all the water out. Last preson run to the front and repeat till the same person reaches the back.

4. 4-legged race - We've probably played this before but it was fun cos the area is really grassy and there's sort of a slight slope and as we skidded across the soapy canvas to give the guy at the end a high five, it was pretty cool. I was really proud of my team cos we had 3 groups of 3 and won all! Ha! And my group in particular was really fast!!! Yay!

5. Balloon Toss - This one was ok. A volunteer from each group stood at one end with a basket on top of his head. Then members of the opposing team were supposed to throw mini balloons into the basket and make them burst over that guy. However, the guy's objective was to retain as many unburst balloons to win. So yeah. It can be cool. :)

6. Orange-tabulous - Don't know why it's called this, but our colour, as NEWTs is orange. So yeah. Anyway, this worked with a little hill. A huge canvas going down the hill, of course with soapy water again. Then we were made to go down the canvas with a balloon to pass to the guy at the end. The catch? The balloon could not be held in the hand. Also, when going down the canvas, more than just the feet had to be in contact with the canvas. You should have seen the way the guys just dived down!! It was really fun to watch. Hehe.

7. Tree game - Don't know the name of this game, but I thought it was pretty interesting. Haha. A member was picked to cling to the tree, and while he/she was up there, the members had to use tape to tape the person to the tree...Round and round and round until the person stays up there without his/her feet on the ground and without any support. First group that makes it wins. Never saw anyone play this game before. :P

So yeah, that was it. Thought I might as well type it out before I forget how it goes. Might be useful to add into our games list. :)

My first entry.

2005-09-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

Kingston, Kingston, Kingston. Wow. I can't believe I'm actually in Kingston. Toodling about in Toronto, I thought I was just on a holiday. After all the stress about getting things done like settling housing stuff and getting furniture and all, I finally am here. Have been here a couple of days now...3 days actually. That's pretty short considering I'm about to stay here for another 100 odd days. Who's counting? *shrugs*

You can see my room in the photos (when I can upload them). It's a great room, except that there's no one living in the house with me so it gets kind of creepy. But I've never felt creeped out. Thanks be to God, for keeping my mind sane! Thank you Lord for giving me a sense of peace even in the dark of the night. I remember reading Psalm 23 on the plane flying to Toronto. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me;..." I was thinking, "Man! Such assurance! And it's not cos 'I fear no evil, for I keep my eyes focused on you', nor is it 'I fear no evil, for I think about you', but it is clearly 'I fear no evil, for you are with me.'" Ain't that cool?!

Anyway, had orientation today. It's an orientation programme for the NEWTS, or the New Exchange Woohoo Transfer Students. It was okay. There were 2 sections in my group basically, the REAL exchange students and transfer students, plus what they call, the "castle kids". These people were in a REAL castle in the UK studying under Queen's Uni and now they're back at main campus. So those guys are kinda cliqueish. Oh well. They're having some wild party night thing, which I have decided not to go for. Booze. Hanging out. Nah, no thanks. So here I am, tapping on the neighbour's super low wireless account.

I've been shopping around town a bit. I live right next to the main shopping street, so that's cool. :) Guess I'll have to get everyone's presents there. Haha. Lalala. Missing everyone at home. I can't wait for this entire blog to be full of cool experiences here in Queen's, Kingston. Please let me make the most of this dear Lord. Please.