Pride & Prejudice

There's no lesson for me today as we are asked to do an online individual assignment which needs to be handed in by Sunday evening. So I decided to stay in my little cozy corner (got a bit of flu) and treat myself to a nice movie. So I picked up the movie "Pride & Prejudice".

After watching the movie "Pride & Prejudice" for the first time ever since I bought the pirated dvd for so long, I can finally understand why people would fall for this beloved novel of Jane Austen. It is a classic love story that portraits the old English time when love is often hindered by pride and prejudice of the people at that period of time. Lovers often have to overcome many obstacles and time before they can be with their true love. This go the same to the main characters of the show, Elizabeth Bennets played by Keira Knightley and Mr Darcy played by Matthew Macfadyen. Misunderstanding between them has caused Liz to reject Mr Darcy's love when he first confessed to her about his feelings. Yet he did many things for her later on, helping her sister Lydia to marry to his friend as they are both in love, overcoming the objection from his side and Ladyship Katherine. He is certainly one righteous, handsome gentleman and not the snobbish man Liz thought he was. He brought with him the courage to ask Liz again for her answer. Pride or love? I am glad Liz never make the wrong decision. She chose love.

Throughout the movie I kept crying. It was so touching and your heart would go out to the lovers in the movie, wondering why true love can never be a smooth course. And in fact, maybe because there are often objections, separation and obstacles that make people believe those who actually overcome all these are indeed matchmake in heaven. A love story which goes too smoothly can never be recognised by people as true love...don't you agree? There is also a saying that "the course of true love never runs smooth." Such love story is really classic, but yet it is the one which can touch you deep into your heart too. It is nice to watch such beautiful love story on the screen, but to think about experiencing it yourself...I wonder how many people can be so persistent and faithful to the one and only one that God has made for you. It would not be that easy if the situation is on yourself and that you are the one who is going through all these obstacles.

Somehow, the world just seems to me that it makes loving and falling in love with the other so much easier that people tend to mistaken the value of love. Not like in the movie, you have to ask your parents for their consent to go out with the opposite sex and also the guys will have to ask the girls' parents for their approval to have her hands in marriage. Now? Haha...you can possibly see a couple above 21 years old going to the ROM to sign the wedding agreement without anyone's consent. You only need your identification card and a pen will do. No one really ever go to their parents nowadays to ask if they can hang out with any guy or girl. Some even hide the truth that they are dating someone from their parents.

Maybe, classic love stories are always happened in the time when people are still innocent about all these things that love at that time can be seen so beautiful. Girls at that time are raised to do household chores and embroidery and to wait for people to ask them for marriage. We are truly blessed that we are allowed to go to schools to learn and educate nowadays. We will not be raised to serve only, but to give help to our family and even to our spouse in the future. Remember Pastor Kong had said before that we women don't marry to serve our husbands only, but to give him our support, of any help that we can offer him and to be submissive to him. If we are to marry to him just to serve him, he could possibly marry a maid who can serve him much better off right? Haha...lol

Wish I can get some time off one day and get the book to read instead. I just love all these classic love stories: Pride & Prejudice, Lakehouse, A walk to remember, Just like heaven, Gone with the wind...how sweet and romantic. :) Well, nothing for now, going for my cell group meeting later and tonight I finally get to bring my friend Yanning over...Yeah! :D Hope she will have a great time of fellowship with us and hope God will speak to her one day. Hope I can learn much more of His words too and share with anyone who is interested ya? :P Can't wait for the night to come...look forward to it! lol

"Sometimes the last person on earth you want to be with is the one person you can't be without...I just love this phrase...God bless everyone!"

Smarty Computer vs Dummy Me... :P

Haha...as you can see from the title, you will know how much knowledge I have with my computer...lol

What is DVD Decoder? I can't watch movies on my computer now because I don't have any dvd decoders in my computer. All those I found online need to be purchased and those free ones don't seem to match with the one I need to open the movie files...sigh...no movie for me tonight! :(

By the way, today I had my Astronomy lecture in the afternoon. Somehow I regretted going for it coz the lecturer is basically reading word from word on the lecture notes with an accent that I don't understand. Worse still, there is no tutorials for this course and there is nothing for you to copy down because everything are facts that are already shown on the book! Haha...make me feel like slacking...but don't be mistaken that I don't like this subject. In fact, like many young children, I actually thought of becoming an astronaut one day when I grew up. I like gazing at the stars above in the dark blue sky...isn't it just feel so wonderful? :) But astronomy is not an easy course to deal with. You don't just only learn about stars and the sun, you also need to know how the planets are formed, what are the things that make up the planets, how far they are from earth, their temperature, why is there atmosphere for some planets while most of them don't etc...tough course I believe I have chosen to take! *shiver* Haha...but I believe my passion and my persistence in learning will overcome my obstacle ba...yeah! :)

And big news I discovered: Pluto is NOT CLASSIFIED as a planet! On 24th August 2006, the International Astronomical Union has decided that the planet Pluto is redefined as the dwarf planet of our solar system. This is because the size of Pluto is smaller than our earth's moon (with a radius of 1,160km). In addition, there are more than 45 objects in our solar system that have similar sizes. Therefore, the small size of Pluto does not allow it to be classifed as a planet...which means that we are left with only 8 planets in our solar system! (Just for reference, Pluto is make up of ices and it has a moon called Charon (picture above). It is about 39.54AU--1AU=150million kilometres--away from the Sun). Oh gosh...I think the world is going crazier as the time goes by, astronomists happily discovered about the 'truth' of our world and the outer space in the past...and now they happily to discover yet another 'truth'...and maybe in the future the rumours about the possiblities of living things existing on Mars really come true?? Haha...how many truths can there be?! Haiyo...but then...will anyone bother to find out or know exactly what are the differences made? Well, I doubt so! *grinz* :P

Anyway, after school today, I went down to Jurong Point (JP) for some shopping therapy...so long haven't gone for shopping le! :P Somehow I don't feel any urge to buy things anymore. Not that I don't find anything that I like (in fact I saw many clothes, earrings and bags that I want), I just feel like saving up my money...probably to get even greater stuffs in the future?! :P I only buy the things that I need: stationery, more snacks and beddings for my babies (I guess I have spoiled them lots...lol) and some food for my toaster. The only thing that I probably pampered myself is the latest comic book--Bleach 23! Haha...feel so proud of myself that I didn't buy any extra stuffs that I don't need...haha...so does that mean I am maturing? Haha...lol

Back in my cozy little corner, I have carried out yet another rounds of experiment with my all-rounder toaster! :) For those who don't know me, I actually make cookies out of my toaster while the others will use their ovens...haha...lol So this time, a new entry to the Christine's toaster recipe: Scramble Egg! :P Pretty easy to do: Just need to crack the egg on the aluminium tray, push it into the toaster and let it toast for 2-3minutes. Take note of the time coz the egg will get too hard to eat if it was cooked for too long. Haha...the result is not really too bad tho...just the egg a bit harder than normal, got this funny plastic-like sheet on top of the egg...and it taste a bit like plastic too? :P Haha...but generally I think it is still edible and healthy! So anyone who is interested in trying to do that...be my guest! lol

Gee...I just love playing with my toaster...you never know how many amazing things you can do with it! :D My next experiments are set to be cheese macaroni and lasagna coz I already bought the ingredients and the trays I need. Probably after that I want to try out cooking porridge with the toaster too. I was looking at some instant porridge packets in the Liberty market just now, but then i was thinking if there will be too much water vapour evaporating from the porridge in the toaster that may spoil my toaster...haha...lol Maybe I should just proceed with my plan and not to think too much about it? :P

But still, I think playing around with my toaster is certainly much more safer and interesting than with the microwave. Last time I tried to make an hard-'boiled' egg in the microwave and the egg exploded inside! Gosh...I left a messy behind lo...haha...lol And you can't do as much things with the microwave too because its basic function is just to warm up food but not really to cook them. So if anyone have the same thinking as I do...don't follow my step! Haha... *grinz* :P Isn't there a saying that "to cook is to create; and to create well is an act of faith and integrity"? Haha...so have faith to create new wonderful dishes...YEAH! lol

"Food for thought: Never eat more than you can lift, and never take more than you can give." - Christine Law ;)

I ALMOST lost my keys...phew! :D

How BLUR can a person gets these days?! :O I thought today was another great day for me, meeting up with my teammates in the morning to discuss about our project proposal, then return to my room to file my notes, do some tutorials, and then do some bible study and read up on my textbooks in my cosy little corner. But I really scared myself at the end of the day.

As I had made some study today, I decided to get out of my room for a while and head to the campus mini-mart to buy some groceries. But then I don't seem to enjoy eating a lot lately so I only go out to buy my dinner and I decided to return to my room to take a rest instead. Just as I wanted to open the door, I couldn't find my keys! I can't recall where I lost it and all I can do is to trace back the route that I took. But nothing there! So I pray to God for help and suddenly in mind I remember I went to do my laundry before I left to the mini-mart. And my keys were there...right on top of the washing machine! :D Phew...and I actually wasted one hour to walk around NTU looking for my keys! Oh gosh...I AM so BLUR!!! :P Can't stand myself even coz this is not the first time I forgot about my keys...last few times I left them at home and I had to walk all the way to the campus security to borrow a spare one. Haha...haiz...lol

But actually I am not so worried about the keys to my room. I know I can always borrow a spare one from the campus security and return back to them the nest day. It was more of things attached to the keys that I am worried about. The first thing on mind when I couldn't find my keys was more like: "What happened to the keychains on it?" I have attached one bunch of keychains onto my two pathetic hostel keys. And they all means something to me...especially the one given by my first roommate Angela which she brought all the way from Sarawak as a greeting gift to me when we first met each other. Another keychain is given by Brian's friend Hua Huey who return to Singapore for summer break last year from British Columbia. Then another one is given by Brian as my last year Christmas present. The forth one is my Christmas exchange gift from my hall friend who actually really consider what I like before he bought it for me...and it happens to be the keychain that I wanted all along! :D So all of them mean something to me...and you can never expect me to get a replacement for them. They contain a lot of sentimental values with them. Thank God! :)

By the way, I was reading the bible today and I got a relevation about something that I wanted to share. In Matthew 5:33-37, it talks about the oaths we have made to the Lord. It says that we should not break our oaths but to keep them to the Lord. Yet, it tells us not to swear at all, to the heaven nor to the earth. For heaven's is for God's throne and by the earth it is for his footstool. And you can't swear by your head, for we don't have that power to make our hair white or black. All we must do is to let 'Yes' be 'Yes' and 'No' be 'No'.

It reminds me of the movies that we often watched where people swear this and swear that, especially in those gangster fighting and romance movies. But it is actually written in the bible that we don't swear but to keep the oaths that we have made to the Lord. By definition in the dictionary, oath is a solemn promise while the word "swear" means that you are promising on the oath you have made. God does not want us to give our word to the oath we had made to ourselves or anyone else, but he wanted us to keep to the solemn promise that we have made to Him and never to break it. Hmm...did you guys get what I mean? Haha...I hope I never make things more complicated here though...lol

Then from the same chapter, in verses 46 and 47, God says: "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?" God wants us to love those who are around us, not just only those who are close to us and with us most of the time. He wants us to reach out to those that we may not know them, but only like seeing them walk past us or have seen each other before in school. He wants us to communicate even to the strangers around us. In that way, we are showing our love to the people around. If we only talk to those besides us, those whom we already know, we are of no different from the others. Remember: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Hope you guys can understand what I mean. And if I get anything wrong or anyone have other opinions about the verses, please let me know so I can learn and correct myself...God bless everyone! :)

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." - Matthew 5:11-12

Ingenia rulez! lol

Today is one happy day! Haha...lol

Remember a few days ago I was pretty stressed over the registration of an online program for my course? Well, thank God he certainly has helped me by sending me such a caring and nice tutor! lol The deadline for the registration was extented as many of the people couldn't get the books too as they are still out of stock in the bookstores. So I can only wait for the publisher to email me with the codes for registration. But in my class today, my tutor told me that the deadline is at 6pm...TODAY! Oh gosh you know how scary that can be? My classes only ends at 430pm and I am left with only 1hr30mins to rush for the registration. I immediately make a call to the publisher who told me she had reply to me with the codes. But then my Inbox was still empty then. So I checked my junkmail box and it was there! Phew...I made it just in time. Thank you for my prof too as he had helped to email the publisher to send me the code immediately too. Haha...thank you father! :D

I am so glad that I finally tidied up most of my room by now, changed a new bedsheet and bought my babies new packet of food (they even sleep in the food bowl just so they can wake up to eat again...can't stand them...haha...lol). Managed to print my notes too, filed them accordingly to the files and arrange them nicely on the shelves. Haha...you know to me this is a pretty great achievements for I used to be so lazy that I will just continue to sleep in my mess? :P But then muz remember: "There's no ugly woman in this world but only lazy woman." Haha...I just like my clean, neat cozy little corner now...haha...yeah! lol

At night, Tze Shuuan orgainized another round of steamboat at the orange blk 4th floor. There isn't as much food bought as the last steamboat that we had but it was pretty enough for a group of like 15 of us? Haha...they purposely want a ma la (very spicy) steamboat this time! But then thank God it was not as hot as I expect it to be because they didn't put too much inside too...plus there is coke! (my saviour for spicy food...lol) Pretty full even till now...haha...and libing was complaining that we always fail to jog coz there'll be some other events turned up. Never mind...I will make sure we go and jog tomorrow...or else I wonder if I need to buy another round of clothes for myself. :P

This bunch of people are mostly from my hall orientation group Ingenia (photo above). Though as the years passed, the number of people left in hall has been decreasing, but our activities never fail to decrease. I really thank God for having these people in my life or my stay in hall would no longer as happy and as happening as ever. I am so glad this friendship still stay strongly among us after the 3 years here...Ingenia rocks! :D

"The most important function of education at any level is to develop the personality of the individual and the significance of his life to himself and to others." - Grayson Kirk

Live and loud...

I have a great weekend this week as I have gone to my hall dinner and dance on Saturday night and to have a great sermon on Sunday morning service and fellowship.

The theme for my hall dinner and dance this year was on hollywood. Most of the people rent costume and dress up like the characters in the moives. I didn't rent the costume but juz simply bought a red velvet cloth and a tiara to dress up like a princess...haha...do I look like one? :P The dinner was alright and everything is fine that night. Qiyang won the second prize in the lucky draw. But it was not a prize he likes as it is a free course for you to learn how to drive a yatch and a free license will be provided at the end of the course. Wonder if he can sell it off to others who are really interested...

That night some of us went to clubbing while I joined the group who does not like that idea and simply just want to chill out. We went to the kopitiam near SMU and met another group of people from NTU Hall 3 who just finished their dinner and dance. I wonder how many halls and clubs from NTU had their dinner and dance that night.

We ate a bit and we head to Marina South to have a few games of bowling before we went home. By the time I reach home, I was already 6 plus in the morning. So I just took a shower and went to Expo for service. Fortunately I never slept in the service. The topic was about sex in the marriage and Pastor Kong was pretty frank to us about it. He talked about how sex should be viewed on, how we should please our spouse and the correct attitudes of great lovers. Many things have been learnt and they are certainly useful for the future...yeah! lol

We have a great time of fellowship eating Ben & Jerry at Suntec and some of us went to play pool. At least both the activities finally get to wake me up fully. Haha...I really enjoy hanging out with the people. And I am so glad to hear from Brian again that he is doing well there. Yeah...thank God for everything! lol

"A wife is not a guitar; you can't play on her and then hang her on the wall." - A Russian proverb

I love to be in the house of God... :)

For the whole of today, I have been freaking out on many things.

First, the registration of the online assignment which till now I still couldn't get my codes from the publisher and the deadline for it is already passed. But I trust God will let it be extended since I am not the only one facing such problems or He will let me have another way to get me to register for it... :)

Second, I got project discussion on MSN at 11pm and our tutor was supposed to be present for the online discussion with us as it will be evaluated. So right after my cell group meeting, I rushed back to hall by cab (Deanna lend me money first as she is also sharing) and by the time I reached it was already 1130pm. But thank God the tutor went to sleep already and only my group members are discussing. Lucky for me that I didn't miss anything! :P

I really enjoy going to cell group to worship and learn more about Him. I guess the words "stress" and "tired" were written all over my face when I reached Edward's place. I got to apologised to Weng that my tone didn't sound too friendly over the phone as I was really stressed up by the registration thing. Joanne, Belle, Weng, Shuhui and many others were like asking me how I am doing coz I look really stressed up and tired. Haha...thanks for all these brothers and sisters for I know I can always rely on them for comfort. Thank you Belle and Shuhui for always being there to listen to my grumbles about school.

I guess my moodiness lasted me through until I got to play the ice breaker game. We are suppose to stand back to back with the person from the other team and guess what is the total number that we shown on our hands. Person who make the fastest guess wins the game. For me, my opponent was Katherine. You know when you stand right in the middle of the room with everyone looking at you two can be quite stress too? Haha...so by the time we show our hands, we either run away or broke into laughter. So paiseh! We got to take 3 trys before we can finally play it 'properly'. Haha...

Tonight's message was short for the purpose for the combined cell group meeting was mainly to invite new friends to join in. Brother Chris share about what he learnt through A.R. Bernard service which happens last week and he got quite a few of relevations from it.

He told us that everyone of us will have a bad experience in our life that will cause our mind and way of living to change according to it. Yet we have to bear in mind to achieve a successful life or a lifestyle that we want to, we can only do that if we have God in us and that we seek to build His kingdom first. He uses the chain that Dr A.R.Bernard taught us:

First, we have to have good knowledge information.
Second, our mind will turn this information into beliefs.
Third, our beliefs will communicate into self-esteem and self-worth.
Forth, this self-esteem or self-worth will work out as a pattern of actions and behaviour.
Fifth, the way you behave will produce a certain result in your life.
Sixth, these results will then become habits that you will adopt.
Finally, these habits of your life will determine your success and failures in whatever you do.

When we choose to seek God first, we strive to be like him and this piece of information is so great that it will turn all the things in the chain above towards a good path and eventually lead us to success. Haha...maybe this is really something for me that God wants me to learn to build His kingdom first then blessings will come coz Brian actually shared similar stuffs to me before he went off! Wow...thank you Lord that I know you are speaking to me...and yes I will not give up to build your house first before anything else for I have faith in You and for the plans You have for me before I was even created...Amen! :)

"Thank you Lord for listening to my prayers and being there for me always...I love you and will be there to seek to build your house first always...Amen."

The soul is not where it lives but where it loves...

Today I got to rush finish an individual assignment by 5pm today. It shouldn't take too long coz the case is pretty easy. Just hope that I answered what the question is asking. Kinda scare that I will go out of points so often that I would lose my marks in such areas. Haiz...and I just realised I need to do an online registration for my assignment which will take up 25% of the total marks for my course. The problem is: They need to enter a code from the course book we need to purchase. I haven't purchase the book yet coz the only two bookstores in my school don't have their stock! Oh gosh...I guess I am going to freak out soon...grrr...HELP! :o

Ever since Brian left yesterday, I feel a bit empty. Maybe he is such a good friend of mine that I really miss him le. Never thought I would miss him so much too. Maybe time really flies too fast. I can still remember the time when he happily announced that he got his scholarship...and that was like 2 years ago?? At that time he told me that, I know this day will come and he will have to take his flight. And now he IS really gone le...can't imagine 2 yrs just past by like a flash of light. And there seems to be so much I want to talk to him about, so many things left unsaid. Yet when sending him off that night, I seem to be dumbfounded when I look at him. Or maybe my mind is no longer working night shifts ba. Haha...

Anyway, I have been feeling moody the whole week. Family issues, money issues, friends issues, school issues...I feel like I have grown up overnight to see all the things I need to prepare to face. Like I have to borrow money to attend my hall dinner and dance on Saturday night. I feel so weird and funny that I need to BORROW money to go there. Yet I know I can't leave my friend alone either, leaving me in such a dilemma. Sigh...friends or money? Haha...I think I am just a person who is too soft to say no to others. The marketplace don't need soft people. Sigh...feel like I need to be a bad person to say no for once...sigh...

I feel sad too that one of my hamster has passed away, the little one that is crippled. I guess it died because it felt too upset over itself. It can't run on the wheels, or even sit properly to eat. It was so adorable and I really like it a lot. Brian even wanted to take it over to US if it is ever possible. Sigh...I hope it feels better now as it no longer has to suffer from any pain or unhappiness. Maybe it feels happier to be gone and so I should feel happy for it.

I only wonder if hamsters go to heaven or hell. They are certainly illiterate to know anything like christianity. Yet they are also innocent. I remember pastor has said this before: Innocence is not virtue; and virtue is not innocence. Virtue is innocence TESTED. Does this applies to all creations on earth, or possibly the human beings only? Anyone can answer me that? Or I guess I am just thinking too much again...sigh...I think I should just use back what I always tell the others: "Don't think too much la!" :P Haha...

The only thing I look forward to for this week was the combined cell group meeting at Edward's house later. I always enjoy going to cell group and church nowadays, for I know I can always find back my smile and my strength in Him coz "when I'm weak, you are strong; you're my feet when I can't move on..."(Remember this song? Like it...lol ). I feel so happy that my passion for Him is once again on fire...haha...yeah! :P

Oh...I come across these few bible verses and I really love them. They just show how blessed we are when we believe in Him and rejoice in His love...God bless! :)


"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:3-10

To Brian Wang Chongyu: I can't wait for you to be back in Singapore next year! :P

This entry is dedicated to you.

Sorry for the trouble that I have put you through to carry the present I gave you at the airport. I never thought it would be so bulky and heavy for you. I feel so embarrassed about it..paiseh.. :( Hope you would like them anyway and hope that they will keep you busy on the plane ba...

I probably have said these many times but still I want to thank you for everything that you have done for me all these years. It is really no coincidence that God has placed you in my life as we were dance partners during the freshmen orientation in HCJC. I could still recall the 'wooden block' face and the 'octopus' mouth you always had back then...haha...so cute! :P

For the past four years, I have learnt lots from you and my life has changed because of you too. Destiny has brought you to church in which you finally give your heart to Him and you have come to pull me back when I was straying far away from Him. Thank you for bringing me to your family in church, to E240, for I received so much love and blessings from them...lol

Thank you for all the things that you have taught me. You are truly blessed by the Lord for many many talents. Remember the times we study at KAP back in JC? My grades have certainly been pushed up by you because you were always there ready for any questions that I am going to ask you.

Thank you for teaching me how to play guitar too. Don't you worry for I will make sure that I can play as well as you when you return in 8 months' time... *grinz* :P

Thank you for sharing with me the bible verses when I am in need of encouragement and they certainly have enlightened me and give me a better solutions and visions to my problems and goals in life. God has certainly blessed you with the gifts of wisdom and knowledge for you to bless the others around you.

Thank you for being there for me and encouraging me along the way. In my darkest times, you were always there to cheer me up, encouraging me with all that you can think of. You never give me much cold shoulders as I can understand how you feel and what you think at that time. I would probably react in that way if I were in your shoes. I really cherish this friendship of us a lot, for we have been through so many things and it is hard to find a friend like you. Even when you just stay beside me I can feel peace and happiness in my heart. Remember we always share and comment to each other on the music and CDs that we like and don't like? I will quote the lyrics from Ronan Keating's "When You Say Nothing At All" for you because "You say it best...when you say nothing at all". Your understanding on me is great enough to keep me feel warmth even you're right beside me and speak no words. You really means lots to me. You are a true and faithful friend. I feel so blessed to have you as my friend. And I will always open the door for you to come into my life, being there for you just as you have been there for me... :)

The fellowship with you at the airport was great and I really wish time could pause there. But I believe God has much better plans for you in the States. Like you say, it is just a change of place to study ya?:) Eight months will pass in no time and we will rejoice together once again in Singapore...just make sure you will be overloaded with your sovernirs in your luggage ya?:P Haha...just kidding...lol But certainly, you gotta fill us up with your experiences there, the things you have learnt, the musings that you have, good news that He has planned for you in the States...and we will make sure that we will update you with all the things you have missed so you will feel like you have never left Singapore at all...lol

I pray that you will continually to seek Him for his guidance and trust Him in everything you do. I pray that you will not be tempted or face temptations that you cannot handle over in the States. Like you told me earlier: Always seek to build His house first and the blessings will flow. *I will keep this in mind whenever I face any problems again ya...thank you so much...lol* You will shine like a star in Him in your school in Michigan and accomplished great achievements through Him who strengthens you. Remember you want to have a trip to New York to visit the Christian Cultural Centre too ya? :P Can't wait to hear your experience there if you ever go to visit it. We will all be so proud of you! :D Share all that you have gained from Rev. Dr. A.R.Bernard...yeah! lol Gonna miss you so much so much my friend...God bless you over in US and can't wait to see you next year! :)

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:39

Just tired...

Yesterday night was Brian's farewell dinner. Had a great time of fellowship with the cell group and all that. Kinda sad now that he is really leaving in less than 48hrs and counting. Another friend gone le...sigh...

These days I guess I will be a bit moody. Maybe I am just physically and mentally tired ba...a bit stress over many many issues. Sometimes when you have changed but people would not recognise it. I save hard now yet my mum never believe in it. Sigh...I can't blame her for I was never a good saver before. And I can understand her worries now. I wanted to say sorry to her so much but yet I can't. Never mind, I would study hard now and repay her in the future ba...

Well, even studying now I feel tired. I am worried as I am easily distracted nowadays, moving my mind to think about other things. But I know I can't keep it that way for too long either. I have to stay focus... I just want to achieve something great for this semester... Really physically and mentally tired now...

Good thing is that I still have my babies (my hammies) with me. They are a bunch of great companions. I got them as my 21st birthday present from Brian and he was so worried that they gave me troubles for taking care of them. But even so, the joy of having them is so much greater than taking care of them that I would not mind at all. Haha...

Sometimes I only grieved why death to hamsters is so value-less. They kill their babies for protection. They kill their babies to 'save' them from sufferings. But yet they are not cold-blooded at all. When my oldest male hamster died, his partner which used to be very active kept to herself at a corner all day. She refused to eat any of the food I fed her with and eventually died one week later after his death. This really shows that they have feelings too. They miss the ones they loved.

Different hammies have different characteristics. If only you know their characteristics, you will find joy playing and taking care of them. I believe this applies to human too for when you know the others living around you well enough, you will stay in peace and happiness with them.

Yes I will continue to seek Him and build His house first, and I believe the blessings will follow. My worries and stress shall be a temporary thing. Like I always did: I sleep overnight and I will forget everything the next day! :P I place all my trust in you and all my hope in you my Lord...I still believe...

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you asked for in prayer." - Matthew 21:22

I need to stay strong...

I really wanted to share how much I had learnt and gained from Rev. A. R. Bernard in his 3-days conference meetings with us. He is truly a wise man in the Lord and give us much deeper insight beyond His word that we might have missed out as we read the bible. I agree with his book: Happiness is a way of mind, and a way of life. But then I have more important thing to tell before I get all emotional again...

My mum had just told me yesterday night about my uncle. My uncle had been a diabetes for many years and he suffered high blood pressure as well. Over the years, he had been relying on medications to help him to stay healthy all along. Recently, the doctor told him that he only left with 1 blood vein that is connected to his heart (normally most people would have 3 blood veins attached to their hearts) and hence he needed to go through a heart surgery. However, the medication in Hong Kong is in such a way that we have to pay a part of the surgery fee as deposit first before they can have operation on the patient. Without it, the surgery will have to be cancelled or delayed.

My uncle has been unemployed for some time and his savings is not enough for him to go for the surgery deposit. My family couldn't help him either as my dad's career is on the rocks too and we can only pray hard that my dad can keep his job till I gradutate and find my work to take over the bills and responsibilities of my family. My mum was really upset and worried about him as we are close to this uncle of mine. His surgery was postponed to October as we could not afford the bills now. If anything happen to my uncle before his surgery, that's it. Even if we have the money then it would be of no use...

Suddenly I feel really very stressed now. When something bad happens to you, they not just come on one event but they seem to come at the same time. I used to live in so much comfort that I start to lose the ability to survive on my own. Then suddenly everything changes. I have to learn to save up as I would not wish to ask my parents for much allowance for my father sake. I feel a bit useless at times as there is nothing I can do for my uncle except to keep praying for his health. You know how much I wish I can go and work now to earn as much as I can just to help out?? But yet I can't as I have the responsibilities to be a student and finish my studies well. And yet I am not performing well in school, not even dare to tell my parents how badly I have fared for my exams for the past few semesters. I feel so useless all of a sudden that I couldn't contribute at all to be of any help. To me, a huge burden has just come right on top of me that I have to work for my family, my uncle and maybe even my aunt in the future. (My mum take cares of my aunt and uncle as they are financially unstable too...and I am the only child to take care of my parents...) Oh gosh...I don't know if I can handle them...how much longer can I stay in this stage now and how much more do I have to take in...I am mentally and physically tired right now...

I am not grumbling about my responsibilities that I have. Indeed all along I know about all this but I never thought they would ever come so fast and so many at a time. School has just started for me and I thought there should be nothing to worry about except the grades that I need to strive for for my studies. Yet I have to struggle with the stress I am getting now. I am scare, I am afraid that I could not do anything for them. I am scare I will fail myself, and even to fail them. I never want to disappoint anyone in my life again, especially those who I love and care for...I hate to see them sad...I only wish that they will stay happy, even if it means I will have to make sacrifices for them...

Despite of all this I tell myself that God must have His purpose to put things in this way, or even maybe a time to test my faith and trust in Him. A.R. Bernard has also shared about the time when God spoke to the captives for his plan for them, that the plan that He has for them will bring hope and confidence in them. Poverty is certainly all in the mindset and you will need to have a prosper mind to excel in the things that you do. Yet, I still can't help but to worry about my uncle, worry about my dad's career from time to time. Is it my faith in Him has been shakened? I am worried about many things now that I wonder if I can handle them. I am stressed over the life that I may have to lead soon...

I pray to God for his guidance and mercy. I pray for his healing to my uncle. I pray for the financial prosperity in my family and my uncle's that the surgery can be carried out in time. I pray he will be fine for this period of time till he get his surgery. I pray my mum that she will not be too upset over it and that she will continue to stay strong and have faith in the Lord. I pray that my uncle will recover and continue to live his life as normal. I pray for my dad that his career will continue to be stable and that he will not have to worry too much over it. I pray for my dad's health over in China that he won't overworked himself and worried too much about us. I pray to God that my family members will remain as healthy and happy as ever in the house of God. I pray to you my Lord to take care of everyone of them...

Thank you to those who have shown me your care and concern. I appreciate lots and I thank God for having you guys around me to cheer me up and guiding me to know what I should do next. But if I don't smile at you, don't be mistaken for I juz can't cheer myself up now at times. But I will be strong with my friends around me. And most of all, I know I can rely on Him always for His strength and his wisdom to guide me through this difficult path of mine and to walk beside me as He always have been, and always will be...

"'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house', says the Lord Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the Lord Almighty." - Haggai 2:9

Music heals the soul...

Today is another day with not many happening events (only look forward to the service at night by A.R.Bernard...so stay tune ya?) Haha...so I probably can share with you all my love for my music? :P

When I was young I like to listen to Chinese songs as I could only catch what the Chinese singers were singing then. You can guess how bad I am in speaking English. So I make a decision to improve my English by changing my lifestyle such that most of them would be involved with some English as well. This was what I learnt from my scholars friends back in DHS who refused to speak to you in Chinese even though you don't know what they are speaking. Slowly, I watched only English dramas and movies, listen to English pop music, and speak English more to my friends. Haha...and now I listen more of English songs to Chinese songs...haha...

Sometimes your preference of music also differs as your mood swings. When you are depressed, you would want to avoid any sad music coz they would make you want to cry. When you are tired and probably just back from work, you would want to turn on some soothing melodies so you can have a good rest. When you are happy, you might want to blast yourself with some loud music that can brighten up the whole atmosphere and probably make you wanna dance a little.

In my music world, I probably have to thank Brian for he lent me many of his CDs (I would return them back to you when I found them...sorry...) and for influencing me and teaching me how to play guitar. To me, you can never live without music. If there is no music in your life, you probably live in a world that is just black and white. Still remember the lyrics from the song "Let The Music Heals Your Soul"? It goes like this in the chorus: "Let the music heals your soul...Let the music takes control...Let the music gives you the power to move any mountain..." Indeed, you know what so nice about watching those movies with romance, love? Don't you realise everytime when the lovers inside couldn't see each other or they are looking for one another or simply they fall in love, the music comes. Without it, the effect of the romantic atmosphere would not be significant. Without it, the audience would not be moved by the stories and teared. Music is something that is neccessary for our souls...

In the early morning, I would play some Christian songs before my quiet time and to feel fresh and warm by His love for the day. I would practice a little of strumming on my guitar in the morning whenever I am free or don't have lesson that day. In the afternoon as I study for my work, I would tune into some English pop or rock or rap or just music that will wake you up...haha...so I would have enough energy to last me for my work. At night, I would just turn on some soothing melodies or anything that makes me feel relax and happy...and can put me to sleep! :p Haha...that's how much I love my music in my everyday life...and how much I appreciate it in my life...welcome to my world! :P


Let The Music Heal Your Soul
by Nsync, Arron Carter, Boyzone, Backstreet Boys, The Moffatts

Oh, if someone writes a song with a simple rhyme,
Just a song
Where his feelings show...

And if someone feels the same about this simple song
Oh, and sometimes,
you can hear them say
music gives you happiness or sadness
But it also, it also heals your soul...

Let the music heal your soul
Let the music take control
Let the music give you the power to move any mountain

Oh, if someone plays piano
With some simple chords
Symbolic and endearing too

And know if someone plays guitar with the old piano,
Then maybe you can hear them sing
Music gives you happiness or sadness
But it also, also heals your soul
Oh yes...

Let the music heal your soul
Let the music take control
Let the music heal your soul
Let the music heal your soul
Let the music take control..

Please say a little prayer for them...

Those who have received my email may have seen these photos. But to those who haven't seen them, please pray with me for them...

These pictures come from a long chain of fowarded emails that I received from one of my friends. Most of the time I never really care because they are either funny jokes, comic stripes or pictures taken that you read once and you can delete them. Yet somehow I am touched by these picture showing the soldiers in the third world countries fighting for war. Maybe because recently our national day had just been over and our church have this 24-hr chain of prayer for our own nation Singapore. All of a sudden I have that patriotic feeling toward Singapore even though I don't born here. I feel proud to be here.

Thank God Singapore is one unique country consisting of numerous different racial and religious groups. Yet there is no war and everyone is able to live in peace and harmony. My mum always says Singaporeans are very well 'tamed' -- they are friendly, easily opened up to welcome others and most will obey the laws set by the government. Not many countries can do that. You can really enjoy the peace and security feeling that you can get while staying here. Thank God for bringing me to Singapore, growing up here and making this country such a wonderful place to live in...

But we should never forget about those in the other countries who will need our help and prayers too. Sometimes in our everyday lives we tend to forget what is going on elsewhere in the world and that the brave men and women of the service are just like you and me. They have families and friends back home who love them very much and are praying for their safe return...

So I hope all the christians who read this entry of mine, maybe when you finished reading it, just stop for a moment and say a prayer for the people in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq, and all around the world...He will be there listening to all of us...

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." - John 14:27

Bye Matthew! See you next semester... :)

Another friend of mine left Singapore to the States. But he will be coming back next year January for he is only going there on an exchange programme for one year. I wonder how it feels to be studying abroad...sadly I don't have such chances...so anyone who has the opportunity to have what I dream of remember to treasure and make full use of it ya? :)

Matthew: my fellow Ingenia mates and my SP during my hall freshmen orientation camp. A fun, loud and great guy to hang out with. You will never be bored with such a person in your group. He is really a great joy to have...Ingenia Rulez! :D haha...hope he will be fine over at Miami (happening place with the beach, NBA Miami Heats...and CSI??) May God take care of this friend of mine and guide him through his studies there...God bless you Matt!

Nothing much to do today...will make use of the time to tidy up my cozy little corner again. And when I am done, I will show you all how proud I am of it ya? So stay tune! Haha... :P

"As we go on,
we remember
all the times
we had together.

And as our life change,
come whatever,
we will still be
friends forever..." - Lyrics from the song "Graduation" by Vitamin C

God works in ways you least expected them...

Today's events: Have lunch with my friend and go to the strategic management lecture together; at night go for prayer meeting.

Sometimes, God will speak to people in many different ways. I was surprised by my friend's question today. He was a Buddist and so I thought I will never talk to him about the topic on Christianity. But God really spoke to him and me to tell him more. I was really surprised when he told me he is considering of converting into Christianity. He gave me his reasons that he realise that Christianity teaches a person to become a better person and to lead a life that is meaningful and great to the others. He told me there are many religions in this world in which they will have their own individual teachings, but yet he saw how Christians' way of living that really applies to the way he would want his life to live and to learn. And after all that he told me, I thought: "Wow...God you really spoke to this person." Maybe all he needs now is to go for a church service to feel His presence...you got to trust God in His plan for us. He will touch your hearts in ways you least expected it. I guess all I can do now is to invite him to my church and continue to pray for his salvation from now on: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence." (Jeremiah 17:7)

Haha...I feel so blessed that God had given me many friends to reach out to without myself asking for them. Suddenly I feel so happy to have something to work on...like a goal for me. And certainly I know I can always rely on people around me for help. I know I will definitely have to thank Weng (above right bottom) for helping me to bring my friend Yanning to church in the morning and to keep encouraging me along the way when I was discouraged. Haha...really thanks for your care for me and my friend...I am so glad to have a brother like you! :)

After dinner with my hall friends (above left top) at the coffee shop near city harvest, I went for my prayer meeting at the Jurong West hall. This is my FIRST TIME at the prayer meeting at there. The place is beautiful and everything is great. It is like a smaller version of the Expo hall, except with a carpeted floor and cushioned chairs...probably even greater than my school lecture theatres! :P I have a great time of praise and worhip (really wanted so much to jump in joy but yet I was too full to do so...sad...) and a time of prayer for Singapore (did that in the morning too during my time slot...haha...).

We went for supper after the event and had a great time of fellowship. Christabelle (above right middle) stays with me in NTU so we took a walk back together. Actually, I never had the chance to talk so much to Belle because she was always busy or occupied by Lynn or Joanne (haha...). We really took our time to walk though: She companied me back hall to wait for me to put down my stuffs, then I companied back to her hall to put down her bicycle, and then she walked me back to my hall and we sat at a bench and chat. I really enjoy such one-on-one talk with someone like her.

I think I am just a person that can only talk to people freely when I am alone with that person. Even in a group of 3, you don't expect me to talk much. Never worry that you two have left me out. For I am fine with people talking, just that I can't speak well in a group. I don't know why too. You can expect me to listen to you...but when it comes to giving advices, don't expect me to be of much help coz I don't know how to talk. Not that I don't understand what people means at times, it is more of me not knowing how to express what I am thinking. Everything that I want to say out will be mixed up in my mind like puzzle pieces...if I were to speak what I think, I think whoever is listening to me will have to pieced up those puzzles into a picture. And certainly most of the time, people won't understand those pieces of stuffs that I am talking about. So I guess writing down is simply the best method you can get me talking clearly what I am thinking. Isn't that the reason most people would like to blog or wrote a diary to voice out what they really have in their minds? Bet whoever is reading this is one of them... :P

Haha...so yes...I will suddenly become super quiet when you put me in a group. Yet, when only there is the two of us, you can see me talking non-stop if you put me in a right topic that I can link to. I know people always mistaken me as someone being cold. Seriously, this is just my face and my appearance. If you can talk to me, I won't turn away. I listen more than I talk. You probably need some time to get to know me before you can talk to me because I don't talk well in front of people I don't know well. I guess I only cracked up with my hall friends only like one year after knowing them? :p My most bubbly character has probably been seen by my best friend Ying Wah only, for I will act like a kid who is too happy to see my best friend around...so ya that's a little thing you need to know about me too...haha... :) So thank God for giving me those friends who I can share my problems to (Ying Wah, Weng, Belle, Brian, Sis Jaz...)...Thank God I found you guys!

"Live in such a way that those who know you but don't know God will come to know God because they know you...Amen!"

8 years of shooting ends here...

This entry will be a dedication to my 8 years of shooting.

I recalled the first time I stepped into the air rifle range back in Dunman High School. There is a strong stench and stuffy air that can choked you. Yet I looked around me at those sec 1 like me who came here for trials to enter to the famous air rifle club. It was popular among us as it is a brand new sport to us and DHS Air Rifle Club was doing very well for the national schools competitions over the past years.

I remembered the first time I hold that 0.22 air rifle in hand...so heavy! The person assisting me had to give his support while I aimed for my best shot. I fired. The target paper remained untouched. I was really upset that day and refused to walk out of the range, knowing I would not have another chance at it if I were to leave. Mr Gan, our teacher in charge, saw my persistence to stay and he decided to let me have another go for it. Still no miracles happened for me.

I was willing to leave this time but my friend, Chew Wee Ling, who accompanied me back then refused to go off and wanted to play another round. Again, Mr Gan was happied that we were so enthusiatic about shooting and let us 'play' one more round. This time, I realised I never notice there is another foresight at the tip of the rifle and I used it to aim for my shots again as told by my assistant. We had 3 shots for each round. Miracles happened for me. My 3 shots all went into one big hole! This means my groupings were almost perfect! The seniors around me couldn't believe their eyes. But I was still puzzled as to what was going on when they looked so surprised. It was at that moment Mr Gan seriously asked me to try again. And the next round I shot even better than the last, making a smaller hole on the target paper. Immediately, he asked if I was really interested to join their small family.

But I realised I can't because I already placed Chinese Orchestra as my first choice for my CCA. I didn't know I need to place air rifle as my first choice too before I even go for their try-outs. Thank God my first choice was Chinese Orchestra and not any other CCA. Mr Gan was a good friend with Mr Tay, the teacher in charge of CO. He told me there would not be any problem to transfer me to their shooting team. I was elated.

That was how my life as a shooter started. We started off with the proning position, using the 0.22 rifles. Our teams always come in the first for the east zone competitions and the first 4 in ranking for the national schools competitions. I had won sever individual awards for the east zone rounds too, even make it twice as the east zone female individual champion. It was a dream come true. It was also in air rifle that I met Ceying, my first boyfriend, who is also my air rifle senior back then. Our relationship started during our one of our air rifle training camp. We kept it rather discretely and no one realised it until a few months later. This relationship ended two years later.

Then in VJC, all the competitions are in standing position as the proning position had been scrapped off. We had to adapt to the new changes and the transition was not too easy. Thank God I believe He really gives me the talent in shooting and I caught up very quickly. I shot well enough for the team during my year one. But year two onwards, due to all my work committment, I didn't train well and performed badly. Fortunately, our team still make it to the finals and bring back a forth placing for the female rifle team.

NTU air rifle team was another new culture for me. When I was in DHS and VJC, whenever there were competitions coming up, we would have to stay back everyday after our lessons to train for every competition. In university, we could not afford such training time and we only practice twice a week. I had to admit I join the team mainly for their points as the shooter points are quite attractive and there was still point system then in which I really need those points to stay in my single room. But the passion for it soon died out as my work load increases and my performances decreases.

Only for the last competition, the NTU Inivitational shoot during last Feb that I finally gained back my passion for shooting. I trained hard for that competition, wanting to prove to myself that my efforts can be paid off. Yet the result was under my expectations. I was really upset and wanted to train more and improve. When they asked me if I were to continue shooting for my final year, I immediately said 'yes'.

But time never allow me to do so. I realised there are really many things waiting for me to get my hands on them. I have to make my decision. Since I already vowed to God that I will focus on my studies and my walk with Him, I had to let go of my shooting passion. I know I can't cope with so many things at the same time.

So many times I told myself and others that I was bored by the training. After all, I had been doing the same thing again and again for the past 8 years. Yet the moment I message my training officer that I had to quit the team, I cried. I guessed I will miss this sport a lot. I know the only time I get to shoot will be the days I had when I am still studying. Once I graduated and enter the workforce, I would not have the chance and the luxury to do so. My passion for the past 8 years will have to end here...today...

One thing I learnt after all these 8 years was that shooting actually trains a person in many non-physical ways. It is a sport that the emphasis is not on your physical fitness level. It is a sport that requires much of your mental strength. A sharp shooter must be a person who is perfectly calmed and able to handle stress. Imagine yourself standing alone in front of a large crowd whose eyes were all focused on you. How do you feel? Don't you feel your heartbeat increases and you tends to perspire more?

Shooting trains a person's flexibility on handling a situation where you may feel stressful. It trains you to stay calm always and be able to have a wider vision of what's going on and look for the right solution to it. Shooting also asks for your patience. You need to wait for the perfect timing to pull your trigger. It helps you to have trust and confidence in yourself. You should never be afraid to pull that trigger when your instinct tells you it is the right time. Even a second of your hestitation can cause a huge difference.

All that shooting left for me now is the happy memories the winning and training together with my teammates, the numerous trophies and medals that I owned, the shoe and the glove that I bought, the skill that I have acquired over the years, and the ability to remain calm when I am faced with an unknown situation. I will miss everything about it. Wish I have made the right decision then and to excel in the thing that I sacrifice my shooting for. I know and I will work hard for what I vowed to do...coz I believe in Your plan for me... :)

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." - Proverbs 16:3

Mood swings really fast...

Today is my 'heaviest' day with 2 lessons to go...4 hours straight down from 1230hr to 1630hr. Somehow I still have the same old habits of me trying to laze on my comfortable bed. But it didn't last long and I managed to climb out of it and head for my class straight. I had my risk management class that taught us to identify about the potential events that may affect Tricon (company that owns KFC and Pizza Hut and many others) globally. I think I really got to read up my newspaper again because I realised I seemed to be a little bit outdated now. And many issues got to deal with the US companies too as I believe they had quite a different culture and practices apart from us.

The next lesson is on strategic planning...and this is my first time having a foreign tutor! He was quite a funny guy with his cute ascent (think he comes from the European countries). Our first lesson is really interesting as there is no lectures, tutorials to do. All he gave us was a pack of poker cards and he asked us to build the tallest castle that we can do with this cards. Crazy ideas come out of my mind but eventually I realised they don't meet his criterias. With a bit of quick thinking of teamwork, my group came up with a great backup plan and eventually we managed to build the tallest castle among the others. Haha...thanks that we are the last team to perform as well...I believe for this the last mover has more advantages over the rest... :P

Today I wanted to buy my textbook but realised I don't have much money left. I am really super poor now...left with probably a hundred bucks to last me over the rest of August. Usually I would spend all the money to myself, on clothes and food and many other stuffs. This time I realised I didn't. This month I had 3 friends leaving Singapore (blessed one of them) and 2 friends birthdays. Spend lots on them and I am really happy to do so (even skip meals to save up)...just hope that the gifts will be appreciated by them...haha...Maybe it's really time I had to learn how to survive...and pray that miracles will happen!

You know sometimes the only thing that can make me sad is that you are being misunderstood. Funny thing is that when your intention is good, people will tend to be suspicious and take yours with a guarded heart. I believe this is probably a norm in the society these days. Worse is that the person never appreciate what you do. This is the time people will give up on the other person and move on. But is it good to do that? I don't know. You can choose to ignore that person; you can choose to forgive and forget; or you can choose to negotiate with the person directly (if you are brave enough), regardless the relationship will be improved or getting worse. I guess I will choose to forgive and forget, probably because I am not brave enough to tell the person directly. But I know it is better to communicate than to keep it to yourself, for you will know what's wrong and face it and to change it. I just wonder when I would have that courage to do so now.

Somehow I feel so weak at times, like back to myself in my own world. Maybe because this month is always a sad month for me. Haven't been having any great August these years...maybe I am getting moody again...maybe I am just sad that time is really flying so fast now...maybe I think I know my reason but yet I can't help to feel sad...maybe I just having another rounds of depression again (having been eating much again)...sigh...what's wrong with me God? I really want to know what's wrong...again...

"Save me from this place...I don't want to lose that smile again..."

Love cures people -- both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it...

Yeah! Sunday is finally here! Haha...my favourite day of the week...lol

But today started off slightly different than the other Sundays: I went to the Changi Airport at around 9am to send Manling off. Actually I don't really know her much other than Brian's little sister. Only get to know her more as she came for a few of our church service and our cell group meetings. She is a very nice girl to talk to and easily get along well. That time she won a GV voucher and she passed it to me since she won't have the time to go to watch movies. Haha..really blessed by her and to reciprocate it, I also blessed her with a small farewell gift...hope she'll like it! :) I pray to you Lord to guide her through her studies in US and that she will continue to walk with you closely. Farewell my friend...

Today's service was on marriage again. This time, the lesson is on the roles and responsibilities of the husbands. It says that the husbands should lead their wives as a protector, a provider, a physician, a general, a prophet, a priest, a king, a saviour and a lover. I would agree with what the pastor says...don't you think so? :P Indeed, women would want the men to lead them, to have that security of being protected by them. Haha...even if I can be a superwoman one day, able to handle both the work in the office and at home, I would still regard the decision of the my husband to be the decision for the family. Haha...wives should really submit to their husbands...haha...I think I have not much of any disagreement over the message today anyway...lesson absorbed! :p

I always enjoy this marriage session because at the end of it, the atmosphere is pretty loving. Pastor Kong often asked the couples to hug their spouse or give them a kiss or say something sweet. This is really loving, romantic and touching. Haha...love is in the air! Moreover, there is a baby dedication before the talk started (Pastor Kong will press his hand over the babies' head and blessed them in Jesus's name). The atmosphere is really filled with God's love over each and everyone's family! This is just like the movie "Love Actually" where everywhere and everyone is in love...YEAH! :P

After service, we went to have lunch at the Changi Airport, have great fellowship over there as we chatted till 4pm before we took an hour of bus ride to Orchard. Great fellowship we had gotten there! Haha...but still I enjoyed the time when we played pool the most...really missed playing it over the weeks... :P Bro Chris is really an excellent pool player. Haha...Weng was so happied that he managed to beat him in the second game!

We went to have our dinner (probably can be considered as supper as well) nearby...on Brian's treat! He wanted to bless us before he leaves in 10 days' time. He will certainly be a friend I will miss the most *sob*... Sigh...and soon Jianhu will leave too...the usual pool people will probably only left me, Katherine and Weng then...life still goes on...sigh... So I guess I will treasure everytime I had with them now...be it just a few minutes or even a few seconds...

Tomorrow will be Monday, another rounds of lectures, seminars and tutorials for the week. Somehow, I feel super abnormal now because I kinda looked forward to it! This is so NOT ME! Oh gosh...something is wrong somewhere! Haha...or maybe it will be somehow a good sign that the lazy Christine is finally getting herself into the piles of notes and tutorials again...haha... :P

"Love in your heart wasn't put there to stay, love isn't love till you give it away." - Oscar Hammerstein II

A day of relaxation... :)

Finally I have a full day to spend it in hall...really a day of relaxation...

Tell you a little secret of me, that is I am a person who loves to sleep! :P The longest I ever slept before is like 15 hours? Haha...today I slept til about 1pm...actually waking up at several intervals (9am, 11am...) to surf for a while online, sms my friends and pick up my friend's call. I finally got to wake up at 1pm because my hall friends asked me out to have lunch. Thank you Vincent for waking me up...or else my day is really gone to have fun with Zhou Gong (an old man that used to appear in your dreams...haha...)

After lunch, I rested for a while in my cosy little corner, trying to clear up the mess that can take forever to clear up. Then Joseph, the mahjong addict (very smart and funny guy too...) invited me over for a game of mahjong. It was such a long time since I played the game...wonder if my skill has already degraded somehow. They often named me the 'Queen of Mahjong' as I still holds the title of winning the most amount of money at one game in hall. Haha...well, I certainly would not be proud of this title. Not that I don't like to play mahjong, it just sounds like I like to gamble. Seriously, I like the game of mahjong for it requires you to think as you play. I really like intellectual games. So even if I had to lose all my money, I guess I will still feel great to play it...haha... :P

Actually I really want to go to watch the fireworks again tonight but no one seems to be available to accompany me to watch. I guess Saturday nights are mainly reserved for family dinners. I think I will just keep myself occupied for the night by watching the service online. Anyone if you are interested to watch my church service online you can log onto the website: http://www.chc.org.sg for a live service. They are available on Saturday 5pm and Sunday 10am. This will be the first time I will be watching my church service online...wonder if it feels as great as being there. Tonight's message will be on marriage...something good for the couples, better preparation for the engaged ones, and a better insight for the singles...look forward to it! :)

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done." - Psalm 105:1