Mission @ Down under

BLog moved

2008-08-01T14:59:00.003+08:00

Hi guys..as i've moved back..i'm moving to a new blog zone:P

here's the link-www.hisbelovedsprinter.blogspot.com

thank u for ur support!

COming home on a jet plane

2008-07-20T09:25:00.001+08:00

Hey everybody..vivi's coming back today:) yeaps~

late notice but well..wasn't able to get some time to go on the web to tell everyone..

I'm arrivin on the airbus at 930pm back in Singapore..so if you are interested i'll see u there..otherwise, we'll see how it goes..

ooo..mixed feelings now..seeing u guys real soon!!-hugs-

2008-07-09T16:08:00.002+08:00

Hey everybody!! thanks for your ardent support for my blog if u have been a true regular!!

It's my 1st year anniversary (++months i think) since i started my little humble blog!!!

Now, as I complete my studies in Australia, my life in the Down Under, I'll be having a couple more entries and then extending and changing the blog IF I HAVE THE TIME!!

If u have any requests on what sorta entries u will like..i'll try to meet all requests:)

I've a couple entries at hand
1) Graduation photo taking!
2) Cronulla- Whales at my feet!!

i might add more on packing stint..i've been packing ever since i shifted out of my lidcombe residence..hahaha..it's goin on forever!!!!

take care guys and i'll see u back home real soon!!

The curtain call~

2008-06-28T16:23:00.003+08:00

After my exams, I started on another 5 weeks of placement at a children's hospital in Sydney. When I was 16, I never could imagine myself dealing with children. "They are cute when they are not yours." That's what many people tell me after they have their kids and they progress to the age when they can understand the meaning of being defiant:/ Scary enough, now at the age of 23, when my maternal instincts are calling out, I chose to do a placement that will have me face children-from neonates to adolescents- for at least 8 hours a day. I've never had any experience dealing with children- the closest I got to having dealing with childish behaviours was in Tekong and when I was in Australia dealing with most bizarre events of my life.

After these 5 weeks, I had such an urge to be a teacher! hahaha..I enjoy just playing imaginary running games in gyms, laughing at and joking about the littlest things, hearing honest comments, playing counting games from 1-700, arm wrestlings, pool therapy, ballet in the pool and birthday parties. I cherish the moments when my children listen to what I teach them to do and disciplined them so that they will be more well behaving children. I relish the moments when my children are able to get better from the conditions they are suffering from, smiling at me when they are get well. I indulge in every little victories my little warriors accomplished in their rehab process because I know it might seem small for us, but it could be the greatest thing they ever tried to do after being ill for so long. I learnt to celebrate the little steps they make, I learnt to love yet be firm in my rules, I learnt to be like a child.

The faith they placed in me makes me feel so important and responsible for their lives. Never mind the wailing and cryings I had to put up with them~ their lives create an amazing time for me at the hospital.

As I finished my last placement, the next time i step into the hospital- I am a physiotherapist. No more student before that name. I can no longer hide behind my supervisor and pretend that I know nothing. I can throw away the ugly looking pants that i wore for 4 years of my life. Probably for the first time in my life, I will look proper and well dressed in a hospital. HAHA...

When I look at the children, they remind me of that child like faith I had in Jesus when I first started out this course. I knew nothing about physio but still He took me by the hand and saw me through the goods and bads, the bad decisions and many victories. It was never easy finishing this course but still I managed to complete it:)

These 4 years been a real drama, whether it has been that in school, in canoeing, in church, at home, with my time in Australia- I knew there are things that i will not want to experience if i had a chance to turn it back, there are words that I said that I wish i could take it back, and there are people whom i trusted that i hope i did not trust in the very first place. Similary, these are things that if God had not given me, i'll have not grown much to know what I could and could not accomplish through him:)

Finally, time to take my curtain bows as the end of the my performance as a physio student has come to an end:)- curtseys for you-

When I call finally burn those papers without a worry

2008-05-22T22:23:00.002+08:00

Week 11 into semester~ I finally put my pen down for the last written paper in my education life ( at least for now.) That feeling of knowing that I have no papers to study for in my life was ...WEIRD. I remembered that when I was in NYP, I was so happy..i threw almost all my notes away!!

Here~ I just felt that..MAN~ i'm going to be a physio back home.. how surreal is that and I so don't wanna go into that just yet.

Coming back from Mudgee was like yesterday's thing. I got down to cooking some Thai food when I reached Lidcombe and we had too much coconut and chilli padi that night..but I enjoyed cooking after long drought of not touching the pots and pans to whip up something nice to eat.:P Then, it was full swing on for assignments and also exams. Guess what!! I didn't sleep more than 5 hours in the past 3 days all because of my habit of procrastinating that got me into a real mess with work:P Somehow, I still survived till this very point to write this blog so I pray with all faith I will do fairly well for my papers:P

I'll be moving away from Lidcombe so there will be achange of address..if anyone of u wants it..just send me an email and I'll get back to you with the new one.

Lately, my family in Australia has been seeing additions. My cousin in law got pregnant and my other cousin is getting engaged. Then, the turn came to me when everyone started asking if I was goin to be at that stage any time soon. I was stumped..i thought of that but..I don't have one to fulfil that so I kept quiet. hahaha..o well~ It's all in God's good hands..He will send the biggest and most complementing person in my life:)

getting tired..need to sleep..NITE!

Mudgee-nest in the hills~

2008-05-03T12:30:00.004+08:00

It was our 3rd week at Country Physiotherapy!!!

As we count down our weeks to the end of the PPD, I had mixed feelings as I approached the end of the week. We are half way there- we are half way there leaving Mudgee.

The 2.5 weeks of mornings that starts at 0600h when we have to make our way to Church street of Mudgee where our clinic is located marks the crucial countdown that we cannot make any mistake at our placements. Any mistake could cost you everything.

Even so, the warmth of the country people and my clinical educator caused me to put aside all these worries. Liz gave us a surprise treat at the High Valley today!!! I was so excited when I saw that we are going for cheese tasting and a good lunch.

She said we worked really hard so it’s good time for a reward. I had a good treat of hot chocolate in the morning from her too:P I feel super duper blessed!!! Liz’s the best!! She always encourages and gives pointers on how to improve. She teaches and not expects a whole load of you (which is good so I can learn the basics that I used to ignore LOL).

Sherry and I had a great meal with Liz at a beautiful place. I must go back there again:P
Then, Sherry and I had afternoon tea at grandma Shirley’s place again. I went to pay her a visit last week and got Sherry come along because grandma wanted more company.

Grandma Shirley made COffe CAKE!! Fabulous coffee icing I must say:)!! Boy~ Mudgee placement is really a thrill for the stomach, the heart and the brain. We talked about war days of Singapore- she actually read a book on that so we can have a chat on that and also her family and her days in Sydney. Granny had a new set of teapot and I took pictures of it- amazed at the collection she has.

As Mudgee had one of the coldest days in Autumn in the last few decades, I had the most amazing warm embrace from the Australians in Mudgee.

1) Frontline Christian Centre- Pastor Robyn’s ever welcoming hugs, meeting Christopher and Caroline who prayed for me, having tea at May’s and Grahm’s place and getting a VCD of Christian songs from May, Karen who chat with me real long, Emma’s offers to ride home, Rachael’s lunch invite to her place.
2) Granny Shirley’s afternoon tea.
3) Patients who don’t mind you treating them even when you are students
4) Liz- our amazing clinical educator who drops us home almost every night and offers to pick us up on rainy days, lunch and chocolate treats, cute winks and ever ready to teach us.
5) Ash and Karla who never cease to help us out with the administrative stuff at Country Physiotherapy
6) Ash’s mother who gave us blankets and a warm heater.
7) Getting a ride from a stranger when I was walking in the rain from work.
8) Wayne’s pumpkins and FREE RANGE EGGS!!
And the list just goes on..
Father, thank you for bringing me here. It was Mudgee that brought me back to the foundation- my foundation in you.

PS: thanks elain for your hugs given by shirlynnJ

A hope that never disappoints

2008-05-03T12:26:00.000+08:00

I remembered of my youth days when I used to hear of the pastor sharing about the hope that is in our Lord Jesus Christ- because of that we can rejoice even in the midst of worries and adversities.

I then took the posture to rejoice and sometimes place myself in a position of self denial- denying the sadness and disappointment if I have to in order to demonstrate an attitude of belief in the so preached “hope”. Yesterday, I realized I had never truly understood and embraced such a hope till I read Acts 27:13-44.

That chapter of Acts is really long. So long, I fell asleep while trying to finish reading it. I bet it’s the pile of work that I had to keep up with that brought about such sleepiness (I know excuses as usual.) Anyhow, it was the study at Blue Sky that gave me an opportunity to truly examine and read in depth of what this common hope Paul and I shared- that Paul embraced but I had not.

As I read of the passage, the Holy Spirit begins to convict of my heart in the never failing hope that my Father in Heaven promises. As Paul, a convict that was due to sail and stand for trial before Caesar, was caught in the storm with the crew, he was the one who had the hope and faith in God to see that they will survive the storm without anyone lost to the menacing waves.

Paul was the only one on the ship who believed that God will deliver them- he spoke to the officer in charge, having to be rejected in the face on the first attempt because (perhaps) he was a mere convict. In fact, the entire crew banged on their sailing experience and knowledge to handle the rough winds, only to lose all hope of any chances of being saved when all attempts were in vain. (27:20) Then Paul came along once again, having first encouraged and assured the crew of preservation of their lives, and providing advice on how to manage the boat to deal with the sea happenings.

Paul did not have to do that. Why?
1) He was a prisoner on his way to stand trial- this was most probably the best chance to run away and escaped from the trial.
2) He was in the least position to speak because he has a status of a convict.
3) The situation out at sea was terribly bleak
4) He was not a sailor- does not have the relevant experience to advise
5) Nobody was bothered to listen initially.

Then, why did Paul still stayed and helped?
1) He heard from God
2) He had a promise from God
3) He found the hope in God
4) He was the only one who heard of the promise from God.
5) He saw the people- not himself.

Do you feel like you are Paul? You seem to be the only person in the light while the rest are in the dark or in their world? Do you think you will be as brave as Paul to vocalize if God has called you to even though you might be the most unlikely person to speak? What did you see in your situation of adversity- yourself, the people involved, God?

I believed with all my heart that Paul positioned his hope such that he saw God first and God led him to the people.

You could be in a situation now where you are of the least likely position to comment on a situation. It could be because you are not experienced, you are the involved party and might seem to be providing a bias opinion. You could be like Paul- at a lowly position that does not offer you the right to speak in the eyes of authority because you stand at their hand of mercy. I reckoned that Paul was frustrated when the officer refused to listen to him. Could you imagine if he stopped at that and never pushed his way through to make him heard? They could most probably have lost their lives to the raging seas.

For the hope he had in Jesus that he so wanted the people on board to have, he made sure that he must be heard.

As it was like Abraham coming to God and bargaining for God to spare the city of Sodom and Gomorrah, I believe God saw Paul’s heart and because Paul was on board- His mercy came and cover the ship all because of one man.

If you are the only person in a mess/situation that has hope and faith in God’s promises, God will deliver the group from the circumstances. Because of you (the only one), He will intervene in the situation. Because of your hope and faith, He will turn things round. Because of your hope and faith, He will change things. As such, that He shall be honoured and glorified by your faith and hope.

Today, you might be stuck in a real mud mess. You are thinking- Boy, I am the worst person to comment/ provide advice or even make mention of the matter. Could you have realized that you might be the only person that has a relationship with God and hear from Him? You might be THE ONE that he will use mightily to change things around- if you will only choose to position yourself in the posture to be used by God.

It just takes one person- are you the one?

PS: Was it worthwhile to go for the plunge? Paul’s hope and faith kept the lives of the 276 onboard the ship with the centurion having spared his and other prisoners’ lives. I think it will be.

His timing

2008-05-03T12:18:00.000+08:00

I always struggle with punctuality. Friends who go out with me often will know that I am one that has poor estimation of the time I will take to get from one place to another. My days in junior college was way classic- I’ll reach my spot in the class line up at the ring of the second bell before the national anthem plays.

Having stayed in Australia for some time, I’ve tried my best to change that habit of being a few minutes late. Well, I must say it’s still in the primitive stage of correction :P When I made my shift to Mudgee( which was 2 weeks ago), I decided that I should put discipline into my punctuality- especially since I am on clinical placements. It has pretty much been effective in making me waking up early and getting ready for work

I like having timetables to tell me what I have happening in my day and I believed that God also has a great timetable- so that he can handle every little thing to every big things in our lives without missing anyone’s at all. I reckoned God’s a real sticker to time because the happenings of the world are dependent on when He calls for them to happen. Even the time you are to cross the particular traffic light- who knows He might have arranged to meet a long lost friend that will make a difference in your life.

My time at Mudgee, I believe with all my heart, was God ordained, orchestrated and blessed. When I arrived in Mudgee, I went looking for a church to attend on the 2nd day ( Sunday) that I arrived. The church that I intended to visit had a supposed 6pm service so I went for that. Frontline Christian Church youths met me at their venue- only for me to find out that there was no service going on at 6pm. However, a bigger piece of news awaits me.

The pastor, Pastor Robyn, wanted to invite me to the night conferences for the mid western regional churches and I agreed! She waived the fees for my attendance and arranged for people to pick me and drop me at my accommodation so that I can go out at night. The conference was in God’s timing- the last night was a night of prayer and commitment. On that very last night, God came and spoke to me about two issues, through three people, that were on my heart for the longest time. I rarely knew these people for a week but pastor Robyn, the preaching pastor and also this gentleman called Christopher came to pray for me- sharing the heart of God for my life.

Leaving Sydney at this time gave me time to review my past 10 months and also to take a break from the hustle and bustle of happenings that really got on my patience and nerves. There were so many occasions when I could take a chair and break it because I was so helpless over the behaviours of human beings- I had to find a way to vent that frustration but thank God the chairs were spared. Instead, this retreat has brought me back to the very heart of serving Jesus Christ- serving and loving His people.

It helped that I managed to escape the coldest time of the year from Mudgee- I will definitely freeze to death if I come in July.

God’s timing is so “zhun” isn’t it? Amusing as it may sound, but like it was said in

Ecclesiastes 3

There is a time for everything

A season for every activity under Heaven.

A time to born and a time to die
A time to plant and a time to harvest

A time to kill and a time to heal
A time to tear down and a time to rebuild
A time to cry and a time to laugh

A time to grieve and a time to dance
A time to scatter stones and a stick to gather stones

A time to embrace and a time to turn away
A time to search and a time to lose

A time to keep and a time to throw away
A time to tear and a time to mend

A time to be quiet and a time to speak up
A time to love and a time to hate

A time for war and a time for peace…

11 God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

14 And I know that whatever God does is final .Nothing can be added to it or be taken from it. God’s purpose in this is that people should fear Him.

15 Whatever exists today and whatever will exist in the future has already existed in the past. For God calls each even back in its turn.

I feel I am slowly walking back onto His big palms.

Vivian @ Mudgee

2008-04-18T11:28:00.002+08:00

Greetings from the midwestern region of NEW south wales!!!

I'm currently up at Mudgee. It's in between Dubbo and Orange ( my definition of her location to people)!! It's a beautiful peaceful town that has really nice people..

I'm having placements here at the rural area- currently at a private practice called Country Physiotherapy and having a great time learning and interacting with patients.

If you ever watched those old English films with those small towns with maple trees lined along your roads in autumn, those brownish red maple leaves falling- yea! that's Mudgee for you:)

I'm surrounded by the mountains and hills and every morning i see a differnt outlook of the moutains. It's getting colder but still tolerable..:P i think i've gotten used to the weather fairly well. The thought of returning to a humid weather kinda makes me upset a little but that's not gonna stop me from wanting to come home!!! I must confess- I do miss everyone back home in Singapore. Nevertheless, I shall make full use of my time here:)

After this stint, i'm heading back to Sydney. I must say a million times THANKEW!!! to people at 6A/6 Georges for that emo farewell( i didn't cry fyi) but i really enjoy the love and hugs and the pretty card. I will write love letters to u..LOL~ am so lookin forward to your arrival at Mudgee~

Alrightey~ it's been a long week..one week down..4 more to go~ looking forward!!

Luke 24:30- my year in Sydney

2008-04-10T12:00:00.001+08:00

It may seem a little too early to reflect..but just felt a tugging in my heart to conclude my year ( as I make my permanent exit from 6A/6 Georges Avenue:P)

Luke 24:30
“As they sat down to eat, he took a small loaf of bread, asked God’s blessing on it, broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And at that moment He disappeared!”
As I spent my first Good Friday out of home and Trinity, I recounted the many “firsts” I have had thus far after arriving in Australia to pursue my studies. First Chinese New year with friends, first Christmas party I organized, my first meal that I cooked myself and my first baking session when I nearly burnt my house down. I had the very first taste of living overseas alone, living with friends who became strangers overnight and having to learn to cope with the many “sudden” incidents. How exciting is studying overseas!!
Having been in Australia for close to 10 months, my experience is like that described in verse Luke 24:30- Taken, blessed, broken and given. I was taken into the hands of God and received prayers and letters of blessings before I left Singapore. The first few months in Australia was close to a scary place called hell..haha.. The misunderstandings that arose from different lifestyles and values made 3 of my housemates shift out of my current accommodation. The struggle to fit within the church and the campus ministry and dealing with school demands did not really help with the process of settling down. I never felt so vulnerable, and all I could do was call upon God’s name and pray even though I witness the deterioration of relationships and circumstances. After one incident has appeased, another came along. Those were not big hurdles. The greatest one came when a very treasured friend whom I really trusted, broke an important promise and got me hit rock bottom. It got so bad, I did lose my faith in believing that God will come and rescue me. My desperation drove me to tears and I will sit in my room calling out to God silently because I was so afraid He will not answer. Then He came and called out my name, whispered into my ears, “I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn, before you have harvested your grain and before the grapevine, the fig tree and pomegranate and the olive tree have produced their crops. From this day onward, I will bless you.” Haggai 2:19
Bearing the brunt of all the rumours from the happenings was really challenging. I was challenged not to retaliate in language even when I underwent verbal attack from people whom I thought were good friends, I was challenged not to hate when they set out to teach me a lesson for the flaws that I had. The anger crept into me and made me gave up in believing these are people that deserve forgiveness. However, He called me to love them in all circumstances because Jesus did. 1 Corinthians 13: 13 “There are three things that will endure- faith hope and love and the greatest of these is LOVE.” When He chose to die on the cross even when people did not accept Him, it was love that kept him on the cross for men’s sake. If Jesus could still love these scary people who crucified Him, surely I can love these people no matter what they had done- Love the sinner and not the sin.
It was a humbling process- breaking of pride and surrendering my rights to hate and fight for what was my rightful way to address the grievances I suffered because of people’s actions. I asked God why I am the person who has to go through all these things. The breaking of every aspect of my life took a toll on my emotion basket. I got into really weird moods that my friends could not bear to see at times. 2 Corinthians 12:8- “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time He said, “My gracious favour is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.”
I really did not want to love them for all the bad reasons I could give. I chose to but I struggled to love. My daily prayer was like Jesus did when He hang on the cross- Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive these people because they do not know what they are doing.” Then I looked upon that cross and He asked me- John 21: 15 “Do u love me?” 21:17 “Lord you know everything. You know I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.”
I envisioned that coming to Australia will be all fun and rosy, exciting things that will happen in my life. Fun and rosy things there were, but the tough times that came along were really tremendous testing of my faith in Jesus, my love for people and my focus on the race. 1 Peter 1:7 – “These trials are only to test your faith to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold- and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. If your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trails, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
The most amazing part of this journey- The love I chose to show, to people who were against and misunderstood me, liberated me from fear. “Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment and this shows that His love has not been perfected in us.” 1 John 4:18-19
“Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” 2 Corinthians 12:10”
As I look back on the things that have happened, it may seem like it’s all over but the hurt that has been done will take time to heal. The greatest joy was to know that even as I endured the past 10 months of seemingly never ending pain- I grew stronger because of the love of God that taught me to forgive and love. As Luke 24:30 states, as I was taken into the hands of my Father, blessed and broken by His grace, so that I can be given to do the will and work of God in this world that so needs the love of our Father in Heaven.

Christian Principles For Dating

2008-04-10T11:51:00.002+08:00

By Patrick Zukeran

What Is Love

We were made to love and be loved. God is love(1 John 4:16). Among the spirtual virtues found in the bible, love stands preminent. It is no wonder the devil has worked hard to distort its meanings.Today, the word love has been misconstructed in several ways. One misconception is, love is sex. Hollywood has bombarded the media with this definition. When two people are "in love" in the movies, they immediately get sexually involved. Biblically however, the proper place for sex is in marriage. There are at least two commitments involved in the institution of marriage. First, there is the commitment each partner makes to honour, protect, and be faithful to the other for life. Second, true marriage involves a commitment to the larger society to abide by these principles.Remember, Hollywood protrays a distorted view of reality. But we often laugh when we see scenes that are factually ridiculous. For example, one scenario we often see in movies are when a group of skilled soldiers hidden behind trees and armed with machine guns open fire at the hero who is in close range and fully exposed. Even so, the trained marksmen all miss him, but with a single pistol in his hand, the hero annihilates his enemies. We laugh, knowing that this is the fantasy land of Hollywood. However, people buy into the scene of two people falling in love, getting sexually involved, and then leaving one another without any consequences. Just as the first illustration was absurd, so is the second. Yet, too many people have been deceived into this type of thinking that no harm is done when in reality, sexual involvement can lead to such consequences as emotional pain, feelings of exploitation, guilt...etc. Do not buy into the definition that love is sex.

A second misconception is that love is a feeling. Love needs to stir up emotions of excitement, happiness and passion. It must make me feel good. When we define love as an emotion, we inflate the accuracy of emotions.True, there are good feelings associated with love, but love also involves self-sacrifice and perseverance in difficulty. Love is a commitment to do what is right even if there is pain. Love defined as an emotion is not love at all, but a self centered desire for pleasure.A third mistaken view of love is the belief that love is conditional: I love u if u meet my expectations. It requires the other person to perform up to a desired level before my love is given. This love is shallow and self-centered. In the end, conditional love proves to be destructive.True love begins with God. Only His love can fill the emptiness in our heart. The people we date and marry can never meet our deepest needs. In 1 John 3:16 we read, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us." God valued us so much, He was willing to suffer and die on the cross so that we could have a meaningful relationship with Him. He loves us unconditionally, even though we can never repay Him. God's definition of love is a commited, sacrificial and unconditional love. This is the kind of love that any solid friendship, dating and marriage relationship must be built on. God's way of love is the key to a significant life and to meaningful relationships. In order to love God's way, we must first experience God's love personally. Only when we know we are loved just for who we are, and we are secure in God's love, can we share that love with others.

Principles To Remember

When I began dating, I didn't have a clue what God's Word said on the subject. As a result, my first few dates caused both parties a lot of unnecessary pain. These hurtful experiences could have been avoided, if I had followed two principles from God's Word.The first principle comes from 2 Corinthians 6:14 which states, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" Paul draws on the analogy from Deuteronomy 22:10 which prohibits harnessing an ox and a donkey together for ploughing. The result would be disasterous since they would pull a plow at different speeds and end up going nowhere.It is impossible for two different species of animals to pull a plow properly since they have too many incompatible traits. The same is true between a believer and an unbeliever when it comes to dating. The differences are so great Paul contrasts it to light and darkness.This principle applies to christians as well. It is possible for two christians to be dating and still be unequally yoked. One person may be commited to the Lord while the other may be worldly. It is not enough to date someone who goes to church. We must see if the other person's life reflects a heart for God. The first girl I dated was a pastor's daughter. Although she spoke the right words and outwardly lived a good life, I soon discovered her heart and mind were not on the Lord. After a few weeks, our worldly and frustrating relationship came to a bitter end.The application of this principle is simple. A christian should never date a non-christian for any reason. That does not mean we cannot be friends with unbelievers. How else would we win them to Christ? However, we should not be in a dating relationship with non-christains. Missionary dating, dating someone with hopes u will win them to Christ, is always an unwise practice for christians. The person u want to date is someone whom has shown himself or herself to be faithful and growing in the Lord.The second principle is what I called the 3 M's: Master, Mission, Mate.The first priority in a Christian's life is to know his or her Master, Jesus Christ. Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." From this relationship, all of life falls into its proper place.After knowing your Master, u need to discover the wonderful Mission He has for your life. Ephesians 2:10 states, "For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do." Your future partner will compliment the mission God has called u to.The third M stands for Mate. This must follow the first two priorities. The best dating relationships come when two people who know God and know their mission, are walking down the same paths towards the same goal. Somewhere down the road their paths will connect. From that point, they march together on the same path. That meeting point will be determined by God at the Best time.

Marks Of A Healthy Relationship

I am often asked, " How do I know if I am in a healthy dating relationship?" Here are a few ways to tell. Proverbs 27:17 tells us, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." When two swords rub against one another, they result in two even sharper and better swords. The same should be true when two believers are together. They should make each other stronger in the Lord. They do this by encouraging the other to grow in the Lord, exhorting each other to become more like Jesus each time they are together. Postive constructive changes are produced in one another. A healthy relationship looks like a triangle. The man and woman stand at the bottom corners. At the top of the triangle is God. As each person moves closer to God, they move closer to each other. The focus of each individual is the Lord.When I first entered the ministry, I was goal-oriented and insensitive to others. Its not that I didn't care about others, it was that I was so focused on the goals that I often ran over other people to accomplish the task. As I started dating the young lady who became my wife, she pointed out these flaws, and through her 'sharpening process' I have become more balanced.The question to ask about the person you are dating is, "Do I get closer to God as a result of being with this person?" or "Do I love Jesus more today because of our time together?" If you answer yes, u have the markings of a healthy relationship.A second indicator comes by looking at the relationships around you. Look at your relationships with your friends, your parents, your pastor and older mentors. Are these relationships being strengthened or weakened as a result of your dating relationship? In a healthy relationship, these friendships are strengthened. In unhealthy relationships, the couple often isolate themselves from others.This is unhealthy for several reasons. One person cannot meet all your needs. There will come the time when you need other friends. Yet, unless you take the time to build other relationships now, later when you need the friendships of others, they may not be there. Often, one person in the relationship will try to dominate the time of the other. Because this person is insecure, they will be very possessive of the other. This leads to a relationship built on selfishness, distrust and insecurity. When I see relationships deteriorating between the dating couple and their parents, older mentors or pastors, it is often because the dating couple has something to hide. Integrity, sincerity, honesty and truth are the marks of a healthy relationship. When I was involved in unhealthy relationships, I saw key relationships around me deteriorate. As hard as I tried, they continued to decline and soon I knew this relationship was not of the Lord. If you are in a healthy relationship, both of you will be growing in character and in the Lord, and your relationships with other people will be enhanced and strengthened.

How Far Is Too Far ?

When I speak on dating, one of the most frequently asked questions is, "how far is too far?" In other words, how physical can I get with my date and still be obedient to God? The answer is found in Paul's exhortation to young Timothy is 1 Timothy 5:1-2. "Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, with absolute purity." Paul's words remain clear. As christians, we are all part of one family belonging to the kingdom of God. He says to the men to treat younger women as sisters with absolute purity. There should not be even a hint of sexual immorality in the dating relationship. Women are to likewise treat men as their own brothers. Righteousness should be the hallmark of christian dating relationships.My basic guideline is this. The more physically involved the dating relationship, the worse off it is. Over the years, as a pastor of students, I have seen many relationships destroyed because the couples were too physically involved.In marriage, sex is the most intimate expression of commited love which binds two people together. Outside of marriage, it has the opposite effect. It becomes a hindrance to the development of mature love. Sex hinders the development of solid communication. The ability to communicate at a deep level is vital in a relationship. Couples must be able to solve difficult problems, discuss deep issues, resolve conflict and PRAY TOGETHER. To think a kiss or a hug can solve a conflict rather than communicating and praying together is like putting a band-aid on a broken bone.Solid relationships are built on mutual trust and respect. When a couple makes the commitment to wait until marriage, a strong mutual trust develops which carries over into marriage. Security and harmony define the relationship because both know the other will remain faithful even in difficult times. Should one partner even be disfigured in an accident, the other will be there because they have a proven commitment. Mutual respect is developed when both parties proves themselves to be people of character who will not compromise their convictions, honour and obedience to God.The best way to keep from sexual immorality is to develop the conviction to have a pure relationship from the beginning. Establish your convictions and limits at the beginning, then maintain them throughout your dating relationship. Although it may be difficult, there is a tremendous reward that awaits you in marriage when u honour the Lord in your dating life.

How To Know You Are Really In Love

Another question I am often asked is, "How do I know if I am in love or just infatuated?" Is this relationship worth pursuing, or is it just two people infatuated with each other? Relationships do often begin with infatuation, but healthy ones move on to mature love. Too often what appears to be love is simply infatuation. Here are some ways to know the difference between the two.Real love edifies. Two people in love seek the best for the other person. Their attitude towards each other is "How can I help make you everything God has ever intended you to be?" The two have found their fulfillment and security in Christ, and as a result, they can securely serve with the other's best interest in mind.On the other hand, infatuation is selfish and driven by the desire to have your own needs met. Infatuated love insists upon continual reassurance from the other person. It makes unreasonable demands that stems from possessiveness and insecurity. Charted on paper, it would range from high peaks of certainty to valleys of doubt. Unstable in its duration, infatuation is like a seasonal monsoon:it comes, blows fiercely, and moves on.Second, love is based on knowledge. One must first get to know the other person over a significant period of time and in many different circumstances. As u see the other person's character strengths and weaknesses, ask yourself, "Do I still feel strongly attracted to him or her?" Try this, list as many attributes of the other person as u can, including strengths and weaknesses and the evidence to support your claims. If you have a good-sized list, u probably know the person well and are basing your decision on knowledge. If it is infatuation, your list will be quite short. When people are infatuated, what they are often attracted to is an idealized image of the other person.Third, ask yourself, "If I were blind, would I love this person?" In other words, can I love this person without any physical expression? Is my desire for him or her based on quality of character or just physical attraction? If you can't express your love apart from the physical element, it is not true love. Physical involvement will distort two people's perspective, and it often leads to unwise decisions. Physical involvement can make people feel close, but upon careful examination, the only thing the two may have in common is lust.Finally, real love endures. Over time, real love grows and matures. Two people in love can wait for God's time, no matter how long it may be. Paul states in 1 Corinthians 13 that love is patient and love always perseveres or is long suffering. True love endures the tests of time and difficulty. Infatuation is marked by impulsive and emotional decision marking. It wants to rush into things before prayer or wise counsel is considered. True love is willing to wait on God's time and allow the other person to grow and become the person God desires him or her to be.As we conclude, remember this truth: God loves you and desires that your relationships be joyous and meaningful. He will not let you go wrong in the area of dating if you let Him be the Lord of every aspect of your life.

About the author*******************Patrick zukeran graduated from Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego, California, and holds a Th.M from Dallas Theological Seminary. He speaks and writes for Probe Ministries and serves as a youth pastor for a Chinese church in the Dallas region.

THis was a LATE entry..haha.ENJOY!

2008-04-10T11:48:00.000+08:00

School’s starting next weekJ
Woah, time fries. Well, it flies to fry. Anyhow, school’s beginning next week for 2 weeks and I will be out for clinical attachments in Mudgee. Mudgee is located outside of Sydney Metropolitan area, about 5 hours train ride: P It’s considered rural area and I am quite excited to go there for placements. I really pray that I will do well and learn heaps of stuff that will be helpful for my career!!
It’s been an exciting Easter week- Easter dinner, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Royal Easter Show 2008 and Lincoln’s visit from Canberra. I must say that it has been a fruitful Easter because I saw forgiveness and love in the act of Jesus on the cross. I never truly understood the extent of significance for Easter until today.
People must have been worried after reading my two entries on “smile”. I’m good now because God is good and faithful. I will blog more sometime later. Before I go into that, I must say Thankew a million times to the people who have come by to give me a smile, hug and a word of comfort. You Know who you are~ People like Taxi, Ah Seng, Wu liao de, the Berala gang and my “niece”. Buddies back home- thankew for being there when I so needed concern from way home.
The entire Easter season and the leading up to Easter have only one word to sum it up all- Faith. I remembered so many people praying for faith in my life and now I finally understand why that came. Faith that took Jesus to the cross and the belief in resurrection, faith that saw many lost sheep coming back to Jesus, faith that took me through the rough patches with the final goal in mind. The refining of the faith that is all so precious to my Father in Heaven- I am right in the furnace. Yet, I am glad I am going through it because Jesus will be glorified as my faith is being refined. ( 1 Peter)

2008-03-27T08:34:00.004+08:00

Easter Dinner!!

Last Friday, we had Easter dinner as a “household” of Georges Avenue. My housemates, James, John, Joseph and I with my college mates aka neighbours gathered together for a good time of laughs and chatters. Our special guest was Wong Lincoln, who shifted to Canberra a couple of weeks ago from Adelaide and decided to pay us a visit in Sydney for the long Easter weekend. We had a really fun time cooking. I cooked Mum’s famous Chicken wings and John enjoyed it totally!! Haha..he said he never ate Chicken wings of such kind. We had hot cross buns from Bakers Delight!! James made rice paper rolls, John made salad, Joseph..hmm..he just appeared..didn’t remember he made anything..LOL..then the other household made entre and roasted pumpkin. The dessert king and queen made apple crumble and chocolate bread pudding!!! Sumptuous dinner..yumyumyum~

Picture for your enjoyment!!

Hot cross Buns- Vi, cai .Post Dinner entertainm ent- Master mind

Desert-chocolate Bread Puddin and Apple crumble

Eng's discovery of a tuna display in my house

Vi, James, Joseph, John:)Easter hunt-Joseph found his egg!

Easter Hunt- Lincoln feeling for his pillow~Casey, Vi, Eng My egg!!The multiple ears bunny!Blessed Easter~

Blessed Easter Everybody~

2008-03-27T08:21:00.003+08:00

Blessed Easter everybody!!

It must have been a real exciting time celebrating the victory that Jesus had won on the cross when He was risen on the third day after His crucifixion.

I had a whole load of events that happened here in the line up for Easter. Church was exciting as they celebrated the Palm Sunday with a procession from Circular Quay as well as one from Martin Place back to Wesley on Good Friday, depicting the hours that Jesus carried the cross in the streets of Jerusalem.

Lincoln (my nemesis turned big brother) came from Canberra and visited us at 6/6A Georges Avenue for the long Easter weekend!!! I was really excited to see him come because it’s been close to 2 years when I last saw him. That was when he treated me to mud pie at Serene Centre’s Island Creamery and never will I imagine myself meeting him and spending Easter with him in my years of college with this guy.

Lincoln and I had our undercurrents that were so massive, we never liked each other. In fact, if he had a chance, he will not spare the opportunity to tear me down and make me cry. 90% of the times that I ever cried in college, he had a part to play in it. We were classmates and teammates back in our school’s canoeing team. I never really enjoyed his presence. I always hoped he will either disappear or be silent. :P I was not really nice too. I wrote subtle Christmas cards to antagonize him. Haha..how childish was that to think about it.

Then when we graduated, he wrote an email to me. In that email, he shared with me about his return to the Lord. He made apologies for the hurt that he caused throughout college days and beyond. The mercy and grace of God just overcame me and I am so thankful that God loved Him more than I did.

As he spent his Easter weekend with us, I am just blessed to have a friend like him. He might be a little too serious and indifferent about things, but his weird sense of humour never fails to light up my day. In fact, there were moments that Casey and I will always remember. The “technically”, “practically”, “fundamentally” and the “right~”, “no comments” classic lines that he always uses just makes us want to break into humongous laughter. The last night I spent with him in my room with Cai sleeping and snoring away made a lasting impression. God just showed me the most amazing thing on Earth- the power of love, grace and mercy. He might not be the most perfect person on Earth, but his ever brave attempts to acknowledge his shortcomings and mistakes made in life and facing the paradox of his life, I just want to say- I’m really proud of you, Lincoln. As a friend, as a fellow sister in ChristJ

When he left, Lincoln said that we must keep in contact. He will help me count down to the years of my ideal age of marriage to remind me that I must work on finding a guy. He promised me to attend my wedding (something that I will never want to have him around in the past :P) The dinners and the time with us made he feel like a little boy pampered and loved by a bunch of women~ hahaha..What a weird description. It was rare for Lincoln to be so emotional and sentimental in his words. I gave him a good hug before he board the bus for Canberra and told him to take care and remember to come for our weddingsJ He said he will.

This is one of the most meaningful Easter I ever had. The reconciliation was alive and at work- for Lincoln and I.

God's greatest gift to me- Friends..more than friends..they are my sisters~

2008-03-04T17:14:00.003+08:00

Ecclesiastes 4:8-9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.

I went looking for smile today and I met smiles on them. They have been sharing smiles with me for seven years and when one of them came by to give me her smile because she saw it was hiding, I told her I don't want hers. But I want her shoulders. So she gave me her shoulders and shoulders told tears to come. Then she gave me the task to share that smile she gave to my other sister, I told smile to appear for that important and it did. My smile got hold of that sister's smile with much effort and soon the smiles that met seven years ago had a rather unique reunion.

FOr that, I thank God for one of the greatest gift in the world. The gift- a shoulder so that I can have another wonderful gift called smile which only a friend can offer.

Smile at me when u see me.

2008-03-04T13:50:00.002+08:00

I was not able to find my smile these past few days. It went hiding since last week. When I see you my friends, I seek to find smile but smile says he is tired and doesn't want to meet the world. I asked smile why do you not want to meet the world- smile says," well, I can't pretend to do what you want to when I know heart doesn't want me to appear." I stood there thinking about what smile told me. I'm sorry, smile. I'm sorry, heart. At night, when i try to find smile, smile says he's afraid to see someone. I asked him who is he afraid to..he said he's afraid to see frown. I asked him where's frown and all smile could do was hide and refused to tell me.
As the days past till the week when school started this week, I was so angry with smile because he refused to come out. Even he does, it's just a brief appearance. He told tears to take over his role. Tears gladly came and in abundance. I told tears to stay put but tears told me," I can't when heart tells me to. Mind says No but your heart rules over your mind for now."
I thought i could always pull out smile whenever I wanted him because it's the natural thing I do when I see people. Hands will go and hug the people and smile will just naturally appear. Now, even hands will come, smile struggles to surface and tears will fight hard to come forth and take over smile. All because heart says so.
My friends, smile at me when you see me. Maybe then smile will find a reason to appear once more. Thanks~

BULA~

2008-02-22T08:43:00.003+08:00

Fiji, a country that has a total of 322 islands, consist of 14 provinces thereby giving you 14 different dialects within this polynesian islands. With a diverse ethnicity of Fijians, Indians, Chinese, Malays, the one thing they had in common was that resounding smile and warm greeting of BULA!

When I was in Singapore, Fiji used to be a country that seem really far far far away. Now that I was in Australia, I decided to bang my last few traveling dollars to go to Fiji with my other two mates- Eng and Casey. So there we took an ultra budget flight to Fiji with Pacific Blue that left Casey with a traumatizing experience and swearing not to take any more budget* LOL * Well! Going to Fiji on the 29th January allowed us to see the worst and bad of Fiji!!! WHY??!! Because we got stuck in a cyclone and had seen the best on a normal sunny day for tropical Fiji, tasted the closet to home weather/rain/paw paw aka papaya/watermelon, had the happiest time of traveling of all my travels. It was a sweet "graduation" for my traveling journey for summer holidays.

Fiji- not just liking it..but wanting to scream with all my heart I LOVE IT!!!

do you complete this word-"per-"

2008-02-20T12:23:00.001+08:00

"Perfect"

Sometimes is never quite enough
If you're flawless, then you'll win my love
Don't forget to win first place
Don't forget to keep that smile on your face

Be a good boy
Try a little harder
You've got to measure up
And make me prouder

How long before you screw it up
How many times do I have to tell you to hurry up
With everything I do for you
The least you can do is keep quiet

Be a good girl
You've gotta try a little harder
That simply wasn't good enough
To make us proud

I'll live through you
I'll make you what I never was
If you're the best, then maybe so am I
Compared to him compared to her
I'm doing this for your own damn good
You'll make up for what I blew
What's the problem...why are you crying

Be a good boy
Push a little farther now
That wasn't fast enough
To make us happy
We'll love you just the way you are
If you're perfect

Alanis Morissette- Perfect

Your way?

2008-02-20T12:18:00.003+08:00

Nobody's Perfect

When you catch the little things
But Overlook the BIG mistakes,
When everything takes longer
Than what it usually takes,
When nothing goes according to
The best laid plans you make
Just remember no one's perfect-
so give yourself a break.

When the stress of your success
Makes your head and stomach ache,
When everything you touch falls through,
fouls up, goes bad, or breaks,
Please remember that you're human
For your sanity's own sake,
And relax-nobody's perfect,
So give yourself a break.

Pass it on card from P. Gary before I flew~

Happy Lunar New Year!!

2008-02-13T13:02:00.002+08:00

GONG HEI FATT CHOY!!!
(Gong Xi Fa Cai!!)

It's the time of the year for a good load of feasting. Unfortunately, I cannot get to enjoy the Bakkwa, the chicken wings, fishballs and sotong balls, the kueh LAPIS!!, the many many things that we have for CNY in Singapore.
I get my share in Australia with my relatives- the reunion dinner on New Year's Eve and as well as the visitings to each other house for a day long of eating and chatting and catching up after I've disappeared for SOOO long. When I saw all of them on New Year's Eve, their first reaction is WOAH!! so DARK!( and that's only having one sunny day in Fiji because of the cyclone). and yea..they said i grew fatter( no doubt, i ate really well during my Fiji trip and slept a little too much)

HM..Chinese new year without my family felt weird. I had to webcam with them for the afternoon when they were at uncle Roland's place. Everybody had a chat with me..saying hellos and looking at my pimpled face..and I really miss all of them. I was supposed to head home with sponsored air ticket but too bad ah..haha..

Anyhow!! School's starting real soon but before that happens..revision has to start. And Joshua Ko is coming to Melbourne so I might pay him a good visit before school starts and all:P It's always good to see someone from Singapore- especially when he's from my church!! Open invitations to anyone who wants to come and visit me..hehe..

I love u all and have a blessed Lunar New Year!

Drama Fever-when speech does not matter.

2008-01-26T19:49:00.000+08:00

I came back from Melbourne to attend the drama camp that I signed up for back in 2007. When I saw the drama camp, I was really excited because I could finally DO something relevant and hopefully gained some new stuff from the week.

Australian Theatre of the Deaf- Summer drama camp 2008 was held at Alexandria Redfern. I did remember thinking if I could bail myself out of the camp because I was really tired from travelling and wanted some time off to just chill at home. Somehow, there's this tugging that got me going and there I got myself to the venue on Monday morning. When I got into the class, I heard rarely a pinch of noise. In fact, I saw heaps of hand and fingers moving and signing and then I realised what I was in for.
All my mates were hearing impaired or deaf. Some has hearing aids and having grown up in a community that does not have many people who have hearing difficulties, they learnt to speak with the hearing aids and were the ones whom I communicated verbally. Otherwise, I had to depend on Gerry( my interpretor) to translate sign language to verbal language( if that's the name for it). I was the oldest at the age of 22 while the others were between 13 to 17:) haha..heaps of fun with people who are younger than me.

We learnt all sorts of stuff- drama, theater, circus( hoops, juggling, scarves and clowning, human pyramid) and for Vivi- sign language. I picked up signing throughout my week and could sign all the alphabets and simple greetings and form simple sentences with the 10 fingers and the body that God gave me. Working with these kids taught me how to not only appreciate my gift for being able to hear, I appreciated the fact that God may have not given them hearing but he has given these kids the talent to use their bodies and facial expressions to tell stories and perform. People might say God's not fair to these kids by taking away their hearing. But, change the way we see it- perhaps it's a bonus that we could all hear. Instead of giving us talent to be expressive in our body movements, God gave us audio abilities to communicate with people. I remembered one of the incidents when it hit me in my head that I took my hearing for granted. We were trying to practise side to side stepping with clapping. Some of the kids can't seem to follow- and it's because they are hard of hearing so they can't hear the clapping to keep count and they had to rely on visual aid to follow which might give a lag in between. They will not possibly know what's keeping quiet because they can't hear themselves when they make squeaks of laughter. Even within their community, they have their divisions- the people who signed and those who hear with hearing aids.

As a class, we had to come up with a performance on the last day of the workshop and you could the sparkle in everyone's eyes when they performed. It was their day. One of my group mates Lydia fell and twisted her ankle the day before but she still pushed her way through to perform and gave the best she could for the show.
Of all, I will miss Dylan the most. He's my favourite. He never fails to bring joy and laughter with his acting and tricks- is a genuine and sincere attitude to provide entertainment for people that touched my heart. He gave me a big hug on our last day. I remembered that on the train back home, he asked me if I was bored and how he made every effort to ensure that I understood what he was signing. His freckled face that lits up with that charming smile makes my heart melt and something in me tells me that he will be a great performer one day- because he performs with sincerity.

For once, being a minority ( being abnormal amongst people who all have hard of hearing since I deviated from the normal standard they hold in their audio abilities) was something rewarding. Learning to communicated with them in Sign was the greatest reward of my week and when they allowed me to enter their circle of trust, I reckoned that I should return them a favour by allowing them to enter ( at least) my circle of trust by providing them that comfort of knowing that I can understand them through signing. SO! my next mission- take up signing classes. So that if I ever have patients who are deaf- They will not feel lost and handicap. How interesting- my skill gained is a way to overcome their handicap.

Heading back to Sydney:)

2008-01-20T06:40:00.000+08:00

It's the end of another round of solo travelling..but solo travelling isn't always SOLO when you meet friends somewhere on the streets. I met zhen zhen(OT) on the russell streets of melbourne because i was desperate enough to eat cheena food!! hahaha..and guess what..I SAW SINGAPORE CHOM CHOM!!!*hysterical laugh* I had my hainanese chicken rice there and the chilli is exactly the same FEEL!!!* hysterical cry* they sell chee kueh and many other stuff in there that seem so foreign at one instance and before i knew it..ignited that " I MISS SINGAPORE CUISINE" in me. Zhen walked up and down with me to get food and it was really a good time of catching up at her hostel's kitchen-which seemed a little dodgy..LOL..she was so funny~

Anyhow i am heading back to Sydney in 8 more hours time and reaching the next morning because I am taking the ever trustworthy train.:P Then it's drama camp for a week and onto fiji- and Chinese New Year:). After that, finish up my tour of the eastern coast of Australia and it's time to hit the books. Will be busy then..and well book eating:)

Melbourne captured me with its unique blend of the victorian buildlings and the contemporary architecture- coming with the sports culture that I have personally witnessed and so want to do it by getting a bicycle and hit the roads. From working adults, to children to the seniors, none are left out in the sporting culture because almost everyone took no stress from someone else being better than them. Instead, they had this I do what i am best at attitude. Sydney hits the gym but Melbourne hits the streets. Singapore Chom Chom definitely scored a bonus point with me. The free city tram and city shuttle made me felt important as a tourist- at least my travelling is taken care of. The Australian Open 2008 was something that I never dreamt of being there. Now that I have sat through live tennis matches with Andy Roddick, Federer and Williams sister so near me- I hoped that Michael Chang was there to bring this beautiful dream to a beautiful closure..( He was OUR era tennis player..haha..the ASIAN player.)I found my WOMAN! hahaha..Sugiyama from Japan is a real hot padi. She is so short but she handles william's hit with OOPMH. Sports was like the heart of melbourne. However, they had their streaks of artistic blood that flows through their streets- the Dracula Cabaret Restaurant was amazing in their delivery and professionalism of their performance.. the musuems and galleries that I had my feet on were amazing in telling me stories about their city and how they came about, their state library makes me wanna study, the gardens and shrine of rememberance taught me the history of war folks in the 1940s, and the random lanes of art murals that amazes me with the art talent in this place- and that's not graffitti. Not forgetting the experience to the southern tip of Australia at Wilsons promonotory as well as the penguins that me awed in wonder- I will believe that this is an exciting to reside for some time:) not that i am thinkin of but well it's for you to find out!

The experiences with people never fails to marvel me the diversity of human relationships and it makes me understand why God always created us differently- the world will be SOOO boring if we are all the same. The pain and annoyance happens with different personalities or conflicts of interest- but that's how we learn and grow isn't it? I Kinda figured my style of travelling and my purpose of travelling- my weakness for some things Like TENNIS. Travelling- is not about putting sights in pictures but putting experiences in memories. That's for Vivi. What about yours?

PS: sorry for not hving pictures will bring them up soon. Otherwise JOIN FACEBOOK!! the latest pics get up them..hehe

Current time in Melbourne

2008-01-16T19:42:00.000+08:00

Greetings from melbourne!! I am at my hostel's internet cafe so I am gonna keep this short sweet and simple. * cross my fingers*

Besides the high style layout but low substance service at my hostel, melbourne has been impressive thus far. The free city tram shuttle, the friendly people at service points like visitor centre and the parliament house and shopkeepers, the sights and well looking forward to the Queen Vic Market tomorrow as well as the Dracula's cabarest show at night in Carlton:)

Melbourne has a similar layout to Brisbane, especially with the Yarra River..it reminds me of that river back in Brisbane. But the walk down Yarra is really pretty especially at sunset- gonna head there for a cycle or a run the day after. It should be quite a relaxing one:)

I had a walk round the city, kept goin round on the tram too lazi to walk..hahaha..

I had the day tours for two consecutive days - the dandenong/puffing billy train, cattle farm and the PENGUINS!! on tuesday and went to the most southern tip of the continent- Wilsons Promonotory National Park.

The Penguins are my official favourite animals. WHY? Heaps of reasons~

When I got to the Penguin Parade, I waited quite a while in the strong winds to see the arrival of those little creatures and mind you they not taller than your ankles. THEY ARE SOOO CUTE!!

They stay in packs and never leaves one behind. When they get out of sea, they will get out together.. if one's left behind, then the pack will ALL return back to the sea and wait for that one to return. They are small creatures but they travel miles to their burrows where their youngs are. I witness their little scrambles home and they are either LOst or PRETEND to not know where their burrows are so as not to expose their secret hiding place. We can't take pictures of them because their eyes will be blinded by the flash and people( being inconsiderate creatures) did not follow the warnings did so and caused a ban to be slammed just 6 years ago. Nonetheless, i got one with a squashy one. The highlight was probably witness penguins kissing..LOL.. nah..the dad was feeding the mum with all the munched up fish into her stomach to feed the baby penguins. Penguins are a brave bunch of animals- so small yet they go through the daily ritual of hunting food to ensure the survival of their colony. I can't imagine myself doing that everyday. Yet they have the highest rate of divorce- suprising aint' it?

Their loyalty to their fellow compatriots amaze me. I wonder if i will ever go back to the sea in such conditions knowing that i might die going back to find my fellow penguins. Life isn't as such, you will not fathom the extent of loyalty you have for your friends till you are put into the situation:)

The simple life

2008-01-10T20:45:00.000+08:00

Am back from a week's long of independent traveling:) was awesome and exciting( yea..hearing me getting the aussie way of talkin ey..LOL)

I headed down to the inner New South Wales- Rand( in between Albury and Wagga Wagga) and onto Dubbo.

If u guys ever watched The Simple Life by nicole richie and paris hilton, do u remember the farming episodes they had? Yea, I got myself one great and amazing time on the farms at Rand. Laurissa aka Larrie( my life group leader in Wesley and physio mate in Syd Uni) invited me to her place cuz she was back at the farms and she was getting wee bored so she got me down to provide that excitement of a visitor. So i took the long ride and because of track works, i was stuck on the train for 2 hours extra!! my butt was nearly ripped off and rinsed..so terrible:) I got there in the afternoon, headed for a cup of tea and then to the farms for 2 days and 2 nights..

Larrie's front yar d and backyar

Farm was exciting:) I reckoned it's me( being a kid living in the city ALL my life) i haven't had the opportunities to see cattle upclose and do things like making the fence for the farmland. So all decked in nice farming outfit, we headed out to the fields and did fencing.

FencingI chase quite a load of cattle for Mrs Creek( Larrie's mum) cuz they had to get them to another place..so i joined the cows and went MOOOOO. Kinda frightened them i think~ they started running away real fast when i went MOOOO.LOL..

The ladies of the Creek residence

SOme people commented the farm life might get bored after some time but i reckoned that it has become a lifestyle for many farmers around that they don't really see it as a boring thing to do. They see it as their life.
It was a good time cuz I did my first time lawn mowing and i drove the manual car under the instructions of Mrs creek..but i nearly killed my passengers..LOL..

Mrs Creek

The highlight at the farm was the night sky. I saw the milky way right before my eyes. It's a magnificent blanket of stars that laid before my eyes~ From the east to the west, the north to the south, the sight just blew my mind. I laid under the blanket and could hear my Father in Heaven telling me- It's all for you, enjoy:)

Being at the farm, I realised the amazing thing about God is that everything made or happened will remind you of Him. Mrs Creek was sharing that the fencing was done so that it can allow the vegetation for the area that had tracks running through regenerate and becomes a potential grazing place for the cattle. The fencing serves a s a barrier so that the cattle will not enter and trample the grounds. Well, is your heart this day like the fields in Mrs creek's farmland? Is it barren or is it flourishing? Are the fences up to guard your heart? or have you allowed the cattle to run through your fields because you thought that if you leave just a weeny bit of hole in the fence..they will not get through? [i saw sheep getting through the fences that had holes as small as my palm].

Onto to 2008

2008-01-01T01:56:00.000+08:00

Blessed New Year everyone!!! I apologise for not being able to reach any one of u with calls because the lines were jammed and my phone died on me..as usual. Sydney celebrated New year with a huge lavish on fireworks..massive display. The biggest one I've ever seen in my life I reckoned. We headed to the place at 2pm ( fiona booked the seats for us!!thankew) and we sat there the entire till midnight..it was close to a torture but a worthwhile wait when u marvelled at the fireworks..it just goes on and on:)

New year new day new hope and new wishes.
TO my God- You left me speechless with your Love.year after year..regardless of how naughty I was.
TO my parents- Thankew for the love and the calls when I can't reach you guys. You came for me.
TO my bro- Quit the games and start the exercise. LUV u heaps:)
TO my best friend JIng- Thankew for the friendship after all these years..it's the 16th year dearie!!
To my Kindergarten buddy ah wee- Now.it's..say two more years before we hit the two decades of close association??hahaha..U always make my day..call u soon..
TO my woman ministry- Well! I had new year before u did..hahahaha but we shall head forth the new year with " great hopes" and "great wishes"..hee
TO my cousins- We will meet up someday when I get back next year
TO all my fellow bros and sis in Christ- Forward on Soldiers!
TO my fellow bros from WSC- It's been great year working and you guys are amazing..Keep the fire going and the life of WSC running! Proud of u guys:)
TO my big angel- may the new year be a good one for you:) I'm glad that I got to know you.
TO all who are in Sydney- We will have our PJ party soon..GIRLS NIGHT OUT!! heeh. Meanwhile, enjoy the company of those who are with u( for those with your loved ones) and embrace the new year with a great vision ahead:)Start the countdown for the return to Singapore!

Jesus saves

Christmas-This year I spent it in Sydney.

2008-01-01T01:10:00.000+08:00

Every year, if i happened to be overseas in December, I will attempt all efforts to arrive Singapore for Christmas. Christmas was a family reunion prelude before the New Year Day. In fact, after attending watchnight at Trinity- it was most probably the only time I can spent counting down with my family besides Chinese New Year.
This year, I spent it with another family- my extended family in Australia.
Spending Christmas in Australia made me relieved the infant days where we will all gather at Ang Mo KIo( at grandpa's House). Each grandkid has to be dressed up( I had to wear fairy dresses with my wand annually) and give grandpa a hug and a kiss before receiving our present. Well, I was least bothered if I could receive a gift. I was more concerned with being away from my parents. My comfort zone.
And as I sit here and reflect, i was an utter terribly cry baby if anyone could even remember. I cried whenever they want me to hug grandpa because i will be away from my parents. Then, I will most probably make everyone upset with my wailing and the party will come to a standstill. Sometimes. we do not leave our comfort zone to run to arms of Father in Heaven, do we? We have the knowledge that if we take that mini step, we will still be safe and sound in the arms of our Father as we live out in faith of what He has planned. However, we do not seem to act on that ( that's for myself). We choose, sadly, to remain in that little red zone of cushions and smiles, laughter and peace..no ripples allowed. I reckoned that Jesus had a tinge of fear leaving His comfort with His disciples. However, He chose to take upon the cross, to obey the Father in faith, returning to the Father in Heaven.
So Christmas was spent at Eastlakes and with a 1/4 of our family. With nice food, big xmas tree, noisy nephews, guitarist(Terence), cantonese, mandarin and English songs that lined the night's programme, how could we end the night without exchanging gifts? I got heaps of chocolate boxes and chocolates..LOL..shirts, photo album and love offering:) God is good!

Carols at the Domain

2008-01-01T00:41:00.000+08:00

Headed to the Domain behind Hyde Park to spend a night of xmas carolling with many people..It was a time to refresh those xmas carols that we chucked aside after xmas. Then- is xmas all about the singing, chocolates and big mega events?

As I approach Christmas, it definitely feels a little different. I recalled my Xmas days in Singapore was spent busily packing, wrapping and writing endless cards. I have to stay up the night before to do it continuously. Sometimes forfeiting the sleep~ Then God will knock on my little heart and ask Vivian- Why are you busy with all these?
Hm- Because i have to? ..( well will that be a question or a remark?)

Anyhow, Carols at the Domain was pretty good:) I enjoyed being in the crowd..needed them to make me appreciate the WIGGLES( google this and u will find interesting men doing a formula similar to Hi-5). Elain was great company and I must say Xmas was not too lonely (physically) after all.

Found by Elain at some corner:)Took pictures with the CHipmunks!The dinner that amazed Elain( had 2 of them)The light in the night When the clouds cleared

Roy and Yoke's visit to Sydney!

2007-12-25T12:42:00.000+08:00

Royston and Yoke Hian came for a visit to Sydney before I left for the Sunshine state( felt really bad not being able to bring them around) Yoke had to attend a seminar for his discipline at Syd Uni so Royston tagged along:P

I think it was pretty interesting for them to visit Lidcombe- and taste the nice korean food we have at Joa Snack Bar( RIGHT!!). We had korean food like two days straight.hee+

Royston sent me off to Brisbane and I thought the scene was fairly amusing- he sending me off when it should be the other way round..thanks for being there!!

Hope you guys had a great time in Sydney and see you real soon!-HUGS-

The sunshine state in Summer.

2007-12-25T12:10:00.000+08:00

11th December to 20th December 2007- I headed to the sunshine state where i met up with Cai and Casey. Queensland had a pretty much sunshine feeling compared to the gloomy Sydney but the clouds kinda followed me over to that place as well because it rained when I reached there.
Anyhow we headed to movie world!!! and got some crazy rides. I had a concussion and was feeling a bit giddy after the rides- a little too exhilarating for myself:)

And then we had a 2 days stay for the next few stops- Brisbane city, Noosa @ sunshine coast,Murwillambah( Mt Warning) and our last stop for the leg of the travel @ Port Macquarie.

Elf and I at movie world!! Brisbane City Mt Warning,Murwillambah Koala Hospital, Port Macquarie.Adopted a koala Aussie Mick at the hospital

Traveling around Brisbane and meeting ladies from Switzerland, Netherlands, Taiwan, Ireland who some gave up their work to experience a work and travel experience Australia is pretty intriguing. Personally, I wished I could do that some day. The question will be: will I be ready to give up for what I have done in Singapore to go about for a year or two? Maybe..Maybe not. The maybes and perhaps- how fleeting can dreams and ambitions get at times isn't it?

I managed to finish my books- Drawing near by John Bevere and The God Catchers by Tommy Tenney. It's been a book sitting on my shelf for a year and when i finally completed my book in these days-the journeys on the trains. The book left a vivid message of the Fear of the Lord- is it found in my heart? Even if I say I love the Lord, but do I fear Him? What's fearing the Lord all about-fear and love Him at the same time? John discussed about the truth behind speaking tongues in Church and was really an edifying entry for myself. I am currently reading- Leaving Microsoft to Change the World. Update you guys when I am done with it.

The lady from Taiwan made this comment- Traveling alone gets really pitiful because you are like a nomad- you pitch your home as you roam and nobody that you could turn to when you get into desperate boredom.

Well, I will be heading to Victoria in January and Fiji at the end of Jan( hope to book the tickets soon otherwise we gotta spend that time in Sydney..LOL). Let me see if it really gets a little too quiet when you are alone. Pray for internet access when I get to Vic:P

PS: Wishin you all a blessed Christmas! John 3:16.

The wait.

2007-12-25T09:30:00.000+08:00

BLESSED xmas to you fellow readers of VIvi's blog!!!
Ahh..it must have been a long wait since I last blogged about my mama's arrival- she left on the 6th december 2007 with my two other little imps. Well, she was gonna cry before she enter the gates when she told me to take care of herself.I kinda mastered the skill to hold my tears pretty well- didn't want to start another melodrama of flooding like it was at Changi Airport 5 months ago. It was just amazing to have them with me,having the smell of Singapore, the language of Singapore, the food of Singapore.

Pandan CAke Har Bee Maggi Noodle from Singapore!!Ikan bilis for soup Nonya SAuce and Assam sauce:)

*applause for my family for bringing all these amazing stuff from Singapore*
It just amazes you when their love for you goes beyond the weight they have to carry. They had one luggage specially for food..it was so funny because that luggage was empty after they came here and filled again with all the OZ products before they head back to Singapore.
I felt that after seeing them, I had been a bit off being a Singaporean. They talk too fast and too mumbled when I speak to them and they don't like to walk too much.
Nevertheless, my mummy came and cooked for me almost everyday except the last two days i cooked up meals for them cuz they were busy packing. Mummy finally ate what i cooked and said it was not too bad. GOod for a start..LOL~THe wait for my mum ,bro and stef to come was pretty much a mixture of feelings. Having living alone with people who could not tolerate you and left you in 5 months, it makes u a little apprehensive to want to live with them having known that you might have caused terror in the past 22 years of my life( esp for my mum who has to deal with my ever frequent forgetfulness and sudden outbursts of erratic screams). I supposed that's what make them your family- seeing beyond your traits of terror and live with you all the same, never once remembering the terrible things you threw at their face. Then again,I have not seen them for 5 months- it's quite a far bit to bear with having seeing them for 22 years of my life isnt' it:P
We had a pretty relax itinerary around Sydney for the 2 weeks- visiting the sights and accommodating to the relatives' requests of meet ups that got me a little messsy. THe highlight was at Port Stephens because my mother did Sandboarding!!! hahaha..someting that she will not participate if she was not coaxed.
pictures for view and memories for me tokeep:)

Mum back in singapore

2007-12-07T08:54:00.000+08:00

mummy dan and stef has returned to Singapore..exciting times we had..the occasional squabbles and well..overall a reminiscing time for all of us:)
Mama kinda teared at the airport..well.if i didn't hold back mine,we will have created another flooding at the kingsfordsmith airport..:P

I suppose when i look back at the times we spent, though it was a short two weeks..hm..it was another occasion when i thank God I am alive to see my family and they are alive to meet me..and not everyone gets the opportunity..if they did not come this summer..i will ahve to wait till next year till i meet them again. For my friends, if u are going to come and visit..pls drop me an email..so we can hang out and chill:) i miss the activities i do with u guys..heaps heaps heaps of activities that i can't get to go back to Singapore and start finding people to do:)

EVON!! thanks for your letter..i received it..will reply u soon ya..with all the juicy stuff..that i don't reveal on my blog..LOL..

Alrightey..just some updates of where i might be heading off to- Perth/Darwin( the northwestern territory), Cairns, Surfers Paradise and hopefully NZ or Fiji!
well loads of travelling..hehe..pretty much but i gotta see how much money i have..LOL..God will provide!!

saving up to go for more conferences too( after willow creek's)- the hillsongs women conference and hillsongs conference.:)

Reuben-my big bear

2007-11-26T09:03:00.000+08:00

As I took my walk to school today, I did something that I normally will not engage in. I kept looking at the ground- the black and white shades that seem to fuzzle into grey patches. I did not dare to look up because the images before me might make me forget how Reuben looks like.

Reuben went home to be with the Lord on Friday, 23rd November 2007 after a dragon boat accident in Cambodia and went missing after the boat capsized. Yesterday, his body was found some distance away from the site of the accident and is due to return to Singapore. Jill txt my Singapore line and if my cousin *with that line* had not been here, I will not have known about it [no internet to access to news:(]
I cannot imagine myself returning to Singapore a year later to find out that Reuben is gone. It's just..

I met Reuben when I started rowing in NYP. He was a tall burly dark bear that walks around, looking really fierce. That image fuzzles out when he smiles because he had a really nice set of pearly white teeth. I remembered that I first spoke to him on my birthday in 2004-because of a box of winnie the pooh jigsaw puzzle. I took my first photos with him on that day and we made our first email contact on that day. We had our first medals in NYP together at Bedok Reservoir. Joyce tried to trick him into doing something if I won a medal but it neve came to pass. He never fails to tease me about pull ups- always asking me to bring up the muscles to hit the pull up bars in NYP. We were teased by teammates because we just kinda hang out and laughed at a corner when we are supposed to be training. His passion for rowing blew me away when he bought his own paddle and trains almost every other day. The distinction in his tasks and pursuits made me understand the driving power of enthusiasm and passion.We had our occasional MSN chats when I will receive links to his webby for his music-double blown away. We will just exchange few thoughts about his music( though I think I was never much of a help) but still he took that thought and probe till he is able to prefect it. His music was rarely only for himself. The random tots that we exchange, big bear always give me weird answers. He gets a little too busy with music and our conversations always get left hanging. Big bear likes chicken rice-at least that was the only thing we ate together(with Yixue). I left my team not long after that and rarely saw him. Till one day near church, I met him with his group of friends- he could not recognise me cuz I was in a skirt( yea, he acknowledges me as a guy most of the time:P)We said let's meet up but..

I did not say goodbye to him before I left for Australia because he was too busy with work as well. He facebooked me and said we should meet up when I get back, and that will only happen next year.

People questioned why God takes away people who had so much ahead of them, having not finished doing what they are ought to accomplish. They say that God is unfair. Is He? For myself, taking such wonderful people away spoke to me- what have they left behind for the people in this world? Have you made use of every mince of your time that you have wasted none on this Earth? Regrets abound when u remember them?

Big bear, when I return next year, I may not get to see you the way I wished, hear your voice and laughther, your teasing and pokings the way I wished. You could not care less about what people's comments are as long as you were true to what you were doing- that was the amazing focus you had. The tall dark figure will forever lay to rest and be home with our Father. I pray that you will find the peace that you have been searching for. You gave me memories in rowing- from the first medals, to the first marathon, and first secret training that we could not let coach know. The words we exchanged were few.. but those words will not amount to the weird affinity we shared about life. You gave your all everytime,perhaps knowing that living for that day was the most worthwhile thing to do. Your music will play on in my heart.
Remembering your backview on the last time I met you at Adam road, I just thank God that I met you. *big hugs*:)

PS: He is the fourth person to leave me ever since I came to Sydney.God, aRe you telling me something?

The smell of home~

2007-11-26T08:27:00.000+08:00

Mummy, daniel and Stefy arrived on the 23rd November 2007 at 2005h, Kingsford Smith Airport T1. I got there by 1930h because they were scheduled to arrive then so i ended up waiting to close an hour before seeing them.

As I was hanging around the places, people (like myself) were gathering to welcome their friends and family members who have been away for some time-long/short- it didn't really matter. it was the distance of separation that made the heart grow fonder. The hugs, run ups, screams and kisses that they share just made my heart melt. It was a feeling that I could not explain- that warmth that surges up your throat and gives you the goosebumps.

School internet does not allow me to add pictures..so yea..pictureless blog for a long time..

Mum cooked her first meal in Australia for me:) 4 dishes 1 soup and it's been a long time since I ate her food. *sobz*

Enjoy every moment with her and the two punks while they are physically with me:)

SCHOOL's OVER! bring out the play!!!!

2007-11-15T11:49:00.000+08:00

YOOO HOOO. updates updates!!
It's been quite a long time since I got out to blogging. Pardon me because I was swamped with assignments,take home exams and well my last paper just finished at 1430h. ( that's because I finished early.got tired of waiting so I left the room early:P)
hmm the thought of doing so many things for summer just excites me..well I am not returning to singapore for the summers so i will only get to see u guys in like next year july ( except for fran..she will leave early next year to the US:/)

I got time to blog because I am locked out of my stupid house AGAIN! the last time i was locked out i had to wonder around like some stupid lost soul.so upsetting..so now i am spending my time here to do some productive things ( relative in this season).

The past week has been really upheaving. New housemates, exams, new seasons to come.
new interests... hm and i really wanna let my hair down like some wild kid before i return to be a working adult:)

Haven had time to do a lota reflections this week. and guitar playing. and exercising. Putting on the weight with late night atrocious eating because of work. so hungry lately..*ahem*

I will be out to Gosford next wednesday for overnight session at Mia's house and then MUMMY DANIU AND STEFFY IS COMING!!!!! *jumps in the air* for 2 weeks..then i might head up to brisbane cuz shirlynn is going up to attend Linda's graduation. and then..beginning in january after the fireworks and celebration..i am headin tot he countryside at Albury where larrie stays n enjoy some good camping with GIRLS:)/hehehehe..how exciting can that get. MOre to come..and i pray that I will be blessed with finances to travel. AMEN!!

okei dokes..gotta go out now..hving bbq table at a korean restaurant near our house for celebration for the Georges Avenue girls.

Xmas is coming people!! haha..any orders for TIM TAMS?? i might consider getting my brother bringing it back:P
haha

tke care..luv ya all

1 week of wireless:)

2007-11-05T15:35:00.000+08:00

I finally get to do some blogging after a week of being "wireless". The feeling ain't that bad or helpess. Feels like the days when I had to survive on dial up and internet was not at my disposal of use- I had to ration the hours so that we don't bust our bills.

I suppose having no internet at home has directed my time to other events at home like eating. baking.cleaning.washing.and playing soccer in my house!! hahaha..~ except for the last item, i think the rest just increased its frequency with the free time i have..not forgetting the guitar and the TAWG. YES! my housemate has a soccer ball so i can kick some balls in the house..just like what i used to do back at home with my lovely brudder* I miss him manz*.

My new housemate is really funny. He gets bored easily..and he behaves a little like Daniel- he likes to sit around the house but not his room.. he plays soccer..listens to RnB music. I think they might make good friends.. anyway, that's beside the point. With my new housemate, my neighbours get to eat big watermelon that costs AUD 7!!! without having to carry it home themselves..LOL.

Things had not been really good for the past week since last Tuesday but I am thankful for the grace of God is ever bountiful. As I look back on the things that have happened in my house, it's not a sad thing after all. Hm..a pity it can be but I have decided to pick up the pieces, clear the mess and look forward just like before:)
I took 2 days off from work( leaving me really behind time from completing my assignments hehe) to attend the Global Leadership Summit 2007 at Wesley church. It's their Sydney leg and they had a video conference for 2 days. My rating- 9/10 stars!! It was truly inspiring and the speakers they had were amazing.. Jimmy Carter( US president), Bill Hybels( Senior Pastor of Willow Creek), Marcus Buckingham, Carly Fiorina( ex CEO of Hewlett Packard), Richard Curtis(director of NOtting hill), Colin Powell and Michael Porter. It has got me really thinking what I have been doing with the last 22 years of my life, the money and time I have wasted on things that (perhaps) could have made a difference if I chose to. I got down to do something I had always wanted to- bring a sponsor-a-child program to my friends back in Singapore. I believe there are many around and this is one that my cousin Terence started for the SEA and East Asia children. It's tough work but unless I get down to doing it- I will never know what I can accomplish for the kingdom of God:)

YEAPS!! so hopefully when I get back, I will be able to bring back something awesome for all..or better still, get this over even before I return:)

PEOPLE>TAG YOUR MAILING ADDRESS!! so i can send u xmas cards..LOL..otherwise I can't get them to u. I am trying to collate the different TIM TAMS and arnott's biscuits here to do a blog entry on it..haha..will stun u with the varieties we have!!
IT"S MANGOES season..cheaaappp..so happy!!

God bless your week ahead people*hugz*

And so my section sings- If we hold on together

2007-10-30T10:15:00.000+08:00

Am missing them so much:)

Last day of school!!!

2007-10-30T09:48:00.001+08:00

It was the last day for lectures actually.( we had school for another 3 more days because of tuts week)
There u go pics pics and more pics..

Lina with her pretty pizzaLina and vi!!! back together after 6 years:)
Eliane!! she's really sweet!!
Gloria!! *dazed*
Mia and the mooncake I gave her- she makes the Caucasian kinda mooncakes..We are going to her home @Gosford for summer hols!! Kayaking here we come!!

Well..everybody's moving on..While we have another semester to run by:P
I will most probably hoping my last day will come real soon:)

Snail mails for the next few months.

2007-10-30T08:49:00.001+08:00

Hi everybody!!
Am back with more astounding news:)

I will no longer be having internet nor landline as of today. It has got to do with the things I am left with after my current housemate shifts out because she is taking away my phone,modem and router. SO YEAPS! I am wireless literally:P

However I am ALL FOR snail mails, emails, txts* IF u wanna pay intl' fees:P* Hehe

MY house is kinda empty now..only left with a washing machine and some pails. It's such a feeling that I am glad I may have nothing much but I have the greatest person by my side- my Father in Heaven. Well, even if I am only left with God alone, it's the only thing that I need because I don't exactly seem to hold onto the tangible things as badly*compared to the past* AND YES! thank God for my new housemate's pots and pans, utensils, and cups. God provides and *Am believing for a double portion* when you choose to honour Him in all that u do, AMEN??!!

gotta go. so long~till i get internet..*If i ever do:P**HUGZ*

PS: I will still update my blog..but not that often yea:P
TAG your mailing address everybody!!! so if I have to send u mail..via snail mail..exciting to see letters in your box isn't it!!

"Over my head" Brian Littrell. You cover me.

2007-10-29T08:21:00.000+08:00

I tried to figure it out
Time and time again and time again
I guess there's just some things I'll never understand
'Cause Your ways aren't our ways
But deep down in my soul, down in my soul
There is one thing I know that I know

I'm in over my head
Right where I wanna be
I'm so lost within Your love
The love that always covers me
So high, so deep, so wide
A strong and cleansing tide
My soul has found a place to rest
I'm in over my head

I've been holding on
Now I'm letting go, just letting go
Gonna let Your love carry me away
I don't know where I'm going
But I'm surrounded by the truth
And I can feel the current pulling me
Deeper into You

I'm in over my head
Right where I wanna be
I'm so lost within Your love
The love that always covers me
So high, so deep, so wide
A strong and cleansing tide
My soul has found a place to rest
I'm in over my head

You see me for who I am
You did reach out Your hand
You made me understand
That Your love has always covered me

Vi to God: Father, I just want to give thanks to you. That you saved me from my past, that you saved me from the vengeful spirit, that you saved me from the pits of hell, that you saved me from my sorrows, pain,hurts,betrayals especially of people whom so thought I knew them. And because you saved me- I could lead a new life. A life that does not need to thrive on striving, a life that does not need to thrive on earning good works, a life that does not need to fear of what people might say or criticize, a life that does not need to please men, a life that does not seek revenge nor advocation of my "given" rights, a life that I can freely live without a qualm about what may come tomorrow because I am living it for you. Just like the song- time and time again, I tried to understand. Isaiah 55:8-9 "My thoughts are completely different from yours", says the Lord. " And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than yours." then deep down I am convinced that perhaps all you ever asked from us is a dependence on you and not to worry about anything. Father, thank you for loving me. That is the greatest gift I could ever received from you:)

Pray for me

2007-10-28T22:30:00.000+08:00

Hey fellow brothers and sisters in Christ!

I figured out I can't send a mass email because I always get punked by the server so I decided to post a blogpost to call for a time of prayer.

I can't really explain to you the situation I am in but all I ask for is with your prophetic ministry skills, pray for me. Health, studies, relationships...I sense that I am kinda trapped in a lot of situations that are really faith testing, integrity testing and might be detrimental to my career.

Well, I didn't realise the gravity of issues until my good pals highlighted to me about how my character of being perhaps nonchalant/indifferent has caused unnecessary misunderstandings- which I can't control people's reactions and their choice of words about my behaviour. However, I am believing that my God is my hope that will not disappoint and He will be my vindicator.

I remembered P.Gary giving me a note saying that human beings are not perfect..and so am I. If anyone has caused distress to you or has come to accuse you of anything that has happened to them- just forgive. Because we are all imperfect creatures that we should we give each other some slack.

All I want to say-*speechless* Let my God do the talking:)
P.U.S.H= pray until something happens.:)

When I had too many questions on my mind.

2007-10-23T14:33:00.000+08:00

Hm.
Bleahz.
This is what happens when you have too many questions on your mind. You don't know where to start from:)

The weekend was pretty interesting. It had its ups and downs. Like, without Jees and/or skype, I think i will still stay at strumming the same rate.LOL- Jees, must pray for me that God will come and visit me when I hit the strings, hit the bed and the songbooks.
I met up with Kah Fei( not the one from IGNYTE) my cousin cuz he's flying to Singapore in 3 days time. Why is everybody flying:( He's so excited because he can finally return to his homeland of food and eat his daily dosage of PRATA!!!:( i want prata. hahaha- tissue prata, plaster, egg, egg and onion. *sobz*

visited May ku ma and family and had a chitchat session as well. Ah qiong drove me to town cuz I had to meet someone for dinner. *erhem* hahah..waited till I felt so constipated but I can't go. But I must be appreciative because this person has got me a decent dinner at the revolving Sydney Sky Tower, 360 Bar and dining with a mesmerizing view of Sydney city. THANK YOU!!!*smiles brightly*But you could just imagine with me.. Star city, Darling Harbour, Harbour bridge and part of the opera house with thousands of " candle light" flickering and nice cruise ships passing by..pretty ah? We got quite amused with the lights in the restaurant because we cannot see anything on the menu and we got to grab those mushroom headlights. I didnt take pictures because it was so dark and I didnt know I was going there for dinner.:/ haha. The brownie is NICE..and so is the apple souffle pie. Ah~ I was asked to find apple bits in the custard ( when they were non existent by the touch of my tongue) because I could not finish it. Got kinda amused with that request and got the person who asked me to do so to do it too~ So did he find any apple bits? NO.

Should go there again..when I have the money.hahahah~

Exams are coming. Gonna camp full time in the library..almost full time. As for blogging... I might disappear away for a day or two..or a week..hm.

PS: It was not one of the best weeks around. History repeats itself to a point of disgust at times. I just pray that no more infering and no more backstabbing will happen again.

Floriade 2007-Canberra and Parliament House

2007-10-20T14:12:00.000+08:00

one of my random posts during my studying time- was getting bored with packing my notes:P

Floriade is an annual floral event organised by the state of Canberra, attracting thousands of visitors every year. Avid photographers, families and couples flock to Canberra to catch the evidence of arrival of Spring in the state and bask in the sea of tulips, pansies and daffodils and many more floral kinds~

We decided to pick a trip up on our own and got discounted tickets..LOL:) Shirlynn, Shirleen, Casey and I took the 0800 h bus up to Canberra and boy~ I never saw so many flowers in my life:) hee+ My favourite is sunflower but I grew to like white
tulips and lilies somehow... I like the sunny flower because it makes

me smile..its big face just reminds me of smiling no matter how bad the day is!! Hm..maybe another criteria for my future husband- must not be allergic to pollen..LOL.

I wanted to buy flowers badly but they did not sell the kinds I wanted to get. Am looking forward to get some flowers for the weekend hopefully because I need to get some uplifting moments for the week:/
The Floriade had different themes like surf.sea.sand, sports craze, the musician and whole loads of interesting icons of the Australian nation.

We headed to the gorgeous fountain and we saw a rainbow!! I really admire those who stay near there-daily reminder of God's faithfulness at your window. how cool is that!

The Parliament House, past and present, interestingly were situated facing each other. The present PH is built such that the people can go to the roof top and "walk over" the top of the House. I suppose it's a symbolic representation of how the government can have their people climbing over them.

I gave some thought when I saw the past and present PH facing each other- pardon me if I think too much at times- but I felt that people tend to look back at the glorious past or successes in what they have done, trying to formulate the same method, not realising that times have changed and evolved- the past may serve as a lesson but not as a replica for solving current problems.

Hm..food for thought~

Santa came early~

2007-10-20T09:19:00.001+08:00

Christmas is only coming in like 2 months' time but I think Santa came a little early this year- there you saw the two things that got highlighted in my wish list.. I got both within a week. Santa must be working overtime this year because he's afraid that he will finish giving in time.I think~

Hopefully the rest will come to reality soon:)

PS: Santa is a fictitious character.

I saw him and his guitar? Is he the one?

2007-10-20T08:20:00.000+08:00

Jees, now that you are not around to teach me guitar..I need someone to show me new stunts..LOL

I thought I found one.. but yesterday's encounter somehow told me it's not possible.

Haiz~

It's all dependence on my Father in Heaven to anoint those teeny fingers and poor sense of rhythm to create miracle playings~

Praying for doors open to find the one.

guitar-TWANG~ new receipes

2007-10-17T09:18:00.000+08:00

hehe..Guitar playing has been progressing, I can finally sing and play at the same time..LOL!!( yes Jees!! ) Hm.but I need to move from my current playlists and my strumming. I need to start learning how to pluck and strum and well.. be better:) for Jesus.

Maybe when I get better, I will just video myself..LOL.

I have learnt to make my own meatballs!!! yea..handmade ones~hee. I started on my receipes for my Cocoa crackles- i named it pok pok because of the crunchy sound it has. I am making a new flavour this week and will post it on if i remember. Gonna start on my pineapple banana cake later! been waiting to bake the cake for so long..hee+ and soon i shall endeavour to be able to open a mobile cake shop when i return to Singapore..hahaha+ Membership is up for grabs.. so if u have VIP i will give you good discounts and freebies..LOL

alrightey..gotta go bath and bake cake.. woosh!

I chose to give them a chance.

2007-10-17T08:45:00.000+08:00

On the Saturday that just passed, I went down to the Reibby Juvenile Justice Centre to spend a day with the boys playing touch footy. RJJC is at campbelltown and keeps the boys off streets after they have kinda break the law from petty to serious crimes.

I went with my mates from church and it was really interesting to see so many nationalities coming together to go have some fun and at the same time be a blessing to these guys in Reibby. It was a really long drive(1.5 to 2 hrs) up from Sydney city to Campbelltown. I took Brian's car with Debra behind and I think we were all about to fall asleep when we finally reached the place.

We had a game or two with the high school age boys. I am really amazed at these boys. Yea, they are people who broke the law but I see how they are quite shy when talking to us. In fact, the guys are really polite and they will really gentlemen. I never play touch footy before in my entire life but they didnt really mind. Some of them even asked their friends to pass the ball to the girls so we can have a run to score a try.

Although it was only 2 shorts hours and we did not really do much talking, but being with them just opened my eyes to the inside world of a juvenile centre and it really started making me think what could have caused them to commit crimes when they really seem harmful people.
Some of the guys were really apprehensive in talkin to us- maybe as much as the society is afraid of them, they are too afraid of us. The lady chaplain, Lee, told us that many of them are really fearful of returning back to the community, so much so that they did not want to leave. These boys doesn't have visitors and I think when I made a choice to go there, I would most probably be the few people they know from the outside community besides the wardens and their teachers. How can you not be fearful when that's all you know about the outside world? They have televisions and games, classes..but that's not all about it. The people out there, might be the greatest hurdle they will meet when they leave the centre. I was really touched when they gave me the ball and ask me to run for the try. Trust me, all of them can run so fast you can't even smell the whiff of their fart..LOL. just kidd~I suppose that they will want us to give them a chance as well, just as much as they have given us on the field.
Many of them did not choose to be born into the families they grew up in, the community that they live in. It's ironic that how much the society has progressed yet relegated/forgotten about the many poor families that these children come from-perhaps we should do our part instead of blaming their community and parents. And when are you too consumed with the worries of your life, think again. I know I have God with me but these guys, many of them don't even know where they are heading after they leave the centre- are you just like them, aimless about the days ahead of you?

Recaps~

2007-10-17T08:13:00.000+08:00

It's yet another week in Australia. School's ending in another 2 weeks and I apologize for missing you guys out in sharing my mini travels and excitements in the weeks after my blue mountains trip. That's about 2 weeks i think.hmmm...

Anyhow, after i had blue mountains..i kinda conquered the bays and the beaches (except Bondi and Marouba) and the trekking around Syndey Metropolitan area with ferries, buses,trains n my ever enthusiastic walking kaki Shirlynn~

Summary=
1) Coogee Beach part 2
2) Sydney Olympic Park
3)Manly Beach on my birthday Weee~
4)Double, Rose, Mosman and Watson's Bay, Cremone point.
5)Floriade 2007 @ Canberra
6) Ferry to Sydney Olympic Park Terminal from Circular Quay.

Will post the adventures in separate entries..LOL..otherwise this entry will be forever ongoing.

well..After the entire series of walking around, this was one thing that I kinda want to share with you guys.hee+
What keeps two friends together on the sea?Friend-ship:)

Facebook~

2007-10-10T13:44:00.000+08:00

Ehlo everybody!!

School term just started after two weeks of running, walking, tramping around Syndey. Shall post the pictures of the tours I had. I suppose that this birthday I had was the most eventful one because I had been to so many places- more than my 3 months here before I ventured out with Cai to see Sydney.

School's back with more assignments- 3 to hand in, 2 for take home exams and a written one for value law and ethics for health care professionals.:P
In fact, exams are gonna end on the 15th November and I am planning to have a pyjamas party on the 16th November..LOL. Well, that might be the last one because my other housemate has decided that she will shift out because she is not comfortable having strangers living with her( well, I wanted to get people in so it will not be so expensive to handle the rent). Yeaps! so..PJ PARTY!! entrance only for girls.LOL...

After that, my mother, brother and Stefanie are coming over for 2 weeks. Exciting 2 weeks..have kinda ran around Sydney to check out what good scenic places to view and the yummy places to whack. woohoo~

I have gotten myself kinda partially hooked onto facebook. hehe+ so you guys can add me..i think i put my full name ..LOL LIM FENG YU VIVIAN..yea that's my search name...

alrightey..gonna post the pics soon..take care people!

The mountains resounding His majesty~

2007-09-29T22:33:00.000+08:00

26th september to 28th september 2007- The Blue mountains, Katoomba/Leura/Wentworth falls.

My first bushwalk in the real mountains was just breathtaking. It was really exciting to be on my first backpacking trip - though it wasn't to somewhere really far. With Eileen and Cai, we headed to blue mts on a 2 hours train ride to katoomba and stayed for 2 nights. Blue mountains is called blue mountains is because of the blue haze above the mountains that can be seen..
For the 3 days we went to trek to see the famous 三姐妹 and the Jenolan caves series( Lucas caves) and the waterfalls. 3 girls running up and down the cliffs..It was unimaginable the amount of climbing and walking we did- close to 6-7 hours a day.

It was all worth it to just witness how the mts and caves and forests and valleys were formed- the history and stories behind the places were interesting( it helps to have a good tourguide). We lost quite a bit of calories but gained a whole load of insight on our abilities to climb and trek as well as (for myself) how the hand of God can be so creative.
When I saw blue mountains, I can't help but start singing -
When I think about the heavens, the moon and all the stars,
I wonder what you ever saw in me.
But you took me and you loved me and given me a crown
And I will praise your name eternally~
O Lord my God, how excellent your name is
How excellent your name in all the earth.
The glory fills the Heavens beyond the furthest stars
How excellent your name in all the earth.

The most memorable part of the trip was the journey to the caves. When you thought you saw the great cliffs and forests at the blue mountains itself, when the coach drove past the mountain range and the Great Dividing range and Megalong valley- I was just overwhelmed with the majestic outlook of the fields and mountains. I so wanted to hug it and bring it home. hahah..so I did that with buying postcards.

We went to places like chocolate factory and the famous wentworth pies, not forgetting the rides all around the blue mountains.:) Ah did i mention about the Kangaroos..they are SO CUTE!!!! aiyo~ i was so amused by them. They came pouncing on me when i gave them food..and i got to hug one:)I hope that my husband will never have to sit on that. Venturing and conquered the mountains!Thank you for this awesome time, Eileen and Cai:)

中秋节-月饼与灯笼在八月十五聚集。

2007-09-29T22:05:00.000+08:00

八月十五月亮圆又圆。We had annual moon cake festival celebration at my backyard. Back in Singapore, we aren't really concerned with gathering with family members and playing lanterns sorts. Somehow, when y0u are here and such things are scarce, you will go all attempts to ensure it happens. Weird phenomenon isnt it?

Wendy's boyfriend got us nice lanterns and candles from Singapore because he was here to visit. Once again, our table is lined with a spread of CHEENA delicacies-幸运饼
老公老婆饼上海年糕汤圆

腐粥 Joan with the mooncake it was quite exciting to see so many people again. I am truly convinced that I require that external stimuli of people to keep me sane monthly..LOL. I think our neighbours think we are a mad bunch of neighbours to have in the neighbourhood, making all the noise at night:P

Lantern time!!

Elain and I

the moon wasnt really round and we just kept on burning candles at the backyard..LOL..played till really late and had to wash up and get ready for blue mountains the next day. It was quite amazing for Elain though..she met her childhood sweetheart*winks* hahahaah..apparently, one of wendy's bf's brother was her kindergarten friend that she grew up and played with>LOL..and it was like a meeting in Sydney..of all places at my backyard. how small is the world isn't it..:)

I thought of my durian mooncake from mariott i was quite upset..:( i think i will only get to eat it next year..haiz.

Rookwood venture

2007-09-29T17:23:00.000+08:00

When you have a little too much free time, the next best thing you can do in Australia is walk and explore. That's what Cai and I did. Eng and casey were out at the RG's house for project and Wendy's bf and brothers came for a visit so that left the both of us doing nothing but rotting at home.
So we decided to check out the place next to our street- one where people picnics, runs and drives through to get to strathfield. It is also a place where the dead congregate- Rookwood cemetry. Taking a map that the seniors left behind, we took a stroll through the cemetery and guess what WE FOUND A NEW WAY TO WALK TO FLEMINGTON MARKET!!! THAT MEANS- we can save 3.20 for return trip which means we can save money ...which means we can have more food!!!Being the market aunties, we actually got our way to Burwood:) hahahahaha~ exciting.. we clocked a close to 8 hours trek on foot to reach burwood and back to Lidcombe. I think i was mad to do that after my marathon but well, I was desperate to get some life and there u go~ Rookwood venture.The young ones who had not had a chance to see the world before they left to be with the Lord.The memorial plaque
We could see the city in the rookwood midst!!

Amidst the stroll in the cemetery, the young ones that left the world to be back with the Lord left me the most vivid impression. They never really got to see the world before they left this world..many of us will feel it's a pity that they had not had the chance to see what's out there. Somehow their departure has taught me to just contented with the life I was given. It might get treacherous and stressful at times, irritating and dreading in certain parts of our seasons..but nevertheless, you grow as a person and most importantly, your presence will be of a blessing to someone( if there is). What does your life mean to you? More than just living? A gift from your parents? hm for me- It's like pay it forward- for the life blessing that God has ordained and given through your parents, pay it forward by being a blessing to others.

KoreAn Festival @ Darling Harbour

2007-09-29T17:17:00.000+08:00

Sydney is just a pretty Asian place~ They had a korean festival for the year at the palm grove, Darling Harbour. Both Cai and I were so desperate for some korean food that we met after my run( yea, talking about killing the calories) to sweep all the food so that we can truly enjoy the stuff.
I manage to catch a korean performing group from korean. They are called nancho( I am not wrong) ..they are similar to stomp. Amazingly humourous..LOL.

korean Spread!!Fried Dumplings Vegetable Omelette Roasted Vegetable- my new love!Spicy Rice cake!

I will post the videos of the performing group soon!!

Kamsahamida~ Ka char!

Sydney Blackmores Half~ Over the bridge!!

2007-09-29T16:53:00.000+08:00

Well! The must do on my list No 1 was to sign up for the half marathon in Sydney and run over the Harbour bridge. I had my first marathon in Singapore but I decided to spare myself from all the ache I had after my Standard Chartered run so I signed up for the half marathon.

Sydney Running Festival- Sydney marathon 2007!Start : Milsons Point End: Opera House My route of 21km

The pair of feet that will bring me across the bridge and to the streets of Sydney:)

Onn suk took me to the race site in the morning and I headed for my run.
I gave myself a restriction and that is not to run with music. So all I did was pluck in my earphones and left it as that. Amazingly, I endured at least 75% of the run w/o music and I had music in when I was goin to die out.

I had to self seed myself as a slow runner- because if you run more than 2 hrs you are considered slow. Not only that, you will have to complet it in 2 hrs and 45 mins.LOL.. I was praying so hard that God will carry me through the race, especially with the aching legs.

Running my first half in a foreign land was pretty exciting:) There was a lot that I wanted to experience and I am glad that I ran. They had gummies as like energy food and they were the ones that kept me goin in my race.

Running is like a grounding activity for myself. Whenever I am lost or confused, upset or just feeling real crap, taking a run becomes an inevitable option to get away from everything. Those scary days when I had to handle the things that happened in Australia about my house and sorts, I just had only running and God to depend on.
In a marathon, you know that it will be a long journey and you might have to go the " extra mile". Whichever way, your aim to finish at the ending point never change and the little things like 'gummies" that will keep you going. I pray that it is the same for you and my faith in our Lord: that our aim to finish well at the ending point will never change :)

Surprise!

2007-09-29T16:10:00.000+08:00

It was the last week of school for the first part of the semester and I headed out to town as usual for Blue Sky. It was THE WEEKEND because I was going to run my first half marathon in my life, in Sydney. hee+ So I decided to stay put in town to have easy access to Milsons point where the race will be starting.
The Eastlakes gang gathered at onn suk's place as usual for dinner. However, the usual males were missing because kah fei overslept and neng suk got quite upset that we did not start dinner on time and he had a date at the casinos. So we only had like 5 of us having dinner-that's munee, may ku ma, onn suk, auntie jeanette and myself. I stayed home on the entire saturday because i wanted to rest for sunday's race and "Nua" as much as possible. I visited Aldi for grocery shopping and went for a 15min run before I had to go and poo poo. I think I had not had my farting habit cured..active bowel movements..LOL.

We had dinner- sumptuous one! Roasted lamb shank, mixed vegetables, baked dory fillets and salmon with red eggs. It's a tradition in my dad's family to eat red eggs on birthdays so I innocently asked whose birthday was it. Then Auntie jeantte looked at me and said, " U LO." hahahah..I was quite embarrassed to be told that my birthday is coming. I kinda forgotten about it actually. I was intending to give a celebration a miss since am alone here. So there u go! They wanted to throw a birthday dinner to celebrate my birthday:)=**) Here's the spread on the table by our chef of the day- Auntie Jeanette and May ku ma

Then it was birthday cake party!!..lol. It was so funny. I felt like i was back in kindergarten where we had tidbits and cakes and presents. Auntie Jeanette made fruit muffins in the afternoon * i stole some recipes and tips from her* to go for the party. I was on the brink of breaking the dam! birthday song, birthday cake and birthday presents at Eastlakes. The birthday cake was caramel mud cake from Michel's hahahah..OTs don't you gals think that sounds familiar. IT's the FA GUI we had for Elain's birthday!!Brings back memories ah~

I felt enormous amount of love from my relatives over here for celebrating my birthday. The fact that they remembered and gathered to celebrate, though not all were here, the presence of the few was significant. As I would slowly learn to grow be less dependent, a part of me just reminded myself that it might be close to impossible to be solely independent in all things. That happiness and excitement or even the pitfalls in life..somehow having someone on the road with you will make the experience significant. It's the people that makes the event memorable. People- the best creation on planet earth by God. (That's why when God made man, He said that it was excellent in all ways.)

Back from MIAing

2007-09-29T10:28:00.000+08:00

Hello peeps!

So sorry for not updating for quite some time..must be kinda boring looking at the old stuff ey~

I had a whole long week of adventure and fun..in the midst to reward myself for surviving in Australia for 3 months..LOL. Fast isnt it..time just "fries" Excluding the extra week of school that was quite redundant because we had really nothing much to cover on except the evaluation of conference week, it was a good week to conclude on.

Gonna update my blogs on the following!
1) Surprise!
2)Blackmores Sydney Marathon 2007
3)mooncake Festival party@6A Georges Avenue
4)Blue mountains adventure~

Before that..gotta hit some lunch now..hehe..*hungry*

Beach Tour Series 1

2007-09-17T17:04:00.001+08:00

I headed for my first beach experience in Australia. Known for their endless range of beaches by the eastern coast, I had to go check out at least one after being here in Sydney for 3 months. It really is quite pathetic that I have not had seen most of sydney except Lidcombe, Auburn, Paramatte, Burwood and Town.LOL..and the occasional tim sum treats. Oon suk drove and showed me Coogee Beach- near Terence's mum place.I took my time to view the scenery cuz I attempted to run along coogee beach- the steep hills and tall flight of steps were extremely daunting but thank God for spring's arrival the weather was good.. breezy and sunny. :)Pretty flowers by the cliff~This plaque was mounted on the hill of Coogee beac h to remember the randwick residents who died in the Bali Bomb Blast in 2002.

The Beach was really a place where i get to see the old and the young moving and getting on with their leisure activities. I saw this father running after his son and I realised something interesting about him. He never once ran before his son but always keeping a close distance from behind while his baby boy kept on running to the shop a distance ahead. Somehow,I recalled of the days when my dad used to chase after me or even my mum when I ran about. It must have been tiring for them. Then something hit me from behind. Hm. That my God is always at my back. The days when I just kept on running towards where I wanted to go- He just came along from the back and watching me by the sides to make sure I do not hurt myself and He will be there pick when I fall. He could have ran ahead and stopped me and demanded His way- but He allowed me to explore and let the Holy spirit do the work of conviction whenever I am not a good girl or a nauti imp that wants to play punk with God. With my Father in Heaven, I can hold the skies up when it falls and fly through the seasons of hardships on the winds of grace.

Conference week finale!

2007-09-17T16:30:00.000+08:00

Dated:14th september 2007~

I finished my conference week finally!! had to do 4 presentations out of the 5 days of consecutive seminars... my tongue was gonna drop out any time. We had an early celebration at Paramatta on thursday night to celebrate cynthia's birthday:)
Boy, am i relieved all the mad rush late nights to do the slides and scripts are over.
I had come to learn about how to handle people and their working styles and generally in Australia, they are swift workers. Fast work, fast rehearse. Cut the hassle. Being brought up in a systematic way of doing things, I had to adopt the spontaneous way of doing things.so yea~ thank God for His covering throughout the period..that i didn't fall sick:)

So I headed to town for Blue Sky(it's every Friday at seven in city) and cooked dinner before I left for home for my girlfriends. packed good dinner *thanks to cai* and ate on the train..LOL. It was an exciting time at Blue Sky because they brought in 4 speakers to share about the community outreach programs they have in NSW. It was like some seminar style. I kinda concluded it's just the season to talk and hear people talk. They had 4- Student Life for the uni outreach, Reiby Juvenile Detention Centre for the youths at risk, LC community for drug addicts in Long Chuan, Yunan China and a Thailand Missions trip 2008 talk. I went for the JDC and the LC community talk.
JDC was inspiring. This lady, Lee Bromley, is a chaplain in a jail for youths who have committed petty to serious crimes. She has been in there for a number of years and hearing her share about how she became a Christian and how her boys became "churchies" and the respect she commands really blew me. What really triggered my thoughts was when she shared how broken these people * most of them are Aboriginal people* yet they are not people who ask for the world but all they need is love and your presence- it makes me feel for them so much. Mind you~ she's a white. * here to easily differentiate people with same names, we call them asians or white* I just felt this tugging to sign up and join them. It's your guess if I did eventually.In fact, when I sat there in my chair hearing her share- I was reminded of what P.Gary prayed for me at the airport.
After church, I had time to talk to Jo and Quin. Jo was crying when she came* she came late because of work* She had problems remembering the fruits and vegetables and the price..and it's like 30 over stuff she has gotta remember. Her limitations in english was a problem to her picking up the trades. But she's a joyful girl soon..she was smilin and laughin and we were all talkin about korean dramas, pop groups and songs.
I was in my picture taking mode~ so here's HOWEE!! my first friend in church. She's the first friend i made in Wesley and the closest to me in church. I kinda felt her helplessness when I told I will be in Australia for a year. She had close friends who moved away from OZ after a year or two and the close bonds formed were kinda lost. So Howee!! if u are reading- valued friendships stand the test of time, though when i get back to singapore i might be too busy to talk to u but if u ever come by I will make sure I will not miss you:)

Relievin the days I got rid of NYP:)

2007-09-13T13:26:00.000+08:00

HEre are some late updates- time capsule in reverse.

05/07/07- Graduation day @NYP.

It was the day when we can say goodbye to the school-finally. After enduring three years of lousy schedules and endless works, coping with the demands and the quirkiness of groupmates and lecturers, it was time to say sayonara to all these.
*Not that I did not received my load of it in Sydney as well*
So here are some pictures for you to savour the day when U had or u will graduate:) in the gown~ for me..it will be an additional hat in 9more months time!!Mei en.me.cai.wen:) the karoke buddies My class girls:)Jinwei and me- she has gone to be in sales.not a PT..LOL Food for the day.Kat （老公） and I Su and I-she's one of the top students:)Ping, me and jun~Papa, mum and I:) so glad they came~

Blessed birthday silvanna!!

2007-09-13T13:14:00.000+08:00

Hey sil!! happy belated birthday..LOL..was a pity i missed the good steak and pumpkin soup, pasta and vegetables you had for dinner:(

Next time okei!!

MY FAMILY IS COMING!!!

2007-09-08T23:01:00.000+08:00

Mummy, Daniel and Stefanie are coming for summer hols:) so exciting..am looking forward for mum to come and cook my favourite food for me.nothing beats home cooked food:'')

it's a pity papa can't make it:(..he could not take leave. haiz..and so is ah yi and yi qiong.

Hope they can come some time next year..
I think as an overseas student.. there are times where you will struggle between missing your family yet enjoying the time you have alone to really strike it out on your own~ I love you*muacks*

Conference week

2007-09-08T22:17:00.000+08:00

I surrender . Brain freeze on a sunday morning.:(

Flemington day out- Joa Snack bar at Lidcombe.

2007-09-08T21:55:00.000+08:00

It's marketing day!!!
Cai and I went to the wholesale market for fruits and vegetables to be the 巴刹aunties. Ai Lee met us there.
At the turn of spring, weather has always been unpredictable. In fact, it rains and shines rains and shines..so upsetting"( hahaha..I know I sound whiny but it's really weird weather here in Sydney. Cai was contemplating if she should go ahead initially but I told by faith we will ask God to stop the rain and not let it fall until we reach home.

Well, it rained when we reached Flemington. HMMM..somehow I still believed that God will hold up the clouds and not let it fall on us when we get home. He will shelter us without having the use of covered linkways(rare in Australia) or brollies.
So we had strawberries, pears, mushrooms, onions and huge cauliflower( as big as my head)!! We grabbed a bargain from this guy who sold asparagus. We asked for him to sell 16 bunches for 5 bucks because we wanted to split. Guess what- He gave each of us a bag of 8 , making it 24 for 5 bucks! (He was an Asian guy)..aiyo~ i was so 感动。

after a good day of shopping for the aunties, we became the korean aunties cuz we went to Joa snack bar near our house for lunch. amazing food~

Spicy rice cake- AWESOME x a million times!

Our ramen-cheese ramen and dumpling ramen.

happy aunties- aun hyong ha sae yo!

Apec Summit 2007~ Wii day!

2007-09-08T21:38:00.000+08:00

Apec Summit 2007@ Sydney, Australia was kinda huge thing here. Bush had the power to stop almost all the public transport in town that I just did not understand why.
Anyhow, politics aside* if that ever consists of a tinge of it* we had a lunch life group(thanks to Howee for correcting me) at Summer Hills on thursday cuz friday night was out for life group~ it's really a nice place with good food:) So we went to Larrie's friend's house along Smith Street..He stays in the attic of the house and we got to play the latest kinda gimmick in town called Wii.
It's like a remote control that you will have to do the real life actions and it gets translated onto the television..it's like computer games..LOL. exciting ey. I want that for my birthday!!!! Heard it's expensive in Singapore so I should get it here and bring back to Singapore so I can play. It's quite tiring to play that..will show you why later.

Jo and Quinn, the 2 south korean girls who arrived not long ago came for the lunch gathering too. so it was me, larrie, jo and quinn:)
hehe
we had golf
Bowling

BOXING!! here's a clip of the boxing game we had..

It was really funny having Jo around..always making us laugh with her silly ways of identifying herself with the character in the games.

That's how i spent my Apec eve at summer hill and it was pretty enjoyable..female gathering..:)

Lesson of the day- Doing the virtual stuff can tire you too.

Depressing weather

2007-09-06T08:08:00.000+08:00

My half marathon is comin up in 3 weeks time and I can't get out and hit the roads because of the silly rain everyday!!!
It's absolutely depressing whenever I wanna run and the rain hits my backyard. Clouds gatherin and makes your day so gloomy:(

Please pray for me so that i can train well enough to run..haha they have cut off point. I have to run at 8.3km/h in order not to get disqualified..LOL i think I should be able to clear that..*crosses my fingers*

Blessed birthday Elain!

2007-09-04T22:11:00.001+08:00

It was Elain's birthday on the 3rd of september !haha..so I jogged to Berala and back to their house to give Elain surprise!It got too much of a surprise for her cuz I hid and gave her a big scare* she was screaming so loud* So I stayed for dinner and the birthday cake cutting ceremony!!
It was really a funny and enjoyable time at their house..talkin about all sorts of stuff..tellin stories about neighbours:)

Silvana, Me, Zhen(bottom from left) Elain, Jess, Chun(Top from left)
Sing the birthday song!!
together~ embrace the caramel chocolate cake
*salivating*

Hmm..the cake tasted like the fa gao in Singapore ah..hahaha..we kinda felt a little cheater cuz we tot like there will bemore caramel in there..but it was good company and weird cake to go with.

So I invited them over for dinner tml night so they can also eat a little of what I cook..LOL.Cookin soup, chicken and egg for them. Feed them full.hahaha... they are bringing rice and vegetable..haha cuz i dont have rice cooker in my house.

Gonna be a good time of laughing and eating!!

Brooke Fraser

2007-09-02T18:12:00.000+08:00

I went for the first music concert in my life at ENMore Theatre at Newtown. Newtown is actually like a Gothic town. I got a huge scare when I first came out of the station because I had never really seen like collective masses of people in Gothic costumes and pierced noses,lips and eyebrows. I must say that the music culture is rich..lotsa awesome lookin restaurants.

Terence kor kor bought tickets for Brooke Fraser's concert but he could not come along cuz he was due to fly to New York, London and Malaysia for the coming month. Had lotsa things to handle i suppose. :( Was quite upset though but he gave me good company. His friends Andi Jones, Lynette and Sarah from Randwick Church came to meet me and took me to dinner at this Turkish Restaurant. I ate this lamb kebab * though i dont eat mutton* and it tasted really good. My brave mutton attempt.:)
Andi Jones and gang are really a cool bunch of people. All of them are in the worship team for the Randwick church and they are so smiley and chatty. Sunny, Sarah's student was there and he is really a funny guy. Very sweet guy I must say~ i nearly cried when Andi told me not to pay for dinner- cuz Terence passed down orders that I cannot pay. I was like ultra overwhelmed..he takes too good care of him me le. I really think I will not survive if he goes away for a month..LOL

Brooke's concert was amazing. She is really a very natural performer and she's spontaneous. Must i add that she is a really funny person. She talks about stuff off tangent from the songs she play and never at moment let the lively mood of the concert down. The stage lights were pretty interesting and she had lanterns and umbrellas to go with some of her songs. The songs were good and she gave a very go od rendition of Silence of sound and added her own lyrics.* blown away*
Musicians have their struggles too..writing songs that they don't really wanna write but knowing that someone out there will need that song. Musicians can be counsellors through their songs too:)Me and Brooke at Enmore Theatre.

I bought Terence an autographed brooke album but Andi did too..so I decided that I shall get him something else:( for givin me a chance to watch the concert.

Haiz..It's so down:( to have him go away for a month. Well..Amy will have to be my part time nanny then:)hee+

Blood Moon Eclipse

2007-08-31T22:23:00.001+08:00

We had a lunar eclipse happening at our backyards on tuesday night( the night before abstracts were due). It's called blood moon eclipse cuz it will look red:) so we caught it on our camera..pathetic cameras..hahaha..and it just reminds how something so extraordinary I can see it happening in my backyard. God too can make amazing things happen in my backyard..though it could be the most unsightly and most unseen place.
Find the moon that went missing..haha..we could still see it with our naked eyes. That speaks volumes of the amazing thing about God..how He can create us beings with such bionic eyes:)

Lesson of the day: When I run, I get engrossed with reaching the destination but I miss the flowers along the way that God made for me.

Scored a try..now the conversion~

2007-08-29T21:43:00.000+08:00

It was a hectic week for many of us at 6 and 6A Georges Avenue. We were desperately trying to churn out abstracts from nothing ( for wendy and shirlynn) or to convert amazing stories into reality. We had 5 due today at midday and I must say that we have all survived well? that's for myself at least. But of course not without the occasional desperate moments when I so needed my mum by my side to hear me and " sayang" me..and my fellow bros and sis in Christ that will come along and say HANG IN THERE.

Well! we made it . . Just like the picture..all was in a mess but we still managed to conquer the impossible. It was such a huge relief after Monday's presentation and our lecturer was very impressed with the diagrams we had on our presentations:) haha..it was one of those diagrams presentation that I adhered to. He was saying that it was comprehensive and we did a real fantastic job. Hm..we were just overwhelmed with his comments but then again, Australians are really kind with their words.:) unless they hate YOU.haahaah so now..prepare for week 8 when we get to the real presentations. we shall see roaming pandas at Georges Avenue.My Heroes!! the all blacks~ Hands up in the air people!! CELEBRATE!!

that will be me in two weeks time. can i hear an AMEN!

O a public announcement! I am currently attending Wesley and will stay put at Wesley unless something huge and bad kicks me away.*crosses my fingers* so keep me in prayer as I settle down to grow, learn and hopefully bless lives in the ministry. A year is swift ( so fast that I will not see Fran next year:( ).

alright..time to sleep..it's midnight in Sydney:)

This is scary week:(

2007-08-26T23:38:00.000+08:00

I want to declare war on week 6. Presentation on monday and abstracts( 5 of them!!) due on wednesday at midday. Seriously..i have no idea what i am trying to push myself through to the work.
I was really not wanting to return home the past few sundays. 1) I did not want to waste my 5 bucks travelling out of town 2) I wanted to get away from home quite a bit. ( I spend less than 5 hours a day in my Singapore house).

So I had been hanging out with my buddy cousin Terence and his many other friends that came along the way~They have something in common. They like to enjoy having coffee and cakes at really awesome places like the Queen Victoria Building and DARLING HARBOUR. photos for your view and savour~I am a pampered little girl!

Cafe house in QVB with Terence~Hot chocolate

Friand
Lindt Chocolate Restaurant@Darling harbour
ICe choco Milkshake- taste exactly like milk chocolate!!
The opera cake slice- coffee and toffee and dark chocolate with lotsa amazing stuff to make it an electrifying cake! ~ echo~ SO xing fu!!
Amy and I- She's super nice lady..treat me to prawn mee at Jimmy's and the ice choc milkshake and cakey!! but she's leavin for hongkong to join her boyfriend:(
Diane - Amy's housemate..she's really nice lady..talking about cookin!!

Called back my TCC gang..Jen esther jane and nana..with special guest p. gary and jees..they were at the old serene macs talkin and jen had to break the surprise that i was goin to call to Esther. JEN!! no more another time ah.

and i forgot to ask for Esther's address..pathetically. ESTHER..if u see this..tag your address pls:)

I was on the verge of breakin the dams when they prayed for me.It's been so so so long since someone prayed for me. :('' *gan dong ah*

gotta go back and hit the silly abstracts and assignments.no more sleep:(

Unity in Christ. 1st corinthians.

2007-08-24T22:46:00.000+08:00

I attended my first official cell group at Wesley*applause*. They call it "live" group. :) it is somewhat like fuel with all the facilitators and the sermon before the discussion. I am currently attending "Blue Sky", which is similar to the Chi Alpha ministry because it caters to university students. Amazing people..not as many as Chi Alpha varsity population but pretty small and family group.

My new friends, Howee and Larry(Larrisa) were really nice to bring me around knowing people and making me feel comfortable. LET ME TELL ALL OF U SOMETHING! There is P.Gary No. 2 in Blue Sky..hahahahaha~
The pastor for Blue Sky is about the same age as P. Gary, they have this thing in common about dressing down to suit the age group(P. Andrew wore a Sesame street t-shirt and jeans to preach today), and they are both engaged! You know how P.Gary can break into those momentous statements that may be not be linked to the passage he's sharing. Yea..here in Wesley P. Andrew does that too~ Jovial and happy all the time. P.Gary~ i think it's meant to be hahaha.. So for the entire preaching session, I could not contain that laughter in me so I was like giggling at myself.

Here's a little sharing- we were doing on 1st corinthians 2:19-22 (i tink). It's about the citizenship and the foundation and cornerstone of the church.
Well, my facilitator asked us this question. In a circumstance, when one marries the other of a different nationality, after some application, either one can convert to the other nationality/citizenship. Question: Do you think that the conversion of citizenship can occur when a christian gets together with a non christian?which means that through marriage, the non christian will become a christian.. It got me thinking about passages about being unequally yoked and whether is there a clause in the bible that says literally that a christian cannot date a christian. *these are the things that we discussed about at cell*
It's been quite some time since I had cell...manz..I miss L cell!

I managed to nick some people to accompany me home- 2 male chaperons. hahahaha...they were really funny people and poking fun at each other- pure joy and entertainment to just watch them exchange words on the train. Tony and Jayz~ They both stay in Berala so that means!! my nights out to Wesley are no longer alone back home! that's provided they come weekly:/

thank God for His grace and mercy that has showered upon me for the past week. May His wisdom abounds and persistence lives within me for the coming week~

vi

Happy Birthday Wan Zhi!! 170807

2007-08-24T14:40:00.000+08:00

We were at Frances street, Lidcombe ( the radiographers' house). They have such a huge house.. it became my temporal dream house if i ever become a rich taitai..hahaa.
They had loads of food and ah BAo( my JC classmate )was the main chef of the day. We were there to give Wan Zhi a good celebration. Anyway being all alone in Sydney isn't the best thing especially when it's your birthday.

SO PEOPLE IN SINGAPORE!! you hear me ah..don't forget my birthday.hahaha..but i shall apologise for forgetting your birthday.

Menu of the day
1) Salted Vegetable Duck soup
2) sweet and sour pork
3)Portobello mushroom with cheese
4) Mixed vegetables
5) Ah bao's egg
6) UNAGI!!
7) rice rice rice
8) Lemonade

presenting to you the birthday girl- WANZHI and her boyfriend: the intellectual punk lamb.Party Girls!!

We had a wholesome time laughing and joking about the new series showing called "Neighbours"..was meant as a joke about wendy and I. It is not something really proud to say but ..hehe..will leave you guys in suspense.

The homecook food was awesome but the company was excellent.
We went home at about 11+..haha..reached home really late. We took a taxi because we felt that there was something wrong in the neighbourhood. Police were everywhere and I had 3 of their cars outside my street for the past 2 days.

Guess what! When I went to buy ice cream from the ice cream man, he told us that there was a gang of 15!!! that robbed 3 people and stabbed one person in the suburb next to us Auburn- it's about 30 minutes walk and a station away. that explains the police:/ so we started ringing everybody who stayed in the area to go on HIGH ALERT! so be appreciative that we can hang out at adam hawker or mac donald's till 11pm in Singapore.

Work's piling up every day and I have 5 abstracts due on this coming wednesday. It's an eye opener working with people here on projects. I suppose it's just different cultures that will determine how we function and work. Most of us are having weird teammates who disappears and appeared out of nowhere, giving us some information that was already on the manual. i.e copy paste. hahaha..we were quite amused:P

That's about it for now. BUT BEFORE I GO!! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY ESTHER NG!! and LESLIE !!. am so so so sorry...about the late wishes.

tke care and tata~

PS: pls tag your birthdate if you read this because I have issues with remembering people's birthday. haha..
PRAY for me!!

When I witness His sovereignty and glory.

2007-08-19T06:17:00.000+08:00

I never realised He was at work constantly until I reflected upon the turn of events in recent days.

Isaiah 50:8
8 He who vindicates me is near.
Who then will bring charges against me?
Let us face each other!

"Looking back" brings upon a new meaning for myself- instead of dwelling on the past, it was an act of embrace for what He has done.

PS: watch out for "Neighbours" -the most watched and heard drama serial- final episode in a fortnight. snippets for you along the way.

When visits from God only happens on Sunday~

2007-08-12T21:59:00.000+08:00

Hey everyone back in Singapore..am missing everyone as I look at the pictures I have on my humble wall:)

It was my second visit to Wesley Missions today. I must say that I am very impressed by their announcements. It's a pre-made video of all the announcements and the RGB does not have to keep clickin~ Awesome ah..Fei fei, you might wanna consider that. Then you equip the RGB people with a new skill.

The past two weeks have been rather tiring and treacherous. It felt like God was really missing in action for some time during the weekdays. Not that I do not know that my God is omnipresent, but it's just the queer lost feeling I had while having to handle some things back here in OZ. At the end of the sharing by Pastor Barry, he gave a call to the entire congregation to kneel before the Lord. As I reflected upon the word shared in Titus chapter 2. SELF CONTROLLED. I think I have practiced restraint for the past week..so much that it gets too suffocating. As he shared about the values that various genders in their respective age groups should hold, I realised young women had a really long list. I suppose that explains the preparation we have to go through until we reached full blossom. Self control-what's that to you? Not flare up when angered? Not indulgent in the things of the world? Not eating too much?

As I knelt before the Lord, I cannot help but feel that this was one of the weeks when I felt that the visits from God only happened Sunday. Before I could "sink" into the thought of why am I feeling it's only a Sunday visitation, God brought me to a prayer request I had for the week.

When I had to give to my grocery fund for the month, I had hesitations because I am kinda out of my budget this month after buying two reference books. This Sunday morning before I left for church, my uncle gave me 50 bucks for my use. That was the exact amount I need to pay for my fund. In my heart, I just sang to Jesus.."You have been good, You have been good, I am in wonder how it could be. You've been good, You've been good, in so many ways you've been good to me."

I somehow came to hear about this story- The gospel according to you

The most beautiful story given to man
Was written long ago
By Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Of Christ and His mission below.

And you write a gospel, a chapter a day,
By your deeds, whether faithless or true;
When others read it, what will they think
In the gospel according to you?

It's a wonderful story, the Gospel of love,
As it shines with Christ's life divine.
Oh, that its truth might be told again
In the story of your life and mine.

You are writing each day a letter to all;
Take care that the writing is true.
It's the only gospel some people may read,
The gospel according to you.

Author unknown

I pray that I will not miss God's visitations on the other days besides Sunday.

National day updates~

2007-08-12T21:46:00.000+08:00

The party pictures coming in sets:) enjoy and soak in the party atmosphere of National day in our house~

Terence and his little cousin:P
cheesez part 1
Cheesez part 2

I want to have more parties~ Next one in line~ Mooncake Festival:)

Woman's ministry~

2007-08-10T19:32:00.000+08:00

LITING welcome to Sydney Australia!

I met up with Liting today for a good lunch+tea break. It was overwhelming to meet her because I never imagined anyone to come and visit me over here and bring a tinge of Singapore scent in this year in Australia:)

So we met at Queen Victoria's Building at Town hall and made our way down to the korean stall off Pitt Street* the nice korean store that Terence recommended* to have our reunion dinner. We had STEAMBOAT!! wahahaha..and all the nice side dishes that came along with it. It was my first proper korean food and I must say I AM IMPRESSED~ The soup was good to taste, the seafood was fresh and crunchy and they had a range of mushrooms for you to throw into the pot. *yumyum*
So we ordered a two person's share and had a hearty meal..updating each other from where we left back in Singapore because we didn't have the opportunity to meet before I fly off. It's just so comforting to have my woman ministry to be with me and listening to all my woes.

Then we walked off the calories and I took her to a good distant view of the opera house and the bridge. We walked across the entire CBD area to get to the other side..nearly died with the walking.

Liting and I with the Sydney opera house ~

Lesson of the day- Good company beats feasting and ambience hands down.

National Day~

2007-08-10T19:15:00.000+08:00

Belated National Day everybody~
It was an awesome time for us back in Australia because we had our own NATIONAL DAY PARTY for all the singaporean students- those we knew and those we knew who knew other people")

I got my secondary friend Goh Lina as well~ It's been like 7 years when we first met and boy has time passed as we sat there to recount of the days we had in secondary school when we sat in practical classes. We were always copyin each other's work.talking non stop and laughing about the slightest thing. She has not really changed a bit xcept for the hair. Still as bubbly~ When we saw each other on the first day of school, it was just so heartwarming to meet my friend~ in a foreign land. Amazing how people meet and get together after such a prolonged separation:)

I got Terence along too~ hahaha..everyone tot he was my boyfriend..till he started introducing himself as my cousin..it caused a confusion. Gotta apologise for that people..was not on intention but I just wanted to trick Casey. I think Lina was really confused... hahaha~ But Terence was a good sport and relieving his good old days as a Singaporean with the pledge and food.

Sumptuous food was everywhere- bee hoon, nasi goreng, chicken wings( I grilled those!!) and like tang yuan, prata, Burmese pork..egg tarts supermix coffee..u name it i think we can find it at our party~

I just wanna scream a loud HAPPY BIRTHDAY SINGAPORE!!! and when we saw the fireworks live on the Marina Bay I was so tempted to like burst out in tears and hug the TV! hahaha..so sad rite.

Thank you to the many who came and gave this party life!! You came and made a difference to this cold national day in Australia:)

We shall hold another party for mooncake festival!

Gardener's diary

2007-08-08T08:27:00.000+08:00

Sopranos by the bay~

2007-08-07T17:54:00.000+08:00

It's been a month since I hit the down under for my studies. Many has asked whether I had been to the famous Sydney Opera House and the Harbour bridge. I must apologise for my laziness and indifference in not wanting to visit the attractions.

SO! Uncle Onn decided to bring me to the those places and many more sightseeing at the parks. I didn't really expected the itinery to be as such so I bought two bunches of flowers for my aunts who are preparing dinner for me tonight( I got another bunch of jonquil for my mei ku ma cuz she was gonna be at dinner too hehe)
It was walkin walkin and more walkin with an ice cream in hand. The sun was bright and warm and there were awesome views of the sights. It's finally my turn to say " I saw the Opera house and the bridge"

Due to the lack of sleep caused by attempts of civil war intrudents, I did not have the chance to view the entire botanical gardens. Slept all the way to my uncle's house and took a nap of 4 hours before waking up to a sumptious meal.

I made a visit to Wesley Missions Church along Pitt Street. Met up with Terence kor kor and went with him to service. It was communion and a sudden surge of emotions just welled up within me. It was communion back in Singapore too~ As I took of the bread and cup, I just gave thanks for the grace and mercy, the favour and His everlasting love even in a foreign land. Many times, I will think about " If I am back in Singapore...". Finding a home church is difficult and having the faith that it will be the one place for my season of growth in Him is really a testing for myself. I really hate the roaming feeling. It came to me that I have been here for a month and before I know it, 11 months will zoom past and I am back on the plane back to Singapore. Making new friends have never been easy for me. Moreover, you are meeting people of an absolutely different culture, upbringing, values and beliefs. Though there are people of your skin colour, they sound different as well. As I sat there and thought about how the month has passed, the enormous number of dramatic incidents that had taken place, it's hard to contain the overwhelmed gratefulness that I have for my Father in heaven.

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held.
-Held by Natalie Grant

Tai tai lifestyle.

2007-08-07T17:06:00.000+08:00

In view of the budget living that we adhered to for the past month, the girls decided to name the last friday of the month as the "Tai-tai's lifestyle" day to reward ourselves for the enormous amount of housework, cooking, washing and mugging at the books.
We had an official launch on the 3rd of August by satisfying our craving- YUM CHA~ hahaha..Having Hong Kong tim sum was on everyone's mind and after waiting for our "wols" queen Wendy..we managed to get to the Marigold restaurant with my intelligent navigation:) thanks for ku qiong~ I managed to know the place because he brought my here for my first week sunday breakfast after church- eternally grateful for that day.

Every "tai-tai" had her cravings listed. Introducing the Singaporean Taitais at Australia
Wendy-Char Siew
Shirleen-Soya Beancurd with ginger sugar
Casey-??
Shirlynn-Century Egg porridge
Vivi-Egg Tart~

Hahaha..We were literally savaging the food like vultures and all the blissful faces started showing. YOu could see the glee on their faces that was absent for the past month. Simply love my tai tai gang. We had like four plates of tim sum down in 15 minutes and though we only been in there for like 45 minutes we ate till some of us had problems walking later on.

We went to the arcade center !! I tried playing those dream catchers* those that you put in tokens to pick up toys* haiz..but I was sooooo close~

Blooper of the day: Pigeon goin to the movies.

Lesson of the day: Life is just like tim sum- the little things make your day.

Wendy and I did not end the day on a good note. It was pretty amusing yet frustrating for the both of us when we were taught how to use the freezer. I suppose we just had differing understanding of how should we preserve food. In fact, it was another day when we all had to sleep at 2am because of an uncalled attempt of conversion. Earnestly praying for His will to be done.

The Pau that exploded

2007-08-03T09:59:00.000+08:00

We had quite a bit of trouble with paus in Australia because of winter. My housemate wendy attempted to heat up her pau but it actually exploded the microwave and sent the house filling with smoke. It happened again at our neighbour's house when we attempted to heat my chicken pau. Mind you~ we put that pau in the refrigerator and not the freezer compartment.:)

First week of tutorials

2007-07-31T22:48:00.000+08:00

It was first day of tutorials.
It was.. unexpected.

After having classes with our new classmates, I cannot help but wonder- Are we really odd ones out?

Well. there are some nice people* can't just use one person to knock the whole boat over* direct translation from chinese saying.

They kept on talking and kept on moving for 2 hours. Unlike Singapore, we wait for someone to answer. People here answers voluntarily. No need for sweets, no need for stars..no need to be called.
So I gave all out manz..though I really did not wanna talk.

Bottomline: I survived.

I shall celebrate with KRISPE KREMES this week for the one day class week next week! hiaks!

Traces of singapore

2007-07-31T22:43:00.000+08:00

Just when you thought Singapore was out of my league..they came to me to this southern hemisphere island.

My proud moment No.2*

2007-07-31T22:36:00.000+08:00

I had dinner at Cai's place tonight~I cooked the dishes!
Fried Chicken fillet~soft and tender~ crunchy taste~

My victories celebrated!

Blessed weekend-reminiscing singapura!

2007-07-31T21:42:00.000+08:00

It has been a disruptive week and to add on- unproductive week. I was not able to do homework at home so I had to lug my stuff to my relative's house over the weekend to complete it.

I went for dinner at Janet Ku's house at Eastlakes. How i wished I stayed there..LOL..because everything is just across the street while at Lidcombe I have to walk like 20 minutes..BRISK WALK!..to get my food. yea..tat's why I have lost quite a bit of weight. *I can put one hand into my Levi's jeans when sitting..when I used to struggle sitting down with it.*

The Eastlakes gang that consists of Ong suk, Auntie Jeanette, Neng Suk, Mei Ku ma and Kah Fei had dinner. I had Australia's KFC..not that bad but it just tastes different.
I developed a fear for potatoes because of some misadventure I had to help my housemate to finish up 1.5kg of potatoes..had potatoes for 2 dinners..1 lunch and 1 breakfast. haiz.but IT WAS WARM FOOD*family WARM food*..felt so blissful when i ate. We had SPAM-haaha..it's the Australia's way of saying luncheon meat. I had potato carrot soup..janet ku knew i was upset about having potatoes so we didnt scoop for me..*so sweet of her* fish patties!! and er...chicken rendang..rice..*slurps*

Mei Ku Ma n Janet Ku.

And DURIANS..haa.

I got my tennis racket!! courtesy to neng suk..LOL..now i can HIT SOME BALLS!! ARGH!

I called mama that night to talk to her..rattled non stop about lotsa things..and I suddenly missed the feeling of her tying plaits for my hair:(

Visited another church at Randwick..homely church--I had coffee break for the first time in my life during service ..it was so odd. hahaha~ maybe IGNYTE should have that.we were served by the children for offering and coffee break..so cute and adorable..loved them to bits. A band called the Marshes*dunno if i spelt correctly*. It's a family Christian band-they have five kids who are all musically inclined. 4 boys and a girl. dad hits the Electric guit and mama slams the keyboard. the 4 boys hit the drums, strums the bass and A.G and a saxophone player! the girl has a rather intriguing voice:)
Suddenly, felt like having a family. hahaha~ reminded me of my criteria list for my future husband..so I am refining it now..for the many who knew of the long list.

It was Singapore food time!!! I missed Chicken Rice so much..yet too shy to say..I jsut stare at the name of the dish for 20 minutes..haha before I decided to call for it.
Kah Fei was having Mee Goreng~

I took my first bus ride!! Finally~

Lesson of the day- Be like Job: No matter what happens, Praise the Lord.

God's preparation for His people

2007-07-27T21:02:00.000+08:00

Whenever we have lessons or tutorials, some of us will choose to give the best in research and coming up with the line up of things to present and share with our tutorial mates. Some of us will choose to perhaps take the time and do the minimal, be glad and let the lesson passed us by.

Then I realised that perhaps when I went through my polytechnic days, that was a preparation. A preparation of 3 years that has got me in the understanding that when my one year standing alone will test my integrity, my faith, my humility, my weaknesses, and ultimately my salvation in Jesus Christ. There were times that I will slack and indifferent about the preparation that awaits me..there are times when I am all so fired up for it. Today- I asked myself: Have I gave my best in the preparation for this lone trip?

When I was hearing "At the cross", it was a clear message to me. That I hold no rights to complain, to argue, to demand because someone else is worst off than myself. In fact, because my Lord shed His blood for me- I need not do any of that because He has gone ahead for us. Even when I can be at the most disadvantaged, He shall be my vindicator.
4 The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.

5 The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears,
and I have not been rebellious;
I have not drawn back.

6 I offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.

7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.

8 He who vindicates me is near.
Who then will bring charges against me?
Let us face each other!
Isaiah 50:4-8

Lord, I am thankful for the many things you have given me. My house, my bed, my family and friends and people from Singapore that came to Australia to study with me..Even at the deepest pit, when nothing goes my way,and I may not be what like verse 8 speaks of the bravery that I should have in facing confrontations, I know there is only one way- your way- the best way:) Lead me and guide me with the wisdom that comes from you.

Looking towards a year of uncertainty.

2007-07-26T07:04:00.000+08:00

Hm~ the year looks quite cloudy..I am wondering what has God intended for me to see His glory at the end of the day:)

Day out at Burwood

2007-07-23T23:17:00.001+08:00

cai, case and I went out to burwood to check out the huge Asian market but we missed totally:( hahaahaha..so we ended up shopping those smaller shops where i got decent good bargains:P
I brought food out and guess what's that below!!!
*drum roll* it's japanese sushi soya sauce in a fish container.CUTE RITE!!..aiyo~hahaha..
Now...traces of Singapore in the supermarket
It was a great day of shopping, laughing and buying~ bought a pair of boots for 29 bucks*usual price is like 40-50 bucks* haha..and also got free happy hour doughnuts cuz case sponsored me a box of that. Unfortunately, I have lost a kg thus far..:(my jeans are loose~
ExtRA!! This is my new friend from taiwan~Ariel:) Masters student from occupational therapy.

First day of school after 2 months~

2007-07-23T22:52:00.000+08:00

I believe drivers will agree with me~ when your cars stall, the worst place to be could most probably stuck on a hill. *cuz your car might just end up going downhill*

First day of school for me was like driving a stalled car~I had problems starting the engine. Must have been the erratic winter weather in Australia. It was the coldest days I have ever had since I touched down in the down under. I blew out smoke, huge amount of smoke..I can't help but just recall the days in Vancouver when I had it everyday. Like any sua ku Singaporean, I was so fascinated then. Now, I am just indifferent about the smoke. I packed 4 slices of peanut butter bread, eggs and sausages and warm water for my meals so I need not spend a single cent! And YES! i did it.:P hahaha~

It was an all lectures monday~ was kinda overwhelming. The only lesson that kept me quite awake was Physiotherapy in Childhood- Jane was amusing with her puns and her spontaneous jokes. It was quite weird- THe Asians actually stick together and the OZs move in their masses. Us, the bunch of singaporean girls..i think we felt kinda out of place. BUT! I met Goh Lina there. Aiya~ she screamed my name so loud..i think the entire LT heard my name. Goh Lina- my chemistry, biology and physics partner during secondary school. An awesome lady who's just too bright that I have to take the sunglasses out..LOL. sorry for the poor grade joke. I promise to improve. The lessons were absolutely heavy in content and scored high in the lullaby genre.

Yet all in all, I was glad that I started school. At least I started on the purpose of why I came to Australia. We are suppose to make the choices for our practicum- hmm.i am considering sports, paediatrics, rural areas visitation(staying in the lovely quiet countryside)for now.

It's a week's long break before tutorials start next week. Thus, it's a 6 day long weekend..LOL. Just kidd~ we gotta do our own readings..haiz. loads of them. BRACE MYSELF!

It's another weekend at my auntie's place..went visiting and i GOT CHINCHALOOK!!! hahahahah..was over the moon. i got a cushion and a bear..and lotsa clothes and food as usual..for the month of winter. Hm..but it was a sad weekend cuz my cousin from m'sia Kenzi, passed away on thursday night. It was a true pity because he was doing so well in school and because he didnt want to be a burden to his mum..he chose to work. I suppose his time is up and Daddy in Heaven wants to bring him home.

How fleeting life can be~ Coincidentally, the pastor at the CBC was preachin about eternal life and how we receive the new life when we accept Jesus in our heart Ephesians 2:1-10.

Been trying my guitar..haha.think I need some pro help.GOD!!

Advertisement: If you want to view a tour of my house, please TAG. Will upload when I have the numbers in the queue. Current target-13.

I really miss my dad, mum and brother. Feels so weird w/o my irritating brother draggin me around whenever we go out.:(

take care~

shopping day~

2007-07-19T20:53:00.000+08:00

It's winter sales now..so everywhere is cheap cheap cheap. Rare to say that in Australia..but i bought a shirt for AUD 4.95. HOW ABOUT THAT? and it's those kinda shirt that sells for at least 15 bucks in Singapore:)

my friends are quite overwhelming..they bought like loads of stuff but it was sheer fun to just look at the harvest you have for the day:)

I bought quite a bit
1) Formal pants for 10 bucks
2) Fleece pants for 10 bucks
3) Cookbook for 10 bucks
4) Australian travel buck for 7 bucks
5) RUgby ball for 20 bucks
6)hmm..i can't remember:P

I have been bleeding quite a bit in the inner part of my nose for the past 2 weeks. Stale blood whenever i blow my nose.. i think the weather's getting to my nose too~ dry wind and air every day~
THe UV is so strong that i can get sun burnt just being out for the day.

I didnt bring my guitar to Australia but my uncle passed me his..very valued guitar because his wife bought it for him for one of his 40xth birthday. so yeaps! it's jammin time cuz me housemate bought one for 99 bucks..LOL.

Lesson for the day- Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I am goin to help my school mates shift their house tml..so yeaps! it's gonna be a long day:)
tata~

Airport farewell~

2007-07-18T18:07:00.000+08:00

My church choir and goodbyes~ thank you being there:)

Goodbyes~

2007-07-18T18:05:00.000+08:00

Sunday's out!

2007-07-18T16:24:00.000+08:00

How's everyone sunday's coming??
I had my day out at the city at the central baptist church.
Check this out:Central Baptist Church was established in 1836. It was originally located in Bathurst street and was the 1st baptist church in Australia known as the Bathurst Street Baptist Church. The Church exercises evangelical Bible-based ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is affiliated with the Baptist Union(Convention) of NSW, the Baptist Union( Convention) of Australia and the Baptist World Alliance.

Hehe..pretty cool ah~

It was a good day after a week away from the church environment and was planning to go shoppin with Mun EE after that..:) we had tim sum and ku qiong treated all of us to a good deal of tim sum at some majestic restaurant..LOL..i love the food there..and got to eat really good deal of hongkong stuff.Kah Fei and Sab:)

Then we went to Paddy's and i got some good Lollies and a surprise for u ah JINg!!

Then it was back to Georges Avenue. :(

My first~

2007-07-18T16:17:00.002+08:00

I wanted to tell my mum how much I love her for washing and cooking for me..because when I did my first time..I was..lost.

Somehow.God kept the colours on and the material intact though I had lousy washing skills.. I spent close to 2 hours in the laundry and realised how time consuming can washing get..so I decided that once a week washing is fine:)It's winter..people don't sweat..LOL.

I cooked my meals too~ my housemates had theirs so I ate on my own and i GOt soup and rice and some fried chicken to go with. Not fantastic for a meal of my lifetime but decent to keep me full and strong:)

My relatives gave me lotsa food..from moisturiser to food to clothes..save quite a bit. Gotta restrict the budget and cook my lunch soon.
Just got my timetable..not something i looked forward..didnt get the choice i wanted for elective..o well~ i suppose God has His reasons of putting me in that place..and I can so see it coming in the beginning:(

okei~ time to go cook dinner again.Think my housemates had theirs alrdy~ update u guys soon about the nice videos we had:)

farewell at changi-lovenotes

2007-07-18T16:17:00.001+08:00

Post for my cousin-kenzi

2007-07-18T16:12:00.000+08:00

My cousin got into an accident in Taiwan... The latest news is he is still alive but in critical condition..on life support. Keep him in prayer for me and his family~ Hang in there brudder~

My New House for the year~

2007-07-16T21:27:00.004+08:00

We have finally settled in our little comfortable house on 6A Georges Avenue, Lidcombe. We are in the state of New South Wales of Sydney..and the suburb called Lidcombe. Lidcombe houses the university campus that I attend( the main campus is in the city area, campertown) and well!! it's quite an "exciting place".

THe house was kinda messy so we all put on the green rubber gloves we had to scrub, wash and clean the entire house. I think we threw out about close to 5-6 bags of trash after that,LOL..
Wendy scrubbing the toilets
Fae trying to figure out how to use harpic and farhana fixing the bed:)( she's our handyman!)

so yeaps..after a round of revamp and cleaning..furniture placing..its a new house for us..buti had not had the time to take nice pics.so soon ya.!

we had our first meal..

THe spaghetti with mutton franks.( eeks..dont eat mutton:(]- done by farhana.
After that day of cleaning..ti was the first day of school:) so we started walking to school..from home..takes abut 20 min stroll.10 min brisk:)
but we are still late ..as usual..with me around..it just happens.
That's my school University of Sydney- Cumberland campus.

It;s where alll the health sciences people gather..and well to serve as a reminder to study hard and not play around..we get the southern hemisphere's largest cemetry to be places beside our campus..so taht it provides a stern reminder that if we are not competent..our patients might end up next door.
Rookwood cemetry.

So that's for week 1!!
so fast..and i am left with 51 weeks in Australia.

Tml shall post pics of my weekend out to my relatives' place and also my first time!!-cookin and washing my clothes.

Psalms103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Dedication to my cousin Kenzi- He went home to be with the Lord on the 16th July 2007. Promising young man who had a great future after he finishes his studies in Taiwan. Though I rarely meet you in a year, I will miss those days when you bunk in with my brother to spend time with us. We will miss you..really miss you. So long~

Final farewell

2007-07-16T21:27:00.003+08:00

Goodbye everybody..will see you in a year's time~*hugs*

Weekend out in town!!

2007-07-15T15:46:00.000+08:00

It was town out for my first weekend in Sydney. Made arrangements to meet my cousins whom I have yet to meet for 20 over years..amazing how time flies and how fast we grew up:)

Took the train to town hall and darts~ it was railway works on that day so the trains were like snails..LOL. First time out alone- exciting*hehe*
When I got to town hall, it was a long time since I have seen buildings higher than 5 levels..LOL.. In Lidcombe and the neighbouring suburbs, the houses do not go higher than 2 storeys and the apartments are like 5 storeys high?? so the vast skies are always out there for admiration. NOW in the city~ I see tall skyscrapers. That reminds me of my trip in Vancouver 2 years ago:P

Met kahf and mun ee at the Queen Victoria building- Nice building but horrific statue.Had my phoneline activated- anyway who will come to sydney drop me an email and I can pass you mine..and we can meet up!!

It was visiting for the saturday night and I got to stay at my Auntie Mei's house so I could go to church tml morning with my cousins. Felt a sudden loss that I no longer go to IGNYTE for services and the morning adult services. GUESS WHAT~ the cantonese youth group is called IGNITE too..LOL. what a small world. maybe that's what our Father in Heaven is charging us to be. IGNITE the FIRE and PASSION!

It was cantonese all the way.. with all my uncles and aunts and boy they are surprised at my ability to speak* I can only speak simple canto* cuz my dad went round telling them I can't. hehe~ so went to wai suk's, terence's mum place and slept at Auntie Mei's house. I had lotsa food. Felt so loved. They fed me real loads before i get back. Terence mum said i lost weight.:(

At Terence's mum place, our busy man Terence just got back from KL so I was really lucky to catch him. He hasnt changed much..still as playful..and humorous.
It was such a weird moment when he asked if my boyfriend cried at the airport. I was kinda lost at how to answer..cuz I have none. hahahaha..so i said NO.I don't have one to cry for me..and then he asked if i intend to get one..I said..I don't know because I don't think I have to learn how to make accommodations for another person in my life..making that serious committment. sounds deep ah~ haha..aiya..I am just lazy la.
Had a good time of ice cream..for once it didnt melt cuz it was so freezing cold.

I do miss them..cuz being out at Lidcombe is so quiet. At least I do receive the family love in alternate weeks dosage..LOL..

My smile for u:)

First connection in Australia, Lidcombe~

2007-07-09T21:47:00.000+08:00

Hi everybody~
I have safely arrived at Sydney and well trying my best to live life without too much worries...without too much complains...without too much sadness and with the strength and confidence that I have in God.

I wanna thank GOd for two things
1) The excess baggage waived for me- I only had 20kg but I went to the airport with 45kg!! fantastic rite~ It was quite a dramatic scene. My dad went to check in with me.. and when the ground staff said it was too heavy..he started signalling my mum and mummy just held onto the bag and ran in( imagine the swat team with their like gun running in) hahaha..a frenzy started and thank God we managed to clear! I learnt my lesson though..I will not play with fire with luggage weight.
2) The relatives, friends,fellow brothers and sisters from church..thank you for singing at the airport..feels like a live concert choir from Trinity..hahahaha.

Airport farewells have proved lethal to the dams in my eye glands because they never fail to burst it.. terribly. For those who were present, I just want to say a big thank you..i don't really know what to say besides thank you for the byes.the hugs..the rushing to send me off, the phonecalls, the gifts( I have not had time to read the letters and papers cuz I have been running out to settle stuff daily)..the tears( from my mama especially), the prayers the genuine hearts of wishing me well~ Arigato terima kasih, kam sia and krup khoon ka~ I am sorry if i didnt manage to talk to you personally..say HI! and give u hugs~..especially to my best friend jing~ :( and my mum, dad and brother.

If u wanna know if i cried on the plane... YES~ in spurts like 5 seconds and i was like scolding myself- Vivi, stop cryin. Felt the lost when i got onto the plane..haha my dear friend had to comfort me..hahaha she cried too~ cuz she just realised she will be away for at least 6 months..before returning to Singapore.

I just got my internet connection in the house..and hm..a little corner of my own for now because we have 8 of us in the house..haha..we are waiting for the previous batch to move out:)

It's cold and chilly..shivering..haha..wearing like 4-5 layers to keep myself warm.. we wear socks in the house..cuz the floor is ceramic!!! haiz~ it's like walking on ice. pray for me that I will not get flu cuz one of my housemates just kena quite badly:( so yea~
I got like a thing called hand warmer..so you rub and it's warm!! LOL.

Cant type long. Will give you guys more stuff when i finally get my room:)

till then long live to my corner!

I will have a lesson for the day from now on.

Lesson for the day- Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind.Love your neighbour as thyself.
Prayer request:Keep my family in prayers:)*

A secret holder~

2007-07-06T10:46:00.000+08:00

Had a good meal with a buddy that went through thick and thin with me during the worst times of event organising..LOL. Satisfying the Chinese food cravings~

Thought of the day- It's pretty cool when someone lets you into a big secret- no one else knows except you and the party involved..even their partner is kept in the dark. Hee+ It boils down to the magnitude of trust and the capacity of the person's trusting personality to let it occur. It gets you all excited and the greatest part- it's a suspense that you have to withhold and a secret protective guarding ( intentional guarding) to not let anyone know so as to spoil the surprise~

When I get to hear about the "secret plans", often a glimpse of it from God.. I do ask myself- Am I excited?secretly guarding?protecting it well so the bad guy doesnt come to rob it?
I do at times, I don't at times as well. When I do, I am let into the big secret a little by little to see the eventual picture that will come:) When I don't, I just lost sight of it and though life is the same for me but the person who let it on the secret to me will most probably suffer a sense of betrayal( in real life) even though you can say a thousand sorries..it might not turn the situation for the better.i suppose.

My Father in Heaven has this thing about mistakes. He doesn't haunt you with it when you repent and ask for forgiveness. He shows it by having to keep the secret plans He had for you, sharing it with you when you are ready to return and hear. That doesn't mean I can take it for granted.

Let me share with you a story-
How do you trap a monkey that has been coming into your garden to steal yr fruits? Very simple. You hollow out a coconut shell, and drill a small hole in it. Inside it, you put some sweet food. Then u attach the shell to a tree or a stake on the ground.
The monkey, when it comes sniffing around again, will be drawn to the sweet food in the coconut shell. Very quickly, it will reach in grab the food. Now the hold is big enuf for it's hand to enter but too small for the clenched fist, clutching the food to pull out. When you come along, the monkey will get frantic, but it won't open up its fist to let go of the food even though for the simple act will set him free. Now, you've got your little monkey thief.

hm yourself? ever betrayed someone cuz you let out on a secret that you were supposed to hold? or was betrayed by someone who let out your secret?
Like the monkey, many of us struggle to let go-even though we know it's our best interest to do so. If we do like the monkey, just clinging on cuz we are worried and anxious. It could only hold you back..whether it's in the growing of believing people and even your closest people around you.

Those who blew it away- Maybe it's time to take the humble pie and Say sorry
Those who got blown away-Forgive and let live:)