a part of history

a party to remember...

tscf's 70th anniversary...

as winsome shared, something resonated in my heart... though i can't quite point out wat it was... it was small... but i caught it. i caught it. I just pray that God will work it out even when I'm not quite sure what it was...

the call to be faithful...

not abt the outcome... but just to be faithful in spreading the word...

not abt how many friends you bring to Christ... but about u being faithful in carrying out wat He has set before you...

it's really inspiring to see the many graduates that came... and to know that 60-70 had gathered in the party to rmb in KL, some 50+ in Spore, 120 in Welly... it's our privilege indeed to be a part of history...

when i looked through the autograph book, i flipped through the malaysia and spore section...

"Johnson Goh"

my heart skipped a bit.

spore.

ok.

diff handwriting anyway.

this IS God's ministry, therefore we do not lose heart. the God that has carried them through all these years, sustained them to run the race with perseverance, is the same God tt'll equip us accordingly to run the race He has set before each of us.

the torch has been passed on to us... a torch that we'll pass on...

but while we're holding it, are we being faithful to what He has called us to?

(more on Dunedin OCF)

specially dedicated to Jane

couldn't comment on ur blog so here's a post for you! ;p

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. "

I have received from Him and it is only my privilege to be able to share with you :)

v5. "For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

Let Him heal you...

v6 "...if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer."

patient endurance my dear, patient endurance.

v7 "and our hope for u is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also u share in our comfort"

i used to think that all the sufferings mentioned refers to physical sufferings. but now i know and testify that God comforts us in EVERY situation. in Christ, our comfort overflows. no "repay" talk here ok? this is wat sisters are for :)

be strong in the Lord.

*big hug* for u :)

slacker

i'm such a slacker~

the way i lived the past week, it's like i'm on holiday already~ though i was feeling a little under the wind yest, i headed out to Aromoana with Deb & Renee. OCF was awesome last night. was planning to stay up and get somewhere with my assignment but i just knocked off right after i showered. spent most of my day out today, shopping for a gift etc. then it's Jen's bday dinner... just came back. i won't say i totally forgot abt my assignment. it's there, somewhere @ d back of my mind... yet, there's no sense of urgency. perhaps i have to wait until Sunday night? then the panicky adrenaline rush might just let me pull an all nighter and spew out all 2000 words @ a go. ugh. my coffee supply is sufficient i guess. but i don't really wanna get caffeine intoxication by the end of Monday.

after Jen's bday, i blogged somemore. and this is my 2nd post (d 1st one: Dunedin OCF)

ok. it's really time to get down to work. Praying I'll get somewhere tonight. somewhere.

lazy afternoon~

i love lazy afternoons. or maybe i just love being lazy.

Wow~ I think i'm taking it a little too easy... considering I just met Moyra @ d Ling dept's reception.

"How's the assignment going?"

"Um... it's erm... getting going..."

ah well~

Baked a carrot cake for CCG. still considering if i have the courage to present them with the cake. 1st time recipes are always scary~ but of course, the many times (in fact all the time!) I prayed for God's blessings to turn my water into wine (in my situations it would be turning tasteless disasters into something more appealing) have never failed.

Quite happy with this thing I played ard with: Dunedin OCF

so cool~ wish i took more pictures throughout the year. good memories. but then again, i always fear to look @ myself in photos. I've allowed myself to grow a bit (understatement) more sideways than I should have. unknowingly. photos just bring u back to reality i guess.

robert harris' not satisfying my palate enough. should have just gotten rift valley blend instead.

heading off to Prof. Paul Trebilco's inaugural professorial lecture. aft tt would be CCG social @ Greg's and BS @ P&P's. doesn't seem like i'm gonna get any work done. or perhaps it'll be another late night?

(can't think of a title)

my laptop's acting up again. no surprise. i've got an assignment due soon. but i guess in a way it does stop me from being distracted. but then again i think those distractions are pretty good. after all, it's not the eve of assignment due date yet.

now my printer's spewing out documents of i know not what. sent too many jobs over perhaps? it was reprinting stuff by itself. scary~

I just realised tt my duration of "suffering" is proportional to my efficiency. so i guess i am responsible for my own misery...

bball anyone? (u gotta be as lousy as i am)

time to run for class. i am already late~

getting organised again

my little "treat" didn't turn out. am quite keen on "The Witches" (based on Roald Dahl) but... ah well. kinda disappointed but nvm. headed out for dinner instead. it was a good time-out session.

once i got home after dinner, i got bombarded by heaps of stuff. wait a minute, i'm not quite ready yet, let me sort myself out a bit first. even walking out in the rain was appealing for tt moment. aft i got my lect stuffs frm BB (home connection can't access BB), I am determined to get back on track. it's about time i guess. getting organised would be a good place to start. yes, i am that sorta person. somehow i've allowed things to get so messy i have lost myself in the midst. well, everything is everywhere and i'm looking for something which is somewhere in that pile of everything.

couple of hours later, i finally cleared up my desk a bit. got all my notes sorta out. cleared up my files a little. listed all the to-dos and deadlines. ok, i think i'm ready for real work. but... my body's already signalling it's time for bed. in my "younger" days, staying up late wouldn't be a problem. now... my body's just aching with fatigue eh.

so there goes a whole night dedicated to sorting things out. not sure if tt's a good step. now i'm pulled back to reality with the whole lot of to-dos, with not enough time for everything. i guess with superb time management it's very manageable, but then again, i was never good with time management...

help!

i can survive this...

3.5 weeks to go.

pls keep me in prayers...

Physical Activity = key to good health

i've got 10 minutes.

what was initially an urge to do basketball has just been translated into a trip to Briscoes. it's 4:43pm. I'm getting picked up in 10 mins. say @ least 5 mins drive to Briscoes and Briscoes shut @ 5pm. hmmmmm...

d urge to do some physical activity was growing during Pete's lect. not just anything, but something interactive, like bball or netball (not tt i know how to play any of them). even captain's ball sounds tempting. maybe i should pick up tennis.

i miss tk. fang n pq are always ready for any sports. or even in presby d bball court is just down there. or a run along the ecp park connector, which leads u to the beach. besides, it's never too cold. sigh. i even miss ACES day~ not that i was a super hyperactive kid back then but the level of inactivity here is shocking. maybe i should move to the top of london st, then whether i want to or not, i have to walk up n down the hills. unless i become a hermit and miss all my lectures.

ok, time to "run". i guess i shall have to satisfy with walking down aisles in Briscoes.

today

just gotta blog abt today...

i fell asleep unintentionally. there goes my 313. scrambled to my feet and tried studying again. but i was just staring into my notes blankly. went for my jap test @ 10am. my lecturer was surprised to see me. i usually attend my ling lecture. told him i was just there for the test & left right after d test. but instead of heading to my ling lecture, i detoured home. felt quite bad. i didn't actually say a lie but i guess the intention to mislead was there. he's quite a nice lecturer. sorry Lord Jesus.

not tt heading home made any diff. but then again, my classmate told me i din miss anything in ling either. hehehe. stared into space for another 2 hrs... i can't wait for this to be over. it feels like i need to get tt over before i can do anything else. not like i'm that enthusiastic abt the other assignments in the queue. i just wanna shorten the line...

managed to find my test venue. how come it's so quiet? met deb @ d door. she told me to just go in. renee & a grp of them got turned away. i was met by a room of ppl all seated and ready to take the test! wow~ d invigilator gave me my paper and sat me right in front. there's no more space left. the other girls tt came in after me got turned away. God gave me the last paper. thank You Lord for Your perfect timing. any earlier i would have been sent away with renee & co. any later, there won't be any paper left for me.

one of the questions completely baffled me. huh? wat are they asking for? i miscalculated. thought i had 60 mins. although 50 mins was printed in bold right @ d front page.

anyway, it's over. phew~ so now i gotta work on my ling. hmmmmmm. it's really never-ending eh? but at least the queue seems to be getting shorter. well, it has to be. i know my holidays are nearing. i can smell it. an unknown smell as yet.

i think i am distracted. highly distracted. hence the staring into space syndrome. do i not care anymore? where's the motivation? ugh. one thing i realised, if i leave my work to the last minute, then i won't have stress and worry until the very last moment. when i finally decide to pick up my work, then of course, the stress n worry will be gr8ly magnified. so it's highly magnified stress & worry @ d end vs. equally distributed stress & worry? hmmmmm. equally distributed stress & worry? is there such a thing? i thought they only accumulate until u finally submit ur work...

i am itching to pop that HUGE pimple on my nose. always on the exact same spot.

deb dragged me to the hunt postgrad talk. postgrad? unless i get a scholarship. or marry a kiwi. maori also can. sigh. i'm so terrible eh?

thank You Lord that Monday's come to an end. I look forward to bed~ tmr... back to 314 lects. can't wait for them to be over. @ least there's something worth looking forward to after class: i've decided to give myself a little treat...

cutting my nose to spite my face...

i do that sometimes.

it is quite dumb really, but i still do it.

in the end, more often than not, i find myself in deeper frustrations & it's harder to find a way out...

all the struggles pretty much happen internally. nowhere else. no one else even knows, i suspect.

what's the point?

sigh. my poor face. gotta pay the price for stupidity...

Thank You Lord...

"Be joyful always; pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thank You Lord...

1. that I have breath this day - my flatmate left the stove on overnight
2. tt i survived 2 tests today - esp. 313
3. my 027's functioning again - don't ask how come
4. i'm slowing inching towards the end of the semester - i still dunno where i'll be in summer, nor where i'll be staying next year
5. beautiful sun - my vit D status shld be quite adequate
6. for mum - the most beautiful person in my life (i miss u lots!)
7. for loving me no matter how difficult i am/can be
8. for being patient with me regardless of how terrible i am/can be
9. for knowing my struggles, listening to my cries and accepting me just as i am
10. that I am Your precious child and nothing, nothing can ever change that...

Thank You Lord Jesus!

my 100th post!

wow~ i made it to a 100! a big leap indeed from my 1st attempt which only lasted 2 weeks... and of course, i shall not gloat too much lest i make some amateur feel bad ;p

it's very much like my paper journal. it has taken me years and countless attempts... well, it's not so much of starting (i've always had good intentions) but to keep going... now, i think i need a treasure chest pretty soon to store all my journals. compliments very well with my slight fettish with buying journals. just the other day i got a really nice one frm manna. real good deal too (30% off guys! head to manna~). d current one is pretty cool. just realised tt it matches the colour of my patricks very well. how nice if i could wrap up each completed journal and send it off: "To God, my Father & Jesus, my Saviour... Address: Heaven. With love, Your precious child." (Holy Spirit is here with us eh?) I know God receives each entry and knows each word by heart, it just saves me the trouble of transporting them across the globe ;p

mid-week onwards things have taken a pretty good turn. i feel more "stabilised" at least. praise God for the sun (yes, we talk abt the weather all d time here). One thing i've learnt, don't underestimate the effect of the weather on your mood. it's been so sunny and beautiful tt i'm tempted to go out there and lepak all the time. did a bit of tt on Wed, ran ard campus on Thurs and today...

my darling flatmate made me pancakes for lunch! brunchnish sorta lunch i guess. we've been so busy we hardly ever saw each other even though we live next door (like next room!). busy-ness is a vicious bug tt isolates you and slowly draws u unknowingly away from ur loved ones and stresses u out and depresses u and makes everything seems gloomier. watch out for it k...

she broke my teapot few days back. i told her not to worry abt it. forgot to tell her tt it's a really cheap one i got from Farmers' in Akl while it's on sale. unfortunately teapots here are really expensive when u dunno where to go or u go at the wrong time. wasn't gonna pay $70++ for a same sized one. though i must admit it's pretty flash. guess i'll just live without tea (not bad at all as long as i have my coffee press intact). today... she presented me with a nice steel (arcosteel!) teapot~ ouch. felt quite bad abt tt. but it sure looks good sitting next to my steel Starbucks press. should prob sit them next to my steel BarVista too...

green tea cream frapp @ Starbucks was good~ enjoyed the short catch up with charm. it's amazing how God brings ppl of different personality together and from there, genuine bond establishes. i must admit she keeps my prayer life exciting with her little adventures ;p

one of d rare fridays tt i wasn't stressed abt the evening. am i getting used to it or am i learning to really trust God? Just last night at homegrp we talked abt how to really trust is sthing u have to experience urself. Knowing all the verses and stuff ain't gonna bring u nowhere if u're not gonna let go and let God...

"Molokai - the story of Father Damien" was... hmmmm. pardon my inability to find a word of description tt'll do it justice. d way Father Damien laid down his life for others, and contracted leprosy himself, how he endured life @ Molokai, his love for the lepers, his perseverance, his acts of service for those who need him, despite his sins... it reminds me tt while we can never totally escape the plague of sin in this transition period we're in (but tt doesn't mean we don't try), we can still make a difference to the lives of others ard us if we allow ourselves to...

took a while to compare the nutritional content of the chips i got. yes, i actually did consciously try to get the "healthiest" chips possible, weighing the flavour and the preference of people as well. popcorn's only healthy when there's absolutely nothing added to it ok. maybe next time i should chop up some carrots and celeries and make banana berry smoothies... ;p

i was just thinking how... (excuse me if i don't put these thoughts into words very well)... it doesn't take climactic, ecstatic sorta "high" to make one feel happy. more imptly, it's the peace tt brings joy to your heart. after the bouts of rough sea, u really come to appreciate the calmness of the waters. tt's when u start recognising the work of the Mighty One in the small little things again. Like how my flatmate's got a job offer today (Praise God! been praying for her but dun really know how to encourage her...), how i got a nice flashy teapot replacement (time for a phone replacement/laptop replacement/watch replacement? ;p), the sun, and how everything is just flowing quite smoothly @ the moment? or perhaps with training, u toughen up a bit and it takes bigger waves to give your boat a good shaking... it also came to my awareness of how both chapters of Faith in Lewis' Mere Christianity, when i read it abt a month ago, kinda armed me for some of the things tt came up. I didn't actually realise it until last night when we finally got to discuss those 2 chapters, then i rmbered "oh yup, i rmb quoting those words a number of times before, now i know where it came frm!" (btw, Lewis' MC is a good read...). All these intertextual connections are definitely divine arrangements.

perhaps this is the calm before the storm. perhaps it's just an in-between testing smoothness. on one hand, i question the necessity of trials (big ones, small ones...), the frequency etc... is it just the way i react? tt means i can choose to respond differently? if it doesn't kill me it's gonna make me stronger? but even if i bounce back stronger, it's gonna get harder to break me anyway? on the other hand, i guess i live to testify tt the dark storm does come to an end eventually, and His light will shine into the darkness.This glorious light will penetrate even into the darkest pit and seek u out, wherever u r... press on and be encouraged for our Hope is in the faithful loving God, whom we can call Abba Father!

*sigh of contentment* (though i know not wat i take content in)

let me just enjoy the moment with God...

Rock bottom & loving it

KEE HUA CHEE’s cheap side shows as he explains why he prefers Cheras to Kensington.

HERE’S a nice birthday gift for our just-turned-49 nation: Kuala Lumpur is the best lowest-cost city in the world!

Well, that’s what I gleaned anyway from the prestigious Union Bank of Switzer-land’s eagerly awaited Prices and Earnings 2006 report that was released last month.

KL came in at No. 71 on the list of 71 cities surveyed. But being last is a good thing on this list because it means that it’s cheaper to live in KL than in any of the other cities.

The tri-annual survey compared the cost of a basket of goods and services across all the cities, and the basket was the cheapest in KL. Yet, when it comes to wages, KL’s No. 53 on the list, not the last. Which means, you can earn a decent wage yet still live cheaply in KL! (Go to ubs.com for full details and complete lists.)

KL’s cheap, but not in a nasty way. You can live well and cheaply here.

To express it in economic jargon, KL is currently in that unique and enviable position of having a relatively high standard of living but low cost of living.

Singapore and Hong Kong have very high standards of living but it also costs a lot to live there, which, of course, kinda cancels out the buzz.

New Yorkers’ labour costs a lot.

And then there’s that trendy city to beat all trendy cities: London. Who wouldn’t want to live there? Someone who doesn’t want to pay through his nose for everything, perhaps?

Take, for instance, a British friend of mine who moved to KL for work purposes: he was convinced there was a typo in his Getting to Know Malaysia information kit because a maid’s salary was listed as RM450. He thought it was supposed to be £450 (RM3,105)!

For comparative surveys like this, the price of burgers at the ubiquitous McDonald’s chain is one item that is usually compared because a Big Mac is a Big Mac is a Big Mac wherever you are in the world. (In fact, this is such an uniform type of food, The Economist magazine came up with the Big Mac Index in 1986 as an informal way of measuring purchasing power parity between currencies and the index has been published annually since.)

So, in KL, a Big Mac costs RM5.98; in London, where I go to lose weight, it costs RM13.30. A Value Meal of burger, fries and Coke starts at RM8.35 in KL. In London, the same costs around RM27, almost three times more. See what I mean?

In London, RM1mil is still worth something but you would have to live in the ulu outer suburbs euphemistically called “Greater London”. Travelling time to Inner London is at least 50 minutes by Tube on a good day, as you have to change trains at least once or twice.

London

If you do manage to live in the heart of London, a secured garage space or parking lot in front of your doorstep can cost up to RM250,000 – the price of an entire condo in KL!

Says the 52-page UBS report, “It is no wonder that ? residents (of expensive cities) often tolerate extreme commutes in order to find affordable housing.”

Actually, instead of spending all that money on the tri-annual survey, the Swiss bankers should have just asked KL-ites and they would have been told that the Malaysian capital is definitely the best place to work, play and party in.

We could have told them to think about this – practically every African country’s capital is cheaper to live in, but we don’t have to dodge bullets in KL and warlords only appear in bad TV movies.

Singapore appears to be more sophisticated and advanced but try buying a house there for less than RM1mil! And doesn’t it seem like food costs double?

Bangkok’s nightlife sizzles – but what about the crime and horrendous daytime traffic jams?

For once, being rock bottom means we get the thumbs up!

So dear!

Oslo, London, Copenhagen, Zurich and Tokyo, in that order, are now the world’s most expensive cities, based on a standardized basket of 122 goods and services that includes the costs of food, housing, utilities, schooling, transport and lifestyle activities. London and New York are particularly expensive due to housing.

The biggest gap is in Asia. Tokyo is the world’s fifth most expensive city while the cheapest is Kuala Lumpur followed by Mumbai and Delhi. Singapore, Taipei, Sydney and Auckland occupy the middle places.

Making the most

The world’s highest wages are in Copenhagen, Oslo, Zurich, Geneva, New York and London where the average wage of 14 representative professions is RM66 per hour. While Norway, Sweden and Denmark have the highest wages, they also have the highest taxes so, in real terms, Zurich and Geneva have the highest purchasing power. As for London, it ranks only 20th in domestic purchasing power. Says the report, “After statutory deductions, people living in the Swiss cities, Dublin and Los Angeles have the most left over from their wages.”

So hard working!

OF course, we hard working Asians work the longest, as any of us can attest. Seoul takes the lead with its residents working 50.2 hours per week – which explains why South Korea is so productive and well off. Based on an average of a 42-hour workweek, Asians toil 2,088 hours a year while Berliners work only 1,610 hours a year. Asians work 1,200 hours more than Parisians, where a year’s work equals a mere 1,480 hours – and they are still fighting for a 35-hour week. No wonder Parisians can idle away entire afternoons at cafes or strolling in parks and along the Seine.

Asians also have the lowest number of holidays, only 12 a year compared with the global average of 20.

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2006/9/10/lifetravel/15227539&sec=lifetravel

*************************************************************************

i miss home!

having spent a good number of years away from home, i thought i should be ok with staying away. yet i find myself running back every so often. So very often that i think friends back home might have gotten sick of seeing me around. hmmmm...

ironically, i wasn't sure if i could live in KL for long though. d idea was to work in some big cities, see Big Ben everyday or watever, wherever... better yet to fly ard... d idea was to be free~ yet i find myself yearning for home shortly after i left. How to go for long-term missions la?

but, i guess working at home ain't tt bad either ;p i'm sure if tt's where God wants me to be, as long as I keep my focus on Him, I'm gonna be loving it...

1 week later...

Voon's passport turned up in the mail.

Deb's necklace was in her basket of... ahem.

it's been a week since i last saw my phone. i miss it. i miss the liberal feeling of just sending txts without a 2nd thought...

i've been checking the postbox everyday. i just cleared my laundry. no phone in mail. no phone in basket. Castle's technician would know my face by now and OUSA reception might have gotten sick of me...

maybe I should look for my phone in a telecom shop? perhaps it wanted an extreme makeover...

The Race

The Race

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7

There is much satisfaction in finishing something you have begun! The success of a race is determined not only by how well you begin but also by how well you end. Many athletes can begin a race impressively, but if they stumble or are injured or lack the stamina to finish, their good start is useless. Paul rejoiced that he had not only begun the race; but he had also finished it. His prize was a robust faith in God and a life filled with God's powerful presence.

The Christian life is not easy. Some mistakenly assume that once they become children of God, their struggles are over. Many Christians begin their walk with Christ enthusiastically; but as the pressures mount, they lose heart and abandon their pilgrimage.

Paul described his Christian life as a battle. There were times when he struggled, and only through perseverance could he continue. It may surprise us to know that the great apostle had to struggle at times to be faithful to God. Paul faced persecution, misunderstanding, betrayal, and death threats. His Christian life was anything but easy, yet he persevered.

Your faith in God is not proven by beginning the race but by enduring to the finish. Publicly announcing your commitment to Christ in your church does not compare with a lifetime of devotion to His cause. Use Paul as your model. Live your life in such a way that you can one day conclude, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith!"

(canaanland devotions)

***********************************************************

What a timely msg for me. As 314 ass #2 came to a conclusion today (thank God for sustaining me), I just don't feel like doing anything. Instead of studying for my test tmr, I allowed myself to get carried away by "research" for my ling project. To be honest, it's just a disguise for surfing and browsing the net, throughout the night...

I don't have to dig deep down memory lane to rmb how I almost always start well (sortof, at least with more energy n enthusiasm) but struggle to finish well (battery running low). Most of the time I find myself struggling to breathe, just pressing on day by day and clinging on to God as I inch towards the finish line. It's disheartening to find at the end of the line, an extension line awaiting me further down. And another, and yet another... and I start questioning "What in the world am I doing?"

Perhaps this is part of my vicious cycle that I need to break, that I need God to break. It's almost shameful that my race is nowhere near as "noble" as Paul's... but I guess at this age, this season's race been marked out for me and as they say "die die also must press on".

Thank God that even though I may not know where I'm going, God knows... I just need to trust Him and let Him lead me on...

rising frustrations

ugh. there's this pit of boiling frustration in my stomach that i can't seem to get rid off.

had a short chat with classmates during interval. we agreed how we no longer strive for the best: you just wanna make sure u meet the deadlines. When there's so much work coming at you, you just lose it and don't know where to start. you don't even want to start.

should i work with the lang sch on a project or shld i just do a lit survey? would i make the deadline?

sigh. what have i gotten myself into? what am i doing? feels like i'm caught in the midst of the vicious cycle Ps Mike talked abt on Sunday. But how do you get out of it?

1 @ a time

i think i've lost my ability to multi-task. when stuff just gets overwhelming, i can't seem to think beyond, or even plan beyond, wat's happening in a week. although our 314 is pretty much coming to an end, i just can't seem to start on something else until it's completely over. can't wait for 314 to be over tmr. don't get me wrong here, i still love my flavoured sisters ;p but i think it's time to move on. my ling is in desperate condition. pls start mugging hard for 313 cos i'll need u guys to gif me summaries k ;p

1 assignment @ a time. 1 week @ a go. my Lord will carry me through...

need to re-learn multi-tasking...

I offer my life...

"All that I am, all that I have,
I lay them down before You, O Lord.
All my regrets, all my acclaim,
The joy and the pain
I'm making them Yours.

Lord I offer my life to You
Everything I've been through
Use it for Your glory.
Lord I offer my days to You
Lifting my praise to You
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer You my life.

Things in the past, things yet unseen,
Wishes and dreams that are yet to come true,
All of my hopes, all of my plans
My heart and my hands
Are lifted to You

Lord I offer my life to You
Everything I've been through
Use it for Your glory.
Lord I offer my days to You
Lifting my praise to You
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer You my life.

What can I give that You have not given
And what do I have that is not already Yours
All I possess is the life I'm living
And that's what I give to You Lord"

I guess when you don't really know what's going on, u just need to press on and believe by faith that God is with you every step. "Lord I offer my life to You, everything I've been through, even if I don't understand at all, use it for Your glory..."

"Be it in a quiet pasture, or by a gentle stream,
the Shepherd of my soul is by my side,
Should I face a mighty mountain,
Or a valley dark and deep,
The Shepherd of my soul will be my guide."

I rmb that particular night, College CG @ Pastor Tony's house, we sang these 2 songs. It's not because I came in late tt I rmb, but perhaps God knew that these songs would comfort my heart in a time that is to come, many many thousand miles away...

I think I miss home...

2nd day back at Uni

huh? u mean it's only been the 2nd day back? feels like i've been back for ages~

finally submitted our 314 final resource. somehow ideas keep coming at the final moments. last night my stomach was uneasy with butterflies and i was high on adrenaline. u know it's like u've put in so much u wanna give it ur best shot even at the very last moments? i was feeling really edgy trying to figure out the technical stuff which is waaaaay beyond our grp's skills, and suddenly, the comp crashed. blackness.

i just took it as a "stop" sign from God. this edginess is getting me nowhere. give it up. let go.

found myself at the octagon for lunch. it's a nice change. the weather's beautiful and it's really good to sit right in the octagon, lunching in front of clocktower, the robbie burns statue and St. Paul's cathedral. It was hard to put down my Ling, my Japa, my Hunt but I've had enough of sitting in front of the comp or reading my notes or doing some uni stuff while lunching. Just let me enjoy lunch for once k?

5pm. Came out of class totally dazed and stressed. Ugh. There's just so much to do. written reports. oral presentation. ling's project which i haven't started. japa's essay. ocf. and the list goes on... I don't know how to balance everything anymore. Taking it easy isn't getting me anywhere. Neither is being uptight...

Thank God for really encouraging grpmates. Their support really helps me to hang on and press forward. Thanks guys, esp. my flavoured sisters. The most positive grpwork experience so far.

As i headed home, Hillsong's "Need You here" rang in my ears...

"I only want to be where You are,
Holy, Holy is the Lord,
King of Glory, Forever, Saviour of the Word"

In that split second, all that matters is our Holy God, the King of Glory, Saviour of the World...

and everything else diminished...

It was just for that second. But i appreciate tt as a reminder from God... that life is more than the assignments etc etc etc. it's just a phase i go through like every other student. it's not easy but am I prioritising? Am I fiercely guarding the precious times I have with Him? Am I trusting Him to carry me through this?

I'm also reminded that it's not about the final product. Yes it can affect my grades, which has taken a slight dip so far, but it's the process tt counts. It's what God wants me to learn from this experience, what lasting relationships forged from this, the perseverance to press on, and most of all, the knowledge that God is with me throughout this project...

Dunedin OCF

pre-uni blues...

it's been a wonderful day really. went up pine hill for a BBQ wf renee n deb. the weather was awesome (praise God!) and it was a really good day to have BBQ outdoors. the fun wasn't so much in the food i guess, but more of the company. got to talk to deb a bit and yea, actually i wasn't too sociable so i just hung out with deb. but we did action songs etc and it was nice! ya, i know, i haven't got a sunday sch "childhood" so pardon me k. maybe i should assist in Sunday sch then i can have fun and do action songs with the kids...

i enjoyed the last bits of my hols. thought i should just seize the opportunity while i still can. i've left waaaaay too much work and i'm sooooo behind it's scary to think of the next 6 weeks. make it 9. this is by far the hardest semester. with the most assignments. i dunno how i'm gonna live thru the next 9 weeks eh. but i guess God is faithful. He has carried me through. He will do it again.

come to think of it, i will live through the next 9 weeks. as the cliche goes, time flies. it's about how i fly with the time, whether i'll be sluggish and just scrap through, or i'll just press on, with a few more cuppas (yes, now i know how elder ky can do 10 cups/day) while singing praises unto Him. fight the fight and run the race eh? do it well as a spiritual act of worship unto God.

i'll need God in every bit of this. let Him turn my nightmare into a dream, my bitter cup of tea into a bittersweet cuppa Fincas de Chiapas...

Happy Father's Day, Abba Father!

Random Acts of Kindness Day

In the midst of my dreams, I vaguely heard the radio announcing that it's Random Acts of Kindness Day today. The DJ continued to give suggestions of acts of kindness u can do in all randomness but as I drifted back to sleep, I forgot all about this...

until...

I saw this outside Starbucks:

"2-4pm Free Hot Chocolate. Random Acts of Kindness Day"

It's 3:53pm. wow. but it's too hot for a hot choc. I was craving for Green Tea Cream Frapp instead...

Have you done your random act of kindness today? How about buying me Green Tea Cream Frapp tmr?

It's better late than never... ;p

1st day of Spring!

What a warm warm day~

Spring is here! Thank God i survived another Dunedin winter. It certainly didn't kill me but I doubt I'm any stronger for another winter. Really glad for the change though. I might just be able to survive summer in Dunedin if weather continues to be awesome :)

Time to bid farewell to my mid-sem break. sigh. I don't like goodbyes. Not even non-human ones. My hols might have started much later than everyone else and though i struggled initially, i must admit that i've come to really enjoy not doing anything :) work started again today though. thank God i'm still functional. i think.

6 more weeks + 3 weeks of exams. 1 week of bumming around. 1 week in Paraparaumu.

what's next?

"Come and taste that the Lord is good..." @ Dunedin OCF