K is for Kelly

Pique Nique

2011-11-09T22:58:00.000+10:00

What are you looking at:
1. Whoopie pies, not macarons. 2. A cuppa Earl Grey tea. 3. Lemon Meringue Bar, yummy with a lemon tang and it's not too sweet! 4. Some... Maple Walnut thingy that Kev ordered, if I'm not wrong.

Checked out Pique Nique with Kev one afternoon after service. The American-styled bakery/ bistro is opened by Chef Pang, the same fella who brought us Antoinette. Love the decor of the place, the cakes were decent but it's nothing as compared to what we've tasted at Antoinette. Nevertheless, it's still quite a good spot to chill in the city.

Takashimaya #B1-01/02
Ngee Ann City Tower A
391A Orchard Road
Singapore 238873
Tel: +65 6238 6705

Reality's a lovely place but I wouldn't wanna live there.

2011-08-16T00:09:00.000+10:00

2 years ago, I had no clue who or what Owl City was. It was only when I was tasked with the responsibility of researching and preparing interview questions for a story on him in CLEO magazine that I found out who he was.

His music's uplifting (it's almost impossible to feel depressed listening to him), his lyrics are whimsical and maybe even childlike, and I see references to God in his songs. And when I read his blog, my God, he writes beautifully. This man, has a gift.

Fast forward and 2 years later, I've become a fan of his and I was there last night at Tivoli for his concert, seeing him in the flesh. It's hard to believe that he's a shy person or an introvert from the way he carried himself on the stage! His concert covered a mix of his old and new songs so I enjoyed every minute of it.

You are glorious!

2011-08-14T23:45:00.000+10:00

Heading down to Hillsong has been a routine in Brissy for me on Sundays. This time the only difference is that I'm heading there in a different direction and because of that, I was slightly anxious as bus services here ain't that frequent like in Singapore. But thank God, I managed to get there before service started. :) As I was walking there, I noticed that there were policemen holding up signs to Hillsong and it was a pretty peculiar sight actually haha. It's so good to know that the church is growing :)

It's always good to be home, being greeted with hugs and all. :) It was so funny how Nathan couldn't recognise me at first till I told him who I was and he reconfirmed it by saying my last name to make sure it's really me before doing a whole "man, you look so different" expression/action! I love being able to sit in the first few rows, and how this month's theme is all about Jesus (can't imagine just how many people will be impacted by the message!). And today we learn a new song as well. I don't know the title of it but boy, for some reason it just made me cry non-stop! Dropped by the resource lounge after service to have a look-see and decided to make a quick trip to the toilet before leaving when I was greeted with this scribble, "Go ahead and flourish babe" by the Sisterhood :) It just touches me on a personal level... so yeah.

And while I was gone, Kev managed to help me get tickets to the Hillsong concert at the end of the month so I'm pretty psyched. August is a month full of awesomeness!

And I know I'm home :)

2011-08-10T23:39:00.001+10:00

First day back in Brissy and it feels like I've never left. So thankful that Yining can put me up at her place, and I feel right at home here :)

Not much trouble at the customs because I brought Honey Stars in for Yining, so praise God for that.

Met up with bestie for lunch at The Forest Cafe in West End which serves vegan food, bought some stuff at the farmers' market in the city and maybe bought alot more stuff in Lush. :)

Did I tell you Yining's dog Miko is the absolute cutest thing? I was feeling rather jetlagged this morning so after waking up and going downstairs for a while, I decided to go back up and 'plank' on the bed till I feel awake enough to get up. The next time I know, I hear Miko coming up the stairs and she just came onto the bed and started walking all over me and licking me before running downstairs! Then I hid myself under the cover and when she came up again, she just walked all over me and was sniffing me out. When she walked away and it was all silent, I thought she was gone so I peeked out and there she was, sitting at the doorway looking at me! :) And now, this little girl is asleep in my lap while I'm typing this entry. I can't wait till I get my own place and have my own puppy!

And this is so awesome, Wicked is coming to Singapore! I was pretty bummed that I was going to miss it when it's playing in Brissy so thank God for that!

Don't settle for less.

2011-07-20T14:39:00.000+10:00

This is something I picked up from Leslie Ludy’s devotional.

As today’s generation of young women, we have not been given much hope for the future. When it comes to singleness, marriage, femininity, or even a deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we are often told, “This is all you can expect, so get used to it.” In addition to what we hear, we are also affected by what we see. Our parents’ generation is riddled with divorce, depression, and intense family conflict. Our own generation is filled with anxiety, abuse, eating disorders, and young men who are defeated by addictions, violence, and anger. And the statistics—on issues from divorce to violence to depression to eating disorders—are usually no different in Christian circles than they are in the rest of the world. It is no wonder that the majority of us have quite a dismal outlook on both our present and future life.

But we do not have to live according to the mediocre standards of the world around us. Singleness, marriage, and womanhood do not have to be a dull, depressing drudgery. Those areas can be a little taste of heaven on earth, if only we will pursue the very best God has for us and never settle for less. The same is true of intimacy with our Prince. An amazing romance with Him does not have limits. There is always more to learn about Him, always more to worship in Him, and always more to experience with Him. On a daily basis we can take His gentle, outstretched hand and follow Him further and further into the amazing, boundless depths of a never ending heavenly love story. When our Prince is the center of our existence, the possibilities are fathomless. Life becomes an exciting, endless adventure. Don’t ever settle for less.

We put the US in USS!

2011-07-17T20:34:00.001+10:00

So we were at USS last Sunday. We were gonna surprise Siti there as this is part of her birthday celebrations devised by her boyfriend Ivan. It’s really hard to keep it under wraps when you’re so excited but you can’t express your excitement. But thankfully, all of us managed to keep mum successfully!

I was afraid that some of us might be late in meeting at USS, so I suggested breakfast earlier to prevent any possible situation from wrecking the surprise. The rest came later than the stipulated timing, but thankfully there were some delays over at the birthday girl’s side so all’s cool.

We took the monorail over, and on our way there I was gushing like a tourist! =D Then we got there, we were supposed to hide in Garrett’s Popcorn but got distracted by the yummy looking candy decorations at candylicious. So like tourists, we walked over (while applying sunblock!) to snap pictures!

Ju Leen, Syaza and I.

Ju Leen, YY and I

We waited in the shade…

And took a picture together in the sun

Then we took shelter in Hersheys’ while waiting. Shortly after, we received a missed call from Ivan to signal their arrival and we just surprised an unsuspecting Siti as she walked in! =D The look on her face = priceless.

Us girls!

Them guys

Birthday present from us!

After we went in, we took a jump shot!

Love this picture!

It’s really good to have guys who double up as the day’s photographers so us girls can have fun and they can snap us having fun.

Beware of ogres!

Love this group picture <3

This heat is unforgiving! I wish we have Aussie’s climate. And yeah, it’s good having friends who will snap pictures of you. LOL

Betty Boop!

Big Yellow Taxi!

Guys will be guys hahah!

We wanna take the Battlestar Galactica!

We deposited our bags and off we went!

Syaza feeling a little ill after riding the Cylon and Human rides… BUT OH MAN, BOTH RIDES BLEW MY MIND! LOVED IT!

Ju Leen, Syaza & I

Ivan and YY, trying to cool off with the mini-fans

Picture with one of the macho mascots! He’s really cool and his body’s chiselled, I likee.

As the day progressed, the waiting time was getting longer and longer. One particular ride’s waiting time was as long as 80 minutes! Pure madness! We were debating if we should get the express tickets and we were deterred by the cost ($48). And then Siti and Ivan decided to treat us! =D Thanks guys!

Entering the kingdom of Far Far Away…

Cute outfit the service staff has to wear!

Shrek 4D show, it’s similar to what we’ve seen at Movieworld.

Just so magical

Then we went for a water ride…

I think from this picture you can conclude that I don’t like water rides. That’s true. I like water theme parks, I enjoyed Wet n’ Wild. I just don’t like getting wet when I’m supposed to be dry. So I was really scared and was shrieking away. I was praying really hard that I wouldn’t get wet and Jesus heard me! He’s whatever I need him to be… and He was my raincoat in this situation, hahaha!

You know Syaza and YY were sitting beside me and they were totally drenched!

But I remained dry, save for the wet spots on my butt. =D Thank You Jesus!

Aww so cute, the two of them

For some reason, I’m the express-tickets holder =.=

It started drizzling and we girls shared umbrellas whereas the guys hid under Ju Leen’s very pink raincoat =D We managed to go on another round of Battlestar Galatica rides in the drizzle! The skies were really dark and again I prayed for it to be a passing rain… And I guess it helps as well when someone prays for me too!

Somewhere in between, we had a late lunch at Mel’s Diner or something, and then went to watch the Lights, Camera, Action show and the Water World show. The Lights, Camera, Action show was really good. oh man, I was kinda freaked out, backing away and shrieking. I think my friends were amused. I don’t do very well in situations where pools of liquid are involved. =.= The Water World show was really cool. The actors/stuntsmen were all so good! I think they have one of the most fun jobs in the world.

As we exited USS, we gotta take a picture outside.

You can take us outta our cheer squad, but you can’t take the cheerleader outta us!

Waiting for them to purchase their bags of popcorn

Then we popped into Hard Rock Hotel, where Ivan had booked a suite =D I love love the lift!

Us in the suite!

Girls being girls, we take pictures everywhere

We love taking pictures, even in the bath tub.

Group picture! <3

Because we spent alot of time in the suite and by the time we wanted to go for dinner, it was rather late already. Initially we wanted to go to Harbourfront for Korean food, but we scrapped the idea. In the end, we went down to Coffee Bean. After dinner, we walked around a little… Wanted to check out Victoria’s Secret but they were closing. T.T nevermind, there’s always next time.

Here’s one last picture to end the night!

A For Antoinette

2011-07-03T23:24:00.001+10:00

First chanced upon Antoinette, a cafe specialising in meticulously crafted pastries, in an article and I was quite taken with the decor of the place as well from the pictures in the article. With that said, I just hafta check it out and live out my Parisian fantasy!

The cafe's a hidden gem within walking distance from Lavender MRT station, and surprisingly, it was quite packed when we went there for lunch after service! We waited for a little bit before we got a table. I love how the cutlery and napkins were all labelled with an "A" in gold and that makes everything look very chichi. And oh yes, the furniture... to die for.

So we had lunch, tea (chamomile for me, earl grey for Kev) and of course... desserts! We settled on Antoinette, a milk chocolate mousse infused with earl grey tea topped with a sphere pregnant with liquid raspberry, and Le Royale, a dark chocolate mousse. The Chocolate Bar buffet has really changed the way I'm enjoying my chocolates now, so Le Royale tasted kinda average to me but the pairing of earl grey tea with milk chocolate was a brilliant move for the Antoinette, it was just divine.

It's such a lovely place that we were there for a long while before we decided to leave. I can see myself coming back soon enough to try the other desserts ;)

Like a kid all over again.

2011-07-02T23:57:00.001+10:00

Went down to The Zone's Youth Day Carnival today. In fact, we got there way before the event started because... some of my caregroup peeps and I were involved in God's Love Movement contingent. Guess what, I bumped into Karen there! Her cheerleading team Rexaz was going to kick off the event with their cheer routine :)

So the whole thing was pretty fun. It felt like a school's sports day-cum-carnival because there were many game stations, and candy floss! And they were playing Hillsong's music all day! =D We were at this soft toy throw-catch station and we won! Hahaha, our reward was a can of 100-plus and it never tasted so good. We also tried riding the mechanical bull, played some paper toss game and cheered on our people as we watched from the sidelines. Took pictures on my fisheye camera as well and I can't wait till I get the film developed! Wanted to stay on initially for praise and worship but I gave it a miss in the end because I want an early night as I'll be serving tomorrow...

I'm kinda psyched about that and I pray that I find favour with the kids!

Just like that

2011-06-23T14:10:00.001+10:00

I would like to be the air
that inhabits you for a moment
only. I would like to be that unnoticed
& that necessary

So good that it will be a crime not to share

2011-06-16T02:28:00.000+10:00

One of the most common – and most beautiful – attributes amongst Christian ladies is a desire to nurture. A desire to comfort, and encourage, and serve.

In the right context, this is an amazing, Godly aim.
In the wrong context, it will really mess you up.

What tends to happen for a lot of Christian gals is that they see a guy who is – and this is a theological phrase – a wounded puppy. He’s sad and discouraged and probably wants something spiritual in his life but isn’t sure how that would work for him and aw shucks and who’s-to-say. And, for these Christian gals, that desire to nurture kicks in. Problem is, it quickly transitions to a desire to date said wounded puppy. And this will not work.

There’s a line from an old poem that says, “None but the brave deserve the fair.” Ladies, I want you to emblazon this on your subconscious minds. None but the brave deserve the fair.

Why do I say this? Because a Christian woman deserves to be with a Godly man. Not a boy, not a teenager, not an adolescent. A man.

And, make no mistake, being a man isn’t about chronological age. It’s about personal and spiritual maturity. Here are some benchmarks to consider:

- A man is not looking for and does not need you to fix him. He’s already working things out with the Lord – just the two of them.

- A man knows where he stands spiritually.

- A man is confident in who he is and what he brings to the table.

- A man has the humility to know what his weaknesses, limitations, and growing-edges are, and is addressing them.

- A man knows where he’s going in life – following the Lord – and isn’t willing to get off course for you or anyone else.

So, then, what does that look like lived out?

- A man will meet you and spend some time getting to know you. He will pray for you and about you, and seek counsel from people farther along in the Lord than himself. He will not rush into anything. When he has a firm word from the Lord that this is a relationship from the Lord – and not before – he will move forward.

- He will summon the courage to ask you out on a date. He will not hem and haw, he will not say, “hey, maybe we should hang out, you know, sometime.” He will say, “I’d like to take you out for dinner. On a date. What do you say?”

- He will tell you how he feels about you. And I’m not talking, “So, you seem cool, and, yeah, it’s cool to hang out.” I’m talking, “You need to know that I’m crazy about you. I admire the heart you have for the Lord and the lost. I respect your walk. I value your authenticity. And I think you’re hot as all get out. If that doesn’t work for you, I understand, but you should know where I’m coming from.”

- A man will insist that both of you go to the Lord and ask for wisdom on what the Lord wants the physical boundaries to be for this relationship.

- A man will then insist that those boundaries are followed whether you like it or not. And if you start to get out of pocket, he will say, “Darling, don’t try and start something I won’t let you finish.” And he will mean it.

Everything I’ve just described requires courage. It requires bravery. It takes a man to pull it off.

And if there’s a dude out there that can’t man up, then he doesn’t deserve you. God does not want you to settle, and trust me, you don’t need to.

Remember, sisters: None but the brave deserve the fair.

Day 30: A photo of you when you were happy

2011-05-21T16:54:00.000+10:00

April & I, messing around in the photog studio on our last day at CLEO. Out of us five guest editors, she's the only one whom I'm still in contact with after all these years. That was one of the best months in my life :)

omg, we are done with this tag! Maybe I should get back to finishing my letters project

Day 29: A photo of someone you find attractive

2011-05-20T23:37:00.000+10:00

Is it any surprise he's someone I find attractive? ;)

Day 28: What you ate today

2011-05-19T23:59:00.000+10:00

I had one of the most satisfying dinners ever. Checked out Gokul, a vegetarian restaurant located in Little India and I was spoilt for choice as I happily scanned the menu of awesomeness (2 full pages, A3-sized!).

I was confused for a moment when I saw 'meat' dishes but Kevin assured me that they were mock meat. So we ordered curry puffs, butter naans, butter chicken masala (butter chicken!!) and nasi lemak to share. :)

Best meal ever!

Day 27: A photo of last summer

2011-05-18T23:50:00.000+10:00

Australian summer that is. Last year's summer was really outta character, drizzling everyday. Out of all the days that my friends (ex-colleagues from MTV) Ariel and Catherine were here, I think there were only 1 or 2 days where we enjoyed the Aussie sun! Here's a picture of us having a meal at Matongsan II :)

Words

2011-05-16T23:15:00.000+10:00

Never underestimate the power of words.
Just look at the creation story- God spoke and out of His sheer words, came the universe.

What's in our hearts comes tumbling out of our mouths, and what escapes through our lips manifests in our lives. That's why it's imperative we should always speak of positivity, of love, of hope, of good things to come.

So why am I always upbeat? It's not because I haven't faced tough times or difficult situations.It's not because I've denied myself from feeling sad. It's not because I'm delusional, living in my little perfect bubble.

It's because the joy of the Lord is my strength. It's because when I read my bible, the verse I've meditated on comes alive and becomes living truth for me. It's such an amazing feeling whenever that happens. :) It's because I had woken up from a dream one morning, all smiley and expectant of the things that will come to pass.

It's because I've decided on fixing my eyes upon Him instead of looking down at my situation. In the midst of my difficulties I draw my strength from Him to get through it because I can't but He can. This joy can't be taken away from me because it's how I enjoy God's presence and it's because I know all good things come from Him.

Most importantly when I start feeling emo for no rhyme or reason, this thought "Woman, why are you weeping?" comes into my head and it makes me stop wallowing in my misery. It's then I realise God's got everything covered so there's no reason for me to fear or cry about.

So hey, cut me some slack if I'm too cheery for you. :) As a creator through words, I choose to speak in faith of good things to come because I know my identity in Christ, God's DNA courses through my veins and I've chosen to give life through words.

day 26. a photo of your favourite weekend

2011-05-16T01:14:00.000+10:00

One of my favourite weekend, is the one I had the least idea of how it would turn out. I knew Yining, Leon and Jestyn individually but we've never hung out as a group. And it was really great! :)

The weather was kinda iffy, we were on the beach playing frisbee with crazy winds throwing it off course before seeking shelter at Hard Rock Cafe, just fellowship-ing. Played more frisbee, had some Max Brenner before we got into the car, singing worship songs on the way back :) Good times.

For the first time

2011-05-14T16:04:00.000+10:00

For a while I thought that warrior-poets/ gentlemen no longer existed because the guys I had contact with seldom exhibited such traits. Yeah, nice guys are aplenty but gentlemen are of a different league. Therefore interacting with someone who treats women with honour and respect is a refreshing change.

For once the responsibility to take the lead to plan for a meet-up (way in advance!), make reservations and all that jazz, isn't me. All I had to do, is to follow the lead and be a lady.

The gentleman is a rare breed but now that I've seen one, I'm convinced that they exist and God will bring more of them into my life. :)

Wednesday night

2011-05-12T16:43:00.000+10:00

Met up with Joshua for dinner last night. He only finished his work at 7, but it took him what seemed like forever to reach Holland V! It's my first trip down ever since I got back. I was feeling like a sick puppy and was starving hungry by the time we ordered our food. Boy, I was so happy when my food came! We caught up over dinner, and then retreated to Coffee Bean and brainstormed for ideas for a product launch over a cuppa lemon chamomile tea. It was pretty cool how we picked at each other's brains and have ideas bouncing off like that... :)

And again this evening will be heading down to Holland V again for dinner appointment with my friend! :)

A picture from a while back

2011-05-11T18:09:00.000+10:00

Hahaha! I burst out laughing when I saw it. :)
Those were the days.

Blog more tonight or something!

Take heart

2011-05-09T23:31:00.000+10:00

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. ~Psalm 27:23

Everything He's doing, He's working it for my own good as long as I let Him lead me. I believe there's no coincidences in this world, He is interested in working all the intricate details in our lives. It's crazy just thinking about how God arranges my dates, plans my steps so it works to my benefit...

It was a God-thing that someone who wasn't from our poly clique join us for dinner last week. She's a jewellery designer who has a shop at Haji Lane and who better to talk to when it comes to seeking an opinion about my dreams.

Although I wasn't close to her, I noticed a change in her. I was really surprised at the things she shared with me as she drove me home. Her idea of fun in the past was drinking, clubbing and getting high and now her idea of fun is praying and seeing people get healed, casting out demons (ok I know that sounds a little extreme but that's what she said), etc. I'm just so inspired by how on fire she is for Christ. We both agree that we are living in end times and we gotta be radical Christians. I guess my first step in being radical is to read my Bible regularly, leading the set apart life, the so much better life that He has planned for me. :)

Oh she's really sweet, she sent me text last night to encourage me and remind me how great our God is. It really goes to show that we need brothers and sister in Christ in our walk with God. I can't wait to go to her care group/ church thingy tomorrow evening after work! :)

Real food, real good

2011-05-08T23:07:00.000+10:00

Had loadsa time to kill after my facial appointment before meeting my friends at Settlers and I was deciding between going to VivoCity or Central. I thought I had a direct bus to Vivo but upon arriving at the stop, I realised that there isn't and ended up heading to Central instead.

Over the course of one week, my skin had the worst breakout ever -insert major sad face here- so I thought it would be good to eat healthy and just find a place to hole up with my book for the next 3-4 hours. I was thinking of Subway and Starbucks initially but suddenly I recalled there's this vegan cafe called Real Food in Central and that's it! It's sucha small world, I bumped into Apple (a girl whom I knew since LiveJournal days) who's working there! :D

The place is a combination of a cafe, a grocer and a bookstore. Apple was so nice, she let me sample some vegan ice-cream which were really yummy. 2 scoops for just $3.80. My fave flavours for the day were banana & oats and strawberry, but green tea and hazelnut flavours were pretty rad too :)

I had a mushroom aglio olio pasta, which wasn't too bad. It just wasn't as piping hot as I hoped it would be. Then Apple let me have a bite of the mudcake/mudpie, and it was awesome! Who knew you can make tasty base with brown rice?! She said it's a pretty big piece so it's most ideal to share it.

I love the place, the ambience, the music.... and it's sucha cozy place. :) I just felt very inspired being in the surroundings, I wish I had writing/ drawing material with me! I can see myself coming back here pretty often, definitely coming back :)

Day 25: A photo of a night you loved

2011-05-05T23:23:00.000+10:00

Maroon 5's concert was a night of fantastic music, it was soo good. And I ended the night with a picture with a guy who left me starstruck when he started talking to me in the same lift many years back. :)

Nothing compares to this love

2011-05-03T23:23:00.000+10:00

Surely the Lord's goodness and mercy follows me everyday of my life. :)

Today I really felt it.

As the day unfolded in front of me, I can see.... I can see that what I wrote down on my vision map (faith picture, whatever you call it) a month or two back can really materialize as long as I have faith in God. If it's a dream that He has planted in my heart, He can open doors, He will bring it to pass, and all I need to do, is to believe.

Right now, I'm just gonna remain still and bask in God's love. :)

GAP - my jeans genie!

2011-05-02T02:06:00.000+10:00

The jeans that once hugged my pins now hangs off my hips, but I'm not complaining because it was one of the requests I brought before God at the beginning of the year - to be restored to my pre-aussie weight/figure. :)

So I popped into GAP because I really liked its minimalist style and their range of jeans. The friendly staff helped me out with sizes of the various bottoms and placed the items in the fitting room for me while I continued browsing. Usually I would go for straight-cut jeans but I decided to be just a tad more adventurous and tried on a pair of flare jeans and I loved it!

I know you prolly can't see it clearly but it's amazing and this will be a breath of fresh air in my wardrobe. And yup, I had dyed my hair black because I realised I looked rather washed out with my.... old hair colour and I looked healthier with black hair (my latest batch of passport photos can be a testament to that).

GAP is having a 30% off when you buy 2 items and more, but I can't remember if it's storewide or limited to womenswear. Anyhows, I walked out a happy shopper with three new bottoms and only slightly less than 200 buckaroos poorer, good deal! :)

Day 23: A photo of your friend as a baby

2011-05-01T01:01:00.000+10:00

Miss Ariel Zhao. So cute right!? ahahah :)

Day 22: A photo of your town

2011-04-29T21:00:00.000+10:00

image credit: Tom Soper Photography

Sometimes I can't believe I'm living in such a beautiful city... Should really spend an evening out and maybe watch the light and water show that's happening every evening! I happened to catch part of it when Ariel drove me home the other time :)

these days the sun kicks in, the good guys win

2011-04-28T23:50:00.000+10:00

Been a busy week, trying my best to be on top of the steep learning curve.

It seems like I have a penchant of throwing myself into deep ends of things. I thought it would be easy-peasy but it's tougher than it seems. Sometimes I wonder if people really have the time to finish all their work when they are in meetings almost all day long. Meeting with vendors and government agencies over the past 2-3 days was a real eye-opener. All my previous jobs were just a part of something bigger... Now, I see everything from a different perspective and it sure takes a while to get used to it.

Lotsa activities happening in the coming weeks, catching Macbeth with my girlfriend, Thor with CG peeps, salsa night with my dance-mates (I can only hope I'll be awake enough for work the next day), and Lion King musical with my mum. So yeah, life's good because God's good :)

Day 21: A photo of you standing

2011-04-28T21:09:00.000+10:00

Black bow, black dress, black heels. Black black heart

Day 20: A photo of something you enjoy doing

2011-04-27T20:40:00.000+10:00

Me doing backtuck toss.

Cheerleading will always be something I enjoy doing, no matter which country/ team I'm in. No guts, no glory.

Day 19: A photo of you on a school trip

2011-04-26T22:29:00.002+10:00

Cheerleading exchange in Thailand with Bangkok University Cheerleaders, the most spirited and energetic cheerleaders that I've the opportunity to learn from! They were really my inspiration :)

Just watch this video and you'll understand what I mean

I still don't have the reason and you don't have the time

2011-04-25T23:52:00.000+10:00

image credits: riotsarefun

Just got back not too long ago from the Maroon 5 concert and it's just plain awesome! We were on the floor and I enjoyed every moment of it. =D There weren't any opening act (like it matters, I'm here for Maroon 5!!) and the moment the lights dimmed, the crowd just went nuts! They started off with Misery, and played a mixture of hits from their previous albums like Makes Me Wonder, She Will Be Loved, Harder to Breathe, Sunday Morning, and songs from their current album such as Never Gonna Leave This Bed, Hands All Over etc. Quite an amazing performance, the banter came across very natural and didn't sound scripted like Taylor Swift's, and I love how they get the audience to participate as well. The fans really screamed their hearts out, my ears were ringing when we left the stadium hahaha :D

I didn't realise how hot a guy can look in a simple white tee and tight jeans, Adam Levine just oozes sex appeal. =D So much that I wanna be the mic-stand that he's holding. =D

MTV VJs Holly and Utt were there as well and I managed to get a picture with Utt! :) Lovely way to end the night...

Once again I can't express how blessed I am! Thanks Ariel for bringing me and sending me home :) Now, wouldn't it be great if Owl City also come by Singapore for a concert?

Day 18: A photo of one of your classes

2011-04-25T20:09:00.000+10:00

I remember drawing this at Felicia's place from afternoon till night because I needed guidance (and supervision!) from her on how to draw since the last time I drew was in primary school. This drawing was part of an assignment for Drawing for Fashion, and I got a Distinction along with the other items I had to submit. :)

Great week, great week

2011-04-24T22:23:00.000+10:00

A week spent with my books and friends :)

Adila was in town for a couple of weeks and we wasted no time in arranging a meet-up with the poly gang for supper at Simpang Bedok earlier in the week. Then this afternoon met up with Shuling (who came back from the US) and gang for lunch at Old Airport Road before helping Ju Leen move to her sister's place. Soo good to spend time catching up! :)

Also met up with Ariel on Friday to City Harvest's Easter service and... OMG, the new place is so big and so packed, from the front to the back and from the left to the right kinda packed! We had dinner after that and.... she's taking me to Maroon 5's concert tomorrow! Blessed and psyched beyond words, my second concert of the year! :) Service earlier on was great! All the venues at Suntec were so packed that we hafta go to the overflow room at Marina Bay Sands. It's an inconvenience but it's a good problem to have.

I know I sound a little hyper/happy/whatever in this entry, but what is there not to be happy about? We are alive and He's risen! :D

Day 17: A drunk photo of you

2011-04-24T19:31:00.000+10:00

I wish I could get drunk, but God gave me very good drinking abilities so...

I offer up a picture of my intoxicated room buddy, Ariel Zhao! Hhahaha :D
Tracy, Ariel and I at the MAA Awards 2008 after party.

Day 16: A photo of you at the last party you went to

2011-04-23T19:47:00.000+10:00

We party in our PJs! :)

Day 15: A photo of you and someone you love

2011-04-22T14:59:00.000+10:00

Because of our common love for cheerleading, I have you guys :)

It's been almost what, 8 years since we knew one another?!

Thank You for the cross

2011-04-22T00:18:00.000+10:00

I just came back from caregroup and we watched The Passion of the Christ.
The movie has been out for really long now but I've never seen it.
And.... I cried. :'(
Watching it reminds me of everything He had gone through for us...
If this is not love, I don't know what is.

Thank you for the cross, the mighty cross
That God himself should die for such as us
And everyday we're changed
Into your image more and more
Yes, by the cross we've truly been transformed

Day 14: A photo of one of your favourite family members

2011-04-21T19:35:00.000+10:00

Need I say more? :) I <3 chaimeimei!

I fell in love with the man who died for me

2011-04-21T02:17:00.001+10:00

Just finished Joseph Prince's Destined to Reign and it left me wanting more of Jesus, so I picked up Crazy Love by Francis Chan the other day at the library. Have you ever felt that way before, like you can never get enough of someone? Yeah, that's how I feel about Jesus. :) It's just crazy knowing how much God loves us.

Isn't it amazing how we have a God who knows us intimately, loves us so deeply and every request we bring to Him is not too trivial? As I practise Jesus' presence, I can see it slowly manifesting in my life. As I rest in Him, things seem to fall into place effortlessly.

For example, I suffer from bouts of rashes several times a year, and I was experiencing my second bout maybe about a week back. It usually starts off with a small patch on the side of my thigh before becoming bigger. Nothing would really alleviate the itch. Balms and creams can only temporarily soothe the itch till it's time to apply it again. Sometimes it will itch so badly that I would wake up in the middle of the night to find myself scratching at the afflicted spot. :( Usually the situation has to get to the worst stage (where it looks really disgusting and swollen) before it starts to heal.

But this time around I believed in Jesus for my healing. I stopped applying anything to my leg and just kept confessing that by His stripes I'm healed and I'm the righteousness of God in Christ. Just like that, my rashes was caught in its tracks and I'm healed now!

Lord, how you protect, redeem, heal and bless me! You say "I am that I am", and I know You are everything I need You to be. :)

Day 13: A photo of your best friend(s)

2011-04-20T11:46:00.000+10:00

Bestie & I building the city on rock n' roll!
Taken the day my bestie came to Kelvin Grove for Nando's with us and then popped by our place for Guitar Hero :)

Day 12: A photo of you

2011-04-19T15:45:00.000+10:00

Hello! :)

We we so excited!

2011-04-19T13:41:00.000+10:00

So... Ju Leen, Siti and I went over to Batam for the weekend. :) At the point of time when we needed a getaway, Groupon had this really cheap deal for Batam so we just grabbed it and set the date, gotta love spontaneity.

We had a bit of drama prior to the trip because of Ju Leen's flight touched down at about 6ish in the morning and we needed to check-in an hour before departure. So thankful that Ju Leen could make it in time for the 8:30am ferry! She rushed back home upon landing to unload and pack her stuff for our trip. While both Siti and I had just a overnighter bag... Ju Leen packed a trolley bag! Hahaha :)

Us girls on the ferry! 'First Class' seats, more leg room and usage of the mounted fan at our disposal! hahaha!

Siti & Ju Leen

Ju Leen & I

After a while, we just fell asleep... :)

Before we knew it, we've arrived!

Located our tour guide without much difficulty...

This is Mery. It was a little hard to understand her... Most of the time I'm frowning, trying my best to understand the words coming out of her mouth.

In the end, I gave up.

We stopped by several places in this city tour... Not anything that's mildly interesting to us, but we just went trigger-happy anyways :)

Love self-timer function!

Because we are really good with making faces....

Then we stopped at this place where there's a Polo Ralph Lauren outlet, so you don't need to know where I went while the girls were getting their tidbits and sugarcane juice.

Happy camper! This is just the beginning...

We then went to this Go-Kart place which is really close to our hotel, and Ju Leen was a little dismayed when she realised that although we were heading in the direction of the hotel, we weren't going there yet. Hahaha! Should see her face, classic!

We weren't exactly interested in go-karting, so we checked out the miniature houses park instead, which was............ I don't have the words to describe it.

Then we went for lunch! It was at this seafood restaurant... but I opted for vego stuff instead :)

Peaceful scenery

Have you eaten turtle eggs before? Siti loves it. =S

As you can tell from my expression, I'm quite disgusted and disturbed. She peeled a little bit of the shell and began sucking and the shell actually collapsed! D: We were then brought to a shopping centre (like finally!) where we were let loose for a while before going for our massage.

Shopping in the supermart... By the way, buy your tidbits at the supermart instead of those tidbit stores the tour guide brings you to. It's so much cheaper here!

Ju Leen loves her cup noodles hahah

Three of us at the massage place!

After our massage, we were finally brought to our hotel to check-in. Settled all the stuff, used the Internet and then made our way to the room.

My damage: 2 shirts, 2 polo-tees for less than $250 SGD

Ju Leen and her goodies

After that, dinner time! It took a while for their chicken chop to be served while my fried rice came fairly quickly. So we just chatted, snapped pictures while waiting...

View from the Beer Garden, that made us go down after dinner. :)

Ju Leen and I headed off for the hammock while Siti went to use the computer for a while.

Ju Leen wanted to swim but Siti and I weren't up for it so that girl went up and got changed, while Siti and I went to another hammock that's closer to the pool so Ju Leen would be in our sight and we could still talk to her if we wanted to.

So comfy! I fell asleep for a short while and got a mosquito bite

Then we decided to head back... We showered and put on a facial mask...

We are Hulks, you wouldn't like us when we're angry! *grrrrrr*

I think we were all tuckered out by the end of the day that all of us just KOed the moment we laid on our beds. But I kept waking up cuz it was freezing cold and I refused to get outta bed to adjust the temperature. Guess what the temperature setting was? 18 degrees! The optimum temperature should be 22-24 degrees!

View from our room. What a beautiful day!

We had buffet breakfast! I had scrambled eggs, toast, a bit of potatoes and noodles and a bowl of porridge for me. Totally carbo-loading for no reason. Of course, we hafta make use of the free wifi as well.

After breakfast, we went back to pack and took a nap! Hahhaa, tis the life. When we woke up, we just headed down... and promptly got onto the bus that took us to the ferry terminal. Since our ferry ride back is at 4:10, we crossed the bridge and went to the mall... for our A&W! =D We are so deprived hahaha

I love my root beer float and curly fries!

Then time for mani/pedicure! Maybe we should have shopped around for a better nail place because.... it wasn't really awesome. There was a bug in my water and... it wasn't quite as pampering as the treatments you get in Singapore but... they did their job, they painted my nails in the colour (albeit limited) I wanted.

So.. that was it! :) We then took the ferry back... first class seats again :D And then had a nice nap before having dinner together and splitting ways. This trip went really well, so well that the two of them wanted me to plan the itinerary for the next trip, nooooooooo! Hahahaha

Day 11: A photo of your favourite film

2011-04-18T18:26:00.000+10:00

J'adore Amelie.

Day 10: A photo of you as a baby

2011-04-17T15:15:00.000+10:00

Day 9: A photo of your family

2011-04-16T16:58:00.000+10:00

Taken during my granny's birthday! :)

Day 8: A photo of your favourite band/ musician

2011-04-15T13:12:00.000+10:00

Need I say more? :D
She's such a great role model, and I just love her!
Music is her outlet of expression and I love the storytelling element in all her songs. I really like her latest 'Speak Now' album, it has a little more attitude than her previous records.

Songs you GOTTA check out on her latest Speak Now album other than Speak Now, Mine and Back to December:
- Mean
- Better Than Revenge
- Sparks Fly
- Enchanted

Day 7: A photo of someone you love

2011-04-15T13:04:00.000+10:00

This is a tough one because I don't have a significant other in the picture right now. But I'm always surrounded by people who love me and I love them all back too.

I love you lots babe! I enjoy our almost-daily conversations and appreciate your prayers for me. Be a good steward, study hard & guard your heart! :)
There are times you may be wondering why are you still single but always keep this in mind: God is looking at you and saving you for someone really special, someone who's really worth the wait. ;)

I wanna hold your hand

2011-04-14T16:18:00.000+10:00

image credits: the welsh poppy

“Holding hands may seem like an innocent gesture, but they show more than a simple interlocking of fingers. Your hands are one of the most essential parts of your body: you build with them, feed with them, hold with them, touch with them, fight with them; they are the tools of the human body. To take a hold of another’s hand is to break from living individually. It is to link yourself to another being, to momentarily entwine your life with another’s, to promise, for a moment, that you need not face the world alone. More simple, more aesthetically naive than other forms of affection, i.e kissing, hugging, sexing, the act of holding hands is often trivialized in its true implications. As the Beatles once said: ”All I want to do is hold your hand.” — Unknown

i want these items!

2011-04-14T00:11:00.001+10:00

1. SK-II Cellumination Essence - I want brighter, radiant skin that shines from within! (Unfortunately that would set me back by almost 200 buckaroos :()
2. Lush's Vanilla In the Mist - I love, love, love all things vanilla and apparently the new formula incorporates roasted cocoa beans. Should be quite a perk-me-up in the morning.
3. Lush's Honey I Washed The Kids - Smells really yummy, and I loved it the last time I used it. I just realise... that I like food scents, hmmm.
4. Lush's Vanilla Puff Dusting Powder - Remember how when we were young, our mums/nanas used to dust us all over in powder before we put on our clothes? Ahhh, I want this!
5. Kiehl's Yerba Mate Tea Lotion - One of the best moisturisers I've used to date. Gonna get it again once I'm done with my iQQU acne serum :)

Day 6: A photo that makes you laugh

2011-04-14T00:01:00.000+10:00

Staying close to uni has its benefits.
Sometimes we, the Haus of K + G (You can call us Kosmic Galaxy girls too cuz that's our Rock Band band name hahaha!) girls, head down to the computer labs to do work or load videos. Sometimes we stay there till it's really late. Everytime at 1:17AM, we start taking crazy Photobooth pictures, like this one. :)
Those were really fun times!

Day 5: A photo of you

2011-04-12T15:56:00.001+10:00

We were having picnic at the park behind my place one late winter/early spring afternoon when I lost at a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors and my forfeit was to roll down the slope.
P.S: I wanted to lose, because I saw kids doing that. I just needed an excuse that would let me behave like one. I couldn't stop laughing when I reached the bottom. It was fun, though I wished I had worn long sleeves and pants like the kids because I had rashes all over after that. But I would do it again, in a heartbeat :)

Come what May

2011-04-12T00:16:00.001+10:00

Ariel & I at Hillsong Brisbane Campus

Last year I had the chance to serve along side fellow God-loving people in one of the awesomest churches ever in Australia (in my opinion anyway!) and I really enjoyed doing that. Come this May, I’ll be stepping into a new season… It’s different from what I did before, but I’m sure God will be guiding me every step of the way. :)

“Jesus didn’t die halfway for you, why do you get to live halfway for Him?” – That’s a quote I saw on tumblr earlier which really hit me and drew attention to the way I led my life. Maybe slightly more than six months back, someone once asked me if that mistake I committed, the lifestyle I was leading was a good testimony. At that point of time I just felt that I was in no wrong since I had no one to be accountable to but I forgot I was still accountable to Jesus! Now I see his point now… but I wonder… I wonder if he had examined his own actions and if he’s also truly leading a life for Jesus too.

Right now, I guess the most important relationship for me to work on right now is the one with God. I have faith that if I take care of the things that are important to Him, He will take care of the things that are important to me. From this moment on, I will live my life fully for Jesus! :)

Day 4: The last place you went on a holiday

2011-04-11T17:14:00.000+10:00

On the streets of Bangkok, you find many vendors setting up stalls selling loadsa yummy (and cheap) food. This lady is making Som Tum, a spicy salad made with shredded unripened pawpaw, sugar, tomatoes, lime and loadsa other ingredients. Now everytime I order Thai food, I want a serving of that to go along with whatever I'm having. Either that or mango sticky rice!

Day 3: A photo that makes you happy

2011-04-10T13:22:00.000+10:00

Definitely one of the best memories I have of my cheerleading days. :)
Flying down to Manila, Philippines to perform and cheer on Team Singapore athletes in 2005.. and taking a picture with national swimmer Marcus Cheah!

Day 2: Photo of you a year ago

2011-04-09T13:09:00.000+10:00

Taken in Melbourne.
We were travelling along the Great Ocean Road to check out the 12 Apostles.

Day 1: your Facebook profile picture

2011-04-08T13:16:00.000+10:00

Taken one beautiful afternoon at Strawberry Fields :)
Horse-riding, strawberry-picking and stuffing our tummies with goodies from Sunnybank to Eight Mile Plains.
It was an awesome day out with friends.

30 days of photographic memories

2011-04-08T13:09:00.000+10:00

day 1. your facebook profile photo
day 2. a photo of yourself a year ago
day 3. a photo that makes you happy
day 4. a photo of the last place you went on holiday
day 5. a photo of you
day 6. a photo that makes you laugh
day 7. a photo of someone you love
day 8. a photo of your favourite band/musician
day 9. a photo of your family
day 10. a photo of you as a baby
day 11. a photo of your favourite film(s)
day 12. a photo of you
day 13. a photo of your best friend(s)
day 14. a photo of one of your favourite family members
day 15. a photo of you and someone you love
day 16. a photo of you at the last party you went to
day 17. a drunk photo of you
day 18. a photo of one of your classes
day 19. a photo of you on a school trip
day 20. a photo of something you enjoy doing
day 21. a photo of you standing up
day 22. a photo of your town
day 23. a photo of your friend as a baby
day 24. a photo of you that your hair looks nice in
day 25. a photo of a night you loved
day 26. a photo of your favorite weekend
day 27. a photo of last summer
day 28. a photo of what you ate today
day 29. a photo of someone you find attractive
day 30. a photo of you when you were happy.

Starting today! (:

Where do I go?

2011-04-07T12:42:00.003+10:00

I still remember when I was in uni, I was so inspired by what I saw at Valentino Retrospective that at that point of time I made a firm decision to get into the fashion industry no matter what. I would do anything, anything to be part of that creative chaos.

But upon my return to Singapore, I just feel that drive slipping away. In fact right now, I feel like a plastic bag drifting through the winds - Aimless, just coursing through life. Did Reality get in the way of my creative pursuits? Why does it feel like I have to put aside my dreams for a 'stable' lifestyle? Do I want a life that's stable and with a job that pays well but doesn't stimulate me at all, or one that's exciting, unpredictable and potentially very satisfying even though the location is far away and pays me peanuts right now?

At this point it feels like fear, is crippling me.
I'm at the crossroads and I don't feel ready to make a decision.

I have a chance to dabble in fashion design, if I prove myself worthy. It's something I've dreamed about but right now, do I have the guts to live my dreams?

Sometimes covers are better than originals

2011-04-07T02:33:00.000+10:00

Just love this to bits.

One of those personality tests

2011-04-06T12:18:00.002+10:00

Your Core Skills: Confident and articulate you are a people-person and a gifted facilitator. You have the ability to inspire and motivate a team. You thrive when you're the centre of attention and feed off the energy of the group. You enjoy rational thinking assessing problems carefully from all angles before reaching a conclusion. Original thought and innovation comes naturally to you.

Potential Areas Of Weakness: You can get quite addicted to group dynamics and sometimes find it hard to work quietly on your own. You think and talk big but this can be at the expense of focus on routine planning and organisational tasks. The practical details may not be so exciting to you but that doesn't mean you can neglect them. You need to make sure you listen as well as lead.

Areas You Might Want To Work On: Make a conscious effort to enjoy working alone from time to time rather than seeking an audience as a natural leader there is always room to improve your listening skills so that all team members feel valued and integrated work hard at giving the necessary attention to time management and organisational tasks

Your Detailed Personality Assessment: Winning the respect and loyalty of your colleagues comes easily to you. You feel very at home in the limelight and are a natural when it comes to enthusing and inspiring those around you. But how often do you sit down and really think about ways that you could use your wonderful unique skills to truly make the impact that you would like You enjoy a challenge and always rise to the occasion so make sure that your attitude stays fresh so that you perform to your highest abilities in everything that you do.

You're quite a maverick at heart. Not for you the traditional paths of career development. You have true entrepreneurial flair and are always thinking of new and original ways to get ahead in life. It's good to keep things fresh. You like variety and may feel frustrated in a work set-up which limits your potential for self-expression. Being your own boss is definitely appealing to you.

You've probably got a smile on your face right now. Life is treating you great and you're pretty much on top of the world. You have a lot of energy and enthusiasm and it just seems to be growing day by day. Work may be the source of some serious worries but you know yourself well and are good at managing your concerns and not letting them take over your life. You have a natural inner security which means you can hold your own in a crisis.

The way you approach each day can have huge implications for your success in the workplace. And it seems that you know yourself and your emotional needs very well. You understand the value of clear thinking and are not afraid to take time out of your schedule in order to maintain peace of mind. This healthy take on life is extremely positive and it seems that you have your priorities right. You are steady and strong and able to keep your focus even when facing intense challenges.

The Future: It can be daunting to be looking for your first job but this really is an exciting time in your life. There's so many decisions to make that will shape your future. You have the opportunity to really think about what you want from life and how you're going to achieve it. You may feel like you're a bit stuck for ideas right now. It's important that you really try to listen to your inner voice and ask what it is that you want from life. By being true to yourself you'll find that the inspiration will flow and allow you to develop and shine in the most amazing ways.

My favourite Bible verse of the moment

2011-04-06T03:10:00.004+10:00

I really liked it a lot, so much that I have a postcard with the verse on it and I read it every morning when I wake up.

Along with this verse, come alot more verses that come to my head whenever I feel unsettled, anxious. If you are here by chance and you're feeling uneasy, I hope these verses will bring you peace as they did for me :)

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still" ~Exodus 14:14

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." ~Deuteronomy 31:6

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

2011-04-05T01:31:00.002+10:00

Life's pretty good these days.

Facial treatment at my oasis, checking out vintage/thrift stores at Ann Siang Hill, spending time with my sister, meeting new people and basically just enjoying whatever the Lord has prepared for me.

I can't even begin to express the joy I feel inside; this warm, contented feeling I have in the pits of my stomach.

Met up with Ariel for the screening of Rio (it's really funny, you gotta catch it) earlier, always so good to see her :) Thanks for the movie+dinner+ride home! ♥ Can't wait to meet up with poly peeps for dinner tomorrow!

L-O-V-E

2011-04-03T22:47:00.001+10:00

“I think love is a useless word for descriptions these days. Love binds and pulls and tugs and shatters, breaks and stirs and murders and revives, all at once. Love is a word turned into a full stop in teenagers’ conversations, peppered all over to spice a bowl of bland sentence soup. Love is an excuse for not loving. Love is an inspiration for the most handsome things in the world. Love is a justification for the ugliest things in the world. Love is indefinable, yet has its place in every single dictionary, in probably every single language.

And I won’t be hypocritical; I’m one of these people who exploit the word like breaths of air. It’s almost like a hello and goodbye in every conversation. It’s a “hey Tim, bye Tim, I love you Tim.” kind of thing. Its things you say drunkenly to strangers, or things you say to people you don’t really care about at all. Yet you can wake up one morning, to the most beautiful face you know, and know that this was the one, this was the one for sure, this was the one that makes your heart want to describe colours that don’t exist and the one that makes you want to stop time as you kiss and you lose your head into a blind space.

And all you could offer is the same “I love you” you praised your mom as she packed you pbnj sandwiches for lunch.

I could say I loved you, and be right and wrong all at once. I could say I loved you, and then squeeze in a “but”, but that would be like drawing a bold line in permanent marker across a Mona Lisa painted in gold with rubies and diamonds embedded in the details. I could say I love you. I could mouth it. Write it down. Paint it on paper and etch it on trees. But no. I don’t love you. I will never say it and mean it.

I will show you.”

—— Nova Halle

It's been a while....

2011-04-02T03:09:00.003+10:00

I knew April back in the good ol' days when we were both guest editors at CLEO in 2009 and boy, those were really fond memories that I had. Out of the other 4 guest editors I had the pleasure to hang out with, I'm actually pretty glad that April and I still kept in touch up till now.

We had dinner at Plaza Singapura before adjourning to SMU for its Starry Nite XIII: British Invasion performance to support April's boyfriend who's involved in EN-X, the final act of the night. There I met Dinesh whom I haven't seen in a long while. He was the emcee for the night and a pity we didn't get to enjoy a proper conversation.

Once again as I take in the atmosphere, I felt like I'm cheated of my university experience. While walking along the hallways of UQ made me feel intelligent, being part of this mass of students seated/standed on the steps made me feel alive. Like wow seriously, I never felt QUT was this happening while I was there. (Maybe partly due to the fact that I was always involved in cheer practice and rushing from one place to another for events/ activities and stuff.) The easy availability of alcohol just heightened this whole experience. After 4 beers and 2 shots, I felt like I had a rocking good time, just hanging out with April and bopping, singing along to the tunes the bands belted out.

Such a good experience that I might actually consider April's offer to check it out again at the next term-break or something. Ok, I hope I'm still coherent because I needa hit the showers and have an early night because tomorrow's.... gonnna be a looong day.

Beating heart of mine

2011-03-31T23:30:00.002+10:00

Have you woken up to a racing heart?

It's the most uncomfortable feeling, ever. I can feel adrenaline coursing through my veins. I wish I knew what triggered this fight-or-flight response. :(

Worse still, it continues to happen on and off throughout the day.

Maybe it's the lack of exercise, maybe yoga in the morning just ain't cutting it for me.

Looks like a run is in order here.

in the middle of my little mess

2011-03-28T11:23:00.004+10:00

reblogged from faithnotes.tumblr.com

So many things to be thankful for despite everything. God shows His love for me and I just feel so enveloped by it all. He most definitely showed it through my friends. They listened intently even though most of the times they only hear me sobbing. They checked on me almost on a daily basis to see if I were okay, and I'm just so thankful for that.

And the little things God did for me... like random conversations with strangers that brightened up my day a little to having a seat no matter how crowded the public transport gets... really just brings a smile to my face. :)

Thank you Ariel for lunch, bunny ears (so cute!) and showing me around the new MTV office. Thank you chai meimei for all the candies you've gotten me, though I haven't quite touched them yet hahaha. Thank you Josh for being so patient with me when I was learning how to play the guitar. Thank you Ju Leen for being there for me in the middle of the night, and it was fun ransacking your beauty trove the other day! even better when you passed me some Bath & Body Works products ♥ Thank you Shayne for brunch and your insights on things. Thank you bestie for being there for me even though we are thousands of miles away. Thank you Yining for praying for me, and I'm so glad distance didn't put any obstacle for our friendship to blossom!

Most of all, I have God to thank everything for. I asked for a sign and He gave me one. His advice for me had fallen on deaf ears so many times and He knew that I'm more of a visual person... So He made me see. What I saw was a jolt to my system, but that did it for me.

So God, thank You for showing me things so I can finally let go and let You take over. Because I'm precious in Your eyes, You will not let dirt remain in my mouth where You intend delicacies to be placed. Whoever You have plucked out from my life, I will not run after them because You did that for my protection. I'm letting go of unpleasant things, so my hands are finally free to receive the best things in life that my Abba Father wants to bless me with. Thank You for loving me.

Instead of..

2011-03-24T14:03:00.003+10:00

I have a thing about compartmentalising my life and thoughts. My thoughts are really fragmented right now, so quotes are the best things that echo how I feel.

Want a piece of my fragmented thoughts? Check out littlemissk.tumblr.com

This place is gonna get a little quiet these days

shalom

2011-03-24T01:59:00.001+10:00

In Christ alone, my hope is found 
He is my light, my strength, my song 
This cornerstone, this solid ground 
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm 
What heights of love, what depths of peace 
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease 
My comforter, my all-in-all 
Here in the love of Christ I stand

There in the ground His body lay 
Light of the world by darkness slain 
Then bursting forth in glorious day 
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory 
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine 
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me 
From life's first cry to final breath 
Jesus commands my destiny 
No power of hell, no scheme of man 
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home 
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

I'm loved

2011-03-23T09:57:00.000+10:00

2011-03-22T21:41:00.002+10:00

The girl who seemed unbreakable, broke.

The girl who always laughed it off, cried.

The girl who would never stop trying... finally gave up.

A girl can dream

2011-03-21T00:52:00.002+10:00

I think Adam Young from Owl City possesses qualities that I'd love in my ideal partner:
- He lives for Jesus.
- He's a vegetarian.
- He is musically inclined and can sing.
- He is in touch with his emotions (evident from his blog).

And I'm in love with his cover of Taylor Swift's Enchanted.

The rest of the Sydney trip

2011-03-19T22:13:00.005+10:00

The remaining sights of Sydney:

On the day we checked out American Apparel on Oxford Street, we cut through Hyde Park.

We saw people playing chess.. cute!

We passed by the fountain and I believe that's St. Mary's Cathedral in the background...

On the day we checked out Taronga Zoo, we stopped by iconic Sydney sites to get some touristy snapshots.

Sydney Harbour Bridge. Trivia: The bridge is nicknamed 'coat hanger'.
And I believe like Story Bridge in Brissy, you can go on a climb and see the city from a totally different view. Just thinking about it makes my legs shake a little.

What's that? Of course it's the Sydney Opera House!

The day when we went all over the place because it was our last day in Sydney. I can't remember the running sequence of the pictures.

Fans of MasterChef would know Adriano Zumbo whose creations are often one of the more difficult challenges in the competition. Remember the macaron tower? This place is the wet dreams of everyone with a sweet tooth. I think we spent like what, $30 on macarons? And we just couldn't stop buying them. The flavours are really inventive and the macarons are easily the best I've eaten so far.

We put them in the car.. Bad move! The filling kinda melted into a mess but thank God the people at the Indonesian restaurant we had our dinner were nice enough to let us place them in their fridge.

We also stopped by Bondi Beach. Oh what a sight.. :) I think Sydney's a really awesome place to be in, with the city so close to the beach... Would love to be a Sydneysider though I'll always be a Parisienne at heart.

I really loved the weather and the sun while we were there. Perfect for FishEye pictures!

Then we also crossed the Anzac Bridge to get to Sydney Fish Market.

The place was totally different from how I envisioned it to be. I imagined wet floors with today's catch stacked, people wearing aprons and boots.. you know the usual. But it was sanitary, kinda like a supermarket to me.. and with places for people to eat both indoors and outdoors. Watching them gut fish and make fillets outta them still unnerves me a little.

We also stopped by Luna Park. There's one in Melbourne as well. We came too late, so we gotta make do with taking pictures outside. I popped in for a toilet break and.. it's kinda old.. but with its own charm.

And we found a nice place for pictures! I actually have an image of the bridge and the Opera House (without me in it) as my homescreen/lockscreen on my phone.

So sad to leave!

Thoughts at 2am

2011-03-19T03:45:00.000+10:00

Sometimes I find myself wondering why it's so hard for me to let go.

Maybe it's been ingrained in me that only losers throw in the towel and quit.
Maybe things fail only when you don't try hard enough to make it work.
Maybe giving up is a sign of weakness of character.
Or maybe it's just so un-Singaporean to give up without putting up a fight.
And... You know me. I'm not one who gives up without a good fight.

But you know what... holding on, trying to put the broken pieces together is difficult, it's painful.
But know letting go... it's even harder.
Maybe fear, is the motivating factor behind why we refuse to move on and you cant deny that there's security in familiarity...

But sometimes when you have friends and loved ones who canoodle you with lotsa TLC and positive messages, you need that somone to give you a hard kick in the butt before you finally wake up.. After all, what's the point of trying to hold on to a person when you no longer have his heart? Sad truth but it's one I need to come to terms with.

And so... I say thank you, even though you are at a loss of how you would like to feel towards me.

It's been a while..

2011-03-19T03:24:00.003+10:00

since I last entered something for my joy journal.

In case you didn't know, it's something I do... to keep track of my blessings and be thankful for everything that's happened in my life thus far, but I usually do it on a daily basis.

So here it goes:

- Thank you Lord for the pair of tickets to Morning Glory screening next Friday! You know I could use a good laugh. :)
- I'm immensely thankful for the people I've gotten to know during my freelancing stint with CLEO. I will miss them and I really hope we will all stay in touch! :)
- Thank God for the smooth-sailing CLEO Bachelors event, well, kinda. though I didn't quite enjoy running back and forth in heels to get invites, it was still good.
- I'm thankful for my friend April, bringing me into Filter. It was featured in 8Days as some members-only club and never in a million years would I think that I would be able to get in there but thank God she got me in! ♥ the music and everything. A lot of clinking of glasses but it's really cold in there (my thighs are aching from all the shivering). That aside, I really liked the place and it's a shame I didn't stay long enough to catch the sight of Eucardo Saverin.. maybe next time. But anyways, happy birthday to you if you ever see this!
- Can't express just how blessed I am, but within 3 minutes that I stumbled out of the club, I got into a cab! Bypassing all those people who were waiting in the queue at the hotel.. Take that! Hhahahaa!

Okok, I better get a good shower and then maybe have an early night...

Advice...

2011-03-18T11:45:00.005+10:00

"There is no "one bit of advice". You need many skills not only to get in, you need to survive it right now, and that needs to change. Learn about being a woman, take time to spend with women you admire. Know yourself and be clear about what is unique to you, that the world will benefit your sharing. Find your own expression and style. Rather than trying to impress people, relax into being humble and grateful for every opening and connect with people authentically. Your path will take care of itself with great people and a clear intention. Hard work and discipline will serve you well. And, finally, be true to yourself. It is time for the media to have more integrity and we need our young innovators to bring this with them. I feel media, especially women's mags, have no more room for damage. We need love and support now."

KAREN magazine editor Marian Simms' advice to young journalists as shared with Erica Bartle from Girl with a Satchel

Because

2011-03-13T04:59:00.001+10:00

When the person you’re mad at grabs you and asks you whats wrong, you can’t help but look away. Why? Because you’re eventually going to tear up and then they’ll look at you and say “Tell me.”

You look the other way & say “I’m fine, it’s nothing” and no matter how hard you try to get away, they won’t let you go until they find out what’s wrong.

[via justneecole]

Love

2011-03-12T22:45:00.004+10:00

Love is more than how you feel, it is emotion put into action.
When I was younger I thought I knew what Love was but in actual fact, I knew nothing. Now I know better. Love has nothing got to do with finding the right person, it's about becoming the right person for him/ her. How much sacrifice and compromise is involved.. How Jesus is the perfect example of Love, and as I work towards being more and more like Him, that's how my way of loving has become.

But it hurts, so bad.

----------------------------------------------------------

Verse 1
Now Hollywood wants to make you think they know what love is.
But I'm a tell you what true love is.
Love is not what you see in the movies.
Its not the ecstasy, it's not what you see in that scene, you know what I mean?
I'm telling you right now, true love is sacrifice.
Love is thinking about others before you think about yourself, love is selfless not selfish.
Love is God and God is love.
Love is when you lay down your life for another, whether for your brother, your mother, your father or your sister, its even laying down your life for your enemies, that's unthinkable, but think about that.
Love is true. Think.

Chorus:
I'll put you in front of me
So everybody can see
My love, this is my love

I know that I'll be alright
As long as you are my guide
My love, this is my love

Verse 2
Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, it always perseveres.
Love never fails.
Love is everlasting, its eternal, it goes on and on, it goes beyond time, love is the only thing that will last when you die, but ask the question why?
Do you have love?

Chorus

Verse 3
There is no greater love than this than he who lays down his life for his friends.
Now are you willing to lay down your life for your friends?
You're probably willing to lay down your life for your mother, your father, or your best friends, but are you willing to lay down your life for even those that hate you?
I'm going to tell you who did that, the definition of love is Jesus Christ. He is love.
The nails in his hands, the thorns in his brow, hanging on a cross for your sin my sins, that is LOVE he died for you and me while we still hated him, that is love.
God is true love, and if you don't know this love, now is the time to know, perfect love.

Chorus

2011-03-12T01:51:00.001+10:00

source: tanyamay

A few of my favourite things

2011-03-07T00:41:00.005+10:00

My Valentine's Day presents (top two images). I'm glad Sam didn't get the run-of-the-mill heart lock bracelet that most guys did (he said he saw a lot of guys getting it while he was there picking out a present for me)! Totally loving the filigree heart bracelet because it's a tad less common :) And he said he picked that particular Rilakkuma because Pefita said it resembled him. You know what? I think she's right. Rilakkuma holds food in his hands, just like my boy! =P

Nothing beats starting the day with God. I'm 1/5 through the book and every morning I can't wait to devour it. Feels great to wake up, flick on the light, wait in His presence and then learn more about Jesus' love for us.

I just bought Cellnique's product and I just got reminded why I love it so much in the past! My skin felt so smooth after application and I look forward to improving my skin condition. Hopefully the results will really show in a week's time or two.

These are some of my favourite things at the moment. What are yours?

How to be alone

2011-03-05T23:52:00.003+10:00

How to be alone by Tanya Davis

This is really... beautiful, poetic and I love it.

If you are at first lonely, be patient. If you've not been alone much, or if when you were, you weren't okay with it, then just wait. You'll find it's fine to be alone once you're embracing it.

We could start with the acceptable places, the bathroom, the coffee shop, the library. Where you can stall and read the paper, where you can get your caffeine fix and sit and stay there. Where you can browse the stacks and smell the books. You're not supposed to talk much anyway so it's safe there.

There's also the gym. If you're shy you could hang out with yourself in mirrors, you could put headphones in.

And there's public transportation, because we all gotta go places.

And there's prayer and meditation. No one will think less if you're hanging with your breath seeking peace and salvation.

Start simple. Things you may have previously based on your 'avoid being alone' principles.

The lunch counter. Where you will be surrounded by chow-downers. Employees who only have an hour and their spouses work across town and so they -- like you -- will be alone.

Resist the urge to hang out with your cell phone.

When you are comfortable with eat lunch and run, take yourself out for dinner. A restaurant with linen and silverware. You're no less intriguing a person when you're eating solo dessert to cleaning the whipped cream from the dish with your finger. In fact some people at full tables will wish they were where you were.

Go to the movies. Where it is dark and soothing. Alone in your seat amidst a fleeting community.
And then, take yourself out dancing to a club where no one knows you. Stand on the outside of the floor till the lights convince you more and more and the music shows you. Dance like no one's watching...because, they're probably not. And, if they are, assume it is with best of human intentions. The way bodies move genuinely to beats is, after all, gorgeous and affecting. Dance until you're sweating, and beads of perspiration remind you of life's best things, down your back like a brook of blessings.

Go to the woods alone, and the trees and squirrels will watch for you.
Go to an unfamiliar city, roam the streets, there are always statues to talk to and benches made for sitting give strangers a shared existence if only for a minute and these moments can be so uplifting and the conversations you get in by sitting alone on benches might have never happened had you not been there by yourself

Society is afraid of alone though, like lonely hearts are wasting away in basements, like people must have problems if, after a while, nobody is dating them. but lonely is a freedom that breaths easy and weightless and lonely is healing if you make it.

You could stand, swathed by groups and mobs or hold hands with your partner, look both further and farther for the endless quest for company. But no one's in your head and by the time you translate your thoughts, some essence of them may be lost or perhaps it is just kept.

Perhaps in the interest of loving oneself, perhaps all those sappy slogans from preschool over to high school's groaning were tokens for holding the lonely at bay. Cuz if you're happy in your head than solitude is blessed and alone is okay.

It's okay if no one believes like you. All experience is unique, no one has the same synapses, can't think like you, for this be relived, keeps things interesting life's magic things in reach.

And it doesn't mean you're not connected, that communities' not present, just take the perspective you get from being one person in one head and feel the effects of it. take silence and respect it. if you have an art that needs a practice, stop neglecting it. if your family doesn't get you, or religious sect is not meant for you, don't obsess about it.

You could be in an instant surrounded if you needed it
If your heart is bleeding make the best of it
There is heat in freezing, be a testament.

2011-03-02T00:39:00.002+10:00

Two nights ago, I had nightmares.
Last night, I kept waking up at every 2hour interval for no rhyme or reason.
Tonight, I'm just sleeping with a headache that hit me since early afternoon and nursing a broken heart.
Story of my life

2011-03-02T00:03:00.001+10:00

Thoughts

2011-02-26T22:28:00.003+10:00

I just finished reading Leslie Ludy's Authentic Beauty a couple of days ago and like any good book that really got to me, it left my mind reeling.

I wished someone had shown me this book earlier. I wished I knew what I know now earlier. And after reading, I find myself examining the way I've been living my life.

In the book, Leslie mentioned how we should guard our hearts and emotions. I wish I knew that earlier. That would save me from all the unnecessary heartbreak that I've gone through.

Sometimes when I think about the guys I've dated. I realise just how quickly I throw myself into relationships and each time I hope that would be THE guy whom I'm gonna grow old with. But each time I just wind up setting myself up for disappointment.

Throughout my year of singlehood, I held this notion in my head: Never settle for anything less than the best, because I'm worth it.

But being single wasn't easy. There were nights I wonder if God had anyone planned for me. But most of the time I would crash in bed because I'm all tuckered out from my busy day, and ready to repeat the cycle again when I wake up. I wished I had consulted God in every decision I ever made instead of rushing into things..

It's hard to live in a world, a culture where promiscuity seems like a norm through the TV shows and movies we watch. But to anyone who's pure but feel the pressure to conform to the ways of the world because it appears to be the norm, DON'T. Because for you to become like the rest of the world, all it takes is one night. But for them to be like you, never again. Live the set apart life, it's okay to be different.

And I don't want to fit God into the pockets of time I find left in my busy schedule. I want my life to revolve around Him and hand Him the pen to write the story of my life. I don't want what I define as best for me, I want what God thinks is best for me.

So what's the point of this whole entry? Nothing really... just saying what's on my mind.

Inspiration

2011-02-25T18:00:00.002+10:00

image credit: sweethomestyle

Park Street

2011-02-24T19:17:00.003+10:00

Park Street, a street in Sydney, and the street where ACP Magazines' head office is located on.

What's Park Street about? It's a ten-episode documentary that takes viewers into the world of women's magazines at ACP Magazines (from the comforts of their couches) and provides a sneak peek into the day-to-day running of the magazine titles.

Back in 2009 I wanted to apply for work experience but didn't do so in the end as it was only a week long. I needed an internship that allows me to clock 100 hours which is equivalent to 2 weeks. I think I read on someone's blog who interned with them mentioned that there are two girls doing work experience each week, and that would mean..... 104 girls in a year. Wow.

So it debuted last night on Foxtel's Arena Channel. (How did I know? Well, anyone would if it's on their company's intranet) I read that it didn't receive high ratings but if I were still in Brisbane or any part of Australia for that matter, you can be sure I'll be in front of my telly. I know how this industry works since I was an editorial intern and currently a freelance writer for one of the magazines. But I want to see just how different it is, be it in terms of culture or environment, from where I'm working at.

Sometimes...

2011-02-24T19:00:00.002+10:00

I just want to spend time at home...
Getting crafty with my hands...

And then wear my heart around my wrist.

Source/ Image Credit: Jordan Ferney

The best thing...

2011-02-13T04:23:00.000+10:00

that could have happened to me was....
Attending Taylor Swift's Speak Now concert!

photo courtesy: Taylor Swift website

Last February (if I recall correctly), Taylor Swift performed in Australia but I was back in Singapore for summer vacay/ internship and I missed out on it. :(

Then later on sometime in August or something my sister told me that she was going to catch Taylor Swift's concert in Singapore and she asked me if I were going to go and I stubbornly said no. I said no because if I said yes, it means I'll be back in Singapore and give up on my dreams of working overseas. And I wasn't not going to go back to Singapore without putting up a fight.

But as things turned out, I was ready to head back to Singapore and Sam wanted to get the tickets but the concert tickets had long been sold out. :( So... I said a silent prayer, and hope that God would somehow miraculously present me with a ticket.

And He answered my prayers! My sister won tickets and she took me to the concert! :)

Anyway the concert was amazing! I've been to numerous musicals before but this is my first concert and I'm glad it's Taylor Swift :) She was such a performer and I totally enjoyed every minute of it. I'm sure the audience at the back appreciated her moving to the back and performing a couple of songs on the elevated platform away from the main stage. She's really talented - she could play the piano, the guitar and the ukelele! Everything was so well-rehearsed, even her banter with the audience. I wish she was a little more spontaneous for that though.. But overall, I really love the whole experience and I would wanna attend her concert again if she's gonna perform in Singapore again! :)

I miss...

2011-02-11T00:29:00.004+10:00

I miss Brisbane.
Everything about it.
South Bank. Kelvin Grove. City. Sunnybank. Milton. Kangaroo Point. West End. Ascott. Mount Gravatt.
I miss checking out exhibitions at museums. I miss taking the CityCat. I miss my Korean kimchi fried rice and Kadoya curry. I miss catching movies with friends for only $5.50. I miss staying with my sister and Geri, having them entertain me with their dialogue and willingly get fattened up by eating their delicious experiments in the kitchen. I miss having lotsa time at my disposal that I can decide whether to rent a DVD to watch or a book to read. Most of all, I miss having a church where I call home, where I'm happiest attending and serving the people.

Maybe it's the e-mail I received telling me of a creative worship team night event. Maybe it's all Sam's fault because he said to bring my passport out on Monday because we are going to Brisbane. Or maybe...

It's just the stress of the week getting to me. Don't think I've mentioned it but currently I'm freelancing as a writer for a magazine (no prizes for guessing which one). To say I'm constantly feeling the heat is an understatement. It's crazy that I hafta meet deadlines the moment I set into the office, even on the first day of work. In fact, it was so overwhelming that I can't help but run into Sam's arms and cry the moment I saw him after my first day of work. And I thought today would be the easiest day of the lot, having to just be present at a photoshoot. But no, one of the girls had to pull out at the last minute due to illness and I was left scrambling to find a substitute.

I feel so small sometimes. I feel so helpless whenever things spin out of my control. Sometimes I feel so far away from God although all I ever want is to draw closer to Him everyday.

It's just been a really long week. What I'm doing is something I love but currently causing me alot of pain. But... I'll push on, because I'm sure God has prepared a great reward for me at the other end of things.

Taronga Zoo, Sydney

2011-01-31T22:28:00.003+10:00

One of the places of interest we visited in Sydney was Taronga Zoo and boy, I love the fact that it's just a short ferry ride away from the city!

Our ferry tickets. (We got our zoo tickets from this travel agency in Chinatown, and we bought our ferry tickets separately.)

Upon reaching there, we took the Sky Safari up!

After we were armed with maps and knowledge of showtimes, we're off to catch the EnergyAustralia Seal Show! It's kinda cool how each sea lion comes on with their own presenter. :)

Seating in the stands, all ready to see the seals show off their natural abilities and learn more about them!

Presenter with Australia sea lion, I think her name is Lexi.

Explaining why it's not good to litter. I don't have the other picture of Lexi, the sea lion pretending to be dead by suffocation. But still, so cute!

And... I think this is the New Zealand fur seal, if I'm not wrong haha

We had a bit of time to walk around before the bird show...

Sam turning my cardi into some sort of a head scarf

I'm not short, I'm just fun-sized!

Better to hear you with :)

Meerkats, so cute!

Stunning view of the Sydney Harbour as the backdrop for the show.

Snapping silly pictures while waiting for the bird show to begin.

Barn Owl.

Galah

Must take a picture of the beautiful scenery after the show!

Then we continued exploring the place...

Giraffes and the host is giving a presentation. Do you know giraffes have 5 horns on their faces?

Shorter than a baby giraffe.

Because we take silly pictures best....

Do you know koalas sleep for about 20 hours a day?

Tassie devil sunbathing. At first glance I thought it was just some sort of a display of a roadkill. On second look, then I realise that the Tassie devil is breathing! *After coming back from the trip, I met up with a bunch of friends when they began talking about what they would do if they run over an animal on their road trip and I was rather put-off. >.<

Touching a blue tongue lizard. There's a guinea pig for petting as well. The volunteers are really nice and shared some information about the creatures that they were handling.

And then we ended our day in the zoo and headed back for the city, but not before a snapshot outside!

On the ferry back, with the beautiful view of Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge at the back.

Tips:

Wear sunscreen! The sun in Australia is really strong, no kidding. I only left my shoulders unprotected for like what, 30 minutes (during the bird show) and I was a little sunburnt. I had my cardi draped over my shoulders after that. You know sun protection is not something to be taken lightly when you see people seated around you reaching into their bags for their sunblock and religiously applying/reapplying it.
Remember to charge your camera, or pack along an extra battery cartridge. Sounds pretty duh right? Well, Sam didn't so we relied on mine halfway through the zoo. hahaha!
Set aside enough time for the zoo. I don't like to rush, but about 3 to 4 hours at the zoo would be enough time to finish exploring the place. And take the Sky Safari!

Inspiration

2011-01-29T00:58:00.004+10:00

I'm sure all of us have already seen the Britney episode from Glee season 2 by now but it's gonna be shown on Star World and that just renews the admiration I have for Heather Morris/ Brittany. I want a body that hot!

No excuses for missing out my morning run tomorrow, no pain no gain!

Reason #4: Why I Love You

2011-01-27T23:26:00.002+10:00

Because when I was feeling a tad emo over job prospects, you sent a funny picture of yourself to me. Not only that, you took time to sit down in front of your laptop late at night and compile a page of job listings, write me an email to cheer me up and remind me of God's promise... when you are all tired out from your soccer game earlier on. That put a smile on my face when I saw it the next morning and I love you for that.

It is Well

2011-01-23T19:39:00.003+10:00

I received an email from Hillsong putting me on the choir team next week... but I'm no longer in Brisbane T.T but anyways I can sing praises of God anywhere :)

On a similar note, Hillsong has recorded a new version of the hymm "It is Well with My Soul" that I've learnt previously in those practice sessions. It was recorded in response to the devastating floods that happened recently in Queensland. It is a song that says, "I will put my trust in God, who is greater than any trial or circumstance" and it was one of my favourite praise and worship songs for a while.

This song is available for download on iTunes and also at https://www.hillsongmusic.com/categories/live/itiswellwithmysoul. All proceeds from this recording go to help the Queensland Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal, so download it if you can!

Sydney - city of awesome eating places

2011-01-23T14:15:00.003+10:00

*This is a little different from my usual style of chronicling my trips. Decided to categorise it into transport, eating places and of course tourist attractions.

You know what? I think I've seriously never eaten anything awful in Sydney during my trip. Maybe everything taste awesome when you're travelling, or maybe Sam has already discovered all the places that serves delicious foods and brought me there :)

Emperor's Puffs
Emperor’s Garden Cakes & Bakery
Dixon Street (near corner of Hay Street), Haymarket, Sydney

We happened to chance upon this hole-in-the-wall business and proceeded to buy some for a nibble since I hadn't eaten all day. As it was really cheap (like $0.30 per piece), Sam casually remarked that it would be a joke if someone only buys a single puff. And guess what? The lady in front of us bought just one puff. HAHAHA! We bought 4 pieces, and... it was only slightly better than average in my opinion, not exactly sure why it's so raved. Maybe because the puffs were cold already when it's supposed to be served warm.

Nibbling on my goodies

Sushi Bar Makoto
19 Liverpool Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia
(Cnr Pitt and Liverpool Streets)

We had dinner at this sushi bar. I believe this place only opens for lunch and dinner. The place is open for dinner from 5:30pm onwards but when we got there at around 5pm, there was already a line in front of us and we had to take a number. When the restaurant opened its doors, within minutes the place was at full capacity!

The conveyor belt is always brimming with drool-inducing dishes.

This place is a gem. I never liked udon, but they make the best udon I've ever tasted in my entire 24 years! The service displayed by the staff is impeccable, they come around pretty often to refill my cup of green tea :) If I ever go back to Sydney, I would most definitely stop by Makoto for a meal.

Meet Fresh Taiwanese Dessert House
13 Goulburn Street
(corner of Dixon Street, next to Mamak)
Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney

We happened to pass by this eating place as we walked to the city area from Darling Harbour. It was around 9ish and the place was packed! It was pretty new, being the first one opened in Australia after having more than 100 stores in Taiwan. With a variety of different desserts such as herbal jelly, tofu pudding, taro ball dessert and other cold desserts, you will definitely be spoilt for choice here. I had my strawberry with milk ice and it was yummy. Too bad I didn't like the ice-cream much because it wasn't strawberry or vanilla flavoured. :( Still this place is worth checking out!

Guylian Belgian Chocolate Cafe
Shop 10, Opera Quays
3 Macquarie Street
Sydney NSW 2000

We popped into the cafe after visiting the Taronga Zoo and Sydney Opera House. You may recognise the name from the little boxes of Guylian chocolates sold at the supermarkets etc, but you never knew there was a Guylian cafe, did you? Well, I didn't.

We shared a cake and a Guylian shake. Sam found the shake a tad too sweet for his liking but it was fine by me! But the cake was yummy and beautifully presented :)

Chat Thai
20 Campbell Street, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney

We went for a late dinner and got there at around 8ish, 9pm. (I know, our eating times are sorta outta whack but what to do?!) We had to wait for a while before we were seated. This place is packed!

Watching the chefs prepare food (mostly desserts) in the open concept kitchen was such a visual treat... and that makes my tummy growl a little while waiting.

Som Tum, a spicy pawpaw salad. Everytime we eat Thai food, we always order Som Tum. This is good stuff.

Sam with his skewers of chicken

I seem to have a knack for ordering not-so-appetising vego options. This was average, a little salty.

But the Pad Thai was really awesome, the best I've eaten so far. I went to Bangkok recently with Sam, and I had Pad Thai on several occasions but only one was comparable to this.

Coconut ice-cream. I never liked coconut, but I actually dig this!! I love how they serve sticky rice at the bottom along with the ice-cream. Yummy stuff. *thumbs up*

Mamak
15 Goulburn Street, Haymarket, Sydney

At Mamak, they serve authentic Malaysian cuisine. Something that I've learnt about eating at restaurants catering Asian food after living overseas for a while: Always go into the restaurants and stores where Asians are the majority of the customers dining in it. If it's packed with locals (ie, Aussies), it probably caters to their tastebuds instead. So seeing alot of Asians, speaking in Malaysian/Singaporean-accented English, I know this is the real deal. This is a taste of home, away from home and I'm sure alot of Singaporeans and Malaysians delight in easing their homesickness and hunger pangs here.

Nasi Goreng for me.... and Nasi Lemak for Sam.

We shared a Roti Canai and a refreshing Teh Limau.

I guess you can say this place is really awesome, because Sam was willing to eat here despite a really bad sore throat! =D

Mad Mex Shop 2, 241-247 Crown St
Darlinghurst NSW 2010

This place is one of the cheap budget eats in Sydney, and we popped by after shopping in the area (American Apparel!!).

Sam thought what he had was pretty good, he has never been there before!

It's my first time eating there as well and I thought it was kinda good. It's a little like Subway, you can customise your burrito, quesadilla, taco, whatever! :)

The most awesome meal is at this Indonesian restaurant and it's Tauhu Telor is the best I've ever eaten!!! I'll try to find out which restaurant is it and share with you, it's really mindblowing!!

2011-01-23T14:04:00.002+10:00

Hello! Just got back late last night from my Bangkok getaway with Sam. Although I didn't buy as much as I did 5 years back, I'm still pretty much a happy camper with all my buys. :) It was a pretty good trip, navigating around the city with just our map and the occasional use of iPhone's Maps function (we get around by BTS/MRT!), meeting people from different countries, taking funny pictures (you'll get it when you see them), practising my Thai (hahaha!), eating from streetside stalls, going for nightly foot massages... I really enjoyed myself, will blog about it when I have the pictures cuz most of them are on Sam's camera.

2011-01-17T22:40:00.003+10:00

"If you could bottle and distribute the Queensland spirit right now, the world would not only be a better but also a kinder place." ~@KrisSmith13

Picture of volunteers armed with their brooms and shovels at St. Lucia by: homo_borealis

And that's exactly how I feel about the situation right now. Now that the water level has receded, it's time to rebuild Brisbane. I see everyone playing their part, people volunteering to work in the call centre, people willing to get down and dirty to help in the clean-up... Gumboots were all sold out in many places because they are the required footwear for those helping out (that goes to show just how many people were involved)! And companies like Domino's helped by feeding people with free pizza, and people going around offering baked goods, bottled water and beers to volunteers. Of course, on Twitter I see people still offering their help to provide temporary homes to those affected by the floods and to help out in any other way possible. The road to recovery may take a long while, but with many Brisbanites volunteering everyday, I'm sure the time taken will be shortened. :)

I read off one of my friends statuses regarding her involvement in the clean-up: Her crew was given $50 for drinks by this old man before they started work on the flood and they helped a man, whose house was trashed, get out his BBQ grill out so he could feed the street. They could have used the money for themselves but they used that $50 to buy more supplies for his BBQ. :) That's the Aussie/ Queenslander spirit I guess..

It's amazing how in times like these, people would so selflessly lend a helping hand. I hope that we would be able to do the same if Singapore ever faces a catastrophe of this magnitude, I know I will.

Marry Your Daughter

2011-01-16T18:38:00.004+10:00

Came across an excerpt in a reblogged entry in my prayer tumblr, and the words rhymed... So i decided to investigate and turns out that it's from a song. Beautiful, beautiful song :)

Sir, I’m a bit nervous
‘Bout being here today
Still not real sure what I’m going to say
So bear with me please
If I take up too much of your time,
See in this box is a ring for your oldest
Shes my everything and all that I know is
It would be such a relief if I knew that we were on the same side
Very soon I’m hoping that I..

Can marry your daughter
And make her my wife
I want her to be the only girl that I love for the rest of my life
And give her the best of me ’till the day that I die, yeah
I’m gonna marry your princess
And make her my queen
She’ll be the most beautiful bride that I’ve ever seen
Can’t wait to smile
When she walks down the isle
On the arm of her father
On the day that I marry your daughter

She’s been hearing for steps
Since the day that we met (I’m scared to death to think of what would happen if she ever left)
So don’t you ever worry about me ever treating her bad
I’ve got most of my vows done so far (So bring on the better or worse)
And till death do us part
There’s no doubt in my mind
It’s time
I’m ready to start
I swear to you with all of my heart..

I’m gonna marry your daughter
And make her my wife
I want her to be the only girl that I love for the rest of my life
And give her the best of me ’till the day that I die, yeah
I’m gonna marry your princess
And make her my queen
She’ll be the most beautiful bride that I’ve ever seen
I can’t wait to smile
As she walks down the isle
On the arm of her father
On the day that I marry your daughter

The first time I saw her
I swear I knew that I say I do
I’m gonna marry your daughter
And make her my wife
I want her to be the only girl that I love for the rest of my life
And give her the best of me ’till the day that I die
I’m gonna marry your princess
And make her my queen
She’ll be the most beautiful bride that I’ve ever seen
I can’t wait to smile
As she walks down the isle
On the arm of her father
On the day that I marry your daughter

Queensland floods

2011-01-14T01:48:00.005+10:00

My heart is breaking at the sight of this :( I feel like I have to stifle a sob or something as I watch it. Praise the Lord that the peak wasn't as high as the predicted level. Thank God that my friends are safe. Please continue to keep Queensland in your prayers!

Queensland floods

2011-01-12T15:03:00.006+10:00

Before I left Brisbane, it had been raining for more than a week already and towns and cities on the outskirts were being affected by the floods. I thought this would never happen to Brisbane city itself because it was so far away and I was hoping for things would take a better turn for the people affected but things just got worse.

11 days into the new year, Brisbane city itself has gone under too. They say this is as bad as the floods in 1974 and right now almost 80% of Queensland is a disaster zone. Despite being miles and miles away, this tragedy that struck Queensland hit me as though as I was part of it and never left. I see pictures and video footages that left my mouth agape. I see familiar footpaths and landmarks that I may have walked past many times covered by steadily increasing flood waters.

Helicopter view of South Bank Parklands by MarrkDaviid

Picture of South Bank Parklands by michaelmeloni

Picture of Brisbane CBD area by Jono Haysom on flickr

Suncorp Stadium, now a swimming pool by _iWade_

It is incredible how natural disasters unleash such devastating forces but it is also during a crisis like this that the human spirit shines. I see friends on Facebook asking one another if they were okay or whether they needed a place to stay in case of an evacuation. I see people on Twitter opening their homes to strangers in need of help. This overwhelming support for one another is amazing.

I've just received an email from Hillsong Brisbane that the church is registered as an Evacuation Centre and at the same time looking for families to provide accommodation and volunteers to help out. All I can do now, is to pray, make a donation and hope my little contribution will help the people affected in this disaster. You can help too at Disaster Relief Appeals

Locals taking advantage of the eerily quiet roads (but usually very busy roads) on Coronation Drive to play baseball. That's the spirit, seeing something positive in the midst of all the chaos :) I pray that everything will improve.

Reason #2 & 3: Why I Love You

2011-01-12T14:34:00.003+10:00

Because you took control of my messy-room situation and spent the whole afternoon working through it with me (despite my numerous failed attempts to call it a day), I love you. ♥

And since I'm at it I might as well give you reason number 3, I love you for who you are, so don't you forget that.

Sydney in November 2010

2011-01-10T21:18:00.001+10:00

So I've mentioned I went to Sydney previously...

It was an impromptu decision that I decided to go to Sydney. I got my tickets (with the credit I got from the refund of my supposed Melbourne trip for the cheerleading finals) and accommodation booked a couple of days before the departure.

Travelling alone is a first for me, well kinda since I made my way to Sydney on my own before meeting Sam there.

It wasn't difficult getting around. In fact other than feeling a general sense of thrill and excitement, I wasn't the least afraid of getting lost or anything. Upon hopping off the plane, I headed straight for the train station and got a ticket.

Waiting for the train to come

When the train arrived, I was awed like a little child. A double-decked train! The first I've ever seen =D So of course I sat on the upper level... And it's so cool that you can actually change directions of your seats (facing forward or backwards) according to your preference!!

Most stations on this Airport Link was underground... and finally I get a glimpse of Sydney!

Wasn't too long before I got off at Wynyard where Sam was waiting :) We then headed off to Napoleon on Kent to drop off my bag and we're off to explore the CBD area! It's a bustling city, very cosmopolitan, very much like Singapore. Maybe it's just me but it feels like how I imagine New York to be, with stands selling magazines or flowers at every street corner/ junction :)

Everywhere's pretty much accessible by walking, probably because the place where we were staying at was in the CBD area but that's how I like it. Will write more about the places visited and the variety of foods tasted soon!