Ohana

"Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind." - Lilo and Stitch

So now the house is weirdly quiet and things are somewhat back to, normal. Whether that's a good thing or not is still up for debate. But such a nice way to spend Christmas and a cool way to end the year - a break from what was normal.

And now, to eagerly await 2012 (:

Closing This Chapter

The beach, the waves in particular, is just extra special to me every year end/new year - the reminder of Faithfulness, of Love, of Hope.

So 2011 is drawing to a close, but with it comes great excitement for what 2012 has to offer.

A new chapter.

Life

Leap of Faith

Mm, I've been receiving rejection letters. So out of the 17 applications, 8 have gotten back to me and my application has been unsuccessful.

I wouldn't say I'm depressed, though I am a bit disappointed. Talking to Kim today and telling her about how I didn't want to share the vision I had for Outreach min to my subcomm in case I didn't get to further my studies - because if that was the case, I wanted them to only hear the vision of the person who would be leading outreach ministry. We were sharing our excitement for OCF and I mentioned how there were so many things I was so excited for, that I may potentially not get to experience.

I like the phrase Kim used before: "not getting hopes up too high", and I think that's me at the moment. I don't think it's necessarily out of pessimism but it's just that, realistically, I know that my chances of furthering my studies in Psych is quite low at the moment, even though there's still this part of me hoping and praying for a miracle to happen. Because my God is the God of the impossible, so if He had meant for me to study Psych, it WILL happen.

I remember worrying that I would be angry with God for being in such a situation and that I would be at the stage where I feel everything is unjustified. I remember hearing other people be unhappy with their results because they claim that they've put in a lot of effort. Not to discredit anything they've said, but I'm happy that I'm not in that position. Don't get the wrong idea, it hurts to be in such a position but I think there is so much joy being in a position whereby I know that wherever I get placed at next year, that it's all part of God's plan for me. In that sense, because I have no control over any of these, in a way, I won't interfere with God's perfect plan for my life.

I guess it's all part of growing in Christ. I realise that I have to learn to surrender my all, which includes my dreams. Because although I had such great dreams to be a psychologist, I have probably reached the stage of my life whereby I need to lay that dream at His feet and let Him do what He deems fit with it. Because maybe all these while, I may have misunderstood His plans for me. Because maybe even though He planted the dream of psychology in my mind, it may have only be for a psychology major. Because maybe...

And I guess why I'm a bit apprehensive about not furthering my studies is because the changes that come along with it are huge and in a way, life-changing. It's so scary to have to move on and I don't feel prepared at all. But maybe it's all part of His plan to strengthen my faith and to make me dependent fully on Him and Him alone.

I'm also very grateful, to have had the opportunity to major in Psychology and to have been able to take the elective "Introduction to Counselling". I'm grateful that even if I do not get to become a Psychologist, that at least I learned a bit more about understanding people and the basics of counselling - that I apply to myself a lot. Haha. I psycho analyse myself a lot. I'm grateful that my two majors have given me an insight to human behaviour and also a glimpse into God's heart for His people.

And so, I don't regret my choice to do Bachelor of Arts, I don't regret at times I choose ministry over constant mugging (not that if I was very free I would have spent my time mugging anyway), I don't regret my subject choice, I don't regret the situation I am in.

Because I believe that if God brought me to this situation or allowed me to come to this situation, that He has a plan, He has a purpose. I believe that He is standing next to me so as to prevent me from harm. And I believe this is a time of refinement, of learning how to trust in Him alone, of taking another leap of faith. And in a way, it does get easier to take these leaps of faith, though the various scenarios may still remain tough.

So, maybe I'll just wait. Wait to see what He'll give me (or not) and wait to hear from Him to know what step to take next. I guess, the same God who gave me the most wonderful Christian support when I first came to Melbourne, the same God who gave me the most amazing friends ever, the same God who comforted me time and time and time again, the same God who gave me a spot in Monash University and even made my transfer from Caulfield to Clayton so easy, the same God who loves me very much, will look after me and the next chapter of my life will start off in a way so amazing that I'll be left speechless.

(:

Good morning, sunshine

because I have the few most wonderful people in the world as best friends (:

Dreamers + Realists

There are dreamers and there are realists in this world. You'd think the dreamers would find the dreamers and the realists would find the realists but more often than not, the opposite is true. You see, the dreamers need the realists to keep them from soaring too close to the sun and the realists, well, without the dreamers, they might never get off the ground.

Modern Family

Great Cloud of Witnesses

The (for lack of a better expression) circle of life is interesting, don't you agree? How at whatever stage of your life you're in, you're able to look back and see how you've grown, how much you've changed. How you can look at people younger than you and see them going through the same struggles you once wrestled with. But the same way you've been refined through those tough times, you know you've to let them go through these pains to come out a stronger, better person.

It makes me understand better the relevance of the Bible, the relevance of listening to other people's testimonies, etc. It's like Hebrews 12:1a, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses..." or even the song Find Us Faithful where the line goes "oh may all who've gone before us find us faithful..." It's fascinating to me because in my mind, it's like the picture of life is becoming clearer bit by bit, or like how I'm slowly untangling the big mess that is life (however you want to picture it).

It amuses me even more so because just as so many have been such great witnesses in my life, I start to wonder when is it my turn to be a witness to someone else, or if I have already started doing so without (consciously) knowing. I always picture cheerleaders, standing by the side of the road cheering on the runners (of life) and getting all excited each time they reach a checkpoint, a milestone. And then my mind starts to get a little confused because I'll try to figure out how it'll work outside the space/time continuum where I'm a 'cheerleader' yet a runner at the same time. Like do you run+cheer at the same time or are the paths parallel so you can see the people of higher/lower levels? But I digress.

And for future reference (for myself): If others can go through tough times or get through disappointments and still praise the Lord, so can I. If Job is able to praise God despite all that happened to him, I can learn to be that way too. It scares me because I've seen people 'give up on faith' or get all angry and whatnot, just because they did not get to 'follow their dreams' or 'get what they want'. Because I may find myself in a similar situation in a few months' time, I want all the reminder I can get - that God is faithful and that He knows what is BEST for me. And I guess there is no better time than now to start refining my heart and my mind. And one day, I'll not only be able to look back and see how I was refined through all these, but I'll be able to encourage someone else who will/may go through this as well. How exciting! Haha.

Come what may, I want to choose to praise Him all the days of my life.

Closing this chapter, soon.

I never felt so apprehensive about ending exams, but yet this time is different; the end of exams marks my first step into the unknown. The future seems daunting only because I do know what is going to happen. It's not like the end of previous major exams where I knew I would just continue studying. This time, it feels like the next few steps I'll have to take is going to be in pitch black darkness and all I know is that I have to keep walking till my future becomes a little more apparent.

4th year psych or work.

It's two worlds apart. And at this very moment, I know that by my own strength, I'm not going to be able to make it to 4th year psych, which scares me even more. On the other hand, it's challenging me to place all my trust in God's hands and let Him lead me to where He wants me to be. Which, if I think about it, it's supposed to be the better deal because then I'll go where He wants me to go. Yet, I can't help but worry.

Furthermore, I feel God challenging me and asking me that even if I do not get what my heart desires, am I able to be like Job and say "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised" (Job 1:21b). And really, I don't know. I don't know how I'd react, I don't know if I'll allow the "worse" circumstance get the better of me or not.

And so, maybe this holidays will just be working out God's plans for my life, till things become a bit more apparent. Maybe this will be the (short summer) season of me learning more and more how to trust His will for my life and being able to rejoice no matter the circumstance. Nevertheless, I would greatly appreciate prayers. Though part of me wishes to get into 4th year psych, maybe the more important prayer for me is that I'll go wherever He wants me to go, and that I'll do it with a cheerful heart.

One more paper; it's make it or break it. Oh the self-induced stress..

Bye bye birdies

(Source)

Because I'm too tired to keep holding on; so I'm releasing the birds of my life back into the hands of the Creator, trusting that they will be looked after and cared for. So bye bye.

meh

So what do you do when you reach something like this?

Source

You would think that with just two more exam papers away from completing my undergraduate studies, that by now I would have a more or less definite plan with what I want to do with my life - of what job I want to pursue, etc. But nope. I'm far from that. At the moment, the future just seems so daunting to me, mainly because it's filled with so much uncertainty. It doesn't help that I'm so clueless with what I want/need to do with my life. And it scares me that this is my potentially last year as a student, ever.

All this stress/worries are piling up. It's like how during the movies as it's about the reach the climax of the story, with the background music getting more and more intense, your heart racing as they are about to reveal this huge mystery...

And then my mind makes the most anticlimax remark ever: meh. Only because I not only don't want to deal with all these, but I don't know how to.

So yes, for now, meh.

3:16am

It's 3:16am and I just reached home 6 mins ago. I drove back in the thickest craziest fog, but the fog only descended after I got off the freeway, super thank God for that. I was super alert the whole time, which is cool cos usually I would be super sleepy driving home so late at night. And I really love love love my dad who stayed up just to make sure I came home safely and though part of him was a little frustrated, you can tell it's out of love and concern for me, and also keeping me in check. Somehow that just seemed like exciting news to share. Haha.

And now, time to sleep. (:

It finally feels like spring

And yet, the weather forecast shows that it'll be raining the next few days, and then it'll feel like winter all over again. Such is Melbourne's weather. But I quite like that Melbourne's weather is that weird actually. And in other news, about 36 more days till the end of my undergraduate studies+exams, HOW FAST IS THAT?! Soon I'll be a graduate and hopefully be able to do postgrad.. And because all these feel so overwhelming, I'm going back to the books. 36 more days... wow.

Transitions

Transitions in life are usually marked by major events - birthdays, graduations, weddings. But the greater transitions often come out of smaller moments; when we stop and look at who we are. Because each time we time we see how far we've come, we also see how far we still have to go.

Gossip Girl

(:

It has been 2 years since we first served together as a team and I love the memories that we've been forming together ever since. <3 you guys. I kinda miss those days - somehow things just seem so much simpler.

p.s. that mis-shapened claw was Daniel's way of doing "2009". Hahaha!!

Oh to be a child again

This is me, getting bored of my assignment, and so I decided to procrastinate. And the truth is, I JUST WANT TO PLAY!! And I want to be able to enjoy my spring break, even if it means just one whole day of doing nothing before I start catching up on work. I have about 49 more hours to submit in this paper, so I just have to endure a little while more..

So back to writing the dialogue that makes me feel like I'm one of the rare cases with Multiple Personality Disorder. I feel like I am communicating with my various personalities, asking them on their views on "the self in the 21st century as a commodity", like seriously, who cares about that... But yes. I shall learn to love it and do well in it because I want to be able to do honours. And note to self, never take such weird subjects as electives ever again.

Suddenly, I see the importance

²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25

soo..

This assignment is not doing my ego any good. The task is already so challenging, I take a million years to understand the readings/research and it's worth 60%. It doesn't help that I don't really understand what's happening in class, so I can't like crap my way out of it.

And the best thing is - instead of sitting there and attempting to read more/understand the whole thing better, I'm over here, escaping the assignment by procrastinating. Kill me now.

It's something about LTC

3 years ago, in 2008, I sat there and was so filled with fear that God would forget me. I remember pleading with God not to forget me and to have something for me. He did not fail.

My life is a testimony of God's faithfulness and goodness. Today, when I look back and think about that day, I realised how silly I was. Because, of course, God wouldn't forget me. Because, of course, He loves me. And yet that silly me was so scared that I would be the only one left out, the only one who would go home wondering if I was forsaken.

Looking back and listening to that recording time and time again, just shows me how far God has brought me and there's excitement in that because it gives that anticipation and excitement to expect even greater things from Him from this moment onwards.

So this wraps up one of many thoughts that have been running through my mind over one of the most amazing weekend and <3<3 (: (: to the most amazing, awesome God ever.

Hmm

You know that feeling, when you suddenly think "oh crap, what if I made a wrong decision to __" and now you just have to live with it and hope for the better.

So because I'm constantly afraid that I've made the wrong decision, or rather, constantly doubting if this was the right move - I'm going to commit it to You and trust that through this, You'll teach me something and once again carry me through.

My weirdo brothers

So, Brendan is currently at the hospital because apparently the light cover fell on him and he has a really bad cut? Or something along those lines. And it's not that I'm a horrible sister who doesn't care what happened, it's just that, no one saw what happened and only my two brothers were at home when it happened.

Okay so back to the main point. I realise my brothers are very funny, and in a way sensible, that their first instinct/reaction is to call for help.

I remember when I was 6, Brendan 4 and Ian a little baby and I fell off the swing and broke my arm. I remember while being in so much pain and crying so hard, that at the corner of my eyes, I saw Brendan running home, and I was thinking to myself "omg why are you abandoning me now?" But it's so cute, because he was actually running home to get help. Which now, when I think about it, it's quite a sensible thing for a 4 year old to do. Similarly, later in the year, when we were playing and Brendan pushed me in excitement and I had the nastiest cut (which needed stitches), the first thing he did was to run home to get help, leaving me to bleed and slowly make my way home.

Similarly, this time round, I think it's quite cool that despite the crazy amount of blood, that Ian was calm enough to call my dad for help, as opposed to screaming his head off, panicking and not knowing what to do. Or like how a month ago, they called me when the power tripped - partly because they thought that there was a chance there's a murderer or robber outside -.- I don't know what they expected me to do? Scare the bad guy away? I remember how the minute my car pulled into the drive way, they came out, holding umbrellas. Haha, so weird. If I were them, I would take a knife for protection, not umbrellas! Haha.

But whatever it is, I think they are super funny and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. haha <3

With faith, we pray

Blessings

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel you near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if each promise from Your Word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win, we know
That pain reminds this hearts,
That this is not, this is not our home.....
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

What if my greatest disappointments,
Or the aching of this life,
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy.
What if trials of this life,
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise?

Not throwing in the towel, yet.

Dear you,

life may be tough right now and it may seem super demoralising, but I promise you that it would get better. Because our God is a loving, caring God who WILL carry you through this. Because I KNOW that one day, you'll be able to look back to this day and be able to testify of His faithfulness in your life. So hang in there!! Today may seem super crappy, but tomorrow will be better.

Sincerely,

yourself.

I will rejoice

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it (:

Today I woke up after 9 hours of sleep to beautiful weather; I smiled to myself when I remembered that it's week 4 and I do not have lab today; I got to wear t-shirt, shorts and flip flops and pretend that winter is over; I got a free watermelon because they forgot to update the price in the system and the lady said "oh have it for free! (:"; I cleaned various parts of the house; I changed bedsheets and got to sun my blanket and pillows; I volunteered to cook dinner; I roamed around my backyard finding things to photograph; I sat on my bed waiting for the perfect moment to take photo of the pretty blue sky filled with fluffy clouds.

Today I did things I normally wouldn't do especially when I have a long, slightly overwhelming, to-do list with crazy deadlines to meet; and I'm proud of it. Though it was unplanned for, it was nice to just take a step back, BREATHE and just enjoy the day that the Lord has made (:

And now, it just seems so much more exciting to get back to work. Ah, the many blessings this day has brought.

(:

Colourful food (:

And in other news, there is a need for faith that things will be okay, or more than okay. There's also a need for wisdom to know how to approach this situation. Lastly, there's a need for prayer that we'll be able to survive through this tough times together.

Orientation week

Something about orientation week that always brings me back to when I was new to Melbourne; the crying, the constant prayer for good Christian support, the feeling of being homesick. It's good, because it's a reminder of where I've been, to allow me to relate to those who are new. It's also good because as I'm reminded of where I've been, it allows me to better appreciate the present. Hmm. So exciting though, new faces = more friends to make! Haha.

And this orientation week is also just a reminder that this is my final semester as an undergraduate. It's scary because all my life, all I knew was studies. And now there's so much more to consider - postgrad (what kind of postgrad), working... Gahh decisions decisions.

And that's my random update. On the plus side, I'm kinda excited for uni to start because I really enjoy what I'm studying..

Priceless

So sweet my heart could just melt.

This is just one of the many heartwarming videos that you can find on YouTube, but that's not really the point now.

Looking at how the boy ran into his father's arms; it was a priceless, tear jerking moment. It made me think, it's like our relationship with God, seen in two ways. It's like the prodigal son who came home and the father who ran to receive him back - and God receives us back with that same excitement as that little boy. And at the same time, He's always there with open arms, waiting for us to run back to Him on a daily basis, waiting to embrace us once again.

Priceless.

Unending Love, Amazing Grace

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

...we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.

Luke 15

In the midst of the storm

Simply complex

Two households, both alike in dignity

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;

Whose misadventur'd piteous overthrows

Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.

Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Don't you wish that life was as simple as boy meets girl, girl meets boy, they fall in love, get married and live happily ever after? And yet, if we were to remove all the 'complications' of life, it, arguably, would not be as interesting or meaningful anymore.

These complications can come like a tornado, destroying everything in its path, leaving individuals with messes and a task to pick up the broken pieces. You see tears shed, you hear hearts shattering. You see hope being lost.

Yet, it's somewhat comforting that during times of adversity, you see loved ones and people who care coming together just to uplift the broken hearted and you see them becoming "cheerleaders" as they encourage the depressed to move on. For those individuals, it's like going through refining fire, where hopefully impurities are being removed and they come out stronger and more beautiful - like a diamond. So in that sense, there's beauty in the complexity.

After being intrigued by the simplicity/complexity of life, I guess the point of all this is: dear you, hang in there because things will get better.

Random snaps

FREEDOM!!

Sem 1 is officially over and I'm so excited that I'm free! This has to be one of the most taxing, most stressful semesters ever, but on the plus side, it was fun and rewarding.

Glimpse of how I'm feeling now:

Don't you think it's cool? haha

And now to start my 40 days of winter break! Oh how exciting!

Interesting stuff I read while studying Psych

Because we cannot discover God's throne in the sky with a radio telescope..people assume that such ideas are "not true".... Modern man may assert that he can dispense with them, and he may bolster his opinion by insisting that there is no scientific evidence of their truth. But...why should we bother about evidence? Even if we did not know by reason our need for salt in our food, we should nonetheless profit from its use.... Why, then, should we deprive ourselves of views that would prove helpful in crises and would give a meaning to our existence?... Man positively needs general ideas and convictions that will give a meaning to his life and enable him to find a place for himself in the universe.

(Jung, 1964, pp. 87-88)

This made me smile (:

Can't wait to upload the photos of the other pretty stuff that made me smile from ear to ear. I feel like a princess in my own rights. haha. And many many many thanks to my-really-cool-friends (:

And now, break time is over and time to force myself to study again. TWO MORE (horrid) PAPERS TILL FREEDOM!

Motivation

Exams are starting on Monday. I think this whole exam period I've been fighting with the feelings of being demoralised and I lose sight of why I'm doing all these for. And then I watched this video and everything started flooding back to me. I remembered my passion; I remembered why I'm doing what I'm doing.

These are the kind of things that break my heart. This is the kind of things that motivate me to do the best that I can.

Power of Your Name

Surely children weren't made for the streets

And fathers were not made to leave

Surely this isn't how it should be

Let Your Kingdom come

Surely nations were not made for war

Or the broken made to be ignored

Surely this just can't be what You saw

Let Your Kingdom come

Here in my heart

And I will live to carry Your compassion

To love a world that's broken

To be Your hands and feet

I will live with the life that I've been given

And go beyond religion to see the world be saved

By the Power of Your Name

Surely life wasn't made to regret

And the lost were not made to forget

Surely faith without action is dead

Let Your Kingdom come

Lord break this heart

Jesus Your Name is the shelter for the hurting

Your Name is the refugee for the weak

Only Your Name could redeem the undeserving

Your Name holds everything I need

Second Chance

I'm excited because despite the emotional roller coaster I was on for the past few weeks I think I've just entered a whole new realm with God. I think He has been empowering me with faith - faith that is allowing me to dare to believe that things can happen simply because HE is God.

And because my God is love.

You called my name

Reached out Your hand

Restored my life

And I was redeemed

The moment You entered my life

Amazing grace

Christ gave that day

My life was changed

When from my shoulders

Fell the weight of my sin

So it's with everything I am

I reach out for Your hand

The hope for change

The second chance I've gained

On You I throw my life

Casting all my fears aside

How could greater love than this

Ever possibly exist

Consume my thoughts

As I rest in You

I'm now in love

With a Saviour

Bearing the marks of His love

So I'll wait upon You now

With my hands released to You

Where a little faith's enough

To see mountains lift and move

And I'll wait upon You now

Dedicated to Your will

To this love that will remain

A love that never fails

Saying goodbye to yet another autumn

Relief from conquering my assignments + wanting a small break before studying = blog. haha.

It's been a while since I just let my mind wander and think random thoughts - can't wait to do more of that after exams. A blink of an eye and this month is drawing to an end; soon all the leaves will drop from the trees to mark the end of autumn and start of winter. Within days, exams will commence and I'll have to admit that I'm no longer a teenager (sighh). At the same time, there's the winter break to look forward to: sydney, no need to study and sleeping in!

Today my mum woke me up saying she made me breakfast and told me not to drive later in the evening if I was tired; that she and my dad would come pick me up and drive the car home. <3 On top of that, today I claimed a free cup of coffee and I found myself with a huge smile on my face despite the fact that I was exhausted, physically and mentally. A warm cup of coffee on a cold autumn day, that undoubtedly made me more alert, and a little hyper. The tiny things that really make my day (:

Love so amazing

He [God] is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.

Job 36:16

One more month!!

Kinda can't wait for all these assignments/exams to be over so that I can go back to experimenting in the kitchen (cooking and baking), and play with my dear camera, Alexis, and slack and not feel guilty about it. I just need to endure for one more month!! But at the same time, I'm really grateful that my parents are here and that I don't have to worry about food prep when I'm all stressed out.

Oh all these post exam plans make me happy(: (: haha.

Faith

"When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: There will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly."

Barbara Winter

Your Love Never Fails

Because once in a while, we need a reminder of how faithful, how forgiving, how loving, how BIG and how awesome our God is.

Verse 1:

Nothing can separate

Even if I ran away

Your love never fails

I know I still make mistakes

But You have new mercies for me everyday

Your love never fails

Chorus:

You stay the same through the ages

Your love never changes

There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

And when the ocean rage

I don't have to be afraid

Because I know that You love me

Your love never fails

Verse 2:

The wind is strong and the water's deep

But I'm not alone in these open seas

Cause Your love never fails

The chasm is far too wide

I never thought I'd reach the other side

But Your love never fails

Bridge:

You make all things work together for my good

To be honest,

Everyone is commenting on how Osama is dead, some are even going to the extreme to comment about what he's going to face in hell. There are jokes being made about Obama beating Osama and whatnot.

But I really wonder how Osama's family (the people who love him) is feeling right now. I'm not saying that what Osama did was right, but still. His family has now being victims (they've lost a father, a husband, a child) and yet they'll probably never be recognised as one because we're all fixated on the fact that he did terrible things. That's just the tip of the iceberg. To an extent, don't you think it's sad that while they are mourning a loss of a loved one, the whole world seems to be rejoicing that Osama is dead? And not only rejoicing, people are even making fun of the fact that he's dead. I don't think it's completely unreasonable for them to not want him to be found; because wouldn't you want the same for a loved one who did something wrong? And because the US has Osama's body, they may never get to see him again.

I think it's just sad. Sad because we get so caught up with "eradicating" all evils, that we forget to stop and remember the minorities that will be affected and we forget to show compassion and sensitivity to the people who need it.

I can only imagine that things are just going to go downhill from here...

I still believe that God loved (even) Osama.

I had a 13 day long break (:

I really like this photo even though it's kinda blur. DG Support '11 is so sporting(:

This has to be one of the best mid sem breaks ever. I think it's because it came at a time when everyone was dying after the long and tiring first half of the semester. I feel so well rested and recharged, both physically and spiritually. And though I think I may be the only one who is going to say this, but I'm really excited for the rest of the semester and I really can't wait to go back to uni.

Changes

It's going to be tough to say goodbye; it always is. Nobody loves change, but part of life is learning to let things go.

Phil, Modern Family

Love

Going through Easter Camp '11 photos because Li Lin claims that I take too long to upload photos (which is so untrue) and I came across this heartwarming photo. Credits actually go to Chris Teo for capturing this precious moment of love.

More photos and thoughts about Easter Camp coming up, soon.

Joey the weirdo

I think it's funny how my dog is so fascinated by the fire that she just sits there, intrigued.

I think she's conflicted because her animal instincts are probably warning her about the dangers of fire and that she should probably run away, but at the same time, I think she's wondering why we (my family) are not running away from this "supposedly dangerous fire". Haha. She's funny.

My random thought of the day

I'm not feeling well physically; my head is spinning, my ears are hurting, I'm feeling a bit nauseous and my whole body is aching. (I don't think it's anything serious, so I'm not going to think much about it. Or maybe I'm in denial) Sadly, the first thought that came to mind is "I cannot afford to feel so crappy and sick."

Which made me think - how sad that my life is as such, that I'm even attempting to 'schedule' when I can allow myself to fall sick.

I think this is just my mind's way of allowing myself to procrastinate, so that I don't have to focus on my task at hand and just get amused by such trivial stuff. And I just stoned at this page for about 5 mins -.- What a good way to waste time.

Okay, time to power through and finish these darn assignments.

Beauty

For some reason, every time I drove past this structure, I always wanted to take a photo of it. So today, I did. Haha. I don't actually know what it is, but somehow it always caught my attention.

It felt nice, to drive and stop my car every time I see something interesting and just take a photo of it. That's the life(: For that one hour, from uni to home, when nothing else seems to matter and I could just appreciate God's creation and realise how beautiful the world really is if you really take time to just admire it.

I read somewhere that you can learn about the Creator through His creation, and seeing how good and beautiful His creation are, it gives us a glimpse to how great the Creator is.

Open Mind

People can surprise you. You get used to thinking of them one way; stuck in their roles; they are what they are. And then, they do something that shows you there's all this depth and dimension that you never knew existed.

(Mitchell Pritchett, Modern Family)

Strangers

"Once born into childlike faith, brimming with belief, typical people begin to lose their faith. Society mocks them. Their friends smirk. They come to change the world, but over time the world changes them. Soon they forget who they were; they forget the faith they once had. Then one day someone tells them the truth, but they don’t want to go back, because they’re comfortable in their new skin. Being a stranger in this world is never easy."
— Ted Dekker (Saint)

Really random thoughts

Do you ever wonder, if plants had feelings, what would they be feeling?

Do you think, if they could, they would compete to be the tallest plant around?

Do you think the rose grew thorns because some other plant was invading its personal space?

Do you think the coconut is excited that it can float and travel the world?

Do you think that the sunflower is secretly in love with the sun and hence it stares at the sun all day?

Do you think the lily pad enjoys providing a platform for the frogs that are tired of swimming?

Do you think the seaweed longs to get out of the salty sea water?

Do you think the grass actually detest humans for trampling on it?

I think it would interesting, if plants really had feelings and were able to communicate their thoughts. I can imagine them screaming out to us as we cut down trees for paper/firewood. I can imagine that old oak tree with a face, sharing its wisdom to those who seek it. I can imagine flowers singing as the sun rises and sleeping as the moon appears. I can imagine the trees being "asian" and competing on who would be the tallest. I can imagine...

For friendships made and pleasure shared..

Today was like one of the most awesome day ever (and so sad that we don't have a group picture of all 5 of us). But yes.

I thank God for really fun friends like them. I'm so glad that we are able to keep in touch despite being in different countries and that every time we meet each other, we become the same girl we were back in secondary school days and we just end up laughing so hard.

If only YT wasn't leaving so soon, then we can meet up again. But oh wells, I hope we really all save up for our trip and then we can like spend one whole week overseas together laughing our heads off at every thing (:

Only with my God(:

I'm giving my life for You

I'm giving everything to You

Not holding back but every part

I'm giving it all to You

Yesterday I sat in my car and had a really good talk with God. I told Him what was making me feel down and I thanked Him for bringing me to this place in my life - that even though it is bittersweet at the moment, I would have it no other way. I thanked Him for allowing me to get to know such people. I thanked Him for bringing me to OCF, for giving me the Christian support that I prayed so hard for in 2008 when I first came to Melbourne. I talked to Him about how my friends have been such an inspiration to me (N with his "building bill" project, BH with his working in a prison, etc.) and how I wanted to inspire others for Him. I started to understand better about the different seasons of life. I told Him that I trusted Him to make my 2011 even better than the awesome 2010 - I know He will bring me to higher heights this year.

Then the Lincoln Brewster song "All to You" started playing and I realised I'm learning how to give God every part of my life. That this is another "sweet" point to add to this bittersweet part of my life - that I'm learning more and more about how it is to have a relationship with God.

This is another chapter, another year. It's going to start bittersweet and probably ending the same way - but regardless, it is still going to be so phenomenal because God will be there the whole time.

1/1/11

Because it's the new year so it calls for a blog post! haha.

I'm very excited for 2011 because life is awesome and it's really exciting to see what God has in stored for me. For the past few hours, the only thing I can really think of is "I'M GOING TO GRADUATE THIS YEAR!!" That is not counting my 3 years of postgrad, but who cares. Haha. Everything about 2010 has been awesome even though it was a rollar coaster ride at times. So 2011 is going to be even better (: (: SO EXCITED!!!!

I'm a very happy girl now. Haha. I don't really know why. It's like inner-joy/peace; I'm like smiling myself silly.



And just for the sake of letting the whole world know, I LEARNED MAHJONG TODAY with my distant cousins - cousins I never knew I had. Haha. And I'm going to play with them again tomorrow. Oh happiness.