Le voyage d'une vie

i've got the joy 我有喜乐

2009-08-25T22:02:00.004+08:00

我有喜乐

I've Got the Joy
full song: http://www.imeem.com/people/lYDEL66/music/Y-HjaxHr/paradise-community-church-adelaide-ive-got-the-joy/

Ive Got the Joy - Paradise Community Church, Adelaide

2008-11-20T19:07:00.003+08:00

~working daze~

love this comic. presenting four days of it in a row.

be careful what you say... =)

2008-10-25T23:02:00.002+08:00

what happens when the server is down...

2008-10-20T22:53:00.003+08:00

Working Daze

2008-10-20T10:37:00.003+08:00

The Daily Squib http://www.dailysquib.co.uk/

Shock Discovery - Global Warming May Be Caused by the Sun Shining
Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:25:00 GMT
by Lacerta King

"The sun is very hot and its rays filter through to the earth."

These are some of the amazing findings coming from scientists studying the global warming panic created by worldwide governments to increase taxation on the general populations.

Professor
Michael Pupkin from the University of California at Irvine, has been studying the sun for the past 45 years in his observatory.

"The sun is hot and blasts out hot rays that travel to the earth. These rays heat the earth and warm it up. This is called Global Warming," he wrote in New Scientist magazine.

Experts
in California estimate that the sun's rays are very hot and heat the earth every day.

Research published in New Scientist has found that when the sun shines the earth receives rays from the sun thus warming the earth further.

When the earth is in darkness that part of the earth cools and when the sun rises the earth's temperature rises.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs said: "This is an issue that affects every
country, and we're working with other members of the EU to ensure that we create new taxes to tax the populations over this terrible issue of Global Warming. Even though we are the ones who tore up the mountains and poisoned the atmosphere in the first place, we want to now create a new Eco cult of taxation thus increasing the stranglehold of the controlling elite."

2008-10-17T15:47:00.004+08:00

Allswell commercial.

I believe many of us have seen the first one. The sequel is so cute!
Haha...
Enjoy :)

Commercial 1:

Commercial 2:

2008-10-04T00:21:00.006+08:00

blackadder

my lecturer mentioned this series during class n i've been watching it on youtube. :)
it's funny, but may not be everyone's cuppa tea (british accent).
if you do enjoy british humor, you might enjoy this.
*note: this was broadcast in the late 1980s. it stars rowan atkinson (most commonly known as mr. bean) AND hugh laurie (of the famed tv show House) back when they were both much younger. like, 20 years younger. that's like, my age. lol.

if you like this, you can go search for youtube member "nirbateman" who has uploaded all series and episodes of this show from the start. :)

sarah palin

2008-09-30T22:55:00.002+08:00

Sarah Palin

i know, we're not americans. but this is funny. SNL's funny anyway. and shows that maybe palin as vp candidate was not such a great choice after all. i mean, there's very little focus on joe biden, but at least it doesn't hurt obama's campaign...

anyway, 4 videos below. start from the top. enjoy. :) if you really have no time, watch the last one. says it all.

1st one is day 1 of sarah palin's interview with katie couric:

2nd one is day 2 of sarah palin's interview with katie couric:

3rd one is SNL's parody of this interview. tina fey is great! she is so like palin that i almost didn't differentiate them at first. this is hilarious, especially after watching the first 2 videos. take note, tina fey didn't have to make up a lot of lines; most of her hilarious lines came straight out of palin's mouth. lol.

4th video compares the snl skit with the actual interview. nice work!

2008-09-22T21:53:00.009+08:00

爱不疚

收藏在眼眸常徘徊左右爱猜到没有
愉快玩笑後能全然退後你开心就够

这种感觉太亲厚讲一千句也不够
假使讲了你听到後或会走
这种恋爱太罕有不须真正拥有
成全衷心祝福然後就放手

放手放开所有彼此更自由
放手其实我绝非爱得不够
放手豁出所有还有这个好友
已经已经足够

遥远是宇宙静静在背後去看守就够

这种感觉太亲厚讲一千句也不够
即使一刹有过冲动挽你手
这种恋爱太罕有不须真正拥有
成全多舍不得仍然是放手

放手放开所有彼此更自由
放手其实我绝非爱得不够
放手豁出所有还有这个好友
已经已经足够

放手我的牵挂找不到尽头
放手期望你幸福什么都有
也许爱很深厚然而我早看得透
放手至可拥有

i like raymond lam :) esp in moonlight resonance which i've just finished watching. love the show!!! sophia, i dun really like bosco wong in that show le. prefer raymond lam. maybe if you watch it in future you'll understand. heheh...

a very sweet song, bittersweet. emo. haha...
now you peeps noe why i haven't been blogging recently. too busy finishing the show. =P

oh yeah, wwh was great! many thanks 2 xuan sophia tony the organising comm for a really fun, challenging n safe (very very safe) wwh. :) think it's the nicest comm so far. very touched when xuan n sophia keep calling n smsing 2 make sure we're alrite n all. pics for that up soon ba.

2008-09-01T14:33:00.006+08:00

cats cats and more cats :)

xuan, no kill cat campaign k? they are so adorable!

look below:

teeheehee... :)
so cute rite??!! 3 cats (siblings). we see every week when we go give tuition. the first time i saw them was b4 i left for uk. they were just newborn kittens in a box. now, they are mischievous and so funny! always playing, doing funny stuff, fighting each other. haha... and lazing around :)

2008-09-01T14:21:00.007+08:00

science tutorial

on friday, i attended my first ever tutorial over at science. my my my... culture shock lor. haha... a few things that made it very interesting for me:

1) it was held in a computer lab. i'm too used to classrooms, where the whole class sits in a circle

2) nobody talks! i mean, only the tutor is yapping away the whole time. almost like lecture again lor. haha...

3) there was no self-introduction. all my uni life, every first tutorial will include a self-introduction. like the bilingualism class, we talked about what languages we spoke etc.

4) the cutest bit was this clicker thing (see below). you click to give your answer to the tutorial question, and then this software collects everyone's clicks and collates the data and shows how many got it wrong or right. i was laughing my ... hmmm... (no vulgarities here) laughing very very hard. haha...

so you click your answer, then this small black thingy at the wall picks up the remote signal
how do you noe if your signal got picked up? the number seen on the screen must correspond to the clicker's number (so if your clicker number is 5378, then you see 5378 appear on the screen, your answer has been recorded)

of course, at the end, must collate all the answers and voila! a graph....

this is so amusing for me. call me a arts student. :)

2008-08-31T21:07:00.003+08:00

prophecy

hmmm... you gals rmb? sat nite?
can't stop thinking about it. wat it means...
wat do you think?
did the word he say mean this?

haha... going a bit crazy.
but who wouldn't???
marriage? teehee...

2008-08-30T10:16:00.006+08:00

a girl's best friend

lol. ok, even though i only have one person tagging on the board YES, i shall nevertheless post diamond's adorableness here. :)

diamond sleeping. 1st time i met her, she was sick...

diamond in the hands of her loving n caring "mom" :)

getting better, and happily playing with her toys. the cute pink lobster tended 2 b the subject of a game called "kill it!". haha... poor lobster. traumatised for life. but shows the power of basic instinctive predatory nature of dogs. and so cute!

i took this when she was eating her fav dog biscuit. so cute! she looks happy. :)

see what she does to her toy. and the end was jus adorable! haha...

conclusion: i love diamond. :)

2008-08-29T00:14:00.004+08:00

i'm fine

news passes ard quickly huh? haha... kidding, anyway it passes in a good way. thanks all you peeps for your concern. thanks xuan, thanks rach, thanks sophia. :)

my back is hurt, not sure wat it is, but it is an old injury. it acts up when i dunno do wat la, seriously. last year, i was pushing my bed den i hurt it. last sunday, i was putting my laptop on the floor... haha... i noe it's e same kind of pain= same injury.

so anyways, last year when i saw doc he also cannot say wat it is. you noe la, back very hard 2 noe wat it is la. i noe it is not bone or spine (thank God), was guessing it was the disc, but now it seems more likely it is the nerves. basically hurts when i sit/stand/lie. anywhere anytime. so quite jia lat. but this time round not so bad le. but still... oh well.

doc said last time, the best thing is to rest: i.e. to lie on my back for like 2 days... er, i dun even have 2 hours to spare, much less 2 days. haha... so i tried 2 b brave this week, went 2 give tuition, went 2 sch etc. end up, take much longer 2 recover. lols.

so yeah, do keep me in prayer k? :) i'll appreciate that very much. thanks louis for taking care of me this week. :)

oh, so you gals take good care of yourselves. dun next time wanna marry have children, den start regretting or wat not. i get quite scared actually, thinking if this will affect my chances of having children, or if it will affect my children's health...

but a picture to cheer all of us up anyway.
my favorite cats! haha... plenty more to come! and hoping i can post pics of diamond. he's so adorable!!!!!!! ah!!!! ok, those who wanna see photos n videos of diamond (even though i'm not her family) please tag YES! on tagboard thank you. :P

2008-08-12T23:46:00.006+08:00

this semester

taking only 1 lit module this semester, oh my oh my... gotta pull up my grades!!! all the random modules start coming in. seems fun and challenging. :)

1) romanticism

love the module, love the lecturer, love the texts. we're doing gothic!

2) bilingualism

language module, doesn't seem easy, but i think it's so interesting, esp in singapore's context. n even though it's not on my list of "approved" modules, i think it IS relevant to the education of singapore students. how/why some students may have trouble picking up english/mandarin, and could possibly look into how we could help.

3) cross-cultural communication and discourse

haven't gone for the intro lec yet. but it does seem like it will be challenging and a great module to learn.

4) film and history

louis crashed this lecture with me and that's all it took to convince him to take it too. haha... the lecturers are really cool and funny. and i love film studies, so why not?

5) science of music

finally taking this module!!! been waiting for it since year 1 sem 1. haha... went for intro lec today. nearly died of boredom, added on by the STUFFINESS of the LT. hmmm... sci muz do something abt that. fass still rox. :P lecturer was... um... oh wells. but i read his cv online n it's so cool! haha... he actually once did this talk on something like "christianity and the new physics". no idea what that is about, but still... wow.

and he is so deep (like a glacier). tried to sound noob in class, but he has got LRSM and ATCL. omg?! sigh.

hope i do like uber well for this module to pull up my grade.

so that's it.

oh ya. one more thing.

of these 5 modules, i have 1 (repeat: ONE) exam. =D and it's on 25nov, b4 my birthday!!! yeah! well-done mel. good planning. :)

ok, gonna sleep le.

just one random emo pic. :)

2008-08-01T16:26:00.004+08:00

cycling@ecp

went cycling with louis ytd at east coast park. had a great time! :)

a sight seldom seen in singapore, huh? a beautiful beach with nobody on it! haha...

2008-07-31T17:43:00.002+08:00

haha... janet took this while we were in barcelona, spain. i thought it was a woman at first... =p a shot worthy of vogue magazine yeah?

2008-07-30T13:54:00.005+08:00

anecdotes :)

if you think singapore is small, think again.
if you think europe is big, think again. :P

1) janet and i were waiting for our overnight train from madrid to barcelona, we barely made it in time, was panting from lugging our luggage n rushing like mad. suddenly i hear this scream. no, make it 2 screams, n i see janet rush toward 2 asian people (1 guy 1 girl). she hugs the girl. the guy n i stare at each other (like, huh??? question marks dancing around our forehead). he jokes, "maybe we should hug each other too" lols. turns out janet has met her school friend who's in northern ireland on exchange. who just happens to be traveling with the guy hongkonger (friend, not bf...) who's also on exchange la. so, turns out they are traveling from madrid to barcelona too, on the same train and carriage as us. :) so of course we spent the next few days in barcelona having fun together.

which was a relief for us, as having spent one week with janet only, we two were about to go mad... you know, janet's a really nice gal. i'm sure i'm not a monster too (maybe some beg to differ... hmmm... =p) but really, traveling with ONE person for an entire month is not a joke. seriously get conflicts which you have to resolve cos there's no other choice... haha... you can't walk off and travel alone since you've already paid for the deposits of hostels together (and it is NOT safe to travel alone)

left to right: ginny, janet, me

left to right: me, ginny (we paid to get this photo taken!!!)

2) while waiting for the train from venice to florence, there was another group scream. ok, this time might have been me. janet n i (together with celia) met meghan, our american flatmate, traveling with 3 other friends. turns out, yeah, same story: going to florence, same train, same carriage. we totally did NOT plan this... yeah. :) when we arrived there, kinda realised, hey, we're staying the same hostel! lols. didn't visit places together, but kinda bumped into each other here n there cos the city of florence isn't really that big...

but that's not the end of the story! after florence we went on to rome, while meghan n co went to pisa. 2 days later in rome, 3 of us went into a korean store (to buy korean instant noodles. lol) walked out of it, and... no prizes for guessing. we went like, hey, that group of 4 gals looks familiar, n they went like, hey, those 3 asian gals coming out of e store look familiar. lols. :)

left to right: amanda, meghan (my flatmates. oh i miss them so much...)

in conclusion: europe's small... and singapore? even smaller... =P

2008-07-30T13:42:00.004+08:00

anecdotes :)

a little story from my trip abroad.

janet and i were in dublin, and we walked into a souvenir shop. there was a chinese girl working at the cashier n we started chatting up. she comes from china, and is currently studying in dublin, working part time.

we were about to leave when she insisted we buy something at a discounted rate. janet had already bought her st patrick's day kelly doll, though... and though it was very nice of her, we really didn't want anything. she kept insisting n insisting, so finally i thought i'd just get a pack of cards, which cost 4.85 pounds per pack (or something like that).

she made me take 3 packs, and then asked me to give her like, 5 pounds, grasped tightly in my hands (cos there was cctv!!!) and she returned me like... 3 pounds. so we basically got 3 packs of cards for 2 pounds. janet n i couldn't stop laughing after that. feels like we were stealing something... lol. n the way the girl insisted, though it was well-intentioned on her part, was a bit too much. didn't really feel good about it. but anyways, we already did wat we did... so i gave 2 packs to janet n kept 1 for myself. =p

and that was day ONE of our month-long trip around europe.

2008-07-29T22:38:00.005+08:00

LONGING

i long
i long for
i longed
i am longing
i am long
i want to be long
i want to belong
i belong
i want to be longed for
i long for...

a word speaks a thousand others. it can say one thing about you and so much more; it can say what is not you. use words sparingly- don't let it fall off your mouth and your keyboard just because it feels good (to you, at that moment, for that effect)

ok won't get all preachy here.

ray's bday

2008-07-27T23:19:00.003+08:00

had a simple celebration for Ray today. =)

"that looks nice..." =p

grandma looks pretty and happy:)

is this prawn huge or what?

attempt at culinary artistry. haha...

ray and mom and cake

make your wish!

time to cut the cake

thanks Louis for helping us take these nice photos.

east cell!!!

2008-07-27T22:48:00.008+08:00

yay it was so fun at east cell on fri :) we had a great time cooking together. so happy to be an eastcell-ian. lol photos below:

spaghetti =)

spaghetti sauce. Louis's own recipe, using Campbell soup, mushrooms, chicken fillet. yum!
mashed potato. great team effort! this was like so fun, and i'm so glad i had help or i would've screwed it up...

end result- jingwen's creation

ooh!!! haha... watch vid below. =p

go east cell!!!

2008-07-26T13:59:00.001+08:00

teeheehee... new blog!!!

http://mykeyblog-mellie.blogspot.com

go look :)

missin-?

2008-07-25T11:55:00.003+08:00

attachment's over. kinda miss it. miss miss kaur! lol. if you ever read this post. haha... dun forget my middle name. *pinky* snigger...
(in orange, to the memory of miss kaur)

scotland

2008-07-21T19:35:00.016+08:00

haha... after posting on london i realised i haven't posted on scotland too! oh my... backdate almost two months man... ok i'll post still. so pls take note i posted 3 times today with loads of pictures. dun miss out on my racial harmony day in sch post too! :)

Edinburgh:

taking e train from leeds to edinburgh. :)
nice n comfy. exciting! cos it was my 1st trip away alone. after 1 month w janet, it felt a bit strange 2 b alone. but i enjoyed it. i'm asocial after all. lol.
the museum in edinburgh. it's cool. n it's free!
machine spelling out my name. haha...

you know dolly? the cloned sheep?

bonnie scotsman! ain't he cute? =P

royal botanic garden or something like that. pretty place. exotic plants as u'll see below.

squirrel! haha...

edinburgh castle

nice car? :) oh my, my vocab appears to b made up of e word nice only... hmmm...

nice, hmmm... scenic view. :P

again nice 2 see ppl enjoying e day in e sun on e grass

wanna ride a bike e rite way? learn from him! haha...

isn't he the cutest ever? aww...

palace of holyrood. queen elizabeth comes here in e summers.

the garden area can rival the palace, seriously...

view of edinburgh train station n new town area. sights mostly in e old town area

Inverness:

lovely. :) hottest day n place in europe apparently. whooping 25 degrees. oh how i miss that weather... again...

went hunting for Nessie next day. didn't manage 2 catch her though... :(

urquhart castle (actually, ruins la. ancient old castle)

Glasgow:

hopped on e bus for a tour. not bad if u're there 4 only a day.

the "armadillo". rivalling sg's "durian" :P

glasgow cathedral.. met a madman there. lol

people's palace. cool name. nice place.

hey i bought u guys sweets from here. :)

got back 2 edinburgh at nite n there was this CRAZY fog. haha... love e weather.

local product. potentially more powerful than redbull. haha...

more next time. tips on finding good hostels. :)

london

2008-07-21T17:11:00.018+08:00

in e mood 2 post today. so more pics. xs said i hadn't posted pics on london, n i realised it's true! ah. haha... so here they are. be prepared for a lengthy read k? lots n lots of photos!!! enjoy:

Day 1:

arrived in e evening, so didn't go abt much, jus went 2 london bridge.

beautiful ain'it? haha... had wonderful weather throughout my trip. :)

looking horrendous w/out makeup n after a 5 hr bus ride.

prob abt 7plus in e evening. haha...

one of my fav places: shakespeare's globe theatre.

Day 2:

big mr ben :P

sg flyer?? nah, london eye! haha...

another fav place: westminster abbey

dear will who terrorises students of literature even today.

piccadilly circus? trafalgar square? can't rmb. oops. haha... sounds awfully familiar huh? yup, monopoly!!!

celia's fav horses.

famed red telephone booths (smelling of urine n filled w phone sex ads)

outside national portrait gallery (i think)

loves: covent garden! :D

this is "oopsie-mamushka". they r great! i have their cd if u're interested.

t-shirts with an attitude at covent garden.

bubble tea anyone? 3.80 pounds??!! NO THANKS...

went 2 e globe 2 catch "a midsummer night's dream" play. it was fantastic!!!!!!!

modeled after e original globe theatre in shakespeare's time, e inside looks like this

end of performance, n i was freezing... at nite it's still cold. n this was end of may.

Day 3:

ok, sorry, lousy panoramic photo of buckingham palace.

see the wonders makeup does? (compare with day 1) lol

ooh... the guards. haha...

they started performing hit songs which sounded oddly enough like not jap graf or american graf, but brit graf (band ppl shld noe wat i mean). n they played lennon's imagine! haha...

one of e things i love abt here. lunch hour in the city. ppl working jus find a nice spot on e grass no matter what they wear, n sit, have lunch, chat w friends. nice. :)

indiana jones, anyone? here's the crystal skull.

so "the devil wears prada" rite?? so impeccably dressed! (the girl in case for some reason you think i'm talking about the guy... -_-!)

okay, quite disappointing, yes? harry potter's platform 9 n 3/4, so small... well actually it's not e original. u need a train ticket 2 get 2 e real platform but i didn't have one... i think many ppl also wanna take this so in e end they jus put this pathetic sign 4 ppl to take. sad...

Day 4:

famed harrods!!! unfortunately doing up its front... sigh. it's like tt everywhere i go.

a war memorial

inside hyde park (not leeds, london!) cute tree huh? kinda like unshaved whomping willow. haha...

the HUGE park.

nice day to take photos so i dolled up n took lots. so pardon the seemingly 自恋 photos up ahead. hee... =p

in case u noticed, yes it was warm enough 4 me 2 go about in short sleeves!!! haha... prob about... 15/16 degrees? miss that weather!

ok this was so funny. lols. "this way to... um... the bottom of the pond?"

italian garden n fountain (below)

the spot where i parked myself n took photos for like half an hour. haha...

ok la i spare you, only post a few out of the many i took. haha...

london's chinatown

durian!!! ah!!! no escaping from it even so far from singapore...

hello panda. for like 1.50 pounds per box. crazy...

that kinda concludes london. :) any questions/comments?

pics n stuff

2008-07-21T16:41:00.005+08:00

random pics taken at racial harmony day in sch today. :)

introducing my attachment mates who're hesitant n shy abt appearing on my blog. lols.

left to right: ms kaur, ms chan, mrs lim (not attachment! teacher!), ms chong, mr tay
ms kaur with a funnie expression
next photo, she said do a funnie face n i did! lols. joke's on me... XD
reclusive master crab...

n our quotes of the day, courtesy of mr tay. :)

see the small print? "look skywalker!" (p.s. look at him walking in the sky) rofl

saw this outside home-ec classroom. big lols.

all i can say is: dots...

happy racial harmony day!

alvin!!!

2008-07-17T23:29:00.003+08:00

Alvin ah, can't wait 2 hear from u... muzmuzmuz let us noe u've arrived safely once u can ok? we all wish e best for u and really do hope ur time there will be blessed. *smiles*

miss u already k? dun wait too long 2 return hor!

recap

2008-07-14T21:16:00.000+08:00

ok, so school was like busy today.

got a "surprise", not a very good one. 1st period n me n my friends were planning 2 go eat breakfast when my mentor came in n requested we relief teach this class: ie, do a lesson, not just sit there n go "keep quiet!". so of course the class at 1st was very happy thinking today teacher on mc, got free period, then in comes these 4 "teachers"... 1. i wasn't prepared so i screwed up. 2. class wasn't prepared for relief teachers. so... lesson did not go very well. not as well as my first one. a bit sad, emo after that a while...

but i guess, it's good. who says all lessons have to be fantastic? we gotta learn from not so good ones n encourage one another, and improve upon it. so next lesson is tmr, hope it goes well. :)

rushing out project after project. so much work for teachers. packed life. oh wells. it's ending soon. n i've got great scholar-mates with me. master crab n his disciple, and ever so stable, consistent n great ms chong. =P

2008-07-14T21:13:00.000+08:00

i make things worse.

i miss them. God, what can i do, apart from pray?

2008-07-12T00:22:00.000+08:00

so far...

2008-07-08T21:14:00.000+08:00

as promised, now my keyboard's cooperating with me.

so backdating to last week, i had my first lesson observations. they were like cool. learnt quite a lot from my mentor and got to see first hand how the same lesson can have such different effects on different classes. Class dynamism first-hand. haha...

also, last week we had a fun day. in lieu of youth day, the school allowed pupils to dress up, not wear school uniform for one day. it was great to see the creativity and hip vibe of the pupils. :)

in addition, the school had a surprise in store for pupils: the teachers were encouraged to dress in this theme: back to school! muahaha... ome teachers were sooo sporting, they really dressed up for it. so some wore the school's uniform (dunno how they got it), while some younger teachers wore their previous school (sec sch or jc) uniform. it was hilarious, cos the pupils looked like teachers n the teachers looked like pupils. haha...

really cool man.

this week my friend n i will be teaching a lesson. so we've been preparing for it, and still quite nervous though. also busy as a group for our project. will be stretched pretty thin actually. but enjoying this experience now.

only thing i dislike (and will continue disliking), is having to wake up sooo early!!! haha... no choice lor. will get used to it. i hope.

ok post more soon! maybe when my lesson is over n i haven't come out of it permanently traumatised. haha...

frustrate...

2008-07-06T21:24:00.000+08:00

wanna blog but my keyboard is giving me problems. thank God mine's a tablet. haha... will blog when my keyboard is in e rite mood. soon!!!

achnstz7=]/, not responding...

day 1!

2008-07-01T18:35:00.000+08:00

haha... day 1 in my attachment at school. :) it was fun, it was really an eye-opener, and it made me feel excited and challenged about my next few weeks there.

didn't really get 2 do much today. sat in on the zonal sharing, which was really good and infomative. got 2 see the planning n effort teachers n school leaders actually put into achieving the vision n mission of their schools. things we as students never saw. activities n projects we would just do n do n not understand why we were doing them. now i see. n it's a good learning experience 4 me.

met my fellow scholars attached here. they are a great bunch! had so much fun just chatting n sharing stories n experiences. i'm glad they r my attachment mates :D look forward 2 working w them on e project. project is cool, doing research on MOE's Internationalisation Programme and how 2 bridge e gap between policy n implementation. to see e students gain so much more from their immersion n exchange programmes. jus like our mission trip. haha... cool cool.

oh n the teachers n P n VPs r so friendly, warm, helpful, enabling us 2 experience teaching life in full. it's encouraging. (=

nothing much else if u have more qns can ask me personally.

it'll be wonderful but tiring. but my strength comes from God. in Him i trust, in Him i shall find rest. (=

back to school

2008-06-30T23:22:00.000+08:00

not as a student this time round though. haha... but, also not as a teacher. lol.

yup, starting my attachment at a school which i shall not name here (ask me if you wanna noe) as part of my scholarship mid-course programme.

kinda nervous, wondering about my ability to work n learn, fearful of the attention paid to me (you who are students ALL know! you note what your teacher wear, if they wear something more than once or wear something strange, there'll be "AGM" on it. haha...) but anyways also excited. i think...

so it's back to the days of waking up uber early to reach school by 7am. fortunately moe is understanding, attaching us to schools near our homes. =)

met so many friends today. haha... elizabethans, even those studying overseas came back. met jason n charmaine from el2101. even saw zhiying. LYNN KOK's cousin!!! haha... forgot 2 ask zhiying about it. haha... yup so it was cool, happy, everybody talking non stop. haha...

i'll b busier (compared to the past month, no, make that the past 6 months :p), so won't have much chance 2 meet up w u gals le. pray 4 me ok? need all ur prayers. thank you! will blog when n if i can abt my attachment. u noe, can't really write about certain stuff- teachers n students alike. see how. big smile to everyone!

overnight prayer meeting

2008-06-27T23:06:00.000+08:00

youth overnight prayer meeting tmr.

this song just came into my head: "still"

hide me now, under Your wings

cover me, within Your mighty hand

when the oceans rise and thunders roar

i will soar with You above the storm

Father You are King over the flood

i will be still and know You are God

find rest my soul, in Christ alone

know His power in quietness and trust

i understand, some of us have been hurt pretty bad recently. God doesn't ask us to wipe away the pain and the hurt and pretend it's alrite, it's ok. instead, Jesus asks us to come to Him. "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (matt 11:28-30)

in such a time of hurt, of disappointment, the fact that one can get so badly hurt even in church, even by church friends, it makes it so difficult to come to Jesus. so hard to let go and let God heal. no strength to deal with it, helpless to help others.

it is true. these things happen. when God sees, He hurts too, for He sees people hurting, He sees how the sins of man have caused all the pain. that's why He asks us to come to Him, to seek Him, even when we don't feel like it, even when we just don't have the strength. He knows the struggles in our hearts, the questions that we don't dare to ask aloud, questions like, "why, God?", and "how could You let this happen God?" even if people around us cannot understand these struggles, God understands. and He provides the solution, if only YOU are willing to accept it.

God's solution is simple: come to ME, be STILL, know I am GOD, and I will make things right.

trust in Him, present it ALL to Him.

it is a time of weakness for us all. all the more we must NOT let the enemy triumph! God is victorious, He has given us the victory. we must not allow the enemy to use any foothold to thwart God's plans. we will have a powerful, Holy-Spirit-filled meeting tomorrow and of course satan is not happy! i'm not simply disregarding all that has happened as an attack by the enemy, but since such things have happened, we have to be careful. we have to RISE ABOVE.

a phrase i learnt from someone recently: love covers all.

simple phrase, really, but so much meaning from it.

love covers, as in God's love covers all of us. love covers, as in the love God has given us covers each other, covers good times and bad times, covers and lessens the pain, covers all our weaknesses and our mistakes and our failures.

love does cover all.

and i pray, let God's love cover you even as you read this, if you read this. let God's love fill you, that you may have the strength to let your love cover too.

the issues some of us have had to go through will not just disappear as this happens. it will require a willingness to forgive, to listen, to explain. but let this all happen in God's love. let your heart first be healed by God. let Him. it's easy. we all know, because we have been touched by God before. so don't hesitate, don't be unwilling to let Him touch you.

when i was younger and i was learning how to swim, i once almost drowned cos i kinda collided with someone else (quite stupid of me actually). i was in the middle of the pool and my coach was at the edge, too far to come in time to save me. of course in the end i didn't die (ok, blame my really lame sense of humour for this). but i had a choice, stop learning how to swim entirely cos the risk was too great, or overcome the fear, the remembrance of that sensation of drowning and start swimming again. some people choose to not go near the water entirely. or maybe just where the water level reaches their knees. some people decide instead to overcome, to learn from the mistakes, to let courage succeed the fear.

similarly, it's a choice we all have to make at this point, or at any other point in life. what's even better for us now, is that we know we have God helping us! He will hold on to you as you learn how to swim again, He will swim beside you. and you will swim faster, with more skill, and more courage and agility. you will become a healthier person, you will be able to save lives and teach others what you have learnt. you will not have missed out on that wonderful experience on gliding through the water.

so i really hope, cos i cannot say i really understand what some of my dear sisters are experiencing now, that you will be able to rise above the darkness and despondency of the time, and increase your faith in God.

goodnite, and may i see you tomorrow at the overnight prayer meeting, to be refreshed, to be renewed, to be healed. =)

remember, love covers all.

homesick?

2008-06-26T23:47:00.001+08:00

haha... jus as i was sharing with xuan n sophia today. i think i'm a little homesick... for leeds. haha...

i miss my life there somehow, esp coming back 2 a fast-paced, stressful, comparatively more unhealthy singapore lifestyle. i miss janet too... and i guess i miss independance, not having so many concerns and conflicts with family and friends. but then i look at myself, and tell myself i can't just run away from bad stuff or tough stuff. it may be hard to handle such conflicts, to deal with pain and stress again, yet this is life. it makes me a person. it is how God molds me and breaks me and makes me His instrument.

i'm glad i'm back here. :)

and once again sorry, especially to louis and to xuan, i think i had a poor attitude in worship practice just now. please forgive me, my old self crops up unexpectedly. i'm struggling to learn humility and submission, and thank you for walking through this time with me! i couldn't ask for a more understanding group of friends to painstakingly walk with me through this journey.

an encouragement to xuan, to racheal: you have surprised me from the day i first heard you play. i've been away only, wat, 5 months max, and there you two are, doing a great job! of course, there's loads more to improve on, i do have much more to improve on too. so have confidence in your playing! have questions, not sure, definitely can ask. sometimes, though, it can also be good to try it out yourself. no harm making mistakes, we all learn from them. ok? develop a style, a set of patterns that you can be comfortable with, but at the same time learn not to stick to the comfortable, but to develop more, to pick up different styles. jiayou for God's ministry!!!

when hope is lost

2008-06-24T23:57:00.000+08:00

i was jus reading through this small brochure with the above title. it's about dealing with depression. it's simple to understand, and so accurate, i think. hope it helps people who are going through tough times in life, so i've decided to quote some passages that i think are helpful.

the nature of depression: "the experience of depression has been referred to as a heavy blackness. others compare it to being buried alive. Charles Spurgeon likened it to 'the horror of a soul forsaken by God'. It is a hellish experience when people give up on life or feel that life has given up on them."

factors that may cause depression:
1) physical factors- disease, diet and exercise, genetics
2) outside influences- family background and past abuse, loss and unfairness, deferred hope (Proverbs 13:12)
"the experience of loss is often tied to a sense of unfairness. many Christians tend to struggle with feelings of injustice prior to and during their bouts with depression. at some level, they believed that if they worked hard enough, followed the rules, loved the Lord and served Him, then their lives would turn out okay. they knew, of course, that life would be difficult, but they didn't imagine it could be so unfair... they never thought they would end up feeling so lonely or meaningless."

the process of giving up:
1) blaming others "when we are feeling down and hopeless, there's a tendency to blame others. we blame the people in our lives for not caring enough. we resent their unwillingness to see things our way or to come through to us on our terms. blaming others justifies giving up."
2) blaming ourselves "many depressed people drift toward the idea that it's their fault that life has taken a turn for the worse. they believe they've either done something wrong or they simply feel unworthy. they also tend to believe that they are to blame for being disappointed because they were foolish enough to hope that life would work out in the first place."
3) hating pleasure "those who struggle with depression tend to find themselves in a state of enormous tension. although a part of them wants to stay hopeful, they tend to back away from anything that arouses hope. the pain of deferred hope and the increased levels of despair are just too much for them to bear."
4) hating responsibility "someone who's depressed may feel that because life is hopelessly unfair, there's no reason to be responsible... since life is unfair and the rules don't seem to mean much, they see no point in following the routine."

the reasons we give up
1) refusal to live with deferred hope "while people who are depressed usually feel out of control in so many ways, they do have some control over how much pain they feel. more than anything, people who give up and become depressed are committed to living with as little pain as possible on their own terms, especially the pain of deferred hope. giving up helps to avoid feeling the kind of pain and emptiness that only heaven will take away."
2) misplaced hopes "many who struggle with depression feel despair because they put their primary hopes for meaning and joy in all the wrong places- bf/gf, job, house etc. essentially, they placed their hopes in a false god of their own making- one that could never satisfy their souls (Ps 115:3-8)"

the process of recovery
"recovery from depression is like a gradual ressurection from the dead. the Spirit of God working in us can bring what is dead back to life... it's encouraging to know that God is in control, that He can provide for our deepest needs, and that He is able to renew our hearts in the midst of great despair (2 Cor 4:16). we must understand, however, that the One who works in us is the Spirit of truth (John 14:16-17). so it's in the realm of truth that He is able to bring renewal and growth to our hearts.
the process of recovery is built on the foundations of facing the truth, no matter how much it hurts. pain is not the enemy, it's a sign that life and feelings are returning to our deadened hearts."
1) recovering hope by facing despair "as strange as it seems, facing despair is one of the best things a person battling with depression can do... they're too afraid that the darkness will devour them. but as they find the courage to begin facing the darkness, they are able to discover that 'suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope (Rom 5:3-5). facing despair is NOT an exercise in self-pity. instead of leading to deeper depression, facing our despair can increase a sense of true hope in the One."
2) acknowledging the pain of loss "we can begin to feel the pain of loss when we admit to ourselves what it is we deeply hungered for that has been lost- a particular relationship, or the ability to achieve a dream. identifying our unmet desires and the emptiness of loss and disappointment will likely turn our world upside down at first. but in time, we'll see that there is something worth living for that is bigger than ourselves."
3) admitting the failure of misplaced hopes
4) recovering faith by facing doubt "in most cases of depression, one's faith in God is dying a steady, slow death. many feel that God no longer cares about them. they often feel they have a strong case against God. it's important to realise that God invites us to struggle with (not deny) our doubts to recover faith in the same way that He wants us to face despair to recover and strengthen hope" biblical egs-- Ps 22:1, Jer 15:18, Jer 20:7-8 "jeremiah's desire for and confidence in God increased because he struggled through his doubts."
"struggling with God is no light matter. it exhausts all the energy we can muster. but it's in our exhuastion that we are more apt to be humble and quiet before Him. sometimes we're not ready to hear what God wants us to understand until we pour it all out before the throne of grace. and when there's nothing left to say (Job 40:4-5), the truth can sink in"
5) recovering joy by giving to others (Acts 20:35)

the process doesn't eliminate pain or fear... only heaven allows us those options (Rev 21:4) before it can get better it must often get worse. but those who learn to put their hope in God will renew their strength. they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isa 40:31)

AMEN!

whew, super lengthy, i've realised, but so true! and gives me hope too! thank You, Lord, for You are great. You are amazing beyond all of man's comprehension. i bow in awe of You and Your wonderful ways. i commit all of us youth into Your hands. please bring us all back to You.

trading my sorrows =D

2008-06-23T11:47:00.000+08:00

songs i was just listening to:

trading my sorrows
lord you are good
beautiful saviour

lovely songs for a lovely God. :)

Jesus i love you. You give us strength each new day for where we walk.

My favorite passage now- Isaiah 35.

Joy of the Redeemed

1 The desert and the parched land will be glad;

the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;

it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,

the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

they will see the glory of the LORD,

the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,

steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,

"Be strong, do not fear;

your God will come,

he will come with vengeance;

with divine retribution

he will come to save you."
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened

and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,

and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Water will gush forth in the wilderness

and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,

the thirsty ground bubbling springs.

In the haunts where jackals once lay,

grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highway will be there;

it will be called the Way of Holiness.

The unclean will not journey on it;

it will be for those who walk in that Way;

wicked fools will not go about on it.
9 No lion will be there,

nor will any ferocious beast get up on it;

they will not be found there.

But only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return.

They will enter Zion with singing;

everlasting joy will crown their heads.

Gladness and joy will overtake them,

and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

i love you

2008-06-22T23:53:00.000+08:00

i love you girls. (:

all of you.

you, are my encouragement, are my lesson in life.

you bring light and happiness.

never darkness and despair.

you will always be dear to me.

it's not about me, never about me.

it'll be about you, how to be a better friend, a better sister to you.

it'll be about being strong to lift you up.

it'll be learning and understanding how you feel, what you are going through.

never judge. not once.

please come back to me.

and i love God.

for He is the one true source of hope

the only place to draw love to continue loving

the tower of strength when one has exhausted her own strength

God, You never condemn us, You never will.

Dear God, grant us all a good night of sleep. We remain Your children forevermore.

Many questions of life will be left unanswered; they will remain unanswerable. But the Bible has enough answers for us, if we will only look to it, and not to the world.

smiles

2008-06-20T11:02:00.000+08:00

had a nice time with xuan, sophia n janice ytd :) photos up soon.

wish i hadn't read them, they poison. but i love u, god loves u, much as u may think he doesn't. what else can i say or do? i pain, but i hope too. n love covers all. thanks louis for tt phrase.

Prophecy

2008-06-14T10:53:00.000+08:00

Haha... I've decided 2 upload my prophecy from Rev. Karmeel. It's almost word for word, minus a few Hallelujahs here n there. :)

Be comfortable with how and who the Lord has made of you. Be very comfortable, in fact, to the point of being CONFIDENT! Hallelujah. And don’t be afraid to walk where others haven’t walked, where your friends aren’t walking, where people aren’t walking, but you know, in your heart, it’s where God wants you to walk, because it’s all part of your mantle of leadership, part of the prophetic anointing. It is part of making you a woman of God that God is in the process of making you. There are some things you will derive, of course, from… from your family, your heritage, but, I really sense, you’re gonna go in a unique path. Hallelujah. A unique path, almost customized. Haha… Customized path. Hallelujah.

Father, as we commit Mel to You, help her to be confident in who she is in God, help her to be grateful, for who she is in God. Grateful, even enjoy who she is in God. She doesn’t have to explain, she doesn’t have to apologize, she doesn’t have to feel uncomfortable, because, God, it’s people like her, that makes the world a better place. It is people who dare to be different, people who follow the call, rather than the crowd, that are the blessing that God wants them to be. Hallelujah. And so Lord, let her walk again, with courage, with confidence, with gratitude, with joy. Hallelujah. Let her enjoy herself, just as she is to help others to enjoy themselves. Thank you Lord.

Also, Tony had a word from God for me, a prophecy too, that God has called me to be an encourager, and He will give me a soft heart. I think my heart cannot get any softer le, or else I'll just keep crying n crying. haha... kidding. Thank you Tony for this word of encouragement! But my memory quite poor, so if you can give me the whole thing written down it'd b great. haha... :D

Later i uploading some of my favorite photos from my "vacation" ok? =p

upon coming home

2008-06-11T13:39:00.000+08:00

haha... i haven't posted in quite a while, have i? now that i'm back, i'm still continuing though, partly in thanks to xuan who keeps asking me 2 blog blog blog! haha...

i'm glad 2 b back, and i think God's timing for everything is just amazing. rmb i wasn't supposed 2 return so early? then i prayed 2 b able 2 come back earlier, n i did, and managed 2 attend rev kameel's revival meeting. it's really good, for it strengthened me 2 face things and gave me the push spiritually.

actually i dun wanna come back n start involving myself fully in church ministry again, afraid i might burn out quickly, not prepared 2 handle so much stuff after a relaxing 5mths =P. but God has reminded me not to fear (Isaiah 35). n i'm remembering i fear only God. learning to trust in Him, asking Him how 2 do things, having faith in His perfect will and perfect time.

no more emotionally unstable mellie. not high one second and down the next; no more screaming my head off. hehe. i've been repenting of my sins, asking God 2 forgive me 4 the hurt i've caused 2 so many youth. n i hope u forgive me too. i was proud, aloof, let my emotional hayrides affect the people ard me whom i love so much. i look back (after the 5mths) and see myself as u would have seen me. i am ashamed of it, but i look to God for forgiveness, and i seek forgiveness from my peers, my juniors, my pastors as well.

these past 5 months have done me much good, as i believe it has done the people ard me good too. separation does have its merits. :) i never want 2 b the person i was 5mths ago.
so hey, if u have some comments 4 me, no matter wat, pls tell me truthfully k? i won't get all defensive n start screaming again =P. i want 2 hear the truth, i need 2 hear the truth; only then will i get better. so don't b too polite with me. but of cos don't overdo the other way too. haha...

i was doing my devotion today, and God sent a timely reminder in 1 Cor. We, as servants of God, plant the seed, water the seed, but God is the one that makes the seed grow. Everything i do now is seed planting and watering, and i look to God for the seed to grow. May He grow within me, too, the seeds of patience and perseverence, of diligence and utmost humility. May the seeds within me grow n flower n bear fruit that i may b a better person every single day. Amen. =)

Japanese name

2008-04-29T04:50:00.000+08:00

=) go try this out. see my name on the left? haha... it's really fun. go try with both chinese and english names, see which one you prefer. oh yeah, remember, put your surname first, and please select your gender correctly.

the link is on the left, but you can also click this link: http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/toys/namegen/969/ to access.

now i have a japanese name! =P

time flies

2008-04-26T01:48:00.000+08:00

next week: last week of lessons!

i'm coming back real sooon... haha... soon u're gonna miss not having me ard. =P

enjoy the last few weeks b4 i come back. muahaha... *evil grin*

well, it's getting pretty warm here. hitting 12 degrees already. woohoo! feel the heat man. (ok kidding, pity u in singapore. i'm so gonna die of heat stroke when i'm back...) i actually do not turn on the heater and i open my window at night. AND i don't have to wear that thick winter coat anymore!!! muahaha... locals actually go about in short sleeve tshirts n shorts. that's way too much 4 me though. haha... one thing's for sure, i'm gonna miss the cool weather here... :)

i'm waiting for leaves to grow on the trees. will they grow b4 i leave?

photos finally uploaded!

2008-04-23T22:31:00.000+08:00

hey peeps,

yeah, finally got all the photos on my europe trip uploaded. go check out: http://s306.photobucket.com/albums/nn271/evenevemel/Europe%20Trip/

used photobucket cos there's no limit to uploading, unlike flixter, and not as troublesome as facebook, where u can only upload max 50 photos each time... haha...

there's many photos, so take your time to look thru. and yeah, once u get to that page, click the subalbum links on the left. i organised them by the countries and cities i went.

:)

florence

2008-04-21T00:07:00.000+08:00

ok class, today we're learning about florence, or firenze, as it is known in italy. *snigger* class is over. let's get serious. =P Florence is a beautiful place, full of culture and fantastic art. florentine (and italian) painters and artists are renowned. names like michelangelo, leonardo (da vinci, not di caprio, like janet thinks... lol), and botticelli are famous names, and much of their artwork (some the most famous in the world) is displayed here, in galleries. fantastic.

florence is part of tuscany, a beautiful place, which i unfortunately did not have the opportunity to visit in detail. tuscany also includes pisa, and siena (another famous art place). spent about 2 days here (4-6april), and it was really great.

we actually literally bumped into our american flatmate meghan n her friends. we ended up traveling on the same train (from venice to florence), in the same carriage. AND stayed in the same hostel. how's that for a coincidence? AND we bumped into each other again in rome. it can get pretty freaky at times. haha...

anyway, here are some photos of florence. bet u'll love it. :)

Day 1:

the statue of David (by michelangelo). one of the most famous works ever. n actually photography is not allowed. =P
the duomo (cathedral).
inside the duomo
the dome. the artwork's fabulous.

Day 2:

there's this market which sells fruit very cheaply, and also plenty of dried fruits. yummy! the dried mango is one of the best i've ever tasted. they also have dried melon, papaya, banana, etc...

in a public square, a replica of the famous david. there are altogether 3 davids in florence (1 real in the gallery, 2 replicas in public areas)
a very famous bridge (not sure why, but on many postcards). links the 2 parts of florence together. very pretty bridge :)

found this in a bookshop. pop-up storybook of moby-dick! simply have 2 show this 2 my american lit prof. haha... i nearly died reading it last sem, n they do a kiddy pop-up version of it?!

ok, here i am, past the bridge u saw jus now. so i'm on the other side, waiting for the sun 2 set. u'll noe why later. =D

some of the cutest cars i've ever seen!

this car is pretty common throughout europe. not sure why, but i really like its compactness. wish they had something like this in singapore... i'd b able 2 drive in something like that. :)

voila! now u see it... beautiful sunset... more below. no more words. just enjoy it.

ok, liked the sunset? if u do go to florence in future, go across the bridge, to piazza michelangelo, where i caught this sunset. really great. oh, btw, the other replica of david is at the piazza michelangelo. lol. n please check the sunset times. haha... i mean, if u go in winter it's bound 2 be much earlier, n if u go in summer, sunset will probably be at 8 or 9pm... haha...

hope u look forward to the next post!

pisa

2008-04-18T21:29:00.000+08:00

took a one day trip from rome to pisa (by train). actually makes more sense to go from florence to pisa, so take note of that k? haha...
pisa is small, but it does have a number of attractions. but of course the most important is the cathedral, together with its famed leaning tower... most people just take a day trip to pisa, and it's more than enough. an afternoon would be enough actually. and if you don't have the moolah, u can spend even less time there. to go up the tower would cost you 15EUR, and tours of the cathedral etc have different prices. anyway, on to the photos!!!

the famed duomo (cathedral) in the piazza dei miracoli
the baptistry (same place)
ah... u see how it leans? scroll further down for cooler leaning pics! haha...
we went up the tower, which doesn't really look slanted (not on photo anyway), but felt really strange. we were climbing up the stairs, n could really feel the leaning. anyway, the view's great from the tower.
yup, so that's me.
the duomo as seen from the tower
just trying to show how it slants. good?

and from the main door itself, u can see the slant. haha...

the whole tower! quite an obvious slant rite?

the same, in greyscale

it's really nice to see people jus having fun. we had a picnic on the grass too :)

we, as in janet and me, as well as celia (janet's friend) who joined us for paris and italy! they both LOVE taking photos. seen here, they're examining the photos i took for them n having a good laugh at some of the crazy ones. =P

the duomo with pisa in the backdrop. cool?

ended our day walking back to the train station, passing the river. it's beautiful. and the houses. i have to say, the houses in europe are so colourful and so quaint. if only singapore houses could be like that. :)

geneve

2008-04-18T01:00:00.000+08:00

today i'm gonna upload my stuff on my time in switzerland. switzerland is an absolutely fantastic place, especially if you like nature and peace and quiet. sadly i was there only for a weekend, which is way too short to go places. we wanted to go to jungfrau, which is a very famous snow mountain, but the journey from geneva was long, and it is too expensive to go. costs about 300 swiss francs by train, which makes it about... 400SGD *whew* =) and we wanted to go to luzern, which is also a very nice place, but also cost way too much. about 140 francs by train. so in the end, we stayed in geneva, and had a very nice time there, and went for a day trip to lausanne (which sounds very much like luzern, so be careful and don't mix the 2 up). Lausanne is significant for its being the HQ of the IOC (internation olympic committee) and has a museum on it. really pretty nice trip overall.

hostel wise, we stayed in HI (hostelling international, which has branches in various places). judging from this one we stayed in, i would recommend this to most people. it is the largest hostel we stayed in, price is average, goes by key-card system (including a locker which is secure), includes breakfast (which is comparably good). of course, have to pay for internet access, and they have laundry facilities and so on. more importantly, the staff are helpful and friendly. website for HI is: http://www.hihostels.com/web/index.en.htm in case anyone wants to travel around in future. for switzerland in particular, this website is better than hostelworld (which has pathetically limited offerings for switzerland in particular, for some strange reason): http://youthhostel.ch/home.html?&L=1 or http://www.geneve-tourisme.ch/?rubrique=0000000000&lang=_eng (for geneva only)

one of the highlights of this trip was our flight from switzerland to venice. we were supposed to go by train, but there were some problems with the booking of train, and ended up, the flight was cheaper than train, and by far better! one of the nicest airlines in the world (and it is a SMALL airline). the name is "fly baboo" and the website is http://www.flybaboo.com/ it operates only from switzerland to a number of neighbouring countries (luckily for us to venice), and also back. wanted to get the model plane for daniel, but they didnt have it... sad... it is a very cute plane. not a plane actually... hmmm... well, have a look at the photos below. :)

Day 1 (geneva):cute flower clock!

street with flags. love flags. =P

isn't he cute??? haha... it was nice and warm. i repeat. WARM. (unlike leeds...)

rather famous fountain on lake geneve (managed to catch it just as the yellow boat passed under it, and the fountain looked kinda like the sail of the boat. haha...)

bought a new pair of shoes cos my cheap 4pound shoes from primarks gave out on me. these caused about 29francs, which is really cheap already. and i saw a similar one later in the day (branded of course, but looking almost the same) and that one cost 100francs. good buy! :D

Day 2 (geneva):

we visited the UN. u just have to. it was great. this chair, outside the UN, does not belong to the UN, but is significant as a piece of art regarding the issue of land mines (notice the broken chair leg) really meaningful

more flags :) anyway they have a guided tour of the UN. u can't enter without going for the tour anyway. security issues. but do go for it. it's really educational and eye-opening.

this is china's tribute to the UN. many countries have given something or other. what's cool about this (which i can't show here) is the slight optical illusion. if u walk from one side of the painting to the next, u'll see that the path follows u; it is always directly in front of u. so no matter where u stand, the path leads to the pagoda. :)

now what does this remind u of? "the interpreter", of course!

cool postcard (couldn't afford to buy it)

wat more fitting than to have the red cross directly opposite the un?

from the red cross, you can see the un building, and to the right of it, in the background is mont blanc! we were very lucky to catch a good view of it. it's not everyday that u can see this peak.

in the evening we came back to the lake. u can see how strong the wind is by the fountain...

isn't this the sweetest thing u ever saw???

location: lake geneva. date: 30 march. time: 1940hrs. 7.40pm!!! (well not so much of a surprise now that the sun only STARTS to set in leeds at 8pm. and may i add that the sun RISES at 6am. be thankful, singaporeans! =P)

Day 3 (lausanne):

not so good weather, raining... visited a number of churches and buildings

got lost! with me holding the map. lol. but found these cute houses along the way. :)

of course, the olympic museum! decorated for 2008's beijing olympics.

singapore's national olympic council :)

countdown to beijing 2008!

the olympic fire

a pretty nice view, also of lake geneva, but from lausanne

the train station, where the sign says: lausanne capital olympic

this is janet. finally u get 2 meet her. haha... we went to this restaurant to eat cheese fondue.

big mistake, cos it contained alcohol, n we both don't drink, don't like to drink, n totally couldn't finish it! but a very good experience, though we almost died trying to eat more... lol

Day 4 (geneva airport):

fly baboo!!! cool rite? this is the boarding area, where u wait ard 2 board e plane. those who have flown b4 would have had their fair share of lounging ard, and u noe how uncomfortable some places can get... and boring...

well, not here! here they had 3 mac computers for free usage!!! ah!!! haha

and just look at those comfy chairs man...

and this is the plane. so cute!!! has propellers, u see? it's a really small airline with small planes. probably seat no more than 50 passengers. so it was really comfy and cosy and fun.

see the propellers? haha...

and i have to mention, the service onboard was fantastic. 2 flight attendants, very professional and friendly. and our flight was barely an hour, but we were served food. not any kind of food, but really delicious food. there was appetizer of biscuit sticks, followed by this small container of i don't really know, but was really good (had ham, and this carrot mash thingy), and sandwich, and dessert. and cos the flight wasn't full, there were leftovers, and we were allowed to take extras!!! muahaha... basically the best flight i've ever been on.

not to mention the view. oh my goodness, i don't know how to begin describing it. couldn't take photos of it. well, the clouds covered the sky below us, and you could see the mountain peaks sticking above the clouds, covered with snow. it was really amazing. beautiful. oh man... so wanna relive it...

switzerland's really a must go place. seriously. go. but make sure u've got the $$ to travel ard. if u're going to a number of places by train, consider getting this half price card for 99 francs. see, if u buy it for 99francs, u can travel to jungfrau for not 300, but 150francs. 150+99 makes it 219, still less than 300. worth it. :)

oh and yeah, for those who don't know (at least those who did social studies at o lvl should...), the swiss speak a number of languages. in geneva and the nearby area it's mainly french. some places speak german, etc... but not much of a problem seeking help in english anyway. so no worries about any language barrier.

Paris

2008-04-15T23:30:00.000+08:00

bonjour :)
ok, i'm finally gonna do some summary/reflection on my trip. but since it's like one entire month... 32 whole days of non-stop travel... so i'm gonna split it up into places we visited. so today i'm gonna start with paris, though that's not the 1st stop on my travels. haha...

i was in paris 4 days (25-29 March). people would think paris is a fabulous place, full of romance and culture. well, yes, to a large extent. but we tend to forget that life goes on there... not all areas of paris are safe (like the area we were staying in...), parisians are not always known for friendliness and smiles (not that they're rude or anything, it's just not in their custom to do so, i guess), english is (duh) not the spoken language there, and there's waaay too many tourists. sadly, i added to that flock of migratory beings. it wasn't a too unpleasant trip in paris, but it definitely wasn't one of my favorites.

of course, the sights. now i let the photos speak for themselves. a picture paints a thousand words, doesn't it? =)

Day 1: Sacre Coueryes we had to climb all the way up... nice church though

and the view from up there is great. caught our 1st glimpse of the i-fur =P

hehe... one of the phone's many functions: sepia LOL

Day 2

starting off with the arc de triomphe

came to this cool bridge

caught another view of the eiffel (coming soon! don't worry :P)

and this grand building (a museum), which houses the coffin of napolean

we also visited a number of museums and small churches

Day 3

a long day, starting off with the Moulin Rouge :D

went shopping (ahem. window-shopping) at the galeries la-fayette (all the famous stores in there...)

went to chateau de versaille, where we saw this pretty flower clock outside the train station :)

the chateau has a gloriously huge garden... and the palace itself is grand. but now for the most important bit...

yes!!! the eiffel!!! you see, it was still bright when we got there.

the sun started to set while we were queueing for the tickets...

by the time we got up? haha... but beautiful nevertheless. and it had this flashing lights display!

me with a view of paris in the background (it's so dark...)

and at the top they have this cute thing showing how far n in wat direction various countries are. hi singapore!!!

sadly, poor english in one of the most famous places ever... "nothing to be overtaken the fenced area" what in the world does that mean?

Day 4

ok, the next day we found this cool place with a great view of the eiffel, and of course the crazy pictures start :P

and what's a visit to paris without the louvre museum? (made even more famous thanks to dan brown. look at the crowd man)

ta-dah. the famed monalisa, poor thing, hidden behind that glass...

the louvre is simply too big a museum. we couldn't finish it, we didn't even finish half of it. and when we came out it was evening, and the queue's still there!

tip: the louvre is free for youth aged between 16-25 on fridays from 18:30-21:30. however, like i said, it's just too big to do in a day, much less 3hrs. so unless u're staying in paris for like a month, and can afford 2 go 2 the louvre 4 fridays in a row, u might as well jus pay up the 10EUR or something like that n spend e day in there. or choose wat u wanna see. simply too much.

ok, another place next time! hope u enjoyed paris :D

Holy Are You Lord by Terry MacAlmon

2008-04-15T15:19:00.000+08:00

Key: Bb

Intro:Verse:

Hear the sound of heaven, like the sound of many waters

Bb Eb Eb/F F

It's the sound of worship, coming from the throne

Eb F Bb Eb F Bb

Cries of adoration, as men from every nation

Gm Eb C Fsus4 Eb F

Lift their voice to make His glory known, singing

Chorus:

Bb Dm7 Eb Cm

Holy, holy, holy are you Lord

F F7 Bb Ab/Bb Bb

Holy, holy, holy are you Lord

Eb F

The elders and angels bow

Dsus4 D Gm F

The redeemed worship you now

Eb F7 Bb

Holy, holy, holy are you Lord

then goes up to B, and finally to C

some parts may be slightly wrong, but this is the best i could do without a keyboard or any instrument... sob... no instrument... i think i'd have forgotten how 2 play the piano by the time i come back...

it is time

2008-04-14T00:24:00.000+08:00

was jus talking to alvin on msn, and i'd like 2 encourage us all 2 fast n pray. because i've been having this feeling during my europe trip, and alvin jus told me that rev james singh also said the same thing on sat...

share some stuff with u. u all noe i've been on this month long trip to europe (like duh, how many times have i mentioned it? :P) one thing that's really been great for me is how God has drawn me back closer 2 Him. He makes me long to seek Him, and i can really feel excitement when i spend time with Him. it's something i haven't been able 2 feel (or maybe never really felt?), and something i have never been able to persist on before. maybe it's too many distractions (especially with a laptop on 24/7). so this trip, there's so much time in between, and i've had so much more time 2 seek God.

and, i've just had 2 trust Him. the trip wasn't smooth all the way, bad things happened, and when there's no one else, u realise that that's not true! God is here. and i could just revel in His presence... and i'm still learning to trust Him, but He's been the most wonderfully patient teacher u could ever have... :) i've had so much time to spend with God and i'm not tired of it at all! in fact, i'd rather have more. i desire after God now, really and truly. i am no longer afraid to say i love Him and not really mean it.

ok, back to the fast and pray thing. so i was in rome, and there's this Holy Stairs (check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scala_Sancta_(Holy_Stairs). It's a catholic church, but we both believe in the salvation of Christ. So i ascended the stairs kneeling, praying on every step. it was powerful. the moment i knelt i could feel God's powerful presence. some people take it as a ritualistic thing, but no, it was spiritual. there are 28 steps, and it was really tiring (and painful to the knees...), but each of the steps i knelt and said a prayer. i prayed for the youth, for both guys n gals, for the younger ones, for the church. i prayed for revival, and i prayed for God's mercy and forgiveness. i prayed in tongues, and God was just amazing. after that, i felt this inside me to fast and pray for what i had prayed to God earlier. so the next morning i did so, i fasted and prayed. but after that there was this feeling that it was not enough (except i naughtily ignored it). until jus now when i talked with alvin. n i now noe i have to fast and pray. for the individuals in our youth. i'm taking this step of faith, and i would like to see not jus me doing so.

as u noe, there's very little i can do away from u all. i'm so exciting to hear changes happening in church, and i really miss being there, being part of it. and then i start to realise, i AM part of it. by praying and fasting, and seeking the Lord, no matter where i am, i have faith He will hear our prayers. He has a vision, and He has the power to make things happen; it is us who have to be sincere in seeking it, it is us to have to be ready physically and spiritually to receive. even though there are downsides, there are disappointments now, all i can say and do is to trust in God wholeheartedly, to lead the lost sheep back, to raise more young people up.

let us pray. leaders of the youth ministry, let us pray. let us intercede for our youth, for ourselves, for our church. and in God's time, in His amazing way, He will pour out upon us fresh fire!

i'm back!!!

2008-04-13T23:08:00.001+08:00

hey peeps,

thanks 4 waiting so long 4 me 2 update my blog. haha...

i'm back, but a lil busy now, so i'll really put up details of my travels later on. but to say, it has been a wonderful trip. my favorite place: dublin, ireland. least favorite: paris, france. as 2 why, i'll tell u in future. haha...

trying 2 find someplace 2 upload my photos too. when i do, i'll let u guys noe :)

ciao!

buongiorno =D

2008-04-10T23:28:00.001+08:00

ciao ciao,

i'm now in italy. hols ending soon le... a little sad... never knew i enjoyed traveling so much. but also happy 2 go back, to somewhere stable, not having to move ard every few days, not knowing whether the night will be good.
n if u've heard pd's snores, u haven't heard the rest of the world's... heehee...

jus arrived in milano today. previously was in venetia, firenze, and roma (venice, florence, rome). don't worry i haven't forgotten u guys man... i miss u all like sooo much. wish i could pack u all into my bag n bring u along. but i have a 15kg limit, so too bad. lol.

will update my blog with tons of stuff real soon (after i return to leeds on sunday). probably upload millions of photos on facebook or wat. will let u noe then.

so keep a lookout!!!

ciao ciao =P

hello!!!

2008-03-18T21:32:00.000+08:00

haha... yup i´m in madrid now. jus arrived. not much time so i´ll post up most stuff when my traveling is done ba. but jus 2 let u all noe i´m doing fine n having fun. but i´m missing u all too... hope 2 talk 2 u all real soon! take care!

steamboat at alvin's

2008-03-13T06:08:00.000+08:00

haha... jus remembered i took this video when i was loading stuff from my phone 2 my camera. so funny lolz. those who went 4 e steamboat at alvin's place should rmb it.

have a good laugh. i'm so lame. we're all so lame. lol

this one is lamer... better lower e volume cos it's jus screaming. see, that's e machine we use 4 steamboat, n that's louis's finger on it. it's turned on, so it's supposed 2 b hot. but we jus bluffing la, it's amazingly not hot. apparently it heats the steamboat by some kinda convection thing? i'm not really sure too. haha...

CATS!!!

2008-03-12T09:32:00.000+08:00

hehe... went 2 watch cats the musical today. it was fantastic! absolutely fabulous! first rate! i totally loved it. love the music, and the dancing. wonderful. =)

i went alone, which is a pretty nice experience too.

n yeah, u noe, usually wat happens during the interval? ppl (at least ppl in s'pore) rush 2 e toilet, or go out 4 a smoke, or stretch their legs, rite?
haha... here, the ppl went 2 e bar 2 get drinks, and many actually bought ice-cream! imagine, ppl of all ages, some bought ice-cream bars, some in a cup, all sat down at their seats enjoying ice-cream during intermission... boy, i'd love 2 try that in s'pore... heehee...

anyway i'm leaving on thurs le, so u prob won't hear from me very often for about a month. i'll try 2 send emails or update my blog when i'm able 2. but yeah, wish me a smooth n fun trip. =D

ouch

2008-03-08T17:27:00.000+08:00

my head is swirling, my eyes are blurring and tearing...

i jus calculated my expenses for my europe trip. travel and accommodation set me back 2k... *sobz* for one month... just one month... in one month i've spent more than i've ever spent in...well...any other month.

feeling the pinch now. ouch ouch ouch.

woes of traveling

2008-03-07T07:15:00.000+08:00

it's only now that i realise how difficult it is 2 plan a trip. much less a month long trip spanning 5 countries... but i believe all e hard work planning n all e money will b worth e experience n broadening of my world view :)

but jus a note 2 ppl out there. budget air may appear 2 b great, and it can be, but always-i repeat ALWAYS- read e small print. terms n conditions, faqs, reviews etc etc etc. to share my bad experience with all so ppl out there will not fall into a similar trap or get stuck in a bad situation, i have listed a few points about ryanair (which probably applies to any number of budget airlines):

1) make sure u qualify for online check-in, ie. you're an EU or EEA national with valid id. i stupidly ticked online check-in without finding out, only 2 realise later that i couldn't (thanks 2 my friend michelle). this was e cause of e whole trouble.

2) make sure u noe wat e contact numbers are. ryanair lists some numbers on its website, but listen up: ryanair has NO email address listed 4 ppl to email/contact. and the numbers to call are charged at premium rates. no joke. i was put on hold for like 3-4minutes and my pay-as-u-go phone credit dropped to 0GBP from 6GBP... *ouch* if you really need to contact ryanair urgently, i suggest calling the HQ number, which is the ireland number: 0818303030. it puts u on hold 4 awhile, but it is probably the most promising.

3) you're not alone, as i found out, about problems and complications relating to ryanair. plenty of ppl have had negative experiences, and there's a website: http://www.ryanaircampaign.org/ that lists some useful information on contacting ryanair, on some things ppl r trying 2 do 2. it helped me alot...

4) u should noe that there's always alot of hidden charges in budget flights. take note of that, n see if it's really worth it. in the case of ryanair, i can't qualify for online check-in, SO i have to pay 3GBP for airport check-in. u can pack light n have a hand carry, but if u're checking in luggage it costs an additional 6GBP (if u pay 4 it online), or 12GBP (if u pay at e airport). there's of course the processing fee 4 every online transaction u make, apart from the taxes n e flight fare itself. that's y, read the FAQ section, and terms n conditions section ultra carefully...

5) make sure u r familiar with e issues of refunds/compensations in case something goes wrong, eg. ur luggage ends up in france instead of spain where u r. make sure u noe ur rights, who 2 contact when such things happen. don't b led by ur nose from wat some of e working staff say; they might end up making u pay more 4 wat u dun have 2. or if they do, make sure it's refundable, or that there will b some form of compensation.

6) i haven't had e worst of experiences. go 2 almost any travel forum n u can read sob stories hundreds of times worse than mine. go, enjoy, n learn from these people's valuable experiences :P http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/ryan.htm

hope all goes well 4 me n my trip now :D

traveling :)

2008-03-05T22:20:00.000+08:00

well, my rush period is over (3 essays done) :)

now, i'm rushing 4 e next big thing: my travels!!!
hehe... i'm leaving next thurs le (really soon rite?), n i'll b away for a whole month. so i won't b updating my blog unless i have a chance to. if i can i'll send emails as updates.
i'm quite excited. but gotta b so careful about everything, stay safe, save money, plan itinery etc... still, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, n i hope you all will also have this opportunity too one day :D

after my vacation, it's jus another 1 month of sch, den exams, n i'll b back b4 u noe it! haha...

a little bit more...

2008-03-04T06:53:00.000+08:00

almost done with my essay. i've realised (from quite some time ago) that i can't really stay still n write a whole lot. i keep digressing n doing random stuff, from getting up n walking ard, to googling the stupidest things (i've tried 'i'm feeling lucky' on the words 'procrastinate', 'bored', 'die', 'help' etc etc etc... quite fun actually), to blogging now. starting 2 think i have adhd or something. either that or my procrastinating disorder is getting from bad 2 worse. anyone wanna diagnose me? xuan? :P

at least now i feel it's easy 2 write 1500-2000 word essays... having written 3 in a row in the space of a week. whoo... not a very fun thing. get so tired of writing after a while. ah well... the things we do for our interests.

oh ya, it snowed for like one minute this morning. it was so random. my flatmate ran out 2 try 2 get a picture, cos it was rather pretty, but e moment she went downstairs the snow stopped. dotz... XD

2008-03-03T22:35:00.001+08:00

i wanna play maplestory after i'm done with my essay

last one!!!

2008-03-03T18:40:00.000+08:00

yay *doing clumsy dance movements*

last essay!!! due tmr.

gonna be the most fun one, i think. can think sex n sexuality. lolz. (dun think i'm a pervert k?)

THE BATTLE BETWEEN: RESPECTABLE AND FALLEN WOMEN
hehe... my favorite module btw: it has only 1 hour of lessons a week. :P

anyway 4 those who r interested it's about how ppl viewed "fallen" women (those who had pre-marital sex, got pregnant, those who become prostitutes etc...) during the middle 19th C to the start of the 20th C. really interesting how morals n views of such women have changed drastically from then till now. :)

my essay will be on the connections between "respectable" (good virtuous women who r housewifely... *boring*) and "fallen" women. isn't that interesting???

muahaha... i'm going loony.

2008-02-29T03:54:00.000+08:00

shakespeare, my thoughts are not running smoothly. please let me make sense of what u're saying...

*tearing hair*

2008-02-28T06:42:00.001+08:00

i can't believe it, i'm halfway through the semester le... now is week 6... basically about 6 more weeks of school. except i have a month of holidays in between. muahaha... time really passes fast though... jus gotta accept it. it's been fun so far... :)

in response to racheal...

2008-02-28T06:33:00.000+08:00

lol, i noe rach u're thinking like wth is that title about. haha... sorry la, i'm jus about 2 go crazy with my essays, especially the one i jus completed that's about titles. I HATE TITLES!!! officially, from this moment on. kidding. *bipolar*

ok ok, yeah, finished one essay *cheers n applause*. 2 more 2 go. shakespeare's not so bad. fictions of fallen women will b pretty interesting.

jiayou racheal!!! jiayou louis!!! jiayou chrystal!!! :D

hidden library!!!

2008-02-27T20:05:00.000+08:00

haha... not exactly hidden, but an annexe of the library. it's so cool... haha... like some department of mysteries. full of olde books n cool stuff. rows n rows of shelves. claustrophobic ppl can't go in there :P

see the 3-wheeled thing? u turn it, n e whole shelf moves left or right!!! so amazing... lol. i noe, it's not exactly the most advanced of technology, but it was fun turning 2 get e shelves i wanted. :D
example in action: i turned the wheel of the shelf on the left
the shelf moves as i turn the wheel, so i now have space 2 access the shelf on the left! voila!

i actually am suffering from stress overload by my essays, so forgive my digressions n mad blabberings. trying 2 release pressure through healthier ways than stuffing myself with food.

shakespeare essay

2008-02-26T04:59:00.001+08:00

'In Shakespeare's plays Justice is a far wider issue than mere human judgement; indeed the latter can often be a crude parody of the former'. Discuss.

Main texts i will use: Measure for Measure (m4m), Merchant of Venice (MoV)

Main idea: ideal of Justice as divine justice- perfect, absolute justice from God. notions of judgement day come into mind, where God is the ultimate, perfect judge. judgements made on the basis of human justice is flawed, just as man is, or perhaps because man is. it is a narrow, crude, imperfect version of God's justice. in Sh's texts like m4m & mov, we see the act of human judgement and justice in action. it is flawed, with questionable points and not wholly satisfactory endings. however, i would say that human judgement (in sh's texts) not so much crudely parodies Justice as much as undermines the biblical simplicity of perfect Justice.

M4M:
1) title of play is taken from the bible verse (Matt 7:1-2)- significance of sh drawing from a biblical sense of God's perfect Justice, placing it into the fallen, flawed human world and its system of justice.
2) angelo as a judge- the mistakes he makes
3) duke vincentio as judge- he judges, and appears to right all wrongs, and punish the right people at the end of the play. yet upon reflection, the ending seems to bring us right back to the beginning of the play. nothing has changed. and if the duke, as the ultimate figure of authority in vienna, can judge everyone, who is to judge him? us, as the audience.

MoV:
1) justice seems to prevail at the end of the play, yet the means by which justice is achieved is questionable: portia having to dress up as a man to defend antonio; helping to overcome shylock's aggression by mere technicalities; 'persecution' and punishment of shylock

in both plays:
1) tragic impulses are very much present; at any point, the play could end up in a tragedy. all the more, the 'happy', comedic endings are problematised. every problem appears to be solved way too easily, and the judgements meted out appear fair only on the surface.
2) issue of marriage as a resolution to both plays. is it fair for the women? marriage as part of human judgement undermines Justice.

ok, brain dead here. will refine n add more reference to it soon. please, if u'd like 2 help me, feel free 2 comment :) lol
paper is a 1700 word essay due fri

2008-02-26T02:33:00.000+08:00

taken at 6pm outside the uni's main building, parkinson building, while waiting for my bus.

i've forgotten what singapore looks like at 6pm. somebody please tell me?

bronte country

2008-02-24T23:39:00.001+08:00

hiya, i haven't been updating in a while, sorry 4 those who've been waiting...

i went 2 bronte country with michelle (who came up from london 2 visit n travel :D) ytd, and it was a wonderful trip. physically exhausting, challenging, but well worth it! we walked about 7miles on the moor. so tired... n my body is aching today (after not exercising 4 so long, lol)

anyway here r e photos i took. more r uploaded on my facebook. for those who wanna noe, bronte country is near where the famous bronte sisters (writers) lived during their tragically short lives. top withins is said to have been an inspiration for charlotte bronte's wuthering heights.

two words to describe the landscape of the moors: desolate n bleak. yummy! :P

anyway we 1st arrived at keighley rail station
it's really much smaller than the rail station at leeds, being a tiny town.
we took a bus 2 haworth, to visit the bronte parsonage museum, which is the house where the bronte family lived in. very nice n small, but photography inside not allowed...
michelle pointed out snowdrops 2 me. pretty!

a church beside the bronte's house (and a cemetary too)
next we got on the bus to stanbury where the walk starts
this is the moor! (part of it, anyway)
nice, cloudy, not too cold weather
alot of steep slopes, we had 2 walk up n down, up n down. plus it rained e day b4, so some parts were pretty darn muddy... a challenging walk, but we took a pace we could handle, n the view is totally worth it!

sheep!!! haha... so cute. dotted all over e landscape. they're jus happily eating away all day.
a look at how far we'd come from (we nearly fainted at that sight :P)
look at the plants in e foreground n u noe how strong e wind is
interesting forest in an otherwise flat n bleak landscape...
this is top withins!!! a ruin is here. rather interesting...

so of cuz i had 2 take a photo here :) like scaling a mountain haha...
nice trees huh?
after we reached e top (withins), we went down another muddy treacherous route to the waterfalls. by then i was too tired 2 take more photos so i only took some at the falls. before we could get to the falls we had to go down this steep slope, past the rocks in the foreground. not easy...
rapids. actually we'd been hearing the streams all e way from top withins. geog students would love it (which michelle is anyway). really interesting.

a cute little bridge along the stream
looking back up where we walked down from. scary huh? we had 2 walk back up 2 return anyway.
beside the water fall was this plaque. it's so cool! e top part is from psalm 104:24. wonderful!
the falls (i noe, not very clear, sorry)

some other things tt struck me were the friendliness of e ppl here. we were on e bus, unsure of where 2 stop when this old man behind us heard our conversation, n directed us on where 2 stop. when we were at the museum, this old lady in front of us suddenly turned ard n asked if we were japanese. lol. but she knew we didn't really look japanese. n we chatted 4 awhile. at the falls, there were a few ppl taking some chinese students from preston 4 a day trip. while waiting 4 them, they were chatting with us. one of the ladies actually greeted us by saying ni2 hao3 (how r u). so sweet! so i was really very pleasantly surprised at e warmth of e ppl here. on the whole a very nice day trip :)

2008-02-21T23:52:00.000+08:00

blasted weather

what a difference a day makes...

2008-02-20T00:14:00.001+08:00

very high now, haha... sorry about that. jus so amazing, how God is so creative n wonderful. His creation is indescribable.

i wanted 2 post ytd about the changing of seasons, from winter to spring. so i took some photos.
today, same place, another set of photos. look at the difference. talk about winter to spring... more like spring to winter, strangely enough. haha... wat a difference a day (actually less than a day) makes:

this was hyde park at about 3pm yesterday

and this is hyde park today at about 3pm.

janet n i went a little crazy at e end n took these jumping n running photos. muahaha... it's really cool.

n to add cool to cool, the moscow state circus is in town!!! jus opposite hyde park, in fact. so i'm hoping 2 go this weekend. woohoo!!!

emo-ing

2008-02-19T01:49:00.000+08:00

dun mind wat i say here. jus emo-ing n moody a bit.

the sax player is playing now. some neighbour of mine whom i have no idea of. not a good player, but beats that irritating techno/rubbish sound that pounds in ur head from the flat beside mine.

but... i miss my music. hearing e player makes me so envious. i wanna buy a flute, i wanna buy a keyboard. something i can play on. i'm dying here. u all noe. music is my life. yes, yes, i can sing, but it's different. u noe.

cindy down in NZ, i read ur blog. dunno if u've decided which module 2 drop. dun drop e music one. but i noe, u can't transfer e credits back 2 inflexible nus. oh well... sad life.

to sam:

2008-02-18T17:46:00.000+08:00

sam,
u're on 2 a new life le. i'm really so happy 4 u.
i jus sent e sms 2 u, n here i am crying like a baby. haha... can't even see u off. i feel so bad. all i can do is 2 tell u i love u, i'll miss u. like our song.

Samantha’s Song
Verse 1:
E
After waiting for so long
C#m7
Now your dream is finally here
A
Though you have much to fear
E/B Bsus4 B
Just remember we’ll be here

Pre-chorus:
C#m7 B
There’s so much I need to tell you
A B
But it’s hard to say it all
C#m7 B
To prevent us all from crying
A Bsus4 B
We’ve put it in a song

Chorus:
E C#m7
We love you, we’ll miss you
A
It’s hard to see you go
B
But we know you’re not alone
E C#m7
God loves you, He’ll guide you
A E/G#
Jus remember, just remember
F#m7 B E
We will always be here for you

Verse 2:
E
When you feel you’re all alone
C#m7
Just you and all your bones
A
Remember all your friends back home
E/B B
So far we are but still so close

u should see me now. haha... nvm. post on ur blog once u arrive n get settled k?
hugs n muacks!

Cute overload!!!

2008-02-18T06:07:00.000+08:00

seriously cute overload! if u wanna die of cuteness jus go 2 this website. aww... it's so sweet u could get diabetes from looking at e pics. :P adorable!!!

http://www.cuteoverload.com/

shows how bored i am, huh? haha... not 4 long anyway, gonna b busy w schoolwork n travels le.

n i miss LSF so much, really. i went 2 church today, but i can't help comparing w LSF, missing u all every moment of e way. oh well... soon.

Densa quiz

2008-02-17T05:03:00.000+08:00

jus found this quiz. do if u're bored. i guarantee lots of head-banging :P
http://www.pressanykey.com/cgi-bin/funstuffmenu.cgi?target=Densa+Quiz
it's really pretty fun. jus b smart, not act smart n try 2 finish it fast. read e qns carefully. start from "The Original Densa Quiz" ba. haha..
enjoy!

i miss service!!!

2008-02-16T23:12:00.000+08:00

haha... so happy 2 join service today with u all... too bad not much time 2 chat. next time k? haha... rach, muz b careful hor. hope u recover soon n ur foot doesn't hurt so much. sam, i'm excited 4 u. :) i hope u have a really wonderful time studying. xuan n sophia, muz jiayou for exams le. alvin, heard ur testimony. thank God! n hope ur plans 4 study in australia will b finalised n everything works out according 2 God's will. fion n angelina n angel muz continue 2 practice ur keyboard, n learn 2 worship God with e talents He has given u.

as for everyone else i haven't managed 2 mention here. hope everything goes well in ur life, may God pour out more anointing, more blessing 2 u!

i hope 2 do this web service thingy again soon :P

can't describe how happy i was 2 "join" service. thanks louis dear for arranging this despite all e stress u were under, leading worship n all that. :)

big hug to all!!!

travel fares

2008-02-15T04:03:00.000+08:00

here r travel fares (make yall go green-eyed with jealousy) lol:

FR157 13 Mar 2008 19:40 – 20:30 Leeds to Dublin 0.01 + 4.99 = 5 GBP
FR556 15 Mar 2008 20:10 – 21:05 Dublin to Manchester 0.01 + 4.99 = 5 EUR
FR5417 18 Mar 2008 08:40 – 12:15 Liverpool to Madrid 0.01 + 7.99 = 8 GBP
FR4537 12 Apr 2008 22:05 – 23:20 Milan to Liverpool 0.01 + 7.99 = 8 EUR

FYI- 1EUR is about 2SGD; 1GBP is about 3SGD
so i'm like flying to spain for 24SGD, flying from italy back to the uk for 16SGD. muahaha...
oh well...
as for the in betweens, i'll b traveling by train. buying the eurorail pass for 21 days. :D

travel itinery

2008-02-15T03:58:00.000+08:00

my tentative travel itinery with janet:

13-15 Mar Dublin (1.5 days)
16-17 Mar Manchester (1.5 days) -> liverpool
18-24 Mar Spain (Madrid and Barcelona)
25-28 Mar Paris
29-31 Mar Switzerland (Geneva and Zurich)
1-2 Apr Prague
3-4 Apr Florence
5-7 Apr Venice
8-10 Apr Rome
11-12 Apr Milan

any suggestions n comments? will b greatly appreciated. :)

signification

2008-02-13T23:55:00.001+08:00

today has an extra special meaning 4 me. i mean, yeah, valentines is special. but today also marks the 1st month i've been away. can u believe it? haha... i left on 14th jan, n it is 14th feb over in SG as i'm typing this post. time has passed quickly enough. :) 5 more months now! dun dread my returning k? muahaha...

in celebration of valentines day, i'm putting up one of my favorite sonnets (no. 116). specially dedicated to louis. :)
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, everyone! :D

SONNET 116
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

clear up my mind

2008-02-11T22:20:00.000+08:00

it was a foggy day today.

the view outside my room in the morning
on the way to school

imagine driving a car in such conditions
but flowers starting to bud...

to york, to york

2008-02-10T22:07:00.000+08:00

hello! i went 2 york ytd, a whirlwind one-day tour of york. was absolutely fantastic! haha... we went 2 12 places in like 12 hours. was a really fulfilling n packed day. the best part was the ghost hunt at nite, which as totally hilarious. the guy is a fantastic actor, n it was really so cool! made up for walking ard for 12 hours. haha... (legs a bit sore today le)

here is the list of places i went 2 in order:
1) York Castle Museum
2) Clifford's Tower
3) Fairfax House
4) The York Dungeon
5) York Boat Tour
6) Yorkshire Museum, Museum Garderns, St Mary's Abbey
7) City Wall
8) Yorkminster
9) Holy Trinity Church
10) Roman Bathhouse
11) York Brewery
12) Ghost Walk

photos r here in order (uploaded more photos on facebook, go look there)

from left: my flatmates meghan and janet, me, and meghan's friend ashley
we set off early in the morning. beautiful morning to start the day isn't it?
this is york rail station, similar 2 leeds but smaller

the river at york
beautiful sun
random photos along the way
the time: 0930hrs. the start of our day in york!
at our 1st stop, the york castle museum, we saw these geese having a nice day out :D

york castle museum
some exhibitions in the museum detailing life in England in the past. nice piano!
wat r janet n meghan doing?!
hehe... look where they were sitting. old style toilets!!! muahaha :P
clifford's tower

looking down from the top of the tower
looking even further down
the time: 1130hrs; the place: fairfax house

sorry i wasn't allowed 2 take photos inside fairfax house. but it was a beautiful representation of houses in the past: elaborate, luxurious furnishings n ornaments

on the york boat tour:

st mary's abbey (the ruins of it)

see e ppl gathered there? someone was holding a wedding there... aww...
midday sun

part of the city wall

up on the city wall: janet's in front of me

the famed Yorkminster... *awe*

it's huge, n the history of the place is amazing!
very elaborate architecture, changing through the ages
look at e ppl, n u'll noe how high the building is

christian history: constantine the great was once here at where yorkminster now stands. it was once a roman fortress. it was here that constantine was crowned caesar. as we all noe, he later allowed christianity 2 b practiced in his kingdom. a very significant person indeed.

holy trinity church

after i didn't really take photos le, but not much to take anyway... a really wonderful day in all. ghost hunt was especially cool. not scary at all, but definitely memorable. the guy leading us was such a great actor, n he really did a wonderful job. :D

well, gonna stop here n let my aching legs recover :)

springtime?

2008-02-07T18:23:00.001+08:00

seems to me like springtime is coming. saw bright yellow flowers in bloom to n from school today. pretty flowers by the roadside, under the trees...

i'm skipping lec today. my very first. zonked out man. haven't slept so little in a long while... barely survived my seminar at 9am. found myself dozing off while under tutor's instruction to read a passage from beowulf. oh well.

so envious of u all, with ur holidays, church celebrations etc... started 2 feel a little homesick chatting with my parents n my grandma n ahyi's family... sense of isolation is magnified greatly.

ah, shall not dampen the festive spirits in SG. :)
hear from u all soon! :D

Happy CNY guys!!!

2008-02-07T07:51:00.000+08:00

Hey hey, hope u all had a wonderful reunion dinner n will collect lots of angpaos the next few days. haha... :P

yeah, i had a really great time here, that now, they're still playing games in the corridor. haha...
lots of pics taken, so will upload them real soon. but now, a brief summary of wat went on.

my SG friends came 1st, so we started cooking. amelia n huiyian had prepared some chicken drumsticks, so we popped them into the oven. was supposed 2 glaze them with honey, but ended up wat they had was something called golden syrup. but they liked it so much they jus started 2 eat spoonfuls of it. lol. n denise's mom actually sent the yusheng, so we brought it there too.

then the hongkongers arrived, together with their japanese friend. was really fun. so we cooked n cooked, n chatted n laughed till about 9pm.

finally, dinner was done, n we all tucked in. wat we spent a few hours preparing was like devoured in 10 minutes. haha... we had our american flatmates with us, so it was a wonderful experience 4 them too. our menu: oven-grilled chicken drumsticks, chicken curry (yummy!), stir fried carrots n beansprouts, broccoli with beef, eggplant, fish coins. a really sumptuous, scrumptious meal!

at the end, we of cuz did the 捞鱼生. had 2 explain wat it meant 2 the japanese, the americans, and even the hongkongers! yeah, apparently hongkong chinese dun have such a tradition, n it's like SO BIG in SG. haha... oh well, interesting rite? yeah, so they gamely went 4 it, we did the pouring of the condiments with some 吉利话, except we dun really noe wat 2 say, so jus anyhow. haha... den we ALL did the 捞-ing, all 15 of us. haha... some of them found it a bit strange at 1st, but they all enjoyed it!

seriously cool. although being with family is a wonderful time, this is a new n very good experience. haha... the americans loved it too.

topped it off with some ben n jerry's ice-cream. haha...

will upload pics once i get them :D
once again, happy CNY!!!

love n blessings,
mel

2008-02-06T05:26:00.000+08:00

i miss music... i want my piano, i want my keyboard. tell me, should i get a guitar?

thankfulness

2008-02-06T01:25:00.000+08:00

have a feeling this is gonna b a rather long post... hehe...

recently realised alot of things i gotta be thankful 4 back in SG. i guess going overseas, away from family n friends makes ppl learn this... haha... SO u guys back home better be thankful! lol
1) i have never walked so much in my life b4, i'm really thankful 4 my dad driving me ard. u wouldn't noe how reliant i am on my dad... heee... thanks dad!

2) i am thankful 4 POTABLE drinking water right at home. here i have to buy, and buy IN BULK. so imagine, no car, too ex to take a bus, lugging 9KG of bottled water about 1km uphill back 2 my hostel. *sweat* YES sweat in 5 degree weather!!! (so this is also related 2 point 1)

3) i am thankful 4 the cost of transport back in SG. those who r NOT in secondary n primary n r constantly complaining about the cost of public transport, take joy in the fact that i'm paying loads more than u X3. for a month on bus only, i paid GBP45. which makes it SGD135, more ex than student concession of bus PLUS train. (also very much related 2 point 1)

so, be happy! i'm in a innocent state of bliss presently, unaware of my state of finances (rather, consciously avoiding trying 2 find out) pls remind ur parents 2 包红包 for me k?? :P

well, i was also thinking about how i've changed since i've been here. not much yet, but i wanna be conscious about my changes, n not suddenly find myself a different person. so here r some:

1) related to the earlier part of my post: i've walked so much more than i ever have. not that i will start enjoying it, but i think it's good...

2) as u all noe, i can't cook. rather, i couldn't cook. but now, i find myself thinking not "wat should i eat today", but "wat shall i cook today" hehe... not that i really love cooking, but it beats spending a bomb on outside food, and eating out gets really sick sometimes... u noe...

3) i go grocery shopping regularly now, n like seriously look at prices n offers b4 buying. start thinking, do i really need it, instead of "ooh, this looks pretty". that's y i love morrisons, plenty of offers, buy 1 get 1 free, buy 2 for 2 pounds etc. makes alot of difference.

4) i do laundry regularly, iron my clothes, clean up my room etc... which i used 2 do like *ahem*... once in a blue moon would b overstating. lol. i'm such a good girl!!! :P

parts of me haven't changed, i'm still a procrastinator, i still enjoy watching asian dramas, i still like reading...
parts of me i wanna change, but found myself resistant: my a-social personality. i've been trying 2 go out w friends n all, meet new ppl, but sometimes find myself giving excuses 2 stay in my room n b alone. but i'm going 2 YORK this sat with 2 of my flatmates! :D *pat on the back*

very reflective day, on the whole...

oh yeah, we're having like a CNY dinner tmr nite, my HK flatmate invited her HK friends who invited Japanese friends, n my SG friends r coming, plus my American flatmates. WOOHOO!!! will take pics n upload :)

as PD says, adios, amigos, michachos :D

hope city church

2008-02-03T23:29:00.000+08:00

yup, went to church today. it was really cool, ppl were friendly, pastor's kinda like PD. haha... check out the website: http://www.yourelookinggreat.co.uk

so anyway the pastor was speaking about happiness today. interesting. wat caught me was this: happiness doesn't come from the outside (like ppl acknowledging wat u've done), n neither does it come from the inside, but it comes from God, and we've gotta grasp hold of this happiness that God gave us through salvation in Jesus Christ. Sounds like "duh" rite, but i guess i've forgotten that...

3 main points in his message [read Matthew 5]:
1) real happiness is knowing that the TRUTH is more real than the facts - the facts of our life may be that times are bad, or we're poor, or we're ill, or our relationships r in a mess. but in the midst of the facts of our life, we have joy in the TRUTH of God.
2) real happiness is knowing there is a new day after the night - we may feel like we're in the darkness of night now, but persevere, and know that God will bring the light of day.
3) real happiness is...
oops i can't rmb that now, so paisei. was so sure i'd rmb them all tt i didn't write the points down. once i rmb i'll edit e post. haha...

i'm dreaming of a white... CNY :P

2008-02-02T16:26:00.000+08:00

yes it did snow!!! muahaha... a miracle occured last nite, n i managed 2 catch it this morning. whoopee! so for u 2 see the snow:

the view i 1st saw outside my room window. at 1st i saw it without my glasses, but blind as i was, i could see white on the ground. haha... it was so amazing!
so excited, so i went out in apparently freezing conditions. it's so beautiful!
hehe... a snow-covered car. it's owner will have 2 do some cleaning up b4 driving today :P
i think it looks lovely, do u? totally cool!
love the idea of snow covering the plants, makes the plants look delicate and pretty

And i saw a squirrel, but it was too shy 4 me 2 take a photo... hehe, i'll try again next time. so here, it's not a white christmas, but more like a white CNY! haha...

Riddle time

2008-01-31T22:58:00.000+08:00

To show that the Anglo-Saxons (for those who don't noe, they were ppl who lived in what is now England back around/before the year 1000) had a sense of humour...
Got this from my course on medieval literature. Goes to show that lit ppl (like me) also have a rather warped sense of humour... hehe...

A small miracle hangs near a man's thigh,

Full under folds. It is stiff, strong,

Bold, brassy, and pierced in front.

When a young lord lifts his tunic

Over his knees, he wants to greet

With the hard head of this hanging creature

The hole it has long come to fill.

Guess what it is?

The answer: key

tsk tsk... wat were u thinking? :P

for innocent minds like sophia's, if u don't get the double entendre, don't bother figuring it out. :D

another one:

I heard of something rising in a corner,

Swelling and standing up, lifting its cover.

The proud-hearted bride grabbed at that boneless

Wonder with her hands; the prince's daughter

Covered that swelling thing with a swirl of cloth.

What is it?

Answer: dough

quite far-fetched rite? muahaha... it's meant 2 make u think of something else. these ppl sure were having a fun time... haha...

if u still don't get it, come n ask me :)

snow!!!

2008-01-31T22:28:00.000+08:00

haha... not exactly snow, but u could call it that. was on the way home from sch jus now, and it started snowing. not alot, not cold enough to remain frozen. more like ice, but u could really see whitish flakes, especially when the wind blows... haha... makes me so happy! i can see it outside my window now as i'm typing this. but it's too small to take a clear photo of it. when some landed on my coat, i noticed it was like ice. maybe it's rain that turns to ice-like snow. watever... it's SNOW!!! haha... things like this make me love travelling. it's beautiful...

okok update: i managed to take some bits of snow at my windowsill. haha... here it is. :D

see those whitish bits? yeah, that's snow 4 u. lol

more liverpool

2008-01-29T16:35:00.000+08:00

as i promised, i got these from my friend's camera. enjoy! :)

that's e horse carriage we took e ride on!
fudge fudge n more fudge in this sweet shop :P
denise n me outside the beatle's story museum
stand up for singapore! haha... all 6 of us SGians: (from left) faruq, denise, melissa, jiancheng, amelia, huiyian. we went in groups of 3 but met halfway. haha...
as seen in previous photo, crazy 3 of us eating ice-cream during winter. shiok! :D
that's me in front of the metropolitan church
jiancheng n me with the nice horse that took us ard town
denise helped me take this photo while we were on the horse carriage

that's all folks!

environment friendly

2008-01-29T16:26:00.000+08:00

I was reading louis's post on his australia trip (finally!!!) where he mentioned environmentally friendly. Here too, when we throw our trash, we gotta split them into three groups: general waste (leftover food, unrecyclables etc.), recyclables (plastic bottles, paper, stuff like these), and glass. And some grocers charge money if we take plastic bags. So many ppl bring their own non-plastic bags. kinda like what singapore is starting to do now...

yesterday, i had my 1st tutorial. It was still ok... nothing much 2 say, except the class had 6 students. lol.

after that i was supposed to go have lunch with denise, n as we were walking down to the city centre, we met our other singapore friends jiancheng n faruq. haha... so we all went 2 eat together, and went shopping.

here's the main point for today: I LOVE PRIMARK!!!
haha... ok, that's exaggerating a lil. primark is like a department store, where the prices are so low (think it's sale time). i got this tank top for 1 pound, which i think i can't find for such a price in singapore too. haha... went mad in there. going again soon. wanna get more stuff on sale. haha...

so next time anyone goes to the uk, rmb these 2 shops: morrison's for groceries, and primark for everything else! (clothes, accessories, bedding, daily living...)

:D

spamming!!!

2008-01-28T01:19:00.000+08:00

Hey hey! Photos from Liverpool. they speak for themselves wat i did there. :) enjoy! not very good with uploading, so order of photos not really chronological but it's ok.

some sights i saw along the way in liverpool
cool building under construction
yeah, took this ride to the city centre! real fun!
on the ride, sorry i could only take the horse's butt.
went in there. so awesome! sorry i couldn't take photos, not allowed. but bought souvenirs :)
art sculpture outside the metropolitan church
nice view! clouds look like mountains in a distance
the metropolitan church (catholic) from far
same place. it's so cool isn't it?
clock tower, love these. y doesn't SG have them??

the largest Anglican church in the world.. the liverpool anglican church.
that's the anglican church from outside. scary rite? it's so huge!!!
yup, that's me beside some cool artwork thing. loved it!
inside the metropolitan church, really awe-inspiring in there...
i was too awe-filled to take many photos, really amazing place

this is part of the anglican church
a view inside the anglican church
another view. stained glass windows!!!
garden with cemetaries outside the anglican church
that's how big the anglican church is. can see the top, cannot see bottom

albert dock in the evening. beautiful isn't it?
can u believe this is 4plus 5pm??
the view in liverpool is really breathtaking!
sunset at albert dock
a miniature of the anglican church as it was supposed to look like

ok, summary:

went to the beatles' story museum, really cool. found out how little i noe about the beatles. amazing story of their history and the beatlemania

took the horse carriage (instead of seeing sights around town we became the sight of the town haha). was very fun.

went to the metropolitan church, was so cool. then went to the anglican church. it was great too. my friend denise n i walked into this holy spirit chapel (a small room) n felt chills (in a good way, as quoted from denise). and the choir was practising when we were there, and it was beautiful!!! oh man... really, the ambience n all, jus thinking about it makes me feel like i'm there again... the air inside the church allows for reverberation, n there was this part where this lady was reciting something, and a solo violin played. oh my... i would have stood there like an idiot had my friends not been there also. lol

walked past chinatown, but was disappointing. more like china-street or china-road or wat. small, only restaurants...

walked back to albert dock where we started, went into the maritime museum there, with interesting histories about the lusitiana, the titanic, the princess etc (famous, tragic stories of sunken ships)

wonderful weather the whole day, with the sun actually shining!!! haha... but i realised that was only in liverpool. leeds is still chilly n cold, esp when the wind blows. n next few days expected weather can go to 0 degrees... dunno whether or not 2 believe yahoo weather. oh well.

actually i have more photos but they're with my friends. when i get them i'll post them up!

teehee... proud

2008-01-26T07:37:00.000+08:00

won't let my head swell here, but yeah, happy happy today.
managed to cook a decent meal, of cuz with help from louis and janet (my hk friend). chicken was nice. haha... treated meghan to a meal too. :)

another thing that made me feel good. janet asked if i was a christian, and i said yes. n she said, she jus felt like i was one. which is great! cos it means that wat she has seen n known of me so far has been something she can identify with as being a christian. cos i never told her outright b4 anyway. i mean, how can u feel someone's a christian or not? unless they say something, or do something rite? n if a christian does bad things, ppl won't think of him/her as a christian. if they later realise that he/she is a christian, then it would really be a poor impression of christianity.

so jus wanna encourage yall, live ur life right b4 God, n ur life will be the perfect testimony to e ppl ard u!

signing off with a big smile n big hug :D

p.s. excited about liverpool trip tmr... heehee...

2008-01-25T06:34:00.000+08:00

lecture today was slightly confusing, i have 2 admit, but the history of the spread of language and of christianity to the anglo-saxons is very interesting... tell u more in future.

my 1st racist comment ever? scenario:
me n my 2 hong kong friends were walking along a road to buy groceries from headingley. this van drove past, and this person in the vehicle kinda shouted something like "get off the road!" very loudly, rudely, and suddenly. except we weren't very sure who it was directed at, n it happened when we passed, and the van passed us so quickly the guy's sentence kinda faded off halfway, so it might have been us or not... one lesson i learnt, if u really wanna say something, say it clearly instead of speeding away so quickly. at least then, others have a real right to feel offended... lol. like janet (my hk friend) said, this kinda person n watever he said isn't worth bothering about. i agree, so i'll let it pass after ranting here. won't mention it again. not worth mentioning.

never done so much walking and so much grocery shopping ever in my life! haha... after cleaning up the kitchen ytd, janet n i decided we needed some stuff 4 e kitchen so we went today. haha... n megan, our other flatmate, is really nice n funny. the stories she tells us r always so dynamic. she's from the US of A btw. so one day janet n i r gonna do a real chinese (not ang moh chinese) meal for her. haha...

east cell, gonna seeya tmr!!! miss u all so much much. wish i could sit thru cell w u all. well, see how it goes ba.

nitez

reflections on an (otherwise) uneventful day

2008-01-24T22:58:00.000+08:00

Walking to school today, it was warmer (sun was shining), but the chilly wind was crazy. Reminded me of this story about the sun and the wind. Really cool (but rather long) webpage on it: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/tikkabilla/stories/sunwind_full.shtml

Anyway, gonna go shopping with my hong kong roommate n her friend now. Will write more later when i'm back :)