My Journey with Him....

Your love captures me

2010-02-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

Today, my little brother told me a classic joke! He said his class was given a math question to do. This math question involved drawing a table for those trial-and-error purposes. The question stated - You may want to draw a table to help you. And guess what? One of his classmates mistook the question and literally drew a table (you know those chairs and tables?) with 4 legs! haha. The teacher was so shocked when she got back his answer.

On a more serious note, this entry is specially dedicated to my loving Father, and the friends who stuck through with me during this heart-aching journey. There is no one to blame, only great lessons to be learnt. I've realised the great extent of fear and insecurity and vulnerability in my heart when it comes to this area of my life. Perhaps due to my parents' relationship in the past, perhaps due to my own past experiences. I thought that I couldn't let go, but You proved me otherwise. When I was most down and alone and broken, You filled up the void in my heart with Your love and gentleness. You helped me to find back the joy Ive lost. I struggled with many thoughts that I shouldnt have entertained, but still You forgave me and were always there for me when I called. How wonderful to be called Your child, Your princess. Your love captures me. Thank You Lord. And thank you for those who kept praying for me and showing your concern for me this past one year.

At the cross You beckon me

You draw me gently to my knees and I am

Lost for words so lost in love,

I am sweetly broken wholly

Surrendered

God of my Forever

2010-01-17T06:35:00.000-08:00

God of My Forever

Hmm, wow, it's been awhile since I blogged. So many things have happened, so many blessings to give thanks for and so many heartaches to release. Today as I sang this song in church, I was again reminded that God is God of my forever, God of my pain and my joy. Without His love and grace, I would never be where I am today, and I would never be able to face my future confidently.

Lord, thank You. Thank You for walking through my life with me, through my ups and downs. Thank You for bearing with my weaknesses and strengthening me through each storm. You never get tired of me, never leave me, never let me fall beyond a point where I can't stand up. You are so good to me. No good thing will You withhold from those whose walk is blameless. I trust You to carry me through all my days. So I surrender everything into Your mighty hands and entrust the ones I love most into Your care.

How can I love someone I cannot see? By faith the heart will see.

The flowers bud

2009-11-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

Have we been so busy, so absorbed into our own lives, that we fail to notice that the flowers have bud and the birds are singing?

Today while strolling home, I noticed that the trees were filled with blossoming yellow flowers and many long hanging beans. Since when did that tree produce long beans??? I should have noticed them when they were just appearing, Im usually very attentive to plants! ha. No, this time, I failed to see how beautiful the scenery has become after the rain, with the flowers budding and fruits springing out. Because I have been too absorbed in my own wants, I couldnt see His beauty. But now Im coming back again Lord. Im coming back to You.

Thank You for Your wonderful creation. The refreshing wind after the rain, the chirping birds fighting for the worms, the colourful flowers and fruits and leaves. They remind me of You. I love You very much.

My Crush

2009-10-27T00:17:00.000-07:00

This little boy is called Zia. He is sooooOO cute! Seeing him makes me smile, especially since this week I ate some unknown virus. Shu, James and I have fallen terribly ill. Feeling all feverish and nauseous. It's the first time after many years that I succumbed to taking medication because the virus is so strong. Thank you everyone for your prayers!! Thank You Lord for sustaining me during my presentation too. Today I feel so much better!

His love covers mine

2009-10-14T11:09:00.001-07:00

I once read this saying from weiping's blog which I totally agree with. "Time does not heal one's wounds, love does." How true. Time only helps us to minimise the pain and control our tears. Love helps us to forgive and takes away our fears. His love covers mine and I'm really thankful Lord.

Dad and Mum

2009-10-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

My dad and mum are soooOO funny! Every Wed is Chef Birdy's day, meaning that it's my turn to cook dinner for the family. So in this way, Mum is not tired out with household chores. Anyway, after cooking everything, I was left with a plate of uncooked asparagus. Mum and I thought we'll wait for Dad to come home before cooking it (to serve it hot), so we left it on the table with all the cooked dishes. When my father came home, he just made his way to the kitchen and started eating without any of us realising it. And he ate up the whole plate of raw asparagus!!! So goes my conversation with my dad:

Me: Pa, you ate the asparagus???

Dad: Ya lor, wah very crunchy and sweet leh. Very good!

Me: huh...! But the asparagus still not cooked yet leh

Dad: ah?! aiyo how can you all do this to me... aiyo, no wonder now my stomach very painful... the vegetables never wash right? aiyo...

My dad is very paranoid about uncooked vegetables because of the pesticides on it. Haha. It was so funny watching him sit in one corner of the house today rubbing his stomach, and refusing to talk to my mum and I. I don't think he really had a stomachache actually... Just psychological. My mum kept laughing at my dad.

Mum: haha, your father always do this kind of stuff wan. Raw vegetables also cannot taste meh?

Me: Mummy, that time you also went to suck all the prawn shells that I spat out. Remember?

And we both started laughing! Last time my grandmother taught me to chew on the prawn head and "suck" the juice. So one day, I ate the butter prawns that my mum cooked and left all the prawn heads in a bowl, hoping to clear later. Little did I know that my mum would mistaken all the prawn heads as uneaten prawns. So she went to eat it all over again!!!! hahahha. She had that "oh man, what did I just eat?" face when she realised it.

Goodbye Eric

2009-10-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

Eric's wish for his ashes to be scattered in the sea

(photo credits to Eu Lee)

My friend Eric passed away peacefully on Wednesday afternoon, 1.23pm, after battling with cancer for a few months. I had planned to visit him this week and sing a song for him in the hospice. He left so suddenly. I thank God that at least I got to see him one last time last week. He still looked so joyful and bubbly then, asking me about my university life and laughing along with me.

Thank you Eric for teaching me to treasure my life and treasure the people around me with my time on Earth. Thank you for the wonderful memories I had with you during my brief stint in the church office. You allowed me to laugh at you and you always had something encouraging to say to me. I will always remember your compassion and love for the little kids and the troubled youths at blk 574. I rejoice because I know you are in the best place, with the best Lord one could ask for. One day I'll meet you again in heaven.

Teens' death suicide

2009-09-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

Teens' Suicide Pact:

Last year when I read about this news, my heart sank. Today, when I read about the findings of this case, my heart sank and stirred so deeply again. For those who haven't read the case, you can read it here (http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_430854.html).

"A self-professed medium, Witaya had convinced his group of friends to join him in a suicide pact. He said they had to die to be resurrected as slayers to kill demons and save the world. The group of about seven had been going to his home every Friday since 2006 for rituals and spiritual activities.

Witaya would go into trances, which he had been performing since he was about 13. He could communicate with the gods of hell and heaven and would give his followers advice about their problems. Later, Witya formed a group called Sheng Long Fu, using his flat as a temple."

I feel so angry. I feel so sad. I feel so heart-wrenched. I feel my Lord's pain. He loves everyone of these boys. They are too precious to Him. I don't blame these boys. They were ignorant about what they were dabbling with. These spiritual things are so real. They are not ghosts and fabricated stories that we sometimes scare each other with during camps. Those ghosts aren't even anything to be afraid of! The real spirits/demons are what the boys encountered and described in the articles. Going into a trance. Deepening of voice. Speaking in fluent Hokkien. Smoking because the "gods" want to satisfy its evil desires. Speaking lies and evil thoughts into you about committing suicide to save the world... Beware. These are not gods. These are demons! They are written about all over in the bible. And we have casted out demons like these in church throughout my entire life. I know how they're like. How can God ever wish to bring harm to a person?? How can a loving God ever be like this??

If demons are real, how much more real God is. Because only God, my Lord, can subdue all these demons under His authority. Reading this case makes me think about my sec4 youths and my Blk 574 kids. How they are so vulnerable to the influences and lies of this world. But I pray and know the Lord watches over everyone of them, especially since we have committed each of them to the Lord. All of them are precious little children of our Lord.

And so the wise sayings of the Lord goes: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God..." Ephesians 6: 12-13

Without Him I am nothing

2009-09-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

I am nothing. He is all.
I do nothing of my own. He does it.
I am God's pencil.
A tiny bit of pencil with which He writes what He likes.
God writes through us,
and however imperfect instruments we may be,
He writes beautifully.

~Mother Theresa~

Peace

2009-08-21T09:43:00.000-07:00

As I walked home from NTUC today, it started raining. I prayed to God to stop the rain, because He always holds up the clouds for me whenever I ask Him to. He didn't. But somewhere in my heart, there seemed to be a voice speaking to me. It said "Peace I leave with you, do not be discouraged, I have overcome the world". I asked what has it got to do with the rain. God then reminded me that peace is when you're walking in the rain and yet you are not worried, you are not afraid. And this peace comes from the Lord. The moment I reached home, it starting pouring very heavily. The rain I walked through was nothing compared to the after storm! God still did protect me from a raging weather, but gave me enough rain to teach me a valuable lesson.

We all need God's peace, because our hearts tend to always be in a storm. God's peace calms the storm in our hearts.

At this age, Im seeing alot of relationship failures. And it really pains me when I see a relationship that does not work out. Honestly speaking, Im also afraid when it comes to my turn. Girls, no matter how strong, are really vulnerable in a relationship. It is our greatest weakness. I feel like Ive fallen prey to it so many times...

Yet, this week I had the best time with my best friend, my Lord! He would always be the one teaching me new things, helping me to see things from His perspective, granting me His peace and strength to face the new semester in school. Lord, You satisfy me. Being with You always edifies me. Singlehood is a gift from God, as much as marriage is a gift from God. Lord, I want to spend both seasons of my life wisely, serving You.

You know

2009-08-14T01:22:00.000-07:00

You know everything Lord

You know everything that's hidden

You know how much I would hurt

So You sent little surprises everyday

To make me happy

The journey here has been long

And as I learnt to love much like You

Ive also begun to hurt much with You

And share in Your grief

It was never mine in the first place

Everything was given by You

Whether You give and take away

I'll still choose to praise You

You are my strength

You are my refuge

You are my comforter

You are my healer

If I could choose all over again

I would still choose to have known you

And be your friend

So Im letting go today....

My little brother has a big big heart

2009-08-14T00:47:00.000-07:00

Last week, my youngest brother, Tim, and I had a little conversation which goes like this:

Tim: Jie, I wished I had a twin...

Me: Ya, Jie Jie also wished I had a twin. Maybe she's somewhere in China now...

(I paused and then continued)

Me: But Tim, if you have a twin, it wouldnt be good eh. If he can play badminton better than you, study better than you, swim faster than you, then everyone will compare you with him and want to be his friend instead.

(Tim kept quiet for awhile and seemed to ponder on what I said. Then he replied.)

Tim: No eh... I will be very proudddd of him...

Wow... His innocent reply struck me. My little brother has such a big big heart. He's always so happy when others do well. He's always so proud of his friends' talents. It's just how my bestest friend, Jesus, would feel about me too. He's so proud of me whenever I do anything well, anything kind, anything that pleases His heart. He's just so excited to watch us succeed! So madly in love with each of us...That's my Lord.

Love Life

2009-06-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

Love Life

I saw this video from Joanne's blog. And I was so touched. You must watch it too!

Wah, what would I say or do if I have just so little time to live? I hope to be able to say that "I want to continue doing what I've been doing everyday" (John Wesley). My sec 4 boy from church asked me this question, "What do we all live for?"... It made me ponder all over again. But I've already found my answer through the years of searching and finally following Him, my Lord!

What do you live for?

Thank You Lord for LIFE! For without life, I cannot appreciate the beauty of nature, I cannot enjoy this mysterious word known as "relationships", I cannot live to make a difference and I cannot know You. You, who made me so wonderful and beautiful in Your sight. It was You who taught me to love my life and live it well:) I LOVE YOU! soooOOO much!!

Leaders' camp

2009-06-22T11:18:00.001-07:00

Church Leaders' Camp (15th to 18th June): I made a new friend! Ethan Goh, 4 years old. He took the same bus as me to Malaysia. Haiz, he was talking so loudly in the bus that I couldnt sleep. So, I decided to join in the noise pollution with him! He is so cute especially when he said "I grow taller already, cos I yesterday drink milo..."!! haha. so cute so cute so cute! My heart melted when he said "I want to follow you" while we were preparing to leave. He even ran across the road because I was standing opposite, just to tell me again that he wants to follow me home...! His mum and I were both so shocked and worried!

¹⁶But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me..." (Luke 18:16)

I, Ethan and Joanne

Officers' Commissioning Parade: The girls couldnt go for the guys' commissioning parade. Nevertheless, I feel so excited for them because I know it's something they worked really hard for. For Honour and Glory! I got the pics from Lydia's blog. hehe.

Wah, so seriousss.... Can you spot Joel, Kahwan and Sam in the picture??!! If you can, that's not really them k, haha. I just randomly label some guy with their names so it seems as if I was at the parade watching them.

Wah, so cool man...

I like their uniforms...

Officer Joel, Commando-Officer Kahwan and Officer Sam with baby Josh

This is the first year that the girls attend church camp without the guys with us. We also see each other less as we move on and enter the various paths of life. Still, Im always so thankful for this bunch of brothers who are very extraordinary. Disciplined, teachable, ready to serve, self-controlled, gentle, encouraging with their words, others-centred and God-fearing. Im so proud of you guys!!!!! God has really shown favour on you.

Krabi 2009

2009-06-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

Krabi 2009: This is my first time being to Thailand. My first time sitting on an elephant. My first time climbing up a natural rock wall (it's called bouldering). I made many new friends on this trip and enjoyed the time spent with my odac friends. We went island hopping, elephant trekking, snorkelling, rockclimbing, kayaking, crab-catching... played dressing up, played many beach games, witness my friends getting stung by jellyfish, saw many monkeys...

We had a dressing up night. Derek (left) makes me laugh all the time!
Impromptu beach games- "How many people can fit into the hole?"
Snorkeling! We saw many parrot fish, leopard fish, sea cucumbers. But, most importantly, God came for me... The waters were extremely choppy that day. My friends were very caring and thoughtful towards me because I have a history of sea-sickness. I prayed really hard that I wouldnt experience any motion sickness because I wanted to enjoy the water activities. When I saw the choppy waters and a brewing storm, my heart sank. Ive never been on such water conditions before! Even in less choppy waters, I couldnt take the nauseau and headaches already. Still I just trusted my Lord. I was thinking about who I wanted to vomit on.. haha. And surprisingly, I didnt feel a single sea-sickness at all!!! I was so amazed! My Lord was right there beside me. I felt such a sense of peace even though I was on a rocking boat and amongst violent winds. My Lord told me He could do big things. I prayed for good sea conditions, but He showed me He could still the storm in me despite ANY circumstances. It was a great revelation to me.

My Kayaking buddy - Shaun! With Shaun around, I don't have to do anything!!!! Yay! haha. Many times, Shaun was really nice to tell me not to pedal. But I don't want to be of no contribution, so i'll pedal harder and "show off" that I can pedal well. Then, he will INSIST even more that I stop pedaling! I felt a little despised, seemed like he was looking down on our GIRL POWER. During the kayak, he told me that it was because everytime i lifted up the pedal, alot of muddy water droplets would fall into his mouth when he is talking to me. haha! oops. So in the end, I had a really relaxing kayaking experience.
We kayaked through the cliffs. Saw many monkeys. And one monkey jumped onto my kayak because I had food with me! We were soooooO close.

Trekked through many caves and huge rocks.

My favourite! Elephant trekking! I like elephants... they look so big and friendly

The roadside stalls' food are cheap and nice. We had pancakes, pad thai, mango sticky rice, papaya salad, noodles...

I enjoy being with my odac friends! Especially the bible-reading and praying nights with mong, laughing and singing tunelessly with Yuan Jing, screaming with Jean when watching a horror movie.

Above all, when I see the clear blue waters and the majestic-towering cliffs, I am reminded of the One who made all these. Thank You Father for the beautiful sea, steep cliffs, towering rocks and many unique creatures that I spotted! Every rock structure and every hanging limestone is unique. They are all Your masterpiece. I feel so insignificant and small amidst Your creation. Yet, You care for me and You care for every living creature residing among the creeks. Thank You for Your unfailing love for me!

"Surely the nations are like a DROP IN A BUCKET;

they are regarded as DUST on the scales;

He(The Lord) weighs the islands as though they were FINE DUST.

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:

Who created all these?

He (God) who brings out the starry host one by one,

and CALLS THEM EACH BY NAME.

Because of his great power and mighty strength,

NOT ONE OF THEM IS MISSING."

(Isaiah 40: 14, 15, 26)

Wait on the Lord

2009-05-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
and the young men shall utterly fall:

But they that wait upon the LORD
shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.
(Isaiah 40:30-31)

Boys over flowers

2009-05-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

Ji Hoo and I (muahahha)

Yay! Ive finally watched finish the korean F4 show - Boys over flowers. It's tiring to follow through. Im glad that it's a happy ending. Ji Hoo is the one acting as Zai Zai. And we both look alike! right right?! Sorry that my face is a little big here. See, we have dark eye bags, and long hair, and a nice wide smile, and fair skin, and he wears a black watch too! ha. I like him most in the show. On another note, I reaallllyyyy do not want to watch anymore drama serials. This shall be the last. At the end of the show, I feel more tired than satisfied. I can't sit for long. My butt aches, legs itch (cos Ive gotten a few mosquito bites while watching the show), my eyes seem a little zombified. Haha.

Im really enjoying my holidays now. Thank You Lord that I can enjoy this time as a student :) Today, something really dumb happened! I was planning to visit Zhulong with Joanne during one of his workdays, sort of like a surprise. So i sent an sms to her "Hey joanne, find one day we visit uncle zhu". And she didnt reply! So while conversing with her on msn that night, i reaaalised that she didnt receive the sms... which means.... i must have sent it to the wrong person.....!!! And i sent it to none other than Zhulong himself!!!! ahhh!!!!! But i wonder how come he didnt reply back. hmm... Still, when I think of it, it cracks me up. Ha! Thank You Father for adding laughter and the little excitements in life to cheer me up.

25th May to 31st May: Odac Krabi trip

15th June to 18th June: Church Leaders' Retreat (Malaysia)!!!

20th July to 25th July: Odac Freshmen Orientation Camp

Happy Birthday Tan Huiyu!!! I love you lots!! And will miss you when u fly off!

Outing with NTU mates

2009-05-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Malaysia with my NTU classmates! Really feels like Im old and can go overseas by myself already. We went to the KTV there and sang many songs, mostly love songs. Shall wait for the photos to be uploaded on facebook first. I enjoyed myself with my classmates and thank God for the joy that they bring! Got to know many of them better too! Of all the love songs that we sing for fun, I got to sing a love song to a particular someone when I reached home! He makes me laugh, He knows how to comfort me, He takes away my loneliness, He tells me my faults in the most gentle way, He walks with me, He is with me everywhere I go. Thank You Lord for being my best friend, confidante and Heavenly Father.

Quoted from Uncle Daniel's song:
"In Your arms, I can face all my sorrows
In Your arms, I can face all my fears
In Your arms, I can smile at the world again
Cos there is no, no other place I wanna be
But in Your arms...."

Sit on My lap...

2009-04-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

Today, my 2 youngest tutees (Pri 3 and Pri 5 standard) got into a huge sibling fight before I came over to tuition them. My role as a tuition teacher now seems to include mothering too. Their mum wanted me to talk to the both of them. Haha. They are both so cute. After tuition, I had a little pep talk with them. And I noticed how they cuddle up next to me to "complain" about each other. Even though I told the youngest one off for being mostly in the wrong, and I thought she would distance herself from me, I was surprised that she came closer and sat on my lap with a guilty look on her face. When I was younger, I would also sit on my parents' lap because it felt safe, because I felt loved, because I felt forgiven after being scolded. The Lord reminded me that I could also sit on His lap anytime I wanted to. Whether I feel guilty, whether I feel happy, whether I am sad and discouraged, I can sit on His lap and find assurance and comfort and mercy. And I dont have to ask permission to sit on His lap!

In your arms, that's where I want to be....

Facing my giants

2009-04-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

I knew this day will come...
When I had to face my fears
I remembered how I reluctantly chose NTU
Because I feared the competition ahead
I knew this path wouldnt be easy

Im not the competitive sort
I know my learning style very well
Yet You Lord brought me here
and foretold to me that I'll face my giants
I knew You had Your reasons and plans

This familiar fatigue and stress overwhelm me
I can't think rationally
Neither can I feel for others
Sometimes friends make it worse
With their expectations and comments

Im sorry Lord
For shrinking away
For venting my anger at You
For being angry with everyone around me

If You brought me here
You'll give me the wings to fly
And help me overcome my fear
Though this time I seem like a grasshopper in my own eyes
You say Im more than a conqueror
So I thank You for what You are going to do in my life
If God is for me
Who can be against me
Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jeremiah 17:7-8

⁷ "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.

⁸ He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."

Lord, I pray for my classmates too. I know they're not having a good time either. I bless them with Your peace and joy and discipline as they prepare for their exams. Watch over their physical health and their emotional and mental state of mind too. Thank You Father. Amen!

I want to...

2009-03-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

The emergence of my butterfly!!

I only managed to see one of the butterflies. The other 3 butterflies emerged while I was staying in hall, so my mum released them:) SooOO BEAUTIFUL! God makes all things beautiful.

I want to watch the sunset with you

I want to walk on the beach

and make footprints on the sand with you

I want to laugh with you

cry with you

See you smile

Hear your voice

Catch the falling flowers

Sing for you

Talk with you

Know more about you

Be with you

For the rest of my life

I miss You...

When emotions get the better of me, I will depend on You to help me. When I don't understand why I behave as such, I ask You to teach me. When I seek to please myself instead of thinking for your good, I pray You bring down the SELF within me. Till time reveals the chalices of gold... I will trust You all the way...Thank You Father:)

Use our tongue wisely

2009-03-06T09:03:00.000-08:00

Words hurt
Very much
Especially from close friends
When uttered carelessly

"The GOOD man brings GOOD things out of the GOOD stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45)

I believe everyone has a nice word to say, something encouraging to make a person's day. How true... that out of our heart, our mouth speaks. Perhaps you were tired, perhaps just feeling dissatisfied, perhaps not very optimistic that day. Perhaps I also was careless with my words. Can we be more encouraging with our words? Lord, store up my heart with an abundance of joy and good things, so that I will say what is good and truthful and useful for building up.

On another note, today the Lord reminded me to count my blessings, to give thanks in spite of my emotions. Giving thanks is not easy when things aren't going well, but it opens up our eyes to optimism. It frees us from being self-absorbed in our negativity. Lord, I know that I am very blessed, to have found a friend, a brother and a father in You. You never fail to lift up my spirits. Thank You for loving me for who I am! Thank You for understanding me. Thank You that You are in control of every situation, every relationship, every detail of my life. Thank You very much:)

Pictures of caterpillars

2009-03-06T08:55:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are pictures of my caterpillar. I can't wait for them to turn into butterflies!

Caterpillar in the cocoon stage
The other caterpillars feeding ferociously. I feel very happy to see them eating so much and growing each day!

My dear caterpillars

2009-03-03T07:12:00.000-08:00

wow... there are so many things that happened! I don't even know where to start. Firstly, I rebonded my hair!! ahhh!!! hahah, guess alekx would be screaming in aust. Secondly, all my 4 caterpillars have all successfully turned into cocoons! Im so excited to see them morph into butterflies (Shall post up pictures of them when im home, now im at hall typing this entry). This entry is specially dedicated to my caterpillars.

To my dear caterpillars,
I have seen you grow from brown furry little thingies into green long worms, and now, cocoons. I went through so much to provide for you, you know! Got pricked by the thorns on the lime leaves, had to steathily cut off citrus leaves from my neighbours' house at midnight, got scolded by my mum for putting you guys in a really expensive crystal container, had to bury one of you in tissue due to premature death (it was stepped upon when it left the container.... awww...sad). But! I guess its all worth it. You have taught me very valuable lessons! What is so fun about eating citrus leaves all day long? What is so fun about being stuck on a single plant? Yet, you go about doing all your routine, mundance activities so that one day you'll blossom into beautiful butterflies. One day, you'll roam the gardens and not just a plant. One day, you'll get to suck nectar and not feed on leaves. One day.... We all will blossom into a butterfly too, beautifully clothed with the love of God and radiating His glory.

From,
Your owner

What if i give all

2009-02-19T05:37:00.000-08:00

What If I Give All - Ray Boltz

Check out the lyrics here: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/r/ray+boltz/what+if+i+give+all_20340674.html

What if I give all I have??

This is such a touching song! It made me tear because it really spoke to me this week. It's not about how much money we give to the poor, but how much of our hearts that we give even to the people whom we meet everyday. This week God really challenged me to come out of my comfort zone and give all of my heart to people, especially those who are lonely and have not received God's love. It's so difficult. Sometimes, I fear being too vulnerable to hurts if I love more. I fear losing out on the enjoyment I could receive if I gave up my time for someone who needs a friend. Im not someone who takes the initiative to meet with old time friends. I get tired too. I asked God when can I stop caring or loving someone, and He replied me "Till the day I die". The Lord reminded me of the great price He paid to come down to be with sinners like us. The Lord has not even stopped loving us from the beginning of time till now. And He assured me that He would not withhold any good things from me if I choose to step out of my comfort zone. What a wonderful Saviour I serve...!

I stayed over in Weiling's house on Tuesday night. It was such a head-knocking time for me. God used Weiling to teach me on the lesson of loving the unloveable. This girl has such a compassionate heart for people! And she is so teachable. Seriously, the people whom I find hard to love in class, Weiling has been befriending them and listening to them. I was really put to shame and yet at the same time, inspired by her all over again. The things that she told me about my classmates really made me see them in a different light. Im sorry Lord when I have not loved others the way you loved me, when I selfishly keep all Your love for myself. And I thank You for awakening me again.

Nick

2009-01-22T04:52:00.000-08:00

Get Back Up!

Giant of a Man

This is a must watch!! Must watch!!! You will feel so inspired. Both videos are of Nick, this guy who does not have arms and legs. You can watch either of the videos.

After watching the videos, I really feel so grateful to God. Many times we complain about our lives, complain about having to go to school, complain about lecturers wasting our time in class, complain about the numerous tasks on hand, complain about people... Im one of them. But we never know how blessed we are.

If you feel tired and discouraged, know that the Lord will always give you strength to carry on when you call upon Him. Sometimes we think that we can do anything by our own strength. It's true that man can accomplish great things without God, but man can accomplish greater things with God. God never called us to strive alone because He wants to walk through our journey of life with us.. The truth is, many of us fall along the way. We are tired, we are discouraged, we feel meaningless, we fear failures, we are numbed and indifferent towards anything. We all need God...Nick has more meaning in his life than any of us able bodied man. So I pray that all my loved ones will come to know the loving God.

"I can do everything through him (Christ) who gives me strength." Phil 4:13

The Lord our comforter

2009-01-20T08:10:00.000-08:00

I remember about the same time last year, Joel's dad passed away. This year Kevin's dad passed away after battling cancer for so many years. Kevin used to be my youth leader and really inspired me in my youth. Even though I do not know his dad personally, yet I really feel so much for the family. It must have been very tough fighting cancer together as a family. It must have been very heart wrenching to let go. Lord, thank You that in the midst of all these, Kevin is still so cheerful and composed. I pray for your peace and comfort to envelope them in this time of grief. Everytime they think of their father, they will be comforted that he is in heaven with You, safe from every tear, every pain, every worldly infliction.

weddings...

2009-01-14T08:41:00.000-08:00

Attended my cousin's, Nicholas, wedding. My family was really involved man. My sis and I were invited to be wedding singers for the day. Ben was one of the "Brothers" for my cousin. Tim was the ringbearer. And and! This is the first time I permed my hair! haha. It will be my last time too. The girls in the family had fun going to the salon and styling our hair, but mine came out the most exaggerated of all. My father was busy dropping food into his tea, and toppling beverages over. My mum was busy trying to disclaim any relationship with my dad.

Ben, Eliz, Stef, Dad
My pretty cousin-in law, Tim and my cousin, Nicholas

The Thia family!!!

Thanks Cynthia and Lala for lending me your dresses. This year we'll have to borrow more dresses for the numerous church weddings!! Actually, Im not really close to my relatives at all. Past disputes amongst the older generations have pulled the cousins apart. But, Im glad I helped out. Im glad to see the look of relief and joy on my cousin's face after the whole wedding.

Though Im unwilling, yet it seems God is bringing the whole extended Thia family together. There are some people whom you do not want to meet, but God just keeps bringing your paths together. There are people whom you want to spend more time with, but many things separate you. God is really interesting... Well, I can't choose my relatives but I can choose the way I see them and treat them. They are my flesh and blood. They are the beloved of my Lord. And so I know God is teaching me to love my own flesh and blood. If I say I love my Lord, I must also love those around me, especially those who are related to me by blood. Lord, the lessons on love, I've got to learn it for my whole lifetime. But Your love for me compels me to love even the hardest person on earth.

“If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” 1 John 4:20-21

Streams of living waters

2009-01-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

Wow, it has been so long since I last updated! Last year passed so quickly. Many things happened. Though it wasn't my happiest year, yet it was such a humbling year. Learning from my mistakes, learning to face my fears, learning, most importantly, to trust the Lord. And Im so thankful Father, for how You never let me go, even when i wanted to wander off sometimes.

Ever so often in school, my mind drifts to such a place of rest, a haven of quietness where I can just look in awe at the works of my Father. How I wish to be away from the school work, from the bore of my subjects, from waking up in the early hours... But even in the midst of busyness, my Lord still comes to refresh me. He gently guides me and protects my heart from emotional hurts. He teaches me about patient endurance. Frankly speaking, sometimes I feel really grumpy and don't feel like listening to anyone in school. My heart can be full of dread. Thank God, that He knows I am a great sinner... but I have a great Saviour. And that makes a world of difference. The circumstances shall not dictate how I should behave or how much I love You. Come what may, I want to stick so closely to You... FOR LIFE, FOR ETERNITY!

"Forget the former things
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland."
(Isaiah 43:18-19)

And these are my Father's words to me. Stop dwelling on the past! Stop thinking how good my days were in Poly! He will do a new thing. Though I feel like Im in a desert place right now, a wasteland of fulfilling business dreams that everyone else has except me, He shall open up streams and springs to refresh me. My God is so strong, He will hide me when Im tired, when Im sad, when Im discouraged, when Im heartbroken... He will surely stay close by me. Thank You Father.

I'd rather have Jesus...

2008-11-16T22:55:00.000-08:00

I'd rather have Jesus

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold

I'd rather be His than have riches untold

I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land

I'd rather be led to His nail-pierced hand

Than to be the king of a vast domain

or be held in sins dread sway

I'd rather have Jesus than anything

This world affords today

I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause

I'd rather be faithful to his dear cause

I'd rather have Jesus than worldwide fame

I'd rather be true to His holy name

He's fairer than lilies of rarest bloom

He's sweeter than honey from out of the comb

He's all that my hungering spirit needs

I'd rather have Jesus and let Him lead

I'd rather have You than anything or anyone else. Saying it is easy, but when we are really put into a situation where we have to give up something so dear, I still choose to say I'd rather have You. So be it if the circumstances are as such. So be it if things do not happen according to my way. I would still love You and trust You. As long as You are here with me, I know Im safe and well-loved and deeply joyful. You give and You take away, but my heart will still bless Your name. Most importantly, i pray that they will come to know You.

Lord, do people find us mysterious? I guess no one can truly understand me unless they know You. My deep thoughts and secret conversations with You. My heart's cry for forgiveness when I see so much evil and gossiping. My desire that everyone, especially those close to me, will come to love You and to know You as I know You. The consequence of sin is death and eternal punishment. Everyone is doomed. But I pray You will take away their blindness and bring them into Your light. Thank You for being my almighty Father.

The Lord is my shepherd

2008-09-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

Psalm 23

1. The Lord is my shepherd;

I have all that I need.

2. He lets me rest in green meadows;

he leads me beside peaceful streams.

3. He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths,

bringing honor to his name.

4. Even when I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid,

for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff

protect and comfort me.

5. You prepare a feast for me

in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

6. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord

forever.

I stared at the cold crystal waters in Lata. I wondered who made such beautiful streams. Everywhere I go, I see my Father's fingerprints. I wish I could tell You I trust You enough. I wish I would not take You for granted sometimes. I wish I could give You my undivided heart. I wish I could easily let go of worldly treasures in my heart. Yet, whenever I feel Im not good enough, You do not reprimand me or put guilt in me. Such loving words You put into my ears to remind me that You are always close enough, near enough to grab hold of me when Im tired, generous enough to bless me abundantly, strong enough to remove my fears, gentle enough to let me rest peacefully. Thank You Lord!

The Lord is my shepherd

2008-09-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

This is my first ODAC trip to Lata Berembun! I went there from 24th Sep - 26th Sep. It was so fun man! Shall update more about this trip another time. I made wonderful friends there, saw really beautiful sceneries, stars, durians, snake, and brought back many scars as souvenirs.

Trekker Elizabeth Thia on the way!!

4-wheel drive. It was like a roller coaster ride!

Always wear your life jacket when you are going to a waterfall. My ODAC friends are all so fun to be with!

Mong and I touching the cold waters
The beautiful waterfall I was looking forward to! Our tents were set up next to this waterfall.

Chinese Garden

2008-09-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

Joel, Shu and I went to Chinese Garden to see the mid-autumn festival decorations. When we reached there, we were saddened that there was an entrance fee of $15 per person!!!! I thought going to Chinese Garden was always free! Anyway, we went to gaze at the stars and talk at a nearby park instead. Then Joel wanted to relieve himself, so we went to look for a toilet. And guess what?! As we walked past the entrance of Chinese Garden, we realised that there were no security guards and ticket selling personnel around. So we just walked in... filled with fear that someone may chase us out for walking in illegally. Ahh!!! But the moment we went in, we started running around the place and taking pictures. I cant believe we got in for free! haha! Thank You Lord!! You are so wonderful to us!

Joel and I posing as phoenixes

Shu and Joel

Can you see Chang Er flying above us??

Uni classmates

2008-09-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

Here's an update on the life of Elizabeth Thia! Thanks to all those who came to encourage me about my voice. Im really touched!

This is the breadfruit which Mong and I went to pluck in NIE. The process of plucking it was soOO fun man! We had to see if there was anyone looking at us. Anyway, this fruit can be eaten after boiling it. It tastes like potato.
Cell bonding with my sec3s! We had a great time of badminton man!

Life in NTU is made fun by these people! They make lectures, tutorials and seminars less boring. Im so excited to go to school!

Weiling and I! Oh ya, did you all noticed that I dyed my hair too?? haha
My clone - Spencer! If he were a girl, he may win a pageant... ok maybe not...
Peishan and I! I went to room in with her during the week. It was so fun to be sleeping in school.
This was the bed I slept on.
Huijun, Peili and I. Peili LOVESS taking photos man.
And finally, Jenny and Tiffany. Together with Peili, they can keep themselves occupied by taking pictures for hours man!

How can I keep from singing??

2008-09-02T05:22:00.000-07:00

How Can I Keep From Singing - Chris Tomlin

"How can I keep from singing Your praise??"..."I know I am loved by the king"...

I couldn't continue singing this song in church on Sun. Tears choked my voice. The resounding words "I know I am loved by the King" kept playing in my heart and my mind. Father, thank You for sending Your comfort and encouragement to me.

I went to a specialist to check my hoarse throat on Fri and seems like an operation may be necessary to remove a cyst from my throat. The doctors say I still cant sing for church. The news was shocking to me. But Im not afraid of the operation. Im just saddened by the fact that I can't sing with all my strength to the Lord. You know, there'll be this fear like "Am I singing too much?? I better not sing because my voice may get worse". My own human mind was thinking that some people use their voice to speak vulgarities, lie, quarrel, hurt others. I want to use my voice to encourage, worship the Lord, bring joy to people, tell everyone of a greater importance in life... but something must stand in the way. I broke down in the train and was so embarrassed that people may be looking at me! But the still, small voice of God spoke to me that it is alright to be weak because in my weakness, God will show Himself strong. How wonderful to be able to lean on God for support and strength!

"The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1

I'll write more if I can't talk more. I'll worship You with my guitar if I can't sing more. I will bless others with deeds of love if I can't love them with my voice. I'll be a better listener, if I can't be a better storyteller.

Tim and I

2008-08-24T05:25:00.000-07:00

Today my little brother, Tim, and I had an arguement in the car...

Tim: Dear Lord, I pray that today it will rain so that tennis lesson will be easier. (He said it's because he doesnt have to do so many warm-ups when it rains)

Me: Eh Tim Tim, Jie Jie don't want it to rain! If not my slippers will get wet!

Me: Dear Lord, I pray that it wouldn't rain today, if not my slippers will get wet. Amen.

Tim: Dear Lord, I pray that You wouldn't listen to my sister. Please let it rain today. Amen! (Then he looked at me and said "Haha!")

And guess what happened today??? It rained! It rained super heavily man! So God answered Tim's prayers instead. Not fair Lord!! Just because Tim is younger, FATTER, cuter and still a child doesn't mean that I have lesser child-like faith! haha.

On another note, I read this verse during the week: "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favour from the Lord" Proverbs 18:22

Haha! God says HE who finds a wife, and not SHE who finds a husband... So, its the guy's job to be brave and make the first move, and not the other way round. And see! I know God is protective over the girls. From this verse, God is saying "Wife= good, brings favour from God"! How come the world always seems to say that getting a wife is the start of problems?? That's not true man!!

NTU life

2008-08-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

School has started. Im in NTU right now, not Ngee Ann Poly already k. Thank You Lord for blessing me with new friends like Jenny, Weiling, Peili, Joanna, Amos, Edison, Spencer, Huijun, Pei Shan etc etc. And guess what? I joined ODAC (Outdoor Adventure Club)! Don't see me look like Tofu means cannot climb mountain ok! Well, lots of funny things have happened in school, though I've only been there for 2 weeks. Thank You Father for adding joy to my life!

1. Our first day was orientation day, meaning getting to know your classmates. I went to see which group I belonged to first before helping Liting see hers. I kept remembering her group number that when I reached the hall, I forgot my group number! Was it group 12 or 11?? So I went to Group 12..... which was the wrong class!!! And I spent the whole day getting to know them, only to find out at the end of the day that I had gone to the wrong class. haha! I find it sooo funny man. But the people there were really nice!

2. Weiling accompanied me to NIE bookshop to purchase my books. She led me safely to NIE, but when it was my turn to lead her OUT of NIE, we ended up in some ulu place! And we still had lessons in about 10min time! We were half panicking and half laughing man. But not to fret! I brought my map! But it made us feel worse, because we realised that we were very very very far away from our next destination. I was praying that God will send us a cab. And immediately, a cab appeared!! Haha, and the uncle did not know where our next destination was, so we ended up touring round the school for awhile. We were just abit late for lessons. Having Weiling around is fun, she really lightens up the atmosphere!

3. Oh, I spotted breadfruits in NIE! They are green, round, about the size of a pomelo. They taste like potato after cooking. I wanted to pluck them, but they were too high for me to reach. Mong will accompany me to secretly pluck it down one day. There are lots of edible plants in NTU! Just that no one really knows that they can be eaten. My hands are itching to pluck the leaves...

The thing I like most about school is that it is soooOO beautiful! It feels like a resort. And my secondary school buddies are mostly in NTU!! Seeing the sky, the trees, the lush green grass, the birds flying away so freely, how can anyone say that there is no God who created all these? My heavenly Father who feeds the sparrows and clothes the lilies will take care of me.

"26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6: 26-27)

Im thinking of my lovely Sec3 boys and girls. Seeing each of them growing in love for the Lord and maturing in character makes me really encouraged.

My 5 handsome mascots for sports day! LAME! (oh oh, Im not sure if I can put this picture up)

My entire sec3 cell - "Why Not", together with Andy and Vennie! (hey pple, we've just changed our cell name k).

Dear why nots, you all are very blessed, because many of you have already found what many older ones are still searching for. You have found the path of life. Life is not just following the routine and system of the world, getting married, work and die. Living with the Lord makes everything so meaningful and worthwhile and delightful. Living and walking with the Lord is our path of LIFE.

Missing my childhood friends...

2008-08-18T05:38:00.000-07:00

I looked through my Tioman pictures today and reminisce the times we had together. Today, I just really miss my childhood friends... School has started, army life has started, working life has started. Time has a way of separating us.

Jarmiss Low (James) is the only one who will ever do the stupidest stuff with me and make me laugh. Also well-known as my twin. Thank God he isnt in army. He is wearing a wig here.

Gay Kahwan, the sleeping monster, has entered into his commando life. I wouldnt even mind or complain now if you kept nua-ing around whenever we're together. Just to see you around during the weekends, safe and coping well, is already a blessing.
Gene, my most handsome brother, hasnt gone to army, but he's so busy with working life. And it's been so long since Ive seen you smile Gene. Sometimes, I really wish I could make you laugh forever. Joel Chia is my closest and bestest guy friend! It seems like forever to see him during the weekends. But still, he always does us proud. He is doing so well in army now, I hope... Haha. It's quite nice to see him in his army uniform. Feels like he has grown so much to become a man!
Alekx!! Wah, i miss your laughter, your voice, your joyful spurts of action. I wish I were in Australia with you. I think I wouldnt give you so much prob as your roommate? haha. Church feels different without you. Cell feels different too. hahah, this is Joanne Foo, the most muscular woman in cell. Actually, Im really glad I got to talk more heart to heart with you this year. There are not many people I feel close to, but you are one the few I can connect with. For all the years of friendship and growing up together, I really really appreciate and thank God for this friendship. hhahah, but how can I forget this person! Shu has started work in church office. And i miss all the sad times, God times, troubled times, happy times, funny time, talking times, stupid times, cell time, everytime. My most treasured friend and sister. You love me more than your coconut pudding... eh, now I have a new one. I love you more than my Ocarina! haha. I dont want to ever think when you will leave to be a missionary. I don't want to ever think when I'll be challenged to release you. I don't want to ever think when you will get a bf, get married and start a family. I don't want to ever think of the future being so negative except that we'll have more blessed and God created moments together.

A gathering of childhood friends
Hammocking away above the river is soooOO fun!
Getting ready to snorkel. We are the 3 beauties... right right??!
Amidst the beautiful sceneries, it's your faces I'd rather see...

My times...

2008-07-22T01:30:00.000-07:00

The times when Im worried
Are the times when my eyes are not on You
The times when Im burdened
Are the times when I do not turn to You
The times when Im at a loss
Are the times when I do not seek direction from You
The times when Im lonely
Are the times when I choose not to talk to You
The times when Im fearful
Are the times when I forget to trust You

Help me Lord Jesus
To break out of my shell
To look upon You when Im downcast
To trust You even when the going seems tough
I forget sometimes
Please forgive me Lord
When I gratify my fleshly desires
Rather than You

The times when Im worried
I will fix my eyes on You
The times when Im burdened
I will turn to You
The times when Im at a loss
I will seek directions from You
The times when Im lonely
I will choose to talk to You
The times when Im fearful
I will trust You
At all times
I will love You

Wu Ge Ren - The only english interview in the history of Superband

2008-07-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

Superband Wu Ge Ren video - The Pink Guava Boys (Super funny!)

*If you hear 2 sounds being played at the same time, click the red "x" sign next to the search function to stop the second music from playing. Then press the play function on the video to view it. Definitely a must watch!

Wu Ge Ren - Julia

2008-07-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

Superband Wu Ge Ren - Julia

The competition for Superband 2 has started. My family was so excited watching my brother drumming away on television!!! AHHH!! The group was reprimanded for having a lame start, but all thanks to Kevin See who just sacrificed his dignity for their sake! You can watch the video here.

Thank you Lord for letting Wu Ge Ren get into the next round of the competition. Thank You for letting them be one of the top 3 for Judges' choice and top 4 for audience favourite. All glory belongs to You Lord.

SUPERBAND 【非常SUPERBAND】

2008-06-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

SUPERBAND 【非常SUPERBAND】
Take a look at [wu ge ren]'s video - The young ones! Just click on the red words. If you see an advertisement at the start, just let it play finish and then you'll be able to see the 5 boys. The video is rather funny, because they look so amateur and shy infront of the camera. Question: who do you find the most handsome??

Updates

2008-06-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

Wah! There's just so much to update! So I'll let the pictures do the talking. The pictures are in random order though.

Our picnic trip to Botanic gardens. And I was too scared to climb up this famous tree on our $5 notes. From where I was, I thought I was really high up already! Until I saw from shu's camera how near I was to ground. Seems like we are in some scenic country?? This is Botanic Gardens man!
Finally, I've graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic. I miss school. I miss my friends.
My mum never got to wear the graduation gown during her school days. So today, I fulfilled her dream! Even more than that. I made her look like a priest.
haha. Joel is my only "relative" who came for my graduation ceremony.
March 22 - Easter Life concert! God is just so powerful man. We had sooo many visitors!!! We portrayed out the crucifixion of Jesus.
Myself and my sis. I was acting as an adulteress woman, while my sis was acting as a blind girl.
My days as a relief teacher in Montfort Junior School, an all boys' school. Teaching is fun, though I lose my voice because of the boys. But they are just so adorable and lovable. They are watching "Finding Nemo".
Finally, top 16 superband finalist-Wu Ge Ren!!! According to music critics, they say this band is going to be the next David Archulettas - Pure, innocent, simple. I totally support them! Because my brother is the drummer (second from left), and Jon Soh is the bassist at the extreme right. Well, isnt it good to have a band that breaks the social norm of being black and dark and fierce? This band has great potential - extremely talented violinist, most wanted drummer in Saint Andrews Sec, superbly intelligent boys from Hwa Chong Institution, all boys group. Girls are biased, we always support the other gender. But well, on a more objective note, there are areas which this team needs to improve on. So may the best band win the competition. I already thank God my brother has this chance to have such an experience and show who God is in his life. Im glad he realises that in all things, God is not to be separated from him. That's most important.

While man can fail us sometimes, God will never fail us. What a comforting thought. And happy 20th birthday Hanny!!

Announcements

2008-06-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not updating my blog for such a long while. I will be away from 10th to 14th June. Try not to sms my handphone because I cant receive any messages in Malaysia. And when I return, I lose some of the smses which people send to me during that period. Although I really enjoy receiving birthday smses from friends, I don't want your smses to go missing and unread. So if there's anything you want to say, leave a tag here or email me k. I will read them when Im back.

Psalm 77

2008-05-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;
I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart mused and my spirit inquired:
"Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?
Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?"
(Psalm 77:5-9)

Ha, just when I read this psalm of david, it seems like whatever he feels becomes whatever I will feel for the day. And thank God I read this psalm, so that I can go through the day. My thoughts are of the former days, of this friendship I treasure so dearly. And I inquire like David about the Lord. Sometimes, when things don't go our way, we all do feel this way about God... if His love has vanished forever etc etc. Yet this is what David said later.

I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will meditate on all your works
and consider all your mighty deeds.
(Psalm 77:11-12)

The waters saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
(Psalm 77:16)

Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
(Psalm 77:19-20)

Yep, even the red sea cringed and convulsed at the command of God. Though sometimes we may not see God's footprints in our lives, here is the truth - That God will lead us through the sea, through the mighty waters. And so knowing all these, I commit this friendship to You, praying that You will preserve it. And I pray You will lead me out of this mighty waters soon.

Joy Joy Joy

2008-05-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

Today my tuition girl asked me, "Teacher, why do you look so sad?" Yes, indeed she guessed it right when she asked me why I looked so sad. But surprisingly, that one innocent question woke me up to my senses and God filled my heart with so much love and compassion towards her. Here I was giving tuition, but there in my mind I had other thoughts which are causing me to feel sad. He opened my eyes to see that there were more important things on hand, more important people who were on His agenda, more important people to love and care for.

Lord, open my circle of influence. Open my heart to love more people and accept more people into my life. Make my joy complete in You...

Whenever I am worried about my future, this song comforts me:
I dont know about tomorrow
I just live from day to day
I dont borrow from its sunshine
For its skies may turn to grey
I don't worry o'er the future
For I know what Jesus said
And today I'll walk beside Him
For He knows what is ahead

Many things about tomorrow
I dont seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”- Romans 12:12

"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." - 1 Thes 5:16-18

Fishing...

2008-04-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

We had girls' stayover night from Sat to Sun, at lala's house. It was just Hitomi, Lala, Shu and I. I enjoyed our girls' talk at night, using code names to conceal our secrets. haha. What I enjoyed most was talking about SOMEONE together. We were talking about God... what were you thinking?? When God is in the conversation, He really just bonds the fellowship even closer. Im so thankful that we could pray together that night too.

Hitomi, Lala and I (Photographer: shu)

And then on Sun, we tagged along with the guys for their fishing trip at Pasir Ris farmway 1. God was with us because there were so many funy things which happened when we were there! The scenery was so beautiful too! It's hard to imagine that Singapore has such a scenic spot.

We caught that fish!! ... no actually we didnt. Notice all 4 similar shirts! This is the sisterhood man! Don't mess around.

Guess what happened?! This is so funny! I was sitting barefooted on a chair, and left my sandals on the floor beneath my chair. Lala was about to cast the rod which was very near where I was relaxing, so I cringed away from her fishing hook (if it hooks onto you, you can get hurt). The next thing I saw was some big white thing flying in the air and landing in the middle of the pond. We all just stared at it and thought what it was. I thought it looked familiar. It was white, like my sandal. It was the same shape as my sandal. I looked down at the floor and realised that one of my sandals was missing. That was my sandal in the pond!!!! Oh man, all the aunties and uncles there were laughing so hard! We all couldnt stop laughing either. Apparently, lala's fishing hook got hooked onto my sandals while she was casting her rod. Thank God the guys managed to reel in my sandal. haha

Lala with her catch - my white sandal!

The 4 guys: Linus, Jarmiss, Joel and Sam

Overall, I thank You Lord for blessing Shu and I with new close friends. Thank You for speaking to me on Sun. I knew without a doubt that You were speaking straight to me. You are in the ship with me. You are more concerned about my faith and fear than about the storm Im in. I will meditate on Your loving ways and trust in You always.

The Little Princess

2008-04-08T21:34:00.001-07:00

Recently I came across a journal which I penned in when I was in Primary school. There were several quotes which I copied from the storybook, The Little Princess, written by Francis Hogson Burnett (He also wrote the storybook, The Secret Garden). The Little Princess in this story was highly favoured by everyone in boarding school because she was rich, intelligent and pretty. But, when her father died and nothing was known about where his wealth went to, people in the school started to treat her badly. From a "princess", she became a slave. And she still showed what it means to be a princess all the time.

"If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it"

"Perhaps I have not really a good temper at all, but if you have everything you want and everyone is kind to you... how can you help but be good-tempered? I don't know... how I shall ever find out whether I am really a nice child or a horrid one. Perhaps I am a hideous child and no one will ever know just because I never have any trials."

"I don't answer very often. I never answer when I can help it. When people are insulting you, there is nothing so good for them as not to say a word- just look at them and think... when you will not fly into a passion, people know you are stronger than they are, because you are strong enough to hold in your rage.... There's nothing so strong as rage, except what makes you hold it in - that's stronger."

It's easy to be nice to people who are nice to you. It's easy to love the loveable. This year is a test of my character. And I will know if I am a hideous person or not. But I have God with me and He will help me to love, He will teach me how to love. Lord, I will not trade anytime in the world for that day with You.

(Matt 5:43-48) "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

kelong trip

2008-03-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed the kelong trip with my church buddies man! Though we had to fast lunch, yet we still enjoyed ourselves. Alekx, shu and I were the only girls on the trip, surrounded by 9 other guys. Fishing is not a girl's hobby! But God was faithful in adding joy to our trip. I'll just let the photos do the talk, more details on shuey's blog.

Shu and I disturbing Joel while he fishes.
The guys acting cool in the beach
Shu spending time with God. Guess what? During this time when we were spending time with God, the boatman came up to us and asked if the girls wanted to go to the beach! We were told that we couldnt go to the beach at first because they only brought children instead. And the girls felt quite sad, because we didnt want to fish for 3 days in a row. God does dote on the girls.
This is a tidal pool!! Its a mini pool formed amongst rocks! And its so cool because you can spot little prawns, crabs and small fish swimming inside.
Joel with his catch fish. He was trying to hold it like a rifle.
Kahwan's twin sister. He found her in the kelong.
hahah! I accidentally pressed squid ink onto shu's face while trying to hook it on the fishing rod. It was so funny! I was fiddling with the squid and the next moment, i heard a "ah!" sound from shu. She's always the victim of my clumsiness.
Alekx and I are so intrigued by the creatures in the sea!
The guys were hesitant to follow the girls to the beach at first. But they seemed to have more fun instead. I like this photo, James appears to be running on air.
Biscuit spitting competition! The aim of this game is to munch the biscuits and talk at the same time so that lots of crumbs will fly out of your mouth. We were aiming the biscuit crumbs at each other! and my biscuit crumbs landed up in zhulong's mouth! haha, his expression was soo funny.

Jellyfish!!! Ive never seen so many jellyfish in my life!
Shu and I were busy posing while the guys were busy crashing into the waves.
Alekx and I! Im glad alekx went along this time, really got to know her better!
Lots of "rainbow" fish (thats not the real name of the fish). It really looked like rainbow colours on the surface of the sea because the scales of this fish were reflecting the 7 colours of the sun. The water was sooo clear.
This is a scandalous shot of Joel and James.

Overall, I really enjoyed myself! It's the company which made the difference. I got to know James, Sam, Joel seah and zhulong better. The teh-ing sessions. God reminded me He was everywhere. In the sea, in the sky, in the hills at the distance, in my heart.. He is there. He knows the struggling issues in my heart. Perhaps, this trip made it even harder to let go. But yet, even while away from home, He spoke to me to once again.....TRUST Him.

I trust You

2008-03-16T01:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, faith is about enduring unseemingly hard times.

Father,
In my heart is an emotional rollercoaster
Though I want to let these emotions go
Yet it's easier said than done
I would wish that You give me an answer now
I would wish that You solve this mystery for me now
I would wish that everything happens NOW
It has never been so difficult for me
to deal with such a situation
But I know something good will come out of this
I know that I will still win
I choose to trust You
and be like You
My emotions will have no control over me
Because You care
You will not let the righteous fall

Sunshine

2008-03-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

One day, as I stared out into an open field
God seemed to tell me to look at the rays of the sun
The sun beams beat upon the lush green grass
Everything was bright and happy
Then I tried looking directly at the sun
But found that it was too blinding for me

God is like the sun

Sometimes, we ask, "why don't God show Himself to us?"

God shines His rays upon us

As His way of saying He loves us

If He shows us His full face and glory

We will die

We will be blinded

But this doesnt deny that God is real

And that He is with us at all times

Busy preparing with Easter concert on (22nd march, Sat, 4pm -7pm, Living Sanctuary Brethren Church, FOC). All are invited!! Im looking forward to it!!! So exciting to see God's hand in this. Really so exciting. He really provides what we need. He sends confirmation when I need assurance if what im doing is aligned to His will. Thank You Father.

Specially for Joel Chia

2008-02-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

Joel Chia's dad, Remus, has passed on to be with the Lord on 25th Feb, leaving behind Joel. Uncle Remus is someone i knew since Primary School. A tall, sturdy uncle with a smile on his face. Im happy to see him everytime, because it means he has brought Joel along to cell, to church to accompany me. Though Im never very close to Uncle Remus, I feel the pain of his departure because he is Joel's dad. Joel is his only son, with no mum to take care of him either, and he is only 20years old.

To Joel, my bestest guy friend in the world:
When you cry, I will cry with you
When you feel lonely, I will accompany you
When you feel troubled, I will pray for you
When you need help, I will always just be an sms away
When you need a listening ear, I will stop talking
When you need advice, I will tell God to make me His mouthpiece
When you are sad, I will cheer you up
When you want to grieve for your dad, I will let you take as long a time as you want
We'll all stick through the toughest times together

Lord, I know You will provide and You will comfort and You will give Your peace. Thank You. Amen.

Last day of school

2008-02-05T19:39:00.000-08:00

Today's cny eve and also my last day ever in Ngee Ann Polytechnic (before the exams start). School is really so quiet today, Im not used to Poly being so surreal and still. Ive just finished my last presentation for the semester, for the year, for my whole school life in Polytechnic. Such a weird combination of feelings that Im facing. Happy that Im no longer pinned down by project deadlines, sad because I really enjoyed my Poly life and the friends that Ive made here and Im going to graduate soo soOOn!! Freedom and reminisce mingled together... Thank You Lord for an enjoyable Poly life, with beautiful surroundings and scenic landscapes greeting me every morning in school. Thank you for the friends Ive made! Thank You for giving me this time to rest and study at such a slow and comfortable pace.

Casting Crowns - Praise You in this Storm
I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
stepped in and saved the day
but once again, I say "Amen,"
and its still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear you whisper through the rain "I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God that gives
And takes away

I'll Praise you in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will Praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You herd my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can i carry on
If I can't find you

Ive been singing this song for the week, I love this song man! Probably because many of my good friends are going through tough times now. Probably because Im remembered of a similar situation when I stood watching the rain and asked Him "where were You"? Sometimes you know God is with you, but you just cant fathom that fact or that fact just doesnt sink into reality. And then I must make the choice to say "I will still praise You in the storm". You know 1 difference between Christians and non-christians? Its not that Christians are more holy, more perfect etc. The difference is that Christians have the Lord to turn to in difficulties, in joy, in loneliness, in death and He answers. I have never met any other god who answers my prayers except Him. Im human. And I still experience anger, jealousy, loneliness, unwanted infatuations etc. But I always tell myself that I have the Lord, and that makes LOTS of difference, cos I can ask Him how to deal with my emotions and to control my emotions for me. And then I'll win because of Him.

Leaders Retreat cum randoms

2008-01-20T08:47:00.001-08:00

Just came back from Leaders' Retreat! Thank God that even though Im not a leader this year, I got to go for this. It was meant for the adults, but they invited the youth leaders this year too. Retreat was at Sofitel Palm Resort in Malaysia. The company there really made everything so enjoyable. We had many memorable events as well. For example, shu and I locked our keys in our room on the first day of our arrival, when we specifically told ourselves to remember to bring the keys out of the room!

There was this stretch of linen on our beds, so we started to play around with it. Shu acting as a beggar!

Im a wushu warrior

That's the emperor scroll!
Shu's face is really funny! haha

Kahwan and I. He was seen suspiciously lottering along the corridor because he wanted to take a picture with us, but didnt dare to ask

Ching Yee and I enjoyed talking about boys. This bedroom picture looks a litte wrong

We took lots of bedroom pictures! I like this picture, ahha
The Youth leaders!

Any event with Shu around is always fun! We were having seafood dinner.

Geraldine and Wanhui. Geraldine never fails to make me laugh man. See the joy and laughter at our table! Guess what made us all laugh so badly? Haha, Chingyee said she wanted to be a nun. Then, it led to the topic of eunuchs and what gets castrated out of their body. Thank God I dont have to be a eunuch.
Gene is back from China!!!! Im so so so SOO happy to see him man!! Really missed his funny facial expresions and hearing him call me "Ezaburf". That's his cap from China.
Had uncles driving us home after the retreat. It's always exciting when your friends drive you home. This is my first time being driven by Joel. Although he doesn't say it, but we all knew he enjoyed driving us around (when guys drive girls around, it makes them feel a little more man) hehe, i look like a secondary school girl man. And I don't want to grow up so fast! noOoOO!!

If ever I leave for Australia, how will I be able to leave all these friends? Too used to seeing them every week. Too used to hearing their laughter and voices. Too used to them calling me "bird". Too used to doing stupid things together. Too used to all of them... Nevermind! I shall not worry about anything now :)

BEST - Cares chorus

2008-01-17T06:49:00.000-08:00

BEST - Cares chorus

I cast all my cares upon You
I lay all of my burdens
Down at Your feet
At anytime, when I don't know
What to do
I will cast all my cares upon You

Presenting to you my new video. Heh, this is a childhood song which I held to very dearly whenever I was afraid of the dark or when I felt lonely studying in the late nights with all my family members already asleep. The video may not be as good as my other videos, but I pray that it will still bless you when you watch and listen to it! It helps! Especially when you feel down or sad.

I have a new blog! specially for my videos and to post up words of comfort. (www.his-comfort.blogspot.com) Mr Bacon! need you to help me do it up, add tagboard and all again k. That's what brothers are for! So far the blog only has one entry, but do come to take a look k!

Prayer items

2008-01-16T19:22:00.000-08:00

My grandma and Uncle Remus (Joel's dad) have been hospitalised. Yesterday, I went to Tan Tock Seng to visit them. No one in hospital looks good. Uncle Remus looks so sunken and weak, so different from the tall, strong and big-built uncle I know when I was young. Apparently, he has tuberculosis and lung infection, and the doctors don't even know what's the main problem yet. My grandma has dengue fever for the second time and her skin has so many red blood-shot marks because the doctors have been drawing out blood for testing. I hope I dont have to visit the hospital again...

"Dear Lord, let your peace be with Uncle Remus, Joel and ah ma. Like the blanket that covers them at night, you are their refuge and fortress and the shelter in the midst of the loneliness. Lord, I pray that you will sustain their health and heal them of their pain. Help the doctors to diagnose Uncle Remus condition accurately and strengthen Joel even as he takes care of studies, home and dad at this moment. Amen"

earphones

2008-01-14T06:22:00.000-08:00

Just to help Joel to promote some technological device thingy:
Sennheiser in-ear earphones deals! only $50 for CX300 (usual $129) email me if you are interested! only a few sets! Its brand new and comes with a 1 year warrenty too!!

Seriously, i dont know what he's talking about man. But you can always trust Joel to sell you high-quality equipment because he's very hardworking, trustworthy, reliable and honest.

I never thought...

2008-01-13T08:03:00.000-08:00

I never thought that i will be studying in polytechnic, but i did
I never thought that i will hit the age of 20 and beyond, but i did
I never thought that i will be a christian, but i am
I never thought that i will love God till the point of no return, but i have
I never thought that i will have a little brother at the age of 12, but i have
I never thought that i will go to a bible school, but i did
I never thought that i will have close friends who are so unlike me, but somehow i have

When I was young, the future seems predictable. Going to JC seems like the route for my whole triple science class. I never thought that I will enter bible school or a polytechnic on the day I decided to quit JC. And now, Im faced with awe and fear at the uncertainty of my future. If this year I go overseas to study, there will be many people I will be unwilling to leave. Seriously, Im a mama's girl. I still need my parents!!! Yet, I was the one who suggested going overseas. I dont know what Im talking about man.

Suddenly, I feel the reality of going overseas hitting me. I never bother much about it. But now I want to spend as much time as possible with those I love and enjoy the Singapore climate and plants and culture before I leave. I want to see my sec3 boys and girls growing up, I want to be there when they have problems or when they want to share their joy.

Ants attack

2008-01-11T21:16:00.000-08:00

There's a verse in the bible which says this: "It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain" Isaiah 4:6. Recently, this verse became true... when I found a whole ants colony living inside the bible that I read every night!!! Indeed, it was a shelter and shade for them, away from the constant storm and rain. Like the saying goes- the most dangerous place is the safest place. For 3 years I've been reading that bible and never once thought that there was an ants colony inside. No wonder recently I've been having alot of bites on my body. So that fateful night while I was reading the bible, I saw 2 red ants crawling on the page and had a hunch that perhaps there might be more. So I knocked the bible on the floor. First knock, nothing came out. I ruffled the bible pages and knocked the bible on the floor again.... so many red ants dotted the floor, their whites eggs and everything. And its not like they were living in a secluded corner of the bible, they were living between the hardcover and the cover page, but I always never flipped open those pages. Ha, but that was an interesting encounter and made me realise that God takes care of the ants living there too, just that they were starting to bite me, so He had to exterminate them.

First entry of the year

2008-01-08T07:08:00.000-08:00

This is my FIRST entry for 2008! Felt like God is challenging me this year to draw even nearer to Him. So I made a covenant with Him for the year, but already feel challenges and distractions setting in. I told God that this year I do not want to get into any relationships. I want to consecrate this year solely to Him. Lord, this important year where I turn 20, do whatever you want to make me more like you. A little kinder, a little more compassionate, a little less selfish, a little more loving...... a little more in love with You.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; Trust also in Me" John 14:1. Such a simple verse, but it just struck me one day when I was feeling so troubled. If God says "do not" let your hearts be troubled, it means we can really overcome our hearts from being troubled. How? TRUST HIM! He knows best what He's doing.

Stream of Praise- Lift my eyes up to the Lord

我要向高山舉目
我的幫助從何來
我的幫助從造天地的耶和華而來

哈利路亞

I like this cute children's song! Seems like at the start of the year, God is already preparing me for problems that may come.

updates

2007-12-23T08:55:00.000-08:00

21st Dec - went gyming with Hanny!!! Im so glad I exercised man, but my muscles are not aching. heh heh, this means that I have not worked out enough yet.

23rd dec- Today is such an interesting day. ha. We were all in Kahwan's car and suddenly, we saw a girl changing her clothes in the car infront of us! oh man!! really shocked me! and she wasnt like some small girl, she was a grown up girl! I felt so embarrassed for my church guys who saw her "body". ah!!! so embarrassing!!! No wonder today my eyes are puffy, first time in my life that i experienced puffy eyes. Warning to all girls: please do not change inside your car, you never know who might be looking at you.

a godly man

2007-12-20T08:47:00.000-08:00

oh no! i think im influenced by mel goh already! cos today im gg to blog about guys! But im not going to turn this blog into a marriage counselling blog like mel's blog is. heh.

A gentleman is someone who:
-opens and holds the door for you
-walks you home when its late (but only if you like his company)
-offers to order food for you
-knows when to tease and when to STOP teasing you
-doesnt use vulgarity
-blocks you from basketballs coming your way
-looks out for vehicles on the street and walks you across safely
-doesnt raise his voice at you
-tries to shield a girl when she has stained her skirt or pants instead of laughing at her
-gives you his food to eat when yours hasnt come
-goes all out to make sure you feel comfortable first before himself
-is gentle?? ha, diao...

My dream guy is someone who is:
-bold
-dares to do what is right
-initiated
-decisive
-God-fearing
-God-loving
-funny and fun to be with
-disciplined
-loving
-faithful
-responsible
-honours his father and mother
-loves his family
-hates evil
-not mushy
-lastly and most importantly........already my very close friend to start with

If i have to choose between emotional connectedness and eligibility, i will choose the former. I rather choose a very close friend than someone who fits the criteria of a very eligible bachelor. I have many guy friends, many good guy friends, but very few close guy friends. A close friend knows your weaknesses, your strengths, your true colours, your likes and dislikes, your ugly poses. You can "teh" him or voice out your disagreement in the most uncivilised way. You can fart or burp infront of him, and talk about girl issues without being embarrassed. Im glad all my close guy friends come from church. I pray for more close guy friends in church so that i have more choices and not have to change church!

updates

2007-12-19T19:34:00.001-08:00

I'll just let the pictures do the talking. First pic is the christmas caroling event with my sec2s. So glad that so many of them could come for this event, especially the boys who feel inferior about their voice quality.

Try spotting me with my sec2s! don't i look like one of them?? ha.

Kelong Acheh:

My handsome sec2 boy, Joshua, acting like a pro fisherman.

My closest friends!

Look at the beautiful scenery!

The 2 cute little brothers!

The 19 year olds!...without me :( haha

christmas events

2007-12-15T07:27:00.001-08:00

Rain camp -- checked
Christmas caroling -- checked
Kelong Aceh (leaders' retreat) -- tomorrow!!
Christmas Actually -- 19th Dec
Love Actually -- 22nd Dec
TL gathering -- 27th Dec
Watchnight service -- 31st Dec

So many events for dec and I can't wait for all these events to take place. Yet, one event comes and goes so quickly. I really have to remind myself to treasure every moment and every minute with my family and my friends. Caroling with my little sec2s today was fun! So enjoyable to hear their chitter chatters all around me. Also thank God for samuel and joel seah for being at the caroling with me today too!

I can't live a day without You

2007-12-14T08:39:00.000-08:00

Can't Live A Day - Avalon (In A Different Light)

I could live life alone
And never fill the longings of my heart
The healing warmth of someone's arms
And I could live without dreams
And never know the thrill of what could be
With every star so far and out of reach
I could live without many things
And I could carry on, but...

I couldn't face my life tomorrow
Without Your hope in my heart I know
I can't live a day without You
Lord, there's no night and there's no morning
Without Your loving arms to hold me
You're the heartbeat of all I do
I can't live a day without You

I could travel the world
See all the wonders beautiful and new
They'd only make me think of You
And I could have all life offers
Riches that were far beyond compare
To grant my every wish without a care
Oh, I could do anything, oh yes
But if You weren't in it all...

Jesus, I live because You live
You're like the air I breathe
Oh Jesus, oh, I have because You give
You're everything to me

I love this song man!!!! Lord, if i get through this competition, I want to sing this song for You.

Rain Camp!

2007-12-12T08:38:00.000-08:00

I was drenched during Rain Camp!!! Thank God for the spiritual rain and for the RAIN (literally). Without the literal rain, i guess it cant really be called Rain camp anymore. Saw so many new faces and wanted to talk to every single new person, but could only befriend a few. Im glad to even get to know these few pple. I prayed that God will minister to me during this camp too, that it wouldnt just be another camp where i had to minister to my younger ones. And God heard my prayers. He brought me back to my first love. I really wanted to be broken again, to be a person of compassion, love and the fear of the Lord. Somewhere this year i guessed i lost it, i lost the joy of being with Him. I was particularly surprised when this new young adult, Pei Fen, came up to me and said God wanted her to pray for me. She said she saw a bright bulb in a room. It's been so long since I had someone coming to me to say God had a word for me, maybe because I can hear God clearer now.. but still it felt so... fatherly. Felt like the embrace of my Father when I was just starting out my journey as a christian.

It was so fun being with the camp committee, got to know the committee members better too. Now then I realised that Kara is such a crazy woman! She made me laugh till i lost my voice. haha, dodgeball with a durian.

I wish I could sing again... without restrain. You know I only live to sing for You.

:(

2007-12-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

Im glad I didnt stay with you...

do not forget your first love

2007-11-29T04:27:00.000-08:00

2I know your deeds,

your hard work and your perseverance.

I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men,

that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not,

and have found them false.

3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name,

and have not grown weary.

4Yet I hold this against you:

You have forsaken your first love.

5Remember the height from which you have fallen!

Repent and do the things you did at first.

If you do not repent,

I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

-Revelation 2: 2-5

God really spoke to me with these verses during QT. I may do what is right before God and continue doing the things that please Him, but I have not realised how i have forsaken Him. When we keep doing what is right, doing the right things become a part of you and it becomes easy to do, but maintaining or building the relationship with God is not that easy. To have a close relationship with Him, time must be set aside, being still before Him is a must. Even if we do all the righteous deeds in the world but have forgotten Him and fail to love Him, nothing has been accomplished.

series of events

2007-11-19T07:51:00.000-08:00

Kahwan and Joel came to my house to bake shu's bdae cake on Thur. It was really fun and Im glad the guys learnt quite abit about baking from ME, the master chef, muahahaha! We made orange sponge cake we tasted rather nice. By the time joel reached my home, kahwan and I had already finished making the cake. Tim questioned joel "you come here just to eat dinner ah?". ha. Well, the top of the cake was BURNT because we set the heat wrongly. The cake tasted great BUT it doesnt look that appetizing. when joel turned over the cake, parts of the cake got stuck to the tin, but we still thought we could salvage it. So we left the cake in the kitchen while my mum, sis, tim, joel, kw and i talked in the room. We were talking about keeping the cake away from tim, in case he secretly eats it. And then it was time to send the guys home. A twist of event took place. As they were about to leave, my dad came out from the kitchen.

Dad: "the cake not bad ah"

I : "How you know? you ate the cake???!!!"

Dad: "ya hehe, i eat the bad parts"

All of us immediately ran to the kitchen to see the cake. "arhhh!!! Pa!!!! the cake is not for you!!!" We couldnt stop laughing man. How could we have forgotten about the dad! the cake must be kept away from him too.

The orange cake when it's done

What's left after being eaten by my dad

The shirt I did (i paid my sis to handmake it for me) for Shu

Finally, a random picture of the Thia Superman!!

my long lost friend

2007-11-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

My long lost friend- Ben Sua!

Woohoo!! so happy that i managed to trace down my childhood friend. hey ben, dont you feel honoured that im blogging about you?! haha. im the one in the red dress, and he's the one laughing at the side. The only people I can remember from my toddler days are Ben and Joel, my 2 best friends in chen su lan methodist children's home. Ben says he remembers me as a SUPER sweet and SUPER quiet girl. ha, super sweet seems true ah. Just had the sudden urge to find back my 2 best friends but only managed to find Ben. and its funny how God links all of us together. Ben's and Joel's sister are both from PL. Talking to my childhood friend somehow transported me back to my days of innocence, fun and no-worries. Time really flies man, it seems just like yesterday when we were climbing monkey bars, running in the basketball court, singing christian songs, saying grace before eating, feeding the ducks and chickens, taking afternoon naps, bathing together etc etc. Thank God for a wonderful childhood! and wonderful childhood friends!

Praise the Lord

2007-11-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

Received a message from my tuition girl's (charlotte) mum that Charlotte received her maths exam results today. Guess how did she do?? I was so thrilled when i heard about the tremendous improvement in her maths results. From 59 marks when i started teaching her to 81 marks!!!! Praise the Lord! Tuitioning is fun, but it can get really pressurizing when they dont improve. I can only say all glory goes to God! Lord, i told You that whether her results may be good or bad, i will still praise You. You deserve the greatest honour. At times, when i think im cut out for teaching, thank You for humbling me and making me realise that I really cant do without you. Thank You Father.

near death experience??

2007-10-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

The cut on my finger after applying fresh aloe vera gel obtained from my flower pot

Blood infested plaster!!!

ha, didnt know that this change of nick on msn would garner so many conversation windows, really felt so touched that i have friends who care:) Thanks everyone for your concern. This is my first time cutting my finger so badly, which is good in a way, so that i can understand the pain of those who cut themselves often.

Well, i was cutting this pomegranade and i put in a lot of force in cutting it today. Unfortunately, the knife slipped and landed on my second finger. Shocked! Petrified! There was SOOO much blood spluttering everywhere!!! i never "dripped" that much blood before. Everything was so sudden, i couldn't even feel the pain. Thank God my mum and dad were around to help. I just grabbed my finger with a tissue and see the colour of the tissue slowly turning red. The next thing I knew was that I felt so dizzy and my vision was blurred, my body felt so weak too, and i just felt like dozing away. My mum kept talking to me to make me conscious. And then suddenly i felt nauseous, but couldnt throw out anything. What a weird combination on feelings. haha, and i dont know why i kept babbling "sorry", "thank you", "cannot see". I thought i was going to die. i thought i had cut some important artery and was going to bleed slowly to death. In my mind, i was calling God for help. Thank You Lord for keeping me safe and well and for preserving my life. Im so grateful to You, Lord! Tim said he prayed very hard for me and kept asking me "jie jie, you still got blood?"

Thinking about this incident, i remember that the past few weeks i saw this vision of my finger getting chopped off by a knife that slipped off. Everytime the image came back, i felt afraid. I told my sis about it last week. Anyway, i prayed and felt a peace after that. Then just a few days ago, i saw this image again and had a premonition that something was wrong. I didnt pray over it. And then what happened today? But God preserved my life and finger. By His covering, He did not let my finger get chopped off, nor do i need any stitches. It could have been a warning of what is to come, yet by His sovereignty He protected me. Thank You Lord for perfecting my sensitivity to Your voice. Each time i hear and dont react accordingly, such things happen and im more aware of the need to pray INSTANTLY, more aware of Your warnings and more spiritually alert.

10th anniversary dinner

2007-09-18T03:18:00.001-07:00

LSBC's 10th year anniversary dinner

It's always fun to be with ORBIT even though the food wasnt that fantastic. We had loads of fun dunno doing what.

Linen has left for UK and I'll miss her presence in church. My childhood friend since p4, we have all grown up together. Still i know she'll ahve a great time in UK. It just feels a little different that my friends are all growing up and going their own separate paths, feels different to sit in a car that my childhood friend is driving... everyone has grown up, but you somehow wish you were still a little kid.

hougang shophouse fire

2007-09-18T02:54:00.000-07:00

Burnt shophouses
Dead and charred body of son. Can you spot his hand?

The recent hougang shophouse fire occurred a few metres away from my house on thursday. That night, i was supposed to meet joel, kahwan and james for supper near these shophouses after their gym workout, and maybe we would have been at the scene of the fire. But they had a change of plans, so i didnt meet them eventually. Yesterday was the cremation of the 2 siblings who died in that fire, i was at their funeral wake and there were SO MANY people crowding round to look.

God convicted me in this incident. First thing in my mind was, could it be the 7th month burning that caused the fire? Im really very against the 7th month burning because which god would encourage air pollution??! In my heart i was praying that it could have been the 7th month burning which caused the fire, then perhaps the government can ban it. Then God convicted me that if He were me, He wouldnt think and pray like this. He would pray for comfort for the bereaved family, He would cry and weep with them regardless of their religion, He would be there for them. I realised how selfish I was, totally thinking about my own interests. So there and then, I prayed for comfort for the family and that they will be able to resume life again. I feel very sad for them especially when i visited the burnt shophouses. Lord, even in the midst of all these, I pray that the family can come to know about Your everlasting love for them.

"Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God." Psalms 146: 3-5

How true man. One day someone is here, and another day they will be gone but how happy and blessed we are to have the Lord as our hope.

Praise The Lord

2007-09-13T02:16:00.000-07:00

Thank You Father that You blessed me with a wonderful boyfriend. Thank You Lord for a successful courtship. Successful because Im more certain about what I want and what i should be doing now. Everything has officially come to a close and I have learnt alot from this whole journey. Though i still have questions about whether i have heard correctly from You and why You brought me into this, I will continue to trust You for the answers. To wj: thank you for treating me very well, for being so understanding and giving in to my constraints. I really appreciate what you have done.

So now, shu and i are single once again!!!

To Huang Liting: welcome to God's family!!!! Nothing brings me so much joy than to see my friends coming to know Jesus Christ, personally. It's a miracle!! Lord, thank You for hearing my prayers, I can only say it is the work of Your hands. Thank You thank You thank You thank You!!! Liting, I pray that you will enjoy being a christian and know that God is not just another god, but a friend, a father, a brother etc. I pray that God will watch over you and that you will hold tight to your salvation. Lord, let Liting grow to love You more each day. When she's happy, she can share her joy wth you. When she's sad, You will always be there to listen. When she's troubled, You will provide a way out for her. Thank You Jesus. You are my faithful Lord.

There are so many things to thank God for, including my new tuition student- Charlotte. I enjoy teaching her, enjoy talking to her and listening to her little stories. Lord, may You help her to improve in her studies so that You may be glorified. And thank You Lord for my sec2 cell. Im so happy to meet my handsome boys and pretty girls every week, so happy to join them in their lame jokes and hearing them use "cool" languages like "hey dude" and "totally man". haha. Did i mention that I have veryhandsome boys in my sec2 cell? Handsome but blur, but i still love them. the short, the tall, the noisy, the quiet, the thin, the fat, the cheerful, the emo-looking, the gentle, the violent, the act cool and the act cute. Different kinds of people in this cell. Feels like one big family. Thank You Lord for them!

Fall in this place

2007-09-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

Planet shakers - Fall in this place

Take me to the place Lord

Where there’s nothing else but me and you

longing for your presence

I know that you’re calling me to you

Here I stand

And long for your embrace

Nothing else could ever take your place

Come holy spirit, fall in this place

I need more and more of you

Fill me again with the power of your Spirit

Lord I’m crying out for more and more of you

I love this song man! It's always my heartcry to be in the secret place of the Lord. No one else can win my heart like He did. and i will obey Him till death. Father, You know me best, and some things are beyond my control or my understanding. But i really just want You to take control. I want to trust You and feel secure that everything has been taken care of.

New post

2007-08-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

King Kong has finally returned from his adventures in the rural jungles of china....! haha, am i supposed to sound excited??? It's quite funny how everyone asks me if i feel super duper excited, or if i have the feeling of butterflies in my stomach... but i dont have any of these feelings, makes me wonder if there's something wrong with me. I can only describe my feelings as that of being peaceful and calm, like a blanket over you when its raining and cold. Maybe because these few days it has been raining. but thank You Lord for granting him a safe journey back.

And my heart is filled with sooo much thanks and gratitude to the Lord. So many things have happened, and sometimes we think of God as a mean, demanding person, who withholds his blessings from us. The Lord has once again made me realise how wonderful He is, how willingly He will give and bless if what we ask is aligned with His will. Thank You Father, I feel so blessed. Can fairytales exist in reality? I truly believe so, because so many times i feel that my life is like a little fantasy. So many of life's surprises and blessings will pop up and make me feel, is this really the life of Elizabeth Thia. I guess I can only say it's because of the Lord's presence in my life. He makes things unpredictable, makes you feel as if everything is going to crash down and then suddenly He whoops down and saves the day. He injects humour into my life, gives me frequent smiles and surprises, does the unthinkable, whispers the words that i need to move on in life, comforts me when Im down. Thank You Father, You are the best gift in my life.

Cheryln

2007-07-27T23:25:00.000-07:00

Cheryln and I in sec2, Australia trip

Today I went to the airport to send Cheryln off to Canada. Her whole family is migrating there. Ever since she told me the news of her leaving, i just felt very sad, remorseful and unable to accept that fact. This news hit me more than when i heard of church members dying or when my grandfather died last week. Though i may not have mentioned her that often, she is someone that i treasure very much, my best friend in primary school. Till now, i still cant believe that she has left for canada. I never thought my friends will leave me one day, and she's my first closest friend to have done that.

Men are like that. When the person is still with us, we dont treasure them. When the person is gone, then we feel the pain and regret not doing more. All sorts of emotions welled up within me. anger because she did not tell me earlier that she was migrating, then perhaps i could have done more. Sad, because i dont know when i'll meet her again and she is not those IT savvy person who uses msn. Remorse, because I havent been such a great friend as what she says I am.

I remember in Pri 5, i became her closest friend when both her parents and my parents went to visit the same uncle. Ever since then, i thought she was the most beautiful person. kind, compassionate, sweet, gentle, God-fearing, hardworking, everything. And then in sec sch, we split ways after entering different classes. My class won all the competitions in school, and hers didnt. We were still in the same higher chinese class though and later ended up in the same class in sec3 and 4. But i never treated her as well as in the past. Because she belonged to the "teacher's pet clique" and was subjected to criticisms in class, i gradually didnt feel that proud to call her my friend or to be associated with her. How i wish i could change those times! Never did i stand up for her when her clique was criticised, never did i proudly proclaim that she's my close friend.

I never thought she meant that much to me until i realised that when I think of her leaving, i start crying. She's a loyal friend, godly and righteous, inspiring in her own ways, yearning for the praise of God and not for men, in failure she still remains joyful, edifying, befriending the outcast, enthusiastic about everything. How can i ever find a friend like this! Even I myself am not a person like her. She wouldnt care about what people say and just befriended this loner guy in JC, even though people started spreading rumours of him and her together. And yet God blessed me with her and I never treasured her. Thank You Lord for Cheryln, thank You Lord for blessing me with wonderful friends. Thank You Lord for helping me to recognise Your blessings in my life, I am very very blessed.

Rushed to the airport only to find out that she was already boarding the plane. If the plane must take off at 10am, i must be there at least 1 hour before right!? i forgot that i must be there earlier and just took 10am as the time to reach. My heart sank when i called shu yan and she told me that Cheryln has left. I just stood outside the departure hall feeling so lost and trying so hard to control my tears man. I still had so many things to tell her and pass to her. But thank God that I could still talk to her through the hp before the plane took off, if not i really dont know what to do. Im really proud to have Cheryln as my friend. and if ever anyone says that they wish they could play the harp, i will still proudly say that i have a friend who plays the cherubs!

Happy Birthday Hanny!!!

2007-06-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

HAN wenhui aka Daohui aka hanny!! happy 19th birthday to you!!! you are officially one step closer to turning 20. i will be at church camp during your birthday so cant celebrate it for you :( Anyway, just want to thank God for blessing me with you, since pri1. We have known each other for 12 years!!! You are my great friend and share alot of similarities as me. Stay next to me, sit same school bus since pri 1, my bus mate, classmate, class partner, same height as me etc etc. You have really filled my life with alot of joy and laughter (like your "joke" about the egg)! coming home with you after school was always fun and my sec sch days were so fun cos we could laugh at you! even until now, i thank God that we still stay in touch and meet up to go school and work together. of all people, i must see you at my house bus stop, haha. Thank You Lord for HAN WENHUI!!!! ok once again happy19th birthday and may you grow in wisdom and joy each year. Also continue to stay guai and simple!

Thanksgiving

2007-06-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

I just want to thank all my friends and family for your well wishes and gifts on my birthday. Im finally 19!!! I dont know if i should sound happy or sad, haha.

Thanks Yoke Shan for being the first to celebrate my birthday with chocolates, subway and ice cream. Thanks stephie and zheying for treating me to the ice cream at sunset way and for your handmade photo album, i like it alot man! Thanks to all who smsed me: phyllis, delia, sheryl sim, cheryln, huiwen, chze ching, huiyu, wenhui, xueling, xinni, xiaoqi, alekx, joanne foo, joel chia, kahwan, huiming, huiyun, bryan, james eu, jiesi, liting, chenming, max, melvin goh, dickson, yongwei, yiling, winnie, stephie, zheying, zhiwen, lili, ah zhen, samsui, weijia, jessie foo, jessie chew, christine, weiping, sam loh, baoyi, brother aaron, bacon, lynn ern and lastly Shu En (the last one to sms me so that I can remember her most vividly). Thanks to all of you and for being part of my life! Thanks ah zhen for the lunch treat at crystal jade, thanks to PB exco for celebrating my bdae at east coast beach, thanks to my family for the sumptuous dinner, thanks to my sis for the customised shirt and my stolen artpiece (she keeps forcing me to thank her), thanks for the flowers and the bible also. Sorry for spoiling all the surprises as well, haha. You had fun planning the surprises and i had fun spoiling them! To all my friends: no matter what you have done for me on my birthday, the greatest gift is YOU! Im just contented to have you guys in my life.

Dont you find this artpiece familiar??!! after 5 years, i finally got back my artpiece from PL. ah!! Im so happy, i thought i would never see it again. must thank my sis for stealing it plus the frame from the art room and decorating the frame with her favourite lavenders.
The flowers which xiaoqi delivered to my house at 11pm, looking at me with her sore eyes and dressed in her working clothes. I was really so touched to see her man. I shall keep my comments about flowers to myself.

Birthdays dont mean anything to me, much less presents. It's just a day when I was born. If i forget this person on my birthday, everything's just meaningless. Thank you Father for 19 years of life, thank you for sustaining my every cell and organ. Thank You Lord for all the happiness and joy that You've blessed me with since young. All the presents or surprises cannot make me feel more happy, because You are my ultimate joy and happiness. I cannot feel more appreciated because everyday you appreciate me for who I am and encourage me with Your words of life. Thank You Lord that You never broke Your promise of being with me at all times. Some people live for the fame and glory, some for temporal worldly pleasures, some live to please the people around them, but i live for You because only You are eternal.

I wish

2007-06-11T05:21:00.001-07:00

I wish June 14 wil never come...

Eternity

2007-06-10T03:47:00.000-07:00

Cant wait for church camp!!! yay!!! will be away from 17th-20th June, going to Times Square in KL. I watched many vcds during my first week of hols -happy feet, the nativity story, high school musical, night in the museum etc. And i went to East Coast park on fri to meet up with my sec sch prefectorial friends. East Coast beach really brings back memories man. It was the place that Sheryl Sim and I went after school in VJC. The beach, the afternoon sky, the breeze never fails to brighten my day. Im so glad to have met up with my old friends!!!

Life is really meaningless without God. Even if you want to help the world, theres just no meaning in helping people when one day all of us will be gone. We are all merely dust and one day our bodies will return to the ground we were made from. Have you ever thought about what lasts forever? Even if we do good deeds, who are we doing them for? Who or what are we living for? Do they last for eternity?

Sometimes i wonder why television drama serials focus so much on bgr. There can be nice story plots that does not revolve around bgr only what. Plus, love comes in different forms like brotherly love, friendship etc. I think if i were to write a movie, it would be a great hit! haha ok joking only. I just wish our singapore movies will be able to make it big in the entertainment world.

Recentness

2007-06-04T01:13:00.000-07:00

Firstly, happy 20th birthday to Stephie!!!! My new-found friend from IBSM. Really love you as my friend even though we only knew each other for such a short period of time. I wish you success and eternal happiness. God loves you!

Had the weirdest dream last night. I dreamt that i was the only girl left in the world together with many other guys. and i had to choose 1. so i chose this guy whose name is Kang Kang. You know that taiwanese celebrity. and he couldnt speak good english. and he looks really old. and he made me host a taiwaese show with him, but i was struggling to speak good chinese. and then i woke up.

So many things have happened. Gabe has passed away to be with the Lord, at age 28. I was never particularly close with him, but he did enter into my life. He must be singing praises to Lord and talking with Him now. And enjoying the companionship of angels and saints who have gone before me. Indeed, life is like a breath. And I have so much more to learn and do before I am ready to meet with my king. Anyway, hols have started! i have 4 weeks break! time for me to catch up with friends, my sheep and with my Lord!

"Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Cor 4:16-18

Yes, my flesh may rot and die, but my soul will live forever and be renewed by the Lord. All my problems cannot compare to the beauty that I'll behold when i meet with my Lord. Lord, im fixing my eyes on You. Though the future may seem uncertain and my many plans may seem right in my eyes, Lord direct my steps and my ways. My only goal is to love You more each day.

Purpose driven life

2007-05-22T00:05:00.000-07:00

Happy 19th Birthday to Samsui, Tan HuiU and Jessie Foo!! You are all God's gifts to me man! Wishing all of you years of happiness and joy as you grow closer to God. Wishing samsui that she will never fulfill her ambition as a terrorist, haha!

To the poor, I appear rich
To the weak, I appear strong
To the sad, I appear happy
To the hungry, I appear well-fed
To the sick, I appear healthy
To the lonely, I appear friendly
To the godless, I appear Godly
To the unloveable, I appear lovely
To the ugly, I appear beautiful
If only we saw ourselves through the eyes of the less fortunate,
then will we know how blessed we are

I would rather count my blessings than the troubles that befall me. The June hols are coming, looking forward to it, and yet dont want school to end so fast!! I love school!! Take care of your health everyone, dont let yourself fall sick! Half my family is down with virus, including myself. I coughed until blood came out..... at least that's what I thought, until my dad reminded me that I ate watermelon for dinner. Thank God it's not blood man!! and thank God that Shu can go for church camp!!!!

Happy Mothers' Day!

2007-05-13T05:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers' Day to alll Mothers!!! Thank God for giving me a mum who is a joker, a disciplinarian and a friend to me. I really appreciate what You have blessed me with. Ben really scared my mum today. When i came home after church, I found Ben in the toilet doing his big business. My mum and I were in that same room too. Then Ben shouted out, "Mummy! I made for you chocolates for Mothers' Day!" Mum's reply, "eeee, if you are giving me that kind of chocolates, I dont want." haha, then Ben said, "i made the chocolates in the freezer already!" My mum thought that he was refering to the "chocolates" that he was making in the toilet. haha. Ben is most affectionate and thoughtful out of all of us siblings. In the end, Tim ate up all of the chocolates.

"One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple" Psalm 27:4. Come what may, I want to fix my eyes on my Creator. Lord, I know that You know best and will only want the best for my life. So I thank You in advance!

kahwan's driving!!

2007-05-06T07:41:00.000-07:00

Today, Kahwan drove Shu and I to church. And we ended up late!! haha, but it was so fun and exciting to sit in kahwan's car. I really cant imagine him driving man. Feels like my friend has really grown up. Last time we used to drive toy cars, but now.. we're sitting in a real car man!! And to see kahwan sitting in the driver's seat, looking at all the tons of car mirrors.. it just feels different. Anyway, i learnt that what guys define as speeding is very different from what girls define as speeding. Because we were running short of time, kahwan said "alright, be prepared ah, going to speed up". Wah, i was so excited la, i thought we were going faster. Then, after we reached shu's place, I didnt even know that he sped already! It feels like we were going at 50km/h all along? haha. Later, when he u-turned near church, he said "sorry, turned too fast." ha! shu and I looked at each other and laughed man. I didnt even feel that he turned too fast! the journey felt so smooth. But still, thanks kahwan for driving us today!

The guys of my life!!

2007-05-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Pa and Tim. 1st bro missing in picture.

Was looking through my online photos and found this! Look at my brother and dad both without shirts on. Really like father, like son man. Tim is really FAT now, cant see the ribcage anymore like in the pic. Did I mention that he loves school sooOo much that he keeps singing the school song at home (out of tune somemore). And he'll say "Jie, I sing very nice hor!" First week in school he also cried, not because he misses mummy. He cried because the school song sounded so sad and touching. He thought it was a sad song. My bro is weird but totally cute man!!!

Alright, yesterday tried something interesting- natural hair recipe. Avocado mixed with olive oil. The avocado in my fridge was overly-ripe, so didnt want to eat it. Oh man, it really looked like a shit mixture. And it felt so cold when i put it on my head. And it's not that easy to even it out on your hair la. Everything was like falling off from my head onto the toilet floor. The scene was like shit bombs falling onto the ground. haha! mum and i cant stop laughing man. She didnt even want to help me la! Then because there isnt any shower cap at home, I had to tie a plastic bag round my head to keep everything in. To end it all, Tim had to do his big business before i could clear the toilet. When my mum washed his butt, she couldnt differentiate between the real shit and the hair mixture. haha! What an experience man!! Will make sure shu, alekx and the rest do it next time too. "When one suffers, the whole body suffers with it too"

Enjoyed my week thoroughly. "The joy of the Lord is my strength"!

Gabriel

2007-04-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Saw Gabriel being wheeled in to the sanctuary on Sunday. Gabriel used to be my youth leader and now, at a young age of 27, he is stricken with cancer. My heart dropped when I realised it was him on the wheelchair. He just looks so shrivelled up, so frail, so unlike the Gabriel I used to see. I found it so hard to worship God and i forgot it was Easter. Really so painful to see him suffering, and I cant even do anything to help except to pray. A thought came into my mind. What if I was the one in the wheelchair and facing death, what would I feel or do? And I remembered the verse that talks about praising and worshiping God even with my dying breath. Yes, that's what I will do. Even if i die, I want to die loving God, i want to die holding the Lord's hand into eternity. Sometimes we question why such things happen. I have no clue either. All I know is that the Lord knows best, and He is in control. Ultimately, it's how we live that matters. Jesus died young too, but He died a hero and saviour.

Easter sunday holds a new meaning for me this year. As i worshipped, i saw a picture of Jesus' death on the cross. The pain that He went through for my sake I can never comprehend. Yet, the pain that Gabriel is going through grips me so much. Is my focus on the beauty of the Lord, or on the devastation of this world? Yet, when I took the bread and the wine, I remember the Lord's words that we are a part of Him. Nothing can separate His love from us. Do I love Him just as much too??

My trip

2007-04-10T08:35:00.000-07:00

Really wanted to update when i came back from China, but 12 days' worth of events is just too much to type man. God taught me loads during the trip and gave me a glimpse of the outside world. I realised how sheltered I've always been. When everyone complains, I must rejoice. When everyone uses vulgarities and swear, I must speak words of encouragement. When everyone chooses to get drunk and intoxicated with the temporal pleasures of beer, I must stay pure. When everyone gossips, I must cover my mouth lest i join in what is displeasing to God. I must do what is right in God's eyes, because I love Him.

It's a trip which pained my heart because the world is filled with so much evil. I heard so much vulgarities that they resounded in my mind and i struggled not to utter these words too. How difficult it is to be God's child. But how happy and wonderful are my days with Him. True happiness is not what the world can offer. Well, I admit that I am not perfect either. I did complain and failed to do my QT. Still, i thank God for the many friends that I made during the trip RongXing, Andrea, Yiling, Winnie, Baoyi, Stephie, Xinni, Chris etc. Friends whom i grew to love and I really enjoyed their companionship. They made this trip so enjoyable and I really just thank God for them.

Happy Birthday Sheryl Sim

2007-03-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

Hey Sim, i wont be in Singapore to celebrate your birthday with you this year. So this is an early happy 19th birthday to you!!! 19 years of God's goodness in your life, 19 years of growing in wisdom, 19 years of LIFE. Through it all, remember that God is faithful and if He leads you to it, He will guide you through as well. Whatever may befall your family, God meant it for your best. Stay faithful to God as well k. Pray and read His word consistantly. You are a great blessing in my life, someone who means alot alot to me!!! Thank God for Sheryl Sim!!!

Love,
Bird Thia

BEST - poverty

2007-03-08T05:34:00.000-08:00

Hi people! This is a new video that I just did. It features pictures which I took when i went to Aceh last year. Hope you enjoy it. We must always know that God is a fair God. No matter what happens, He is in control, because that's His promise to us.

Interesting week

2007-03-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

Really interesting week... Experienced the earthquake tremors on tue while i was in school. My first time experiencing this kind of stuff. The feeling is like being in a boat. I instantly felt giddy. I thought it was because I didn't sleep well the night before. Then someone suddenly shouted "Earthquake!" I really thought it was some kind of joke until we noticed that the visualizer attached to the ceiling was swaying. And i felt like i was sitting on a rocking chair. Everyone in school was evacuated to the canteen. But we experienced the tremors a second time later. This time, it felt more violent. I was half scared and half thrilled, because it felt like we were all starring in a movie. My teacher called up the head office to find out if we had to be evacuated and they said "Not yet". haha.

However, i just cant help thinking how the people in Sumatra are doing. If Singapore can feel the tremors, Sumatra must have been hit very greatly. Here I am enjoying the tremors, and there, people are dying rapidly. The news reported that the magnitude of both earthquakes were very high (6.3 and 6.1). Lord, forgive me for being so excited in the midst of devastation. I can only pray that You will comfort the bereaved families and sustain those who are still trapped in the fallen buildings. I know You must have Your reason for allowing such things to happen. May it bring You glory Lord. Lord please forgive the people in Indonesia for doing evil things and stubbornly rejecting You. Please forgive them because they do not know the wrongs they've done. Save this nation Lord!

It's just a series of unfortunate events for Indonesia. 3 great magnitude earthquakes and an airplane which blasted in midair. Can we say that the Lord is unfair? The Lord is just and loving. He is slow to anger. It is we humans who do not want to listen. Indonesia has always been so against Christianity and many Christians have been massacred there. It's just so sad to hear of children killed or left as orphans because of the earthquakes. But I know that God is a just and faithful God. He loves the Indonesians. Because He loves them, that's why He allowed such things to happen. Father, flood Indonesia with Your love and draw them near to You.

IBSM

2007-03-06T23:31:00.000-08:00

Hi all, I will be away from 12 March to 23 March for my school's business trip in China!! Pray for journey mercy for me k and that in my ever action, I will bring God glory. Woohoo!! can't wait for it!

For Ah Zhen

2007-03-05T07:11:00.000-08:00

Dear Ah Zhen,

I know you must be upset about it when you didn't sms me. I really don't know how bad it may be. I just want you to know that it's not the end k. God promised that He will not forsake any of us and that our future is in His hands. Is anything too big that God can't solve it?

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

Trust God. Trust that He can do anything for you because He knows you best. Tell Him how you feel. Remember the song "Did you ever talk to God above"? You can whisper in a crowd to Him, or cry when you are alone to Him. At least tell Him k. I worry how you are now, I really wonder how you are taking it. But I'm praying for you, you know you are never alone when you are sad or depressed.

Acceptance

2007-02-27T07:32:00.000-08:00

A level results coming out this fri. Most of my friends will be collecting their results. Hmm, somehow i feel the heat too, because majority of my good friends will be receiving their results. Hey guys, no matter what happens, know that it is not the end k. For good, bad or for worse, God is faithful and is always there for you. And I will be praying for you guys too!

Today as i was spending time with God, i felt God's love so tremendously. He is the only one there for me at all times. He is always there to watch over me and protect me. And He is only a prayer away. In the good and bad times, He is always there to share them with me. He is the only one who accepts and loves me for who I am. Sometimes, even my friends dont accept me for who I am, but God never ever condemns me or complains that my dressing is not good enough for His kingdom. Thank you Lord for being my comforter. Thank you for hiding me under your wings. Thank YOU Lord.

BEST-Shu's video

2007-02-25T04:37:00.000-08:00

Dear Shu, this is your long awaited birthday gift from me! haha, enjoy seeing your pictures. Happy belated 18th birthday!!!! Wah, everyone will know you now, because this video is uploaded on the net.

My Valentine

2007-02-16T05:23:00.000-08:00

This year i celebrated my V'day with my secondary school friends, reliving the sec sch days. I thank God for all of them, that with them I can always feel so confortable. There were several funny things that happened, haha, but I shall not go into detail about them. I received a rose that wasnt really a rose, it was something else, we were tricked!!! no wonder i thought why the guys had a slight smile on their faces.

But my real Valentine partner will always be Jesus. No matter what happens, through thick or thin, the Lord is always there for me. His love is warmer than the warmest sunshine, softer than a sigh, His love is deeper than the deepest ocean, wider than the sky. His love is brighter than the brightest star that shines every night above, and there is nothing in this world that can ever change His love.

Being loved by God and loving God is a joy. I never really treasured God's love until recently. That now i know you are worth much more than what this world holds. And you are much better than a boyfriend! You understand me, You know what I am going to say even before i say it out, You know what i feel. You are my knight in shiny armour!!! Someday I will return back to You, I never want to let go of your love for me or forget the great price you paid for me.

Thank you Lord

2007-01-31T21:06:00.000-08:00

One semester of school is going to end soon. I kind of wish time would just stop! I dont want to grow so fast. Anyway, God is a faithful God. Just wanted to talk about how He really blessed my semester in Poly. Firstly, after weijia left our project group, we had to find one more person into the group. There were a few people in class without a project group and 2 of them were people whom we wouldnt want into our group. Well, somehow i sensed God teling me that these 2 people will be my project mates whether i liked it or not. But i still did not listen, my group mates and I tried to "chop" 2 other people in class who were looking for a group. Haiz, God is God and He wouldnt let anyone change His plans. No matter how i tried to get other people into our group, somehow it just ends up unsuccessful. So finally, my group had no choice but to work with the 2 unfavourable classmates.

God told me that I must learn to trust Him and believe in them. and......I did it! They were a real blessing to the group! If I never worked with them, I would never see their talents and I would always have a bad impression of them. Even though they may have their weaknesses, but what mattered is that we managed to work well together and we enjoyed ourselves! when i look back, i see God's faithfulness. In the end it was so wonderful just talking to these 2 classmates about my initial bad impression of them and how they have really been a blessing to me. They used to hand up half done projects and scored very badly for projects, but this semester, it was a joy seeing them rejoicing over better projects grades. My project grades may not have been as good as last semester, but what God teaches me is more valuable than anything. It's one thing to KNOW what's the right thing to do, but another to really DO it. Lord, thank you for being faithful to me.

A&E (sec 2 cell) has gone into our 4th week. Im really beginning to enjoy each of their presence and I look forward to meeting them every sat. Thank you Lord for a wonderful cell which is so enthusiastic and cheerful.

You are so faithful

2007-01-19T02:02:00.000-08:00

You Are So Faithful
Like the sun that rises everyday,
You are so faithful. Dear Lord, You are faithful.
Like the rain that You send,
And every breath that I breathe,
You are so faithful, Lord

Like the rose that comes alive every spring,
You are so faithful. Dear Lord, You are faithful.
Like the life that You give,
to every beat of my heart,
You are so faithful, Lord.

I see the cross and the price You had to pay,
I see the blood that washed my sins away.

In the midst of the storm
through the wind and the waves,
You'll still be faithful, You'll still be faithful,
When the stars refuse to shine and time is no more,
You'll still be faithful,
You'll still be faithful, Lord.
_______________________________________________
This is such a wonderful song man, it has been speaking to me these few days. You can easily download the song from yahoo. Just type the song title "You are so faithful" under "search" and click the "audio" option. Yep, my Lord will stay faithful to me no matter what the circumstances may be. I thank God for this semester, I thank God for the friends He has taught me to love. This semester has been a miracle, will talk more about it after my exams end. Im going to turn 19 this year. woah, going to reach adulthood soon man and I am so not ready to face the adult world yet. I wish I can always be young and protected, i wish i can always be 16, i wish there was no such thing as marriage or bgr, i wish that the world will be perfect... but they are all just wishes...

events

2007-01-03T23:24:00.000-08:00

Several events which took place within this week. Enjoy the pictures!
1. Wei Chuen and Limiin's wedding dinner (Theme was retro)

The 18 year olds in church!

This is my first time wearing a tube dress man. It was so difficult to walk and move. However, the dinner was fun because all of us were sitting together (except Joanne) and behaving in very unglam ways.

2. Leaders' retreat
hehe, just realised i havent downloaded all the photos from lynn's blog yet. To see the pics, just go to linen's blog to view it. It was a really beautiful place. I saw squirrels, a squirrel's nest, slugs, a flock of white birds etc. But everything felt so wonderful because the leaders were all together and God's presence was so strong.

3. Happy 19th birthday Joanne Foo!! Im so happy that you are going to Tung Ling! Do share with us how God touches you k! hahhaha, it's always amazing how your weird ways can make me laugh. May you receive "the gift" this year and may God bless you with a bf soon. But actually, having a bf is not a blessing, it's the beginning of problems you know, haha! I thank God for a BIG sister like you to laugh, cry, fight etc with.

4. Happy 20th birthday ah zhen!!! I love you!! Will see you soon k.

5. Major change in cell grouping. Andy and I will be leading together. Well, Lord, I entrust everything to you. I have no plans whatsoever for this year, and Im not sure if Andy and I can manage 20 sec2s. But when I am weak, then You are strong. Help both of us Lord.