God, U are in control

everyone of us are in different environments and placed in different situations. Some are born in to wealthy families while others are born in poorer countries and are struggling with survival. i think i'm one of the fortunate ones who are in a not bad situation with a family who loves me and cares for me. Basic needs are taken care of and even my wants are met as well.

The situation ard south east asia now has triggered emotions and tots abt life. How fragile life is and how unexpected things can turn out. i'm rather saddened by the news that i just watched on tv. Dead bodies are all over the place and most of them are badly decomposed but their family members still have to go ard searching for their loved ones' bodies. The pain and anguish that they go thru is beyond my comprehension. I can only empathesize their loss.

The unexpected tsunami has caused many lives to change. Many are homeless, many have lost their parents, children, and loved ones. Oh God... Life is indeed in your hands. Who are we to bargain the way we run our lives when U are ultimately the one in control. U are the one who give us this breath and we still want to do things our own way. We are so helpless. Hence, we need God in our lives.

i pray for the pple who have lost their loved ones in this disaster. Lord, have mercy!

a christian in reality

our lives are testing grounds. we are put to test on the things learnt, the things spoken. do we walk the talk or just yak yak yak about it?

was talking to a couple of friends and they shared about their experiences. and i really agree with what was being said. all the trials or situations we are in, we're in it for a reason. To help us grow. If we focus on the problem or trial and forget our real identity, then we may just be discouraged. But knowing our real destiny on earth, it shd be the other way. We shd grow from each experience, grow closer and more dependent on God. Becos, we see how small we are and how we can't make it by ourselves. We NEED Him every moment!

it's hard though. that's the reality of a christian life. i'm learning to trust God and move on. Oh Lord, help us grow in U! To not focus on ourselves and obey U in your commands because that's what U delight in.

"This is Love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." 1 John 5:3-4

memories are beautiful...

each moment can be a kodak moment and each kodak moment does not need a camera to capture it. Becos God has given us memories. Although not all memories are good and beautiful, they store up the befores of us. With it, we can recall what was done moments ago or a few years ago. I thank God for memories.

Today had a fun time just chilling out at vic's house with the rest of our classmates. Decorated the christmas tree, ate chocolate fondue, sang christmas songs, played twister and watched legally blonde. Though it was only a few of us, the usual few in fact, the company was still great. Thank God for this group of friends! :)

We also looked through the Bintan pictures together. I think we had a great time, all of us. Hopefully next time we can all go again. The pictures just bring back the fresh memories of the beach, the time spent together, the things we shared and joked about.

The next few days are going to be busy. Meeting up with friends for christmas dinners. Hols are ending. i shd enjoy to the max man. hehe.... and i also hope to finish my book, packed up my room and do the necessary stuff before school reopens. hehe...

Kodak Momentsss....

20 - 22 dec 2004 marks the first beach resort trip i have. It was fun... wat did we do?... i'm trying to recall as much as i can remember.

Day 1

shopped for groceries at tampines mall. bought 2 live crabs for the bbq that nite. had a rough ferry ride to Bintan. arrived at Nirwana Gardens and checked into our huge villa. went to the beach to read, tan and play. watched the sunset. bbq all our food. watched tv. played bridge. played mahjong. had pillow fight (guys vs. girls). chit chat sessions. slept...

Day 2

a brand new day... went swimming. ate breakfast. swam and went for jacuzzi. swam some more. had cocktail drinks in the pool. talked in the pool. played frisbee. rested. dinner at poolside restaurant. talked over dinner. star gazing by the pool. played silly games by the pool. played ps2. pillow fight session 2. played cards. slept....

Day 3

another new day... packed up. went to the beach. saw the guys trying to ride the waves. had breakfast. talked. lazing ard in the villa. went out to try the free go-kart (thanks to hsing). was really slow at it but it was fun. had a big blister at the back of my right foot. went to bintan lagoon. saw an elephant. took pics of the nice beach there. chilled out at nirwana's pool cafe. played cards. talked. journey on the way back was rough too.

home sweet home... here i am back in s'pore, trying to recall the things we did. :) will write more tom. ouch... i'm painful everywhere.

Bintan here we come...

in a few hours time, i will be off to bintan with a group of friends. something that i would usually look forward to but i wasn't. maybe it's the illness, and the one that is yet to come, or just the uncertainty of what it would be like.

i'm afraid to expect a certain level of fun but not being able to achieve it becos of some factors. Then i would be disappointed. So, it's better not to have any expectations. Maybe i will just go there and finish reading God's big picture. something tat i found interesting to read. hehe...

i hope i dun forget anything impt and i pray for the opportunity to share with H! hehe, as reminded by Herngy. okies, i got to approach this with a positive feeling... :)

Byez....

patience

Life is a struggle... when you are freed from one, you unconsciously enter into another. It's a vicious cycle.

Everything requires patience as well. everyone needs it. When things get on our nerves, can we just let it go and say it's ok or do we choose to flare up and lose our cool? Many a times, we fall into the trap of the latter. It's the SIN factor in us. Thus, it's only through Jesus that we can calm ourselves down at times to choose the first option. It's tough but no one said life is going to be easy. Many times we fail but it shdn't deter us from trying again to please him.

I need love and patience in every aspects of my life. Need to be patient with family, with waiting for things to take place, with the pace of moving on, with finishing the term, with pple who are not so like-minded as me, etc....

before the sunrise

i heard from 2 friends that this was a good movie so i decided to watch it too. The whole show involved a lot of dialogues and it just revolves ard 2 persons and Vienna. i wouldn't say i love it but i tot it's portrays a different perspective to relationship.

Ethan Hawks mentioned something in the movie that let me thinking a lil. He thinks that he wants to escape from himself becos he is bored by himself. But when he's with her, she makes him feel like another person. Wo... if someone was to say that to me, i will be moved. In the show, the lovers are so able to connect.

The movie makes you want to find someone who can connect with you. But it's hard eh, to find someone who fits the bill perfectly. In the christian setting, this isn't the top priority. Upon this thinking, it snaps me back to reality. Sometimes it's just nice to be in my own fantasy world, without thinking the practicality of life. But well well...
_____________

Recalled what xl said to me today. I'm happy for her that she can finally find a good guy, someone Christian, though i haven't met the guy before but i think he shd be fine. hehe... :) All the best gal!

The "JF" Project!

I am MOTIVATED to jian fei after watching America Top model.
Not that i want to become a model but that they really look good and the winner, Yoanna actually lost 60 pounds in 2.5. years. Scary eh... But it's actually possible. Man... i want to try to shed those pounds as well.

So, today shall mark the start to my strict eating diet and exercise routine. :) I will only make exceptions during gatherings with friends. Other than that, i shd stick firmly to it. I really really hope i can do it this time.

YES! Bok can do it!!! (not by herself) hehe...

We are so "buey song" that it is the last nite of the camp. Only Angi is delighted! haha.... 

Enlightening conversations

Camping season is over... time to just relax and enjoy every bit of the hols. :) have already been doing so... heehee....

shopping with friends, playing tennis, chilling out at friend's house, enjoying the companionship of friends, having finger aches after xbox games, playing badminton, bowling, supper with friends and coffee sessions with my dear sisters... etc

To think of the stuff that i do, i'm really grateful that i have friends to share all these activities with. Also, the ability to do them. i treasure these times...

Talked to a few people over the week and the conversations have been enlightening and sobering. Hearing people's life stories, jokes, encounters and tots are interesting. It really broadens my perspective of life. From these sessions, i've learned.

I tot i have met the weirdest pple on earth but apparently not. Someone beats me to that. haha... but hearing her experiences, i realised that we really need love and patience to reach out to pple who are not the same as ourselves. It's often our human tendency to take the easy way out and just hang out with pple whom we are comfortable with. However, it may not be the most christian way as well... i still lack in this. God help me!

I recall the talks some of us had with ms and even from them, i've learnt! Hm... cool eh... it's amazing how we learn from each other and encourage one another.

Also, just this morning, while hearing her sad story of a confused relationship, it triggered me to think abt life and how different people are in terms of their mindsets and behaviors. It's usually quite rare to find 2 identical persons on earth. Matters of the heart are mind blogging... and it's draining as well. My heart went out to her when i heard the story. She said: "when you have someone in your heart already, it's hard to open yourself up to other options". So true!

had a coffee session with some sisters today. haha.. we had fun recalling our youth days, the stuff we did and talked abt people. it's very much a girly gathering in which we just talk and talk and talk... haha... even talked abt companionship and life partners as usual. realised that a few of us feel the same way. But we are still trusting God in this matter. :P it was a fabulous time just chilling out with a group of like-minded people. at least, got some frequency. hehe...

All in all, i'm thankful for these wonderful sharings of experiences, which makes me grow and appreciate the people and surroundings more. Thank God i have HIM in my life! He puts everything back in perspective!

Wow.. this must be the longest entry i have created. hehe... but it's a few days thing. Still have more to write but i shant cramp everything in 1 entry.

Delightful encounter

...surprised at the encounter... delighted though...still seeking and praying...
...recalled what Yh said... still find it unbelievable...

Have quite a bit to say but it's late now so i will write more tomorrow. :)

PROMISES!

"promises are meant to be broken". Is that true?

Learnt a great deal in the Joshua camp. Promises are meant to be kept and fulfilled. But it is only possible because it is GOD who fulfills them. Never really looked at God's promises in depth. This camp really makes me appreciate God's promises and that it is indeed such a blessing for us Christians to have a God who will go all out to deliver his promises.

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ....

2 Corinthians 1:20

Learning to read the OT was cool too! I'm impressed and reminded that the OT talks about the shadows and the NT speaks of the reality. But it all points to Jesus Christ! Our GOD is so cool!!! :)

Encouraged to go on in this walk even though at times it can be so tiring because it is worthwhile knowing that God will see me through in this. Just as what Jesus said in Matthew 28:20b:

"And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Because God will do what He says, i should place my whole trust in God. With trust comes obedience to God. It should be a natural thing. Simple as it sounds, but difficult as it is. Still, i should look to Jesus!