Women Of Destiny

I Love my iPHONE!

2009-10-25T22:11:00.001+08:00

Face it!!! I'm converted! I love my new phone!

1) It's coolz

2) It enables me to be connected to the latest news. (I can finally read the papers regularly with this new power phone. No more complains of not being able to sit down & read the papers cuz I need to rush out of the house

3) Some of the iPhone apps are really useful and fun. E.g. TransGuide, Dictionary, Bejeweled2 etc

But then again, there are also downside and dangers with such a power phone.

A) Parents don't blur blur just get the phone for your kids. Some of the apps are adult-content and not suitable for children. *shake head*

B) My new Singtel plan is TOTALLY EXPENSIVE....................SOBS....................... 1st bill is already a shocking $112...

So there are always pros and cons. Do your research first before jumping in to the iPhone craze!!!!

Luv Cynthia

Teen IDOL Camp 2009

2009-06-23T08:59:00.001+08:00

Check out pictures from Teen IDOL Camp 2009. See if you could spot Bren Bren & Bel Bel!

http://markadifference.blogspot.com/2009/06/teen-idol-camp-2009.html

Good things to share!

2009-06-23T08:54:00.002+08:00

I came across this wonderful free site that shares free to use Christian wallpapers. Check it out!

http://wallpaper4god.com

Slurp Slurp

2009-05-31T21:30:00.004+08:00

I really wanted to post this up because i felt that it was quite interesting =)

A young lady is alone in her apartment. She goes to bed with her dog on the floor beside her. In the middle of the night, she is woken up by a strange sound. She is alarmed, but reaches down to the dog, who licks her hand. She is reassured and goes back to sleep.

In the morning, she finds the dog hung in the shower. Where the dog slept, she picks up a note which reads "Humans can lick, too."

Of course, this is not a true recount, but i can remember how creepy i felt when i first read it.

Found it on this site

Dancing with Wolves!

2009-05-24T23:00:00.004+08:00

Matthew 10:16 (MSG)

"Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.

This week's sermon was brilliant! Plus Mr Khong was very entertaining. =)

How do we dance with the wolves?

1. Be a snake!

How do we be a "snake"?

Sneaky, yet in a positive way.

"..don't call attention to yourself.." v.16

Don't judge. Don't be quick to correct others. Don't be loud in pointing mistakes. Being discreet, but not deceitful.

2. Be a dove.

How do we be a "dove"?

Phil 2:15

"...so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe..."

Pure, and not of the flesh. Doing things out of the purest intentions and with a sincere heart.

Application

Zhimin- Choose words with care

Brenda- Flexible in thinking, instead of trying to solve the problems head-on

Jolene- Be tactful

Priscilla- Not to be rude

Janelle- Use words carefully

Annabel- Be wise

Cyn- Think sharply, speak clearly

Jo- Flexibility in tackling problems

What are we doing with we are given?

2009-05-17T22:56:00.007+08:00

(Exodus 4:1-5)

Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"
Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?"

"A staff," he replied.
The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground."

Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you."

What is our own "staff" that we want to lay it down for God to use?

Mr Ken Costa shared that like how the staff that represents what Moses do for a likelihood and the identity that he have, each and single one of us should also possess this "staff".

So, what is the "staff" a.k.a talent that each one of us have, that we also can use to help others?

Annabel- Bringing joy to people, a good listener. How she can use it is through listening to them, able to understand them better and even pray accordingly to what they need

Anndrea- Patience and loyalty. Good at planning and research holidays. *someone who's good at organising*

Cherish- Can dance very well. (She indicated that her dance can make ppl happy)

Cynthia- An eye for details. VERY very detailed. Able to organise things well. Can write stuff in clear, simplified and easy to understand manner.

Jolene- Her brains. She can provide help to others in their schoolwork etc.

Joanne- Good listener. I know there are many many more, but God have yet to reveal to me..... hahaha <>

When you're down to nothing, God is up to something.

2009-05-14T14:02:00.004+08:00

When you're down to nothing, God is up to something.'

She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She said: 'How is my little boy ? Is he going to be all right ? When can I see him ?'

The surgeon said, 'I'm sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it.'

Sally said, 'Why do little children get cancer ? Doesn't God care any more ? Where were you, God, when my son needed you ?'

The surgeon asked, 'Would you like some time alone with your son ? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the university.'

Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good bye to son. She ran her fingers lovingly through hi s thick red curly hair.

'Would you like a lock of his hair ?' the nurse asked.

Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.

The mother said, 'It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to the University for Study. He said it might help somebody else. 'I said no at first, but Jimmy said, 'Mom, I won't be using it after I die. Maybe it will he lp some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom.' She went on, 'My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could.'

Sally walked out of Children's Mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car.

The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house. She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room.

She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She laid down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.

It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Laying beside her on the bed was a folded letter. The letter said :

'Dear Mom, I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say 'I Love You' . I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again.

Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do. You'll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know.

Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything.

The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him.

Jesus himself took me to see GOD ! And guess what, Mom ? I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That's when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn't allowed.

Well, you know what Mom ? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter. I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you.

God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him 'Where was He when I needed him ?' 'God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children.

Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I've written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool ?

I have to give God His pen back now. He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm sure the food will be great.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don't hurt anymore. The cancer is all gone. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much, either. That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?

Signed with Love from God, Jesus & Me.

'When you're down to nothing, God is up to something.'

Luv Cynthia

Application for 3rd May

2009-05-10T21:42:00.003+08:00

HELLO EVERYONE! Its been so long since i last posted something. So this week i'm in charge of posting everyone's application. Actually, suppposed to do it last week but i forgot, oops.

The sermon was about blessings of a Father or something along the line, didnt quite catch what Mr Ed was saying.. So he talked about how God like us, how his love for us requires correspondence, and why people need a Father because he gives them 1) Feets to stand 2) Wings to fly 3) Compass to navigate, and that blessings to do go on for generations and generations, using 2 Chronicles 6:4,10 as an illustration.

Application
Zhimin- Pray until curses are broken
Annabel- Bless properly since the blessings that follows will keep on coming
Brenda- Corresponding to God's love, spend more time tuning to His voice rather than keep praying e.g for blessings or about own troubles
Cynthia- Continue to keep doing and saying what is right, even if people may not like it is being done or said, know that blessings will come
Jo- Since God likes me and wants to spend time with me, am going to like Him back and spend more time with him

Ok, that's all =) I still want to put this up because i think its important to apply them, to build a close and intimate relationship with God. All the way!

Signing off,
Jo

APPLICATION-26/4/09

2009-04-29T22:34:00.002+08:00

hello everybody.
sorry this is so late,this week is test test test, homework homework homework.
sorry cyn. i Thought this got posted up, but it didnt go up.
anyway, hope you all have been carrying out the applications.

C:Be more patient with people who irritate her
Pris: Whenever irritated, don't say anything
bel:make an effort to talk to the people who are left out in her class
Abi: Try and be more friendly to someone in class
-talk to her
Bren: Whenever people ask her to borrow stuff, willingly lend it
Jol:Be more hospitable to guests in her house
Jo:Offer the people around her better treatment
Cyn: Bless her brother
ZM: Continue to pray blessings over her dad.

bel

I'm gonna be a History Maker in this land!

2009-04-07T18:15:00.004+08:00

I've been very inspired and touched by this song lately. Today I just want to speak that TRUTH into you!
"Yes it's true and I believe it, I'm living for YOU!"
Non of us is too young, too old, too busy, too stupid, too small to be used by God. The matter of fact is....GOD WANTS TO USE US!!

So the question that really remains is .....
1) ARE WE GOING TO BELIEVE GOD,
2) stop believing the devil and
3)START MOVING IN FAITH!!!! :)

Luv Cynthia

History Maker
Is it true today that when people pray
Cloudless skies will break
Kings and queens will shake
Yes it's true and I believe it I'm living for You
Is it true today that when people pray
We'll see dead men rise
And the blind set free
Yes it's true and I believe it, I'm living for You

I'm gonna be a history maker in this land
I'm gonna be a speaker of truth to all mankind
I'm gonna stand, I'm gonna run into Your arms, into Your arms again
Into Your arms, into Your arms again

Well it's true today that when people stand
With the fire of God, and the truth in hand
We'll see miracles, we'll see angels sing
We'll see broken hearts making history
Yes it's true and I believe it
We're living for You

Written by Martin Smith ©1996 Curious? Music UK

faith

2009-04-02T21:51:00.002+08:00

it's a night before my syf.

syf, is the most important event of any performing art for it tells others the standard of which you are at.
my school is aiming for gold.
i just can't describe how nervous i am right now. everyone around me can't do their homework too. jittery bittery goes my heart. we either get a gold or our conductors get sacked. i just feel like everyone tells us we're history makers but there's just this silent heavy doubt hanging in the air. it's suffocating me for one thing. even as i type this i suddenly remember the delirious song 'history maker'.
well in all our 50 years we never got a gold for our symphonic band before.faith perhaps is all we have left. my heart feels like dropping.
then i have to remind myself. courage is facing it even with fear,not the absence of fear.
i will be strong and we will overcome. yes we will. please pray for us!

love
brenda

LOVE LOVE LOVE

2009-03-09T21:42:00.005+08:00

Let me put it this way. Let's say my college.

Of course if my college has a big funfair or any other event i would want my close friends to go, support me or whatever. But the thing i myself would really want is to let them see the kind of environment i study in, the place i go to everyday for 5 days a week whenever i'm not meeting them, the school God chose for me to go to, the friends i mix around with.... In a way, i feel that it can bring us closer.

The funfair or any event would just be an excuse for me to ask them over. That's how i think la.

So Bren, even though it would delight us even more to see you while we were there, i'm happy enough to see see and look look around your school, its like i have a better understanding of you.. I dont feel that the trip was a wasted one. I believe the others feel this way too. =)

Lots of love

2009-03-07T21:59:00.002+08:00

yello.

i have been wanting to say this for very long, especially when i never really made it clear.

I'M SORRY ABOUT MY SCHOOL'S FUNFAIR FIASCO.
):
i really was kinda stuck in the haunted house and i wished that everyone could come down, and i really am very grateful you made the effort to come!
i'll pay everyone back somehow!

love
brenda

Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen

2009-02-28T09:43:00.005+08:00

MUST WATCH! Coming this June.

www.transformersmovie.com

Storm Signals

2009-02-22T22:27:00.008+08:00

Was reading something by Gordon MacDonald in "When Men Think Private Thoughts" & this portion I read was very meaningful & doesn't seem like something exclusive to guys so I'm going to share a little here. Hope it benefits you as it did me!

What Storm Signals Means (Alarm bells within self that signals trouble is brewing - do a check for yourself here)
1) Moods
- Watch out for bursts of anger, prolonged bouts of sadness & continuing feelings of irritation that goes beyond the normal.
- Are you overcome with intense sadness? Are you able to celebrate with someone in his success? Why do you see gloom & bleakness in every possibility?
- It would be good to reflect upon your changing moods & what they really mean. And it would have been the right moment for a courageous fren to step in & question you & your abnormal moods & behaviour.

2) Predominant thoughts
- Thoughts that are almost always out of control. Thoughts that emerge without warning.
- Why are these uninvited thoughts growing in frequency & variety? What is the underlying message?

3) A change in key relationships
- If I find myself jealous of other peoples whose fortunes have advanced beyond my own, if I begin to think of people competitively as better than or not as good as I am, etc etc, I am getting some fairly strong signals that something in my soul has gone sour...

4) Defensiveness
-We're dealing with storm signals when we react to difficult moments with defensiveness, complaining, or whining.
- I'm defensive when I resist any attempts to evaluate my work or my life - performance. I refuse to listen, to consider that anyone might offer a different outlook on what I'm doing or becoming. Thus, I become angry or make excuses or try to deflect the blame to someone else.
- Difficulty in listening to difficult news about self. You want to give one excuse after another. You spend more time trying to explain yourself than you do listening & asking where the point of truth might be. 5) Sleeplessness

- You're probably getting a storm signal when the body cries for sleep but the mind doesn't permit it to happen. It's time to ask why!

- If the quiet messages of the soul are resisted in the daytime hours, it is not unusual that the soul will speak more persistently in the night time.

Taking the time, the effort, the opening of the ear & eye to hear & watch the stomr signals that send their messages to us that something is wrong, that something needs correction, that something needs assistance. In so doing the hurricanes are tamed, & life goes on in greater fullness & maturity. ~ Gordon MacDonald

Luv Cynthia

CS, WOW

2009-02-22T22:19:00.007+08:00

Just 2 weeks ago, after lessons from a sch, we went back to the office. Upon reaching the glass doors, i was greeted with the sight of a room filled with people gaming. Counterstrike, WOW, DOTA, Op 7 etc. Its a very common sight, considering that the gaming center is part of the place where i work.

And i asked myself this, "Very fun meh?", rolled my eyes, turned and walked off into the other room. I really really really think that its a waste of time getting into a team with some strangers to fight against some other strangers on DOTA. And CS is such a complicated game, so much blood and the counter terrorist ppl look so much like the terrorist ppl... (Gaming from a girl's point of view) I just cannot picture myself playing those games, or even getting hooked to them. NO WAY.

But last week.. i was simultaneously introduced to Warcraft 3 and Counterstrike. ITS SO FUN!!!!! At first, it was really hard to move around in CS, and i felt really dizzy after trying to move from place to place, and i "died" almost instantly whenever an enemy spotted me. But after a few more practices, i so enjoyed that game! =D There's also no lack of people to play with. ;)

For warcraft 3, i chose to play that myself. What happened was, every night when i came home, i would see my brother playing it. EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. And it really intrigued me, what exactly is the attraction. To be able to answer that question, i decided to experience it myself. So i started on the easier levels first b4 i slowly moved on to harder missions.

I can only say this: I'm enjoying the game.

Now now now, i'm not asking you guys to try the games, just that its a really good way to relax =) and its always fun to play with other people.

my fav weapon in CS: sniper!

Mark a Difference

2009-02-22T22:12:00.005+08:00

This blog (a FCBC Youthnet initiative) is created for the proclaimation and sharing of testimonies. Truly, we hope that the testimonies of God's goodness will flow continually and will serve to edify and encourage this family. =D http://markadifference.blogspot.com/

You can send your testimonies to markadifference@gmail.com :)

Luv Cynthia

My Most Memorable Valentine Day 2009!

2009-02-21T18:08:00.009+08:00

This year holds the most memorable valentine's day memory for me because ...... kena BURNT under the hot sun!!!

1) We went to celebrate V-day with BrenBren at her school funfair but we didn't grab a glimpse of her at all...... SOBS!!!! We ended up having a mini picnic under the hot sun [ZM kept insisting that it was a shady afternoon!]. We bought pizza, nachos, sardine puffs & drinks with the coupous we bought.

2) We celebrate V-day with our ETHNOSEMMANUEL cluster mates! It was a chill out night where unprofessional singers belt out many wonderful melodies to entertain the others. heehee. The atmosphere was very relaxed and fun & peppered with soooo many lame jokes! Rennie, WangYing & Phoebe really did a wonderful wonderful job in organizing the whole programme. ZM sang 勇气, EJ & me sang 爱和承诺and 梁山伯与茱丽叶.

All in all, I thank God for such a lovely and meaningful V-day where we're not just caught up in emo mo mo love but celebrating a day of love & marvelous friendships!!! Happy FRENSHIP Day Gals!!!!

*Special thanks to cherry who made the yummy mummy cup cakes for us!!!

Luv Cynthia

FAMILY!

2009-01-28T21:22:00.009+08:00

I've been extremely happy this few days, not to mention the fact that its Chinese New Year too. =)

Like what my family have been doing every year, we went to my dad's godmum's house for reunion dinner. I agree it sounds weird, as we are not related at all, but, they do treat us like family we feel really comfortable whenever we go there. This year was a bit different for me. For the past years that we've been there, i avoided talking to the kids who are around my age, maybe i'm just shy (Ha ha). But i made effort to do it this year, and its not even difficult at all. =)

Like what my family have been doing every year, we headed off to Malaysia! But this year was a bit different for us. We made a stop at my auntie's house first, then from there, we went to Malaysia. The thing is, i get to spend time quality time with my wonderful nephew and niece, Douglas and Faith. We watched Monster Inc. on the car and laughed over the funny characters. Just recalling it made me feel so much younger!! They are really intelligent too, very unlike me when i was their age =)

Like what my family have been doing every year, we reached Johor at around 10pm and waited for the fireworks put up by our neighbours. (Putting up fireworks are illegal, especially when people put up those mega loud and brights one, its actually easier for them to be caught, but....the people do get away with it..) But this year was different. It rained. So there were no fireworks. All the kids, including me, were quite disappointed. Yet, because of the rain, all of us stayed inside and we get to catch up with one another. Like, I know how my cousin is doing in school and how their curriculum is getting heavier. He is doing 11 subjects. Like, i talked to my cousin's husband, who i now know is a very funny person.

Also, there are new additions to the family. Or should, i say they've grown since they were still very tiny last year. And OMGosh they are so cute and adorable and pinch-able and delicious-looking. I totally changed my opinion towards children..especially after my another nephew and niece arrived the following day, which is a 初一. Since both of them were breed and born in the States, they have this cute accent when they talk. I had this conversation with one of them.

Abby: I love princesses! [In Disneyland] We watched the princess parade. I love Santa Claus too! *Giggle*

Me: But Santa Claus is not a princess.......

Abby: *burst into fits of laughter*

Me: And he doesnt wear a dress......

Abby: *Laughter goes on...*

Now, the real reason i'm feeling so happy is not because i feel younger when i play with them, and definitely nothing to do with the hongbaos i'm receiving, its the family warmth i can practically sense covering the entire house. Seeing them enjoying themselves, laughing over lame jokes, kids bickering over toys and stuffing their faces with food just fills me up with happiness and bliss. The feeling is that great. =)

I'm already looking forward to our next gathering.

Running after you...

2009-01-07T09:57:00.004+08:00

It was pretty late when i get home, but still i decided to went ahead with my run. I started having this run routine since it was the holidays and i can feel myself getting fat, so i try to run whenever i can.

Yesterday, i was desperate to hear God. I'm not those who is a regular to hearing him or sensing him, not sensitive at all. I didnt realise i could be very nonchalant at times, and that there are things that really needed my attention, yet i choose to let it pass..Ytd, i was reminded of them and suddenly i felt so, heavy. Heavy with responsibilities.

So it was already very dark, and i chose a different route this time, longer and quieter. I broke out into a run immediately (usually i dont do that if i want to last a few more rounds). On the way, i prayed-muttered to God, asking for help.

Amazingly, i finished that round in that same fast pace, with no thought of wanting to stop and rest.

And suddenly, it just hit me. It could be both a reminder and also an assurance from Him.

As i kept running, i was able to go further during this particular run. He reminded me of the year that just end. He reminded me who was the one who sustained me last year, pulled me through the tough exam periods and school stress when i thought i was a goner.

He assured me it will be the same again this coming year, he will continue to be my strength. Want to encourage everyone not to give up, this year is a tough one. When this year ends, we will be stronger in faith if we keep trusting Him.

Also, i have stopped doing my QT the past month, especially during my days of peace, fun and joy. As i prepare myself for this coming year, i try to set some resolutions too. Starting from how i treat my family members, and slowly moving outwards to the circle of people around me. Try to be more active with the noisy girls (ha ha) around me in church etc..

Jo

P.S: I can no longer enjoy the privileges of being a student.. *a deep sigh* No cheap bus fares, no student meal in Mcd...

"Fooled by what we "see"!

2009-01-03T01:12:00.000+08:00

Don't let the world define for you what is beauty. What you see to be real is really just a lie. "Fooled by what we "see"!

At the end of the day, be true to yourself. And not blindly follow what the world brainwashes you to believe. Else we'll end up just a sad final product of advertising lies.

Proverbs 31:30 (Contemporary English Version)
Charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away, but a woman who honors the LORD deserves to be praised.

happy new year!

2009-01-01T13:25:00.003+08:00

haha happy new year everyone! just going to tell you a little story that you MUST not be too stressed during this year or you'll end up like this:
i just finished helping out in sec 1 orientation and i was beat. i went straight home and slept at 9 plus. then suddenly i felt myself back at school again, at the meeting place near the pr. everything was a mess, people scrambling around to get things done.

a fellow psl (peer support leader): hey come, it's starting already!
me: yes, i'm coming!
the overall i/c: brenda, hurry up!

i was about to reply a really long sentence and ask her something when i suddenly sat up. there was no longer sunshine glaring at my eyes near the canteen, just darkness and the whirring of the fan. where am i, i wondered.

my sister michelle: bren, are you ok?
me:oh, oh yeah why? (i just recalled i had fallen asleep)
my sister: you were sleep talking.really loudly too, you freaked me out okay.
me: huh what did i say?
my sister: something like 'yes i'm coming'. are you really ok?
i laughed and explained to her what happened. i was too groggy to remember every part of our conversation though but please, if you are highly stressed when we're going for cell retreat please let everyone know. i'd be freaked out if you start sleep talking too XD

love
brenda

New Year's Eve

2008-12-31T11:57:00.002+08:00

Hello everyone!!
This my last post of 2008. haha. you know why?!
it is the last day of 2008!!! ahahahahahaha
aiya this post rubbish one. i come post for fun.
anyway.. has everyone finished their holiday hw?
i definetely haven't!! haha..
i have to go do now..
see you all later!!
if not.. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!.. study hard everyone..

bel XD

Merry & Blessed Christmas!

2008-12-22T18:01:00.000+08:00

Merry & Blessed Christmas!

Luv Cynthia

Pass It On (The true spirit of CHRISTmas)

2008-12-17T09:00:00.004+08:00

Christmas is round the corner & all of us are busy. Even as we're involved in activities/events. I really hope that you will see beyond the task. But let's remember and ask ourselves why we're getting ourselves busy even during this festive season.

My Hope (Adults): 19 Dec, 730pm at Zhimin's place
My Hope (Girrrrlssss): 20 Dec, 5pm sharp Vincent's place (Blk 5, Upper Bukit Timah View, #01-02, Bukit Regency)

Requirements:
1) Come with a heart to be a blessing to others (even as we're so richly blessed by Christ's birth)
2) Gift not more than $5 for gift exchange

It's more blessed to give than to receive :)

Pass It On
It only takes a spark to get a fire going.
And soon all those around, can warm up in its glowing.
That's how it is with God's love,
Once you've experienced it, you spread His love to everyone;
You want to pass it on.

What a wondrous time is spring, when all the trees are budding;
The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming.
That's how it is with God's love;
Once you've experienced it,
you want to sing"It's fresh like spring";
You want to pass it on.

I wish for you my friend, this happiness that I've found.
You can depend on Him, it matters not where you're bound.
I'll shout it from the mountain top,
I want the world to know;
the Lord of love has come to me,
I want to pass it on.

(Happy Birthday Jesus!)

Luv Cynthia

2008-12-16T23:03:00.002+08:00

yii it's been so long since i've posted. haha.

i've tried asking close to about 4 friends to come for the christmas my hope party, and so far none can come at all. life can be a little sad sometimes. the worst part was this:

me:wanna come for a christmas party? it's on sat (yada on with details)
friend: oh really? haha when and where? and with who?(and asks more stuff)
me: haha just my friends. there'll be about 50 people, and 2/3rds are quys if you don't mind
(and yes i tell them this for i know some of my friends have mild guy phobia due to their overstay in girls' schools. ok i'll admit i want to show them the pull factor besides the food, but not that we're desperate or anything, since raging hormones does all that to you)
friend:*seems rather interested* ooh ok. oh wait is it by your church?
me: um yeah
friend:*awkwardly* sorry, no thanks
me:*disappointed, but tries not to show it* ok, sure. hey wanna grab some food? you look hungry!

and then i desperately try to change the subject.
of course i am trying to. who tells you you look hungry. as if you can tell.
anyhow i feel so disppointed. people want the party but resist when they hear the word 'church'. really are we that scary? do we throw jesus into their faces? i know we can be a little creepy but honestly i think we as christians need to know.
oh bother suddenly i feel so annoyed. why does this always happen. i just asked my senior to come, and i hope she does. it's almost social suicide in my school to do stuff like that, but ah well. whoever loses his life will gain it, whoever loses a friendship may hopefully restore his with God. still i can almost forsee myself without friends to the party. almost as always. gaah. hopefully i can be a good mother hen and will not miss out on the mighty harvest.
alright, i must keep faith and pray. yes i must. i'm sorry but my posts do have the tendency to have this whole self-motivation section to it. even if no one comes i can still go early and help clean up.
after all, not all superheroes flash underwear while having public displays of violence with baddies.

love
brenda

back! <3

2008-12-13T00:01:00.003+08:00

Ellyn here :D
i just reached Singapore a few hours ago, looking so forward to see you girls on Sunday. HAHAHHA. did you people miss me? afterall, i went for 1month!!! i know you people did lah, LOL. i mean didn't :x hahahah, just joking! x} anyways, meet you girls on Sunday :D and MIRIAM! you left without me, now i'm feeling so depressed! later i get DEPRESSION D: so sad ):

P/S : i post cause Cynthia asked me to.
PP/S (:D) : don't worry, i've got presents :D

loves,

IN LONDON...

2008-12-08T02:11:00.002+08:00

hello everybody!!
i'm in london now..
it's my birthday there in singapore, 2am there.. still 7th dec here. around 6 pm..
it's seriously freezing.. 0 degrees now.. my hands n fingers r freezing just typing now. zzz..
anyway, still enjoying myself. sort of.. interesting birthday. haha
haha chloe, u call me just now.
anyway... gtg. my bros wanna use as well..
happy birthday TO ME!!! HAHA..

bye!
bel

happy birhtday-application

2008-11-17T22:44:00.004+08:00

HELLO EVERYONE!!!

IT'S JO'S BIRTHDAY TODAY!!! the cake cool right??!! haha.

so.. when it is my birthday.. you all should also put a post up!! den i can see from UK too!! haha.

nevermind.. no one post happy birthday bel, i put up 'happy birthday bel' myself from there!! haha. REMEMBER!!! 8 DECEMBER.. very important day...

anyway.. remember your applications... to try and do eveything close/towards perfect-ism (i made that word up).

and carry it out, though it is holiday..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JO!!!

bel

Let's REMEMBER Him - How Great is our God

2008-11-03T12:42:00.004+08:00

What a year of Sabbath... This year I see many of the things that can be shaken in my life....SHAKEN... And I'm sure it's the same for some of us.

As we go through tough & difficult seasons of our life....Let us Remember Jesus. Our God is great. His unfailing love, great compassion is for us.

Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise

Romans 8:31-39 (New Living Translation) Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Luv Cynthia

Relationship takes time

2008-10-27T20:35:00.004+08:00

Comic taken from http://www.reverendfun.com/

Daughters! One of my concerns for you in this IT age is that you become so used to getting things fast & quick.

Reading & receiving from the Word of God requires your precious time & focus.

How much you get out of the Word of God is that amount of time you set aside each day to read it.

Ever wonder why God is not speaking to you??? How could He if all the time you could spare is to take five mins and do a quick scan of the "passage of the day"?!!

Relationship takes TIME & effort to build. If you want to know more about God, start investing time to build this relationship with Him! *There's no shortcut!*

Luv Cynthia

FOR YOU

2008-10-20T19:22:00.000+08:00

*wink wink*

Luv Cynthia

Mystery Man / Stalker??!!

2008-10-13T23:40:00.011+08:00

Who is KINDER BUENO???

ROUGH PAPERRRRRR!!!!!

Poor Bren Bren!!!! Hey dun be frustrated!!! Cynthia to the rescue!!!! the mystery commentor is non other than -> -> -> My cute cute boyfren!
Kinder bueno because he buys them occasionally from 7-11 for you (if you didn't run off too early) Rough paper because Jo needs them for exams & he always, somehow, managed find a stack for her :)

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (Message)

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own.Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He's the one who will keep you on track.

Thanks for all your wonderful prayers gals!!! See God bless you in return too!!! Hahahhas!

Luv Cynthia

2008-10-12T21:44:00.002+08:00

now really. who's the chap with all the funny names? it's always nice to have a visitor, but it'll be even nicer to know his/her name.

we've been talking a lot of love lately. not cynthia's sudden outburts of 'let's talk about boys!' (an unfortunate accident on my part) but true love, the type where you excercise when someone wrecks your most beloved mp3 or something. it's pretty tough to truly love someone i realise.

i for one thing, won't turn my other cheek to someone when they slap me. a classic example is when i tried to reconcile with an old classmate of mine. we shall call this person D. it started rather awkward for D happens to be a rather formal person in cyber chatting and got worse when D hit a raw nerve when a sensitive issue was raised somewhere in the coversation.

D was right of course, but i still got annoyed the way the way the issue was brought up. suddenly i wasn't too keen on reconcilation any more. for us, when sparks start to fly we start to fly away from the situation. but to truly love would be to embrace each others' mistakes and comprimise frequently. well, if jesus can love us, we have to excercise the same type of love too right? this is going to be hard, but apparently i'm going to try to talk to D again. i've been trying to connect with those i usually ignore, and i don't get very positive results. it's really important to treasure the friendship when it's still good man. spread the love!

in honour of our mystery commentor,
'pancake'

10% of everything

2008-10-11T12:44:00.006+08:00

Comic taken from http://www.reverendfun.com/

Leviticus 27:30 (NIV)

A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.

Deuteronomy 14:22 (NIV)

[Tithes] Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.

Malachi 3:9-11 (NIV)

You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty.

*********************************************************************

Cynthia: God is the giver of all things. Surely He deserves a tenth of everything!!!! 10% of our allowances/salary, 10% of our time (church/cell), 10% of whatever....EVERYTHING! If Jesus is not the Lord of our all, He is not the Lord at all.

entertainment

2008-10-07T00:14:00.002+08:00

i know i'm mad to post two things in one day. but i receieved funny inspiration from cynthia and Ee jay (woah).

funny things to do(by my whole family)

1.talk while grinning all the way in a restaurant. especially to the waitresses. whoever opens their mouth first is the LOSER.

2.read out the descriptions of the menu while ordering. eg."hi can i have your muddy mud pie: ice cream packed with biscuit punch with delicious hot fudge enveloping it that will whet my appetite?"

3.go to an exotic restaurant and order the dishes with the hardest names. "can i have ajshkitedlooo?"

4.greet them with unusual enthusiasm and hesitate. eg." HELLO! can i have uh, uh, uh.....(let 5 minutes pass)"

5.book a hotel room with a huge bed. share all your jokes, laugh until you roll off the bed and go back up again. repeat till your tummy feels really painful (my mom)

6. question your parents on their love life. this turned out to be really entertaining for my family!

7.go into a lift with someone. hold the door open for a really long time before closing it. when it closes, turn to an empty space and ask"why albert, how rude. why keep us waiting?" (not original)

8. teach your dad new words. like when you say something rocks, it doesn't contain actual stones. emo is an emu, and an oxymoron is not used for scolding people like the word 'moron' (all of the above are my dad's resposnses to the following lingo lessons)

9.bring a camera along for camwhoring especially when your mom put on makeup. my mom purposely did so on our last family dinner. she went to the extent of doing an ah lian smile for us all.

10.share your ambitions. eg. my hilarious childhood friend kenneth. "my dream was to be a security guard. then i wanted to be a dishwasher." from that evolved my sister's dream to be a photocopier.

11.(special) imitate the jonas' brothers' songs. they are SO FUN to do. britney spears is good too, or even jay chou. my dad's favourite is jay chou, but my sister and i take jb, britney and miley cyrus plus other funny dudes anytime. who knew singing out of tune could be so fun.

all of the above was actually demonstrated by my family. try at your own risk, but it proves to be especially exhilrating when you're all on high.

haha.
brenda

I'm NOT nose droppings!

2008-10-06T23:11:00.008+08:00

(Picture taken with permission from historymaker. Check out his fabulous blog at www.historymaker20736.blogspot.com)

Caller : Hello, can I speak to Annie Wan (anyone)?
Operator : Yes, you can speak to me.

Caller : No, I want to speak to Annie Wan (anyone)!

Operator : You are talking to someone! Who is this?

Caller : I'm Sam Wan (Someone). And I need to talk to Annie Wan (anyone)! It's urgent.

Operator : I know you are someone and you want to talk to anyone! But what's this urgent matter about?

Caller : Well... just tell my sister Annie Wan (anyone) that our brother Noel Wan (no one)has involved in an accident. Noel Wan (no one)got injured and now Noel Wan (no one) is being sent to the hospital. Right now, Avery Wan (everyone) is on his way to the hospital.

Operator : Look if no one was injured and no one was sent to the hospital, then the accident isn't an urgent matter! You may find this hilarious but I don't have time for this!

Caller : You are so rude! Who are you?

Operator : I'm Saw Lee (Sorry).

Caller : Yes! You should be sorry. Now give me your name!!!======================================================

Choosing the right name is important!

Anne Chang => Dirty (Mandarin)

Anne Chin => Keep Quiet (Mandarin)

Faye Chen => Dusty (Mandarin)

Lucy Leow => You are dead (Hokkien)

Jane Tan => Frying eggs (Mandarin)

Suzie Leow => Lose till death (Hokkien)

Henry Mah => Hate your mum (Mandarin)

Corrine Tai => Poor fellow (Hokkien)

Paul Chan => Bankrupt (Mandarin)

Nelson Tan => Bird laying eggs (Mandarin)

Leslie Tong => Rubbish Bin (Mandarin)

Carmen Teng => Leg hair long (Hokkien)

Connie Mah => Call your mother (Cantonese)

Danny See => Squeeze you to death (Hokkien)

Rosie Teng => Screws and nails (Hokkien)

Pete Tsai => Nose droppings (Hokkien) [this is the one that tickled me most!!!!]

Macy Koh => Never die before (Cantonese)

**Here's some light-hearted stuff after all the heavy talk. I think it's kinda funny! :) Do choose your kids names properly!

Btw Cynthia means "Reflector of Light"!!!

Luv Cynthia

the bystander

2008-10-06T20:47:00.003+08:00

the bystander.

not a stranger, not a friend.

not on fire, neither the extinguished end.

his dreams and hopes carried him far, basked in beautiful passion.

reality proves his weak flesh kills the fusion.

he joined the marathon early, as did many.

he too once sprinted. strides wide at great speed.

the shade invited a rest, the birds begged an audience away from the race.

irresistable were they, so he gradually faded away from the prize.

he did want to come back with bursts of effort

but not strong enough to last.

the other runners run strong and free, praise overflows from their lips.

intimacy with their passion and love for the marathon brought more blessing than pain.

the bystander laments, regrets, envies

when will the day come where he can be like them?

he's eager but not desperate

he's had chances, merciful comebacks to the race.

but will anyone want someone back for more than a second chance?

he's been told he's been loved at times, yet he just can't help but doubt.

it must be for the others. i'm hated. once a mistake, always a scar right?

does anyone remember? will anyone accept?

in a sea of talent will a sacrifice be made for a confused drop?

does doubt seal off the entrance to the race?

his legs start to fail. he wants to escape.

too many voices, too few directions.

fear seizes his throat, he can barely beathe.

he's too scared to call for help.

the bystander.

he watches and resolves

still his path unrevolved

heart of a mule, skin sheet thin.

the road ahead prepares its challenges

he crumples within, defeated

before it can even begin

brenda

Dropping a note!

2008-10-06T12:26:00.003+08:00

Hiiii all,
I went back to church yesterday, although I didn't see you guys (: I went for 1st service, and saw Cynthia. Just decided to drop a note.
Lately, this past year and last year was a turbulent one. I had no problem with 'friends' transition in Secondary school, which I am very thankful for. But I struggled a lot with my studies, and still do up to now. (so lousyyyyy)
I received stress and pressure from my family to do well, from my older sister telling me how everything was so easy, and that if I didn't do well it would just show that I was really stupid, to my parents reprimands when I scored B's. Sometimes although all they say is that they want my best, "best" is a tall order. I'M A VERY LAZY PERSON, AND I DO NOT LIKE TO STUDY AND NEITHER DO I HAVE A FLAIR FOR IT. I struggled with my studies last year.
In addition to that, towards the third quarter of the year, Ps Khong had approached my father and asked him to take on a second portfolio- to be the Operations Manager of Gateway Enterprises.
Actually, this wouldn't have affected our life at all, as no pay rise no yada yada shit whatever, but it consumed all of my father's time, and that left no time for family. He would hold a 9 to 5 job on weekdays, and be in church over the weekend. Naturally, I struggled with this too. My father who had always been available for me to talk through problems with was no longer there, he was always out or too busy to even sit down for a chat with me. When my grades were dropping, and without anyone to talk to, everything just kept going downhill. (Jack and Jill went up the hill blahblah)
I don't know how to bring across the ending without sounding bitter or cynical, but it's weird, maybe? Beginning of this year was rough. Horrible results, yet again. (When will the plague of bad results leave me?! It started in P5, wahlaooo.) In short, everything changed.
Up till now, everything's still changing. I'll post the ending when it's confirmed ;)
Bear with me, I have my reasons for not going to church or cell or whatever.

Love you guys!

APPLICATIONS-5/10/2008

2008-10-05T19:42:00.005+08:00

Hello EVERYBODY!!
it's me again.. this is going to be a weekly affair..
cyn here it is. :)it is on the same day. i m supposed to be studying for history and chinese exam tomorrow but NVM..
if i fail my history exam.. cyn ur fault!!! HAHA. jkjk.

ANYWAY. today sermon was by PS MELVYN MAK.
it was titled THE CHARACTER OF THE KINGDOM-LIVING THE PRIVILEGED LIFE.
the 2 points were KNOW YOUR POSITION-The way God sees You
KNOW YOUR PURPOSE-The Work that God Sends us to Do
APPLICATIONS
Bren Bren- Will invite 1 friend and bring her/him to church
Mi- Join choir for 1st week *& maybe after.... haha(added by jo n me)
Jan- Have more confidence when going for CCA
Abi- Do QT everyday although very busy
El- Have more confidence in herself, talk to deputy head prefect
Jo- Have more confidence in herself when teaching her friends stuff.
Bel- Invite and bring 1 friend to church

again. hope no objections to nicknames. real names not released due to private n confidential reasons. if anything wrong with names, sms me. i'll change it. or u can change it urself.

HI DEBBIE!! haha. she say she'll come see.. she came this week by the way.. haha.
STUDY HARD EVERYBODY.. last lap... think of it.. 1 week more to freedom. (sorry jo)
ALL THE BEST!!

bel

Glory to God!

2008-10-01T20:54:00.009+08:00

Actually i hesistated when cynthia asked me to blog about this. Mainly, because i really dont want to sound like i'm boasting or what. Because really, I dont have the authority to press either of you girls to come to church or cell.. What i want to say is this, God did not let me "lost out". Ha ha.

So, ok, i think i did kind of well for Prelims this time. BUT, i strongly believe the credit belongs to HIM, God.

Why? I dont think i prepared well this time, thinking that since i've studied so much for mid year, i still sort of retained majority of the things that i should know, complacent you may say, but i thought i was just trying to justify my own laziness. And i didnt practice much, in fact the night before my Chemistry paper 3, i did last minute studying, trying to cramp the whole of 25 chapters of Chemistry into my head. I only managed to catch 3 hours of sleep that night. Needless to say, i was horrified at how tired i was the next morning, even when the paper was in front of me, the only thing i desired was to close my eyes and sleep. Of course, i couldnt focus and think quickly. That paper ended in...a disaster, i felt. I expected to at least score a 32/80 for this paper.

Ok, so that was a warning from me: Rest well before your Exams.

Physics was horrible too, almost couldnt finish paper 2. =(

Next, i was also sharing with my Christian friend in school that i'm still attending cell and church. The conversation continued with him telling me how i should really stop going and study because God and my leader will understand and prelims are really important especially in the event when something happened and our prelims results are to be used instead of the actual A's blah blah. And, you know, by the end of it, i was thinking, YEA, he is right... And i proceeded to send Cynthia a message telling her to excuse me for cell. She replied by saying the usual of how God will never shortchange me an what will He withhold from us and all that.

And again, i was thinking, YEA, she is right... because, when i think of my previous Exams, i didnt perform too badly either, Common Test, Mid year (On both ocassions, i did well too. See? A dim person will never do well but It's all 'cause of Him!) So okay, i managed to attend all this faithfully, though i do get worried that i cant finish on time. Of course, i do have a bit of disagreement with my parents as they wanted me to stay at home to mug. But since, they are not very firm on that, i get my way la..

And so, now i've gotten back the majority of my papers. I must say, i'm really surprised. Totally out of my expectation, i think it was quite well done. (If you want to know, can ask me personally). I imagined the Almighty to be the one marking my papers, frowning at my careless mistakes and yet giving me good results.. (i know that was kind of childish..)

So, the moral of my entry is : TRUST HIM!
Even in the midst of exams and work, do attend church and cell faithfully, i believe God will still bless us. I know its hard to do, it takes time too, especially when you guys have so many of this extra curriculum activities and you really need those weekends to revise, why not let God bless you by first giving him that time of yours to him??

Come on la, i've come a long way too. When i always skipped church last time to study, Cynthia NEVER fails to ring me up, always trying to grill this into me: He will never shortchange us. Now, i hardly dared to say anything to you girls when you were absence just to study, 'cause like what i said, i dont have the authority or right to.

Ok, that's it.

(I never meant for this post to be long...sorry)

By Anonymous.

APPLICATIONS-28/9/08

2008-10-01T18:49:00.005+08:00

Hello everyone!

HAPPY CHILDRENS DAY!!!

HAPPY HARI RAYA PUASA too!! haha.

Anyway. this weeks' sermon was titled Being Bold For God's Kingdom-Living in A Love Driven Community.
It is 3rd part of the new series.
There were only 2 points this week.
#1 Love your neighbour
#2 Live in Communtiy
Though there were only 2 points, it still spoke to us and probably got thru to us.

This weeks Applications are:*
CK- SMS her friend who she has not been talking to
Bren Bren- Help her parents more
Jol- Be nicer to her sister
Mi- help her Brother with his work
Chlo- Show more love to her mom, don't ask her to pick her up from school
ZM- Respond to her mum's nags
Bel- Don't be rude to her Grandmother
Jo- Teach her brother his homework
*names have not been revealed due to private and confidential reasons. If you are not happy with your nickname, look for me by all means. It will be changed. Hope no offence will be taken by u all.

haha. thats all. DREALY is in Japan.. eating eating n eating. haha. I'm supposed to be studying.. but i'm supposed to post this as well. so here it is. I'm wearing my yali shirt now. haha.

EVERYONE! STUDY HARD!! ALL THE BEST!! just think of it. exams r ending soon. Hope thru this period u all will still carry out ur applications. dun be stressed!! if do badly, work harder. 失败是成功之母! haha seldom see me use chinese. hope its correct. :)

bel

pic taken from: thesituationist.wordpress.com

I am dying

2008-09-29T22:27:00.004+08:00

I AM DYING.....

It's not too far to say that when you are hopeless, in despair, depressed.... Hopelessness Kills.

Quoting something which a wonderful friend smsed me:
"If we come to think or feel that we have nothing to hope for and can only expect things to get worse in the future, invevitably we grow depressed and to a certain degree, desperate... We may try to hide our condition, but the unfocused rage, fury and hatred of life that we feel, work like acid....dissolving all other feelings into purest bitterness.

Hopelessness is at the root of many of today's psychological disorders.... Our sense of self worth dissolves into self doubt, self-distrust and self-dislike; confidence is swallowed up in despair. (J.I.Packer)"

How scary. Hopelessness kills one softly... if you allow it. But I found a cure for it. H*O*P*E. Hope it perks you up again as it did me :)

What a Friend We Have In Jesus
What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.
Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

When we come to the end of ourselves....perhaps that's truly when God can begin a NEW work in us.

John 12:24-26 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Luv Cynthia

My visit to SGH II

2008-09-29T22:04:00.005+08:00

I went back today immediately before my GP lesson starts.

And i met an Angel today on the bus journey there. Actually i was very unsure where to alight, so i was looking around for an obvious sign of the building. Again, i was so sian having to stay alert, i decided to ask the auntie beside me.

Me: *tap tap* Do you know where is SGH?

Auntie: All the way to the interchange, then you can take shuttle bus then you can alight along one of the many stops...

Me: *speechless* How do you know?

Auntie: Im going there too.

...Ya. On both ocassions, i had someone to follow to get to the place =)

Anyway, my uncle had already completed his scope test for checking of his lungs and was resting. And he is looking so much better than yesterday!

Though, i must comment, the hospital is soooooo inefficient. The test was done only after so many days that he was warded.

ok! that's all for today! My math revisions are calling for me...........

Signing off and still praying hard,
Jo

My visit to SGH

2008-09-28T22:36:00.007+08:00

This is a long post...and a gloomy one too.

On the train to Outram, i was wondering out loud to Anna whether i should visit my uncle. I was afraid that there would be awkwardness once we exhausted our conversation.

But i decided to go anyway, if there's really nothing to talk about, i'll just leave, saying i have school tomorrow. I guess i'm just afraid of silence.

Dont get me wrong; i really wanted to pay him a visit. He is one of my favourite uncle after all, affectionately known to us as 姑丈. I know him as a very healthy person, occasionally swimming laps in the swimming pool in his residential area. Hearing that he was admitted into the hospital naturally shocked me. My parents was preparing to visit him this morning, since i cant join them, i decided to go after church.

I alighted at Outram, unsure of which direction to go once i tapped my card. I remembered some pretty vague directions from my mum, "very easy one, just cross the bridge", echoed by Anna's voice "just cross the bridge, can see already". So without really looking at the signs, i exit from the station....and couldnt see any obvious bridge. I ended up walking one big round back into the station again and this time i followed the signs faithfully. Finally i got out, and was pretty much lost again.

Sick and tired of groping my way around, i decided to approach some friendly looking tamil ladies.
Me: "S'cuse me, where is SGH?"
Auntie: There. *pointing to the big building in front of me*
Me: oh....
Auntie: "Which block are you going?"
Me: ahh...*checking my phone* block 4
Auntie: Me too, follow me.

I followed her, while thinking to myself that its God's angels. Ha Ha.
Finally, i was outside my uncle's ward. I looked in and searched for that face that always seems to brighten me up.

However, today i didnt brighten upon seeing him. He was resting, eyes closed, propped up right against his pillow, with his ipod plugged in, a bible by his side. I walked slowly towards him, suddenly feeling so..ache-y, i meant my heart.

He woke up when i touched his hand softly. The minute he opened his eyes and looked at me, i totally burst out crying, in between, trying to force out some sentences. Im ok, he assured me firmly.

But he dont looked like it, he was so frail and tired looking! After i calmed down, we talked. And the conversation just flow, and i enjoyed every minute with him. Yes, there were moment of silent but it was never due to awkwardness, we were just thinking.

I told him everything; my school, my friends, my cell, my annoying brothers etc. He listened. He told me his work, his church, and those people who visited him. I listened. My eyes drifted to the places where the needles was poked in, and it went red again.
I did what normally people do when they visit people in hospital. Cleaned some blueberries and strawberries and both of us ate them and he let me listened to his ipod, let me drink this bottle of promengranate juice that someone bought him, and i even ate his dinner! Before you get critical with me, my uncle just dont want to eat rice. And he was waiting for my aunt to bring food. So i eat lor... i know la, im a 贪吃鬼.

Suddenly, he started coughing mid conversation with someone from his church. I was starting to feaked out when he didnt stop and even coughed out blood. Many blood. The doctor was called in to examine him and i walked out the ward, crying again.

When the doctor was done, i went in. (His friend left, sending his regards and telling me he would pray.) I cried even harder (I really felt like slapping myself), when i went in again. He looked worse! Gosh, i felt so helpless.
After what seemed like forever, my aunt came, she hurried to my uncle's side, bending over to hear him. Then, she came over to me and hugged me, perhaps, she noticed my stupidly reddened eyes. She told me uncle also quite scared
himself.. =(

Then, my cousin sent me home. It was getting quite late.
I think i'm going to skip that useless GP lesson and visit him tomorrow.

---
My uncle is a man with strong faith in God. I believe he will be fine. He kept telling me only God can do something about it. He was also telling me, how when you "sow" love, you "reap" love.

Signing off and praying hard,
Jo

Hillsong - This is our God

2008-09-27T17:40:00.003+08:00

Won't it be great if we have more healthy, clean, godly content on the Internet :)
*I will be buying the album soon! yea!*

Date Rape (Part II)

2008-09-23T23:44:00.002+08:00

After reading my post on date rape my wonderful malaysian joker (fren) shocked me with the update that there is worse drugs out there. They don't even spike your drink, just paste a celotape drug (think something like hansaplast) & you're GONE!!!!

Check out his original posting here. Or read my summarised version:

A friend and blogofluencer of mine recently blogged about some date rape drugs using a common drug family called Benzodiazepines, which are basically sedative drugs (KO drugs). Rohypnol is probably the most commonly used ones for spiking drinks.

But the latest news I've heard as an ex-raver and shuffler, is that there have been incidences of date rapes using this drug known as Scopolamine. Rohypnol is usually a small pill or powder or something foreign that's dumped into your drink.

So why is Scopolamine scary?

It's a drug in the form of a transdermal patch. Which means epidermical transfer. Which means the drug comes in the form of some small kinda celotape, they walk by you, brush your arm or something (whilst conveniently sticking the drug on your arm), and next thing you know, you wake up not knowing anything.

All date rape drugs induce anterograde amnesia, which is a cricitcal factor in date rapes because you wake up not having the foggiest idea of what happened. Scopolamine is scary because it's so hard to spot, usually a laced celotape or something. Rohypnol or other Benzo's are easier to spot because they come in pills or powders.

A friend of mine over msn just commented that the drug would take time to settle in. I agree. This makes Scopolamines all the more dangerous, because you would meet more people whilst waiting for the drug to settle in. Which means you'll be less likely to remember who your assailant was. o.O

So when you think clubbing or raving is cool and all that, make sure you know and understand and keep a look out for impending dangers. I've been in countless of situations where I've had to go and bail friends outta trouble because they were targets of psychos and perverts. One of the best things you can have is someone 113% reliable to count on. Especially in these cases.

But let me push this point further by saying abstain from clubbing. Save yourself the trouble (and others). Sure, an experience is an experience. But to be hooked onto the scene? You gotta be flogging me. There's so much I could say here, but the point is that... is it worth the danger you could possibly be getting into?

There's hundreds of scenarios. Fights, rapes, drugs, molest, filming, stalking, murder, robbery, etc. Even with the most reliable person on earth, you can still get into trouble. Especially when it comes hunting for you. Sure it's a big challenge, but only real people, with real fighting spirits will stand up for principles.

***********************************************************

Cynthia: My contribution is really to HIGHLIGHT and WARN you innocent pplz out there that such drugs are around. So do be more more more and MORE careful when you're out! Don't assume that you're counscious and awake and can take care of yourself well. The pplz on the dark side is sometimes more sneaky, advanced, unscrupulous than we think.....

Who else know your panties colour?

2008-09-18T23:31:00.004+08:00

I thought this is a wonderful post from EJ. Hey girls enough of me telling you all the time about short skirts and stuff....Hear it from a man himself!

A month ago, I had a rather traumatizing encounter while shopping at a shopping mall. This incident happened while I was traveling up on the escalator. Sited ahead of me, next to the step out point from the escalator, there was a shop brandished with perfumes and cosmetic products. What shocked me at that particular point was that one of the salesgirl, back facing the store entrance and wearing a mini flair skirt, was climbing up on a ladder and stocking up products in the cabinet. She was totally oblivious to the fact that in that position, she was going to almost let everyone around have a free upskirt show!

It didn't need to take supersonic senses for me to understand what was coming next if I were to continue staring for another 10 seconds. Instantaneously as this salesgirl started her climb up the ladder, I immediately turned my eyes away to look elsewhere. Phew! A huge sigh of relief.... (I will explain my point later in this post. Read on.)

Traumatized enough, I wasn't prepare to stay around to spot the "Ti-Ko-Pek"s whom may be drooling at this free view nor see if there were anyone whom would go and get this salesgirl down from the ladder. I zipped off to the next level and carried on with my shopping.

Gosh! What has happened to the dressing culture of the teenage girls of today? Aren't they worried of over (or indecent) exposure when they wear such short flair kind of skirts? Honestly, I have nothing against girls wearing skirt, but I just feel strongly that there's got to be a limit to how far this can go. There has been enough horror stories of molest cases and people using handphone cameras to capture upskirt pictures. I seriously think girls can go one step further to protect themselves by giving their mini-skirts a bit more cloth-lengthening.

To the Girls: Yes, you do have the free-will to wear anything you like. Yes, guys should learn to be more self-controlled and not have wandering eyes. But the truth is that you will do yourselves and the guys a huge favor by re-considering your approach the next time you want to wear those short skirts. You can take active measures to protect yourselves. Example: If you are wearing those mini-skirts, do use you handbags to block or get a friend to stand behind you while you travel up the escalators. and for goodness sake, girls please do not climb ladders when you are wearing skirts. I am sure there are plenty of gentlemen around whom can lend their muscles to help you. Honestly, we guys are all visually stimulated, that slight upskirt/buttline/over-fleshy exposure will trigger a lot of reaction through our mind.

Having said this, Girls, you do not need to wrap yourselves up like a dumpling. Either opt for longer length skirts or learn to take proper preventive measures. I am certain beauty and proper cover up can co-exist.

To the Guys: Now, be truthful and do not just bluntly shift all the blames to the girls. Let's also learn to exercise self-control and respect the ladies. Be alert at ALL times! And learn to turn your eyes away when you expect some of these exposure may come. If you have a girlfriend, learn to share this with your girlfriend and ask her to help give you warning signals! And sometimes if by accident you do catch a glimpse, just turn away and walk off. DO NOT allow yourself to be glued!

Some of you may say, "Wah.. but free show mah, why don't see? Anyway it's not harmful mah!" WRONG! Honestly, how is staring at upskirts of ladies different from watching pornography???? The end results and effects are the same - our values and moral standards towards sexuality becomes eroded! And some may end up becoming perverts whom take upskirt photos as their secret obsession!
So guys, be alert and stay clear!!!

**************************************************

Extremely Concerned Cynthia: Okies I shall come up with my gals version soon :)

My Love Story (The Malaysian Version)

2008-09-13T18:25:00.001+08:00

Sharing with everyone this special post written by a dear friend of mine.

Disclaimer: Please read with discretion! =) Stay tuned to my blog for the true blue Singapore version of the story.

So sit tight and enjoy this story.....

So yes, this is the story of a "couple" of my friends. And how the met. And how friendship blossomed into a tree bearing much fruit. Before I go on, I must admit, I have to preconceived idea that Singaporean girls generally are more aggressive compared to Malaysian girls. And I still do think so.

On one of the days during the trip, I asked my new found friend called C, how her relationship with my other new found friend called E happened. She proceeded to produce a a little story slightly south of the truth. When I asked E, a differing story came up. And when I asked the rest of my newly found friends, even more disparities were produced. So I guess I shall hope off the bandwagon and merge my little puzzle here.

I managed to find some cute and archived pictures from this blogger, very creative I must say. Anyways, I'll be using some of her material as part of this story. So all credit goes to her for pictures. =)

Anyways, the story goes like this...

For a long, long, long, while, our friend C has been waiting for a burning ember to spark up her life. But like the saying goes... it's hard to hit a moving target.

Yet somehow, it never happened. What to do? Wait summore lorrrr.

And then suddenly... E appears out of nowhere. Why? Because when we keep our eyes so peeled for something ahead, we never learn to appreciate what has always been around... Hehe. So the moral of this story is... don't tunnel vision. Later low SA (Situational Awareness), then GG.

So they became friends on a mission trip. Wahseh, holy fate + destiny + galaxy colliding + etc etc + please_insert_own_ideas_here. But this is where it gets interesting. C says, that she thinks E is too friendly.

There's such a thing? O.o

And before E can do anything, he's already pwned by the force of a woman's mind. Because in a woman's head... friendly = player.

Everyone say: First Blood!

But yes, E is friendly and warm. So when C sees this, she panics and puts out the fire before there is even a hint of smoke. Yet, she cannot help but already be captured by his presence and charm...

So as the usual corny story goes, time flies by, they become good friends and then they begin to notice each other and then and then and and then. And before we know it, voila.

Being the wonderful rolemodels that they are, they return to their mentors and pastors and "tribes" and begin to consult wisdom from age and experience. Soon they gather up their thoughts and said to themselves... "Why not?".

And from there, C begins to allow E to win her heart. Awwww.

But for that to happen. One of the following must arise...

I'll let you decide for now which one arose. Hahaha.

Nevertheless, as E arised to win C's heart, he embarks on a quest so fearless that it requires him to have faith and the heart of a lion. After all, to win a girls' heart is no easy feat. It requires someone like the above four pictures to rise up deep within. Haha. But the truth is, Someone even better must arise first.

And so E prepares himself. And when the opportunity arose, mathematical formula proved true.

Opportunity + Preparation = Destiny ready to be taken hold of!

A girl will never give in that easily. Obviously because they are complicated creatures which complicate the mind of men. But in the end, with faith and courage, and perhaps a little encouragement from the brothers above...

E wins C's heart. And now they have embarked on a journey ever so beautiful. Even though I do not know the entire story to the point. And neither do I know both of them ever so well, but this I do know...

"And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken."
Ecclesiastes 4:12

So, to E and C. May you both be blessed on this journey. And may I be invited to your wedding day. Hopefully not to present this blogpost. Hahaha.

You're both wonderful rolemodels and mentors to a generation in desperate need of guides in faith, hope and love. And as you both look to our King, may you both radiate with his presence and grace. And above all, may you both radiate with, and in, His love. As we fight for the future, I continue to hope in standing by your sides, fighting for the Cause and for life. With God, less is indeed more.

"What the world needs now, more than ever before, are every day heroes who are ready, willing and able to make a difference." -
Greg Hickman

PS: Why do I say Singaporean girls are more aggressive? Because they tend to make the first move more often than not. After all, a girl must give clear signals. Guys are dumb when it comes to picking up hints. But we were still made first. So there. =P

what they would do

2008-09-06T22:10:00.003+08:00

shh. don't tell my dad i'm here.

but i felt such an urge to tell some really funny stories about certain chaps that just make me crack up so much. one would be wall-e. did you watch the movie? he was so sweet! maybe i should start calling myself eve XD. *snow starts to fall* oh and one more thing.

my sisters are really attractive. the 2nd one, 16, apparently received very special attention. she was walking when a rather cute ah beng passed her a note.

"when i saw you, i nearly died, because i couldn't breath. 9*******(his number)"

HAHA. she threw it away, shockingly. poor dude. i think he was so breathless he forgot his 'e'. i think that'll be my newest pick-up line. i'll tell it to the nearest pretty girl i see in church tommorrow and i'll tell you what happened. hah.

then the other 19 year old. she had 2 china guys wanting her number and she ran away. haha.
then the best was this. she wanted to get a food coupon and they had to fill in their name or something.

guy at counter: oh, no need to fill in your name, just fill in your number.
my sister: oh, ok. (really believes him and does it)
her friend later: huh, we just filled in our names and nothing else. no need for numbers.

sheesh. what people will do for your number.
but the best was my father. my mother complained that when he was courting her he would call her and ask about algebra questions even though his math was better than hers. haha.

what guys would do for a girl. i really must try it and scare a friend next time.

love,
brenda
p.s it's a joke, relax if you're not annabel XD

Feel the Power!

2008-09-02T18:04:00.005+08:00

Are you looking for BREAKTHROUGHS in your life??? Look no further!!! Invite a friend to TCT this Saturday! :)

6th September, 3-5pm

Dr William Tan (passage might be a little long. sorry..)

2008-08-21T18:13:00.003+08:00

DR WILLIAM TAN

The man is truly awesome: NUS graduate, neuroscientist, medical doctor, Olympic wheelchair athlete and world records holder.
Dr William Tan personifies both passion and compassion. Born in 1957, he contracted polio at the age of two and was paralysed from the waist down. Notwithstanding his disability, he has shown outstanding strength in overcoming adversities. From a kindergarten drop-out, he topped Selegie Primary and went to Raffles Institution on a Ministry of Education Scholarship for his secondary and Pre-University education. The NUS Alumnus who majored in Biology and Psychology joined the Civil Service after graduation in 1980. In pursuit of his dream to become a scientist and medical doctor, he ventured abroad for postgraduate studies in 1989. Holder of a First Class Honours in Physiology, this Harvard University's Fulbright Scholar and Oxford University's Raffles Scholar has also trained at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in USA.

Dr Tan is also an accomplished sportsman. He regularly gets on his racing wheelchair for marathon pushes, climbs multi-storey buildings and performs tandem parachute jumps, all for the sake of generating awareness of the less fortunate and raising funds for worthy causes.

A Singapore wheelchair marathon champion, he has competed in many international games including the 1988 Seoul Paralympics, the Commonwealth Games as well as the Asia-Pacific Games. Last April, he competed in both the London Marathon and Boston Marathon within a week, which is a rare accomplishment. In 1987, he realized that, "winning medals, trophies or prize money should not be an end to itself. It should be a means to further goodness and to help people."

Dr Tan, then 30, embarked on his first fund-raising drive by pushing his wheelchair non-stop for 16 hours on the running track of his alma mater, Raffles Institution. Since then, he has devoted to championing as well as fundraising for needy causes in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom. He has skydived, water-skied, sailed and even climbed a 14-storey building to raise money. Some of his ultramarathon endeavours included wheelchair pushes across the length of New Zealand, Singapore to Penang, Thailand to Singapore, Boston to New York to Washington DC. He has helped raised more than $14 million for charities locally and internationally, over the last 18 years.
He is also a motivational speaker, inspiring individuals such as students and business leaders, as well as organisations, in community involvement. He has progressed to many more innovative and daunting activities. A paraplegic himself, Dr Tan has helped to reshape and rebuild the lives of many patients affected by paralysis. Fourteen years ago, he started a support group to help newly disabled patients, now known as the Spinal Support Group, run by the younger disabled. More recently, Dr Tan established the Women’s and Children’s Healthcare Foundation to improve the welfare and health of children, youth and families.
Dr Tan greets life’s unfortunate setbacks and challenges with grace and vibrancy. He chooses to focus on his abilities and not disabilities.

Dr Tan’s perseverance is legendary. For example, during his home visits to the many disabled residing in HDB flats that were not on lift-landings, he would sit on his bottom and drag his wheelchair up the flight of stairs to reach their flats. During his fund-raising push across the length of New Zealand, he struggled on his wheelchair up Arthur’s Alps (the most hilly slope in the south island of New Zealand), refusing the offer to be driven across. And despite the loss of his cancer-stricken father last year, he completed his pushes from Segamat in Malaysia to Singapore, which helped raise funds for kidney patients.

He had also received widespread international recognition including the Outstanding Young Persons of the World Award (Humanitarian/ Voluntary Leadership) given by the Junior Chamber International, USA in 1997; the Commonwealth Youth Award for Excellence in Youth Work in 1998 and the ASEAN Youth Award in 2000. In 2003, he was honoured with the Reader's Digest Inspiring Asian Award which “recognize deserving individuals who must be able to demonstrate that they have made a difference or are making a difference and are encouraging others to do so”.On 26th February 2005, Dr Tan became the first person in the world to undertake a wheelchair push in Antarctica. He has also completed 10 marathons in 7 continents in 70 days. The current Guinness World Record is 7 marathons in 7 continents in 99 days held by Mr Tim Rogers from UK in 1999. His amazing race took him to Antarctica, Argentina, Egypt, Thailand, South Africa, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and USA between February and May 2005.In early 2008, Dr William Tan was recognised at the Annual Sports Superstar Awards, held by the Singapore Disability Sports Council, winning the Sportsman of the Year Award for 2007.

Despite winning many awards like the Readers’ Digest Inspiring Asians Award, the Commonwealth Youth Award, the Outstanding Young Persons of the World Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award, Dr Tan remains a humble person, always acknowledging the contributions of his parents, teachers, and alma mater to making him who he is today. Not only does he gives back to the community through his fundraising efforts, he travels all over the world sharing his life story to inspire others to overcome adversity and live life to the fullest. Indeed, as Dr Tan aptly puts it, “There are no dreams that are unattainable for anyone who has the will and determination to redefine what is humanly possible!”

Hope this will be an inspiration to all of you. :)

special thanks to anndrea..

bel.

GIRLS, what do YOU think?

2008-08-20T21:02:00.003+08:00

it's funny. lately i have been thinking about how much i desperately wish i could turn back time.

i wouldn't cut my hair into the mushroom it is now.

i would take care of my eyes to get perfect eyesight.

go back to my childhood and play like crazy to get more of a life and a body.

never give up piano and take up guitar at the age of five.

maybe go into sports and work my butt off to be able to meet tom daley 7 years later in the olympics even.

it is so annoying really. the person you always wish to be isn't you. i know of people who have a potrayed vision of what they want to be but it always seems so impossible to achieve.

who doesn't want to see a picture of perfection in the mirror, i lamented.

but if everyone could live their life all over again, there would be no happiness or unhappiness. just press the reset button, and everything will be undone. no satisfaction from hard work, no lessons learnt, no surprises. i haven't felt sweet satisfaction dancing on my tongue for donkey years.

conclusion? i'm gonna have to do more workouts and stop watching so much hong kong drama already. no matter how cute sammul chan is. or tom daley. bleauugh.

p.s tom daley is the one on the right, 14 year old diver, great britain. 22 and 23 august, from 10, and 20.oo on the 23rd. i'll watch him while working out. heh.

love,

brenda

Girls, Are You Growing???

2008-07-27T08:39:00.007+08:00

HAHAHA OMG THE FUNNIEST TITLE, HAHAHAH :D

Hmm, I just went for some Youth Acheivers Forum at BukitView Secondary yesterday. I must say it was really boring, with the countless number of yawns, moans and groans injected in by my friends and I. I was missing the class Biology trip to SungeiBuloh with ACS(B) guys. It was a waste of time at the Youth Acheivers Forum, although I must say that I brought back some insightful advice.

There were many guests speakers, people who were considered Youth Acheivers, and had been nominated for the Shine Award. There was a talk-show held by the school for the 5 invited guest speakers (inanely boring, which I actually paid attention to), and they spoke about what they thought were Youth Acheivers and how we had to make that first step. One speaker, Roy Tan- a sailor, made the Singapore Guinness Book of Records for being the youngest, at age 15, to get an Olympic Gold Medal. He had faced objection from his mother, when he wanted to sail. But mostly importantly, what he said, was to balance out time, and do excellently for both.

Most of the speakers spoke of starting out young, and following your dreams. We supposedly have more time when we're young, haha.

The one question that was running through my head when they were doing their talks and everything, "Do I have enough time?"

Actually, what can I afford to throw away and make time? Everything seems to be controlled by school, and time isn't exactly on my hands. Over this period of time, I have seen exactly why at times, my parents hold me back from participating in competitions, or concerts/functions. Ultimately, it has given me more time and allows me to do things that I need to do, and wouldn't have been able to do if I had attended whatsoever.

Recently, things have started getting even more hectic. With all the extra practise, rehearsals and time I need to put in for my violin exam, my piano exam, the upcoming National Day Celebration being held for my school, and even the China student coming over to stay at my house, I haven't been granted the extra time for God. My mother even asked me if I had enough time to give to God. She asked me if I was growing in God's word.

Hard to answer, hurhur! I had no idea what to say. Am I growing?

I'm going to have to miss increasingly more of cell, more of church, more of my time with God. So will I still be growing? Will I still be able to grow despite the problems and time constraints?

I still have no idea how to answer that question, so I'd say that this post is more a questioning post.

Am I growing?

2008-07-26T23:43:00.002+08:00

cynthia's post is really disturbing me. it shouldn't be. i mean real christians shouldn't be scared, they should be celebrating that god is returning. oh boyy.

i'm stressing here. if i don't buck up, hell is a great possibility. i mean, for eternity. we always use it as and without realising it's real meaning. when you think about, the word is as impactful as the word rape. gah. that word makes my heart stop.

anyway, the easiest way to understand it as i figured out is to imagine one typical day. the day will just repeat itself, over and over again. for a week, a year, a century, a millenium, forever. you just keep going. sleep to wake up, wake up to sleep. that's if you have a good life. in hell, you receive world war 2 torture or worse everyday. non-stop. no break, no light,no companions. far worse than the jews. i heard that they totured one man/woman by grabbing him/her by the fours and banging his/her head against the wall until they died. having that everyday, but not dying. you can't; you've already died in hell. that redefines scary.

i'm not that good at explaining, but i hope you understand. i have more gory ideas of what my hell will be like but i know even i can't sleep after that.
but i can recall my dream of when god returned.

there were hurricanes everywhere, people announcing 'god is coming!'.
'god is coming' my mother said solemnly. she was all ready, all prepared. i felt surreal.
i'm going to die, i'm going to die.i can't die, there are so many things i haven't done. i went hysterical. running in the streets, i grabbed people's hands and begged, blabbered in utter panic.

"please believe in god!" i could even remember the girl's face. she was my classmate, the type supposedly the easiest to reach out to. why didn't i ask her before?
"why should i?" she looked at me, recoiling at my agressive manner.
"you don't understand! i'm going to die! please, please, believe, god is coming." i was desperate. maybe if i saved more people god will just allow me into his kingdom. as i pleaded an impending hurricane drew closer. it was about to suck me into hell.

i couldn't recall what happened after that. i think i woke up after that, but i couldn't breathe. it was horrifying. it was so real.

did you ever feel like two people sometimes?
i always do. the side that longs to lose weight,get great grades, beat everyone in any position in any type of silent competition, be surrounded with friends, have a perfect life, perfect personality, perfect looks. people so afraid of rejection, so reluctant to work, so terrified of not meeting their own expectations of everything.

the other side who staunchly believes in inner beauty, that hard work will reward itself, rather to have true friends than friends in quantity, the one who'd rather obey than to search for worldly obession. sadly this side almost never shows.
it's tough, but we have to decide. who do we want to be? face it, we can change in a blink of an eye sometimes. just that some of us can do it quicker and more often. no one wants to end up like me, begging for people to believe on the streets.

so what can we do to earn a passport to heaven? i suppose we have to obey. truthfully i have no idea, but we're all still learning after all.

love
brenda

Are You Ready?

2008-07-24T19:08:00.003+08:00

The Hope of the Resurrection (The Master's Coming)
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NLT)
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.

The Story of the Virgins
Matthew 25:1-13 (The Message)
"God's kingdom is like ten young virgins who took oil lamps and went out to greet the bridegroom. Five were silly and five were smart. The silly virgins took lamps, but no extra oil. The smart virgins took jars of oil to feed their lamps. The bridegroom didn't show up when they expected him, and they all fell asleep. "In the middle of the night someone yelled out, 'He's here! The bridegroom's here! Go out and greet him!'

"The ten virgins got up and got their lamps ready. The silly virgins said to the smart ones, 'Our lamps are going out; lend us some of your oil.'

"They answered, 'There might not be enough to go around; go buy your own.'

"They did, but while they were out buying oil, the bridegroom arrived. When everyone who was there to greet him had gone into the wedding feast, the door was locked.

"Much later, the other virgins, the silly ones, showed up and knocked on the door, saying, 'Master, we're here. Let us in.'

"He answered, 'Do I know you? I don't think I know you.'

"So stay alert. You have no idea when he might arrive.
***************************************
Cynthia's thoughts:
Are we ready for His 2nd coming??? What is the first thing on your mind when He comes again? I hope to be ready and prepared when I see Him face to face.

Girls, beware of perverts on MRT

2008-07-21T13:32:00.002+08:00

Reference from AsiaOne Digital 20 July 2008 (Kelvin Teh ) Click on link to see article

The next time you take public transport, be suspicious if you find any handphone that seems to be mysteriously trained on you. Someone can very well be filming or taking pictures of you.

A few mornings ago, as I was taking the MRT to work in an irritatingly-packed train, I glanced up from the magazine I was reading and noticed the man standing in front of me.

Dressed in nondescript T-shirt and jeans, he was holding up his handphone as one would when messaging - except that he was not busy pressing away on his phone.

Instead, he was holding it there in his raised hand while occasionally shifting his hand position slightly. To most people around him, it seemed like he was looking at text messages.

I next trained my sight on where his handphone was pointing to and, immediately, my suspicion was aroused.She was a pretty young lady, conservatively dressed in office wear. She was also dozing, unaware of the scene unfolding before her.

My curiousity aroused, I leaned forward and, true enough, the man was secretly filming the woman with his handphone.

My first instinct was to glance around to see if anyone else had noticed, but everyone was oblivious. I waited a while more, just to ascertain that the pervert was filming her.

And then, I felt rage.

I gave the man a hard shove in the back, pushing the shocked fellow aside. Next, I woke the woman up gently and whispered to her that she was being filmed.

She was stunned and her first reaction was to look up at the fellow, who immediately exclaimed in Mandarin: "I don't have hor. I was just playing with my handphone ok!"

Yeah, right.

At this, the woman folded her arms protectively around her chest but refrained from saying anything.

To avoid embarrassing the girl further, I did not confront the man. In the meantime, the bewilderment on everyone's faces was palpable.

Although I have heard and read accounts of cameras hidden in changing rooms and perverts secretly filming under the skirts of ladies, to witness this personally is shocking.

That person being filmed could very well be my sister or one of my female friends. That a perverted stranger is storing pictures of someone you know - that is a disgusting thing.

But, then again, I guess I am not surprised. Too many such stories have surfaced all too often.So girls, just look out for yourself.

*******************************************

Cynthia's thought: Girls out there, two things!

1) DO SOMETHING & dun be afraid to speak up. Don't suffer in silence should u be in a similar situation. The pervert is more scared & more to lose if he is caught. Suffering in silence will only encourage he to target more gals in future!!!!! *JUST SCREAM FOR HELP*! Or ask the person beside you for help.

2) Can we just give the skimpy FBT shorts & short mini skirts a miss. Exposing so much flesh will turn other men on unnecessarily & u might find yourself in DEEP S***!

100th post (:

2008-07-20T20:15:00.002+08:00

oh my. the 100th post. but this is a lame one-i only want to ask 2 questions.

1.who wants to change the blogskin?
2.i'm knida interested in project smile. anyone else interested? :D

there you go. happy 100th post cell!

love
brenda

Choir...

2008-07-18T22:10:00.006+08:00

Hello!! I am posting... Pris asked me to do so I am doing it..

Actually I am posting this while waiting for a youtube video to load. I am supposed to watch videos of other choirs performing the songs that we are going to perform on Founders Day for my school. We are performing the songs "All things bright and beautiful" and "For the beauty of the Earth" composed by John Rutter. You all may have heard it before. :)

This year, since my school is celebrating its 120th anniversary, my NEW principal, who just came in this year, came up with this brillant idea of having the ceremony and celebrations at the field!! under the moon light.... doesnt it sound exciting? what a brillant plan right?? actually, NO! not to me that is.. Can u imagine, wearing a gown, that may touch the ground, and wearing heels, silver coulour that is, Stepping all over the mud for 2 days straight?? dirtying the gown that cost so much and can only be dry cleaned, the shoes that is probably going to last me till the end of my Secondary school life. Oh ya, forgot to mention choker.. haha.. ZZZ.. The weather, wearing a gown from afternoon to night, for 2 days.. There is a full dress rehearsal just the night before and the next night is the actual thing, both, lessons still continue in the morning as per normal i think..

But looking on the brighter side of things, we may be allowed to skip half a day.. haha. There was also a funfair. But that happens once every 5 years. great fun to take part in a fun fair!!

Anyway, but the songs are nice, they are acutally Christian hymns about how great and wonderful God is. But the songs are quite slow at least, for now. We are expected to learn a song within 3 weeks, competition standard. AHH!!! it is not very nice to be in the choir at this stage of learning, the conductors are getting stressed and fed up, shouting at us to get our notes right plus all the dynamics also to memorise it.. atleast this time the song is in english, last time we were to learn a philippino song within 2 weeks for a concert. not a good idea. MORE SHOUTING AND SCREAMING!! conductor even walked out, teachers cried, lots of prep talk. The feeling of all this is not nice!!*shakes head* however, once you start winning competiontions or doing well in concerts, there is this sense of achievement in you and also seeing how happy the conductors and teachers are.. It starts to get fun.. but the truth is, it is actually a cycle,to do well in all of these things. u need to work really hard. But it really pays off after a while.. practices get cancelled, not more tension for a while.. it is quite enjoyable..

the truth is, i am enjoying choir, the friends, the teachers, even the sondustoars though some may seem overly fierce. it is a whole new experirence a new event comes up. So, give ur CCA a chance, do not hate it.. I used to hate being in choir, but now, it is more like a routine, like every mondays and fridays, staying back after school ends at 2.15 to go for choir until the evening like 6 plus. sometimes also on thursdays for extra sectionals.. :)

ok, this is quite a random post but.. here it is Pris. apologies ppl..

bel

a diamond to be born

2008-07-18T21:06:00.003+08:00

"use your talent and passion! that's your ministry!" or somewhere along that line. the pastor's words echoed in heart. the bus swayed and bumped, as did my mind. talent. talent. talent.

like what? i could never top everyone in a certain something. the blue sky only smiled back in reply.

"um, we'll like to thank all those who have supported us during the nationals, because..." her voice trailed a few octaves higher. gradually the school focused their attention on her. the track captain fought back tumbling tears four days later during morning assembly.

"cedar track will..will continue to strive for greater heights. to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice a gift. thank you,"unusually loud applause saluted the whole track team's courage despite them dissolving in tears. they had dropped from the national top 3 to the national fourth for the c division, and i witnessed it.

the girls had grown wings and flown. if i only could have such talent, such wonder. but they impacted me none the same. that tag line of theirs dawned on me finally.

intrigued, it just so happened that phillip and i touched on the same subject.

people, are like raw materials. talents are the gems. you take the raw materials and build up a person but the talents-you must discover.and when you discover them. you must purify, cut and refine.you can't expect a newly discovered gem to look more radiant than one already cut, but it's still a gem alright. the words spilt forth.
i could almost imagine the bespecacled encourager in that crisp crimson shirt, saying with much earnesty in the backdrop of the place where we always study. people bustle by, with others burying their heads in books and mixed scents of fresh waffles

in that world, i lift up my hot chocolate that drifts in lazy spirals, tempting my tongue. but still i first resist and laugh. then where do i find mine? i always wanted to be able to use whatever that i have for the lord or something .

he seems to consider this for a moment, but only a moment.
start with who you are, he says.
what makes you different from the rest of the people.

now i laugh. the warmth of the hot chocolate tickles a smile from my lips. but back in my own seat in front of the computer in this world, i pause to consider. perhaps i would try. i always wondered what i would be in the future, but the future is now. that's what makes it exciting.

just maybe, a tiny jewel enveloped within rests quietly. encouragement, passion and hot chocolate would stir on the adventurer to find it's shine. it may take years, but most importantly, it starts now.

in search of
brenda

ordinary people, extraordinary music

2008-07-12T18:28:00.004+08:00

the day didn't start well.

there was a blackout in the band room, and we struggled to get our instruments in the dark.
when the lights did come back on, an unpleased conductor strode in. she scolded and fussed all throughout from the bus to victoria concert hall.

then there was much confusion when we got all mixed up while queqing to go into the hall to perform. we even scolded for wanting section photos before the performance. we took a long time to settle down, rushed through the song in certain parts and even during the songs the conductor was telling us how wrong we were.

softer, louder, slow down, dynamics! she screamed in minute movements of the lips and brows, especially with her eyes piercing with annoyance.

"i didn't even dare to look at her when we went down," my senior confessed guiltily.
"wow, that school's soloists were brilliant" some of us were discussing. the afterward sentence of "they'll get the gold, not us" hung heavliy in the air, tugging at our hearts, but remained unspoken.
i went home neutral yet exhausted. well when we have the next practice we are really going to get it.

yet who knew.
at 5.39, the results were out. WE GOT GOLD WITH DISTINCTION, WELL DONE DARLINGS! my senior's sms screamed. i was open mouthed. we even got the top spot for the whole of third division! even with so many things against us! so THANK YOU for your prayers, i greatly appreciate it! i'll try my best to bake tonight, heh. my sister's exhausted the oven with her delicious apple pies baking in there though. anyhow, thank you! (:

p.s i'm sorry the beginning was such a spoiler, but i couldn't resist. and that hwa chong got their butt kicked. i hope you don't mind. heh.

love
brenda

competition!

2008-07-10T21:48:00.003+08:00

hehe, today i don't have much to post for motivational talks or anything, but i do have a request. PLEASE PRAY FOR ME FOR THIS SATURDAY. i'm having a competition (same division as hwa chong, haha!) and i really cannot play properly. gahh. yup, so i won't be able to make it for cel this week. sorry ): but anyhow i have pretty seniors RIGHT. we're in the band room by the way. please pray that the band will help to clinch a gold! sorry, but that's the only urgent thing on my mind that i can post about. heeh. if we do i'll bake you yummy cookies. state who you are and expect cookies galore!

love,
brenda

Come Along, Little One.

2008-07-08T20:37:00.004+08:00

Have you heard complaining kids, and ever wondered why they complain so much? (not that I hardly complain, but yes, wondered about it?) The kids will be vehemently complaining or whining about certain things, and Daddy will come in and say firmly, "No more whining. Come along now."

I complain too, but this time it wasn't me, it was my little nephew kid complaining to my cousin.
"I DON'T WANNA GO TO THE DENTISTTT!", Jovan whined.
"You have to go to the dentist, check your teeth! Do you want black teeth? No, right? Besides Auntie Prissy (omg yes they call me that) is also going." My cousin politely rebutted.

In the end, it was a rather successful trip to the dentist, with Jovan coming out happily carrying two massive lollipops as bribes (from my cousin, not the dentist!). Good, strong teeth, what can I say?
Everything our fathers do, ultimately, it is for our own good. I can always envision the Father's hand extended to grab their son's hand to guide them along, or bring them to the right place. Which is exactly how God does things.

"Come along now, son."

"No, I don't wanna!" (whiny kid, haha)

"It's for your own good."

This may be how a conversation between God and a young kid go.
God always does what is best for us, and does things that will benefit us, not harm us. Trust in God and take his hand, believing that He will bring us to the right place, at the right time.
"Cast all your cares on the Lord for he cares for you." -1 Peter 5:7

Things may come and go,
things will always change.
But the one thing that remains constant,
will be the love of God our Father.
We may not understand the things He does,
but whatever He does,
it's for our good.
God may give and take,
be it little ones,
or time-weary ones,
just bear in mind,
He does it for us.

Rejection

2008-07-06T22:48:00.005+08:00

During today's sermon, while listening to Pastor Bray, this incident that happened years ago kept replaying itself in my head.

I was primary 1. It was the first camp that i attended, a church camp.

I remember vividly that we were having an afternoon break. My best friend and i were running around the big room where we were supposed to sleep, the sleeping mattress were already laid out neatly over the room. So we were running around with the rest of the kids, with nothing to do since we cant go elsewhere.

I was chasing her when this girl who is around our age, approach my friend with her entourage behind her. I ran to friend's side just in time to hear the girl asked," Let's play together." My friend nodded and walked off with them, me trailing close behind, somehow i just assume that since i was with my friend, i'm invited to play too (aiya, kid's mentality is that simple).

Suddenly, the girl turned around and faced me, "Sorry, but we dont want to play with you." Without another word, she turned around and walked off with my friend. ( Seriously, im not sure if my friend heard her, but she sure didnt come after me.)

I could only recall walking back to my mattress, sat down on it, took out my camp handbook and started doodling on it. I wasnt even seeing what i was colouring because my vision was blurred. My face became wet with tears, and i was just..weeping quietly, trying not to catch anyone's attention. As a kid, i guess i felt it was very embarrassing to cry. I kept my head bent over the book, i knew no one would see me that way. There was this ach-y feeling that i felt in my heart. I wanted to see my mummy so very much at that moment!

It was then that a few of my closer friends came. They sat around me and asked why i was alone. I think they knew i was crying because they were very concerned. "They dont want to play with me" i said simply, still not really able to see them.

The next minute, they were saying how my "best friend" is a bad friend and i shouldnt bother about her and they would play with me etc, you know, stuff that primary 1 kids would say. I cheered up almost immediately (not because my best friend is a bad person, but because i knew at least there were someone else who cared).

This is one of the earliest rejection i got when i was a kid. Well, of course many more came along the way and i think i just got use to it. I soon learnt that this is something that i have to face, and slowly it just grew into me, along with low self-esteem and low confidence.

What i learnt from today's sermon is just this: It is not a personality.

I realised i had been suppressing myself for so long; the things i had wanted to do but didnt due to fear of failure and fear of being different. Imagine the things all of us could achieve if we hadnt been stopped by our self-consciousness?

*AIYA, cant remember who is that girl anymore, if not i would......

Signing off,
jo

I don't want this.

2008-07-03T20:28:00.003+08:00

Since the 40 Day Prayer and Fast has started, I seem to be more and more frustrated with myself. I just don't seem to get the hang of things and I feel like I'm lagging behind in school. Hoards of miserable feelings just come rushing in, leaving me no room to feel good about what I am doing or saying.
Something I don't want to feel :/
Recently, during band practices, I've found out that I have this locked-jaw syndrome. Everytime I run out of air, I will lock my jaw, and be unable to play anymore. It seriously affects my playing, and ugh, I am kinda getting irritated over this.
Maybe the factor leading most to my teenage misery is my parents. I really don't understand what they want me to do, or whatever. I feel like they are expecting waay too much from me, and I have no way of meeting up to their expectations. I think I am past the stage of feeling angry with them, I guess I'm just feeling weird and out of sorts now. It doesn't make sense, this way I'm feeling, but I do guess that we will need God's help to pull us through. Last night, before I went to sleep, I asked my dad really nicely about why they were disallowing me from going for the Poetry Slam Workshop. And guess what dear old dad did, he laughed, shrugged it off, and told me to think for myself. What he did was probably not meant to hurt me, but in any case, it still did. Maybe it was that feeling of him totally ignoring me, and treating me like a retard, or it could also be that feeling of being snubbed and not having him answer me. I really want to go for this Poetry Slam Workshop (even though it coincides with Ps Serene meeting up with the rest of us). I feel that they are holding me back all the time, without giving me the room or space to think. Gahh, nevermind, pray.
Okay, gotten my solution. Shall pray and die trying to let parents allow me to go for the Poetry Slam Workshop/Competition. AHHH OMG I WANT TO GOOOO.

family =/

2008-07-02T01:50:00.003+08:00

family, has really a big impact in each and everyone and of cos that includes me. i bet all of u noe, my parents' are divorced. so naturally, my mum would pay more attention to us and yea, be more sensitive and all that. so yea, she took care of us, loved us any mother could possible love their children and everything.

heh, and i kinda have bad blood with my father D: cos of that time i went to perth that incident. and i remember how happy i was seeing him going there and never coming back. now i kinda miss him D: my freedom with him, the joy, laughter and everything.

my mum never gave me that type of freedom, happiness. she just gave me occasional laughters and all those thingys. life with both my parents and now, with one parent is so different.

at that very point of time, life was kinda tough for me. (LOL i sound old D:) parents getting divorced, going into a new school, siblings busy with wad their doing, studying..and all that stuffs, really complicated. and hahah! u noe why u guys dunno it was so tough? xD cos i didnt share with u all and u all didnt find anything weird about me cos im crazy all the time. LOL.

but yea, i prayed to God about it and hoped He would work miracles in my life. but yea, reality.

so subsequently, 'family' was not important to me. the house was just a place for staying. 'family' only came alive when my cousins came together and we joke and play. or else, 'family' is just a word. but my mother, just by scolding me, or being biased towards my siblings, would cos me to cry in bed or even cry myself to sleep becos of this jealousy or even the hurt that my siblings wouldnt share with me this 'love' that my mother gives them.

and there were points of time where my mother after the divorce had a boyfriend; who was not a christian. my older brother had he's a's and my sister smoking i dunno why and my little brother so young and innocent. i kinda felt that the 'family' pressure was all on me. i didnt want to share with anyone this unbearable pain in my heart. till a point of time i broke down infront of all my relatives(and yes, so embarrasing xD) and of cos i shared and i felt so much better(:

and im sure that God created that moment, that very hour, minute, second for that very gathering to happen. just to let me we happier and not feel so alone and trapped inside me. and miracles do happen in people's life (: it's only whether u believe they do, and if u believe that God would do them for u (:

and gosh pris ! my mum is super biased ! LOL. i guess being the 3rd child is terrible D: or maybe the center child. guess wad? because my sister and younger bro came back from Perth -.-
and gosh, their getting everything they want ! D: crumpler bags, adidas shoes, overshot bills ( and my idoitic sister is asking me to pay for using it when she was in Perth! and thats another biased story D:) oh man, i just hate this part of my life. and now, cos they came back, i got to sleep on the floor ! congrates. and life's not getting any better with them around D: but i guess God would help me with this another crisis eh? (: oh boy, i just love my God <3

okay, enough of my nonsense and naggings. it's already 2 going to 3 in the morning and im still here ! :D i still haven do finish my homework. heh, going to do it now ;D

UGH

2008-07-01T22:21:00.003+08:00

Okay, Ellyn has been bugging me to post, and I finally got it.
I know what to post about!

Get this, MY PARENTS.
These few days, I am beginningly starting to feel more and more stifled by them. They do not allow this, do not allow that. And I'm starting to think, "Hello, I'm growing up, you needn't control me so much anymore."
Take for example, the China Exchange Programme which I signed up to be in. Before I got through all the interview rounds and everything, they were supportive, and told me that it would be a great learning experience and everything. But, oh no, once the time comes to put in a deposit, they're all suddenly, "You haven't been doing housework, how can we allow you to go for the China trip?!"
I have to come up with a proposal, at which I will torture myself daily, doing housework. Quite a number have already been rejected, and finally, after they have approved of one, they tell me, "Maybe you shouldn't go. I don't think our money may be able to stretch that far."
LIKE WTH OMG KILL ME FAINT DROP DEAD ON THE SPOT I CAN'T STAND THIS OMG 98754%^&*()*&^%$#%^&*()_(*&^%$#%^&*()
Another good example, I have been chosen to take part in this Poetry Slam competition, which is a really good learning experience too. And there is a workshop at which to prepare myself for the competition. But, "oh no, Priscilla, you shouldn't be attending this, it's a waste of time and money. Will this actually benefit you in the terms of your studies?"
Sometimes, I really can't stand it. I know, respect your parents blahblah, but seriously, at times, they really really make me irritated/annoyed/unhappy. They keep harping on studies, studies, studies! I wish they would slacken their hold on me. I don't even have the guts to tell them that I'm going out, or whatever, in fear of them stopping me. They tell me everything will be fine with God looking after us, but from how I see it, nothing is happening, and my father is just ugh argh bleaugh splat.
My parents seem to be holding me back all the time, scolding me here and there, and there is nothing I can say or do that will make them change their minds. I do want to do well in my studies, and will make the effort to, but with my parents breathing down my neck all the time, and with them restricting me here and there, I think I've reached my limit.
SHIT WTH I CAN'T STAND IT.

captain's ball ;D

2008-07-01T21:07:00.006+08:00

Edited by *drumroll* not Ellyn but Philip ! :D thank youuuuuuuuuuuu (: LOL. i know i'm lame. heh. anyways, thank youuuuuuuuuuuuu taitai for bringing the water ! (yes the water ;D) and zhimin for buying the H2o ! :D

oh yea, multi-coloured team ! :D i bet the yellow colour team is either scared of us, or hate us now D: i guess it's becos of our screaming x) heh.

and yea, it's our 2nd time! having a cell gathering with a guy's cell group (: and it was kinda cool eh? but this time we didnt play basketball with them (i bet they wont pass the ball to me cos i'll be screaming away. heh) so thats good news eh ?? heh. but we did a good job with captain's ball too ! :D good job girls ! heh. (oh my mama, i sound so mch like cyn. hiiiiiii girls (: xD heh.)

hmm..youth day is coming. maybe we can have another combine cell gathering ??? *hints* LOL.

but i mean, we're in the same church, attending the same service, in the same tribe..and yea! we're in the same FAMILY (: so we should know our "brothers" better eh? heh. wahah~ so we should have more combine cell gathering ! :D heh. okay, nvm, im just being lame. xD

thats the end of my post! heh. bye xD

Ellyn (:

gender and prejudice

2008-06-30T22:09:00.008+08:00

my friend told me that i've been very guyish lately. really.

she said i was too insensitive to notice all her hints about a certain matter. and no, it's absolutely nothing scandalous. i mean, i have always been considered the most guyish among certain friends. maybe it's my wide shoulders, my tendency not to pay attention in class or my irresponsible and lazy streak that girls always assume guys have. not true man. totally not true.

i mean, there are many guys who are emotionally sensitive, extremely hardworking and responsible and conscienctious. then why can't a girl be exactly the opposite? lay off the sterotyping please. i can understand when the school auntie always used to call me AH BOY, WHAT YOU WANT before correcting herself, but i mean, i like being this way.

i know i'm childish, but i find it tiring to be a perfectionist in everything, even in the things i dislike, or any other femenine virtue like being neat. not a hobby of mine. don't get me wrong- i love being female, and i'm neither crooked nor do i wish to change my sex or anthing absurd like that. does growing up mean that i'll have to be the prim lady in stiff blazers, or the perfect housewife in the future or something?

i suppose peter pan never thought that wendy didn't want to grow up because she would have to turn into a pile of make up and underwear with big fat load of rules to follow. no no, i feel that moral values, principles etc. must be learnt and appiled. but can i break the rules once in a while, lose a little more interest in studies and loosen up? be a kid, just relieve myself of having to smile to all difficult team members and be the peace maker all the time. or for a minute, lie down and enjoy having a blank mind. i've tried to get girly, neat handwriting like yali. i've tried to be high achievers like them-they got gold, i'll get silver. be elegant, posied, careful and feminine. i'm blur, clumsy and my legs always fall open as much as i try to keep them closed(but they are closed in church, i think). it never ends. i know it's not all mature and godly, for we need to do our best for god all the time right?

certain times i just adore being a kid. no worries, no conflicts, believing in silly, innocent dreams, believing that the uncle really just wants nothing else but to bring you upstairs to give you a sweet. beliveing that friendships last forever, that deaths are too far away too think about, and there's always someone to carry the weight of your world along with you.

so i just have one question. can a girl be like a 'sterotyped' guy for once, and not bother about her looks so much, her grades so much, not bother about how many boyfriends others have, wear huge t shirts to not bother about her fat? can a christian find rest from trying to be perfect all the time for pre believers to see? because the more i seem to try,it doesn't get much better.

love, brenda
and this is NOT an emo post (:

the day only for God (:

2008-06-30T02:24:00.009+08:00

this year is a sabbath year (:
today was a sunday ( yea, past midnight ), in the morning, i wanted to study for my maths. yes, im mugging hard D: but i suddenly thought of something. "ehhhh, today is a sunday. i thought it's suppose to be a rest day?" and i was not thinking about slacking ! (: but i remembered during our cell retreat, and in the morning, for quite time, she asked us to read..exodus 20:1-20. the Ten commandments (: and one of them was,

8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

SEE :D yea.. (: so, we're suppose to rest on the sunday and attend service (: heh.

so no matter how busy and how little time left u have to complete it, on a sunday, u just have to stop everything and that day is only for God (: so leave it special ! :D

♥ Ellyn

Give your best pose using One to Ten

2008-06-29T00:20:00.007+08:00

Tada!!! Finally got the go-ahead to introduce you pplz to EJ's cell blog.

He writes really well & has great sharings. His boys adds in loads of fun & laughter to spice up the blog too. (proof -> check out the pic)

I would like to start off by sharing this cool series of "Give your best pose using One to Ten" just click on http://beyondexpodoors.blogspot.com
to check out model of the day -> Mr Front
*Being a cyberwellness ambassador I cannot write down his real name so let's juz keep it to Mr Front. Btw I chose this pic cuz it's my fave!

Luv Cynthia

Genuine reasons or Mere Excuses ?

2008-06-27T22:04:00.007+08:00

Okay, I know I have never posted here despite the long long time that this blog has been up. But I've been regularly reading the cell blog So, I guess it was after reading all your posts for so long that has finally got me round to be a more active participator here, :}

Anyway, this past few weeks has been extremely hectic and stressful for me, with the performances spanned over consecutive days over the next few weeks, Dance trainings is in full force and had started as early as the holidays, 9-5 everyday for two weeks, on top of that there was deadlines to meet homework to finish and school was starting, as much as I hoped that I would for once have a more peaceful holiday, that time never came around.

And among all this hustle of life, yet there are times where emptiness seem to have just washed over me. Some of you may have felt this way ? But, its during those moments that it feels like nothing is really worth it anymore, even God doesnt seem to be there. And then, just yesterday a certain incident got me thinking, what's with all the things that we busy ourselves with ? What's with all the excuses that we give to God for not making enough time for him ?

Yesterday, I was feeling particularly tired and unmotivated. The first week of school was hardly even over, and dance practices plus desperately trying to start the first week of school off right was starting to take its toll on me, and I could already feel myself wearing out. Whatever it was, I went for dance trainings later that day. Feeling exceptionally moody already, Training was no help at all. Our Choreo was not completed and our shows were on next week already, that aside, Right from the start the juniors had really bad attitudes, no sense of urgency, and they had hardly even know their steps. Still, they refused to put in any effort to practice, and any free time they get they sit down and chat. Even our trainer was starting to feel very annoyed, yet the unsensitive juniors were totally oblivious to this. What made it worse, was that seniors + trainers + Teachers have sat them down and talk to them nicely about this matter, how it concerns the reputation of our group etc. Three times already, and still the second last practice and they were still having the same bad attitude and laziness.
Seniors then felt very pressurised and stressed, because whatever that they were lacking in, we had to compensate for it in the way we dance. In other words, we had to put in thrice the efforts.

I told myself, that whatever it was, it didnt matter if they didnt give a two cents worth about anything, it didnt matter if they refused to put in effort, it didnt matter at all, because those who were willing to work hard would make up for it. Every practice, I told myself that over and over, everytime I felt frustrated I told myself that. But yesterday, as much as I tried to beleive in that, It seemed almost absurd. As I danced through that same dance countless times, as I tried so hard to get everything right, As I tried so hard to tell myself that everything would be okay, I felt horrible, because Something kept telling me that it wont. That day, I dance to a point where I dissolved into tears, That day, I danced on emotion and rhythm and not on the restrictions on proper techniques. Because, I felt that everything had come to a point where I just felt as if it was all out of control, emotions piled high, I never realised that there was a limit to how much one could actually feel.

As friends crowded around me, taken aback by the sudden breakdown, questions were strewn at me. But their words flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup, they slither while they pass, I took notice of none. A sinking feeling in my heart, that I really could not fanthom. I didnt know what to say, or even how to translate the emotions that I was feeling all at once. It was after that, as I talked about things with a friend of mine, that she said something that struck me. " Dont worry, God will take care of this. "

And then I went home, I thought about it. God will take care of this ? I have hardly ever made time for God, I have gave God countless excuses why I forget to talk to him, I have used God at times only when I feel that I really need him. And, Umpteen times I have placed God not as my number one priority, and here I am to beleive that God will take care of all this. it was then, that I remembered what I had once heard, God is always there, its your choice on whether you would like to come to him or not. It suddenly dawn upon me that, all the excuses that I gave, that I was busy with school, dance and whatnot, they were all just nothing but mere untrue things that I tell God, in order to make me feel less guilty. Because, If I was busy then I would have no time to talk to him and spend time with him. It plagues me somewhere in my heart, never ending and it never ceases.Something would always question me over and over, like a broken old tape recorder, " why am I unable to trust in him as readily that I would like to? "

And then, as I try to answer my own questions, I realise something. It is not that we are busy, we say that we are busy in order to have something so that we'll feel less guilty, Its not that God takes note of every wrong thing we do and slowly distant himself away from us becuase with every sin that he takes note of, he finds out the more sinful we all are. It is more of the fact that, we think we are unworthy, and we think that we have done so much wrong, that even we are disgusted at ourselves, so how can God actually be able to love sinners like us ? But we often forget that, he is always here for us no matter how horrible we are feeling, when we hurt, he's feeling even more hurt. If not, why would he even have died for us in the first place ? [: I dont know about any of you, But I have found myself asking myself this many times, And I would always remember one incident where a friend told me that no matter what we do, even if we turn away from him, God will always be there ready for us to go back to him. So, whoever's feeling discouraged / sad / unmotivated etc. wouldn't it be nice to take comfort in the fact that God would always be there ? 8)

Love,
Cherish

P/s: Sorry, I know my thoughts and everything are very messy, I scored badly in writing !

2008-06-27T22:00:00.001+08:00

HAHA, nice?

self-barriers

2008-06-27T20:01:00.005+08:00

as much as i am hyped up for sunday, i don't feel all godly today. sadly. i'm feeling really mixed now.

i mean, all the tests are raining down, and competition's nearing. we're so not prepared. i mean, if we don't get gold, they'll say the exco of 08 to 09 is useless, and we can't do anything about it. i'm just so scared. but as comfort, i'll recall what fear had done to me.

my cousin jasper(his other name, for privacy purposes if he happens to stumble here)and i were quite alright as childhood friends. in the past, i always considered him inferior to me because he would kick and scream when asked to bathe and somehow nearly be strangled while playing with the curtain strings. well i am defintely more sensible than that, i reasoned.
things got different when my aunt got breast cancer. i don't recall much during this period, but it got difficult to talk to him. my first sentence couldn't be "how is the hospital treating her?" or something. she eventually got better, but then a bombshell hit.

she died. the cancer cells had somehow spread and she had passed away. this turned everyone's world upside down. in two years his maturity shot though twenty mental years or so. other guys would be dunking each other's heads in the water, but jasper would have been playing with the younger, lonely kids. i became the unwise, the small and irresponsible.it was horrible during chinese new years, having to face the awkward situation. something unusual happened when i went for my niece's one month instead.
we were in a room with all the other cousins, when in an attempt to break the ice, he sheepishly asked me if i was still a workaholic.

"what workaholic? i've never been one!" i scoffed, bemused.

"no, last year you brought your textbook to study during po po's birthday dinner remember?" he frowned. he was talking about when i was about to have my big exam and i hadn't studied enough. i laughed at the stupid thought and denied it. before it could quickly returned to that weird silence again, i began to clean up all the dirty plates.
"what are you doing? oh no no, i'll do that for you!" he rushed over.
"it's ok, i can..."
"no no, you're a guest here, you shouldn't do anything." with a smile, he turned and left. as much as it was ordinary, it made me think.

we were family, and this action was a huge contrast to the 'get the coke yourself, make yourself at home' rule. it made me almost feel as if we were strangers to each other. and he might have even thought i was the more hardworking and better cousin. then it hit me. my fear and itimidation had created a barrier for donkey years, and prevented our family ties from growing stronger. wasn't that stupid of us? it was terribly ironic. after that i made an effort to know all my cousins, and we had a great time during new year.

but my point to myself and everyone is, fear can create barriers. not for safety, but of blessings. in my case, it'll prevent myself from doing my best. has fear been holding you back from your dream to be a singer, a desginer, a teacher or even a preacher? so we should all pray about it. (:

till sunday,
brenda

Bobo, My Love <3

2008-06-27T16:16:00.006+08:00

I must say, that I do my best work in the toilet (my toilet, that is!) As I was sipping Vitagen and shitting, I was just thinking back to when I was young. Remember how when you were young, you always had a bolster, soft toy or pillow to hug and bring around? I, at least, had one. I had this special bolster which I named "Bobo".

You would never see me without "Bobo". "Bobo" was more than a bolster, it was my best friend! (:

"Bobo" had different smells on it, different parts that was slightly soft, and from the once pearly white had become slightly yellowish. It had been with me since birth.

My parents would always complain of it stinking up the whole house, and often urged me to throw away "Bobo". With my fist clutched tight around "Bobo", I would always shake my head and protest vehemently against throwing it away. My parents tried enticing me into throwing it away by offering to buy me other nicer bolsters, with nicer patterns/designs, but it was always to no avail. How could I throw away my best friend?

My mother seized the opportunity when I was away in nursey school one day. She callously threw "Bobo" down the rubbish chute. When I reached home, I immediately set out to look for "Bobo". After making a few rounds around the house, and discovering that "Bobo" was gone, I was beginning to feel slightly horrified. Where was my beloved companion? I burst into tears and went to my mother. It was then that my mother gently held me against her and told me she had thrown away "Bobo".

That would be an incident I would forever remember. If I am not wrong, I was only 4 years of age at that time, but I had already had a strong bond with my bolster. (attached! *gasp*)

I believe that would be the type of bond I am striving to have with God. The feeling of being utterly close to God, going everywhere with Him, telling Him everything and doing everything with Him. Thinking about it, isn't it kind of sad that I could have "cared" so much for a mere bolster, nevermind God? Yes, that bolster had been with me since I was born, it was the first thing I had carried in my chubby little hands, the first object I had drooled on. I loved "Bobo" with all my heart. And yet, God, the God that made me, the God that created me, the God that knows my name, the God that planned every single strand of my hair on my head, doesn't matter as much to me as my "Bobo" did then. How weird is that! "Bobo" wasn't even a living thing, and yet God doesn't even measure up to it. Wow, I must be slightly crazy.

As I became older (aww), more bolsters/pillows/soft toys came along, none of them did quite match up to "Bobo". Not even Muffin, a stuffed toy dog I carried from P1-P6, (I love Muffin too, btw. He was so cute <3)>

God, here I come (:

Moving on, I think I also want to serve God in every way I can. Be it music, or whatever (:

Haha, this blog is getting addictive!

See you guys,

Pris

The Dream Team!

2008-06-27T00:34:00.004+08:00

We're the DREAM Team!!! *Spurred on by the best group ever*!!!

Luv Cynthia

further implications

2008-06-26T20:15:00.003+08:00

ok, it's offical. the cell blog is my new favourite site! haha. it's so touching to see how everyone bonded so much and etc. and finally ellyn and priscilla blog! and they're so good at it! DO IT MORE OFTEN XD

priscilla! oh gosh i SO NEED sax practice MANNN. and i keep thinking of more cheers for yali. i really can't over it! haha. get well soon ok, and no milk for now! it encourages diharroea(if that's how you spell it)

ellyn!! you posted dude! haha. one day we should go shopping or something(random thought!) haha yeah, we should tell cynthia it's INTERDEPENDENCE now ;D jiayou for your math, you can do it!

oh and what i really wanted to say now. hmm.i've been extremely fearful all week long. fearful of all the band stuff popping up, about responsibiltes and studies. my instrument got spoilt,competition is in 2 weeks and i just HAD to take part. i was freaking out. i kept praying that it'll be ok. also, today i slept at 1.30. my knees were quaking at the thought of sleeping in math class.

my teacher would rip my head off. but my mom's blessing of 'may god bless you with extraordinary energy' was miraculous. i was awake throughout and my instrument even got fixed! seriously. previously a week of 5 hours of sleep a day literally made me see double images of my teacher and even my dreams. like my short dream of joanne and i buying soya sauce while tavelling to the botanical gardens for the AMAZING RACE (;
my point is, i realised that i had real little faith. i admit, i was surprised. it feels great to know that god is so real. even when things don't seem all that right, i feel a weeny bit better to know that it's still within His control

till sunday we will dance in the freedom we know,(hint hint)
brenda

Good Day to You

2008-06-26T12:50:00.004+08:00

Priscilla here, is sick. Thus, I have the time to blog :D Janelle and I just finished camp yesterday. Camp was funfunfun :D I got another tan line. OMG FAINTTTTTT. WHY! I hate having tan lines everywhere! I've food poisoning! SO I POOP A LOT NOW D:
Thinking back to about, 2 weeks ago, I believe that now we have formed friendships (note how I didn't use relationships) with guys. This is a grudging comment, but I must say, that guys are not as bad as I thought. I always thought guys were some sick creatures, thinking about farting all the time and such, but well, I was proved wrong. Which is good (: Haha, but guys are seriously competitive. Unlike girls, who just scream and have a good time! (:
Basically, I just came to the blog to talk about how everything seems rather hectic now, I guess. With so many commitments, band practice, homework waiting to be done, violin waiting to be practised, piano waiting to be practised, and even saxophone waiting to be practised, there's hardly even room to breathe, much less go to God and sit down for a really good talk, telling him about everything that has happened in the day.
When I was at camp, before I went to sleep every night, or rather, when I was tossing and turning, swatting buzzing mosquitoes, I was just using that time to talk to God, and tell him about what happened. No idea why, but suddenly I just got the feeling that I didn't want to sit down and talk to God because I was forced to, but because I wanted to. (OMG SEE I'VE BEEN DOING MY APPLICATION)
A sudden jolt, and awakening. (Wanted to add the word 'amazing', but decided it may be a little cliche, heh.) With all the recent problems, activites, stress and whatsoever from school, church, or home, I believe God is the solution to all the problems, and even if nothing happens, it's nice to let go on someone else and just let Him carry your "weight of the world" on His shoulders for a short nice while (:
YAYYYYYYY :D
Now I've come to the end of my long naggy post, and I need to go shit. Blame the food poisoning D:<
I am going to tell God how it feels to shit so much, and have my stomach hurting like crazy. Anyone up to hearing the shit review? (:

Till Sunday,
Pris

When Ellyn's Stressed...

2008-06-26T00:35:00.004+08:00

im dying D:
do u believe it? *no* LOL.
as u all know, i have been slacking for the past 6 months in school. and except from going to school for my friends, duties (and yes scolding people too xD) i have not really been studying hard. and due to that, i failed my maths. and science. and d&t? history. blarblarblar. haha! but overall, i just failed maths.

the bad news is..i havent been listening at all since the start of the year for maths. so nothing is in my brain. and yes, i have to study super super hard now! D: to keep up with the class. that sucks okay? but given my i-dun-care attitude, i dun care much about it. xD but for some reason, this few days, i have been study. (maybe i just started from yesterday xD i think i did xD)

and yes, im under stress.. *sheet* hehe, let me describe my type of stress. LOL. it's like when i cannot solve the question, or i just dun understand wad the nugget their talking about, i'll just cry for no reason o.o sounds stupid eh? haha. maybe im just suffering from depression or some retarded illness. HAHA. as u noe, im kinda retarded. LOL. kidding~

maybe God's trying to ask me to study hard.. hmm..maybe! :D den i'll receive enlightenment and all those stuffs (: which would be damn cool. hehehe..

actually u noe why am i posting at 12.42am when tmr im suppose to go to school? cos im bored -.- haha! im as lame as ever D: lol.

BRENDA!! :D i really agree with ur post luh! oh my mama, i just missed all those times we spent together in the cell retreat. the fun, laughter and all those stupid things that i told which were actually so lame. hehe. maybe we should have this kinda stuffs instead of cell :D haha! exercise u noe ~ hehe..

now, the government is advertising a healthy country mah! :D (i think) HAHAHA. i think im very high now. before i go on and on about useless stuffs xD (hmm..maybe im retarded due to stress xD as in very high at times LOL im getting lamer)

ELLYN ♥

I just love it

2008-06-24T19:24:00.003+08:00

i just LOVE it when i come to the blog and it'd filled with the cell retreat photos. it's like it really impacted all of us. but my bottom line is, let's HAVE MORE. we should have the amazing race part 2! and then more captain ball showdowns. priscilla and i will be ready with cheerleader gear for darling YALI.ahhaaha. it makes me so excited for church every week. *shiver*
anyhow, school has been full of ups and downs, but i really miss church. anyhow, i was wondering.
a few days ago i was writing some rubbish for my chinese. i was elaborating on how we should learn to cope with stress, and somehow it came out as 'we need to understand how to reain peaceful and calm in troubled times..' and then i stopped short.
didn't that mean the sabbath? but this year wasn't really all sabbath-like for me, and it's nearly half gone. hmmm. but now thinking about it, i'm not going to watse it all. and i think i found my sanctuary already.
yup, and i hope it will always stay that way. oh and one more thing. why don't we have our own retro countdown party this year end with everyone from the cell retreat or something? or maybe even more for being merry, just to have a change from the church's one. we can dance to our own hillsong cds (:
stuck in the amazing race,
brenda

Ellyn's first post!

2008-06-23T20:26:00.003+08:00

hehe, yea (: i bet this is the first time u see me posting xD haha. yea...i enjoyed myself alot thats for sure. except the company of the insects and all the other rubbish. haha. okay, im so lame. xD.

ELLYN ♥

my little brother

2008-06-23T12:11:00.005+08:00

Yesterday night, i was going to sleep early, with the rest of my family members, so that i can be in my top form for today's paper! (Which didnt went well......)

It felt good, that i didnt have to study late into the night, listening to my dad's and my 2nd bro's snoring and wishing to be like them, sleeping, not the snoring part.

So me and my little bro, ( we share a room), he happened to be still awake and i happened to be just turning in. I thought, since we seldom talk, i decided to ask him about school and stuff..

And he started babbling off, recounting the first day of school right from K1, K2.. how he didnt like school and why, and why during Pri 1 and 2 he hated going because he was being bullied (Here, i was alarmed and started asking him if he reported this to his teachers or tell Mum.) and was scolded by mummy because he lost his water bottle and it wasnt even his fault since those stinky bullies hide it elsewhere, and how he was so excited to start the school year during P3 and P4.

There was one particular thing he talked about that left a deep impression on me of my 2nd bro.

Little bro was all excited when he told me this. He said he was especially excited when he started Pri 1, same school as the 2nd bro. Because there was this buddy system where the new P1s have to be accompanied by someone older, sort of like teach them to buy food and help them get around the school. So he got a buddy, who happens to be his brother, he should be Pri 6 then. For recess, the big one would be with the small one, help him buy his food etc. During one particular break, little bro's friend lost his buddy and was crying.

He said, all proudly, "Kor told me to go sit by myself first and he went off to help my friend find his buddy". WOW. With an eyebrow raised pretty high, i stopped him at this point and asked if he remembered wrongly or was it just some selective recollection on his part. No, it was the truth, or so he claimed.

Still thinking about that brother when he was Pri 6 and the present him, i asked Matthias ( that's little bro's name), to go to sleep.

I realised there are so many things that i dont know about both siblings, maybe because i really cant be bothered, but i really should start doing some "getting to know them better" conversations from now, especially that Alphaeus (the 2nd bro) about his silly girlfriends.

Oh man, thought i've just heard my "Nitrogen Compound" notes beckoning me to start revision, ciao.......

Signing off,

2008 Cell Retreat - Fiery Marshmallows

2008-06-19T01:17:00.002+08:00

I love this video! The gals didn't know I was videoing so they were posing for the camera. That's the 1st shock. 2nd shock is the FIRE really burning up!!!! Ahh!!!

Luv Cynthia

2008 Cell Retreat - Intercell Amazing Race

2008-06-19T01:03:00.005+08:00

Hies here's the slideshow for the Amazing Race! Enjoys! Thanks for being such great fun everyone. I really really enjoyed myself! Truly this is the season of INTERDEPENDENCE!

Luv Cynthia

2008 Cell Retreat Photos

2008-06-16T13:12:00.004+08:00

-

woo hi everybody.
the photos are all messed up, ha ha i also dunno how to do.
i'm lazy :l
woooo bye.

chloe

retreat in the sabbath

2008-06-12T00:14:00.003+08:00

phew. full of homework this week man. holidays are pratically over and i hate it that way, but i guess we have no choice. i haven't even started studying yet or doing anythine in the least productive, but i'm still looking forward to the cell retreat IMMENSELY. (:

i TOTALLY PROMISE TO ROAST EVERYONE'S MARSHMALLOWS TO PERFECTION. well considering i'll eat all the burnt ones myself, yes no? hahahahha. oh and i was bowled over by an email today.

nothing's confirmed, but an audition i was trying for (and i'm realllllyy hoping to get in!) kinda emailed me back and told me that i should keep a lookout for more updates and they'll chat with the whole lot of us. i can't help but feel SO excited despite the fact that i totally messed up my audition. as much as i can i'm trying not to keep my hopes too high but i'm SO EXCITED!

THANK GOD!

love brenda

Perseverance Pays

2008-06-05T18:05:00.002+08:00

Michelle Kwan is an American figure skater. She has won nine U.S. championships, five World Championships, and two Olympic medals. She has remained competitive for over a decade and is the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history.

Known for her consistency and expressive artistry on ice, she is widely considered to be one of the greatest figure skaters of all time.

Kwan's interest in figure skating began at the age of five when she followed her two older siblings (ice hockey player Ron and figure skater Karen) onto the ice. Karen and Michelle began serious training when Michelle was about 8 years old. They practiced three to four hours a day, waking up at 3am to skate before school and going back to the rink right after school to skate again.

Paying for their increased skating-rink time led to financial hardship for Kwan's working class family. Her mother took on a second job and her father started working extra hours to finance the rink time and coaching fees. Eventually the family decided to sell their house, but that still was not adequate to finance the children's skating careers. When Kwan was ten years old, her family could no longer afford a coach, but they were offered financial assistance by a fellow member of the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club that allowed them to train at the Ice Castle International Training Center in Lake Arrowhead, California.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced that she has appointed figure skating champion Michelle Kwan as the first American Public Diplomacy Envoy. A role in which she promotes the positive aspects of American culture and democratic principles.

“I’ve always wanted to somehow serve our country, to contribute and to make a difference,” said figure skating champion Michelle Kwan who was appointed as the first American Public Diplomacy Envoy, a role in which she promotes the positive aspects of American culture and democratic principles.

http://michellekwansite.com/gallery/v/events/diplomacy+ambassador/

Cynthia: Perseverance Pays! Know ur dream & work hard for it people! PROPER PLANNING HELPS A GREAT DEAL! [That's something I'm working on too

:D ]

Cynthia's Year of Victory 2007

2008-06-04T22:14:00.013+08:00

Man this has been delayed & delayed for the..... VERY LAST TIME! :) yea!
3 key areas that I would like to thank God for! He is indeed the ONE who gave & is able to give victories indeed!
*Lead 3 to Christ in 2007
First is in the area of personal growth. I'm always inspired by how pastor Serene evangelize to everyone around her & I wish to cultivate the same habit of testifying & sharing Christ too. Though I didn't mangaged to lead 3 people to Christ but through obeying our church's corporate call I bless over 20 people (lost count of exact number) during the 100K Blessing. Amongst these are my relatives, my good friends, strangers, neighbours, my mom & my grandma!
*Family Salvation in 2007
Hmmm, didn't hit this as well. But I'm totally awed how I got to bless family & relatives through the 100K Blessing. I'm not really close to my relatives as we only see each other once or twice a year. But things have improved since & I'm asking God for greater breakthoughs beyond 2007. Oh ya, God answered my mom's prayer as well so ya la she definitely know God can answer prayers! hehehe. (It's sorta kill two birds with one stone cuz it's linked to my final area) And God also provided my whole family to visit Australia together last year. My family hasn't gone for a trip together like more than fifteen years ago so it's definitely a precious time together. It's less stressful than I imagined & we really had fun & good family time!

*Attached in 2007
Yes yes, my mom's prayer request during the 100K Blessing is that we can find our boyfriends & girlfriends. Since then my brother & I have officially started seeing someone! I know many people including all you precious little gals have been worried & praying hard for me. Thank you dearies & thank GOD!!! hahaha! I've got an extra special from God in the form of Mr EJ through your persevering prayers! :) He's a great guy & I really experience double the joy & halved the sorrows (can share with EJ mah so halved the sorrows). So gals pray hard, declare & wait for God's perfect timing. He gives us the BEST!!!

Sometimes we may be all caught up & discouraged by sad/depressing situations around us. But hey, Let me give you two tips.
1) CHOOSE TO GIVE THANKS! Remember that God is good & He loves you! As we give thanks we are reminded of God's goodness and we negate the negative thoughts which Satan is trying to plant into our mind to discourage us.
2) WITH THE END IN MIND! Remember 2007 theme verse.. God will eventually give you the victory! May you take heart in the time of moulding & refining through the adversities of life. Knowing that you'll emerged stronger & better!
2 Corinthians 2:14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

Luv Cynthia

nailing the prince charming

2008-05-24T23:08:00.006+08:00

today was pastor hee guan's wedding and it was INCREDIBLY SWEET.

honestly though, i was old fashioned and was slightly surpirsed that it didn't come with trumpets and a red carpet or anything extreme. please excuse me though; it was only my second wedding. still it was the best i ever witnessed. i never saw such joy squeezed into a little church as two people unite in God's pleasure. i don't know the bride and groom that well, but i could tell their love for each other was the real deal. pastor hee guan really loves her, just as much as she loves him.

isn't that what everyone wants in a wedding? a perfect ending, perfact understanding. it doesn't have to be a lavish affair. it doesn't have to come with every single person witnessing it, or the dreamiest spouse. as much as we might wish we have it.

i mean, everywhere i go it's " i wanna marry a rich husband LORH. must be TALL DARK AND HANDSOME."

yes, it's nice t8o marry someone rich or good-looking, but not always. as long as he has a good heart and doesn't look like your toilet bowl ,it's fine isn't it. prince charming won't be perfect, so i do suppose we can always leave those exceptions like kim kibum(below) to prettier girls and follow pastor's example: God is the best match-maker.

love, brenda

Competition

2008-05-15T19:54:00.006+08:00

"Sian, except for 1 subject, you beat me to the rest of the others." My friend, JH, said glumly.

I was very surprised to hear this from him. He seems to be too easy-going to say something like that. This, he told me, when the last of our papers for common tests were returned to us. And yes, except for GP, i did do better for the rest. Though, i kind of took it to heart about his comments, i dismissed it.

Today, i heard this again, but not directly from him. (GOSH!) I had asked him whether he had started on his revisions for the lecture test tomorrow and the guy beside him said "He already finished 1 big chapter." I looked at JH questioningly. He only replied, " You can test me."

AND the same HELPFUL guy beside him added that JH was still very pissed he lost to me. I really didnt bother hiding my irritation from him this time and told him to stop trying to compare with me everytime we had a test or something.

I really HATE it when people, though subtly, competes with me. Like that time when i walked into a friend's class to wait for her after her lesson ended. This guy, J, whom i'm not very closely acquainted with, questioned me on my common tests results. I didnt even try answering his questions which goes like this,

"Got any As?"

"Pass all subjects?"

"So its borderline passes huh?"

In my mind, i was all, 'kns -.-" ( Sorry for the word.) I grabbed my friend and bolted out of there.

According to my friend, whose class i had went into, J had done pretty well. And yesterday after that A level Practical assessment, he came up to me and asked how was it and all. And, no it was not out of concern. So i guess there's this secret competition going on between me and him. Sigh...

The same goes for my classmates. I really doubted when people told me how competitive it is in JC but now i had to believe them. This classmate was so afraid to tell me that she's having a consultation with a teacher, as if i would totally hogged the teacher to myself. I mean, cant we all learn together? As my class mentor put it, "We are all responsible for each other's learning." Exactly!

Sadly, not everyone felt the same way. I know there will always be competition, in fact, we are competing against one another for places in universities. I think i really should learn to cope with it and not shun away from it. =(

Signing off,

Twisted values of the world

2008-05-13T18:04:00.020+08:00

"I think the whole world addicted to the drama

Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma

....

People killin', people dyin'

Children hurt and you hear them cryin'

Can you practice what you preach

And would you turn the other cheek"

Where is the love? - Black Eyed Peas

I was checking my email the other day, after so long since the last clearing. Scrolling down the long list of unread mails, and ticking off the ones that goes straight to the bin, one mail caught my attention.

Its title was " In the Name of Religion, Or Cruelty?"

It read,
One 8 year old boy in Iran ( or was it Iraq?) was caught shop lifting. In the Name of I**** (name of the religion), he was sentenced to have his arm crushed by a car.

!!!!!

I was horrified.

And there were photos attached. The first one depicts the poor boy lying on the floor with the car beside him. His right hand was stretched out in front of the wheel of that car. There was a man squatting beside him, who seems to be the person in charge of the boy's sentence. Simply put: he's there to make sure the arm's crushed. And in the background, there's a huge crowd of onlookers. What were this stupid people thinking just standing by and watch?

I was seriously thinking twice about scrolling down the page, afraid of what i would see. But i scrolled down anyway.

This time the wheel is already treacherously near the boy's arm. The man was pressing his arm down so that he wouldnt move away. The look on the boy's face broke my heart. There really was nothing i can use to describe his expression. Perhaps, helpless, terrified? I didnt scroll down to see what would happen next, i didnt think anyone from the crowd had tried to prevent this atrocity from happening.

Deleted the mail immediately. That night i just couldnt sleep. This image of the boy's look kept coming up.

Oh, I've heard of honour killings (Definition from wikipedia- committed by members of a family against a female member of their family whom the family and/or wider community believes to have brought dishonor upon the family) in the Middle East, where women face injustice everyday by the conservative religious laws, e.g in Saudi Arabia, women are not even allowed to drive cars; in Palestine, a rape victim is seen as being at fault, and even walking on the streets with their own male relations could cause their lives. I just didnt think such misfortune and unjust would befall an 8 year old boy too. Wow, how the world has changed in the last few decades. "Cruelty" seems to reach a new and higher peak everytime i think, " Nothing can compare to that."

(Taken from http://www.flatrock.org.nz/topics/odds_and_oddities/ultimate_in_unfair.htm)

This photograph showed a starving Sudanese child being stalked by a vulture which won Kevin Carter the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for feature photography.

The photographer later commited suicide due to depression. He had taken this photo when the child was starving to death. He could have helped you know. I think he realised that, that in order to capture the most award-winning picture, the thought of saving the starving child just slipped out of his mind.

I realised more and more of such things are happening and there's nothing we can really do about it. This world is so twisted.

Signing off,
Jo

Queen NOT Slave

2008-05-12T21:23:00.008+08:00

What a wonderful sermon by Ps Tommy Tenny. He was funny, humorous & straight to the point!

Esther was a slave gal who had everything against her. But what caused her destiny to change? She found favor with the right Person!! She didn't go around pleasing every other person, she made up her mind to please the King!
And when the King likes you, it doesn't matter who dislikes you! The King can change your destiny. God can change your destiny!

*With inputs from EJ; It absolutley summarises up the key points!*
"Don't flirt with lower lovers! You can lose your destiny! Don't prostitute your anointing from God for something lesser than God's blessing! You are shortchanging yourselves!"

How true these words are. So often because under the peer pressure influence of our friends, or because we do not have "spiritual guts" to stand firm for God, we cave in and follow the world and its cheap values. Things that we know in our minds is not right, but somehow we keep giving excuses that 'I'm not sure' or 'I can't help it', and soon we go with the flow.

Some examples - Illegal downloading, possession of pirated softwares, vulguarities, joining in to gossip about others...etc

We join the world into doing all these things because we want to feel accepted by the general crowd. We don't dare to make a stand, fearing that our friends will ostracize us. We rather go with the flow - If we can't be the popular and charismatic gal, at least people don't hate us. It is definitely and always easier to go with the flow.

But the truth of the matter is people whom go with the flow will NEVER find favor with the King.

Esther determined in her heart that she would not go with the flow and made choices not for herself or to feel good, but rather she made the choice that the King would like. She didn't bother what the rest would say, she was single-minded in just wanting the King's approval.

Hey dears!!!! Arise & stand firm for the Lord! Be a true blue God-Pleaser!!! Why wait? Why delay? If not now then when???!!!!!

You're destined to be a QUEEN, dun be a SLAVE!

Luv Cynthia

Mothers - A gift from God

2008-05-12T20:51:00.008+08:00

Couldn't find the version that we saw in church. This works as well. Also I found this nice poem about mothers. Take a look & appreciate your mother okies! :)

Why are you crying, a young boy asked his Mom?
"Because I'm a woman," she told him."I don't understand," he said.
His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will, but that's O.K.".......

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does Mom seem to cry for no reason?".
"All women cry for no reason," was all his Dad could say......

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God and when God got back to him, he asked "God, why do women cry so easily?"
GOD answered......

"When I made woman, I decided she had to be special. I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet, made her arms gentle enough to give comfort...

I gave her the inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times will come even from her own children.

I gave her a tenacity that allows her to keep going and take care of her family and friends, even when everyone else gives up, through sickness and fatigue without complaining....

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances. Even when her child has hurt her badly....

She has the very special power to make a child's boo-boo feel better and to quell a teenager's anxieties and fears....

I gave her strength to care for her husband, despite faults and I fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart....

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly....

For all of this hard work, I also gave her a tear to shed. It is hers to use whenever needed and it is her only weakness....

When you see her cry, tell her how much you love her, and all she does for everyone, and even though she may still cry, you will have made her heart feel better.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cynthia: I thank God for my mother because she showed me what patience truly means. In my most difficult of days my mom loved me. In the earlier days when my dad was the sole breadwinner & money was tight & tempers are short my mother stood by my dad & chose to endure for the sake of the whole family. I wish I can be a better daughter sometimes. Try to send her small little smses, come home for dinner & spend more time with her. What about you?
Let's celebrate our mothers :) Their goodness, love & patience & simply everything!

(My mom & I in Australia last year)

Basketball & Me

2008-05-01T00:38:00.014+08:00

And so the end of our match with NYJC marks the end of our "A" Div tournament.

A week before the match on Monday, my ankle was still swollen, but i am determined to play. This time i really want to play. I really wouldnt want to regret that i did not give my best for this match years after when i look back.

So in the hope that my ankle would heal miraculously by Monday, i started praying and even fasting so that, you know, God would heal it. Because he is the only one capable of doing that. I really believe that i could actually get up to play on Monday.

But not everything happened as i had hoped.

On Sunday, i messaged my coach and asked him what i could do about my ankle, as it was feeling really "loose", like any sudden jerk would detach my ankle bone from my feet. "Nothing." was his prompt reply. He went on to say that its not worth it to risk worsening the injury for such a match.

!!!!!

I asked further what he meant and that i only want to prepare myself even if i ended up warming the bench. He said he wouldnt put a player who is less than 90% fit to play. At that moment, i felt like someone had slapped me in the face, like the hint wasnt clear enough already! Annoyed and very upset i was.

On monday, i still brought along my bball shoes. Maybe, there might still be some chance..

It turned out that i get to sit and watch my team mates play for the whole thing. I watched them lost. Throughout the game, i kept glancing at my coach's direction, hoping that he would look my way and get me in. But no. As the game turned into the 4th quarter, i was practically DYING to play.

And it was like that, the timer went into the last second, we proceed to shake our hands with the other very happy team, thanked the coach and the referee, and went out the stadium for our debrief.

Actually, there really was nothing much to say. We had lost. The last match is over. And from that day onwards, we need not go for training anymore. Truth be told, i felt quite pai seh for him. He had been coaching us for a year plus plus and there's not much of a victory from the team. A bunch of losers, huh? The team knew well that many people in school are mocking us behind our back, look down on us, and always very eager to find out how much we lose or how great is the score difference after each match we played.

Needless to say, i was bombarded by my classmates with questions about the results the minute i stepped into class the following day. WHAT'S THEIR PROBLEM?!

Oh, we took some pictures in the stadium's toilet that day too. NAH, we would never stay sad for long =)

I'm no.9! ^.^

Signing off,
Jo

learning, hopefully

2008-04-22T21:27:00.003+08:00

concentrate.
"lup, lup, lup right lup. lup, lup"
i hopped, but on the wrong foot.i slapped my hand onto my face with a sheepish smile for the upteenth time.
"aiyo, you got it wrong so many times. act cute ah, brenda?" my senior mentioned, half in jest.

that just did it.

everything was going well at first really, doing somewhat relaxed drills. i kept fumbling, but i always thought it's ok to make mistakes if you learn. then when i was doing a march formation that comment hit me so hard. it was that old 'nostalgic' pain.
my old wound, once so delicately plastered, now ripped open to the cold. alright, spare the drama and the emo factor. maybe my senior was just frustrated that my friend could get it faster. or she could really mean it.
i thought i could take rejection already from last year's incredibly shocking blogging episode. oh well, never underestimate the power of time. i have been praying/complaining to god about all my social troubles lately too.
you know. disagreeing with friends. yada. i guess i simply have a longer way to go.
on the bright side, god has blessed me immensely on my tests. i thought i would fail the bulk of them, but i scored a1s and a2s! like whoa, wow, WHOO! i was like: IT'S A MIRACLE!He helped me get into an audition for something i wanted too. i don't think i'll make it,but still,YAY. then i have been trying to get closer to god. is it working?
truthfully no, i don't think so. i mean being rude to my friends when we disagree isn't all holy. i told them they were bl**** lame for goodness sake. i'm not going to say it was their fault. i'm the christian here and all i can do is swear at them. well what do you know.
i suppose i'll have to try. i think god prefers those who try then those who whine and cry.

still healing,
brenda

Is 6.25% a week too much?

2008-04-21T18:03:00.005+08:00

*2hrs cell + 2hrs Post Encounter/SOL + 3hrs church = 7hrs
*Total hours a week = 24 * 7 =168hrs
* Total hours a week (excluding sleeping time. Say we sleep 8hrs a day= (24-8)*7 = 112hrs remaining hours of all other business)

7/112 x 100% = 6.25%

You might be wondering what is this calculation about?
I have no idea too.

Joking la. During this week's sermon, Pastor Mervlyn Mak posted all of us a disturbing question. "Is it ok to give God anything less than our best?"

Well, why do i call it a disturbing question?

Because, even i do shortchange God many many times.
Ok, cut the chase.

This week's application: Reflect and think whether the 7 hours is a lot compared to the remaing 112hrs we have and whether we are putting in enough effort in attending cell meetings and church.
Is 7hrs (out of 112hrs) a mere 6.25% of our time for God business so difficult to give compare to the remaining 93.75% that we have for all other business? Think about it.... I'm sure you have the answer.

Signing off,
Jo & Cynthia

Patience, dear.

2008-04-19T00:24:00.006+08:00

Had a pretty tiring week so far.

Ever since my injury on Monday, i've been limping painfully every where i go.

Being someone who wants everything to be fast and efficient, i get really frustrated with myself when i find myself overtaken by practically everyone and not getting to places as fast as i used to.

Also, having been to the sinseh, i knew how serious my injury is and that i really should not put too much pressure on it. BUT I'M REALLY REALLY ANXIOUS FOR IT TO HEAL IN 2 WEEKS TIME, just in time for my 3rd match. (I missed the 2nd one, and no way am i going to miss the 3rd one.) And i simply cant stand my snail pace. Oh, took this picture while i was watching the match i couldnt play, though i very much wanted to =( -->>>>>

And yes, i understand how sometimes when a person hurt him/herself, people will naturally be showering more care and concern for him/her. But maybe im just not a big fan of having special attention. Its not as if i'm paralysed! *Touchwood*

This friend of mine, lets call her A, said she wanted to go home with me. Another friend, B, was with me as we are heading the same direction. When i asked A why she would want to go home with me because its just not very convenient for her to do so, A replied, "Because of your ankle la."

Now at this moment, instead of feeling the kind of fuzzy feeling and touched from her reply, i felt angry instead. For goodness sake, i didnt even ask her to do that and she's sounding like she's so obliged to do it. I told her, with a hint of frustration, "No need la, who ask you to do that, seriously you can just go home."

After that, B told me i was being very ingrateful. But to me, i just felt...i dont need the sympathy that i thought A was "radiating". I just dont need the special attention can!?

I was so so annoyed and irritated that i uttered a dirty word under my breathe, which unfortunately, B heard it.

Suddenly, i really wanted the pain OUT of my ankle, i want to walk without the awful limping and climb the stairs without feeling breathless, and STOP sitting out for trainings. I just dont feel like waiting...

It was then, while i was doing some reflection of my own, that i felt really guilty, for shooting down my kind and thoughtful friend and for saying that dirty word. I think God wants me to learn something out of it. And im going to wait and see what He wants to tell me. And i really pray hard that some big big miracle could happen so that my ankle could twist back and be as good as new again.

Signing off,
Jo

Lest I Forget

2008-04-15T08:40:00.004+08:00

Dear gals!!! It's the 2nd day of the week. Tuesday! Have you gone past your Monday blues. It's a challenging week for most. Joanne has basketball match & twisted her other ankle yesterday...*OUCH* (pray for speedy recovery) Lishan aka Cherissa is going to Australia today! Prissy has two tests this week, Bren Bren needs to PASS her 2.4km run & TaiTai has an important presentation on Friday (Let's pray for one another ya!) I try to set my night for praying.... But I really really struggling to maintain this spiritual discipline. Jia You in Jesus Name!!!!

Ps Khong preached a wonderful sermon about who God is to us this week.
1) God is LOVING & COMPASSIONATE -> Praise Him for His favors
2) God is Loyal & Covenant Keeping -> Praise Him for His faithfulness
3) God is LORD & is in Control -> Praise Him for His Fullness

Let's not take the LOVE of God for granted. How do you reflect Christ out of church? Do we take short cuts? Lose our temper easily? Yell our heads off at our family? Or only come to God when you need His Blessings?

God is a Person. He is like our best friend. How do you think your best friend will feel if you get all you want out of her & then drop her aside when you dun need her. Yes... the feeling stinks & you and I know it.

Let's really get personal with our dear God who loves us so much & desires to be so much a part of our life. Let's not forget God. He's not NTUC - our all time favourite convenience shop...

Let's make an effort to remember Him in every moment of our day.

Remember SP challenged us to share about the goodness of God with our friends this week. Let's also blog it down k! Will be encouraging for the whole cell! =)

APPLICATIONS
ABi: Do homework diligently
Prissy: Dun be a hypocrite to frens
BRenBRen: Dun be a hypocrite to frens
Ellyn: Obey mother when she ask for help
Miriam: Obey parents
Anndrea: Work hard for bosses though .....
Joanne: don't gossip about the juniors. Keep a tight lip & dun let out another bad word!!
Cynthia: Be diligent in work & church :P

*Luv Cynthia

2008-04-14T22:10:00.007+08:00

The time was 5pm, and we were on board a bus back to school from the SBC ( Singapore basketball centre).

The whole bus was silent. I was sitting alone right up at the first seat, practically sobbing my eyes off. In fact, judging from the total silence, i dont think i'm the only one doing that.

The boys from the bball team were being very sensible, there's hardly any sound from them.

Our match with MI had ended.

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

I couldnt sleep the previous night! This match is so important to us, if we were to win this one and the next one, we could get to the second round.

All of us were excused from lessons at 11 (YEA!) since the bus was due to arrive at 11.30. Apparently, everyone was nervous. I tried to boost their confidence by asking, "So where are we going to celebrate after this?" See? I was so sure we were going to win, because we just HAVE to win.

We arrived the place at around 12 plus, and watched the guys play. Boys basketball matches are always more exciting than the Girls. Pace of the game is much faster plus more stunts etc.

Then we went to change into our jerseys =) It was too revealing for me (the side of my sports bra is just...exposed!!), but i couldnt do much about it.

First, 2nd and 3rd quarter of the game, we were leading, not by alot though.
Then we went into the last quarter, dont know what went wrong but they started catching up, still not very enough to lead us, but we made more mistakes too.. Finally, the time stopped. The score was 18-18. Tied.

So the game was extended for 5 more minutes. 3 mins into the game, which was already very crucial and everyone was so tensed up we fumbled with the ball, dribbled and let the ball slipped off and such, I twisted my ankle and fall down. I tried to get up but couldnt. Team-mates came and surrounded me, and this is the part i so dislike. But nvm. Fast forward >>>>>

The last second ticked by, and we lost by 3 points. I was sitting on the bench and staring at that huge timer opposite the court. 00:00. End.

Seeing how hard everyone had given their best, it was difficult to keep myself from bursting into tears. We went and shaked hands with the other team and walked back to the bus.

I noticed the uneasy silence as soon as i got on the bus. As the pain was getting more intense, i just took the first seat, and buried my face in my towel.

It was the longest bus ride of my life. *so drama*

But after that i found out that the bus uncle actually took the wrong route so... yea.

Signing off,
Jo

"And the 12 are..."

2008-04-09T21:15:00.007+08:00

(Knowing me, you are almost right that what probably ensues will mostly be about bball, bball etc. I apologised if it gets boring for you :-) )
I was walking in to school this morning when my bball mate came up to me and we talked. She told me that one of us received news that she will not make the final team.

Me: Huh? Why so sudden?

She: Dont know la, but she cried a little bit..

Me: Oh dear... *thinking*

(Pause)

My at that moment's train of thoughts : Poor girl, why cry....... Now, its 1 out....... 1 never attend trainings....... so 12 peeps left, so........

As if i have only just woken up, realisation took quite long to finally dawn on me.

Me: HUH?! Means we got in?

She: *nodded*

Its like... I dont know how to react to this, but i can only say, i'm not happy about it.

I feel i do deserve some good slapping. I asked God to help me, regretted mine asking him almost immediately, and then, ta-daa! He answered my prayer.

Hmmm, honestly, I dont know what i want. I felt i really needed those training time to revise my work and to reduce the piling stacks of assignments and tutorials. Well well..

Going off to reduce them now =)

Signing off,
Jo

First match up against Millenia Institute, coming Monday. *Sighhhhhhhhh*

Women Of Destiny

I Love my iPHONE!

Teen IDOL Camp 2009

Good things to share!

*Slurp Slurp*

Dancing with Wolves!

What are we doing with we are given?

When you're down to nothing, God is up to something.

Application for 3rd May

APPLICATION-26/4/09

I'm gonna be a History Maker in this land!

faith

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen

Storm Signals

CS, WOW

Mark a Difference

My Most Memorable Valentine Day 2009!

FAMILY!

Running after you...

"Fooled by what we "see"!

happy new year!

New Year's Eve

Merry & Blessed Christmas!

Pass It On (The true spirit of CHRISTmas)

back! <3

IN LONDON...

happy birhtday-application

Let's REMEMBER Him - How Great is our God

Relationship takes time

FOR YOU

Mystery Man / Stalker??!!

10% of everything

entertainment

I'm NOT nose droppings!

the bystander

Dropping a note!

APPLICATIONS-5/10/2008

Glory to God!

APPLICATIONS-28/9/08

I am dying

My visit to SGH II

My visit to SGH

Hillsong - This is our God

Date Rape (Part II)

Who else know your panties colour?

My Love Story (The Malaysian Version)

what they would do

Feel the Power!

Dr William Tan (passage might be a little long. sorry..)

GIRLS, what do YOU think?

Girls, Are You Growing???

Are You Ready?

Girls, beware of perverts on MRT

100th post (:

Choir...

a diamond to be born

ordinary people, extraordinary music

competition!

Come Along, Little One.

Rejection

I don't want this.

family =/

UGH

captain's ball ;D

gender and prejudice

the day only for God (:

Give your best pose using One to Ten

Genuine reasons or Mere Excuses ?

self-barriers

Bobo, My Love <3

The Dream Team!

further implications

Good Day to You

When Ellyn's Stressed...

I just love it

Ellyn's first post!

my little brother

2008 Cell Retreat - Fiery Marshmallows

2008 Cell Retreat - Intercell Amazing Race

Slurp Slurp