discouragement and encouragement

i got sent home. again. stupid weather. woke up bright and early at 8.30 cos i was supposed to go to the park w gabe and yongchang to take some rides before work starts at 11. but it was raining so we didnt go. i even had time to make pancakes, call david, and do QT.. and i called the VEND hotline but there was no message for me, so i went to work. after the usual routine of walking to cash control in the cold and rain, i hurried to frontier to make it for 11am, but this supervisor julie stopped me halfway and told me frontier was closed and i was off the whole day. sigh.

my schedule this week is quite horrible, 11-close everyday and 1-close for the weekends. sigh, im getting waayy too few hours, and waayyy too many unintended off days. and they wont approve my special request for off for the 25th and 30th so that i can go to niagara falls and michigan respectively. irritating. oh the other hand, debbie's doing very well, she gets 9.30 - cl everyday and her definition of close is really the time the park closes, like 8pm or 10pm, not like 4pm or 6pm, which is the definition of 'close' at frontier. and she got sunday off. i think the supervisor likes her, which is good... sigh i feel so cursed.

went to wendy's for lunch with gabe and yongchang and this prc singaporean guy from NUS who name i cannot remember. wendy's is a much better deal than macs man, bigger, nicer burgers and sides, and cheaper. my meal cost 4.99, which was 5.42 including tax. stupid tax.

walked to meijers in the cold and rain. i called up 2 pple who advertised their cars in yesterday's papers, but one of them was sold, and the other didnt pick up, and 2 local calls cost $1. looks like we're not gonna get our car after all... bought apple juice and oreos, yay. with gabe's money. haha. now i owe him.

the welcome party is postponed. again. no more free hot dogs for dinner. have to cook pasta or something. yc wants to come over for dinner, but i had enough of having guys (who do not appreciate our cooking whatsoever) over for dinner. debs and i love our own cooking, so what! :

ok enough complaints, now i must talk about the encouragement i received yesterday.

went to work alone cos debbie went to church. i was working at the popcorn thing again, which is boring but im not complaining... i got there at 10 and john (my supervisor) told me my wagon only opens at 12, but he managed to get permission to open early. time passed quite quickly cos i was singing hymns the whole time yesterday. and since there was hardly anyone and the popping machine is so noisy anyway, i could sing at the top of my voice. now i know why God gave me such a good memory for hymns. heh. i felt really happy and enouraged, though i was stucked in an area which was less than 2 sq metres wide. i was sheltered and kinda 'indoors' too, but i was still freezing. the temperature these fews days have been below 10 deg celcius.today is even colder i think, and we wear the thin uniform and only 1 rain suit which does not break the wind or keep out the cold. it is just what it says it is: a rain suit, so it's waterproof. sigh.

we had our first bible study of sorts last tuesday, which was more like us reading through matthew 6, and then gabe reading his daily devotional thingy out. then we had a short time of sharing and prayer. it was quite good, cos it was a good time to reflect on the blessings and share our burdens and goals. we'll be having another one on wed i think, looking forward to that. but the rest of them use the NIV though. told debbie about the johainine (however u spell it) comma. eld boon will be so proud of me. hahaha.hahaha. ok, maybe not cos i still can't spell it...

prayer requests:
- better work hours (s)
- better weather (s)
- physical and spiritual health (t/s)
- safety (t/s)
- approval to shorten contract (s)
- application for double degree (God's will as to which to take) (s)

happy belated mother's day, mummy! i sent you something!
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sj: i'm applying for 30th, gabe talked to jem already, and he says he can come get us but we have to find out own way back. we checked the cab fares, and it costs like $300. heh... but my leave hasnt been approved, will keep u updated. how come u can keep surfing the net in peru? did you bring ur US phone? cos i dunno whether i can call u!

hon & lu: what hockey gathering! how come you pple wait till im gone then organise something! go support the juniors la, they're playing semis this week i think, help me cheer for my sister! (:

lu: how did u do for FA? are u doing accounting? how to apply? can u please email me? thanx..

jm: thanx for the mail, will reply when this internet is not so unstable!!cant log into my email anymore! a little bird in NJ gave me some good news though... you succeeded? congrats, buddy! and it's wayy too cold and wet to play frisbee this week. sigh.

justin the brat: are u still in tokyo? our OG is dispersed far and wide. haha. Ohio wins hands down though, 5 of us here! haha. ok u knew that already...

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pictures pictures...


beagle dollars they use in cedar point, only legal tender at cedar fair amusement parks. i have the 2 $1 ones, cos the $5 is too ex. haha. i looovvee peanuts. (:


the dinner we cooked, really looked like 'cai fan', and it tasted quite good... there was 1) luncheon meat, sausage and potato with ketchup 2)egg with mushroom and onion 3) brocolli with mushromm and minced meat
problem is that we only had ONE pot to cook everything, so we took forever.


danny the free-loader who CANNOT stop talking. and who looks like a criminal in every photo.


the thais and i, waiting for the bus in the cold at sandusky mall. (L-R) Byrd, Pom and Nick